McCain Picks Palin

[jochhejaam]

Feminist has a negative connotation to me. But maybe I am misunderstanding the definition in this case.

As I stated at the beginning of this post, I am very interested to know what this canidate means when she calls herself a feminist.

I think you would approve. FFL, "Feminist's FOR Life", means exactly that, women who are Pro-life.

http://www.feministsforlife.org/FAQ/index.htm

[Mr. Peabody]

Are you parroting some political hacks opinions about the debates, or are you forming these nonsensical conclusions all by yourself?

Intelligent people will judge the outcome of a debate after it's taken place, but regardless of their outcome, VP debates have never been the deciding factor in who takes the White House.

I agree with you that the VP debates don't decide the White House. However, I didn't like the fact that Cheney made Edwards look like a newb four years ago. Did it change the election? No, Kerry would have lost no matter what. But it does help reinforce a narrative if it's already there.

Also, being a policy wonk doesn't guarantee a good showing at the debate. In 2000, Al Gore showed off how much he knew in every debate and still lost. In fact, the mainstream media said that Gore came off as pompous.

It will be an interesting debate to watch.

[whottt]

Pagecount = win? Does this mean the 9/11 truthers win too?


How old is the 9/11 thread? This one is a day old.

[Mr. Peabody]

How old is the 9/11 thread? This one is a day old.

:lol
The majority of the thread is TPark and BuddyHolly going at it.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

This chick is hot. She's a milf. Her T's are big. I'd give her the slippyfist. If McCain wins, dies, and Palin ran for re-election, I'm calling that I vote for her right now due to her hotness alone.
Boioiioioioooioioiiing

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I totally disagree that Romney was a blatantly better choice....you have to realize how much the common christian views a common mormon with disgust. And McCain is aiming for voters in the center....you don't get those with a guy named fucking Mitt that is probably a 12th generation rich guy.
This pick was a curve ball but probably will help him in teh same ball park as any other candidate.

My only question......I thought women were supposed to be smart....so...shouldn't they feel insulted that McCain thinks they're so stupid that they will now vote for him, issues aside, because he picked a hot big tittied running mate? I mean come on.
But then again, my premise was that women are smart..

[AFBlue]

There's alot of intrigue surrounding this pick, but I'm not sure that's a good thing. With McCain hanging pretty steady in the polls and with his message seemingly sticking, I think it is a big risk to go for a relative unknown quantity in Palin.

Positives:

- She's a woman.....a working woman with 5 children (4 at home). This will appeal to many women (republican, democrat, and independant) that hear her story and can identify with her. The whole bit about being a "hockey mom" should help her relate to middle-class voters.

- She's conservative. While being tagged as a "reformer", she is also reportedly a staunch pro-life advocate and a lifetime member of the NRA. Her selection will solidify that portion of the Republican base (which is large!) and add an appeal to voters in rural areas of the country.

- She's young....and attractive. With Obama on the other side, the Republicans needed some energy and a fresh appeal. From all accounts, Palin is a colorful and vibrant personality and could bring that zest that is needed for this campaign.

Negatives:

- She's young....and inexperienced. While I think it would be a mistake for the Obama campaign to get mired in a battle over experience by bringing hers up, it does take a bit of wind out of the sails for McCain's main argument against Obama.

- Is she ready to be President? The chief responsibility of a VP is to be able to step in as President if something should happen to him. While Palin has had more executive experience than Obama, she has never spent time on the national stage and appears to be facing a steep learning curve.

Unfortunately, we don't know enough about her to answer the question...but having it be a question is a negative in and of itself.

- She was picked for strategic reasons and was not deeply vetted. McCain went way outside the box with this one, having only met Palin once before telling her she was it. That kind of information makes it look absolutely transparent that this pick was made specifically for strategic reasons.

Add to that the fact that she wasn't completely vetted and is a relative unknown and you have a HIGH risk factor that something unpleasant will be brought up. Apparently something already has...a report that she in fact was a proponent of the "Bridge to Nowhere" in 2006 but made a specific reference to denouncing the plan in her first major address to the American public. :wow


Bottom Line: Sarah Palin, a small-town "hockey mom" from Alaska, has just been thrust onto the national scene. She now has to prove that she has the grit and intelligence to keep her head above water and help McCain get elected as President.

Should be interesting....

[Nbadan]

hmmmmmm......

http://tizona.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/sarah_palin_02.jpg

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I haven't read this thread through, but saw the title. Palin is an awesome pick. She basically ran against an incumbent, won, threw out all the corrupt fuckers, looked at the budget they had and all the oil money coming in and said 'fuck that, we're spending on shit we don't need' and cut it all. And told the oil companies that we need them, but we don't need them.

