EXTRA! Partisan Democrats Dislike McCain’s VP Pick; Politico Deems Them “Scholars”
This Politico post is too much.
John McCain was aiming to make history with his pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and historians say he succeeded.
Presidential scholars say she appears to be the least experienced, least credentialed person to join a major-party ticket in the modern era.
Who are the “presidential scholars”? It turns out they are — surprise! partisan Democrats. At the verrrrrry end of the post we see this:
UPDATE: After reading this article, the McCain campaign issued the following statement: “The authors quote four scholars attacking Gov. Palin’s fitness for the office of vice president. Among them, David Kennedy is a maxed-out Obama donor, Joel Goldstein is also an Obama donor, and Doris Kearns Goodwin has donated exclusively to Democrats this cycle. Finally, Matthew Dallek is a former speech writer for Dick Gephardt. This is not a story about scholars questioning Gov. Palin’s credentials so much as partisan Democrats who would find a reason to disqualify or discount any nominee put forward by Sen. McCain.”
In other words:
UPDATE: Our whole article was crap.
Nice catch by the McCain campaign.
Thanks to Apogee.
Interesting, because many of us on the left think of Politico as rightward-biased.
I don’t know that it’s exactly “good” to see it can go both ways. Probably better if it could avoid tilting either way, but that may be expecting too much from human nature.
LYT (b67340) — 8/31/2008 @ 12:44 amAnd Alaska is a much smaller state than Illinois, the political base of Barack Obama, whom Republicans have repeatedly criticized for being inexperienced, having served nearly four years in the U.S. Senate after eight in the Illinois state Senate.
These lefty “scholars” also missed the fact that Alaska’s government serves its people much better than Illinois/Chicago government. It’s better to have two years experience in a system that works than eight years in a broken/corrupt system where one mostly votes “present.”
Perfect Sense (9d1b08) — 8/31/2008 @ 12:55 amPerfect: how does Alaska’s government serve its people better than Illinois? I thought one of Palin’s selling points was she stood up to the inherently corrupt GOP machine in that state and has gotten a start turning things around while Stevens and untold other associates are about to face the music.
I’m an Obama supporter, so if you want to argue that Alaska is a perfectly run utopia that works great, then fine, but I don’t think that will really hold up to scrutiny.
Aplomb (b6fba6) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:13 amThis is rich:
Holy sleight-of-hand, Batman!
If one is not reading carefully, it could easily be missed that Dallek (the former Gephardt speechwriter) is ignoring Palin’s two terms of civic executive experience and suggesting there is something in Obama’s “public life” (i.e. “community organizing”) that makes him more qualified to run the Federal government than it does for Palin to be Vice President!
Fortunately for me, I read carefully. Unfortunately for America, a lot of other people read headlines and not much more.
L.N. Smithee (452a68) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:28 amAplomb, the best way to evaluate the elected is to ask teh freakin’ voters. Palin enjoys the highest approval rating of any Governor in the United States.
Also, the idea that Senator compares with Governor is absurd. The State’s Executive branch is in session 365 days a year. Senates aren’t. This is even worse for a Senator who tends not to show up, hold any committee hearings if he is chairman, and votes present much of his early career.
Obama’s experience is simply inferior to Palin’s, though both are short on experience to my view. But a the very least, there is no doubt that Palin has cleaned up Alaska’s government quite a lot, and made Alaskans very happy with her work.
It’s also worth noting that the job she held prior to governor was not mayor. If you don’t know what that role is, then you don’t know the most impressive part of her story and are not qualified to evaluate her. I’m not even going to bother repeating it again.
Juan (4cdfb7) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:30 amAplomb wrote: I’m an Obama supporter, so if you want to argue that Alaska is a perfectly run utopia that works great, then fine, but I don’t think that will really hold up to scrutiny.
Typical Obamabot strategy: Dishonestly reformulate your opponent’s position in easily dismissible terms, and lay waste to something that was never suggested.
Nobody has suggested Alaska is “a perfectly run utopia that works great,” so it SHOULDN’T be “h[e]ld up to scrutiny.”
On the other hand, Illinois politics…puhleeeze. It’s so intrinsically corrupt it’s a national punch line.
Nice try.
L.N. Smithee (452a68) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:34 amJuan, please tell me the most impressive part of her story so I can be qualified to evaluate her. I’m curious, if you can be bothered to tell me.
Aplomb (b6fba6) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:39 amI posted this before, but it’s woryh repeating.
McCain-Palin Ticket Draws $6.8 Million in Record One-Day Haul
By Lorraine Woellert
Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) — Republican presidential candidate John McCain took in $6.8 million in donations yesterday, when he named Alaska Governor Sarah Palin his running mate.
The amount was a single-day record, McCain spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan said last night. The amount is more than the Arizona senator raised during the entire fourth quarter of 2007.
The campaign raised $4.5 million in Internet donations, and has taken in $2.3 million so far by telephone and mail, Buchanan told reporters.
Hazy (d671ab) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:40 amL.N.: I agree that Illinois politics has that taint of corruption around it, but do you disagree that Alaska also has some corruption going on? Some of the top politicos there are already in jail and others are sure to follow, including perhaps Stevens himself. I was just asking Perfect Sense where he got the idea that Alaska “serves its people much better than Illinois” when from where I sit hundreds of miles from either state both look fairly corrupt and machine-politicy to me. Maybe the type of corruption going on in Alaska is more palatable to you or Perfect Sense, but to me corruption is corruption.
I just want to hear Perfect Sense explain why Alaska “serves its people much better” than Illinois.
Aplomb (b6fba6) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:52 amIllinois is not corrupt, Chicago is and for as long as I can remember has been. Feeley changy has done nothing to change it. Hell he can’t, it is his power base. Palin on the other hand took on her own party, and big oil and won.
Hazy (d671ab) — 8/31/2008 @ 2:05 amAplomb:
That government is best which governs least.
— Thomas Paine
Alaska is the only state that does not collect state sales tax or levy an individual income tax. In fact last year, Alaska gave a $1,200 per person tax rebate. Not bad for a bunch on country yokels. Illinois pays 6.25% sales tax and is the only state that charges a sales tax on prescription drugs. Illinois has a flat 3% income tax rate.
The super sharp liberal “scholars” also “just happen” to forget that Palin managed an $11 billion state budget. Biden has never managed any budget. Obama cannot even manage to remember how many states there are in the USA. The only time Obama got his hands on somebody else’s money, he squandered about $150 million “improving” Chicago’s public schools. We know how well that worked out. A large portion of this likely ended up in Swiss bank accounts of “deserving” Democrats who received a large grant to implement their great idea.
Perfect Sense (9d1b08) — 8/31/2008 @ 3:02 amSo now we have a little more information on the only hitch of significance in the Palin pick: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/30/AR2008083002366.html
What do we know of Wooten? Well, he is a cop who tasers a 10 year old stepson according to the article. I find that remarkable. A pattern of bad behavior as the judge says? Not unlikely for this guy.
Wooten is in a custody battle with Palin’s sister. Why is this even a question we don’t know and are not very interested. Perhaps he thinks he can get a political settlement by threatening career of sister. As a law enforcement officer, he has some power as well. Palin does not cave into pressure apparently. Yes, I agree she is tough and very family-oriented.
We can expect Wooten and political enemies of Palin to use this custody battle in an attempt to drag Palin through the mud. This is no surprise.
We can expect the media to selectively release information and to distort facts. Yes, I saw this myself with CNN.
But what do we have in the end? A fired official and a laid off staff worker. Many officials in Alaska should have been fired, this is no surprise in the case of a state represented by Stevens and fed on the mother’s milk of oil. The state needed reform and Palin is free to fire who she pleases. This official was only one of many.
And there will be a final report in October. I am confident that Palin will be cleared well ahead of the election for any impropriety in the question of whether she actually did use her office to settle a private score.
The real question is to her judgment–is she crazy? And hence is McCain maybe a little crazy too. It is the curse of the reformer.
