Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin Is McCain's Pick for VP

[bowens43]

Source: CNBC.com

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a self-styled "hockey mom" who has only been governor for a little over a year, is GOP Presidential candidate John McCain's choice for Vice President, CNBC has

Read more: http://www.cnbc.com/id/26454655

---

Thank you John McCain for handing Obama the election !!

[Skinner]

1. Woo-hoo!

So much for that "experience" argument.

[bowens43]

11. Exactly, if this is confirmed

how will McCain make the argument that Obama is not experienced enough to be President. She has been governor for only a little over a year and she would be literally a heart beat away from the oval office. If this is confirmed (and I really have trouble believing that McCain is that stupid), McCain has just destroyed the only argument he had against Obama. And of course, a large part of his base, both male and female believe that the job of CIC should be held by a man. there is a v

[Maeve]

53. IF this is confirmed...the next line at the link sez

"According to a Republican strategist, Palin is the nominee, though McCain's campaign has not comfirmed this."

[nels25]

87. 9:40CST: WTMJ radio in Milwaukee is reporting it as

done deal sara Palin it is.

Methinks that it will sell better than we expect with the broad public.

It will help not hurt McCain, no matter you cut it this is a historic election all away around the horn.

I thought that Obama should have selected Gov Seilbus from Kansas as Veep this gives some of the more irate Hillary followers a place to go, and a more plausible argument as to why they are doing so.

No I may be wrong but I think this will turn out to be a good choice for McCain.

As always: We Shall See.

[alfredo]

133. I think she has some serious ethics problems. I seem to remember

it on Kos or TPM

[SemperEadem]

166. McCain's advisors actually think

that they are going to be able to lure disgruntled Hilary supporters by making Palin his VP choice... and it seems their thinking, which probably trickles down from the old man himself, is "women are so clueless that they'll vote for any woman before they would vote for Obama". He's blown his "experience" argument out of the water--it is clearly now his weakest point... because, yeah, Obama's experience is not as robust as Biden's, but Obama is not McCain... and Biden is solid. McCain turns 72 today--and if he should fall ill, this inexperienced woman takes over. To me, if you're going to pick a female candidate, pick a freaken female 4 star lieutenant general or someone who has some solid experience somewhere.

[Joe Bacon]

195. She makes Dan Quayle look like a chess grandmaster!

I wonder how she's gonna explain those scandals she's involved with in Alaska?

[Corgigal]

200. disgruntled Hilary supporters

I guess they actually believed it. I thought it was just a gimmick but I guess Mark Penn is giving McCain points now. I hate almost nothing worst then a female republican who is ain't choice. I always think they put cash before womens values.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

243. This line about "Hillary supporters not voting for Obama" is BS, fed to us by...

...our corporate owned and controlled media.

Let's face it, half of America hates Hillary and most of the other half is losing interest (and that's putting it mildly).

We can't let them steel another election!!

[Wabbajack_]

287. She's a wacko Pentacostal

[NashVegas]

202. They Don't Have To Lure Women to Vote *For* Them

They just have sit back and watch Obama's hardcore base - internet users - translate the sex-based attacks that were made on Clinton to new sex-based attacks that will be made onto Palin, and that should be enough to keep plenty of women home.

[alfredo]

227. I don't see her standing a chance against Biden in a debate.

her abuse of power investigation could hurt her.

[Raster]

91. "Republican strategist." What an OXYMORON!

Gets me every time!:rofl:

[L. Coyote]

137. This is a strategic choice, made to overcome McCain's personal weakness.

McCain covered up for Jack Abramoff and Ralph Reed, handing
the White House back to the Corrupt Bastards in 2004.

This is an offensive move to TRY to hide the fact
that they are the Corrupt Bastards Club!!

Palin has made a point of epitomizing the oxymoronic "Republican corruption fighter."

McCain is trying to overcome the Rs greatest weakness, leadership by the Corrupt Bastards Club.
That will likely backfire now, and actually draw more attention to the Club.

[L. Coyote]

151. This is a strategic choice, made to overcome McCain's personal weakness.

McCain covered up for Jack Abramoff and Ralph Reed, handing
the White House back to the Corrupt Bastards in 2004.

This is an offensive move to TRY to hide the fact
that they are the Corrupt Bastards Club!!

Palin has made a point of epitomizing the oxymoronic "Republican corruption fighter."

McCain is trying to overcome the Rs greatest weakness, leadership by the Corrupt Bastards Club.
That will likely backfire now, and actually draw more attention to the Club.

[Raster]

207. "Let her that is the LEAST SOILED among us come forth and be annointed by the Old Coot.

So sayeth KKKarl, so let it be written by the fawning media.

Let us distract-eth the population from the sins of the Stupid One and his evil mentor Kitten Eater.

Let us all try to say out of prison.

Amen.

[L. Coyote]

289. Let's pick a woman and dress her up as our Joan of Arc. It will take just 2 years.

Planing ahead a mere two years would create this ruse to salvage the AK Rs, and now this sham too!!

In the end, it is an admission of guilt, no matter how interpreted.

[katty]

208. Stra-Tee-ger-ree at its ReThug best!! hysterical

[Jennie125]

101. *smirk*

HA HA HA HA HA...all I can do is smirk this morning. If McCain croaks in office this woman would be our President?! Yup, out the window goes the lack of experience talking point.

Given her current ethical troubles, it seems par for the GOP course. And Republicans nationally will be thrilled to hear that her husband works in Big Oil. But at least McCain gets to lock down Alaska.

CNN's Dana Bash just described her as a "young female John McCain."

[janet118]

109. Wow . . . McCain may be that stupid

This pick (and the cable stations are saying it is Palin) is incredibly cynical and tone deaf in numerous ways. It is like women are just interchangeable parts - Sarah Palin = Hillary Clinton. She is an attractive woman who is much younger than McCain and because of his marital history, it just seems wrong. She has no experience - Governor of one of the nation's least populous states for only 1 and 1/2 years and mayor of a small town before that. Ready from Day One - Not!!!

What she does have is 5 children - one of whom is getting ready to deploy to Iraq and a newborn with Down Syndrome. She loves guns.

It looks like the votes he is going after are those of white, Christianoid women and the gun-toting men who are served by them. The joke's on him. He already had that voting bloc.

If he is going after disgruntled Hillary voters, he will have to concentrate on those who have defective bullsh*t detectors.

[crim son]

142. Well put. Women are interchangeable... that is surely the view.

Though the american public never ceases to amaze by voting against common sense time and time again, there are serious strikes against this woman.

[mwb970]

215. It seems to me like a huge mistake.

(Unless, of course, it's brilliant.)

Palin has ZERO foreign policy experience, ZERO head start with foreign leaders, ZERO credentials or international "political capital". How can mccain put her a heartbeat away from the presidency, especially when it's his 72-year-old heartbeat?

The presidency is stressful (duh) and dramatically ages people. mccain can't take much more aging, unless he is indestructible in the evil cheney vein.

If mccain were to become incapacitated as president (I mean beyond his existing, inherent lack of capacity for the job), we would have a "caretaker" president who is clueless on foreign affairs to deal with Iran, Russia, China, Iraq, etc.

It is spectacularly irresponsible for mccain to make this choice, and that idea should be pushed hard in the coming weeks. Is this an example of the judgment mccain will exert in office?

[yellowcanine]

226. I agree. A VP should have be better prepared than she possibly can be, particularly given his age.

Biden needs to be careful though in debating her - let her ignorance show (as it surely will) without being condescending or combative. No need to create any smpathy vote for her.

[mwb970]

249. Biden is the best possible person to debate her.

He will be kind. He will be polite. And he will demolish her.

[Mercracer]

258. Overconfidence is often the result of politicians being unaccountable for their shortcomings

Stand by to see Bidden have his butt handed to him......

[mwb970]

260. Um, OK. Standing by. /nt

[yellowcanine]

265. Have you ever seen Biden debate? He can be over bearing and say stupid things but he never gets his

butt handed to him. It just will not happen.

[Xenotime]

307. NEVER Happen. This PUG slime is going down

[crim son]

276. True. While a conservative conservative may have the stomach

to support Gonzales despite his evident idiocy, that same conservative might well have strong objections to an inexperienced woman taking the second highest office.

[StopTheMadness]

318. McCain thinks all women are bimbos

John McCain has a disturbing pattern of treating women as nothing but airheaded, disposable arm candy.

McCain’s first wife, Carol, was a swimwear model, not the most respectful “job” for a woman. He displayed her with pride to his buddies, flaunting her sexuality as if “having” her made him a man.

And when Carol was disfigured and crippled in a car accident, McCallous had affairs with numerous women, finally settling on a rodeo beauty queen 18-years-his-junior. He married Cindy, the silicone-chested, botox-faced beer heiress before the ink was dry on the divorce from his first wife. Cindy became a well-known drug addict.

Now he picks Sarah Palin as his running mate, a vacuous former beauty queen whose qualifications include competing in the Miss Alaska pageant.
Apparently, McLame thinks women are so dumb that we’ll vote for him simply because he picked someone with a vagina as his running mate.

Someone should have told him he was supposed to be picking a vice presidential candidate, not his third wife.
More on his treatment of women:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html

[George II]

211. What he doesn't realize is that Dem. women are permitted to THINK, unlike their Republican brethren

[DeSwiss]

143. DANG IT!!!

I was SO looking forward to Gwen Ifill asking Mittens if he really, really believed that Lucifer is Jebus's brother. I think what killed-off Mitten's chances was when the RWingers started screaming about how Mormonism was a fake, made-up religion during the primaries. (insert own sarcastic comments to that idea here). If he picked Mittens, it would be over now. And Repukers in greater disarray than they are now. If that's possible.

- And I think that people were afraid that if he became President somehow, we'd all have to start wearing those magic underwear.

So I guess Sarah's as good a choice of any Repuke not currently indicted or under investigation. Not that there's that many. We'll see...


...but I think she http://wonkette.com/223453/gilf-sarah-palin-also-played-basketball">missed the layup on this steal.



K&R ;)

[JeanGrey]

296. DANG IT IS RIGHT!!

Damn McCain. Why didn't he just choose idiot Mittens and bury himself with the fundies. Damn.

[marshall]

167. Maybe McCain and Obama can switch slogan matras

Change vs. Experience.

[Malidictus Maximus]

228. Respectfully disagree

The Freepers practically get tumescent when they discuss Maggie Thatcher. And they were scared of Hillary. I would bet that only two or three percent of the most troglodyte extremes don't think a woman could or should be POTUS, I think even the hardest core reich wingers know Hillary could lead, they just did NOT want to go where she would go.

[YDogg]

31. amen

[JeanGrey]

106. Whoo hoo?? Make no mistake. This is a VERY smart

choice. She is well thought of and well liked. McCain is smarter than I thought. I told you he wouldn't take Romney!!

[smoogatz]

184. Smart?

His main line of attack on Obama is that he's "not ready." If McCain has a massive coronary, is Sarah Palin "ready"? No sentient Hillary voter's going to jump to anti-choice McCain just because the wingnut he's running with (also anti-choice, btw, and a creationist) has a vagina.

