Sarah Palin is McCain’s Vice Presidential Pick…and also Supermom?

J - NYU says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20087:01 am 

Snarktastic, don't you see? McCain was all up in Obama's ass about his lack of experience, and then he picks Palin???

McCain is the freaking kettle. Or pot.

…or just a hypocrite.

Lauren, University o says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20087:05 am 

Thank you, J. ANd my point was that McCain is like 2,000 years old. What happens if he kicks the bucket and we are left with an inexperienced VP running the country?

Lisa says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20087:18 am 

Lauren,

McCain hasn't died yet!!!! Obama has as much experience in foreign policy as Palin!!! If you are worried about foriegn policy experience then you must be voting for McCain. That would be my deduction from your comments, or you are just an irrational liberal.

ashley marie says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20087:19 am 

This shows right here that McCain does not know how to make good decisions. He decideds to pick someone inexperienced when instead he could've chosen from plenty other female senators who were more qualified than Palin. If he's elected our country will be worse off than it already is under Bush-Cheney. Obama definitley has my vote on Nov. 4th!

ashley marie says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20087:20 am 

*meant to say decided.

Casey says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20087:30 am 

So you're saying a mother can't run the country? How far does that set us back in the fight for feminism? This is just a ridiculous post. 1. McCain is not THAT old, he's not going to suddenly die out of nowhere. 2. If this woman has just as much experience as Obama, and McCain has more than Obama, than wouldn't it be more logical to vote for McCain? How can you bash a VP candidate that has just as much experience as the Democratic presidential candidate? That is just stupid, way to make a point.

Lauren, University o says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20087:44 am 

I think what she is saying is THIS woman isn't right. Not that all mothers aren't right. McCain chose Palin because he needed something to rival the first black presidential candidate. She is a pawn in his game and I hope it comes back to bite him in teh ass.

Trina says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20087:46 am 

Casey – THANK YOU.

So now Mom's have no ability to manage anything but dirty diapers and soccer practice…ok…A little less less Gossip Girls and a little more CNN. You can be an inexperienced VP, but an inexperienced President is not going to be pretty.

lisa says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20088:02 am 

Ashley Marie,

Obama is a FIRST TERM U.S.SENATOR. She is a governor who has much more responsibility than any state senator. By the way, she currantly has an 80% approval rating. She must be doing something right.

ashley marie says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20088:10 am 

Lisa,

Yea, that 80% approval is where? Just in Alaska? And I'm sure she is a great governor in Alaska, but we are talking about the entire US if she becomes VP. She's only been a governor for 2 years, it's not like she's been a governor or senator for 10 years or more, like some of the other women that McCain could have chosen. I'd rather have Obama as president than someone who's only been a governor for 2 years. Look at Bush, he was a governor and look what a mess he's made. I definitely don't want to take a chance on McCain and Palin and be in another 4 years of turmoil.

heather says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20088:54 am 

yeah 2 years as governor definitly cannot compare to being a senator. im not saying moms cant do stuff, but i am saying her resume does not leave a big impression on me.

i think this is just mccains (poor) attempt to try and swing former hillary voters like me to vote republican, which is not going to happen. i dont know if you guys saw the commercials, but hes been airing these ones in my area with some woman thats like "i voted for hillary…. and now im voting for mccain!" and then he picks a woman. coincidence? i think not.

you still dont get my vote mccain.

David says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20089:05 am 

Sarah "Miss Congeniality" Palin is a laughable pick if experience is the measure.

Less than two years as governor of one of the least populated states in the country. No prior state-wide or national experience. Parlayed her captaincy of her high school basketball team into becoming a part-time mayor of a tiny hamlet (pop. 5500), where her greatest accomplishment was raising taxes. Andy of Mayberry had more experience.

Her judgment may be excellent, who knows? She may be a wonderful person, despite her lock-step adherence to the far-right agenda. But her level of experience makes Obama look like FDR in comparison.

By picking Miss Congeniality, McCain has tacitly admitted that Obama has more than enough experience to be commander-in-chief. Game, set and match to Obama on the issue of having the qualifications to be commander-in-chief.

Moreover, McCain has again shown what a seat-of-the-pants risky person he is. Rolling the dice, John, just like you did with Iraq? Or did you look into her soul, just like Dubya did with Putin?