Palin's going to own Biden's ass in the VP debate, and this pulls in all the women who were going to vote for Hillary just because she was a woman. I really thought Palin would be on the ticket in 2016 as the Republican presidential candidate, but this is even better.

Mother of all trump cards for McCain, and she's going to bring in a ton of votes for the Republican ticket. Love it.

[Nbadan]

Here we go...

Sarah Palin posed naked?
August 29, 2008 – 5:26 pm


http://officeofstrategicinfluence.com/blog2/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/misswasilla1984.jpg


Today, presidential hopeful John McCain announced his presidential running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin. Besides being ridiculously unqualified to be a vice president, she may have an exceptionally seedy past (pictures below the fold).

In 1984, Palin won the Miss Wasilla contest earlier, then finished second in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant, which won her a scholarship to help pay her way through college. In the Wasilla pageant, she played the flute and also won Miss Congeniality. I’ll be honest, I have no idea what Miss Congeniality means besides a movie I was forced to watch with my first girlfriend.

But what do all beauty pageant winners do after they win, but find out they have no marketable skills? 1) Go to school for Journalism 2) pose naked.

I want to stress these images have NOT been confirmed, and this is just a rumor sent in from a reader. The picture to the right is (mostly) confirmed taken in 1984, of Sarah Palin. I am not sure about the two pictures after the jump at all. Do not take my word for this until you have received more confirmation.

Jabberwonk (http://www.jabberwonk.com/flinker.cfm?cliid=s2f08)

Forum WMD pledge: If there are nude photos of this chick floating around on the internets we'll find em!

[whottt]

Here we go...

Sarah Palin posed naked?
August 29, 2008 – 5:26 pm


http://officeofstrategicinfluence.com/blog2/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/misswasilla1984.jpg



Jabberwonk (http://www.jabberwonk.com/flinker.cfm?cliid=s2f08)

Forum WMD pledge: If there are nude photos of this chick floating around on the internets we'll find em!



Nbadan=integrity

[circ]

http://askpang.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/sabine5.jpg

didn't i see this girl on BookwormBitches

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Please find the nudes, would probably get her ticket more votes :lol

[Mr. Peabody]

didn't i see this girl on BookwormBitches

It's not Sarah Palin. It's the Overstock.com girl. Google Images had the picture mislabeled.

[Mr. Peabody]

Please find the nudes, would probably get her ticket more votes :lol

She's a former beauty queen and wannabe sports reporter. I can almost guarantee you that there are nudes out there.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Wow... what a shock! Dems don't like the pick, Repubs support it... what has changed?? A lot of people are arguing about the effect these VP picks are going to have on the American vote... meanwhile, they haven't even changed a damn thing in this forum. Same people arguing the same tired points from the same tired angles without even the slightest chance of budging.

Face it, %99 of this forum came in to this election with their mind set, and nothing either candidate does, short of changing parties, is ever going to change anybody's vote in here. Rabid partisanship at its most evident...

[whottt]

Wow... what a shock! Dems don't like the pick, Repubs support it... what has changed?? A lot of people are arguing about the effect these VP picks are going to have on the American vote... meanwhile, they haven't even changed a damn thing in this forum. Same people arguing the same tired points from the same tired angles without even the slightest chance of budging.

Face it, %99 of this forum came in to this election with their mind set, and nothing either candidate does, short of changing parties, is ever going to change anybody's vote in here. Rabid partisanship at its most evident...


The people that do the most yapping on internet political forums generally are locked into their beliefs...that's why they post in internet political forums. Not indicative of the voting majority of America...if they were, Kerry would be President.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

The people that do the most yapping on internet political forums generally are locked into their beliefs...that's why they post in internet political forums. Not indicative of the voting majority of America...if they were, Kerry would be President.

I hope you're right, I'd hate to believe the future of a country like the US lies in the hands of people that treat their elections like sports fans. Ex. My fucking country.

[Nbadan]

Dude, your country is riding a one-horse pony.....

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Dude, your country is riding a one-horse pony.....

translation?

[Nbadan]

You have no economy

http://www.grizzlybay.org/SarahPalinVikings.jpg


http://blog.unidot.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/haha_simpsons.jpg

[Nbadan]

So let's review...according to Whott..

