McCain's "Gee Whiz" Pick

CBS Evening News: The Pros And Cons Of Sarah Palin As A Running Mate

(CBS)  CBS News senior political correspondent Jeff Greenfield takes a look at the pros and cons of this bold, maybe risky pick of relatively unknown Sarah Palin - one that suggests the McCain camp felt the Democrats pulled off a successful convention that required a "gee whiz" move.

Pro: She's a woman. You probably noticed that. It could be a way to draw disaffected Democrats and independents who felt Clinton was victimized by gender bias.

Con: But if it's seen as an "affirmative action pick" - one made mostly because she is a woman - that might not be the way into those white working-class men.

Pro: A fresh start. As a Republican who's fought her own party's establishment in Alaska, she underlines McCain's "maverick" image, and implies a break with the Republican Party, whose brand is badly tarnished.

Con: That experience issue you heard about may kick up the "age" issue. Can you put someone with no connection with the wider world a "heartbeat away" from the Oval Office with a 72-year-old president?

Pro: She delights the right. The evangelical community sees her as a heroine - she's one herself, and that helps McCain with part of the GOP base who have had a testy relationship with her.

Con: I's her first time in the ring, unlike McCain, Biden, and Obama. Can she handle the frenzy of intense media scrutiny - answer questions about, say, international conflicts.

One other key here: She's the mother of a Down Syndrome child, one of four million American children with disabilities. For millions of parents, and relatives of such children, the idea of someone in the councils of power who really understands their needs could be an "x" factor in this campaign we simply don't know how to measure.

[toolmangler-2009]

I can see him now aw c''mon it is PARTY TIME
Posted by starleo14672 at 08:22 PM : Aug 31, 2008



Thats a good one, can''t top that

[starleo146]

"the idea of someone in the councils of power who really understands their needs could be an "x" factor in this campaign we simply don''''t know how to measure."

She will probably be kept "Barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen" as the saying goes...


Posted by ToolMangler at 07:50 PM : Aug 31, 200

The way Mc Bush was looking at her while she was making her speech she won''t have time to work she will be running around the desk to get away from him. I can see him now aw c''mon it is PARTY TIME

[starleo146]

THESE 18 MILLION HILLARY VOTERS ARE MAD, MAD, MAD..IF ONLY 50% OF THEM VOTE FOR SARAH,..THAT''''''''''''''''S OVER 9 MILLION VOTES THAT GUARANTEES MC CAIN/ PALIN THE ELECTION WIN....PERIOD.

Posted by Philly18765 at 12:13 PM : Aug 31, 2008

They are not mad enough to vote for a right winger I tell you that don''t insult us Hillary was pro choice Palin is backed by the NRA and is against prochoice

[starleo146]

Obama has done nothing...absolutely nothing. He has done nothing since being elected a Senator. He wouldn''''''''t even vote on issues because he doesn''''''''t want to offend anyone. The guys a fraud who has done NOTHING! Not one single accomplishment.


Posted by basichm at 03:27 PM : Aug 30, 2008

Are you trying to convince yourself or what you sound desperate, he inspired almost 8500 or more poeople the other night and man what he said we needed to hear so the day your candidate does that is when the moon will turn to green cheese

[toolmangler-2009]

DO THE MATH...18 MILLION HILLARY VOTERS KNOW HILLARY WAS SCREWED OUT OF BOTH THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT NOMINATION BY OBAMA AND THE DEMOCRAT BOSSES.

THESE 18 MILLION HILLARY VOTERS ARE MAD, MAD, MAD..IF ONLY 50% OF THEM VOTE FOR SARAH,..THAT''''''''S OVER 9 MILLION VOTES THAT GUARANTEES MC CAIN/ PALIN THE ELECTION WIN....PERIOD.

Posted by Philly18765 at 12:13 PM : Aug 31, 2008


Hillary was screwed out of the presidency by her husband Bill, his zipper and cruise missles .

[toolmangler-2009]

"the idea of someone in the councils of power who really understands their needs could be an "x" factor in this campaign we simply don''t know how to measure."

She will probably be kept "Barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen" as the saying goes...

