The Palin Choice

[Kramer]

So all of you political junkies out there, how about giving your thoughts on the following:

1) Why Palin

2) If they are the "family first" party, people are asking why she is taking possibly the most family separating job in the universe with an infant who is mentally retarded?

also, i know she's getting parenting questions simply b/c she's a woman, which men don't often get, and perhaps the father will stay with the child, who knows

3) There is a sizable list of women in the congress and senate who would bring far more substance, like Kay Bailey Hutchison (tx), why not one of them?

4) Is this going to be a big mistake or a huge success?

5) Have you guys seen any obvious sexism in people's criticism of her as a candidate?

[Diekan]

Answer: Because McCain is an idiot.

[Eziekial]

5)

She has 5 children, one with special needs - how is she ever going to devote time to being a VP?

[Diekan]

I’m starting to believe that the republicans are intentionally trying to lose the election. For what reasons I do not know. But, it grows more clear with each day.

[Nusk]

So all of you political junkies out there, how about giving your thoughts on the following:

1) Why Palin because she gives mcain conservative creditentials that he seriously lacks

2) If they are the "family first" party, people are asking why she is taking possibly the most family separating job in the universe with an infant who is mentally retarded? anyone who uses this argument is being a sexist, why is it the mom who must take care of children?

also, i know she's getting parenting questions simply b/c she's a woman, which men don't often get, and perhaps the father will stay with the child, who knows

3) There is a sizable list of women in the congress and senate who would bring far more substance, like Kay Bailey Hutchison (tx), why not one of them?see answer 1

4) Is this going to be a big mistake or a huge success?mcain is going to lose no matter might as well break the glass ceiling on the rebublican side

5) Have you guys seen any obvious sexism in people's criticism of her as a candidate?see your second question... just asking it is sexist

[Kramer]

rather than pointing out the obvious, that what I STATED might be a sexist issue, why not venture beyond? And, there's nothing unreasonable about questioning a specific stand a candidate takes.

to say that she gives him credentials he doesn't have, the obvious question is.... aren't they really weak credentials if you have many others who actually have a LOT more experience at the federal level?

it seems like it is not a well thought out choice

[Nusk]

if Palin was a man no one would ask "who is going to take care of her baby mindia" so yes there is alot of sexism pertaining to the Palin choice.

now i agree there are other women that mcain could of chosen as a running mate, but any of them would of been just as obscure as Palin. now let me give you some guesses as to why Palin

She is so conservative she makes Buchannen look like Kucinich. alot of the hard core bible belt repubs worry about mcains moderate stance on some issues and having a woman with a bible in one and and a rifle in the other eases those concerns

she is a maverick reformer. this is probably the biggest reason for his pick. even though she has been in office a short time she has taken on some big battles that others would of rolled over on.

what i think what we are going to see in the months leading to november is the mcain/palin ticket shying away from 4 more years of bush style admin to a promotion of conservative reform focusing on america first instead of being part of a global community. if they take this stance it will greatly appeal to the christian conservatives that have more or less taken over the republican party in the last 20 years.

[Harrison]

Holy fucking shit. A new poster? With half a brain?

[Diekan]

I think it's a mindia account.

if Palin was a man no one would ask "who is going to take care of her baby mindia" so yes there is alot of sexism pertaining to the Palin choice.

[Gypsiyee]

I thought so initially too, but then the

if Palin was a man no one would ask "who is going to take care of her baby mindia" so yes there is alot of sexism pertaining to the Palin choice.

kind of sealed the deal.

[Diekan]

hmm it's a mystery!

It's obviously someone who knows the board sinse Mindia hasn't used that name in ages.

< /begin Voice of Mod here >

Just checked the IP, and Nusk is *NOT* Mindia

Not unless Mindia got a VERY VERY different new job, and has relocated to the opposite side of the country. More specific information than that, you don't get, but I wanted to nip that line of speculation off in the bud. So far, looks like a genuine new person, though I say that with about 87 levels of reservation.

