Mccain's Vp: Sarah Palin

[Smitty]

What bothers me terribly about this selection is that Ms. Palin has absolutely no national experience or international experience of any kind, and seems utterly unqualified for this job. The only rebuttal seems to be, "Well, Obama isn't very experienced, either." That doesn't make Palin a good choice. Yes, Obama has limited experience, but at least the nation has had more than a year of national campaigning to examine and judge Obama and make a decision about him, and at least he does have some national and international experience. I'm not saying he's good or bad, but his strengths or weaknesses do not make the choice of Ms. Palin any better or worse. Ultimately, this choice has to be judged on its own, and it just does not stand up.

She is a state governor - of a state with a population smaller than that of Dallas. Alaska is big, but the vast majority of the state is unpopulated or extremely lightly-populated wildnerness. Her job simply does not compare to those of governors like Tim Pawlenty or Mitt Romney or Tom Ridge. She has stated, as recently as July 31, that she does not even know what the vice president does.

An Alaskan Republican, state senate president Lyda Green, said she thought it was a joke when someone called her to give her the news: "She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president? Look at what she's done to this state. What would she do to the nation?" This from a fellow Republican in Alaska who has viewed Palin up close.

She is supposed to be an ethics maverick, but she is under investigation for ethics violations.

I simply cannot believe that there was not someone more qualified for this selection. I understand that McCain hates Romney, but what about Pawlenty or Ridge? At least they've been on the national stage. With McCain 72 years old, you simply have to consider the very real possibility of his VP having to take over. Can you imagine Ms. Palin running two wars, relations with Russia, and the world's largest economy? I cannot.

[KingDL1]

I like her platform, I thought this article on yahoo was interesting.

Palin electrifies conservative base

[Cr1028]

See, who says you have to buy a ticket to win the lotto? Maybe I'll get the tap to be V.P. in 2012, I was an asst. mgr at a hat store once.

[meangreendork]

What bothers me terribly about this selection is that Ms. Palin has absolutely no national experience or international experience of any kind, and seems utterly unqualified for this job. The only rebuttal seems to be, "Well, Obama isn't very experienced, either." That doesn't make Palin a good choice. Yes, Obama has limited experience, but at least the nation has had more than a year of national campaigning to examine and judge Obama and make a decision about him, and at least he does have some national and international experience. I'm not saying he's good or bad, but his strengths or weaknesses do not make the choice of Ms. Palin any better or worse. Ultimately, this choice has to be judged on its own, and it just does not stand up.

She is a state governor - of a state with a population smaller than that of Dallas. Alaska is big, but the vast majority of the state is unpopulated or extremely lightly-populated wildnerness. Her job simply does not compare to those of governors like Tim Pawlenty or Mitt Romney or Tom Ridge. She has stated, as recently as July 31, that she does not even know what the vice president does.

An Alaskan Republican, state senate president Lyda Green, said she thought it was a joke when someone called her to give her the news: "She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president? Look at what she's done to this state. What would she do to the nation?" This from a fellow Republican in Alaska who has viewed Palin up close.

She is supposed to be an ethics maverick, but she is under investigation for ethics violations.

I simply cannot believe that there was not someone more qualified for this selection. I understand that McCain hates Romney, but what about Pawlenty or Ridge? At least they've been on the national stage. With McCain 72 years old, you simply have to consider the very real possibility of his VP having to take over. Can you imagine Ms. Palin running two wars, relations with Russia, and the world's largest economy? I cannot.

You've got good points here, Smitty.

I'm really curious to see what her full record is in Alaska. I'm alright with her stance on gun rights, but not so much on abortion.

Edited August 31, 2008 by meangreendork

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

---Personally I alway thought the primary purpose of the U.S.Government was to "provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare' of its citizens..... If you think she is the most qualified to do that----by all means votes for her.

---I just don't think 1, anti-gay, 2. anti-abortion, and 3. the the right to own and carry any gun you want (includes. machine guns, bazookas** etc. which some would love to have) are the most important issues to elect a President and the VP. Think goodness the guy that once lived across the street from me (occsionally drunk) couldn't get a machine pistol or machine gun, I thought his shooting at the moon with a revolver was bad enough..!!! No-- I don't live in a bad part of town.. Some fortune 500 people live close to me (1/2 mile north ) and the Bush once lived 1/2 mile south of me.

Of course I could be wrong about what is important .......plus .......... She may be a whiz dealing with international problems should she unfortunately become President ..........as did Truman, L.B.Johnson, and G.Ford........