[JeanGrey]

293. Oh so we're going to point out that our FIRST pick has

not a huge amount of experience next to their "2nd pick?" It would be wise to stay away from the experience thing.

[joeglow3]

199. I agree with you

This is the one pick I did not want.

If Obama goes after her on lack of experience, it strengthens McCain's argument on Obama's alleged lack of experience. She can claim to be for change and can state she is the only of the 4 candidates who is NOT a DC insider. Her personal family (Native American husband and child with Down's) makes personal attacks harder. It makes it a bit easier to go after Hillary's supports. Finally, I HATE to give McCain props for this, but he has successfully pushed Obama's speech off as the top story.

I still think there is no way we can lose this election, but we will need to be a bit more vigilent in delivering our message.

[smoogatz]

201. It's a ridiculous, purely political choice.

The VP selection is a candidate's first big judgment call: the first real indication we get of how they'll act if elected. McCain's choice of Sarah Palin answers that question plain and simple: he's going to kow-tow to the Republican right wing and big oil, just like Bush. More of the same McCain.

[joeglow3]

209. Lets hope that message gets out (nfm)

[JeanGrey]

295. Why is it ridiculous?

[DrZeeLit]

239. Here's what you do. Visualize her leading the Senate. Or meeting with foreign presidents.

McCain and the GOP think women will fall for this stunt?
Which is EXACTLY what they think of women -- this shows a great deal of what they think.
Window dressing.
Women as place holders.
Women as a novelty.

Come on -- Hillary Clinton is a statesman (or is it stateswoman?) -- anyway, Hillary Clinton, as a woman running for office, had chops. To vote for HC was not exactly to vote "just because" she is a woman. No -- she does have experience, education, and skills in many areas. You could see Hillary in a federal leadership position -- even if as VP -- running the senate.

Come on... stack this anti-choice, pro-big oil, anti-environment woman against JOE BIDEN?
He'll wipe the floor with her.

And too bad -- I think we talk tough, we continue to be tough, we don't wimp out now.
"Oh no! We can't diss a woman... oooh, whatever shall we do?"
NO!

She is NOT experienced. Obama has a LOT more experience. For goodness sake, he's a Constitutional Law professor and scholar.
On top of the other experiences as a legislator and a Senator.
Even if he is young, he's got an old soul -- people can feel that.

She is a STUNT... and that's it.

And a STunt with a Scandal attached.

Great... I love it.
Let's not take the gloves off now that we're in the fight!

[JeanGrey]

294. Well I am in complete agreement and after I read all this

nonsense about "whose baby was it, hers or her daughters"? I get chills. I still think we will win too!!! but Sarah is dangerous. She is the most popular governor in America right now, and has many points going for her - family, pro life stance, tough, down's child, mom of five, husband a native american alaskan (hell, they said her parents or his were "carabou hunting", and the river almost made them late home to hear the announcement). She hunts, fishes, shoots, snowmobiles, has been a mayor and governor. She's tough, young and good looking and so is her husband.

And we can't very well talk about inexperience, it could hurt our first compared to their second. We would be wise to stick to issues and her corruption investigation and lay off the junk.

It was a smart pick for McCain. Romney the right wing loonies would've ignored and the rest of his top picks were boring as hell.

[George II]

220. Well thought of? You mean by the 150,000 people who elected her Gov?

She's from the fourth least populated state, less than 700,000 TOTAL population, has been governor for less than 2 years and before that was mayor of a town of 5,000 people? Sure, she's "well thought of" by those who heard of her, but what about the other 99.999% of Americans?

[George II]

222. Let me correct my previous post...

114,000 VOTERS!

2006 gubernatorial election, Alaska

Republican Sarah Palin 114,697
Democratic Tony Knowles 97,238
Independent Andrew Halcro 22,443
Alaskan Independence Don Wright
Libertarian Billy Tolen 682
Green David Massie 593
Write-ins 384 0.2 +0.1

Turnout 238,307 51.1

[llmart]

259. I consider myself pretty politically savvy....

and I keep up on things better than most, and I've never heard of her. Maybe I'm not as politically informed as I thought.

However, if I haven't heard of her then you can bet your bippy about 99.99% of the rest of this country hasn't either.

[JeanGrey]

297. She is the most popular governor in America right now.

Believe me she is known more than you think.

[toopers]

225. Unfortunately, the "experience" argument does not go away.

If I am the republicans I shoot back, "she still has more experience as a VP candidate than the democratic presidential candidate. At least she has managed a budget!"

[JeanGrey]

298. EXACTLY......

People don't discount this. She is dangerous. We need to stick to the issues that voting for McCain and her would just be another four years of Bush and Company!!! This country cannot go there............I for one couldn't take it.

[yurbud]

271. sounds like she's a hard right ideologue, so they are giving up on swing voters

[Blue State Bandit]

281. WTF?

Did she stay at a Holiday Inn last night?

[OwnedByFerrets]

2. McSame really thinks women are that stupid, doesnt he?

[nels25]

100. Not every woman is a rock ribbed liberal/feminist

nothing wrong with that, but we as a party always assume as fact that the country as a whole is wildly progressive when the evidence simply is not there to prove it.

The big reason that this country is going to give us a shot at governing is because Bush so screwed the pooch that most want the GOP to go away and sit in the corner for a while (this will not be a situation that will last in perpetuity), not because of deep seated love or lust for the Democrats to govern. If this were the fact then Barack would really be far ahead with a double digit lead.

I believe this will sell better with general populace than we would like.

As always: We shall see.

[JeanGrey]

107. You better bet it will. She is well thought of and liked by

many, including a lot of my dem friends.

This was a smart choice.

[SOS]

252. An unknown, right-wing extremist from Alaska

is "well liked" by your Democratic friends?

How odd.

[JeanGrey]

292. Not odd at all. I have two women dem friends who actually

first turned me onto her. This was last year and said that they'd be surprised if McCain didn't pick her and that they liked her. I'm not joking. I have republican friends who love Biden too!

[Freddie Stubbs]

110. Some of them are

[NM Independent]

147. Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! Daleks!!!!!!!!! Run!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm such a nerd. :silly:

[Curtland1015]

3. I can't wait for Tina Fay's impression of her...

You know it will happen!

That aside, someone who has only been a Gov for basically MONTHS? ...and the whole Woman thing, that is just a sad attempt to court the angry Hillary supporters. The Repugs would NOT have chosen a woman otherwise, they aren't that smart.

[TwilightGardener]

4. Wow--stupid. It will look like Gramps and his hot young mistress--

if they think women will suddenly flock to her, then they don't understand women at all.

[rfranklin]

35. Age 36? That's "barely legal" in Presidential terms...

This choice is almost pornographic.

[TwilightGardener]

46. She's 44, just had a severely-disabled baby a few months ago.

It is an absolutely logic-defying choice, and makes McLoon look like a dirty old man.

[rfranklin]

60. Sorry, I read she was 36...can't believe everything on the internets

my mistake

[9119495]

94. Maybe it was 36 minutes and not 44 minutes. AP makes a similar mistake.

[Doug.Goodall]

291. My goodness, she is half his age.

Dirty old man my azz, he is almost a pedo

[Hepburn]

99. Exactly....

...and, oh, yes, I am being catty ~~ the hair is soooooooo 1980s! And that is besides all of the other things that ring wrong about her.

:rofl:

[amandabeech]

262. She looks like she belongs with the B-52s doing "Rock Lobster."

Maybe they'll get her a makeover. Less hair and contact lenses would help.

[Bake]

156. Hot? Not.

Sorry, but she ain't no Nancy Pelosi ... (couldn't resist ... :rofl:)

Bake

[IndyOp]

5. Her husband is Native American. Interesting. (n/t)

[WriteDown]

8. Hmm....

That is very cool. Wish he was the one running.

[IndyOp]

19. He is actually a blue-eyed Native American...

Not to disrespect his ancestry, but he wasn't who I pictured when I thought of a Native American man.

This is a picture of Sarah and Todd with their youngest baby - a boy who has Down syndrome

[WriteDown]

26. That comment is more than a little offensive....

Many Indians(still use the term, ha) are of mixed blood and have some other ancestral traits. Also depending on the tribe, skin tones vary widely from light brown to dark red. Sure you didn't mean anything by it though :).

[IndyOp]

47. I am sorry if it is offensive and I won't use it again if you tell me it is truely offensive -

because your smiley makes you comment a bit ambiguous.

I come by the phrase "blue-eyed Native American" honestly -- I have friends who call themselves "blue-eyed Indians". One did not know he had Native ancestry until the night before he married and his mom told him never to tell anyone and to wait until after the wedding to tell his new wife. Other blue-eyed Native friends I know I met at the Sundance that is held every year near where I live.

My adoptive father had Cherokee ancestry - had gorgeous brown eyes and tanned a beautiful copper color during the summer in the garden. Most people would not guess he had Native ancestors, but after you knew you could see it in his cheekbones, too.

My friends who call themselves blue-eyed Indians don't have any discernable Native physical features, but they've got Native hearts.

I think Palin's husband's appearance is relevant only in that if McCain picked Palin in part because her husband has "ethnic" credentials -- and, yes, I think he might do that -- then they will have to keep saying that it is so because it isn't apparent when you look at him. Also, the fact that he is a Republican makes me think that his heart isn't Native.

[WriteDown]

58. I realized...

That you didn't mean it in a bad way and therefore the smiley. My father is a full Indian and he has been mistaken for black at times in the summer, haha. I can get dark, but not that dark. I know fellow Indians who are both democrats and republicans. All have good hearts. They've been screwed by all sides, so its hard to pick a winner. Hillary was big on helping existing tribes, especially in NY so I was a big supporter. I haven't heard much from either of the two candidates on the subject.

[IndyOp]

81. They've been screwed by all sides... Indeed. Indeed.

:hi:

It is my greatest hope that the Obama election will be noted most in history for awakening THE PEOPLE -- all of us, and, yes, especially the people who've been hurt most and longest by corporate powers run rampant.

Here is the "First Americans for Obama" blog - I would trust them to be paying the best attention to whether Obama is making specific statements about issues important to them... http://tribes.barackobama.com/page/content/firstamshome

Here is Obama at the Crow Nation - he was ceremonially adopted during this visit:



As for McCain on Native Americans -- do you remember "Broken Rainbow" -- the Oscar-winning documentary about the Navajo and Hopi in Arizona? McCain, as Arizona Senator, has long been on the side of the coal and other mining companies that have very nearly succeeding forcing the people off of their last bit of land.