Palin is qualified to be commander of the United States Military because she is CIC of the Alaska National Guard (who have been under her direct control exactly...never...in her lengthy term of 18 months). The Alaska Army National Guard has, wait for it, 1850 members and an annual budget of $20 million (about what is spent in Iraq in an hour and a half).

She has deep international diplomacy experience because her state is near Russia (Steve Doocy Fox News). Using that logic, I am a doctor because I live near a hospital.

She has more "executive" experience (due to her expansive experience as governor of Alaska (population 670,000) for 18 months and Mayor of Wasilla (population 8500) for a couple of years, than Obama and Biden...combined.

This is all the Right Wing delusionals have offered in defense of this amazingly inept woman who would be one 72 year old feeble heartbeat away from the most powerful office in the world.

Using their disjointed logic, I would like to offer the republicans some more talking points to defend Mrs. Palin:

Sarah Palin is qualified to manage the Food and Drug Administration because she makes a mean batch of Tollhouse Cookies and has administered Children's Tylenol more times than she can count.

Mrs. Palin can guide the Department of Education with her in Depth PTA experience and skill in coloring in the lines (she was head of a local PTA for several years, more years, in fact than Obama and Biden...combined).

Sarah can greatly improve the efficiency of the Environmental Protection Agency by utilizing skills acquired in "cleaning up" after 5 kids.

She killed a bear when she was only 3.

Governor Palin will be able to balance the bloated federal budget using only coupons and falling prices at local WalMarts for all federal expenditures.

The republicans are lucky to have such a well rounded candidate, Mrs. Palin could easily coach an NBA team with her experience gleaned as Wasilla High School basketball team captain. A position for which Senator Obama has never and could never even qualify.

She will be able to communicate with international leaders, friend or foe, using her BACHELORS DEGREE IN JOURNALISM from the University of Idaho, neither Obama or Biden have a journalism degree from the prestigious U of I.

She will use her knowledge of competition to negotiate complex international trade agreements utilizing wisdom gained in winning Miss Wasilla 1984 and coming in second in the Miss Alaska competition.

Governor Palin will get Bin Laden - In 2007, Palin approved a $150 cash incentive for each Alaskan wolf to be killed by hunters in helicopters. The incentive was called a "bounty" for killing wolves by Alaska Wildlife Alliance Director John Toppenberg. Some people might say: Hey! Is it fair to use aircraft and high powered rifles to shoot defenseless wolves? If she will send people in helicopters with semi-automatic weapons to kill cute furry wolves, imagine what she will do to Bin Laden.

Palin is clearly the most qualified person to ever be nominated for vice president. This bold choice shows that John McCain is not afraid to break from tradition and boldly choose an outsider free from all that disgusting political experience, education and knowledge that the Democrats insist on foisting upon us.

With the choice of Sarah Heath Palin as the republican vice presidential candidate, Americans can rest assured that the second in command will be ready, willing and able to step in and rise to the standard put forth by George W. Bush for the last 8 years.

[Mr. Body]

Nbadan, clearly you're wrong. $20 million wouldn't last 20 minutes in Iraq.

[SnakeBoy]

Democrats have demonstrated that they are very good at under estimating their opponents. Losing twice to GW is clear proof of this fact. Judging from how they are dismissing Palin it looks like they might be doing it yet again. Maybe they should take notice of this quote from an old article on Palin...


"The landscape is littered with the bodies of those who crossed Sarah," says pollster Dave Dittman, who worked for her gubernatorial campaign. It includes Ruedrich, Renkes, Murkowski, gubernatorial contenders John Binkley and Andrew Halcro, the three big oil companies in Alaska, and a section of the Daily News called "Voice of the Times," which was highly critical of Palin and is now defunct.

[efrem1]

Palin is a great tonic for the GOP. She goes against porkers within her own party like Stevens and Young and doesn't take any gruff. Romney had too much baggage like the Health care and Big Dig debacles in Massachusetts and Pawlenty wouldn't light any fires for anybody for McCain to select.

[Mr. Body]

Palin is a great tonic for the GOP. She goes against porkers within her own party like Stevens and Young and doesn't take any gruff. Romney had too much baggage like the Health care and Big Dig debacles in Massachusetts and Pawlenty wouldn't light any fires for anybody for McCain to select.

Yet she grows city and state budgets hugely, which is a plus. The GOP luvs that.

[jochhejaam]

- She's young....and inexperienced. While I think it would be a mistake for the Obama campaign to get mired in a battle over experience by bringing hers up, it does take a bit of wind out of the sails for McCain's main argument against Obama.