** prohibiting them is gun control.

Edited September 1, 2008 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[meangreendork]

I don't think she was the right choice. McCain has countless of politicians with countless years of experience in any number of arenas. Frankly, I think Palin was McCain's choice so he could slap a pretty face, a younger face, and attract the hard-right wing voters.

[UNTflyer]

---I just don't think 1, anti-gay, 2. anti-abortion, and 3. the the right to own and carry any gun you want (includes. machine guns, bazookas** etc. which some would love to have) are the most important issues to elect a President and the VP.

1. She is NOT "anti-gay". Palin vetoed a bill that would have prohibited same-sex health benefits for state employees. She does oppose gay marriage, but so did Bill Clinton.

2. OK, she's a Pro-Life candidate. How horrible.

3. A bit over the top, don't you think? Do you really know that she supports owning bazookas? I support the rights of gun owners... it is, after all, in the Constitution.

[JesseMartin]

Some strict constructionalists argue that Thomas Jefferson would have favored the right of citizens to own any and all military-grade weaponry, just in case they felt their government got out of hand.

[UNTflyer]

Some strict constructionalists argue that Thomas Jefferson would have favored the right of citizens to own any and all military-grade weaponry, just in case they felt their government got out of hand.

Yup. Fortunately, the Supreme Court put the argument to rest last spring. Yes, citizens can own firearms. Yes, the government can regulate the sale and ownership of said firearms.

[meangreendork]

1. She is NOT "anti-gay". Palin vetoed a bill that would have prohibited same-sex health benefits for state employees. She does oppose gay marriage, but so did Bill Clinton.

2. OK, she's a Pro-Life candidate. How horrible.

3. A bit over the top, don't you think? Do you really know that she supports owning bazookas? I support the rights of gun owners... it is, after all, in the Constitution.

He may mean that some people may vote based on those issues. Major mistake no matter what candidate you want in office.

[JayDub]

What bothers me terribly about this selection is that Ms. Palin has absolutely no national experience or international experience of any kind, and seems utterly unqualified for this job. The only rebuttal seems to be, "Well, Obama isn't very experienced, either." That doesn't make Palin a good choice. Yes, Obama has limited experience, but at least the nation has had more than a year of national campaigning to examine and judge Obama and make a decision about him, and at least he does have some national and international experience. I'm not saying he's good or bad, but his strengths or weaknesses do not make the choice of Ms. Palin any better or worse. Ultimately, this choice has to be judged on its own, and it just does not stand up.

She is a state governor - of a state with a population smaller than that of Dallas. Alaska is big, but the vast majority of the state is unpopulated or extremely lightly-populated wildnerness. Her job simply does not compare to those of governors like Tim Pawlenty or Mitt Romney or Tom Ridge. She has stated, as recently as July 31, that she does not even know what the vice president does.

An Alaskan Republican, state senate president Lyda Green, said she thought it was a joke when someone called her to give her the news: "She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president? Look at what she's done to this state. What would she do to the nation?" This from a fellow Republican in Alaska who has viewed Palin up close.

She is supposed to be an ethics maverick, but she is under investigation for ethics violations.

I simply cannot believe that there was not someone more qualified for this selection. I understand that McCain hates Romney, but what about Pawlenty or Ridge? At least they've been on the national stage. With McCain 72 years old, you simply have to consider the very real possibility of his VP having to take over. Can you imagine Ms. Palin running two wars, relations with Russia, and the world's largest economy? I cannot.

Thank you, Smitty, for always being the reasonable one.

[UNTflyer]

An Alaskan Republican, state senate president Lyda Green, said she thought it was a joke when someone called her to give her the news: "She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president? Look at what she's done to this state. What would she do to the nation?" This from a fellow Republican in Alaska who has viewed Palin up close.

Lyda Green is what you would call a "big oil" politician. She was mad because Palin increased oil taxes and awarded a pipeline contract to a Canadian company. They've had an ongoing feud.

[JesseMartin]

Yup. Fortunately, the Supreme Court put the argument to rest last spring. Yes, citizens can own firearms. Yes, the government can regulate the sale and ownership of said firearms.

Hmmm...since when is any constitutional argument actually laid to rest?

[Smitty]

Lyda Green is what you would call a "big oil" politician. She was mad because Palin increased oil taxes and awarded a pipeline contract to a Canadian company. They've had an ongoing feud.

I don't know Ms. Green's reasons for saying what she said. I only know what she said, and I believe that Ms. Green would know better than most about Ms. Palin.

I know Ms. Palin is not running for president, but the whole idea of the vice president is to have someone in place who is qualified to be president. So let me ask you: do you really believe that Sarah Palin is qualified to be the President of the United States?