The depth of the tragedy inflicted on the Navajo to this very day by the US Government through the BIA is hard to comprehend. The Euro-American race has long proved its prowess in human rights violations, but there is a particular cruelty in its methods against the Navajo and Hopi, who they tried to set against each other in order to pillage the incredible wealth under the land and poison it in the process. It could certainly be construed as torture, with shots of BIA bulldozers destroying even the desert vegetation to deprive the people of their food and medicine. When they could have given them much more than the peanuts (2 to 3% of the value of all that coal, gas, oil, and uranium!!!) and given them a few mesas on which to live their old dignified ways. Which is all they ever really wanted. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088857/

[WriteDown]

90. It will be interesting to see...

Obama talks the talk, but it all hinges on the changes at the Dept of the Interior. Another interesting part is that NA's do not function as a single unit and many tribes have very different priorities. There is a lot of infighting due to perceived favoritism, false tribe recognition, etc.

[Odin2005]

108. That is cool! I have Ojibwe relatives, Obama supporters all of them!

n/t.

[IndyOp]

114. My friend Bob is Ojibwe! I am sure I know others, I just don't usually

ask for tribal affiliations when meeting a new friend.

:hi:

[Odin2005]

126. Bob is the name of my cousin Becky's Ojibwe husband!!! n/t.

[IndyOp]

131. Sadly, your Bob isn't my Bob. My Bob is married to my friend Marianne. (n/t)

:hi:

[roody]

61. So he is a Native American who enjoys

white privilege.

[WriteDown]

74. Yeah, just like my father right?

Ridiculous and undignified.

[roody]

290. I don't know your father.

I do know white privilege. That blue eyed rich guy and I both enjoy it.

[liberalhistorian]

66. Exactly. What, pray tell, is a

Native American "supposed" to look like? I live on a SD Indian reservation due to hubby's job, and there are plenty of "blue-eyed" native americans; there's no such thing as a "typical" prototype. And I can tell you that this won't make much difference in at least some native american circles; sentiment is strong for Obama and most of those who were for Hillary have gone into the Obama camp.

However, McSame does have a very good track record with native americans and does have a strong base among many southwestern tribes, so this may have been why he chose her if her husband is native american, to try to solidify that base with Alaskan tribes. Unfortunately for her, Biden will eat her alive in the debates!!! And so much for McSame's "experience" argument, lol.

[uppityperson]

198. he's (part) Yup'ik. Here's wiki link. Having worked with full&part, I'd say part

"Eskimo" is considered by many to be a slur, like "redskin" is to native americans/indians in lower 48. Yup'ik and Inupiat are the 2 groups in AK.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yupik
blog with pictures: http://www.city-data.com/forum/alaska/293050-2008-camai-festival-2.html

[Pab Sungenis]

45. Hm.

[Iggo]

55. Aw, she's pretty.

Okay, I'm done complimenting the opposition now.

[Ishoutandscream2]

70. Really? I don't think so

But that's just me. To each his own, I guess.

[Iggo]

86. Yeah, thanks.

[krispos42]

155. She is pretty

Nice hair, pretty face, good skin, nice smile, glasses (which I find sexy).

Unfortunately, she's a corrupt Republican who will continue to back the multi-decade failure of post-Goldwater conservatism.

[wtmusic]

89. Agree. She has a beautiful smile. nt

[CaseyStorm]

92. MILF? No VPILF!

Sorry.. couldn't resist.

[The Stranger]

I agree. She's very attractive -- unfortunately.

[Outlier]

127. Palin allegedly vetoed

a bill that barred the state of alaska from giving gay partners health benefits. effectivly clearing the way for them to get benefits.

[SOS]

310. Media matters says AP story is false

AP falsely suggests Palin supports benefits for same-sex partners of state employees

Summary: The Associated Press reported that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin "opposes gay marriage -- constitutionally banned in Alaska before her time -- but exercised a veto that essentially granted benefits to gay state employees and their partners." However, the AP did not note that Palin stated that she vetoed the bill because the Alaska attorney general had advised her that it was unconstitutional, not because she believed same-sex partners of public employees should receive benefits.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200808290025

[Stump]

242. She's pretty hot...

ands that the best thing I can say about the GOP these days.

[Stump]

244. She's pretty hot...

and that the best thing I can say about the GOP these days.

[9119495]

96. Down Syndrome? Do they get Canadian health care in Canada?

How are they going to afford that? They probably got dropped by their provider.

[Castleman]

206. I'd hit it.

Oh, my bad, I thought we were discussing her being quite babe-ish. For VP? With a 92 year old man? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No. Not in a million years. Experience my ass! McCain was shooting from the hip here, and it's gonna cost him. Lemme see, 99% of all Alaska politicians are completely slimy crooks, and her husbands in the oil biz? She's currently under investigation?Bring on the attack dogs! Honestly, the only person who's hoping for a win here is Tina Fey so she can have four years of good materiel to work with.

[soleft]

6. I think they're hoping Biden will be too tough on her in the debates

[still_one]

16. This is about ISSUES, nothing else /nt

[nels25]

104. You know that is a possibility.

[Iggo]

135. So we're both hoping the same thing then.

[ryanmuegge]

270. Probably. In a sensible world, people would have no mercy on her

for playing with the men and getting beaten to a pulp, but this is the world in which George Bush, Jr. has a reputation as a legendary debater.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

7. Oh so now when they steel this election, their cover will be that...

...the Hillary voters (who wanted a woman in the White House) put the GOP over the top.

If Obama isn't the next president, what do we do?

[adamuu]

41. pretty much, sadly. n/t

:(

[Binka]

304. Kathy Just An FYI It Is Steal Not Steel

I've noticed this in two of your posts and thought you should know.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

305. Thank you, Binka. ...n/t

[dweller]

9. ohnoes...he's locked up the vote

w/ the gun-toting, moose-eating, pot-smoking-but-didn't-like-it contingent.

we're doomed
dp

edit: wrong critter-burger

[comtec]

158. Actually it's Elk

Lots of Elk burgers there, and reindeer sausage.
and no im not joking.
I literally just flew in from Alaska (and god is my ass sore!!! 23 hours!!!) to Holland.
OMFG it's so beautiful there....
but I swear the general public up there are idiots... they shot down EVERY ballot measure that would have helped preserve their pristine way of life, protect the wolves and bears from HELICOPTER SHOOTINGS, and the like....

oh yeah and ted-the internet is a series of tubes, BTW Ted -im FUCKING CROOKED~!- stephens just got re-selected for their gop rep, but WAY more votes than the dem go in their primary.

beautiful state... questionable intelligent people.

[meow2u3]

197. Santa's not giving her kids any presents under the tree

Especially because she like Rudolph--for dinner! :evilgrin:

[Enthusiast]

212. They have bought into the

"Democrats hate guns." argument. The NRA keeps pumping out millions of colorful pamphlets that no one refutes. :grr:

[comtec]

159. Actually it's Elk

Lots of Elk burgers there, and reindeer sausage.
and no im not joking.
I literally just flew in from Alaska (and god is my ass sore!!! 23 hours!!!) to Holland.
OMFG it's so beautiful there....
but I swear the general public up there are idiots... they shot down EVERY ballot measure that would have helped preserve their pristine way of life, protect the wolves and bears from HELICOPTER SHOOTINGS, and the like....

oh yeah and ted-the internet is a series of tubes, BTW Ted -im FUCKING CROOKED~!- stephens just got re-selected for their gop rep, but WAY more votes than the dem go in their primary.

beautiful state... questionable intelligent people.

[liberal N proud]

10. Though McCain's campaign has not confirmed this.

[bowens43]

13. That's true. I have a hard time believing this. I

So much so that I hesitated before posting the link.

[eShirl]

12. I love Michael Palin!

Knew he traveled around the world a lot, didn't know he was governor of Alaska.

[Curtland1015]

20. We are the Republicans who say "ni!"

Fetch us... a shrubbery! Or, a Bush anyway...

[NRaleighLiberal]

24. Good one!!!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[UpInArms]

32. welcome to DU Curtland1015!

glad to have you here!

:hi:

[Curtland1015]

38. Thank you, nice to be here.

I've lurked on this site for YEARS. Just never signed up until today, because I need some people to talk to about all of this!

[UpInArms]

52. DU is a great place to do that -

full of wonderful, intelligent and concerned people from all walks and ways of life.

Take off your shoes, kick up your feet and stay awhile.

:D

[bdamomma]

63. welcome to DU Curtland1015!!!!

you have come to the right place

[calimary]

134. Welcome to DU! Glad you're here posting now.

The reason you came here is the same reason most of us came here, I think.

:hi: :toast:

[still_one]

14. If they believe that Clinton supporters are going to flock to mccain because he picked a "woman"

they are grossly mistaken, and an insult to women in general

Looking at palin's "experience" only re-enforces that premise that the mccain camp believe women will vote NOT on the issues, but on the gender of a canidate

HOW WRONG THEY ARE!!!

[Name removed]

103. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Enthusiast]

213. Just goes to show you

What Republicans think of women. They think Democratic women are mindless followers like their's are.

[countingbluecars]

15. I don't yet believe this.

A 72 year old candidate picks someone with this little experience as second in command?

[TheDebbieDee]

17. Isn't she under investigation for "Abuse of power"?

She allegedly had her ex-brother-in-law fired from the Alska State Troopers.

[regnaD kciN]

59. Yes, but...

She charged that he had abused his ex-wife and son. Now, the charges may be true, or they may be utter B.S., but you know it will be spun as "So, she is in trouble over protecting her sister and nephew from an abusive spouse. That makes her a hero in my book."

[Psephos]

241. The guy tasered his own 11-y.o. stepson n/t

[johnlal]

267. At the stepson's request!

Sounds like two 11 year olds rather than one child and an adult. Beavis and Butthead.

[Outlier]

141. allegedly the state trooper

tasered his 11 yr old stepson. Which i find hard to believe, but that's what is on wiki.

[trudyco]

18. Wasn't she under investigation for something -nt?

[Ed76638]

21. McCain/Phalin 08'

:rofl:

[Roland99]

22. McLame and a gun-toting Barbie. Wow. What a ticket!

[crossroads]

179. LOL - good one! n/t

[Mark E. Smith]

23. Just the kind of experienced person you'd want standing behind ..

.. a 72 year old president.

[earthside]

25. This is a Charade.

I'm not buying this Sarah Palin stuff.

This has got to be a distraction.

This woman has been governor for only a year and a half!

So, this is a feint to make McSame appear that he considers women as capable in politics.

Drudge now has a photo of McSame and Lieberman at the top of his page -- I think that is where this is headed ...

Rove may have pushed too hard against Lieberman -- and McSame ... as the crabby, old codger that he is ... decided that no one was going to tell him what to do!

[bowens43]

29. I'm having a hard time with it too.......nt

[harun]

172. Me three. I am like WTF?

[smoogatz]

40. Likely another head-fake.

I'll believe it when McMansions' campaign makes the announcement. I still think it's Lieberman. If it really is Palin, McMansions has officially jumped the shark. She's what--twelve?

[IndyOp]

50. Drudge says Palin is in Alaska today - so says Stephanie Miller. I look like it is a head fake. n/t

[bowens43]

64. Other sources including CNN suggest that she's in Ohio.....who knows.

From CNN:

Thursday night's arrival of a private jet from Alaska at the Middleton, Ohio, airport raised speculation that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would be McCain's pick. Middleton is 25 miles from Dayton.

