McCain Chooses Palin as Running Mate

[Thunder Chicken]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/29palin.html?ref=us

Hmmm...interesting choice.

It will be interesting to see what this does to the vote. On one hand, McCain may pick up some of Hilarity Clinton's supporters. But on the other side, Palin would be #2 to a 72-year-old president with a medical history of cancer, and so there is every possibility that Palin may become #1 at some point, and so her inexperience (Palin who?) could be a huge liability.

Also, it will be interesting to see the 'white male redneck' vote in this election - given the choice between a black man and a female VP.

 

[jgrillo2002]

I think this was a good choice because not only shes the same party but more importantly shes a conservative

 

[Ghostrider]

For a moment I thought he had chosen Michael Palin...

 

[joeybigO]

For a moment I thought he had chosen Michael Palin...

I thought it was a joke too... But I was wrong.

However the American Election turns out, it will be a historic one.
I thought Obama would choose Hillary as a VP, but I can see why he did not.
However I thought he would choose his veep based on the vote getters, Palin was a very popular Governor in Alaska, I wonder how she will soar as a veep.

 

[GregBurch]

Also, it will be interesting to see the 'white male redneck' vote in this election - given the choice between a black man and a female VP.

You need to read something other than the NYT: "White male rednecks" think she's great. Whatever doubts they had about the Mav just evaporated.

Also, I think a one-term junior senator from Illinois from the far left wing of his party better think twice before saying anything about Palin's lack of experience.

 

[Messierhunter]

so her inexperience (Palin who?) could be a huge liability.

Also, it will be interesting to see the 'white male redneck' vote in this election - given the choice between a black man and a female VP.

As if 142 days in the senate is more experience running things than 2 years as a governor? I think you may have an exaggerated opinion of the "racist, sexist" tendencies of us rednecks - this is one 'bitter bible and gun clinging redneck' who will be proud to vote for a God-and-gun-loving woman as VP. Honestly, I hoped McCain would pick her, but I didn't expect it either.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

You need to read something other than the NYT: "White male rednecks" think she's great. Whatever doubts they had about the Mav just evaporated.

NYT was the first link that popped up under Google News, sorry to offend.

Also, I think a one-term junior senator from Illinois from the far left wing of his party better think twice before saying anything about Palin's lack of experience.

True - McCain really did have to get someone fresh from outside the Beltway to make his ticket work. Obama had to do the opposite.

I never heard of Palin until this morning - seems like many in the know within the GOP are happy with the choice.

 

[GregBurch]

NYT was the first link that popped up under Google News, sorry to offend.

It's OK. My wife's idea of fun is emailing 20 NYT stories to me in the middle of the night, knowing I'll be apoplectic reading them over my first cup of coffee.

True - McCain really did have to get someone fresh from outside the Beltway to make his ticket work. Obama had to do the opposite.

I never heard of Palin until this morning - seems like many in the know within the GOP are happy with the choice.

She's been a stealth candidate for a few months now. I think Mav's heart was on his buddy Lieberman, but he had so many people telling him he'd lose the party faithful if he picked Jumpin' Joe, that he had to look elsewhere. The political gossip rags are saying he refused to pick the "boring white guys" that his advisors were pushing on him, so it was down to Hutcheson or Jindahl as the second-string "out-of-the-box" picks. I would guess he nixed Hutcheson as another senator -- if he couldn't have Jumpin' Joe, he wanted a governor. What made him pick Palin over Jindahl, I dunno. There's great hunting and fishing in both Alaska and Louisiana ... so no way to choose there No question Palin's got more charisma.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

She's been a stealth candidate for a few months now. I think Mav's heart was on his buddy Lieberman, but he had so many people telling him he'd lose the party faithful if he picked Jumpin' Joe, that he had to look elsewhere. The political gossip rags are saying he refused to pick the "boring white guys" that his advisors were pushing on him, so it was down to Hutcheson or Jindahl as the second-string "out-of-the-box" picks. I would guess he nixed Hutcheson as another senator -- if he couldn't have Jumpin' Joe, he wanted a governor. What made him pick Palin over Jindahl, I dunno. There's great hunting and fishing in both Alaska and Louisiana ... so no way to choose there No question Palin's got more charisma.

The more I examine it the smarter this choice seems. Lieberman would have been political suicide (I don't even know how Lieberman is in any office, really), and I think any of the other primary contenders would have been all equally ho-hum. Palin, though young, seems to be doing well (or at least hasn't been around long enough to do badly). She'll steal the flaky Clinton fanatics away from Obama, for sure. Selecting her sidesteps all of the quirks and issues of the 'mainstream' contenders that have already been analyzed to death by the media.

I guess the only possible question is the whole experience issue and the strength of succession, if it ever comes to that. Obama is young too, but if you believe Biden will have influence with him then that is not such a bad thing. If Obama chokes on a chicken bone, we still have someone with 'experience' to take his place. If McCain's health goes down the tubes, then Palin is 'IT'. Practically, I don't think it matters too much as a president can appoint advisors and cabinet members to suit, but people will want to know that the person at the wheel has some experience, whether that is relevant or not.