[jestith]

The idea that Hillary voters would flock to Sarah Palin is a amazingly insuulting. Many Hillary supporters were drawn to a strong woman who supports freedom and the idea of being a good steward to the Earth, while Palin''s church teaches women should be subservient to men and wish to ban the pill, and Palin herself thinks Creationism should be taught in science class, and doesn''t believe the science behind climate change.

[misha128-2009]

The tale of the tape -- experience

Obama 3 years federal experience, 8 years state level experience, 12 years teaching Constitutional Law, 7 years a Lawyer.

Palin 0 years federal experience, 2 years state level experience, 14 years local experience and a degree in Journalism.

Obama appears to be the clear winner. Factor in the number of Court losses for the Bush Administration including the possible release of Gitmo terrorists into the US and a president that knows the constitution does not sound bad either.

Actions

A governor that resorts to legally questionable actions to protect a single individual is failing to protect all persons in their state by making appropriate changes either administratively or in conjunction with the legislature. I would consider that an example of unsuitable experience because of poor judgment.

A governor that encourages use of an opportune political environment to push an earmark for a bridge to nowhere does not get credit for experience as a reformer later when that governor cancels the project. An experienced reformer blocks the action before the scandal not after the uproar occurs.

It is disappointing that both of these examples are applicable to Gov. Palin.

[philly18765]

DO THE MATH...18 MILLION HILLARY VOTERS KNOW HILLARY WAS SCREWED OUT OF BOTH THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT NOMINATION BY OBAMA AND THE DEMOCRAT BOSSES.

THESE 18 MILLION HILLARY VOTERS ARE MAD, MAD, MAD..IF ONLY 50% OF THEM VOTE FOR SARAH,..THAT''''S OVER 9 MILLION VOTES THAT GUARANTEES MC CAIN/ PALIN THE ELECTION WIN....PERIOD.

[meritocrat]

McCainiacs- your posts are very Hannity, very Limbaugh%u2026an EMPTY brain is easy to fill with crud, and the divide and conquer right wing media has filled yours well. My Lincoln to Obama comparison stands%u2026without any substantive rebuttal from you or anyone else%u2026because it is valid%u2026What makes Obama more qualified you ask? How about winning a democratic Primary, over a well-healed and supported Clinton, and earning about 10 million more votes than your feeble candidate%u2026

[meritocrat]

McCainiacs - Wasn''t it your God people who were praying for it to rain in Denver last week...and now they have their answer - Katrina''s big brother Gustav is bearing down the same way during your Republican sham convention? How is it that the religious in Europe seek greater social services to protect the children that ARE born and the "religious" in your party only seek to protect them to birth and could give a crud beyond the womb? How many of those %u201Cright-to-lifers%u201D have taken in minority foster children from our ghettos? How many of them would vote for a tax hike to pay for pre-and post natal care for all those aborted fetuses?
McCainiacs- remember, guns don%u2019t kill people, people with guns kill people and children with guns kill people, and children (over 100,000 kids killed since 1979, now that%u2019s pro-life!), and children with guns kill each other, and children with guns kill themselves, and people with guns in their homes are far more likely to die from gun violence than those who don%u2019t...

[meritocrat]

McCainiacs- Yes running a REAL state is a challenge, especially if you''ve done it at least two years (she hasn%u2019t yet). Alaska has only 600K citizens, and that%u2019s only during the summer. This right-wing-nut has neither the education nor the experience to be competitive for selection as a Whitehouse Intern, much less a senior and permanent member of the National Security Council. She%u2019s a great lady, but barely qualified to be a 2nd Lieutenant in our military much less one heartbeat away from being Commander-In-Chief. You keep smiling and push this clown and his gimmick sidekick, I am going to do my upmost to make sure my children are protected by leadership that was picked democratically (IE Obama%u2019s primary win) or by undeniable qualifications (IE Joe Biden%u2019s preeminent national security resume). As for Mrs. %u201CMainstream,%u201D I%u2019ll pass, this isn%u2019t a contest for %u201CMs Congeniality,%u201D though she%u2019s actually won that prestige, this is about the security of our nation during a time of WAR! Which would you pick to do your open-heart surgery, a well-educated doctor; or Mr. %u201Cmost-like-me-an-you?%u201D Duh.