The GOP cannot win this election unless they reform. Bush has been too incompetent and has sullied thier brand (of which he had plenty of help from Congressmen like Stevens and Craig). This wing of the GOP needs a thrashing.
Reformers can be a little crazy. Women in politics are allowed to have a family life–to a certain degree. But, they must be thoroughly competent and reliable solvers of problems. This has yet to be fully demonstrated with Palin and this is her challenge as well as that of McCain.
They cannot be just the flavor of the day. They must have a solid plan and the backbone and capability to communicate it. This is the challenge.
PashaG (3de24f) — 8/31/2008 @ 3:45 am10 -“Illinois is not corrupt”?? I thought the reputedly crooked governor ( of the whole state) was headquartered in Springfield. I’m sure Mayor Daley has his apologists also, but why do citizens of Illinois or Chicago actually vote over and over again for the same thieves? What did voters see in Obama? Ok, GOP officials put the kibosh on Ryan after Obama fixers got a judge to unseal court records. How ethical are those GOP bigshots themselves? People make mistakes, I actually voted once for Arlen Specter, but when he showed hos true colors and Republicans had a better primary choice last time around, people like Bush stood by Specter.
madmax333 (0c6cfc) — 8/31/2008 @ 4:41 amIllinois governors regularly wind up in Club Fed. It is not only Cook County politics that are spectacularly corrupt.
For the ignorant and willfully blind, here is a short primer on Illinois politics:
icr (b6f203) — 8/31/2008 @ 5:32 amhttp://isteve.blogspot.com/2008/08/chicago-way.html
More help on Illinois politics:
icr (b6f203) — 8/31/2008 @ 5:35 am/isteve.blogspot.com/2008/08/palin-v-obama-on-reforming-politics.html
Illinois politics has that taint of corruption around it
That’s so weak it’s laughable.
Illinois, and more specifically Chicago, are the epitome of a corrupt political machine. Sure Alaska has some problems, but they’ve also had a real reformer.
Let me know when Daley get’s booted out by a democrat version of Palin, then maybe you’ll have a viable candidate of ‘change’ to promote. As it is, all you’ve got a is the same old same old; a racialist huckster hip deep in corruption and graft.
ThomasD (1659da) — 8/31/2008 @ 6:11 amGee when they were talking about the “least experienced, least credentialled person to be on a major party ticket in this era”, I could have sworn they were talking about Obama. This is not a place where the Dems should want to go.
Mike Myers (31af82) — 8/31/2008 @ 6:37 amOh wait, I forgot–even Hillary discussed the experience of John McCain and said “As for Obama, well he gave a speech”.
Mike Myers (31af82) — 8/31/2008 @ 6:38 amI felt a tingle go up my leg, down my spine, and across many other body parts when I saw the “UPDATE” actually posted on yahoo.com (it’s one of their most popular and emailed stories). I thought the Democrats were the ones leveraging new media the best, but as of about 5 weeks ago, all I’ve seen is John McCain kicking their butts in that front. Keep it up, Senator!
w3bgrrl (5b8906) — 8/31/2008 @ 6:39 amPat, didn’t you get the memo: there are reasonable, fair-minded people, and right-wing ideologues, and everybody falls into one of those two groups. We expect reasonable, fair-minded people to all support Senator Barack
The camera-less Dana (556f76) — 8/31/2008 @ 6:44 amHusseinObama, and that such people have contributed to the Democrats does not indicate bias in any way, shape or form. Please make a note of this.Just off the top of my head, I thought that Chicago had a “Palin-type” reformer by the name of Washington.
Another Drew (f83c2e) — 8/31/2008 @ 7:24 amThat didn’t turn out so well, did it?
Well.
Chicago Way
icr (b6f203) — 8/31/2008 @ 7:48 amAnd
It’s the Combine, stupid
(…)
Chicago politics is a combination of the boring (the scams are mostly nickel and dime stuff, just done over and over) and the seemingly bizarre (e.g., the brother of Richie Daley, the brother of Tony Rezko, and the son of Elijah Muhammad teaming up to fraudulently get a $10 million minority set-aside contract from Southwestern Bell for pay phones in Cook Couny jails). Illinois represents the triumph of post-everything politics: at the highest levels, race, religion, ideology, character, being a terrorist, endorsing the Manson murders, none of that means anything as long as you are an insider with clout and are willing to play ball.
icr (b6f203) — 8/31/2008 @ 8:00 amAplomb-
I may answer your question on Governor Palin’s political career. The short answer is:
Every time Obama says “I will” she can say “I have”
Lead a government-check
Reform a government-check
Review a budget line by line and cut pork-check
Visit wounded troops in Germany-check
Bring hope and change-check
Unite people-check
Plus she can fly a float plane and gut a moose. You can’t get more real than that.
MartyH (00ac40) — 8/31/2008 @ 8:04 am#23 MartyH: that would be an outstanding theme for a McCain-Palin ad.
aunursa (5daa82) — 8/31/2008 @ 8:32 amMatthew Dallek belongs to a group that is trying to elect Barack Obama. The group is called “Historians for Obama.”
I blogged about Dallek here:
http://cancelthebee.blogspot.com/2008/08/mcclatchy-quotes-expert-historian-in.html
Kevin Gregory
McClatchy Watch (7e9933) — 8/31/2008 @ 8:32 amMcClatchy Watch
Which then should tell you that you have a problem with actually UNDERSTANDING and TALKING with the other side of the fence.
So could you all quit telling us that you will reach across it and work with us? Or that the media is somehow NOT biased?
You have issues you can’t even see, with the mainstream mom and pop’s of this country.
Sidana (5e0c47) — 8/31/2008 @ 8:47 amThe key question re corruption in Alaska and Chicago is not which is worse but what did Palin and Obama do to cleanup that malfeasance?
Obama apparently (it’s more than apparent to me but I’m being charitable) went along or ignored it to advance his career.
Palin confronted the corruption at the risk of her career.
Obama supporters would be wise not to raise this issue.
SteveMG (a603aa) — 8/31/2008 @ 8:49 amI like to turn the situation around. What if a group of historians attacked the Obama candidacy on the basis of its lack of experience, ties to questionable people, and so forth? And then the historians were found to be part of groups advocating the McCain campaign? Or the majority of those historians were shown to be longtime contributors to the RNC?
What do you think the MSM would say about that kind of analysis?
But as it stands, I predict we won’t hear much about this subject.
Eric Blair (642d37) — 8/31/2008 @ 8:49 am“I agree that Illinois politics has that taint of corruption around it…”
A “taint,” you say? Your ignorance of my home state and city speaks volumes. Would you like a current rundown of all the top politicos past/currently in jail and/or rumored to be indicted shortly by Fitzgerald? This is just a short list of the top names who were convicted of corruption:
1960′- Former Democratic Governor Otto Kerner jailed for corruption.
1970’s – Former Democratic Governor Dan Walker jailed for corruption.
2000’s – Former GOP Governor George Ryan currently in jail for corruption.
Present – Current Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich currently under investigation for corruption.
This state and city has been overwhelmed with the Chicago Machine and it’s corruptive influence over many decades, and your Messiah’s the direct beneficiary of their largesse. His political Godfathers are the current head of the Illinois Senate, Emil Jones, and the current Mayor of Chicago, Daley. To pretend that Obama is anything else but a creature of the Machine is to defy credulity. Try to read up on the subject before you attempt to make statements that have no basis in factual substance.
Dmac (874677) — 8/31/2008 @ 8:49 amAfter the sting wears off from being summarily and quickly dismissed from the ticket, long after watching the election from back up in Alaska, Palin will be able to dip into the archives of these comments for memories and unconditional love.
