So the GOP vice-presidential candidate once won second place in the Miss Alaksa beauty contest, and was awarded the Miss Congeniality prize. Her husband works for British Petroleum. She was elected governor of Alaska in 2006. From 2004 to 2005 she was Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. Before that, she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, for a time.
Are they serious?
So the aged and infirm McCain, who has been razzing Barack Obama for being “inexperienced,” chooses someone with even less experience to be his running mate. Obviously, Sarah Palin was chosen because of her gender, and for no other reason. The McCain campaign must figure their only hope is to pick up disgruntled Clinton supporters.
Update: My devoted fan the Confederate Yankee smugly links to Palin’s Wikepedia biography and says, “It has to terrify Obama’s camp.” The Wikipedia biography was my source for the details above. Yes, I’m sure we’re all terrified of the former Miss Congeniality who was mayor of Wasilla.
Update: It appears that John McCain has achieved something remarkable — he has pleased everyone across the political spectrum. Righties are happy because they think they’ve pulled a fast one on the left — See? We can play identity politics, too! Lefties are happy because Palin is a joke.
See Josh Marshall.
Update: It gets better. In 2000, Wasilla, Alaska had all of 5,469 residents.
Update: Chris Kelly — “Governor Palin Has What It Takes to Be the Next Dick Cheney.”
Obviously, Sarah Palin was chosen because of her gender, and for no other reason.
You give McCain too much credit.
It’s not because she’s a woman; it’s because she’s a babe.
He never would have picked her if she weren’t good-looking and complaisant — you know, like Vicki Iseman.
And she gets to debate Joe Biden. That should be fun.
It may be that in politics, the desperation campaign move will now be forever known as a “Hail Sarah”…
I guess Obama can’t make a dent in McCain’s base of white guys who think with their testicles, now.
McCain has locked up the moosehunters vote, too.
And I bet Putin and Bin Laden are quaking in their boots at the thought of a VP with zero foreign policy experience.
And why do I sense that Cindy McCain is cinching her seatbelt tighter now?
I also think it’s a rather cynical choice. Just last week, after Sen. Obama picked Joe Biden, the McCain campaign was running an ad trying to win over disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters; now they’ve chosen Gov. Palin. The only thing she shares with Sen. Clinton is the lack of a Y chromosome, yet the GOP thinks that the “Hey, she’s a woman” meme will be enough to make the Hillary Clinton supporters switch to McCain. Ms. Palin is virulently anti-choice, she’s vetoed same-sex partner benefits, and she’s all in favor of drilling in ANWR, something even Sen. McCain isn’t in favor of. So this selection seems to be geared to the right-wing, the evangelicals, and the low-informed voter who will not examine her record.
ROTFLOL! Barry yammers on about change and hope and new politics, then picks Biden. McCain picks a fresh face in Sarah Palin.
Who’s offering real change?
Tell me again why I haven’t banned William Teach?
Watching McCain just now, I noticed something: Why doesn’t McCain wear a flag pin on his lapel? Doesn’t he love this country?
I’m here in Dayton, where McCain is presenting Sarah Palin to the adoring fans. She has introduced her children, including a four-month-old baby. And guess what, another talking point for the McCain camp: their oldest son just enlisted in the Army and will be shipping out to Iraq. Hmmm, do ya think McCain’s handlers knew about that…?
This is lame and a half.
Any reactions yet from those Hillary backers who planned on voting for McCain?
Dana Bash on CNN referred to her as a “Young, female John McCain.” Young, female John McCain??? O.k., I guess I’m a tall, white Gary Coleman.
Tell me again why I haven’t banned William Teach?
Because everything he says is untrue and irrelevant? I’m good at ignoring lawn mowers, jackhammers, other people’s loud and offensive cellphone conversations, and I’ve learned to ignore that poor deluded soul.
Meanwhile, on planet Earth….
And [Palin] gets to debate Joe Biden. That should be fun.
Oh, I can’t wait.
Let me see if I understand. A Chicago politician chooses a career Washington insider and tells us we need change. A Maverick Republican, who has worked effectively with someone like Ted Kennedy on major legislation, picks a woman, married to a union member, who has cut government spending and confronted government corruption–that is change.
Maha,
Because you want to be entertained by the followup comments to Mr. Teach.
I can’t wait to see the VP debate. Too bad Tina Fey isn’t on SNL anymore – that character would have been hysterical.
You haven’t banned him, Maha, because every site needs one comic relief.
I think Palin is the result of a McCain temper-tantrum. According to his fellow Senators, even some Repubs, he has them quite often and out of them come very rash decisions. I think it was Dole who even went so far as to say that McCain “shouldn’t be put in charge of anything.”