[notfooledtx]

Here''s a few more "cons" to add to the list....

She''s more conservative and pro oil than *** Cheney.
She''s more anti-abortion than Mike Huckabee
She''s more ultra-religious than most televangelists
She''s a firm believer in Creationism, hates those who teach evolution.
She''s about to be indicted for firing a State Commissioner who refused to fire her ex-brother in-law Mike Wooten.
She''s pro drilling off shore
She called the Exxon Valdez accident a minor mistake, with no long term effects
She thinks global warming does not exist.
She was a mayor of town for 8000 for one term, then governor of ALASKA for little more than a year.
She''s a trophy Veep

[jestith]

Its interesting that McCain thinks someone allied with Joel''s Army is his best possible pick, but he did talk with her for two hours on the phone.

If she''s elected, I wonder how much longer the pill will be legal. (Look up Joel''s Army.)

[meritocrat]

McCainiacs - you get an "A" for blind optimism and an "F" for substance. You%u2019ve been watching Hannity again, who is an idiot, and his audience has proven to be among TV''s most ignorant. This woman - a governor of a state with a whopping 600K citizens that is floating on oil has - in her barely 2 years in office - had to deal with only one crisis...Getting an honest state employee to fire a state trooper because he happened to be divorcing the Governors sister - now that%u2019s great Republican experience - worthy of Monica Goodling - though at least she had a phony law degree! Do you really think McCain would have picked her if she was a man? All the Republican hypocrisy over affirmative action and McCain passes over many more imminently qualified men and women to pick a NRA-loving pro-life, nobody. That%u2019s judgment we can trust (to ruin our country)!
McCainiacs - your knowledge of history - Zilch. Obama has equivalent experience to Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Harry S. Truman, Theodore Roosevelt, shall I continue? I guess this token, unqualified, uneducated, affirmative-action-for-political-expediency McCain-pick does have Biden and Obama on one bit of experience; they%u2019ve never won a swimsuit competition...

[meritocrat]

Wow,
Senator Obama''s great political fortunes return as once again during this election his opponent turns out to be a nincompoop. Senator McCain shows his political prowess is equivalent to that of Allan Keys -remember him, the non-Illinois token minority freak show the Republican Party sent to prevent Obama%u2019s election to the Senate. And now McCain picks a token female to woo disgruntled Clinton supporters, revealing just how stupid and superficial he and other Republicans think those supporters are -somewhere George Carlin is begging to be brought back to life to tell just a few more jokes. Yes, she%u2019s been a governor and mayor of the least-populated state -smaller than most US cities- and a tiny town, -I think they now have a stoplight though -and she%u2019s a moose hunter, a sports reporter and a beauty queen. A lifetime member of the NRA and chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission -Cheney approves. A BS in journalism-communication from Idaho -very prestigious; clearly no other education is required. Fully qualified, you betcha; to ruin Republican chances to keep the Presidency. She makes me yearn for Dan Quayle! Senator Joe Biden vs. Governor Sarah Palin, there%u2019s a wartime VP debate for the century. President-Elect Obama might as well start selecting his Cabinet%u2026Ding-dong, hello Mrs. Bush, I%u2019m Michelle Obama, would you mind if I came in to measure the drapes, thanks.

[wfbdem]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/30/121350/137/486/580223

I know it is a leftwing blog, but he makes one think. COuld this be a coverup?

[im4honesty]

Alaska''s population is roughly equal to the population of Oklahoma City.

[awmahn]

"I would rather lose an election than lose a war."

Hmmm. Is she really the most qualified person that would take over for a man that would be 77 during his first term? I was a Hillary supporter (a regular one, not the nut jobs with the crazy eyes), and I was upset that Obama kept getting so lucky during the primaries. Now, I am ecstatic that he got so lucky. Hail Mary passes work, but not that often.

[dbl06]

Is governor Palin qualified to be Vice-President? Answer, under the law, yes. She is a citizen and of the legal age. Then the question besomes: is she qualified based on Temperment, Accomplishment, and Experience? The answer has to be another question. Compared to whom?