True, but the case regarding Obama's inexperience has been in the forefront for so long, that even a total cessation of attacks on that front will not diminish what they were meant to accomplish.

On the other hand, the Obama camp bringing it up serves to accentuate the inexperience of both, and since he's running for the office of President, it would not be in their best interest to do so.

Another Win-Win for the Republicans.

[jochhejaam]

Excerpts for Kelly's column;


McCain's masterstroke
By Jack Kelly - Toledo Blade


I WROTE a column back in June saying Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would be the ideal running mate for Sen. John McCain. But I never thought he'd pick her.

I underestimated him. And Democrats will underestimate "Sarah Barracuda" at their peril.

At 44, Sarah Louise Heath Palin is the youngest governor in Alaska's relatively brief history as a state. She's also the nation's most popular governor, with an approval rating in the 80s.


...she's been a crackerjack governor, a strong fiscal conservative, and a ferocious fighter of corruption, especially in her own party.

Ms. Palin touches other conservative bases, some of which Mr. McCain has been accused of missing. A regular church-goer, she's staunchly pro-life. Her eldest son is a soldier.

Her wholesome family and modest lifestyle contrast with the wealth Mr. McCain married into, and will make it harder for Democrats to portray the GOP ticket as out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans. And it doesn't hurt that Ms. Palin's husband, Todd, a native American, is a commercial fisherman and an oilfield worker.

Ms. Palin is an expert on energy policy, which figures to be the top domestic issue in this election. (She was ethics commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission before resigning in protest over what she alleged were the lack of ethics by fellow Republicans.) Her presence on the ticket raises hopes that Mr. McCain will soften his opposition to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Preserve.

... She took on a corrupt GOP establishment in Alaska and pushed a landmark ethics reform bill through the state legislature. She's as much a maverick as Mr. McCain, though one who elates, rather than irritates, conservatives.

"If McCain has in fact chosen Governor Palin, then count me in with both feet," said radio talk show host Mark Levin (influential Evangelical James Dobson has also now thrown his full support behind McCain), a frequent and often savage critic of Mr. McCain. "Palin is by all accounts a principled conservative and government reformer who can contribute mightily to the decision-making that occurs in the White House."

If elected, Ms. Palin would be the first female vice president in history. This prospect may appeal to some disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters. On the other hand, pro-abortion women might be put off by her pro-life views (they weren't voting GOP anyway).



...it will be difficult for Democrats to attack Ms. Palin on this without calling attention to Barack Obama's lack of experience. Ms. Palin is the undercard, not the top of the ticket. And her 18 months as governor

Whether this is a brilliant choice or a bad risk will depend on how Ms. Palin performs on the campaign trail. But if I were Joe Biden, I'd be worried. A former journalist, Sarah Palin is careful about what she says and says it well, qualities for which Mr. Biden is not renowned. Mr. Obama picked Mr. Biden in part because of his reputed skill as a hatchet man. But if Mr. Biden comes on too hard in the vice presidential debate, he'll look like a bully. And Alaska is littered with the bodies of those who tried to bully Sarah Palin and failed.

What's not in doubt is that Mr. McCain's rollout of his running mate was brilliant. The secret was kept until the last minute, which is remarkable in politics. Speculation about who it would be dominated the morning talk shows yesterday, pushing aside discussion of Mr. Obama's acceptance speech.

Mr. McCain has shown political skills few of us thought he had. I think he's about to take the new kid to school.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080830/COLUMNIST14/808300326/-1/COLUMNIST

[Mr. Body]

Former journalist? She was a sports reporter for two years.

[johnsmith]

Do the Dem's realize how hilarious they sound in the last two days?


"She's not experienced enough"!!!!!





It's so damn cool to hear this so often because they have someone with even less experience that is trying to be the #1 guy and yet that is there main argument. They're convincing themselves not to vote for Obama.:lol

[JoeChalupa]

McCain made this pick after ONE meeting and ONE phone call with Palin. Now that's what I call shooting from the hip.

And of course this topic is much more interesting and debatable than Obama's pic of Biden.

[JoeChalupa]

It'll be interesting to see how the polls shape in the next few days. Gallup is at 49% - Obama and 41% - McCain. This should bring it back to a close race.


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/clintsquint/mccainone.jpg

[Oh, Gee!!]

Wow. Interesting pick, but how can McCain now criticize Obama for being inexperienced...? Two years ago, Palin was mayor of a city that only has 5,000 citizens. It's like picking the mayor of Seguin to be a running mate.

what happened? McCain couldn't find the Governor of Rhode Island?