[JeanGrey]

115. Believe it. I told my best friend six months ago if he chose

her he would be much harder to beat.

[earthside]

153. Guess I was wrong.

Well, so it was not a charade.

But it is a BIG joke.

[tularetom]

27. Watch the talking heads contortions as they try to put a positive spin on this choice

She's 36 fuckin years old fer crissakes. When (not if) McCain croaks she's gonna be the "leader of the free world". There is nothing they can say to make this sound better.

[bowens43]

33. she's 44 years old not that that matters.........

[rfranklin]

28. Her Wikipedia entry is a campaign brochure...

Someone needs to update that one.

[msongs]

30. its not who votes, its who COUNTS the votes - Obama has been handed nothing yet nt

[bowens43]

You're right of course but......

IMHO it's easy to steal a small number of votes like they did in florida and ohio . If this choice is confirmed, I think we'll see an Obama landslide. It won't be close.

[OilemFirchen]

34. Does she have a bubblegum core?

"She is female, which addresses the novelty of the opposition..."

[BrklynLiberal]

36. Not even as good as Ross Perot's choice of Admiral Stockdale.

[trudyco]

37. Air America reported she's flying into Ohio -nt

[IndyOp]

51. Stephanie Miller says Drudge says Palin is in Alaska today... ? (n/t)

[pampango]

39. Is it dangerous to underestimate our opposition by just looking at Palin's weaknesses

and not any strengths she might bring to their campaign? It seems to me that, in terms of political strategy, McCain is better off with a female VP than another white guy, especially if she is red meat for their conservative base (I don't know if she qualifies as this).

[adamuu]

44. right... can we attack her on her striking lack of experience?

no? then, what can we attack her on?

[Curtland1015]

48. Certainly, yes. But this choice does not help McCain.

Their big attack on Obama was a lack of experience. How can they use that now? This lady has only been Gov for a year in a half.

This move was done (assuming it IS) for a very few simple reasons. She links the far right with McCain. She's a woman. She's not an ugly woman.

That's about it. Shallow? Certainly, but that's the Republican party.

[nels25]

125. I friendly disagree

I think this could turn out to be a good choice for McCain, only time will tell.

[johnlal]

169. McCain makes this perception believable

With McCain's choice of wives running to the young beauty queen variety, his "Miss Buffalo Chip" comment, his affinity towards off-color jokes about women, and the overall Republican strategy of putting pretty faces in front of the cameras (to say horrible things)... one might be lead to believe that her looks are what's behind this pick. (If it is a pick). Which is sad, because she has some qualities amid the rest of her republican baggage.

[DaDeacon]

42. Knee-Jerk and dumb

This is the most how can we steal the thunder of the Dems pick I have ever seen. The only thing is after the splash it will have even less impact than the Rebub-a-thugs think with women and the young.

[radfringe]

43. imagine the ads....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3877016#3877038

[LeftishBrit]

49. Blimey

So Obama is supposedly too young and inexperienced; so let's choose someone three years younger who seems to have more experience winning beauty contests than in politics?! (Just checked her out on Wikipedia!)


The Republican team's campaign song could be that song from WW2 that begins:

'They're either too young, or too old,
They're either too gray or too grassy green,
The pickings are poor and the crop is lean...'


"Vote for McCain! His running mate is the only Republican politician in Alaska who hasn't been indicted yet!"

[cap]

54. hillary will clean her clock

does hillary eat moose meat, or not?

[Name removed]

136. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cap]

168. Hillary will be campaigning for Obama

and she will eat Moose Meat. I am predicting a 2 prong attack: one from Hillary and one from Biden. I see Palin ping-ponged between the two.

[Name removed]

173. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cap]

196. Hillary will do some serious campaigning for Obama

she belongs to the Democratic party and knows that the party is calling on her to do so. Hillary will not risk being blamed for losing the election. It is not being naive to think so... just good politics to look like a good loser. Hillary will extract her own price for doing so. Watch and see.

[racaulk]

224. You're disrupting poorly.

[Janice325]

56. Is Cindy McCain still in Georgia??? (the country, not the state)

If the Palin story should prove pan out, I wonder what Cindy thinks. :rofl:

[bdamomma]

57. oh my this is Palin

watch out Cindy

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://kodiakkonfidential.blogspot.com/2007/12/sarah-in-vogue.html&h=395&w=288&sz=35&hl=en&start=1&um=1&usg=__vCBGq8u-Mv4qoGVLy1PXYjx1sFA=&tbnid=5IjheNLpxmsQcM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsarah%2Bpalin%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

[Psephos]

111. VPILF n/t

[liberalcanuck]

132. Funny! She's a pretty lady - she doesn't need to be photoshopped to hell! n/t

[scarface2004]

182. she needs to ditch those frickin glasses...

then it s definitely vpilf!

[Historic NY]

62. Experience....my ass!! her suitcases are loaded with baggage

[Paula Sims]

65. Great! Apparently her office is under investigation for ethics rules violations

IF true, it shows how little homework McCain had his people do.


http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/498908.html

[JCMach1]

67. Apparently planning on giving up the experience things against Obama...

Oh wait a mintute, when did hypocrisy ever stop those guys....

[onehandle]

68. Stupid losers. Congrats, President Obama. nt

[Solly Mack]

69. The beast picked a beauty queen he can bully.

McCain has contempt for women....he would try and bully any running mate...but with a woman? He'll be even worse

He'll expect a "little lady" vice president and he'll demand that she behave and obey him

and ANY woman willing to play such a role? well, doesn't say much about her does it?

[UpInArms]

72. or maybe he's lining up Cindy's replacement?

:evilgrin:

[Solly Mack]

77. Wonder if he'll call her a c@@@ too?

[MilesColtrane]

71. If it's her, they'll paint her as another "maverick" because she wanted to tax...

...the oil companies operating in Alaska.

Interesting that the candidates VP picks appear diametrically opposed to one another.

Old male Washington veteran vs. young female political novice

[SlingBlade]

73. Reporttidly Bush Wants Joe Lieberman

So, Lieberman it is and McSame will seal his fate as the Boy Kings Successor

That's my story, And I'm sticking to it untill proved wrong :)

A Menage-a-Trois Of Presidential Proportions !

[grantcart]

75. Fox News confirms Palin is the pick

Source: Fox News 7:31 PDT

First announced she was back stage and has now confirmed she is the pick

No link yet.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

76. How long has she been governor?

How long has she been in politics?

This makes no strategic sense, save chromosomes.

[Psephos]

118. Elected in 2006 - first term n/t

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

124. FFS.

I have a sense that this is proof that they know they are fucked and McStumpy is simply taking one for the team.

[OilemFirchen]

78. Possible McCain VP candidate reportedly lands in Middletown

Source: Dayton Daily News

MIDDLETOWN —A Gulfstream IV jet owned by a firm in Kirkland, Wash., landed at Hook Field Municipal Airport late Thursday night is believed to have had Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on board as a passenger.

(snip}

According to Rich Bevis of B&B Aero, the fixed-based operator at Hook Field, the jet, a Gulfstream IV which has the flight range to fly from Alaska to Europe, landed at about 10:15 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28.

Bevis said the woman "was a real close match to Palin" and added that the flight crew that's based in the Seattle area was told to fly to Anchorage to pick up their party and fly to Middletown.

Bevis said the jet had a woman, two teenagers and two men on board and that a couple of white vans met the plane, gathered their gear and took the party to an undisclosed location.

Read more: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/08/29/mj083008vpcandidate.html

---

Just in case anyone cares.

[trudyco]

79. cbs on Air America said she was flying out there -nt

[corporatemedia]

80. Bevis said this...Bevis said that...What about Butthead?

[maddezmom]

82. NBC is also comfirming it's Palin

[lynnertic]

83. But the AK legislature is investigating Palin for corruption!!

"Now, one of the bright new stars in the Republican Party has suddenly become tarnished. The state legislature this week voted to hire an independent investigator to see whether Ms. Palin abused her office by trying to get her former brother-in-law fired from his job as an Alaska state trooper."

July 31, 2008
http://citizensforethics.org/node/33604

[POAS]

84. Let me be the first to say

(and probably the last)

McCain/Pale-in comparison!

[Delphinus]

85. Who the

heck was that idiot interviewing her? Kudlow? I've not seen him, but I was really put off by what he was saying.

[Name removed]

88. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JaneQPublic]

93. MSNBC confirms it, too.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25970882/

[non sociopath skin]

98. And the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na

The Skin

[Yavin4]

95. She's Under Investigation

For firing a commissioner who wouldn't fire a cop who cheated on her sister.

http://www.ktva.com/ci_10026165

Excerpt:

Legislators approved hiring a special investigator to look into the controversial firing of former Public

Courtesy, KTOO-TV Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. Monegan was fired two weeks ago without explanation and has said he was pressured by the governor and her staff to fire a trooper who was once married to Palin's sister.

This is going to be good.

[Roland99]

113. An Activist Governor?

he he

[PATRICK]

97. Stevens goes on trial this fall

And the other Repugs in the state are also tainted, including Palin. I suppose DOJ will deepsix all hints of trouble as they pursue Dem seniors for conducting registration drives? This has an interesting history. They curiously went after Stevens very early this past year, obviously in hopes of getting him to resign gracefully. It may have been partially connected to Palin as a palliative should the ticket need it.

I think this is plan C or D, a plain desperation shake-up if the race is too much a goner. If McCain, Bush forbid, should die in office, she will go for some experienced guy among the usual suspects to rescue her. Still, they would have preferred Romney. So Rove, in suggesting a woman does not even care how public his control is.

The first purpose is to provide a shake-up, even a pretense of a monumental something or other to snap the GOP out of a fiasco Convention drop that would make Goldwater look like the incumbent FDR. Then they keep doing the bag of tricks for these long months. The GOP is quite a circus these days, trotting out startling episodes of shallow trickery.

Palin is a lesser version of Geraldine Ferraro, the baggage is personal, falsifying the ticket. Will the media compare her constantly to Ferraro? That would be a wonder in itself.

Now Ferraro will really have something to be justly bitter about, but unless she wants to endorse the GOP she will it astoundingly hard to get air time.

Of course the way McCain is freely using lies andawkward missteps and surprises to conduct his Veepstakes it might end up as Romney after all.

[CaseyStorm]

102. This has Karl Rove's slimy fingerprints all over it!

Go home Karl!

[onefreespiritedchick]

183. This does have Karl Rowe's fingerprints all over it. n/t

[Marie26]

105. That's actually a good pick

She goes against most of the things that people hate about the GOP - she blew the whistle on AK political corruption, & passed ethics legislation. She's not rich or a big business-type. And just based on the Wiki entry, she's got a compelling personal bio & high approval ratings. Plus, this is McCain's final bid for the PUMAS or any disaffected Clinton supporters. I had a feeling McCain would select a woman after he kept running those ads about how Hillary was 'dissed' by the Democrats. Man, why couldn't he just go with Lieberman?

