BF2S Forums McCains VP Sarah Palin

ghettoperson wrote:

When you think of it as someone who would potentially be president, I don't know why, but she doesn't look cut out for the job at all. Maybe that's just my woman-hating instincts.

Spearhead wrote:

Wow, they're obviously going for the Hillary people.  Dont know if it'll work or not tho.  hmmmm

Spearhead wrote:

SealXo wrote:

Spearhead wrote:

Wow, they're obviously going for the Hillary people.  Dont know if it'll work or not tho.  hmmmm

his pols are either going to soar or sink i dont think theres a median

I dont see how shes more qualified to be President than Obama or Biden tbh.  To me this looks like a blatant last ditch attempt to get women voters to vote for McCain. 

I what the Dems called it, the "Hail Mary Pass"

Commie Killer wrote:

This should be a boost for McCain, at least it should as long as he doesn't start banging her.

First, though, let’s assess the risk.  Palin has served less than two years as Governor of Alaska, which tends to eat into the experience message on which McCain has relied thus far.  At 44, she’s younger than Barack Obama by three years.  She has served as a mayor and as the Ethics Commissioner on the state board regulating oil and natural gas, for a total of eight years political experience before her election as governor.  That’s also less than Obama has, with seven years in the Illinois legislature and three in the US Senate.

However, the nature of the experience couldn’t be more different.  Palin spent her entire political career crusading against the political machine that rules Alaska — which exists in her own Republican party.  She blew the whistle on the state GOP chair, who had abused his power on the same commission to conduct party business.  Obama, in contrast, talked a great deal about reform in Chicago but never challenged the party machine, preferring to take an easy ride as a protegé of Richard Daley instead.

Palin has no formal foreign-policy experience, which puts her at a disadvantage to Joe Biden.  However, in nineteen months as governor, she certainly has had more practical experience in diplomacy than Biden or Obama have ever seen.  She runs the only American state bordered only by two foreign countries, one of which has increasingly grown hostile to the US again, Russia.

And let’s face it — Team Obama can hardly attack Palin for a lack of foreign-policy experience.  Obama has none at all, and neither Obama or Biden have any executive experience.  Palin has almost over seven years of executive experience.

Politically, this puts Obama in a very tough position.  The Democrats had prepared to launch a full assault on McCain’s running mate, but having Palin as a target creates one large headache.  If they go after her like they went after Hillary Clinton, Obama risks alienating women all over again.  If they don’t go after her like they went after Hillary, he risks alienating Hillary supporters, who will see this as a sign of disrespect for Hillary.

For McCain, this gives him a boost like no other in several different ways.  First, the media will eat this up.  That effectively buries Obama’s acceptance speech and steals the oxygen he needs for a long-term convention bump.  A Romney or Pawlenty pick would not have accomplished that.

Second, Palin will re-energize the base.  She’s not just a pro-life advocate, she’s lived the issue herself.  That will attract the elements of the GOP that had held McCain at a distance since the primaries and provide positive motivation for Republicans, rather than just rely on anti-Democrat sentiment to get them to the polls.

Third, and I think maybe most importantly, Palin addresses the energy issue better and more attuned to the American electorate than maybe any of the other three principals in this election.  Even beyond her efforts to reform the Oil and Natural Gas Commission, she has demonstrated her independence from so-called “Big Oil” while promoting domestic production.  She brings instant credibility to the ticket on energy policy, and reminds independents and centrists that the Obama-Biden ticket offers nothing but the same excuses we’ve heard for 30 years.

Finally, based on all of the above, McCain can remind voters who has the real record of reform.  Obama talks a lot about it but has no actual record of reform, and for a running mate, he chose a 35-year Washington insider with all sorts of connections to lobbyists and pork.  McCain has fought pork, taken real political risks to fight undue influence of lobbyists, and he picked an outsider who took on her own party — and won.

This is change you can believe in, and not change that amounts to all talk.  McCain changed the trajectory of the race today by stealing Obama’s strength and turning it against him.  Obama provided that opening by picking Biden as his running mate, and McCain was smart enough to take advantage of the opening.

Kmarion wrote:

Poseidon wrote:

Spearhead wrote:

I think Romney would have been better than this chick.  from Alaska.  wtf

Yeah, mayor of a town of 5,000 before becoming Governor IIRC.

Real experienced.

Was experience an issue before? It's obvious that they are trying to expand their base. I think it's safe to say McCain has got the experienced thing locked down.

ghettoperson wrote:

Poseidon wrote:

Kmarion wrote:

Was experience an issue before? It's obvious that they are trying to expand their base. I think it's safe to say McCain has got the experienced thing locked down.

I don't. The whole idea of picking a VP is to pick someone who's experienced enough to handle the job in case you go down.

In McCain's case, considering his age and health, I'd consider the chance of that happening to be somewhat likely. So he picks someone with hardly any experience who's, imo, DEFINITELY not prepared to lead?

If Obama went down, Biden could do the job. But if McCain went down, I don't think Palin could do the job. That's what's important.

You just want moar j00's in power.

Poseidon wrote:

Kmarion wrote:

Poseidon wrote:

Yeah, mayor of a town of 5,000 before becoming Governor IIRC.

Real experienced.

Was experience an issue before? It's obvious that they are trying to expand their base. I think it's safe to say McCain has got the experienced thing locked down.

I don't. The whole idea of picking a VP is to pick someone who's experienced enough to handle the job in case you go down.

In McCain's case, considering his age and health, I'd consider the chance of that happening to be somewhat likely. So he picks someone with hardly any experience who's, imo, DEFINITELY not prepared to lead?

If Obama went down, Biden could do the job. But if McCain went down, I don't think Palin could do the job. That's what's important.

CC-Marley wrote:

Poseidon wrote:

Spearhead wrote:

I think Romney would have been better than this chick.  from Alaska.  wtf

Yeah, mayor of a town of 5,000 before becoming Governor IIRC.

Real experienced.

She's run a state goverment almost as long as Obama has been a Senator.