< /end Voice of Mod >

[Gypsiyee]

since we have so many palin threads now I'm not sure which to post this in, but a little bit of humor regarding the situation that made me laugh.. I know it leans toward Obama, but even if you don't like Obama and you're baffled by the Palin pick I think you can appreciate this for what it is:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-grah ... 23294.html

[Arlos]

As for Nusk's commentary, I don't buy the "Maverick Reformer" bit. She hasn't been in power long enough to reform anything, and certainly exhibited nepotism in recommending a replacement for her for mayor. Then there's the whole TrooperGate thing that has yet to be resolved....

-Arlos

[Kramer]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/n ... in02m.html

she's a huge reformer..... no earmarks, until i get them for my state and build that bridge

and.... i get that it's sexist and whatever, so does that mean no one can ask about her conservative family first stand?

[Lueyen]

1.) Because it was a choice few expected, I think this was McCain being the Maverick toward the good old boys of the Republican party. McCain also needed a boost with the core conservative constituency, and it appears that she fits that bill on quite a few issues. To nullify the impact of the DNC convention (yea remember that last week, haven't heard much on it since the announcement have you?) particularly by picking someone relatively unknown on the national stage.
She's a woman which gives those people who supported Hillary solely based on gender an outlet, although like I said I hope this really isn't a huge factor.

2.) She's already shown by virtue of the fact that she chose not to kill her child because of the difficulties of his condition just how committed to being a mother she is, and I can't believe for a second that the entire family was not taken into account. Do you seriously think she just committed to this willy nilly without talking it over with her husband and formulating a plan of how they would work things out?

3.)Again I think the "unknown", non Washington insider was part of the allure. She also is purported to have shaken up the Republican Party in Alaska, something that McCain fancies himself doing.

4.)Jury is still out on that one. Short term it has helped the campaign, long term I don't know. It could very well go either way.

5.)Well I certainly have not seen photoshopped pictures of Hillary in a bikini or the like, and of course we don't see pictures (real or fake) of any of the male candidates in their bathing suits. Yet I'm not sure if these were done as an attempt to marginalize, or if it was done by someone who never quite made it out of puberty. Obviously I'd also site question number 2. But beyond those two things, no, and it hasn't seemed to be a major method of attack thus far.

[brinstar]

could be a vote grab targeted at disillusioned female voters still upset that obama did not take hillary as a running mate?

just a thought

[Arlos]

Once again, people don't realize microphones are still hot, and say what they REALLY think.

The 2 people in question are both fairly prominent conservatives:

Mike Murphy: McCain's former campaign manager, and also used to direct campaigns for Romney.

Peggy Noonan: Reagan's former speechwriter.

The Tape!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrG8w4bb3kg

Hysterical.

-Arlos

[Narrock]

Palin's speech tonight was incredible. Obama has got to be crying right about now because he got his ass handed to him HARD. hahaha

[Arlos]

Well, it might have been more effective if what she said was actually true...

Oh, here's some hypocrisy for you:

Karl Rove on Palin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9I_5F3q ... re=related (oh, and no, it wasn't the "2nd largest city in alaska." It was a tiny burg of 9000 people. Alaska's small, but not THAT small.)

Karl Rove on Kaine, the Governor of Virginia...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-jrk2e0MMs


Gee.... Something is different here....

BTW, watch tonight's Daily Show. I got that one from there, and it's CHOCK full of similar ridiculous hypocrisy...

-Arlos

[Lueyen]

Palin's speech tonight was incredible. Obama has got to be crying right about now because he got his ass handed to him HARD. hahaha

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/03/sarah-palin-rnc-conventio_n_123703.html

Wow and I thought Thompson's speech last night was pretty good.