[Name removed]

128. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Marie26]

145. Me too

And here's the thing: We can't go after her for her lack of experience (first-term gov) because OUR candidate is in his first term in the Senate. Can't attack for being too young, cause she's only two years younger than Obama, who's actually running for the Presidency. Can't use the "fat cat" multimillionare angle, because she's not, unlike Mitt. (Oh, Romney, you came so close.) Can't use the GOP corruption & cronyism against her, cause she fought against that. And if Biden goes after her too much, it could alienate women voters. IMO this was a brilliant strategic pick by McCain. Obama played it safe w/Biden, but McCain did something risky & dangerous because he knows that's his only chance to win. It is a Hail Mary pass, but sometimes those work.

[CaseyStorm]

161. Plus...

It neutralizes the historic run by Obama because you have the first woman on a Republican ticket. The Geraldine types will find this just as exciting as those who are energized about Obama's campaign.

I think Obama/Biden can still pull it off, but it would have been a lot easier with Romney as the VP candidate.

[Marnieworld]

272. Why would anyone find it exciting?

It's insulting to imply as this ticket and your statement implies that women are only voting for women just because they are women. As if any chick would do? It has a lot more to do with their experience and positions and then there's the bonus of the glasss ceiling breaking. The "Geraldine types"? That's the cynical idea that the Repubs have with this nominee but people aren't that stupid.

Ask Alan Keyes if people just wanted a Black guy that any one could do.

[Marie26]

277. I think it's exciting

This is so out of the blue, totally surprising, & either brilliant or catastrophic. That's what makes politics fun! Romney or Ridge would be beyond boring.

[Oreegone]

170. Obama has experience

Obama spent 8 years in Illinois State Senate before going to Washington, so the comparison of no experience does not work. Let's see and that was 4 years ago.

[Name removed]

175. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ryanmuegge]

285. Sure we can go after them for her lack of experience.

Just be honest about it: the fucker is old, and there is a real possibility that he may not finish his first term. Our candidate will finish his first term barring an assassination. We've got a VP with legitimate experience to take over even if something were to happen.

[onefreespiritedchick]

194. Indeed...

This is a play for the PUMA's. Hillary needs to handle this promptly.

[csorman]

139. Sorry, but I don't believe for a second

that there are that many disaffected Hillary supporters who will back McCain because of this Veep pick. I have a die-hard ex-Hillary supporter in my office who is fully behind Obama now and is appalled that anyone who supported Hillary would be so shallow as to vote for McCain. I do not know *one* Hillary backer who is voting for McCain. This pick will be viewed as pandering, as a slap in the face to the monumental and historic race that Ms. Clinton ran.

Screw you, McCain - we see through this.

[Marie26]

148. Agree

When it comes to Democrats, who will go for Obama. The PUMA thing was way over-blown by the media. I'm thinking more of independent/Republican women who leaned towards Clinton & might lean towards Obama - Palin might make them lean the other way.

[Name removed]

162. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NoodleyAppendage]

144. I agree. It's a very shrewd pick.

Hillary will be VERY important now. Obama will need her to buttress loss of white female votes...where he's already soft. McCain is taken lightly at our own peril...so far he's done well and picking a white female for his ticket cuts into Obama's support.

[CaseyStorm]

164. Hillary needs to find a way to neutralize the impact - I agree (nm)

[Texano78704]

250. I was hoping for Lieberman too

But this choice will drive the fundamentalists pure loco!

[Marie26]

278. Sigh, if only

Doesn't it seem like McCain really wanted Joementum? The only consolation is that Lieberman will probably lose his Senate seat now. And I'm not sure what the fundies will think - she's pro-life & that seems like the most important thing to them. Of course there's some that think a wqman shouldn't run at all...

[galledgoblin]

280. I agree, we're now in for a fight.

considering McCain's age, and her youth, the PUMAs will be very attracted to this ticket, believing that they'll get a female president fairly quickly.

[sushi]

316. I read somewhere

that he wanted Lieberman, but then his base wouldn't like it.
You had a feeling McCain would select a woman, but I bet nobody ever thought of Sarah Palin, except one pundit on TV. I forgot who it was. He guessed right! I wish I remember who it was.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

112. "The Governor's pokesperson tells ABC News she's going to the State Fair in Anchorage"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/01/sarah-palin-mccains-vice_n_116383.html

AUG 29 -- Spokeswoman Says Palin Is In Alaska: The governor's office throws water on rumors that she will be McCain's surprise pick.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is in Dayton, Ohio, awaiting a high noon event at which the campaign has said the Republican contender will announce his running mate.

But one person who will not be there: Palin. The Governor's spokesperson, Sharon Leighow, tells ABC News she's going to the State Fair in Anchorage, Alaska.

[OilemFirchen]

117. Imagine that

Her staff's first official statement is a lie.

Great start, Sarah!

[Canuckistanian]

116. So THIS is what the bottom of the barrel looks like

Pretty thin gruel.

[E-Z-B]

119. LOL!

[jpak]

120. McCain just sewed up the Southern Moose Huntin' Hockey Mom vote

:rofl:

[Outlier]

121. The tone

of this thread to me is completely underestimating this choice of VP. We don't want to get in an experience debate. She will go on oprah and parade her down syndrome baby out in front of all the dingbats watching daytime tv and get all kinds of sympathy, and don't think that sympathy won't wash over into the msm. granted oprah's audience doesn't vote much but some will.

The msm will wonder aloud as to what will happen to all of the disenchanted hillary supporters all 18 million, and when they steal the election they will have a built in excuse.


this is extremely bad, and we have a lot of work ahead.

[gristy]

122. Just called a friend in AK with the news. She hadn't heard.

She was shocked. Nearly speechless. Said they couldn't have made a better choice to benefit the Dems.

[MadinMo]

123. The Republican men in my office are horrified by this choice.

[LindyHope]

130. Backrounder

Sarah Heath Palin (born February 11, 1964) is the current Governor of Alaska, a former Miss Alaska runner-up, and a member of the Republican Party. She is the youngest and first female governor of Alaska. She is the Republican vice presidential candidate for the November 2008 election. Brought to statewide attention because of her whistleblowing on ethical violations by state Republican Party leaders,<1> she won election in 2006 by first defeating the incumbent governor in the Republican primary, then a former Democratic Alaskan governor in the general election.

On August 29, the Associated Press reported that "speculation moved to darkhorse" pick for the vice president running mate slot by presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.<2> The CNBC news service first reported that Palin be the GOP vice-presidential nominee.<3> Formal announcement of the presumptive nominee will be made in Dayton, Ohio on August 29, 2008, by Presidential candidate John McCain. On 29 August, CNN, and Fox News, and MSNBC each confirmed that Palin was the running mate for Senator McCain.<4> <5> <6>


Family and personal background

Palin was born as Sarah Louise Heath in Sandpoint, Idaho, the daughter of Charles and Sally (Sheeran) Heath.<7> Her family moved to Alaska when she was an infant.<8> Charles Heath was a popular science teacher and coached track.<8> The Heaths were avid outdoors enthusiasts; Sarah and her father would sometimes wake at 3 a.m. to hunt moose before school, and the family would regularly run 5k and 10k races.<8>

Palin was the point guard and captain for the Wasilla High School Warriors, in Wasilla, Alaska, when they won the Alaska small-school basketball championship in 1982; she earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" because of her intense play.<8> She played the championship game despite a stress fracture in her ankle, hitting a critical free throw in the last seconds.<8> Palin, who was also the head of the school Fellowship of Christian Athletes, would lead the team in prayer before games.<8>

In 1984, Palin was second-place in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant after winning the Miss Wasilla contest earlier that year, winning a scholarship to help pay her way through college.<8> In the Wasilla pageant, she played the flute and also won Miss Congeniality.

Details of Palin's personal life have contributed to her political image. She hunts, eats moose hamburger, ice fishes, rides snowmobiles, and owns a float plane.<9><10> Palin holds a lifetime membership with the National Rifle Association. She admits that she used marijuana when it was legal in Alaska, but says that she did not like it.<11>

Palin holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Idaho where she also minored in politics.

Her husband, Todd, is a Native Yup'ik Eskimo.<8> Outside the fishing season, Todd works for BP at an oil field on the North Slope<12> and is a champion snowmobiler, winning the 2000-mile "Iron Dog" race four times.<8> The two eloped shortly after Palin graduated college; when they learned they needed witnesses for the civil ceremony, they recruited two residents from the old-age home down the street.<8> The Palin family lives in Wasilla, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Anchorage.<13>

She briefly worked as a sports reporter for local Anchorage television stations while also working as a commercial fisherman with her husband, Todd, her high school sweetheart.<8> One summer when she was working on Todd's fishing boat, the boat collided with a tender while she was holding onto the railing; Palin broke several fingers.<8>

On September 11, 2007, the Palins' son Track joined the Army. Eighteen years old at the time, he is the eldest of Palin's five children.<13> Track now serves in an infantry brigade and will be deployed to Iraq in September. She also has three daughters: Bristol, 17, Willow, 13, and Piper, 7.<14> On April 18, 2008, Palin gave birth to her second son, Trig Paxson Van Palin, who has Down syndrome.<15> She returned to the office three days after giving birth.<16> Palin refused to let the results of prenatal genetic testing change her decision to have the baby. "I'm looking at him right now, and I see perfection," Palin said. "Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?"<16>


Pre-gubernatorial political experience

Palin served two terms on the Wasilla City Council from 1992 to 1996. In 1996, she challenged the incumbent mayor, criticizing wasteful spending and high taxes.<8> The ex-mayor and sheriff tried to organize a recall campaign, but failed.<8> Palin kept her campaign promises, reducing her own salary, as well as reducing property taxes 60%.<8> She ran for reelection against the former mayor in 1999, winning by an even larger margin.<8><17> Palin was also elected president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.<14>

In 2002, Palin made an unsuccessful bid for Lieutenant Governor, coming in second to Loren Leman in a four-way race. After Frank Murkowski resigned from his long-held U.S. Senate seat in mid-term to become governor, Palin interviewed to be his possible successor. Instead, Murkowski appointed his daughter, then-Alaska State Representative Lisa Murkowski.<8>

Governor Murkowski appointed Palin Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission,<18> where she served from 2003 to 2004 until resigning in protest over what she called the "lack of ethics" of fellow Alaskan Republican leaders, who ignored her whistleblowing complaints of legal violations and conflicts of interest.<8> After she resigned, she exposed the state Republican party's chairman, Randy Ruedrich, one of her fellow Oil & Gas commissioners, who was accused of doing work for the party on public time, and supplying a lobbyist with a sensitive e-mail.<19> Palin filed formal complaints against both Ruedrich and former Alaska Attorney General Gregg Renkes, who both resigned; Ruedrich paid a record $12,000 fine.<8>


Governorship

Governor Palin visits a wounded soldier in Landstuhl, Germany, July 2007In 2006, Palin, running on a clean-government campaign, executed an upset victory over then-Gov. Murkowski in the Republican gubernatorial primary.<8> Despite the lack of support from party leaders and being outspent by her Democratic opponent, she went on to win the general election in November 2006, defeating former Governor Tony Knowles.<8> Palin said in 2006 that education, public safety, and transportation would be three cornerstones of her administration.<11>

When elected, Palin became the first woman to be Alaska's governor, and the youngest governor in Alaskan history at 42 years old upon taking office. Palin was also the first Alaskan governor born after Alaska achieved U.S. statehood. She was also the first Alaskan governor not to be inaugurated in Juneau, instead choosing to hold her inauguration ceremony in Fairbanks. She took office on December 4, 2006.

