Interesting: While she's trapped in the one-man-one-woman feedback loop, she exercised a veto that gives Alaskan same-sex couples normative benefits.
McCain's campaign just officially confirmed the selection. But apparently, the qualifications for leadership are much lower that I expect: "As the head of the Alaska National Guard and as the mother of a soldier, she has what it takes," to lead the US military, the press release says.
I heard that PUMA is all about her. I think that is the proof that PUMA were just Republicans in disguise. She is practically the antithesis of Hillary. Also, does she know anything at all about foreign policy?
How can McCain choose someone with so little experience? It seems to me that she is less experienced than Obama. I would have expected McCain to go with more experience so they could use that as an attack.
If you have access to CNN right now, it's priceless. They are pointing out that Palin is notable because she was mayor of the city where the Ididarod starts, though they don't know whether she's ever participated in the race. But she's an avid snowmobiler, hunter, and fisherman, "which might be just the thing the Republicans need to energize the upcoming Republican convention."
Steve, what can you tell us about Gov. Palin? "She's young, she's a soccer mom. She's definitely a commercial fisherman. This is very interesting to us."
What's the rest of her political background in the state? "Well, she... she has none. She was a... uh... mayor."
CNN switches over to another analyst: "One of the things we're going to have to watch out for is whether America will fall in love with her. She's a very winsome woman. Very feisty." "The city she was mayor of had, what, 8,500 people or so. So we're going to have to find out more about her, about whether she's had any travel."
She's hotter than Joe Biden, so I think she's got that going for her.
I don't know about that. Biden has the whole "Wise Old Man" thing going for him. It seems the Republican campaign is on its last legs, if this is the strategy they're employing. I really cannot wait for the debates. Biden will slaughter her.
I think McCain wanted to attract former Hillary supporters by choosing a woman, but as a CNN analyst said, Hillary was attractive as a candidate because she was a successful woman, and Palin isn't nearly as successful as Clinton.
Sarah Palin for Governor: Quite the website she has there. I'd like to see the Issues page, but I don't have access to Robyn Middleton's C: drive. file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Robyn%20Middleton/Application%20Data/Macromedia/Dreamweaver%20MX%202004 /Configuration/ServerConnections/Palin%20for%20Gov/issues.html
In another forum I regularly visit the term 'VPILF' was just thrown....
This is going to sound drastic so I will not rephrase it, but this was also said by the same person: "It should matter because when your the oldest President ever and have the least experienced VP ever, it kind of makes things a little more realistic. Obama would die from an assasin, McCain could die just in his sleep, the VPs do matter. When your only experience is leading a town of 5K and then 12 months as Governor."
Y'know, this kinda kills the whole "Obama's not ready" meme.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about that. I'm sure McCain has a response ready. I'm curious to see what he says. To be fair, she's not running for the top position - he is. I understand that she could wind up in the top position, but she would have certainly had some experience as VP by then.
So really you're comparing apples to oranges. Nonetheless, it does open the door to criticism.
Do you really think that Obama is going to alienate the entire senior population by mentioning that? The bloggers might, but Obama can't overtly touch that.
And even if she did become president, she would have no less experience than Obama. So the point only gets you so far.
Besides... at the end of the day, people are going to vote on political philosophy. Hillary Clinton is a lesson in how ineffective the "experience" argument has become.
Do you really think that Obama is going to alienate the entire senior population by mentioning that? The bloggers might, but Obama can't overtly touch that.
And even if she did become president, she would have nolessexperience than Obama. So the point only gets you so far.
Besides... at the end of the day, people are going to vote on political philosophy. Hillary Clinton is a lesson in how ineffective the "experience" argument has become.
So you guys are going to count her Mayor experience but not his state senate experience?
They already have a argument, they will say she's the only one of the 4 with executive experience.
Do you really think that Obama is going to alienate the entire senior population by mentioning that?
He doesn't have to mention it. Everyone knows McCain is old. He's as old as Reagan was going into his second term. It's highly unlikely that McCain will live through two terms. It's questionable whether he'll live through one.
He's as old as Reagan was going into his second term.
Your point is well taken, Joe, but you've been alarmingly inaccurate lately. Reagan was 73 (a couple of weeks shy of 74) when he was sworn in for his second term. McCain just turned 72. Not a big difference, admittedly. ;-)
The problem with the age argument is that older people don't care. Since younger people tend to be liberal, it's not a huge deal. And let's face it, young conservatives aren't going to vote for Obama. That's why I keep saying that politics are going to be much more important than age. It's a factor, just not a big factor.