[UNTflyer]

So let me ask you: do you really believe that Sarah Palin is qualified to be the President of the United States?

Sure, why not? Some of our greatest Presidents, and some OK Presidents, had little public service experience.

Lincoln served two years as a Congressman, and was out of office for 10 years before becoming President. He was a failure at almost everything before his Presidency.

Teddy Roosevelt served two years as asst. Sec. of the Navy and 2 years as New York governor before his Vice-Presidency. Six months later, he was President.

Ronald Reagan - B-movie actor, GE spokesman, and then 2-term governor.

My point is that Palin has executive branch experience. She's been in politics for 16 years, and she's apparently been doing a very good job as she has an approval rating over 80%.

And as someone pointed out before... is there anyone in the country who is truly "qualified" to be President?

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

And as someone pointed out before... is there anyone in the country who is truly "qualified" to be President?

.It was a quote from Bill Clinton....refering to criticism of Obama by McCain.

LOL.

I don't this he was refering to a person who a mayor of a very small town two years ago that knows no international leaders (which is needed now, but wasn't in Lincoln's time). Some older comparisons don't make any sense in today's world. Part of the weaknesses of Carter was he knew few people in Washington and was not all that effective.... and he was light-years ahead of her.

[UNTFan23]

Pk7yqlTMvp8

Yeah, it's an EDS commercial, but there are parallels.

Edited September 1, 2008 by UNTFan23

[Smitty]

Sure, why not? Some of our greatest Presidents, and some OK Presidents, had little public service experience.

Lincoln served two years as a Congressman, and was out of office for 10 years before becoming President. He was a failure at almost everything before his Presidency.

Teddy Roosevelt served two years as asst. Sec. of the Navy and 2 years as New York governor before his Vice-Presidency. Six months later, he was President.

Ronald Reagan - B-movie actor, GE spokesman, and then 2-term governor.

My point is that Palin has executive branch experience. She's been in politics for 16 years, and she's apparently been doing a very good job as she has an approval rating over 80%.

And as someone pointed out before... is there anyone in the country who is truly "qualified" to be President?

Do you really think that being governor of Alaska, a state with a population of less and a million, compares with being governor of California or New York? They are night and day. The complexity of a state like California or New York dwarfs the job in Alaska. Being Secretary of the Navy has national and international issues to deal with. And Lincoln was in Congress, giving him exposure to national issues. She has none of that experience, background, or expertise. None at all. I don't blame her for that. In her job in Alaska she probably doesn't need those attributes. But I sure blame McCain for a political stunt that could needlessly imperil this country.

From an editorial in the Daily News-Miner in Fairbanks:

Sen. John McCain's selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate was a stunning decision that should make Alaskans proud, even while we wonder about the actual merits of the choice.... Alaskans and Americans must ask, though, whether she should become vice president and, more importantly, be placed first in line to become president.

In fact, as the governor herself acknowledged in her acceptance speech, she never set out to be involved in public affairs. She has never publicly demonstrated the kind of interest, much less expertise, in federal issues and foreign affairs that should mark a candidate for the second-highest office in the land. Republicans rightfully have criticized the Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, for his lack of experience, but Palin is a neophyte in comparison; how will Republicans reconcile the criticism of Obama with the obligatory cheering for Palin?

Most people would acknowledge that, regardless of her charm and good intentions, Palin is not ready for the top job. McCain seems to have put his political interests ahead of the nation's when he created the possibility that she might fill it.

From an editorial in the Anchorage Daily News:

It's stunning that someone with so little national and international experience might be heartbeat away from the presidency.

Gov. Palin is a classic Alaska story. She is an example of the opportunity our state offers to those with talent, initiative and determination...

McCain picked Palin despite a recent blemish on her ethically pure resume. While she was governor, members of her family and staff tried to get her ex-brother-in-law fired from the Alaska State Troopers. Her public safety commissioner would not do so; she forced him out, supposedly for other reasons. While she runs for vice-president, the Legislature has an investigator on the case.

For all those advantages, Palin joins the ticket with one huge weakness: She's a total beginner on national and international issues.

Gov. Palin will have to spend the next two months convincing Americans that she's ready to be a heartbeat away from the presidency....

I am also distressed by the fact that she's under investigation for ethics violations concerning the wrongful firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, who Palin tried to ouster because he resisted pressure from the governor and her family to fire a state trooper who is Palin's ex-brother-in-law. The ex-brother-in-law's actions were investigated and he was given a suspension, but Palin and her family wanted him fired.

I have heard a lot of reasons to be extremely concerned about Palin's qualifications and absolutely no reason to feel comfortable about her being vice president and being so close to the ultimate seat of power on this planet. That's why not.