Or maybe, McCain's grown tired of "trollope" Cindy and he's ready to trade her in for the excitement of a younger model, like he did once before in abandoning his first wife while she was trying to recover from a car crash. Nothing like having a beauty queen on one arm and an heiress on the other!

anon says:
Fri, 29th Aug 200810:03 am 

Read her record. It's short and unimpressive.

For starters, she's repeatedly denied that climate change exists, and joined up with the oil groups to remove Polar Bears from the endangered species list.

She's joining a ticket that will likely do its best to set back reproductive rights 50 years. Futhermore McCain doesn't even back equal pay for women and Palin has done nothing to indicate that she feels otherwise.

No one is saying a mother can't run the country. But don't even try to argue she's a step forward for feminism. More like 2 steps backwards.

Lauren, University of Michigan says:
Fri, 29th Aug 200811:21 am 

Um. McCain is going to die in like 6 days and then THIS woman will be running the country? With no foreign policy experience at all?

McCain, I get that you were trying to rival the “first black presidential candidate” but you really missed the mark on this one.

Marisa - high school senior says:
Fri, 29th Aug 200811:28 am 

I cheered this decision. McCain’s campaign is so screwed!

snarktastic says:
Fri, 29th Aug 200811:44 am 

Hey Lauren – “no foreign policy experience at all?” WTF? That’s EXACTLY what everyone says is the problem with Obama. Hi pot? Kettle. Besides, she doesn’t need any foreign policy experience, Mac has enough for next 5 presidents.

Palin’s awesome: ethics overhaul, climate change strategy, low income assistance. ON TOP of having 5 kids. She probably has a few nannies, but no harm in that. She’s amazing. Props to Mac for looking beyond the $$ Romney could offer.

Jess says:
Fri, 29th Aug 200810:51 am 

My dad and I were discussing about this and think it's a pretty good choice. If McCain is so called the third term of Bush, and Bush has a 30% approval rating overall, why is it that McCain and Obama are still tied? Obama should be doing a lot better especially with the convention, but he's only gone up a couple points.

Anyway, I like her because she is far away from the White House, so she's not one of those mindless political drones. I like that she has her own definite opinions. She's anti-killing babies and that's fine by me.

Besides, if John McCain does die we'll have a lady president. I think that'd be cool no matter what

J - NYU says:
Fri, 29th Aug 200810:57 am 

I'm not calling Palin out for being a mom. She's gonna be a SUPERMOM. I'm just saying it's sure to be difficult.

The fact that she's vehemently pro-life, and eager to lead with a man who's repeatedly voted to make it difficult for women to make as much money as men in the workforce is what freaks out my liberal mindset.

CommonSense says:
Fri, 29th Aug 200811:20 am 

Palin is also currently under an ethics investigation in Alaska, did McCain not think to check that out first? Old man's gone senile!

Cecca says:
Fri, 29th Aug 200811:21 am 

I just get a snicker out of the fact that Palin's a member of "Feminists for Life." Feminist my ass.

kww says:
Fri, 29th Aug 200811:51 am 

What part of she is "Pro-life" don't you understand?…feminists all of a sudden have been blinded by a vagina…get real she is not for your cause…she is very conservative. She is right of McCain by a long shot…3 years younger than Obama and a BA in CMU from Idaho( compared to Obama's gold plated Harvard crendentials) , 2 years as Govenor…sheesh…Having a nanny raise her kids so she can "run the country is crap" her priority should be to her family she can run later when they grow up…she should have turned it down…wow she has an elephant sized ego to match her party affiliation's mascot. Hillary is not happy I imagine and is hell bent on seeing that Palin does not get in office which could potentially screw up her future run for prez…haha the Hill-Billy attack machine will send her home crying to mama!

ashley marie says:
Fri, 29th Aug 200812:53 pm 

How is Obama as inexperienced as Palin? He has served as a senator in congress and knows more about policies than she does. It has nothing to do with her being a mom and I do think she is a hardworking woman, but it all has to do with the fact that she know nothing about policy and congress. Atleast Obama has been a senator and has that experience.