Highlights of Governor Palin's tenure include a successful push for an ethics bill, and also shelving pork-barrel projects supported by fellow Republicans. Palin successfully killed the Bridge to Nowhere project that had become a nationwide symbol of wasteful earmark spending.<16><20> "Alaska needs to be self-sufficient, she says, instead of relying heavily on 'federal dollars,' as the state does today."<9>

She has challenged the state's Republican leaders, helping to launch a campaign by Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell to unseat U.S. Congressman Don Young<21> and publicly challenging Senator Ted Stevens to come clean about the federal investigation into his financial dealings.<16> Fred Barnes of The Weekly Standard praised Palin as a "politician of eye-popping integrity" and referred to her rise as "a great (and rare) story of how adherence to principle—especially to transparency and accountability in government—can produce political success."<9>

In 2007, Palin had an approval rating often in the 90s.<9> A poll published by Hays Research on July 28, 2008 showed Palin's approval rating at 80%.<22>


Energy policies

Palin's tenure is noted for her independence from big oil companies, while still promoting resource development.<9><16> Palin has announced plans to create a new sub-cabinet group of advisors, to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions within Alaska.<23>

Shortly after taking office, Palin rescinded an appointment by Murkowski of his former chief of staff Jim Clark to the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority, one of thirty-five appointments made by Murkowski in the last hour of his administration that she reversed.<24><25> Clark later pled guilty to conspiring with a defunct oil-field-services company to channel money into Frank Murkowski's re-election campaign.<26>

In March 2007, Palin presented the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA) as the new legal vehicle for building a natural gas pipeline from the state's North Slope.<27> Only one legislator, Representative Ralph Samuels, voted against the measure,<28> and in June Palin signed it into law.<29><30> On January 5, 2008, Palin announced that a Canadian company, Transcanada, was the sole AGIA-compliant applicant.<31><32>

In response to high oil and gas prices, and in response to the resulting state government budget surplus, Palin proposed giving Alaskans $100-a-month energy debit cards. She also proposed providing grants to electrical utilities so that they would reduce customers' rates.<33> She subsequently dropped the debit card proposal, and in its place she proposed to send Alaskans $1,200 directly and eliminate the gas tax.<34><35>


Social issues

Palin is strongly pro-life and belongs to Feminists for Life.<11> She opposes same-sex marriage, but she has stated that she has gay friends and is receptive to gay and lesbian concerns about discrimination.<11> While the previous administration did not implement same-sex benefits, Palin complied with a state Supreme Court order and signed them into law.<36>

She supported a democratic advisory vote from the public on whether there should be a constitutional amendment on the matter.<37> Alaska was one of the first U.S. states to pass a constitutional ban on gay marriage, in 1998, along with Hawaii.<38>

Palin's first veto was used to block legislation that would have barred the state from granting benefits to gay state employees and their partners. In effect, her veto granted State of Alaska benefits to same-sex couples. The veto occurred after Palin consulted with Alaska's attorney general on the constitutionality of the legislation.<39>


Matanuska Maid Dairy closure

When the Alaska Creamery Board recommended closing Matanuska Maid Dairy, an unprofitable state-owned business, Palin objected, citing concern for the impact on dairy farmers and the fact that the Dairy had just received $600,000 in state money. When Palin learned that only the Board of Agriculture and Conservation could appoint Creamery Board members, she simply replaced the entire membership of the Board of Agriculture and Conservation.<9><40> The new board, led by businesswoman Kristan Cole, reversed the decision to close.<40> The new board approved milk price increases offered by the dairy in an attempt to control fiscal losses, even though milk from Washington was already offered in Alaskan stores at lower prices.<41> In the end, the dairy was forced to close, and the state tried to sell the assets to pay off its debts but received no bids.<42><43>


Budget

In the first days of her administration, Palin followed through on a campaign promise to sell the Westwind II jet purchased (on a state government credit account) by the Murkowski administration. The state placed the jet for sale on eBay three times. In August 2007, the jet was sold for $2.7 million.<44>

Shortly after becoming governor, Palin canceled an 11-mile (18-kilometer) gravel road outside of Juneau to a mine. This reversed a decision made in the closing days or hours of the Murkowski Administration.<45>

In June 2007, Palin signed into law the largest operating budget in Alaska's history ($6.6 billion).<46> At the same time, she used her veto power to make the second-largest cuts of the construction budget in state history. The US$237 million in cuts represented over 300 local projects, and reduced the construction budget to nearly US$1.6 billion.<47>


Commissioner dismissal

On July 11, 2008, Governor Palin dismissed Walter Monegan as Commissioner of Public Safety and instead offered him a position as executive director of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, which he subsequently turned down.<48><49> Monegan alleged shortly after his dismissal that it may have been partly due to his reluctance to fire an Alaska State Trooper, Mike Wooten, who had been involved in a divorce and child custody battle with Palin's sister, Molly McCann.<50> In 2006, before Palin was governor, Wooten was briefly suspended for ten days for threatening to kill McCann's (and Palin's) father, tasering his 11-year-old stepson, and violating game laws. After a union protest, the suspension was reduced to five days.<51>

Governor Palin asserts that her dismissal of Monegan was unrelated to the fact that he had not fired Wooten, and asserts that Monegan was instead dismissed for not adequately filling state trooper vacancies, and because he "did not turn out to be a team player on budgeting issues."<52> Palin acknowledges that a member of her administration, Frank Bailey, did contact the Department of Public Safety regarding Wooten, but both Palin and Bailey say that happened without her knowledge and was unrelated to her dismissal of Monegan.<52> Bailey was put on leave for two months for acting outside the scope of his authority as the Director of Boards and Commissions.

In response to Palin's statement that she had nothing to hide, in August 2008 the Alaska Legislature hired Steve Branchflower to investigate Palin and her staff for possible abuse of power surrounding the dismissal, though lawmakers acknowledge that "Monegan and other commissioners serve at will, meaning they can be fired by Palin at any time."<53> The investigation is being overseen by Democratic State Senator Hollis French, who says that the Palin administration has been cooperating and thus subpoenas are unnecessary.<54> The Palin administration itself was the first to release an audiotape of Bailey making inquiries about the status of the Wooten investigation.<52><55>

Wooten and the police union alleged that the governor had improperly released his employment files in his divorce case. However, McCann's attorney released a signed waiver from Wooten demonstrating that Wooten had authorized the release of his files through normal discovery procedures
__________________

[Outlier]

150. I had a similar experience.

Loyal customer walked in and looked at the tv and said, "Palin is he a governor somewhere". I said, "yeah, SHE'S governor of alaska."

and then his jaw dropped.

[CANDO]

261. They may lose men over this choice

It's the subjugation of women thing. Some Republican men are going to be scared shit-less over this choice and go with the all male Democratic ticket.

[Suji to Seoul]

129. Sarah Palin. . .talk about keeping expectations low.

Enjoy those three electoral votes you were going to get in the first place, you schmuck!

Obama has just won the presidency!

[Kablooie]

138. Once old man McCain kicks off she will be the most powerful leader of the world!

Wow!

What a babe!!!

[Rosie1223]

This is the party that brought us Dan Quayle, after all

Republicans do not vote based on the VP.

[rasputin1952]

140. All I can say is...Thanks for the gift McCain...

You just tossed your chances into the well. Might as well quit the "experience" talk now, pack your bags and go home. Buh-Bye...:hi:

[Norwood]

146. Intersting and pretty mind boggling choice

Not sure if its good or bad. There are lots of things we can hit him with on this choice. We can say well how can you criticize Obama for lack of experience when your Vice Presidential pick is 4 years younger than Obama. Could also be a knee jerk reaction trying to capitalize on the still angry Hillary supporters.

Now I just heard Kay Baily Hutcheson use the phrase "Bring change to Washington". If they're trying to rip off Obamas message with this choice, I would say they're pretty screwed. One thing that kinda sucks about it is when the upcoming VP debate comes about, when Biden tears her apart (cause you know he will) he'll be called a bully.

Ok I've just decided this is a great choice for us. I'm typing this thing as I'm listening to Kay Baily Hutcheson on MSNBC and she keeps using the word "Change". They're gonna try to use this choice as a mask and pretend that they want to bring change to Washington...its not gonna work!

They lose a lot of credibility with their, Obama is not ready argument and it makes them look like hypocrites. I hope we hit them over the head with it whenever they try to bring up Obamas supposed inexperience!

[JonLP24]

288. I heard on tv from some kind of McCain spokesperson

That McCain says that in an election the campaign on change always wins and this was a decision to follow in lock-step with Obama ideas. What a fraud.

[L0oniX]

149. A cheap ploy to pick up PUMA's ?

[Doctor_J]

152. She tried to have a policeman fired for divorcing her sister

She will fit right in with the Bush Crime Family.

[Doctor_J]

154. I wonder how Big media would react if a Dem woman decided to

"uproot and abandon her disabled child for her career". Since she's a Repuke they will be slobbering all over her.

[LibDemAlways]

177. I don't think so. The fundie base is not going to be

happy with this choice. There are millions of reichwingers of both sexes who believe a married woman with young children ought to be home raising them and that men are the head of the household and should be the breadwinners.

If I were Obama/Biden I wouldn't miss an opportunity to remind voters she's a mother of five and that the youngest is an infant.

[JeanGrey]

299. I beg to differ. The fundies will love her. Watch and see.

Romney would've put the fundies panties in a bunch. Damn it.

[LibDemAlways]

303. They may love her politics, but I spoke with two women

today who independently said the same thing: She ought to be home taking care of those kids.

It's not a sentiment I agree with, but it's out there.

[JeanGrey]

311. Those will be few and far between.

[The Croquist]

274. How did she abandon her disabled child for her career?

She was Governor when the child was conceived and the child (along with 3 of her other 4 children) was at the announcement that she was to be the VP pick. Are you suggesting that she should resign from office until the kid is 18?

I don't see this as abandonment. I see this as great politics.

She introduced her husband and children and explained that her oldest son is busy getting ready to be deployed to Iraq (he is in the army). She also gave an excellent speech although I thought she pushed her son's enlistment and deployment a bit. She struck me as very bright and I'm not convinced that Biden will kick her butt. As we all know Biden can be a bit wordy and the average voter may not enjoy listening to him go over the time limit in answer after answer without actually answering the question. I haven't really seen a debate where questions were consistently answered since General Stockdale in 1992 when he answered a question about abortion with (I'm winging it) "It's legal, it should stay legal". After a couple of seconds pause he continued. "I'm done".