[florige]

It'll be interesting to see how the polls shape in the next few days. Gallup is at 49% - Obama and 41% - McCain. This should bring it back to a close race.


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/clintsquint/mccainone.jpg




The debates are going to be crucial imo....


Sneaky bastards...:lol But hey what can you say, they are in it to win it.
Let the games begin.....

[xrayzebra]

she doesn't even know what a VP does. (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12969.html)

What does a VP do joe. Beside reside over the Senate and vote when they tie.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Countdown till the photoshopped Palin bukkake pictures to surface...I'm tempted to make one right now. For pleasure purposes.

[Wild Cobra]

She may be a gook pick but as Joe Biden will say..."Governor, I know Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton is a friend of mine and Governor....you're no Hillary Clinton"!!!!!!
I wonder is she would turn around and say "You're right. I have class, intelligence, and beauty. Bill wouldn't be stupid enough to cheat on me!"

[Wild Cobra]

Her being attractive (and yes, she most definitely is) works against Repubs in terms of getting the woman vote IMO. We all know about how women are easily jealous of hot chics.

Well, my 30+ years of experience in the realm around women tells me that it is the insecure ones, who are normally liberal, who feel as you describe. Women who are secure in themselves are more often conservative. They have no jeolosey, since they are secure.



I also think many women would have a tough time accepting that someone like Palin with a very pedestrian resume to date could come out of nowhere and become VP whereas a trailblazer like Hillary is left out in the cold, so to speak.

Really? Hillary is no trailblazer in politics, and would never have been a senator or presidential contender without being married to Bill!



I really don't think Palin helps with the Hillary voters. Many will rightly or wrongly see this pick as patronizing towards them.

I doubt it considering Palin has real accomplisments.



None of this even mentions that when it comes to actual issues that affect women, Palin is about as socially conservative and right-wing as you can get (abortion, guns, etc).

So? The Hillary women who have claimed they would not vote for Obama obviously care more about a woman in high places over the color of her political party!



It's pretty shocking that in a tight race McCain would make such a huge risk.

Nobody I know who shares conservative values with me have made the same assessments you make. We see the polls making a radical turn to the right!



And it's pretty sad that the much more qualified candidate, Mitt Romney, was passed over likely because he's a Mormon. Shameful placating by McCain, but that's the McCain he's becoming since 2000. Romney had some serious economic chops, which is the argument McCain needed to really make to win this election IMO. Palin does little to help in that regard.

Now I agree with you here, to a point. Makes me want to see no more open primaries between parties. The liberals really screwed things up here.

[Wild Cobra]

Do the Dem's realize how hilarious they sound in the last two days?


"She's not experienced enough"!!!!!





It's so damn cool to hear this so often because they have someone with even less experience that is trying to be the #1 guy and yet that is there main argument. They're convincing themselves not to vote for Obama.:lol

I know, it's laughable.

She has more experience than Obama, hands down. Absolutely no comparison.

Won't those campaign ads be great, the liberal words with a picture of Obama!

[Mr. Peabody]

I know, it's laughable.

She has more experience than Obama, hands down. Absolutely no comparison.


Interesting. Let's go through their experience and compare.

Undergraduate Education
Obama - B.A. Political Science (specializing in international relations) Columbia University

Palin - B.A. Journalism University of Idaho

Post-Graduate Education
Obama - J.D. Harvard Law School, magna cum laude

Palin - none

Jobs Prior to Political Career
Obama - Community Organizer, Civil Rights Attorney, Professor of Constitutional Law -University of Chicago

Palin - TV Sports Reporter, Fisherman

Other Notable Non-Political Achievement
Obama - First Black Editor-in-Chief, Harvard Law Review

Palin - 2nd Place, Alaska Beauty Pageant

Initial Political Office
Obama - Illinois State Senate 1997-2004

Palin - PTA, Wasilla City Council 1992-1996 (part-time), Wasilla Mayor 1997-2002

Current Political Office
Obama - United States Senator 2004-present

Palin - Governor of Alaska 2007-present

You're right. It's no comparison.

[Wild Cobra]

Interesting. Let's go through their experience and compare.

Undergraduate Education
Obama - B.A. Political Science (specializing in international relations) Columbia University

Palin - B.A. Journalism University of Idaho

Has nothing to do with experience. That's education. Education is to get you into the job market. From there, it's based on merit, normally.



Post-Graduate Education
Obama - J.D. Harvard Law School, magna cum laude

Palin - none

So?