 

[eveningsky339]

I'm not sure if this choice will necessarily pick up Hillary supporters. Palin is a strong pro-lifer, and most feminists are not, particularly in Hillary's camp.

I think it's a good choice for McCain, considering a lot of Republicans are upset about his lukewarmness in the abortion issue. I don't think I will be voting for him, but if he does become pres, it's nice to see that he picked a VP that will bring some morality to the table.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

I'm not sure if this choice will necessarily pick up Hillary supporters. Palin is a strong pro-lifer, and most feminists are not, particularly in Hillary's camp.

Yes, but I think many of them still want to see a woman (of any ideology) in the Oval Office. I think there will be a good many defections.

I think it's a good choice for McCain, considering a lot of Republicans are upset about his lukewarmness in the abortion issue. I don't think I will be voting for him, but if he does become pres, it's nice to see that he picked a VP that will bring some morality to the table.

I don't want to risk sidetracking the thread with an abortion debate, but FYI the Democrats have tweaked their abortion plank slightly this year:

Abortion should be safe, legal, and rare.

 

[Andy44]

Politically, I think this may turn out to be a master stroke for McSame. Not only did he pick an actual conservative, but he undercut female support for the Hillary-rejecting Democrats, and he did it the day after Obama gave his speech to the fawning crowds declaring how he is the light and the savior, etc., just as everyone is sick of the Democrat convention coverage and the media-Obama love fest.

I still won't vote for either of these clowns, but if they could reverse the roles of McCain and Palin I might be persuaded.

 

[Linguofreak]

Politically, I think this may turn out to be a master stroke for McSame. Not only did he pick an actual conservative, but he undercut female support for the Hillary-rejecting Democrats, and he did it the day after Obama gave his speech to the fawning crowds declaring how he is the light and the savior, etc., just as everyone is sick of the Democrat convention coverage and the media-Obama love fest.

I still won't vote for either of these clowns, but if they could reverse the roles of McCain and Palin I might be persuaded.

[twisted logic] Well, if he truly is McSame, and if that's a bad thing, and if Cheney has been pulling the puppet strings for Bush as people say, then the true manager of the "McSame" administration will be Palin, and, functionally, the roles will be reversed. Still sure you won't vote for him? [/twisted logic]

 

[eveningsky339]

Yes, but I think many of them still want to see a woman (of any ideology) in the Oval Office. I think there will be a good many defections.

It all depends on how much they buy into Obama's endless "Hope and Change" speeches, though I get the feeling they aren't too happy with him.

I don't want to risk sidetracking the thread with an abortion debate, but FYI the Democrats have tweaked their abortion plank slightly this year:

I wasn't trying to sidetrack... just stating a reason why Hillary supporters would perhaps be reluctant to support McSame. Abortion is a non-issue anyway, because even if the candidate is pro-life, they aren't going to do anything about it (such as Bush).

I'm not so sure Hillary supporters will readily rally behind a Conservative, unless they possess some sort of monomania regarding the need to have a female in the White House.

 

[GregBurch]

I'm not so sure Hillary supporters will readily rally behind a Conservative, unless they possess some sort of monomania regarding the need to have a female in the White House.

As time went on in the primary, I thought I detected a slight differentiation between Obama and Clinton, with the latter coming to have more appeal with moderate dems. It's those for whom the "woman factor" might matter.

Personally, I never shared the revulsion for Hillary that many of my "conservative" friends did. I find her to be very intelligent and deeply ruthless but, like her husband, I don't think she's really that ideological. All of her "it takes a village" crapola was just base-building as she moved to the top of the Clinton team. Her early-90s health care reforms, on the other hand, were definitely out there on the left ... but she learned she wouldn't ever come to power by singing that song, so she learned from hubby to stay in the middle.

 

[n0mad23]

There's the unexamined history issue at play here, too. Most everyone knows who Susan B. Anthony was, but who knows about Stanton or Gage? Back when that appropriation happened it boiled down to who's more important - White women or Black men?

Personally after the last two elections I didn't think it could get any worse. This is the most disgusting political cycle I've ever seen. The guy who graduated the second from the bottom of his class nominates a woman for VP - how cynical is that?

 

[eveningsky339]

I'm curious as to why a man who is 7% African is trying to campaign based on race... And what was that crap about comparing himself to MLK in his acceptance speech? I don't support McSame but I must say that Obama strikes me as revolting.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

I'm not so sure Hillary supporters will readily rally behind a Conservative, unless they possess some sort of monomania regarding the need to have a female in the White House.

This is exactly what I suspect, for some of them anyway.

 

[GregBurch]

The guy who graduated the second from the bottom of his class nominates a woman for VP - how cynical is that?

Hey -- I said something nice about Hillary. See if you can think up something nice to say about Maverick. Take it as a creative writing challenge

 

[Arrowstar]

Well well, this IS certainly an interesting election year. Truth be told, I was very much waiting for the McCain running mate to be Not Another White Male (sounds like a horrible movie, doesn't it? ). But here we are. I'm going to have to do some reading on her, I've never heard of her until today, sadly. Should be interesting to see where she stands on the issues.

To people in the loop: How strongly does the consensus say this strengthens the McCain ticket?