You can spin this anyway you want but the single most important thing that a Presidential candidate looks for in their VP is to help them get elected. She helps. Palin is well qualified in this role.

Face it, unless the President dies the job of the VP is to attend funerals and little else. Cheney is an exception but he was heavily involved in Bush's campaign from the start. Al Gore did little. His "Reinventing Government" plan was more a cover story to make it look like he had something to do.

Don't forget that McCain's son also served in Iraq. That means that by election day both people on the Republican ballot will have sent children to war. The "Chicken Hawk" issue is dead.

The appeal to female voters is also important. She doesn't have to win all their votes to be effective just some of them and there are allot of pissed off Hillary supporters out there. Whether or not they are right is unimportant. How they vote is.

Maybe there is some dirt on her in Alaska but I doubt it. McCain isn't stupid. He had it checked out and she will come out clean. You can call it a cover up if you want but McCain could have picked lots of people. He's not going to take a chance on someone who might bite him.

McCain has an uphill battle to win. This was a good move.

[Doctor_J]

286. Why don't you try reading the entire post?

I said if this was a Dem. As it is, Big Media will pander to people like you, beating us to death with her bravery and looks while ignoring her corruption, inexperience, and political extremism.

You sound thrilled with Ms. Palin as Gramps' running mate. I hope for the country's sake that your ticket of an ailing 72-year-old right winger and the right-wing mayor of a tiny town, together with their propagandists in Big Media and the election thieves around the country, don't somehow sneak in the White House.

Tell me - are you a PUMA or a lifelong Repuke?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

308. Heaven forbid someone give credit to McCain for making an intelligent pick.

They all must be republicans. All of the republicans I work with who couldn't care less last week are suddenly energized and that's pretty freaking scary. A lot of them weren't even going to vote, now they are trying to get bumper stickers. Any VP pick brings pluses and minuses, where I live and work Palin seems to have a lot more pluses.

David

[JeanGrey]

300. Ditto. On everything you said.

It would be wise to realize this and not spend our time with who was pregnant or something stupid like "abandoning" a kid which is silly.

[Fred_Flintstone]

157. Fishing

Handing Obama the election? Sheesh...her massive background of experience will only help the Republican cause. <cough...cough...> They must be fishing for those pissed off Hillary-or-die women.

[Xipe Totec]

160. ROFL!

Thank you, John McCain!

[underpants]

257. I concur completely

:rofl:

[marew]

163. Love it!

Some clown on Faux news said this AM that she has foreign policy experience since Alaska is so close to Russia! Laughing my butt off listening to how the Rethugs support this!!! And is under investigation for ethics. Thank you John McCain!!!

[CitizenPatriot]

165. Barbie Sarah is NOT A CONTENDER

um, NO.

This is way off the mark.

Women like this, like silent Cindy and Lying Laura, are a large part of the continuing problem for women -- if not the problem.

Soccer mom? Sorry, but this phrase nauseates me.

I am sick of the smug, prom queen trophy women of the GOP and there is no way in HELL I'd vote for him ( I wasn't going to anyway - ha ha --, but this is absolutely disgusting and I now will LEAVE this country if he wins).

Yes, it is pornographic. Is he scre*ing her, or rather, dreaming about it? This is how he sees women! Her value is in the fact that she won a beauty contest and is a soccer mom! GAG ME! This is his pattern and it's just GROTESQUE. I hate the GOP's version of women. Beauty Queens? could it get any worse? Could it get any more misogynistic?

No, sorry -- he's not going to get any HC voters with this choice. WOMEN are not all the same, you dumbas$! We love Hillary for her strength, her refusal to be treated like a piece of meat, her insistence that her hair didn't fuc*ing matter! her brilliance, her courage, her love for her daughter, her care as a mother for children and health care, her VOICE. Her Powerful voice.

Barbie Sarah is NOT A CONTENDER

and trust me, HC will come out against this in some way

[AzDar]

171. A novice Pro-Lifer. Someone needs to tell McStupid that women are not fungible and that this won't

garner the 'Hillary-vote' as I know he's hoping.

Fail.

[George II]

174. Experience? How about this....

Prior to becoming governor less than 2 years ago, she was on the city council and then mayor of a town of only FIVE THOUSAND people!

Incidentally, Alaska has only about 680,000 people and 330,000 registered voters.

This is the person "one beat away from the Presidency", actually considering McCain's age probably a half-beat!

Biden will rip her to shreds!!

[Anexio]

176. Katherine Harris

Dang, I was hoping McCain would pick Katherine Harris as his running mate.

That would have just been too good I suppose. :evilgrin:

[semillama]

178. Let me add to her list of qualifications

She's on record as being ok with teaching creationism along side evolutionary theory in school...

[Roland99]

203. Oh geez. She's a real prize, eh? WTF were Alaskans thinking?

[0rganism]

236. along with a majority of Americans, IIRC

The "creationism in schools" is not something Dems should attack her on -- at best, it will fall flat. Evolution is not as popular in America as we might like.

[johnlal]

180. Haven't I seen this story before?

After the death of the President of the United States, a young, attractive Vice President becomes the first female http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0429455/">US President.
That show got cancelled, though.

[wiseoldman]

181. They can't get anything right!

Pray for Rain and it come 5 days too late - and boy is it gonna RAIN!

Try to re-ignite the Cold War through their puppet (New York Lawyer) Saakashvili to scare us, then nominate a ditsy Soccer Mom from "out of touch" Alaska to protect us if the Old Geezer kicks the bucket.

What is she gonna debate with Joe, her cookie recipes?

[George II]

185. Sarah Palin: McCain's Vice President

Source: Huffington Post, AP

AP reports on the Palin pick:

John McCain tapped little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate, two senior campaign officials told The Associated Press on Friday.

A formal announcement was expected within a few hours at a campaign rally in swing-state Ohio.

Palin, 44, is a self-styled hockey mom and political reformer who has been governor of her state less than two years.

Palin's selection was a stunning surprise, as McCain passed over many other better known prospects, some of whom had been the subject of intense speculation for weeks or months.

At 44, she is a generation younger that Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, who is Barack Obama's running mate on the Democratic ticket.



Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/01/sarah-palin-mccains-vice_n_116383.html

---

So much for the "experience" issue - a person with less than 2 years' experience as a governor being VP for a 73 year old man?

SCARY!!

[stillcool]

186. The photo-op VP?

[Tesla]

187. with a 4 month old Down's syndrome baby

and maybe some post partum depression??
I know I had it each time I had a baby.....

[defendandprotect]

188. Nice gender balance --- but looks like a throw-away . .. .

I don't think anyone wants to run with McCain ---

[Dhalgren]

189. It is really immaterial who he picks.

McCain cannot win in November. This is not even going to be a contest...

[uppityperson]

190. k&r to get on greatest page for exposure and snarking

"experience"? WTF? I wonder if they are aiming for the "women" vote? I want to see how Mccain's publicity people explain the "experience" thing.

[xdoctor]

193. experience?

I'm guessing they'll explain it the same way Obama's people explained his "experience" thing.

[Journeyman]

191. Eh, the Republicans only hope this election is for McCain to lose. . .

The only chance the Republicans have is for McCain to lose. George W. has left the nation in such a shambles, it's difficult to imagine how anyone can set things aright. Another four years of McSame would doom the Republicans -- and they know it. Their best hope is for a Democrat to inherit W's disasters. Then, whichever way it goes -- if the Democrat can fix the problems, or if they prove uncorrectable in one or two terms -- the Republicans may be in a position to stage a comeback. It may take more than two or even four election cycles, but they'll have the opportunity. Unless, that is, McSame is elected, and all the disasters coming down the pike end up piled unequivocally on their doorstep. So picking a novice running mate helps strengthen McCain's ability to lose.

[meow2u3]

192. I also read Palin' likes moose burgers

Does she like them fried in crude oil?

[ColonelTom]

204. AP: McCain chooses Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for V.P.

Source: Associated Press

John McCain tapped Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a conservative who shares his maverick streak, to be the Republican vice presidential running mate on Friday in a startling selection on the eve of the Republican National Convention.

***

"It's an absolutely brilliant choice," said Mathew Staver, dean of Liberty University school of Law. "This will absolutely energize Mccain's campaign and energize conservatives," he predicted.

***

In its formal announcement, the campaign pointed to her powers as head of the Alaska National Guard and the mother of a soldier herself as evidence that she "understands what it takes to lead our nation..."

***

Palin has a long history of run-ins with the Alaska GOP hierarchy, giving her genuine maverick status and reformer credentials that could complement McCain's image.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CVN_VEEPSTAKES?SITE=CACHI&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

---

You'd think the AP would at least have an editor look over these GOP talking points. "Mccain," "Pallin," "school of Law" - nice job, folks. The dean of Liberty University School of Law is their go-to expert for this story? C'mon, people.

[Whoa_Nelly]

205. Ahhh..The Palin "Polar Bears Don't Need Protection" Governor!

http://www.akwildlife.org/content/view/116/61/

Governor Sarah Palin - Polar Bear Lawsuit by State of Alaska
Comments / Anchorage Daily News / August 4, 2008

So Palin once again bows to the Alaska Outdoors Council which is so worried it might not have enough Alaskan wildlife to kill for trophies, eh? The federal biologists have shown the polar bears are in trouble. Alaska state biologists have warned they are in trouble. Even the Natives along the Northern Coastal Plain have noted how things are getting worse for the polar bears.

But, like Palin, there are commenters in this discussion who are willing to sell Alaska down the drain for a few oil-soaked dollars. I can see the true VECO mentality (?) is alive and well and can be found here in their comments.

Palin allows airborne killing of wolves and bears, wants polar bears to remain huntable for trophies, and has generally shown she is even worse than Murkowski could ever have been when it comes to selling out our wildlife to the highest bidder.

[Gregorian]

210. Where's that blank white piece of paper now?

Do you realize the opportunities this gives us? Oh the irony.

The first thing I thought of is the Senator holding up a blank white piece of paper. It's all white up there. You know, like how those oil fields would impact that wildlife refuge. And, um, perhaps like her emptiness of Washington experience. Or, um, something...


Well, you get it.

They don't want to clean up (I mean, OWN) their mess. They don't want the WH.

[sofa king]

214. Who? So much for the experience angle.

I'll try to cast aside my disappointment that the snake-handler or the cultist weren't picked. Instead I'll just chuckle as I envision the right-wing authoritarians standing before a logical impasse: they'll have to vote for the guy they've been programmed to hate and a totally inexperienced woman in order to keep the black guy out of office.

[bushmeister0]

216. Listening to NPR

Kooky Roberts was absolutly speechless. Her trying desperatly to say anything positive about this pick was precious.

Oh, Palen's husband is an oilman, she says. Great!

Sounds like a real light-weight. . . This reminds me of the Harriet Miers debacle, no?

They're canting USA! USA! USA! Trained chimps.

[underpants]

256. Who vetted her?

I thought of the last minute hell how about Harriett pick too

This is a bad bad move. The only thing it does is sure up the gun/pro-life crowd.

They don't really think the Hillary crowd will vote for any female shaped cardboard cutout do they?