Elizabeth Ann says:
Fri, 29th Aug 200812:59 pm 

You do realize that she only has one child in diapers, and if her 19 old son is grabbing at her pantsuit at the end of the day to be breastfed ~ Well then, we have a completely different issue on our hands!!

thestorysofar says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20082:37 pm 

Ok, honestly I know very little about this woman, so I will say that, but still, I hope this is a joke… dont call her out because she’s a mom. That’s as silly as saying McCain or Obama would be bad candidates because they have children.

Profem says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20082:53 pm 

I've read all the posts on Governor Palin. My first thought is: "I guess college students aren't taught nowadays to try to get the facts or to even care about getting at the truth before making judgments, forming opinions, or drawing conclusions." It's a little hard to believe that very many of them know much about critical thinking or have at least some idea what that term means.

kww says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20084:00 pm 

Profem you can say what you want it is the college kids future the you oldsters are screwing with and with all due respect I for one am going to do everything in my bloody power to stop you from screw it up some more…Obama/Biden '08 and beyond!

Tamara says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20084:28 pm 

"Hey Lauren – “no foreign policy experience at all?” WTF? That’s EXACTLY what everyone says is the problem with Obama. Hi pot? Kettle. Besides, she doesn’t need any foreign policy experience, Mac has enough for next 5 presidents."

Obama has never sat as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, but he had enough sense to oppose the Iraq War from the start. He warned that the real fight was in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He stated that we needed a timetable for withdrawal in Iraq. He said that we needed to talk to our enemies instead of just plugging our ears and saying "lalalalalala!" And guess what? This inexperienced "empty suit" is now practically the chief advisor for the Bush administration that is now co-opting every single one of his ideas.

Don't even try the "inexperience" line. The only thing McCain has more experience in is making mistakes. All those years in the senate, all those years of living and breathing and observing and learning, and he's still so wrong on so many things.

Casey says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20085:59 pm 

ashley marie, if you're main cncern is how much experience someone has then you should be voting for McCain cause Obama doesn't have much. You can't make that part of your argument when your presidential candidate doesn't have much more than the republican VP candidate. Sheesh!

And anon, did you read the article? It may have been a joke but that was the basis of the article, that she's a mom and can't do a good job because of it.

Jessica says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20086:33 pm 

Why can't anyone try to look at his decision from a non-biased viewpoint? Given, it is near impossible to be non-partisan, but analyzing Obama's and McCain's VP choices from a distance reveals their motives were nearly identical. Each candidate choice qualifications that they themselves lacked. Furthermore, their VP choices mimicked their opponents characteristics.

McCain's VP: young, "inexperienced", history-making (1st woman in White House)

Hmm . . . that sort of sounds like Obama- omit woman for African American

Obama's VP: typical WASP, older, Washington dinosaur

Hmm . . . that sort of sounds like McCain

If anything, it would appear that both Obama and McCain are excellent strategizers.

Not that I'm a McCain fan, but, seriously, why can't anyone actually think? Being biased and failing to examine the both sides of the story completely defeats the purpose of a democracy and only further encourages bi-partisan politics, which, if you know anything about today's government, haven't served us well.

ashley marie says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20086:43 pm 

casey,

First of all, I was comparing Obama's experience to Palin's, not McCain's, because I was replying to what someone else had said earlier. And second of all, I can make that apart of my argument because Obama does have an edge over her; he is a senator and she is a governor. There's the state and then you have the congress.

I'd pick Obama any day before McCain because I would never trust someone who is basically a Bush clone. He is just using this woman to get Hilary voters to vote for him. I mean let's be for real, if he got elected he would just do whatever he wanted and would more than likely make it worse off than Bush has already done.

But to each his/her own, if you want another 4 years of basically Bush all over again then ok, cheers for you! =]

george gomez says:
Fri, 29th Aug 20089:46 pm 

I’ll bet my $1000 to $100 Mccain will win because of this very good and well thought decision…….ANY BETS?…..AND OWWW….i AM AN AVID FAN OF HILLARY CLINTON…..It really pains me to see her bleed although not shown physically….but I bled for her and the women of this country…The PEOPLE of Alaska are not stupid to elect her as Governor if she is not capable of doing the job! Just face it people …. the idea that PALINMANIA will change OBAMAMANIA is hard to swallow…..RIGHT?