Larry Reilly (d11f9a) — 8/31/2008 @ 8:51 amOh yeah, one more uncomfortable truth about your Messiah – the Cook County Board here has been one of the biggest cesspools of corruption for years, it’s become so bad that a Federal mediator was appointed to try to clean up the mess. Last year an idealistic council board member (Forrest Claypool) ran to try to unseat the President, and he’s already made in clear over his career there that he’s quite interested in cleaning up the sewer. I voted for the guy (he’s a Democrat), and he lost narrowly. Guess who weighed in at the last – minute to save his political crony there? Your Messiah, Senator “I’m going to get rid of the old politics” Obama. And that’s just what his Godfathers wanted him to do, and like the good little sheeple his is, he immediately did it.
Dmac (874677) — 8/31/2008 @ 8:55 amIs Mary O’Reilly really Levi in disguise?
Dmac (874677) — 8/31/2008 @ 8:56 amOh, look! The ad hominem attack machine launches a blistering salvo. Pray tell, for what reason will she be “dismissed”, oh wise objective sage?
Icy Truth (df70da) — 8/31/2008 @ 8:58 amI’m sorry, “dismissed” is the wrong word, at least for public consumption. Palin, in one of those very transparent political fictions, will leave the ticket for her own reasons. And it will be soon.
Larry Reilly (d11f9a) — 8/31/2008 @ 9:09 amI only wish we had someone like Sarah Palin to run here in Illinois and clean the mess up Obama, Emil Jones and Blago have left us in. We have no money for infrastructure, schools, state parks, or anything else. Take a close looke at this totally jacked up state and that is the kind of “change” Obama wants to bring nationwide. But the sheep in Chicago would turn out to vote the jerks in yet again. By the way, Jones is retiring as Senate President to be appointed to Obama’s Senate seat after he wins. Jones seat in the Senate will be taken over by his son, another corrupt Chicagoan. Don’t let this happen to our entire country people. Not good at all.
Zeke (041eb9) — 8/31/2008 @ 9:13 amLarry Really?
— So, you take the time to respond but then don’t answer the question. What are “her own reasons”? Why is she going to leave? What makes you so sure that it’s going to happen? Is it the $6.8 million in campaign contributions during the first 24 hours after her introduction? I see only one fiction here, and it isn’t her.
Icy Truth (df70da) — 8/31/2008 @ 9:27 amLarry is a mendoucheous asshat.
JD (5f0e11) — 8/31/2008 @ 9:36 amThere are wild conspiracy theories on the left about her. I quoted one such comment on my blog post about the ticket.
Just off the top of my head, I thought that Chicago had a “Palin-type” reformer by the name of Washington.
That didn’t turn out so well, did it?
Comment by Another Drew
Actually, the had one called Forrest Claypool who was supported by both liberals and conservatives. Obama was supposed to be a friend of his.
Part of the story is here.
The rest is here.
The difference between Palin and Obama is right there for you to read. When she tried to reform a corrupt system, the oil and gas commission, the governor stopped her. What did she do ? She resigned and ran against him. And she beat him.
What did Obama do in a similar situation ? He voted with the crooks. This might become an issue.
Mike K (2cf494) — 8/31/2008 @ 9:40 am…………uh, JD is a doo-doo head.
Larry Reilly (d11f9a) — 8/31/2008 @ 10:44 amHa! Top that!
The notion that Washington was a reformer — as opposed to another flavor of corruption — is highly debatable. But one of the main reasons Washington did not get much done was that he was stymied by the Machine that still had effective control of the City Council for most of Washington’s tenure. The opposition to Washington was led by Aldermen Ed Vrydolyak – currently under a federal indictment – and Ed Burke, who remains a major cog in the Machine – someone Obama would never dare cross.
Karl (1b4668) — 8/31/2008 @ 10:44 amJindal was just on Fox News. He’s gonna make a good VP in 2016.
Hazy (d671ab) — 8/31/2008 @ 10:52 amLarry Reilly –
uh, JD is a doo-doo head. Ha! Top that!
— Go a few more minutes without answering my questions — without defending your assertion that Palin will leave the ticket — and I will.
Icy Truth (df70da) — 8/31/2008 @ 11:00 amI can see why Goodwin would favor Biden over Palin — Goodwin and Biden share a common love of plagiarism.
The Raving Atheist (07b79b) — 8/31/2008 @ 11:26 amThe New York Times has a pretty even handed piece on the election this morning. Standard stuff. But, on the second page, they have an interesting paragraph.
And Mrs. Clinton is likely to play an even more active role on behalf of Mr. Obama in the fall campaign, her aides said, because of Ms. Palin. She is expected to participate in television appearances, fund-raisers and conference calls with reporters to rebut efforts by the McCain campaign to court her supporters.
Why would they call Hillary “Mrs” and Sarah “Ms”?
Could it be that they think Hillary got where she is by marrying Bill and Sarah did it on her own ?
Mike K (2cf494) — 8/31/2008 @ 11:49 amEither that or it’s just their usual incompetence.
Icy Truth (df70da) — 8/31/2008 @ 12:19 pmAh, now that I can see a bluish-glow on the screen that surely reflects from Icy True-Believer’s face, I’ll respond.
Larry Reilly (d11f9a) — 8/31/2008 @ 12:52 pmFirst of all, the choice of Palin is a gift to Democrats.
There is a pincer movement already underway that likely will take away that gift.
One pincer is Palin’s obviously little-vetted Troopergate and whatever else comes out of the Alaskan bush concerning her temperament and judgment. Watch it grow. And at some point, set aside whether or not the trooper-brother-in-law is Hannibal Lecter.
The question concerns abuse of power, perhaps to the point of criminality. And that probably will be fed from many small sloughs in Alaska, even down to the town librarian who was fired for not supporting Palin’s mayoral campaign.
And there will be close looks at just what Palin has been all about as far as finance and economics are concerned, e.g. huge, long-term deficit for tiny town; e.g. windfall tax on oil companies. (Until now those two aspects alone would capital offenses in this peanut gallery.)
The other pincer is blowback from serious Republican leaders. I laugh when I see the name of a guy now on an official McCain substantive transition committee but who just six months ago was telling me over lunch that McCain is crazy. As in really wacky in the eyes of anyone who has spent time with him. This person also tried to get me to help pimp a nasty little story about someone very, very, very close to McCain.
Crazy, yes. But keeping the presidency in Republican clutches is very important to my lunch partner, so it would turn out that he could abide crazy if it meant not seeing John Edwards as attorney general. (Uh, that burnt toast is gone, but the dynamic remains for my friend.)
But now. Nobody with any political sense, knowledge and experience believes McCain’s choice of Palin is anything but a huge, weird gamble. So much so that it’s also seen by a lot of powerful Republicans as a great big F.U. to them as much or more than to the Obama/Biden crowd. (Anticipating Icy True-Believer demanding their names, I’ll say it’s easier than that. Just open your eyes and ears.) Palin will not bring over Hillary-loving women in droves. They recognize a lame trick.
If McCain were confident in his chances, we’d be talking about Lieberman. This is a highest-stakes gamble.
Unless Palin manages to out-do Chance the Gardner (great character in a great little book/movie) in making the simplest, albeit blissfully ignorant answers seem to solve the most complex issues, displeasure within the party will grow. (“Gosh, that technical and strategic question should be for the presidential candidate. But I will say that since President Bush declared war on terrorism, we haven’t been attacked in our homeland.”)
I expect one of those two pincers to become a sharp blade.
An Palin will give a speech saying that she was ready for the big-world issues, etc., and proud to have been chosen, but that Democrat personal attacks on her and her family were too much at this time. So she’s going back to Alaska to spend more time with her family……or, if enough bad goo comes out of the sudden, intense scrutiny, maybe more time with her lawyers.
Within two weeks, Icy True-Believer will be polishing his Mitt Romney apples.
Larry – Ignorance is bliss so you must be a happy guy. Just because you and your fellow Obamatards were unprepared for the Palin selection does not mean conservatives were. She was on McCain’s short list for months. The “Troopergate” nonevent was public information do your fantasies about it erupting into something greater or not having been vetted are just that, mere fantasies.