Edit: oh yea and I can now add the above as another reason for question #1

[Arlos]

What really disgusts me is the implication by all of their speakers that Obama and the other Democrats somehow don't care for the troops, or wouldn't do their damndest for them. That is so far from true as to be disgusting. Compare how gracious Obama was in his speech towards McCain and his military experience, where he specifically states that he knows McCain loves his country, they just disagree with each other, and the kind of comments Thompson and Palin have made to Obama. Then remember McCain's promises to run a non-negative campaign, and just how drastically he's broken them.

Oh, and you know that she originally was a supporter for Steven's Bridge to Nowhere? And that Pipeline she touts, she has fought for it to go through Canada instead of staying entirely within Alaska?

Then she accuses the Democrats of doing nothing at all to solve the energy crisis? And then claims Obama is against producing more energy? When Obama laid out a direct plan of what he plans to do to move us to a Green economy? Then to continue the accusation about Obama taxing everyone, when 98% of people will see a tax cut? Talk about lying through one's teeth...

I could go on and on. I had to turn Thompson's speech off yesterday due to the outright lies and distortions. Same with RottenRudy.

For all the praise about McCain being "right" about Iraq: what about all those times he said early on that it would be easy? What about his completely bogus "stroll"? Again, I could go on and on...

-Arlos

[Gypsiyee]

I watched all 3 speeches prior to Palins, and some of Palins, and while I'm sure several who care about only the party and not the substance are hootin and hollerin about how great it all was, it seemed to me they played on one aspect - fear.

Nothing was mentioned about the issues that face us; instead, we got slams against the other party on half truths and questions as to why the dems didn't mention the people who "are trying to kill us."

I am so sorry for intelligent republicans that are inevitably going to be insulted by the display they put on last night. It proved to be an embarrassment for the party, if you ask me. It was petty, childish, non-motivational, and will cater to the likes of people who do not do their research and simply whoop it up in negative politics. The mockery they made last night at the RNC was not to show why these two are mavericks and candidates of 'good change' - it was to show that at the RNC, it's politics as usual; throwing people under the bus, stumbling over insults and lies, pausing for laughs in an attempt to divert from the fact that your speeches have no substance. Out of four speeches, we heard the POW story not once, not twice, not thrice, but yes, all four times. Where's the beef?

The only speech I was "ok" with was Huckabee's, because for the most part he took on the same position as the DNC last week - he gave respect where respect was due, but said this is where I disagree with the platform.

She didn't mention about the bridge to nowhere that she kept the money and used it elsewhere. She didn't mention that while she was "cutting pork" she left them in a $21million defecit. She didn't mention that she has plenty of her OWN earmark requests while she's sitting up there spewing about how "earmarks are bad, I'll stop em!"

I was so angry when Palin used little Trig to get applause from the crowd - patting herself on the back because he is special needs, putting him on display and using him to say that parents of special needs babies have a friend in the white house. No, she did not mention what type of friend or what she planned to do for those with special needs - she simply showcased her baby to say LOOK, I HAVE ONE TOO GUYS! Disheartening, alarming, and overall despicable.

If this is the future of the GOP, I might as well switch from independent, because I want no part of this.

PS, Mr. Romney, where's your lapel pin?! sure you're a governer and not a senator, but even Rudy had one on and he's just a former mayor!

[Evermore]

Palin's speech tonight was incredible. Obama has got to be crying right about now because he got his ass handed to him HARD. hahaha

quit dreaming. no way McCain is going to get elected with her on the ticket.

[Gypsiyee]

Palin's speech tonight was incredible. Obama has got to be crying right about now because he got his ass handed to him HARD. hahaha

this is the exact type of mongoloid thought process they were targetting last night - so much for the straight talk express, you just bought yourself a one way ticket on the bullshit supertram.

[Gypsiyee]

From AP, for those who couldn't see past the smelly screen of shit spewed forth, here's the fact check:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_ ... fact_check

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.
Some examples:
PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."
THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."
PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform _ not even in the state senate."
THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.
PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."
THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.
Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.
He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.
MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.
THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state _ by population.
MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.
THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.
FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."
THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.
FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right _ change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington _ throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."
THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.