[FirefightnRick]

Against just rock the boat Obama was a state senator and then a US Senator, what executive level experience does he have?? He has zero experience running anything.

I saw the Bio story on Obama last night on CNN at our hotel and learned that Obama didn't actually earn his first election to the Illinois Senate because he ended up getting to run for his seat unopposed. After losing in the primary for a separate seat, the original incumbent, Alice Palmer, decided she would run again for her old seat, the one Obama was currently shooting for. When he refused to step aside and let her back into running for her own seat, he challenged the signatures that was needed to get her on the ballot and won, giving him the free pass to the state senate.

For me, with Palin, she is exactly what everyone seems to always wish for: A true grass roots individual who is NOT the typical politician who has been influence by Washington D.C. politics. Could it be that she will bring true change by going about solving problems differently than how others have gone about it in the past because of her unique background? She's evidently a very dedicated mom who started out as a PTA school volunteer and worked her way up the ladder the hard way. Seems like she signifies as to be that someone that everyone here would want to believe they themselves could become?

As for Obama, I don't know if they have or not, but I don't think it would be wise, at all, to question anyone's experience in this race. Secondly, the Obama campaign would be cutting their own throats by attacking Palin because they have pissed off enough women already by snubbing Hillary. Attacking Palin will only cause them more votes in this regards. Just my two cents.

Rick

Edited September 1, 2008 by FirefightnRick

[JesseMartin]

Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert had fun with Bill's statement about the Presidency. It was like, "Do you think Obama is qualified to be President?"..."The Constitution sets the requirements fo the Presidency."..."Do you think he's ready to be President?"..."You can argue that no one is ever ready to be President."

As long as McCain doesn't kick the bucket in the first, say, 2 years, she should have sufficient experience by then to take care of business if something were to happen to him.

[untbowler]

most seem to forget also that Obama's own running mate said he was not ready to be president, back in the primaries. So somehow that changed in 3 months of barnstorming and not actually working in the senate?

[GreenMachine]

I don't know Ms. Green's reasons for saying what she said. I only know what she said, and I believe that Ms. Green would know better than most about Ms. Palin.

I know Ms. Palin is not running for president, but the whole idea of the vice president is to have someone in place who is qualified to be president. So let me ask you: do you really believe that Sarah Palin is qualified to be the President of the United States?

so you think that being a little miffed at the MILF might cause a little bit of resentment? Just because she doesn't care for Palin doesn't mean Palins not qualifed to be govenor. Obviously the population of Alaska felt she was.

[UNTflyer]

People who are upset about the Republicans using the word "Hussein" and the false Internet rumors about his Muslimness:

The Daily KOS claims that Palin's daughter is the real mother of Trig Palin. Now, that's low.

[Smitty]

so you think that being a little miffed at the MILF might cause a little bit of resentment? Just because she doesn't care for Palin doesn't mean Palins not qualifed to be govenor. Obviously the population of Alaska felt she was.

All I'm hearing from anyone, here or in the press, is, "Well, that doesn't mean she is not qualified." I haven't heard anything that convinces me that she IS qualified, and I am incredibly disappointed in John McCain that he would do this when he had so many well qualified people, male and female, who shared his values and have the expertise to handle the job.

This is a political stunt, a gambit for votes performed at the peril of this nation. IF McCain is elected, and IF, God forbid, something happened to him in his first two years in office, the United States would have a neophyte in charge of two wars, an on-going war with Bin Laden, a resurgent Russia, a struggling economy, etc, etc, etc, etc. And I have heard not one single word that suggests she is qualified to deal with those situations.

[KingDL1]

All I'm hearing from anyone, here or in the press, is, "Well, that doesn't mean she is not qualified." I haven't heard anything that convinces me that she IS qualified, and I am incredibly disappointed in John McCain that he would do this when he had so many well qualified people, male and female, who shared his values and have the expertise to handle the job.

This is a political stunt, a gambit for votes performed at the peril of this nation. IF McCain is elected, and IF, God forbid, something happened to him in his first two years in office, the United States would have a neophyte in charge of two wars, an on-going war with Bin Laden, a resurgent Russia, a struggling economy, etc, etc, etc, etc. And I have heard not one single word that suggests she is qualified to deal with those situations.

What makes anyone think Obama is qualified and most peoples comparison on both sides just shows at best he maybe qualified for Vice President.

Second give the lady some time why would you know what her strengths and weaknesses are, talk about getting the cart ahead of the horses, we have only been exposed to her for what two days?

Edited September 1, 2008 by KingDL1