So you guys are going to count her Mayor experience but not his state senate experience?
I think that they are roughly equivalent. It depends on how you look at it. A mayor has executive experience whereas a state senator deals with more macro issues.
And let's not forget, Obama can't criticize her lack of experience without calling his own lack of experience into question. (Although he could deftly mention the hypocrisy.) So the only thing that this could affect is McCain's ability to attack Obama. No doubt he's thought this through. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Here's a blogger who is thinking exactly what I'm thinking: It's possible that adding Palin to the ticket will take away McCain's ability to attack Obama's inexperience. But it's also quite possible that any conversation that ends up happening about whether Sarah Palin is ready to be Vice President after ten years in local government and two years in statewide office can only end up hurting the Obama campaign - by raising, indirectly, the Democratic ticket's biggest liability. Update: Clearly, the Obama camp disagrees, because they're going there right out of the box.
It will be very interesting to see how this plays out.
Could it be that Obama's attacking this woman will alienate Clinton supporters? Clinton is very different (experience wise), but I wonder if this is what McCain was hoping for. Obama seems to be concerned about this, since his statement was tepid at best. It was his aide's message that attacked her.
All I know is that, as an independent, I've yet to make up my mind. My vote is Obama's to win or lose. I'm really watching him intently.
My gut feeling is that the Latino vote could swing this election. If Obama can't make inroads with the Latinos, he might be in trouble. That alone could tip Florida.
Your point is well taken, Joe, but you've been alarmingly inaccurate lately. Reagan was 73 (a couple of weeks shy of 74) when he was sworn in for his second term. McCain just turned 72. Not a big difference, admittedly.
That's why I said he is AS OLD as Reagan was. As you admit, the numeric difference between 72 and 73 is not a big difference. At that age, it's certainly not a big physical difference. For all intents and purposes, a 72 year old is just as frail as a 73 year old. One year age differences stop being important after the 20 to 21 year old age difference.
That's why I didn't say that they were EXACTLY the same age. Hardly alarmingly inaccurate. You are being alarmingly petty lately.
The problem with the age argument is that older people don't care. Since younger people tend to be liberal, it's not a huge deal. And let's face it, young conservatives aren't going to vote for Obama. That's why I keep saying that politics are going to be much more important than age. It's a factor, just not a big factor.
Do you have any proof or is this just your wisdom? The point is not that McCain will be old. The point is that, if a person votes for McCain, they are effectively voting for Palin to be President.
Grammar is important in this forum. In order to avoid the potential of being banned, you should have should have said that the age is "similar." I just don't want you to go anywhere, Joe. ;-)
Do you have any proof or is this just your wisdom? The point is not that McCain will be old.
My proof is Ronald Reagan. At a more advanced age than McCain, he was re-elected, winning 49 of 50 states. Mondale, seventeen years younger than Reagan, made age an issue. Look how well he did. (And arguably, Reagan showed more signs of age than McCain.)
Don't you remember Reagan saying this during a debate? "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience."
Health care has only improved since then.
That's why I say that it's a factor, but that there are much more important factors.
Grammar is important in this forum. In order to avoid the potential of being banned, you should have should have said that the age is "similar." I just don't want you to go anywhere, Joe. ;-)
Definition: Possessing the same or almost the same characteristics. Synonyms: alike, analogous, comparable, corresponding, equivalent, parallel, similar, uniform
The construction "McCain is as old as Reagan" means that their ages are comparable, or similar.
If you're going to insist on being petty, maybe you should try and figure out what things mean before you make an ass of yourself. I "should have said that the age is 'similar'"? I DID say that their ages were similar.
My proof is Ronald Reagan. At a more advanced age than McCain, he was re-elected, winning 49 of 50 states. Mondale, seventeen years younger than Reagan, made age an issue. Look how well he did. (And arguably, Reagan showed more signs of age than McCain.
If that's your proof, then YOU are comparing apples to oranges. Reagan was widely popular outside his party. Inside his party, he was unstoppable. McCain has little popularity outside his party, and many people in his own party don't like him.
The construction "McCain is as old as Reagan" means that their ages are comparable, orsimilar.
I don't want to get sidetracked by this, but age is a mathematical expression. Unless you have come up with an earth shattering new equation, 73 is most certainly not the "same" as 72.
Language, when used in mathematical terms, is not necessarily comparable to appropriate language for less quantifiable matters. (Please tell me this is a joke - do I really have to explain this?)
You avoided the definition of "same". I can see why.
Besides, Joe. Couldn't you tell by the emoticon that I was trying to be sarcastic? Lighten up, dude.