Lieberman was a nonstarter due to his social positions, but keep deluding yourself.
Keep grasping at straws to try and find a way to attack Palin. There have already been a number of nasty ones, as you would expect, from the left.
Stay classy as always Larry.
daleyrocks (d9ec17) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:02 pm#44, Mike K, I noted that yesterday that in the NYT headline article on Palin. She was consistently referred to as Ms. Palin, and in the op-ed by Gail Collins was referred to as Palin or Sarah Palin. Either way, I think there is a tremendous reluctance to address her correctly as Mrs. Palin, because heaven forbid, it may be insulting to women everywhere because isn’t it a sure sign of self-subjegation and doormat status to take one’s husband’s last name? And that makes the fact that Hillary, of all people, was referred to as Mrs. Clinton all the more ironic. If either one was inclined toward being seen as a separate entity and pulled-myself-up-by-my-own-bootstraps kind of girl, it’d be Hillary not Palin…
Dana (084de8) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:02 pmdaleyrocks: Lieberman was a nonstarter due to his social positions, but keep deluding yourself.
Well, daleyrocks, I suppose you might choose to say Robert Novak is addled in his first post-cancer-diagnosis column. I consider him quite accurately plugged in pretty high and far in the Republican leadership. Methinks Novak was the messenger from on high, saying you better not even try to get away with hit. And this was published just last Thursday, which is like, you know, way close to convention time. Non-starter? Yeah, right.
Here is his lede:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Reports of strong support within John McCain’s presidential campaign for Independent Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman as the Republican candidate for vice president are not a fairy tale. Influential McCain backers, plus McCain himself, would pick the pro-choice liberal from Connecticut if they thought they could get away with it.
Huff and puff all you want. The bipartisan pincer movement is underway, and you can niether blow nor wish it away. She either will or will not survive it. BTW, her unacceptance speech will key mostly on the distraction all this kerfuffle is causing McCain and out of loyalty and fairness to him she’s bowing out.
Larry Reilly (d11f9a) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:26 pm“Larry Reilly” @46:
Larry [if that is your real name] Reilly, pretty obvious that you have never been to Alaska.
Truth is, she has already handled many more “big-world” issues than either Obama or Biden, and more ably than I expect either of them capable of. And, it takes being a bit thick-skinned to get through the winter up there sometimes…so I doubt that has actually even noticed any “Democrat personal attacks on her and her family.”
What are you guys gonna come up with next? That she is just too All-American?
I can think of some urbane, pseudo intellectual neighborhoods where that might play, but it’s not going sell elsewhere.
EW1(SG) (625c58) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:29 pm“Larry Reilly” @49:
Then you need to get your “considerer” fixed.
Lieberman was never a consideration, if McCain ever expected to get any Republican votes.
EW1(SG) (625c58) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:33 pmMaybe the New York Times is reluctant to remind readers that Sarah Palin is a wife and mother but it needs to keep reminding readers that Hillary Clinton is, too.
DRJ (7568a2) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:35 pmLarry, please push Troopergate as much as possible. Make it the Democrats central attack on Palin. There is a huge number of votes to be gained from pointing out that Governor Palin fired a police officer who used a Taser on his stepson, illegally shot a moose, drank beer in his patrol car on one occasion, and told others his father-in-law would “eat a f’ing lead bullet” if he helped his daughter get an attorney for the divorce.
I am sure every soccer mom in the country eagerly awaits the time her child can be tasered by a police officer.
ROA (97a319) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:37 pmDRJ, it might be an age thing with them but I wouldn’t want to be in the room when someone said that to Hillary.
Camille Paglia doesn’t agree with “Larry”.
We may be seeing the first woman president. As a Democrat, I am reeling,” said Camille Paglia, the cultural critic. “That was the best political speech I have ever seen delivered by an American woman politician. Palin is as tough as nails.
Mike K (2cf494) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:40 pmLarry – See that little critical piece of your quote:
“if they thought they could get away with it.”
They knew they couldn’t get away with it. That’s why he was a nonstarter as the final choice. Try reading for comprehension chowderhead.
daleyrocks (d9ec17) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:42 pmROA, beat in mind that Palin’s huge sin was expressing surprise that a trooper who was known to have done all those things and more, was still employed as a trooper. That’s supposedly undue influence… when it’s actually just the common sense reaction.
I see Aplomb indeed is pretty ignorant of Palin’s record and can’t have an informed opinion on her. It’s up to her to prove herself and explain her record to the American people. Of course, Aplomb has the benefit of many detailed accounts I’m sure he could read if he wasn’t trying to troll. This blog does have some of the best trolls.
Juan (4cdfb7) — 8/31/2008 @ 1:57 pmMike K,
I hadn’t seen that Paglia quote and thank you for recommending it.
For some reason your link didn’t make it through with your comment. When you have time, check to make sure the link I added is the one you want to use.
DRJ (7568a2) — 8/31/2008 @ 2:01 pmI am sure Palin’s actions cost her the teachers union vote. They were probably going to vote for Obama anyway because of his association with that outstanding educational reformer Bill Ayers, and his charming wife Bernardine – “Dig It! First they killed those pigs, then ate dinner in the same room with them, they even shoved a fork into a victim’s stomach! Wild!”
ROA (97a319) — 8/31/2008 @ 2:03 pmMary O’Reilly is just another garden – variety troll – his last belaboured defense was (as usual) long on blathering, and short on substance. Whenever you see posts with that many opinions stated as facts, you know there’s not going to be much meat on the table. But keep trying, Mary – “because it’s you, girl, and you should know it…and every little glance and movement you show it.” Who’s a big girl now, Mary?
Dmac (874677) — 8/31/2008 @ 2:03 pmDmac, I swear, I wish you had your own blog. You always make me chuckle in appreciation of your getting down to brass tacks regarding partisan nonsense.
BIG hat tip, sir. You rock the house, to quote the “yoot” of Amerikkka here on campus.
Eric Blair (2708f4) — 8/31/2008 @ 2:18 pmdaleyrocks: reading for comprehension?
I read the column Novak wrote. If claim to have done so, then apparently you should stick to reading less challenging “Twitters.”
The Novak column, boiled down to it’s essense, is the Republican Party telling McCain: You better not do it……saying quite literally, if you do, you “won’t get away with it.”
That’s the thread that runs through the column. And for those of us who actually read it to the end, there’s this final sentence: “Still, Republicans assembling in St. Paul have their fingers crossed that McCain will not press his luck by naming Lieberman as his running mate.”
Duh!
Well, McCain heeded the advice/threat. Then he stuck it to the leadership with a choice that was indeed NOT-Lieberman. That’s how they see his motivation.
And that’s part of what’s now playing out.
Is this a comment section or a sheltered workshop?
To EW(1sg)or whatever:
Larry Reilly (d11f9a) — 8/31/2008 @ 2:25 pmYes, I’ve been to Alaska. Spent a week out in the bush in January several years ago, staying in a cabin about 25 minutes by snow machine from a roadhouse on the Iditarod Trail – after the mail plane dropped off me and a bunch of beer for the ‘hood.
A prominent Republican friend in Anchorage claims to be puking over this choice.
Larry,
If your Republican friends last name is Murkowski, Stevens, or Young I can understand why he would be upset.
ROA (97a319) — 8/31/2008 @ 2:28 pmLarry Reilly –
First of all, the choice of Palin is a gift to Democrats.
— They used to always say, “lead off with a joke”; not sure when it changed to “lead off with a non sequiter”.
There is a pincer movement already underway that likely will take away that gift.
— Let’s clarify our terms: A maneuver in which an enemy force is attacked from two flanks and the front. Got it.
One pincer is Palin’s obviously little-vetted Troopergate and whatever else comes out of the Alaskan bush concerning her temperament and judgment. Watch it grow. And at some point, set aside whether or not the trooper-brother-in-law is Hannibal Lecter.