It’ll be interesting to see how Obama, very artfully this has to be done, suggests to voters that due to McCain’s age and iffy health and the Constitution, Palin just may end up being POTUS.
Tell me again why I haven’t banned William Teach?
Contrast. Duality. What is yin without yang to be not-yin? Commenters plus the occasional troll make the sound of two hands clapping.
A Maverick Republican, who has worked effectively with someone like Ted Kennedy on major legislation, picks a woman, married to a union member, who has cut government spending and confronted government corruption–that is change.
Please. Palin’s a dim bulb already embroiled in an ethics scandal. She’s a typical Washington Republican before she even gets to Washington.
I guess I’m a tall, white Gary Coleman.
I want to be a female George Clooney.
William Teach is providing comic relief today, the voice of the low information voter.
Palin reminds me of a right wing evangelical woman – whose full name (Pat L.) escapes me – who ran as an independent for governor in Pennsylvania (my home state) many years ago. In the context of PA politics she was viewed as a fringe nutcase, but she managed to scare the state GOP and siphon off votes, as PA is a swing state.
It’s clear that this is Palin’s demographic – the Dobsonites, the drill-drill-drill crowd. The clueless GOP probably does think they’re going to get some Hillary voters as well. It’s an attempt to bring the evangelicals on board.
This is such a gift to Obama-Biden, on so many levels. I’ve read political pros say that the McCain campaign is the worst run campaign they’ve ever seen – that’s why they brought Karl on board – and this choice has got to have them reeling in disbelief.
Evangelicals ardantly belive that a woman’s place is in the kitchen, no leadership at all in churches. They won’t vote Barack but it could keep them home. For guys who think with the wrong head they also believe that good looking women are air heads, I think it’s a wash. I think the Hillary supporters who would maybe have voted McCain can see the clear pander; and my guess is the adds with Hillary in them slamming Miss Congeniality will not be far behind. McCain could have chosen Condi (if she would have done it) or even Elizabeth Dole, who certainly bring more competence to the table, that can also be brought up. Plus Palin is involved in a scandal. I think it’s Ok for the Dems.
Any reactions yet from those Hillary backers who planned on voting for McCain?
This is the first reaction I’ve seen:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/29/11361/4270/107/578576
You love me, you know you do! 🙂
Because you believe in free speech, and I have yet to be anymore then annoying, not vulgar and disgusting. And, because you know I am right.
We’ll see how it works out on the first Tuesday in November.
Was McCain checking out her ass during her speech?
I think, knowing full-well that he can’t win in November, and being a close, close friend to both Joe Biden and the Clintons, this was John McCain once again saying F- You to the Republican party.
Less than 70 days to the election, McCain picks an almost total unknown on the national scene? And someone who refutes every argument his campaign ever made against Obama?
McCain hates Romney. And he hates it that Rove associates took over his campaign in July. and he really hates what they’ve turned him into… and that they’ve forced him to take stances he knows are wrong and immoral.
McCain, smirking today, handed the election to the Democrats.
Remember… he told Ariana Huffington that he and Cindy didn’t vote for Bush in 2000. And that he was strongly considered to be John Kerry’s 2004 running mate.
No other explanation for McCain’s selection of Palin makes logical sense.
I have to wonder about her judgment. Who hooks their wagon to a falling star? Maybe Palin sees the overall political benefit of national exposure and name recognition, but she has to know she heading into a political disaster with McCain. McCain is on the fast track to the dust bin of history. McCain’s a Jonah, and soon to be political pariah.
Deborah (#24) – That’s an interesting and compelling analysis. But you lose me in the last sentence: “No other explanation for McCain’s selection of Palin makes logical sense.” Since when does anything they do have to make sense? They haven’t made sense for a good number of years now.
because you know I am right.
Wrong. You are merely Right. And your knee is jerkin’ worse than Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show.
McCain is a crazzy-ass gambler; this is simply a crazy-ass gambler. If the game that has worked twice in a row (hold the base, screw everybody else), McCain just held the base. Remember boys and girls: he’s running against a Black man. Obama’s main counter to that was that Republicans didn’t like McCain much. McCain just handed them Rush Limbaugh’s favorite veep candidate. Coupled with the usual hate-politics and voter suprression, Dems running a Black man and a (boring) Catholic ain’t exactly a winning formula. We treat this ticket as a joke at our extraordinary peril.
Local Alaskan tv report nails Palin lying about firing scandal. What was McCain thinking?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UojMnCgqVA
Second place, Miss Alaska? Not bad. But if Michelle Obama had run for Miss _America_, she’d have won easily. She didn’t, because that would have been a step down.