Reagan was widely popular outside his party.
You're proving my point. Other factors are much more important than age. Whether or not McCain can capitalize on those other factors remains to be seen. But the point is that he has the potential to do so, just as Obama has the potential.
You're proving my point. Other factors are much more important than age.
No, you're not getting the point because you're intentionally being difficult. I'll try to help you.
Reagan was old. That didn't matter so much because he was popular.
McCain is old. He is not popular. Age is going to be more of a problem for him than it was for Reagan.
That's why I said he is AS OLD as Reagan was.
Grammar is important in this forum. In order to avoid the potential of being banned, you should have should have said that the age is "similar." I just don't want you to go anywhere, Joe. ;-)
If you want to quibble about language, what is the meaning of the construction "should have should have" as you wrote above?
McCain is old. He is not as popular. Age is going to be more of a problem for him than it was for Reagan.
That's a fair statement. I'm just not convinced that it will play a dispositive role, but that remains to be seen. There is a Bliss poll on the matter, but you can't take too much from it because it did not break down the voters into any meaningful subcategories. It was also only taken in one state.
If you want to attack Palin on her inexperience, then you must concede that Obama suffers from the same flaw. By your logic, you should be voting for McCain. Do you really want to do that?
Still... good luck winning Florida if Obama goes for the jugular when it comes to age.
My two cents... whichever candidate delivers hope for the economy will win. Everything else is window dressing.
If you want to quibble about language, what is the meaning of the construction "should have should have" as you wrote above?
I don't want to quibble. My humor was apparently lost on you. If we get banned, at least we'll go out together in a blaze of glory!
However, I have no problem admitting that I made a mistake. And you?... Or are you still trying to convince a bunch of tech people that 72 is the "same" as 73? Let it go, Joe. You'll feel much better.
So, let's take the discussion here where it belongs.
VP Candidate for the GOP isSarah Palin, Republican Governor of Alaska.
Personally I think she is a terrible pick. They tried to stuff in the women's vote but this is going to be tough since she is hardline pro-life. Then she is very inexperienced which makes it hard for McCain to attack Obama on that front. And finally I think that Joe Biden is going to tear her apart.
I have to disagree with you, Palin was probably the best option for McCain. Actually, he is doing the exact same thing that Obama did by picking Biden. McCain has been told he's out of touch, so he goes to get a young, hip governor from Alaska with tremendous approval ratings. Obama is told he doesn't have experience, so he goes with Biden, who has international experience up the wazoo. Just as Obama is hoping that Biden's experience will bleed over, McCain is hoping that his experience will bleed over.
Will it be difficult for McCain to attack Obama for his lack of experience anymore? Yes, but that wasn't the best strategy in the first place and would have been, probably, dropped since Obama chose Biden.
Now that I think about it, McCain might be trying to steal some of Obama's thunder with the whole "Change" thing. Who does Obama chose as a running mate, a veteren of Washington who, while definitely brining in the much needed experience that Obama lacks, does not necessarily sit well with the whole idea of "Change". Who does McCain pick, a relatively unknown, but exceptionally popular, state governor whose lack of experience means she is less likely to use 'traditional Washington politics' to get the job done.
Comments
McCain's campaign just officially confirmed the selection. But apparently, the qualifications for leadership are much lower that I expect: "As the head of the Alaska National Guard and as the mother of a soldier, she has what it takes," to lead the US military, the press release says.
Also, does she know anything at all about foreign policy?
Yep, she's a woman. That's it.
Steve, what can you tell us about Gov. Palin?
"She's young, she's a soccer mom. She's definitely a commercial fisherman. This is very interesting to us."
What's the rest of her political background in the state?
"Well, she... she has none. She was a... uh... mayor."
CNN switches over to another analyst:
"One of the things we're going to have to watch out for is whether America will fall in love with her. She's a very winsome woman. Very feisty."
"The city she was mayor of had, what, 8,500 people or so. So we're going to have to find out more about her, about whether she's had any travel."
Sarah Palin for Governor: Quite the website she has there. I'd like to see the Issues page, but I don't have access to Robyn Middleton's C: drive.
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Robyn%20Middleton/Application%20Data/Macromedia/Dreamweaver%20MX%202004/Configuration/ServerConnections/Palin%20for%20Gov/issues.html
This is going to sound drastic so I will not rephrase it, but this was also said by the same person:
"It should matter because when your the oldest President ever and have the least experienced VP ever, it kind of makes things a little more realistic. Obama would die from an assasin, McCain could die just in his sleep, the VPs do matter. When your only experience is leading a town of 5K and then 12 months as Governor."