— 1) When you say “whatever else comes out” you are falsely implying that there is another ‘scandal’ right around the corner. Is it somehow not enough to just deal with the facts as they are? 2) Nice, throwing the “temperament” card. If McCain picked her, she must be a hothead too; is that it? 3) No, you don’t “set aside” the fact that this guy is a physical abuser. Sorry. 4) Who is it that is performing this maneuver?
The question concerns abuse of power, perhaps to the point of criminality.
— Keep your fingers crossed!
And that probably will be fed from many small sloughs in Alaska, even down to the town librarian who was fired for not supporting Palin’s mayoral campaign.
— That’s right. Anyone who said a word against her, they are right and she is wrong, on every single allegation. Amazing. It’s like exactly the opposite of Obama’s situation; nobody that says a word against him is correct.
And there will be close looks at just what Palin has been all about as far as finance and economics are concerned, e.g. huge, long-term deficit for tiny town; e.g. windfall tax on oil companies. (Until now those two aspects alone would capital offenses in this peanut gallery.)
— You’re on to something here. Every move she makes is corrupt. Her motto is “If you haven’t fucked somebody over, you haven’t done your job for the day”.
The other pincer is blowback from serious Republican leaders. I laugh when I see the name of a guy now on an official McCain substantive transition committee but who just six months ago was telling me over lunch that McCain is crazy. As in really wacky in the eyes of anyone who has spent time with him. This person also tried to get me to help pimp a nasty little story about someone very, very, very close to McCain.
— And the point is? You didn’t say anything at all about where, or from whom, this supposed blow-back is going to come from. Hints and allegations ain’t gonna cut it.
Crazy, yes. But keeping the presidency in Republican clutches is very important to my lunch partner, so it would turn out that he could abide crazy if it meant not seeing John Edwards as attorney general. (Uh, that burnt toast is gone, but the dynamic remains for my friend.)
— There you go! Respond to your own silliness. Especially when you have once again said absolutely nothing. Both parties have operatives, some of them highly placed, that are willing to screw anyone over in the pursuit of power. So what?
But now. Nobody with any political sense, knowledge and experience believes McCain’s choice of Palin is anything but a huge, weird gamble.
— Which, so far, has paid off to the tune of $7 million.
So much so that it’s also seen by a lot of powerful Republicans as a great big F.U. to them as much or more than to the Obama/Biden crowd. (Anticipating Icy True-Believer demanding their names, I’ll say it’s easier than that. Just open your eyes and ears.)
— Anticipating your own cop-out, were you? Either provide the names, drop the assertion, or admit that it’s nothing more than wishful thinking on your part. Bottom line: It’s the voters that matter.
Palin will not bring over Hillary-loving women in droves. They recognize a lame trick.
— The only people claiming that this was the goal in picking her . . . are liberals.
If McCain were confident in his chances, we’d be talking about Lieberman. This is a highest-stakes gamble.
— We are not worried about it. Oh, and it’s ridiculous to suggest that picking Lieberman would not have been a gamble.
Unless Palin manages to out-do Chance the Gardner (great character in a great little book/movie) in making the simplest, albeit blissfully ignorant answers seem to solve the most complex issues, displeasure within the party will grow. (“Gosh, that technical and strategic question should be for the presidential candidate. But I will say that since President Bush declared war on terrorism, we haven’t been attacked in our homeland.”)
— You’re saying that she should pull the “What do I know, I’m just a girl,” routine? Oh, I’m sorry. You meant that she should pull the “What do I know, I’m just a novice,” routine. Even without the sexist element, that’s about as patronizing as you can get. A vice-presidential candidate’s main campaign responsibility is to help sell the presidential candidate’s ideas. I’m not worried at all that she won’t be able to hold her own.
I expect one of those two pincers to become a sharp blade.
— Well, considering that the first one isn’t really a maneuver, unless you think that the Democratic hit machine (and their attendant media lackeys) is fanning the flames; and, considering that the second one is pure allegation with not a scintilla of evidence to support it, in addition to the fact that ‘serious Republicans’ are (despite all bullshit to the contrary) on the same side as McCain . . . I see no blade. Your analogy falls flat. And why you believe that these “serious Republican leaders” would allow McCain to make this choice and then, with 65 days or less until the election, force him to change it is quite beyond me.
An Palin will give a speech saying that she was ready for the big-world issues, etc., and proud to have been chosen, but that Democrat personal attacks on her and her family were too much at this time. So she’s going back to Alaska to spend more time with her family……or, if enough bad goo comes out of the sudden, intense scrutiny, maybe more time with her lawyers.
— Did you have to wash some ‘discharge’ off of your sheets at the conclusion of that reverie?
Within two weeks, Icy True-Believer will be polishing his Mitt Romney apples.
Icy Truth (df70da) — 8/31/2008 @ 2:34 pm— How cute. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
A prominent Republican friend in Anchorage claims to be puking over this choice.
— So prominent and so upset that you are not allowed to name him or her? I guess this person is just biding time until they can get together with McCain in the backroom at the convention and set him straight, huh?
Icy Truth (df70da) — 8/31/2008 @ 2:46 pmI see scary Larry is still puking up his fevered opinions as facts. I was thrilled with this selection when it happened. Seing as how it has turned the Left into overt misogynists and even wackier than normal, it tells me they are concerned.
Scary Larry – I spoke with several east coast liberals who think it was an inspired pick. I spoke to 2 Dems in western states who will vote for McCain because of this pick. Anecdotes are kind of useless, no? Especially in your case, when you are just making them up.
JD (5f0e11) — 8/31/2008 @ 2:48 pmJD,
I’m jealous. You skewered him just as well, if not better, in a couple paragraphs than I did in an entire page.
Minimalist!
Icy Truth (df70da) — 8/31/2008 @ 2:54 pm“Palin will not bring over Hillary-loving women in droves…”
I think it would be wonderful if she just brought over, from that group, one vote per precinct – or, the margin of victory in the 1960 race.
In a 50/50 divided nation, if you can bring over a couple of tenths without giving up the same amount from your base, or from the indies,
You Win!
The “Richard-Craniums” of the World (like you Larry),
Another Drew (221871) — 8/31/2008 @ 3:00 pmwill vote for a Dem-Lib even if it were the proverbial Yellow-Dog.
Our candidate isn’t intended to be attractive to you.
We actually want the votes of citizens who use the space between their ears for something more than filler to keep their skull from imploding.
I’ve been studying channeling recently, and wanted to try it out. I’ll try channeling Mary Reilly. Here goes:
Mary – I just had lunch the other day with someone who is in the top 5 of Obama’s advisors. He related to me that Barack Obama is without a doubt the least experienced and most arrogant candidate ever nominated for the office of the Presidency. He also was adamant that, beyond a 20-30 minute period beyond the reach of his handlers, Barack Obama had no capability of actually making a decision on his own. He also admitted that Obama has on his person a cell phone which he uses to contact Mayor Daley and his handlers expressly for the purpose of running any policy decision by them for approval, and that Daly has an active ‘war room’ that is in operation 24 hours a day for the purposes of calculating any conceivable financial gain for the Daly crew from any of Obama’s policy decisions, and then specifying to Obama which decision he should then make. Obama has never disobeyed an order.
This advisor has also admitted that, after the appointment of Sarah Palin as the VP candidate, the advisor sold his house and is currently volunteering his time for her election committe. His reason was that “the success of John McCain and Sarah Palin is the only possible way to avoid the absolute armageddon that an Obama election would cause, not only to the United States, but to the planet Earth and ultimately the universe itself.”
Beware Mary, the ground beneath the Obama campaign is shifting and destabilizing. This will disrupt the absolutely corrupt sham with which Barack Obama and his minions are attempting to ambush good, hard working Americans. You will see in the coming weeks the dissolution not only of the Democratic Party, but the exposure of the Left Wing of this country as the corrupt, heartless bastards that they truly are.
Update: We’re not sure if any of this is true, but just take our word for it.