DO THEY?

[Curtland1015]

217. Willow? Bristol? Piper? Trig?

Did she pick her kids names by closing her eyes and randomly pointing at words in the dictionary?

[IaTom]

218. Gov. Palin

In other words Dick Chaney has decided to stay on if McCain is elected. If you don't believe that, I've got a lot in extreme southwest Florida I want to sell you. That way he can just move right into the oval office. What a sham!

[yellowcanine]

219. I thinks this smacks of tokenism on McCain's part. Surely she is not the best qualified woman.

Barely a year as governor and no previous elected experience at the state or national level.

[Curtland1015]

221. But she sure is purdy.

Gya-huck! *blushes*

[Raster]

223. it's the T & A ticket.

[johnlal]

230. Monica Goodling was not available

[scarface2004]

229. just like high school...the beauty queen is president!

need one of those vpilf bumper stickers!

[downindixie]

231. How could anyone say

they smoked pot,but didn't like it?

[wiseoldman]

245. I'd call them a lier if they said that!

[Baby Snooks]

232. Perfect choice for the Republican Party

She is the perfect choice because Alaska has now replaced Ohio as the "poster state" for Republican corruption. And corruption seems to be the only thing the Republican Party stands for. "Corrupt and Proud of It" should be their motto.

[George II]

233. From Project VoteSmart...is this someone you would want with a finger on "the button"???

http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=27200

Current Office: Governor
Office Seeking: Vice President
First Elected: 11/07/2006
Last Elected: 11/07/2006
Next Election: 2010
Party: Republican

Background Information
Gender: Female
Family: Husband, Todd
5 Children: Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, Trig.
Birth Date: 02/11/1964
Birthplace: Sandpoint, ID
Home City: Wasilla, AK
Religion:

Education:
BA, Communications/Journalism, University of Idaho, 1987.


Professional Experience:
Media
Utilities.

Political Experience:
Governor, Alaska, 2006-present
Former President, Alaska Conference of Mayors
Former Mayor/Manager, Wasilla City
Former Council Member, Wasilla City Council.




Organizations:
Member, Alaska Miners Association
Member, Alaska Outdoor Council
Member, Alaska Resource Development Council
Member, Chambers of Commerce (Various)
Member, Iditarod Parent-Teacher Association
Member, National Rifle Association
Member, Valley Hospital Association Board
Coach/Hockey Team Manager, Valley Youth Sports
Member, Youth Court Steering Committee
Former Member, American Management Association
Former Member, Salvation Army Board.

Caucuses/Non-Legislative Committees:
Chairman, Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, 2003-2004
Former Member, Alaska Municipal League Board
Chair, Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission
Vice Chair, National Governors Association Natural Resources Committee.

[Stump]

234. I think that since McCain knows his VP

will only be with him until November, he figured it might as well be a hot chick. Maybe he'll leave Cindy for her.

[xyouth]

235. The Man is 72 years old with a 3ft. high medical folder.

If he became President the odds are not low that she could become the acting president.

[xyouth]

237. The Man is 72 years old with a 3ft. high medical folder.

If he became President the odds are not low that she could become the acting president.

[Curtland1015]

238. Yeah CNN, Biden sure has a lot to worry about now...

Sarah Palin used to play basketball in high school.

...twits.

[Odin2005]

240. Gramps/MILF '08!!!

:rofl:

[Stump]

247. I don't care who you are...

That's funny right there!!!

[workinclasszero]

246. Awesome pick McCan't!

Another shining example of why McCain is a horrible choice for President! The mans judgment is a joke! Elevating a rethug stepford wife that was a mayor of a small town to be his VP??

One heartbeat away from being the CinC with absolutely no foreign policy or military experience?? Is that right??

Oh and to top it all off, she's in the pocket of Big Oil like McWar and is engulfed in a scandal to boot??

buhahaHAHAHAHAHAHA! Great choice McBush!!! I look forward to seeing you both go down in flames in th GE!!! :rofl:

[toopers]

248. "Do you really want another bush in the white house" . . .

takes on a different meaning!

[Curtland1015]

254. BWAHAHAHAHA!!!

I didn't want to laugh at that, but I couldn't help myself!

[CANDO]

251. Corpo-media seems to be fawning over her so far.

It is of course completely absurd, but since when isn't that their MO?

[Sbattle]

253. ETHICS VIOLATIONS FOR VP!!!! Typical....

Has anyone done a web search on this woman? She is undergoing an Ethics Violation Investigation for firings while in the Office of the Governor in Alaska! She is Dick Cheney in a Dress!

Search Google, Yahoo or CNN for "Palin, Ethics Violations" and see what you find...

Go Obama!!!!

SB

[stuartallenmills]

255. McCain puts COUNTRY FIRST... BUT picks PALIN?

Putting our country at risk by pandering to the Hillary vote.
Pure republican politics.

[hasssan1]

263. ANOTHER SHADY REPUBS UNDER INVESTIGATION ??? SURPRISE , BUT SHE IS GOOD AT PTA !!!?????

WTF IS GOING ON HERE , I FEEL I AM BACK ON MY COUNTRY IRAN WHERE YOUR CRIMINAL PAST AND KIING MORE THAN 1000 OF PEOPLE IS YOU QUALIFICATION FOR PRESIDENT. HERE IS THE OTHER SIDE OF EXTRIME WHEN BEING BEAUTY PAGEANT AND PTA MEMBER IS YOUR QUALIFICATION FOR VP :puke:

[Jimbo S]

264. McCain just lost the redneck vote.

No way they'll ever vote for a "cunt" (their words, not mine).

Look for the Constitution Party to rack up votes. Put money on the "over".

[harun]

268. I think this will cause an epic internal struggle in rednecks

What hate will win? Their sexism or racism. I am actually putting my money on sexism. Obama is going to get at least a portion of the redneck vote.

[hasssan1]

302. I AGREE

[Buenaventura]

273. sarah'd better not tease mcsame about his bald spot - of course if he

uses the 'c word' (not 'Change') she'll probably hand him his balls

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

309. You're insane.

She's a lifetime NRA member, the rednecks will think of MOM and love her.

David

[Jimbo S]

313. After posting I went over to FR

They all love her. She knows how to shoot a rifle. You sir, are correct.

[victoryparty]

266. Confusion over Palin's name

Some voters think the "maverick" GOP senator picked a comedian for his VP choice...

Full story at

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/1215378-monty-python

[ryanmuegge]

269. What's with everybody here saying such good things about this idiot?

She's a corrupt Republican who wants to squeeze the last couple drops of blood remaining in poor people. She wants to take your money and give it back to rich fucks who already have everything handed to them. She also wants to slaughter a bunch of civilians around the world. Fuck her. Fuck McCain. She's just like the rest of them. She's not likable. She's a fucking reptilian sociopath just like the rest of them. I don't give a fuck if she's a woman or not. She's still an anti-sex (these people often claim to be "pro-life" and complain about abortion and contraception), anti-woman, anti-poor, anti-life piece of shit. She deserves no respect and no praise.

She's just a pretty face chosen cynically in an attempt take away some Hillary voters. She's got about as much substance as a fucking marshmellow. She has no experience that's worth a fuck.

[customerserviceguy]

312. It's not that people are merely saying good things about her

it's that some here, including myself, realize what she means for the Repuke chances in the fall. Saying that she's there to entice Hillary voters is pure nonsense, she's there to satisfy the far right wing. I spend a bit of reading time over at the Freeptards, and they were quite apothetic about John McPain until this happened.

It would be smart for those of us over here to just simply applaud, and say, wait until the election when it comes to Sarah Palin. Because of the ham-handedness of various media talking heads, the very first thing that most Americans will learn about her is that she has a child with Down Syndrome. That's probably not what we want them to focus on.

Also, if by the time of the debate everyone's image of her is 'brainless beauty queen', and she halfway holds her own with Sen. Biden, she's going to benefit by rising above the expectation of mediocracy. Same with the trooper scandal, if this ex-brother in law turns out to be a scumbucket through and through (and not worthy of holding a position of trust as a law enforcement officer) then she's going to look like a hero for trying to get him off the force.

Stick to the substance, not to the first impressions, and we will defeat this pair in their attempt to have a third Bush term.

[ryanmuegge]

315. I agree with what you say with the exception that she isn't there partially to entice Hillary voters

The reason I say that is because she kept making references to Hillary Clinton and Ferraro (which also attempts to appeal to racial tensions; not that Ferraro is a raving racist, but her comments were probably ill-advised and poorly phrased). Also keep in mind the ads that the McCain Campaign ran asking why Hillary wasn't chosen. It seems pretty apparent to me that the Hillary stuff is part of their strategy, whether it will work or not time will tell.

She serves a dual purpose: certainly to mobilize the religious right, and also to steal the Hillary voters. Who knows? With a public as dumb as ours, it may work!

[customerserviceguy]

317. There are two types of Hillary voters

There are the ones who saw Hillary as a champion of the poor, and for women's issues. She represented a change with the substance to actually be able to pull off what she's promised. No one could possibly expect that sort of transformation from Sarah Palin, even the McLame staff is not stupid enough to try that.

Then there are the ones who voted for her as a way to stop Barack Obama. I'm not talking about the Rush Lardbutt Operation Chaos votes, they were never ours to begin with, I'm talking about the people who took a second look at him after the "bitter" remarks came out. They're blue-collar, rural and suburban people who might tend to find Palin rather appealing at first glance. They've already crossed a Rubicon in their minds by voting for a woman for a national office, it is the McCainiac strategy to try to see if they can stay on that track.

[lanlady]

275. MCain, you've done it again--

In service of your personal agenda, you've thrown experience out the window for a younger woman!

[emad]

279. NOT latest breaking news. The Spoof! predicted this on May 13 this year:

McCain eyes Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin as Big Oil-gag Veep
http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s2i35373

[galledgoblin]

282. not thrilled, but I am excited by this news

no matter who wins, this will be a historic election!

I'm ready to fight to make the next four years historic as well!

[gauguin57]

283. The people she'll appeal to won't give a crap about "experience."

Pro-life. Conservative. Attractive family. Son heading for Iraq. Blue-collar roots, blue-collar husband. Husband is fisherman and oil-rig worker -- and is UNION. She and hubby both hunt. GUNS! Feels Alaska owes it to the USA, for making it a state in the 1950s, to let it drill in ANWAR. "Gee-whiz" speaker.

A lot of people are gonna LOVE her! And they won't CARE whether she has no experience.

Now, if, indeed, she tried to have her ex-brother-in-law fired as a state trooper ...

[JonLP24]

284. Obama is going to win

But if McCain wins, considering his old age and dies. She becomes the first female President in history! I would feel so bad for Hillary Clinton.

[hasssan1]

301. THE WHITE WITCH

[Vogon_Glory]

306. First Impression--Dan-ita Quayle n/t

[democrites]

314. DU these polls: Is Palin a good choice?

http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2008/08/you-vote-is-pal.html


http://www.cnbc.com/id/26454655


http://www.denverpost.com