McCain has picked Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. I had a feeling he was going to pick a woman but I had no idea it would be the governor of Alaska. To be honest, five minutes ago I didn’t know the governor of Alaska is a woman.
I suppose Palin is qualified in at least one area. One of the main functions of the vice president is to serve as the an object of riducule. (Dan Quayle, Dick Cheney) Just a month ago Palin said that she doesn’t even know what the VP does. Yep. sounds like she’s qualified.
I worry a little that some of those disappointed Hillary supporters will start swooning over the possibility of the “the first woman Vice President”. And I worry about the guys a little bit too. Being a woman myself, I’m probably not the best judge of such things but it seems to me that she’s at least fairly attractive – unusually attractive for someone who’s running for Vice President. Would some guys vote for McCain just because his running mate is nice to look at? Wouldn’t surprise me.
I can only think of two things to say about this developement: 1. Please don’t fall for it! and 2. Let’s start making fun of her now.
August 29th, 2008 - 4:00 pm
This is a worse pick than Quayle, by far. I can’t imagine what McCain was thinking with this.
August 29th, 2008 - 7:36 pm
Senior moment?
(Sorry… couldn’t resist.)
August 30th, 2008 - 2:21 am
Someone today had, for the wallpaper on one of the Powder Office computers, a pic of Sarah Palin with a caption that said in big letters “VPILF”
hahahaha.
August 30th, 2008 - 7:58 am
Ha. Talk about being on top of things. There’s already a VPILF.com
August 30th, 2008 - 2:24 pm
Hillary supporters won’t fall for this, don’t worry. Look at her record pushing creationism in schools, along with the anti-choice stuff that comes with that sort of religious wackery.
No, the best part about this is it’ll put a spotlight on the culture of corruption in Alaska. She was supposed to be a fresh start after the former disgraced Republican governor left office, but instead she’s under investigation: “Lawmakers this month hired an investigator to look into recent allegations that Palin fired the state’s public safety commissioner after members of her family and staff unsuccessfully tried to pressure him into dismissing a trooper involved in a messy divorce with Palin’s sister.”
This is a gift-wrapped present, her total inexperience aside. The press is going to love this story.
August 31st, 2008 - 10:29 am
Dang, I hate being the odd man out, but I like the pick. She’s not an extreme social conservative; check out the facts (the Reps *have* to attract their religious base somehow or lose, and this is how to do it).
The experience thing works both ways: Obama’s camp can’t complain about *her* relative inexperience, when their *presidential* candidate lacks ANY executive experience.
August 31st, 2008 - 12:07 pm
“not an extreme social conservative”? She believes creationism should be taught in schools. That sounds pretty extreme to me.
And Obama’s camp can absolutely talk about her lack of experience. Four years as U.S senator, member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Veterans Affairs committee, Subcommitte on Children and Families, Sucommitte on State, Local and Private Sector Preparedness, Chair of the Subcommittee on European Affairs and membership in several committees. (source) vs. two years as Governor or Alaska.
But thanks for commenting. All opinions are welcome.
August 31st, 2008 - 2:04 pm
She believes in it but she doesn’t believe in enforcing it; see http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/31088_Sarah_Palin_and_Creationism. (Same as Scalia on abortion; it’s a complex argument.)
*Executive* experience means being the governor of something. (In fact she has more of that than anybody in the race.)
You may well be right that it was a mistake. A risk it certainly is; we will just have to wait and see.
August 31st, 2008 - 4:46 pm
Experience is not a huge issue for me. I would vote for a 36 year old manager of McDonald’s for president if I agreed with him more closely than with the other candidate on the most important issues and if I did not have any serious doubts about his intelligence or integrity but when considering experience I consider a little experience in Washington to be more useful than a little experience as a state governor.
Thanks for the link.