Is that about right, Mary? Do you see how your posts smell of desperation and panic? You don’t. Oh, that’s right, you’re a Democrat.
You don’t see anything you’re not told to see.
Apogee (186a12) — 8/31/2008 @ 3:02 pmHow does it feel to be on the defensive about your candidate? It’s gonna get uglier.
love2008 (0c8c2c) — 8/31/2008 @ 3:10 pmBring it on!
As John Persing once said:
The best defense is a good offense.
We’re swinging from the balls of our feet, not back on our heels.
Another Drew (221871) — 8/31/2008 @ 3:13 pmMary also spent four tours in ‘Nam, and she saw some scary stuff, man – you don’t wanna know! She also did the following activities during her extended “tour” of Alaska:
– won the Iditarod by buggering the lead Huskie herself during the final stretch run;
– killed Bullwinkle and his sidekick Rocky J. Squirrel out in the Brooks Range; did the field dressings on each, and stored the excess meat as spicy beef jerky to be used during her tenure as Chief Tribal Council leader of The Inuits.
– got a job as a Fluffer on the new Vivid production filmed outside of Anchorage, titled “North Pole.” Accounts from those who worked with Mary said she was a quite sort but very industrious, always willing to lend a hand whenever the need arose.
You go, girl!
Dmac (874677) — 8/31/2008 @ 3:26 pmluv2H8 –
How does it feel to be on the defensive about your candidate? It’s gonna get uglier.
— I’m certain that the left-wing shit-slinging machine will only intensify. Oh, and there’s nothing wrong with defending your chosen candidate against scurrilous attacks; the devil is in the details of how you go about doing it.
Icy Truth (df70da) — 8/31/2008 @ 3:28 pmDmac…
Another Drew (221871) — 8/31/2008 @ 3:28 pmYou have a very Vivid imagination!
Dmac,
Wasn’t it you who once told me I owed you a monitor?
Now we’re even. 😉
Icy Truth (df70da) — 8/31/2008 @ 3:30 pmI have never seen a circle-jerk so easily formed.
You guys are way cool. Be sure to touch each other intimately only in your “second lives.”
And, at arm’s length, let’s talk in two or three weeks.
I think I’ll go now and lurk on some lefty blogs — they don’t like me either — and maybe try some of the really cool tricks I’ve seen here, maybe like using terms such as “Republi-CONS” or something. It’s totally together, like brain-wise.
Larry Reilly (d11f9a) — 8/31/2008 @ 3:36 pmlove2008,
Candidates who stand for something welcome the challenge to talk about their beliefs. This election is, in part, about who has the best vision for America. I’m not concerned about attacks on Palin because I like her conservative principles. In fact, I’m excited because this is Palin’s opportunity to talk about conservative beliefs. I don’t know how effective she will be in articulating those beliefs but I believe she has the message most Americans want to hear.
Candidates who stand for nothing mumble platitudes and shy away from real debate. That’s one reason why I don’t like stealth candidates like Obama who flip-flop on every issue because they want to be all things to all people.
DRJ (7568a2) — 8/31/2008 @ 3:44 pm#76 – I think I’ll go now and lurk on some lefty blogs — they don’t like me either
Whatever you do, avoid self-examination at all costs.
Everyone else must be crazy.
Apogee (186a12) — 8/31/2008 @ 3:45 pm“I have never seen a circle-jerk so easily formed.”
We have never seen a commenter become such a Big Girl in so short a time. But tell us more about your circle jerk characterization – you seem to have an intimate knowledge about this activity; was that a scene you helped out with in the film?
“…they don’t like me either.”
Gee, I wonder why that would be – because you make all matter of sh-t up at will?
‘ “Be sure to touch each other intimately only in your “second lives’ ”
That doesn’t apply here, Mary – because unlike you, we actually have real lives.
Now, go tell Mr. Grant how unfair Ted Baxter’s being to you!
Dmac (874677) — 8/31/2008 @ 3:46 pmScary Larry –
I have never seen a circle-jerk so easily formed.
— Not even when Olbermann comes on and the tips of your thumb and forefinger just naturally draw together?
You guys are way cool.
— You know it.
Be sure to touch each other intimately only in your “second lives.”
— An atheist joke? [I know; it’s redundant,] God will get you for that, you know.
And, at arm’s length, let’s talk in two or three weeks.
— Is that another masturbation joke? “arm’s length”? Whatever. Anyway, you’re being held to the two weeks you already claimed it would take, back @ 12:52 pm.
I think I’ll go now and lurk on some lefty blogs — they don’t like me either
— I can’t imagine why not. Are you a woman? or black?
and maybe try some of the really cool tricks I’ve seen here, maybe like using terms such as “Republi-CONS” or something.
Icy Truth (df70da) — 8/31/2008 @ 3:56 pm— You’ll probably have better luck if you stand in a circle.
Icy Truth – Larry the Liar has proven to not be worthy of much by way of words in responding. He is arguing with the fevered voices in his head, and projecting his circle jerk and bukakke fantasties with Olberdouche, Gleenwald, and Sully onto the rest of the population.
JD (5f0e11) — 8/31/2008 @ 4:10 pmDRJ @ 77 – Amen.
JD (5f0e11) — 8/31/2008 @ 4:13 pmDoris Kearns Goodwin is a scholar? That’s a funny one.
SPQR (26be8b) — 8/31/2008 @ 4:21 pmThe fever on lefty blogs, and in trolls who come over to stir up something, is high and rising.
There is now information that Palin was his first choice for some time. I thought the brother-in-law story would keep her off the ticket but I’ve been watching her for a while.
DRJ, that link is here. [Thanks, Mike K. — DRJ]
I love the photo they chose. I’ll have to ask my British friends what they think. I think they will be in shock. Especially the moose stew. I love it.
Mike K (2cf494) — 8/31/2008 @ 4:32 pmI like Doris KG’s last Lincoln book but she is a partisan and probably knows nothing about Sarah.
Mike K (2cf494) — 8/31/2008 @ 4:33 pmFace it people. Picking Palin was a desperate move prompted by some miscalculations from the McCain camp. Desperate because he was afraid Obama was going stronger and increasingly looking like he could win. It was a move prompted, not by a desire to put the “country First” but one made out of a desire to win. McCain has shown that he is nothing but another power-hungry, desperate politician, who simply wants to be president. Though I do not begrudge him. Who is perfect?
love2008 (0c8c2c) — 8/31/2008 @ 4:35 pmMiscalculation because he wanted to take advantage of the grievances of some of Hillary’s supporters, who felt they were robbed of their best chance of having the first woman President. He felt that by picking this woman, he would be showing himself as sympathetic to this bloc of people. Thereby winning them over. But what he fails to realise is that soon, people will see through this desperation and realize that he is simply trying to play on their sensitivities. Palin is not and cannot be Hillary Clinton. Hillary was a democratic presidential candidate who fought her way through the ranks and almost won the Democratic ticket. She has about 18 million supporters to show for it. She has earned the respect of Americans, on both sides of the aisle. The big difference between Hillary and Palin is that Hillary earned a number two position in a hard fought primary, while Palin was merely asked to take the VP position. (This however does not take away from Palin’s achievement so far. I think she is a great person.) Big difference. Using her as a kind of consolatory alternative to Hillary’s failed bid is both condescending and presumptuous. People are not that stupid. Women don’t want to be handed the VP position, they want to fight for the number one position. And win the presidency. That will be making history. Soon people are going to see through this plot and it won’t be pretty. Take for example, Palin’s recent rally. She was booed by her own people when she mentioned Hillary Clinton. The mask is wearing off. Now McCain finds himself defending his VP pick. Is that what he needs now? Has she not become a distraction to him? It is the VP that defends the presidential candidate. Not the other way round. See what it does for Obama. It nullifies the grounds of McCain’s greatest attack against Obama: That he is “dangerously inexperienced.” McCain can’t say that any more. Giving Obama time to focus on other issues that he feels comfortable with. Namely, the economy. This pick also exposes McCain to attacks which like I said, will continue to distract him from the real issues. It will not result to a surge of Hillary women to McCain.