Bethany says:
Sat, 30th Aug 20081:38 am 

Sarah Palin is a pro-life “feminist”, anti gay rights, supports drilling in the ANWR, and is lacking in the foreign policy department. She is also going to a heartbeat away from the Presidency if McCain wins. I hope that Biden tears her to shreds in the debates.

Dael says:
Sat, 30th Aug 20083:01 am 

I think it’s a terrible choice; however, I’m not surprised. There are press releases that spout how great it is that Palin was back at work, as Governor, the day after delivering her youngest child… but, that child is severely disabled! As a special ed. teacher, I’m appalled that she is leaving her youngest child, an infant with special needs, to a nanny to raise while she romps around the country to become VP. VP is not a ‘job’ it is your entire life. Having the income to hire a household staff is not the same as being a ‘working mom;’ it is simply managing a business. In addition, she is under investigation for an Ethics violation (abuse of power); she was for the “Bridge to Nowhere,” in a 2006 interview; then when it became a political liability she flip-flopped over to voice opposition for the project, and she owns three houses, but doesn’t apparently count two of them as they’re only vacation homes… whose the elitist? No wonder McCain likes her – it’s someone just like him. I look at her and see “Handmaid’s Tale”

Jessica says:
Sat, 30th Aug 20083:40 am 

Steph- that's exactly what I'm talking about. You're looking at this from a non-partisan viewpoint. Obama and McCain are playing the same game, and they're using the same strategies.

If all of you Obama supporters (me included) claim to want a new breed of politics, stop playing the same dirty, ignorant game of politics that's been played for so many years. If you want change, stop sounding like an attack ad on tv!

Steph says:
Sat, 30th Aug 20085:56 am 

“I mean, you got the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean, and a nice looking guy. I mean, that’s a story book, man.”

“I’ve had a great relationship with them. In Delaware, the largest growth population is Indian Americans–moving from India. You cannot got to a 7-11 or a Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent..I’m not joking”

From none other than Joe Biden. If a Republican said those things you people would be in an uproar but apparently no one seems to care. You’re all calling Palin a “feminist” in quotes…I didn’t realize it was our job to decide who was and was not a feminist. Nancy Pelosi has 5 children and has been in politics since the early 80′s but no one seems to care about that either.

Lisa says:
Sat, 30th Aug 20085:01 am 

Ashley Marie

I am so sorry you do not understand the difference between a US Senator and A State Governor. In this great country, our Presidental position mirrors our state governorship structure. The head of state as well as the head of our country hold much more responsiblity for daily, weekly and yearly decision's. It would be like being the Chairman of the Board (governor)and a board member (Senator). I hope this very simplistic and brief explanation helps you make a more informed decision. It is hard for me to think a first term us senator who began campaigning for his presidency after 183 days in senate who hasn't chaired any committees is more experienced then a 580 day state governor. Bad arguement on you part. Please try and understand the structure of our government better

Cecca says:
Sat, 30th Aug 20081:30 pm 

@ Steph

That’s ’cause Pelosi doesn’t think all women need to make the same reproductive choices she did.

ashley marie says:
Sat, 30th Aug 20081:56 pm 

Lisa,

I understand what you are saying, but the point is, this woman has only served as governor for 1.5 years on a STATE LEVEL. There’s a difference between running a state and an ENTIRE COUNTRY. There’s more responsibilities. She knows NOTHING about policies or anything, and with the presidential debates coming up soon, she will look foolish trying to debate Biden who knows way much more than she does about national policies.

I know Obama is a first term senator but at least he knows something. She has no other experience expect what she’s done in Alaska.

Actually here’s something I got in an email about her from moveon.org:

We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here’s a sample:

She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. —Rose M., Fairbanks, AK

She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She’s a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. —Christine B., Denali Park, AK

As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. —Karen L., Anchorage, AK

Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position.—Sherry C., Anchorage, AK

She’s vehemently anti-choice and doesn’t care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. —Marina L., Juneau, AK

I think she’s far too inexperienced to be in this position. I’m all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn’t done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain’s part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he’ll get our vote by putting “A Woman” in that position.—Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK

So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She’s a global warming denier who shares John McCain’s commitment to Big Oil. And she’s dramatically inexperienced.

In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he’s made a very dangerous decision for our country.