Y'know, this kinda kills the whole "Obama's not ready" meme.
So really you're comparing apples to oranges. Nonetheless, it does open the door to criticism.
And even if she did become president, she would have no less experience than Obama. So the point only gets you so far.
Besides... at the end of the day, people are going to vote on political philosophy. Hillary Clinton is a lesson in how ineffective the "experience" argument has become.
They already have a argument, they will say she's the only one of the 4 with executive experience.
The problem with the age argument is that older people don't care. Since younger people tend to be liberal, it's not a huge deal. And let's face it, young conservatives aren't going to vote for Obama. That's why I keep saying that politics are going to be much more important than age. It's a factor, just not a big factor. I think that they are roughly equivalent. It depends on how you look at it. A mayor has executive experience whereas a state senator deals with more macro issues.
And let's not forget, Obama can't criticize her lack of experience without calling his own lack of experience into question. (Although he could deftly mention the hypocrisy.) So the only thing that this could affect is McCain's ability to attack Obama. No doubt he's thought this through. It will be interesting to see what happens.
It's possible that adding Palin to the ticket will take away McCain's ability to attack Obama's inexperience. But it's also quite possible that any conversation that ends up happening about whether Sarah Palin is ready to be Vice President after ten years in local government and two years in statewide office can only end up hurting the Obama campaign - by raising, indirectly, the Democratic ticket's biggest liability.
Update: Clearly, the Obama camp disagrees, because they're going there right out of the box.
It will be very interesting to see how this plays out.
Could it be that Obama's attacking this woman will alienate Clinton supporters? Clinton is very different (experience wise), but I wonder if this is what McCain was hoping for. Obama seems to be concerned about this, since his statement was tepid at best. It was his aide's message that attacked her.
All I know is that, as an independent, I've yet to make up my mind. My vote is Obama's to win or lose. I'm really watching him intently.
My gut feeling is that the Latino vote could swing this election. If Obama can't make inroads with the Latinos, he might be in trouble. That alone could tip Florida.
That's why I didn't say that they were EXACTLY the same age. Hardly alarmingly inaccurate. You are being alarmingly petty lately. Do you have any proof or is this just your wisdom? The point is not that McCain will be old. The point is that, if a person votes for McCain, they are effectively voting for Palin to be President.
Don't you remember Reagan saying this during a debate?
"I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience."
Health care has only improved since then.
That's why I say that it's a factor, but that there are much more important factors.
If you're going to insist on being petty, maybe you should try and figure out what things mean before you make an ass of yourself. I "should have said that the age is 'similar'"? I DID say that their ages were similar. If that's your proof, then YOU are comparing apples to oranges. Reagan was widely popular outside his party. Inside his party, he was unstoppable. McCain has little popularity outside his party, and many people in his own party don't like him.
Language, when used in mathematical terms, is not necessarily comparable to appropriate language for less quantifiable matters. (Please tell me this is a joke - do I really have to explain this?)
You avoided the definition of "same". I can see why.
Besides, Joe. Couldn't you tell by the emoticon that I was trying to be sarcastic? Lighten up, dude. You're proving my point. Other factors are much more important than age. Whether or not McCain can capitalize on those other factors remains to be seen. But the point is that he has the potential to do so, just as Obama has the potential.
Reagan was old. That didn't matter so much because he was popular.
McCain is old. He is not popular. Age is going to be more of a problem for him than it was for Reagan. If you want to quibble about language, what is the meaning of the construction "should have should have" as you wrote above?
If you want to attack Palin on her inexperience, then you must concede that Obama suffers from the same flaw. By your logic, you should be voting for McCain. Do you really want to do that?
Still... good luck winning Florida if Obama goes for the jugular when it comes to age.
My two cents... whichever candidate delivers hope for the economy will win. Everything else is window dressing.
However, I have no problem admitting that I made a mistake. And you?... Or are you still trying to convince a bunch of tech people that 72 is the "same" as 73? Let it go, Joe. You'll feel much better.
Will it be difficult for McCain to attack Obama for his lack of experience anymore? Yes, but that wasn't the best strategy in the first place and would have been, probably, dropped since Obama chose Biden.
Now that I think about it, McCain might be trying to steal some of Obama's thunder with the whole "Change" thing. Who does Obama chose as a running mate, a veteren of Washington who, while definitely brining in the much needed experience that Obama lacks, does not necessarily sit well with the whole idea of "Change". Who does McCain pick, a relatively unknown, but exceptionally popular, state governor whose lack of experience means she is less likely to use 'traditional Washington politics' to get the job done.