It will give Obama’s surrogates, weapons to keep attacking McCain and putting him in a position of playing defensive. Obama needs not even say one negative word about Palin. He has people who will do that for him. And McCain, he will now have to take fire from two sides. From Obama on the issues and from his surrogates on his VP pick. Not pretty.
For every perceivable advantage, there is a risk. Most times we are so blinded by the prospect of the advantage that we fall into the trap it comes with. (Just my Opinion.)
lovethehater – It was hard to understand that because you were talking with a mouthful of Baracky.
JD (5f0e11) — 8/31/2008 @ 4:39 pmlove2008,
She may have earned it but Hillary didn’t get that No. 2 position, did she? Go figure.
DRJ (7568a2) — 8/31/2008 @ 4:40 pmlove2008, Palin can’t be Hillary? Thank god. Palin is a far more impressive candidate than Hillary – the country ( not least the Democrats themselves ) got tired of Hillary trading off of others’ accomplishments especially Bill’s.
SPQR (26be8b) — 8/31/2008 @ 4:42 pmLove,
If Hillary is so great, why isn’t she Obama’s VP candidate? Doesn’t the fact that he chose Biden, who was soundly rejected twice by Democratic voters in his bid to become president demonstrate his contempt for fellow Democrats?
ROA (97a319) — 8/31/2008 @ 4:45 pm“I have never seen a circle-jerk so easily formed.”
Watch MSNBC. Circle-jerks form on the hour and half-hour.
Perfect Sense (4a537b) — 8/31/2008 @ 4:53 pmWow Lovey, that was a pretty poor analysis of the situation even for you.
daleyrocks (d9ec17) — 8/31/2008 @ 4:53 pmI have a new name for some of you guys here. Palinists! Or maybe Palinobots. Palintards. Ha ha ha!!
love2008 (1b037c) — 8/31/2008 @ 4:54 pmMust really irk lovesick4BHO that Palin is the antithesis of Baracky. That’s if he still has any command of logic and commonsense. When Daley tells uh,uh,Obumbler to jump, barry hussein asks how high. On the other hand, Palin fought the corrupt AK establishment and won.
O!bambi was a community “organizer” and he and slow joe have zero executive experience whereas Sarah Palin has ten years and McCain ran a naval squadron in his 22 years of service and was also a leader of POWs for 5 1/2 at the Hanoi Hilton.
madmax333 (0c6cfc) — 8/31/2008 @ 5:09 pmPunk Barry Hussein emulates a little girly man in his bicycle photos while apparently Palin has bigger cojones and more of them than Obami. I dare say that state champion point guard Palin would wipe up the hardwood with big pussy B. Hussein.
These are just random thoughts and love4BHO will ignore the truths anyway. Lovesick claims to be anti-abortion but let’s contrast Palin choosing to keep her Down’s child when 90% of women would have an abortion and Obambi’s desire to ensure his own daughters would not be stuck with an unwanted pregnancy. He’s fine with allowing late term abortions born alive to die alone with no medical interventions. I guess maybe Obama is sincere in his outlook on abortion at any stage, even though he would not care to upset the feminazis at any time. But lovesick4Hussein embraces the dem/obama culture of death. He’s also supportive of friends of O’s like Dorhn who expressed glee that the Manson family butchered the rich and stuck a fork in pregnant and very dead Sharon Tate. Shame on hypocritical self-righteous lying sacks of spit liberals for enabling really rotten and highly immoral behaviors.
“Larry Reilly” @62:
Then you need to go again, because it obviously didn’t take the first time.
#70:
What are you on about now? It is absolutely splendiferous to see all the liberals skulls imploding. I’m pretty sure I heard one ask another “They’re Republicans, fer chrissakes! They can’t DO that, can they?”
EW1(SG) (625c58) — 8/31/2008 @ 5:10 pm#90
love2008 (1b037c) — 8/31/2008 @ 5:11 pmI will ask you this question. If Hillary was not so important, how come the first thing Palin did was to make a pitch for some of her disgruntled voters? Even on her second appearance she kept heaping praises on Hillary. For which she was booed? It is clear that she was picked to win the women vote.
#88 DRJ and ROA.
As for why Obama did not pick Hillary. I personally believe it would have been a bad idea. Not because Hillary wouldn’t have been a great pick, but because of the fact that she really attacked Obama so much during the primaries. Most of the weapons used by the Reps against Obama, they got from Hillary. Already McCain’s campaign tried using clips from Hillary’s primaries’ speeches against Obama. It would have been a tactical error. As much as everyone would have loved that. Not mentioning her liabilities. Bill inclusive. It would have put the Obama campaign in a position where they would keep defending and explaining some of these attacks.
#94
love2008 (1b037c) — 8/31/2008 @ 5:20 pmYou sound like “John The Capitalist”. The one who kept typing in caps till he was banned. Try speaking in English please.
Lovey – EPIC FAIL on your part. I’ve never used that phrase before. It felt good.
daleyrocks (d9ec17) — 8/31/2008 @ 5:25 pmlove2008,
I’m mixed on an Obama-Clinton ticket. On the one hand, I think it would have been hard for the GOP to beat Obama-Clinton this year. On the other hand, I don’t think Obama and Clinton can stand each other.
Thus, it would have been a good ticket to run on but a bad one to govern with. If I’m correct, I’ll give Obama credit for picking someone he can govern with. Nevertheless, by choosing Biden instead of Hillary, Obama severely undermined his claim that he stands for change.
DRJ (7568a2) — 8/31/2008 @ 5:43 pmI don’t think Obama picked Biden to govern with, I think he picked Biden because Biden and he share cronies and nothing more. I think Obama has been showing poorer and poorer decision-making since late spring.
SPQR (26be8b) — 8/31/2008 @ 5:48 pm#98
love2008 (1b037c) — 8/31/2008 @ 6:00 pmWhich comment are you referring to?
DRJ – The idea that Baracky is bring anything new, hopey, or changey, should have been shown to be a pipe dream as soon as Baracky started springting away from his primary positions. The old school selection of Biden just confirmed it. The true believers will not care, they are already all-in.
JD (5f0e11) — 8/31/2008 @ 6:00 pmDRJ. #99.
love2008 (1b037c) — 8/31/2008 @ 6:13 pmby choosing Biden instead of Hillary, Obama severely undermined his claim that he stands for change.
People want change but not too much change. Obama/Hillary would be representing too much change. Obama picked up Biden to shore up his vulnerability in the area of foreign policy and experience. As a Hillary supporter, Biden would also help to win over some of those blue collar voters wary of Obama’s greenness. Besides I don’t really think Hillary really wanted that slot. I may be wrong.
#102
love2008 (1b037c) — 8/31/2008 @ 6:19 pmPalinist!
love2008 –
Face it people. Picking Palin was a desperate move prompted by some miscalculations from the McCain camp.
— Sez you. And you sez wrong. As does $7 million in new campaign contributions.
Desperate because he was afraid Obama was going stronger and increasingly looking like he could win.
— Hard to credit, since McCain is going to win.
It was a move prompted, not by a desire to put the “country First” but one made out of a desire to win.
— By electing McCain/Palin the voters will be putting Country First.
McCain has shown that he is nothing but another power-hungry, desperate politician, who simply wants to be president. Though I do not begrudge him. Who is perfect?
— And who wants to let you be the judge of who is?
Miscalculation because he wanted to take advantage of the grievances of some of Hillary’s supporters, who felt they were robbed of their best chance of having the first woman President. He felt that by picking this woman, he would be showing himself as sympathetic to this bloc of people. Thereby winning them over.
— How long have you been inside John McCain’s head? Or, more precisely, how long has he been inside yours? Bwaa-ha-ha-ha!!!
But what he fails to realise is that soon, people will see through this desperation and realize that he is simply trying to play on their sensitivities.