It’s a big crap shoot for Palin too. Odds are she’s going to wind up as the butt of many jokes, like Dan Quayle. She looks like Mary Anne on Gilligan’s Island, and I can imagine the possibilities there… In her mind, I’m sure she sees this as a gigantic boost to her career. Truly the Biden-Palin debate is going to be Don’t Miss TV.
McCain showed uncertainty with this mistress to get along with, he kept rubbing his wedding ring as if he was saying to himself, “remember, you’re married to the blonde behind you who can see when you look at Sarah’s buttock, and I am not married (not exactly) to this beauty queen, (lets see what happens at 3 am with the manajay-toi) Palin who like Bush, pronounced “nucular” weapons. uy guvult. barf me with a spoon.
McCain was thinking “gee, maybe I can get a fresh face in to Washington and affect some real change, rather then picking an ultimate Washington insider.”
Teach: I see you’ve learned to parrot the substance-free talking point the Right wants you to parrot. It must be nice being a rightie; you don’t have to think.
However, I don’t have to listen. If I wanted idiocy, I’d watch Faux Nooz.
Bye.
I have to feel sorry for the commenter over at dKos who said he spent half an hour searching the intertubes for a snarky photo… only to discover that, among the Pythons, Michael Palin was one who almost never dressed in drag.
Dr. James Dobson said he will now pull the lever for McCain.
Seems McCain securedt the evangelical vote, and the evangelicals locked in their tentacle hold on the GOP. It’s a lose/win situation.
Dobson must be beaming that McCain was forced by political desperation to kiss his ring and seek his blessing. Like the young ruler asking Jesus..”what must I do to be saved?”, McCain had to approach Dobson, and ask the same question, but in a political context.
Might this mean that McCain is confident that there won’t really be an election or that there won’t be a real election? Why else chose this dreadful woman? To whom could she appeal?
Looking around I’ve learned these facts about McCain’s VP pick:
She’s absolutely anti-choice, even in cases of rape or incest.
She opposes gay marriage and wants to deny even healthcare benefits for gay domestic partners.
She doesn’t believe in evolution and wants creationism taught (or at least “discussed,”) in America’s classrooms.
She supports the brutal “sport” of aerial wolf-hunting (which she sees as desirable to preserve moose and caribou populations… for hunting on the ground.)
She opposes attempts to consider polar bears endangered.
She denies global warming.
She favors oil drilling in ANWR (and anywhere else, apparently. Polar bears, beluga whales, the environment be damned.)
Soooo — are they just having fun because there aren’t going to be elections? Or are Americans really that stupid?
w/metta,
According to a report on NPR, there has been some frenetic rewriting of Palin’s Wikipedia entry in the days immediately before the nomination. Confederate Yankee may be best served by diversifying his/her internet search 😉
As someone who went to high school Petersburg, a smaller version of Wasilla, I am fascinated and puzzled by this choice. I’ve met people like Sarah Palin and I can tell you one thing: they do not specialize in intellectualism. These people have nice little rural lives where burning fossil fuels associated with their trucks, boats, and recreation vehicles. Since food is so expensive to transport from the “Lower 48” most people have to hunt and fish in order to provide food for themselves. It is a rather rugged place to live and people have to be smart enough to stay warm and literally avoid freezing to death.
My point here is these types of skills are simply not the skills I would feel comfortable saying making you a competent “leader of the free world” or whatever they call a President or VP Candidate these days. Can you imagine the VP Debate on foreign issues? Biden could say, “when Pakistan is in crisis President Musharraf gives me a personal call.” This lady is going to answer, “What is Pakistan?” This is just stunning. Maybe McCain knows he going to lose so he figures what the hell? Lets make a mockery of the whole thing and none of it matters.
To those comments addressing McCain looking at her butt yesterday during the announcement speech, was anyone else struck by the the contrast in Obama’s and McCain’s speaking abilities? Obama went out and introduced Biden with no notes and started with, “let me tell you about Joe Biden…” on the other hand McCain seemed flustered and confused. I can’t see how these two would win a dog catcher election.
McCain seemed flustered and confused.
I keep saying he’s not as mentally sharp as he was eight years ago. There can be a lot of reasons for this, not all of them serious, but don’t be surprised if he’s diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the next year or two.
Don’t forget: she was chosen for her age too. Being younger than Obama (who was criticized for being too young to be in the Oval Office), she’s supposed to balance out complaints of McCain’s campaign being too old.
Another facet that has me worried about Palin’s ability to lead are all the jokes and sexual comments I’ve heard or read about Palin’s new position (no pun intended). Everything from “I’d drill her for oil” to “she can put me in her cabinet (and take me out when she wants to use me)”. These kinds of comments indicate a lack of respect for Palin: Clinton didn’t get these kinds of comments because of her competency, her presence and the power she had. I’d love to have a woman in the White House, but not a woman that half the population feels it’s ok to sexually harass.