This is what people from Alaska said about her. And they would obviously know more about her than anyone else outside of Alaska. I’m sorry but I’m not taking that chance!

Obama 08!

Cecca says:
Sat, 30th Aug 20081:24 pm 

Casey:

Many of John McCain's financial backers required that the president have a physical and to see his medical contact list before they would put money up for him. When even the people supporting him financially don't trust his health, then yes, we need to be taking a very close look at his Vice President. And Obama has much more experience than Palin; though Obama has never drafted any foreign policy legislation, his experience in the Senate far trumps her experience as Alaskan governor. Several of the judgement calls he's made (timetable for withdrawal, etc.) are ones the Bush administration are now admitting would have been the right calls for them to make. As to Palin's time in office v. Obama's? If we're taking into account her mayorship as well as her 20 months as governor, then we should also take into account Obama's time in the state senate, you know, since we're weighing all public offices equally.

People are bringing up Palin's experience because McCain has spent this entire campaign process impugning Obama's, so for him to choose a woman with *less* experience than Barack Obama to be a heartbeat (or in this case, a heart stop) away from the presidency is hypocritical at best. Considering the whole PUMA debacle and America's political environment of a cult of personality rather than any serious thought about policy, this appointment smacks of pandering to the middle under the assumption that choosing a woman is going to snow people so they don't look at her extreme right-wing ideology (she wants to teach creationism in public schools, for crying out loud!). McCain met Palin *once* before her appointment. He's putting a skirt on his ticket to make himself look better to moderates, that's all there is to it.

Amanda says:
Sat, 30th Aug 20083:32 pm 

Moveon.org is an extremely liberal website..so do you honestly think their members would have anything but negative things to say about Palin?

Palin is a VP candidate..while Obama, who seriously lacks experience as well is running for PRESIDENT. There’s a difference. Running a state, even if it is a less populated state like Alaska still gives a person a lot of responsibility.

And if we’re talking foreign policy experience, where is Obama’s?

Casey says:
Sat, 30th Aug 20085:03 pm 

Ashley marie, Why are you comparing Obama to Palin? They are running for different things! You’re comparing a vice presidential candidate to a presidential candidate, you are putting her down saying we can’t have her running our country when she isn’t, she’s second in line, she has pretty much the same experience as Obama who is first in line (So IF McCain were to die, which is highly unlikely in 4 years, I don’t even know why this is an issue, then we wold have a president that knows just as much as the democratic presidential nominee, why is that an issue?). Why are you worrying so much about her experience and not about Obama’s? Obama is the one that will be running the country, not her. Like I said, if your main concern is experience, then you should be voting McCain. Otherwise, find a new argument against Palin, because yours doesn’t hold up.

ashley marie says:
Sat, 30th Aug 20087:02 pm 

Thank you Cecca! Finally someone who knows what they are talking about!

Casey,

Like Cecca said, people are bringing up Palin's inexperience because if McCain got sick or something or if something happened, then she would have no experience to run this country. And I wouldn't trust her (and I'm sure plenty other people agree) to make the decisions for millions of people. Then again I wouldn't trust McCain either, which explains some of the reason why I'm voting Obama-Biden 08!

Casey says:
Sun, 31st Aug 200812:23 pm 

Then it shouldn't matter who you vote for, because you're either voting for inexperience Obama or inexperienced Palin, so who really gives a shit.

Howard says:
Tue, 2nd Sep 200810:24 am 

Obama's twisted logic that merely running for office provides him with the qualifications, experience and credentials to perform in that office, is as laughable as his twisted logic that a whirlwind 9 day, six country, overseas photo op qualifies him as an expert on foreign policy. Obama is an empty suit who is obviously trying to create the illusion that he is something that he is not. If its a choice between an experienced mayor and Governor, with an approval rating of 80% for V.P. versus. a community organizer, and junior senator, who spent most of his time in office running for President … I choose Palin. No Wright, no Farrakahn, no Ayers, no Rezko, no mean Michelle, NOBAMA

P.S. It's also hunorous how the media is now asking McCain if he vetted Palin, when the media totally dropped the ball in vetting Obama … that's why we found out after the fact about Wright, Rezko, Ayers, and the rest of the nut jobs closely associated with Obama.