— He shouldn’t have been allowed to pick a woman?
Palin is not and cannot be Hillary Clinton.
— And is not trying to be HRC.
Hillary was a democratic presidential candidate who fought her way through the ranks and almost won the Democratic ticket. She has about 18 million supporters to show for it. She has earned the respect of Americans, on both sides of the aisle.
— You’ve convinced me. Obama should have picked her for his VP.
The big difference between Hillary and Palin is that Hillary earned a number two position in a hard fought primary, while Palin was merely asked to take the VP position. (This however does not take away from Palin’s achievement so far. I think she is a great person.) Big difference.
— More sour grapes over the Biden pick? I feel your pain.
Using her as a kind of consolatory alternative to Hillary’s failed bid is both condescending and presumptuous.
— No, that characterization applies only to your conclusions.
People are not that stupid.
— The evidence contained in the previous sentence notwithstanding.
Women don’t want to be handed the VP position, they want to fight for the number one position. And win the presidency.
— I see. So if Obama had offered the VP slot to Hillary, that would have been condescending. And of course that completely contradicts your previous statement that Hillary “earned” the Dem VP slot.
That will be making history.
— And the first woman VP will not?
Soon people are going to see through this plot and it won’t be pretty.
— Listening to the know-it-all’s who have ‘seen through this plot’ is ugly right now.
Take for example, Palin’s recent rally. She was booed by her own people when she mentioned Hillary Clinton. The mask is wearing off.
— If she’s there to woo Hillary voters, why would you expect McCain voters to cheer?
Now McCain finds himself defending his VP pick. Is that what he needs now? Has she not become a distraction to him?
— In 48 hours? Yeah! A $7 million distraction.
It is the VP that defends the presidential candidate. Not the other way round. See what it does for Obama.
— You say as we watch Obama defend his pick of Biden on 60 Minutes. Remind me, do they get high ratings?
It nullifies the grounds of McCain’s greatest attack against Obama: That he is “dangerously inexperienced.” McCain can’t say that any more.
— Right. Because all of a sudden McCain is not 10 times more experienced than Obama; because it’s a given that he will not survive his first term and she will have to take over; because there’s no possible way that when she takes over . . . she does the exact same thing that Obama did and picks a more experienced person to be her VP.
This pick also exposes McCain to attacks which like I said, will continue to distract him from the real issues.
— Thank God that Obama avoided any of that! BTW, on a completely different subject, did you hear that Rev. Wright is hanging out in Africa right now?
It will give Obama’s surrogates, weapons to keep attacking McCain and putting him in a position of playing defensive. Obama needs not even say one negative word about Palin. He has people who will do that for him.
— I guess those people are thanking their lucky stars then, because if it wasn’t for this issue there would be absolutely nothing for them to slam him on. Instead of being so snarky, you should be jumping for joy.
And McCain, he will now have to take fire from two sides. From Obama on the issues and from his surrogates on his VP pick. Not pretty.
— Your reading of the reaction from McCain’s party may not be quite nuanced enough.
For every perceivable advantage, there is a risk. Most times we are so blinded by the prospect of the advantage that we fall into the trap it comes with.
Icy Truth (df70da) — 8/31/2008 @ 6:44 pm— How does the other ticket come out on that scorecard?
Love2008 – You should read the post, as you’ve attempted to re-state the arguments made by the ‘scholars’, who were later shown to be Obama partisans.
The left is on fire with panic.
All lies, all the time.
Apogee (186a12) — 8/31/2008 @ 7:06 pmPalin thanked Hillary and Geraldine Ferraro because it was a politically smart thing to do, and it happens to be true. I doubt if McCain really thinks he is going to get a large number of left-wing, pro-choice, big government, Emily’s List women to vote Republican. However, he definitely energized conservative Republicans. Hopefully her selection will cause more moderate voters to consider voting Republican than they would have with another VP candidate. Ultimately, it depends on how she performs.
I have wanted McCain to select her for several weeks because I thought she would be the best person to broaden the party’s appeal. I was pleased when she was chosen, but really became enthusiastic when I heard her introductory speech. She provided more specifics about her accomplishments in that one speech than Obama has in his entire campaign. If she continues to perform at that level it will have been a brilliant choice.
I have heard Senator Biden many times and usually like to listen to him, but in the clip of him introducing Senator Obama I saw yesterday he seemed like a senile alcoholic. If his performances don’t improve, he will be a severe drag on the ticket.
ROA (a11370) — 8/31/2008 @ 7:10 pm“Obama/Hillary would be representing too much change.”
This is completely nonsensical, even by your standards.
Dmac (874677) — 8/31/2008 @ 7:12 pm#105
love2008 (1b037c) — 8/31/2008 @ 7:14 pmMissed it by so much,
When I said this about Hillary,
She has earned the respect of Americans, on both sides of the aisle. The big difference between Hillary and Palin is that Hillary earned a number two position in a hard fought primary, while Palin was merely asked to take the VP position.
When I said “number two position” I did not mean the VP slot. I meant she came second in the race. Maybe I should have been clearer.
And the $7 million bounce you keep talking about is to expected. People are excited about the pick. And rightly so. The question is, how long will they continue to feel like that? Especially as the other unknowns begin to unfold. Like I said, just my opinion. You should try posting some of yours too. Instead of waiting to eviscerate someone’s opinions. But I don’t mind.
Especially as the other unknowns begin to unfold.
Or as the left wing in the media and DNC make up unfounded rumors and present them as fact in a hypocritical attempt to grab power.
Apogee (186a12) — 8/31/2008 @ 7:22 pmThe left has ignored millions of accomplished, dynamic, and successful American women on the right because their opinions don’t mesh with their agenda to USE women for political gain. The chicks, so to speak, are coming home to roost. They are going to ask why her? And the women from the right side of the policial spectrum are going to say WHY NOT?! And many women on the left are going to ask the same thing when they realize they have been USED by the dims for years. It’s a split waiting to happen.
Zeke (041eb9) — 8/31/2008 @ 7:36 pm#107 ROA:
My wife’s grandmother apparently caused my mother-in-law a bit of a scare late last week, calling her in a very agitated state. (Her health hasn’t been terribly good, lately.)
It turned out (fortunately from the standpoint of being concerned for her health,) that Grandma was only calling Mom to make sure she could vote for a Republican, because as a lifelong registered Democrat, she has never done that before.
But she is quite excited about being able to vote for Palin.
EW1(SG) (625c58) — 8/31/2008 @ 7:38 pmlove2008 –
When I said “number two position” I did not mean the VP slot. I meant she came second in the race. Maybe I should have been clearer.
— Just be clear about this: Do you think that it is impossible for a woman to accept the vice-presidential nomination without there being a strong perception that she has been relegated to second place? even though there has never been a female VP? I ask because that is what I took away from your statement: Women don’t want to be handed the VP position, they want to fight for the number one position. And in that vein, is it the position itself, or Sarah Palin’s willingness to take it that you object to?
And the $7 million bounce you keep talking about is to expected. People are excited about the pick. And rightly so. The question is, how long will they continue to feel like that?
— Sixty-four days will do. 😉
Especially as the other unknowns begin to unfold.
— Here, I’ll write your headline for you: “It’s Halloween, And The Skeletons In Sarah Palin’s Closet Are Coming Out To Play!”
Like I said, just my opinion. You should try posting some of yours too. Instead of waiting to eviscerate someone’s opinions. But I don’t mind.
Icy Truth (5bcf70) — 9/1/2008 @ 12:10 am— Whew! I was sweating it. Sarcasm and humor, used as a means of pointing out the silliness, factual inaccuracies, and to voice my disagreement of a stated opinion; that is my chosen style. If I limited myself to “you said this, my opinion is this,” I would come off as cold, inflexible and humorless as . . . well, you know. . . .
“disagreement with”
Forgive me. Drunk am I.
Icy Truth (5bcf70) — 9/1/2008 @ 12:14 am