Jobs Prior to Political Career
Obama - Community Organizer, Civil Rights Attorney, Professor of Constitutional Law -University of Chicago

Palin - TV Sports Reporter, Fisherman

Again, so?



Other Notable Non-Political Achievement
Obama - First Black Editor-in-Chief, Harvard Law Review

Palin - 2nd Place, Alaska Beauty Pageant

They both take hard work. She dis well, he might have oly been a token.



Initial Political Office
Obama - Illinois State Senate 1997-2004

Palin - PTA, Wasilla City Council 1992-1996 (part-time), Wasilla Mayor 1997-2002

5 years more hands-on political experience, with 5 years of it in an executive position.



Current Political Office
Obama - United States Senator 2004-present

Palin - Governor of Alaska 2007-present

What did he accomplish as senator?

You've seen the growing list of Palin's accomplishments, right?

[Mr. Peabody]

Has nothing to do with experience. That's education. Education is to get you into the job market. From there, it's based on merit, normally.


I like how education and jobs mean nothing, but that part-time stint on the Wasilla City Council tells you a lot about her preparedness.:lmao

[Clandestino]

What does everyone think about her enlisted son about to be deployed to Iraq?

[Cant_Be_Faded]

The tpark side of me wants to say "Hopefully he doesn't infect our troops with Down's Syndrome"
the rational side of me says that its a plus to voters who already were going to vote for mccain.

[Wild Cobra]

I like how education and jobs mean nothing, but that part-time stint on the Wasilla City Council tells you a lot about her preparedness.:lmao

That's right. Keep that mind closed. Wouldn't want you to lose any more brain cells.

I've done just fine in life without any college. It's just a little harder to show you have the skill sets. Nothing wrong with a part-time job. If she chose that, that's great. Her husband probably made enough money, she didn't even need that.

City councils can be challenging. Now I don't say that alone qualifies her, but she has a well rounded 'from the bottom up' experience with government.

[Mr. Body]

Lecturer at the University of Chicago and former president of the Harvard Law Review are some seriously first class shit.

[Wild Cobra]

What does everyone think about her enlisted son about to be deployed to Iraq?
It tells me that they teach real American values in their family.

[Wild Cobra]

Lecturer at the University of Chicago and former president of the Harvard Law Review are some seriously first class shit.
To a limited degree, yes. They are authoritarian positions. Just like all good commies like!

[Mr. Body]

It tells me that they teach real American values in their family.

Biden's son is going, too, dumbass. They're just classy enough not to mention it.

[ChumpDumper]

It tells me that they teach real American values in [the Biden] family [too].Oh, ok.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Now that's an old fashioned ChumpDumping. Nice to see you going back to your roots.

[cool hand]

http://themodernsavage.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/sexy-teacher1.jpg

[Wild Cobra]

Oh, ok.
There is still a notable difference.

Biden's son is in the National Guard as a lawyer. Sure, he is being deployed to Iraq, but did he join before or after 9/11? Did he ever expect to go someplace like Iraq? I doubt it...

Palin's son is only 19. No college, but going into an enlisted job... Infantry! He made it a point to reenlist on 9/11/07, the sixth anniversary of 9/11. He was sure to go to Iraq at some point.

My hat's off to Biden's son, but not because of Biden's values to become a lawyer first... I didn't find out how long ago he enlisted, but I'll bet it was before 9/11 rather than after!

Check out this story from last year:

Palin's son leaves
for Army boot camp (http://www.adn.com/iraq/story/220586.html)

[Wild Cobra]

Now that's an old fashioned ChumpDumping. Nice to see you going back to your roots.

I think he's out of practice. He's not fact checking the fine print, and leavig himself open to embarassment.

[cool hand]

and what was before 9/11 persian gulf, somalia, bosnia.

[Mr. Body]

There is still a notable difference.

Biden's son is in the National Guard as a lawyer. Sure, he is being deployed to Iraq, but did he join before or after 9/11? Did he ever expect to go someplace like Iraq? I doubt it...

Palin's son is only 19. No college, but going into an enlisted job... Infantry! He made it a point to reenlist on 9/11/07, the sixth anniversary of 9/11. He was sure to go to Iraq at some point.

My hat's off to Biden's son, but not because of Biden's values to become a lawyer first... I didn't find out how long ago he enlisted, but I'll bet it was before 9/11 rather than after!

You're an utter fool.

[Horn Tooter]

This Palin furber will wear off after a week or two, and the GOP and the rest of America will see what a dumb move this was and will ultimately cost McCain the election.


What I like is Hannity and many other brain washed republicans are so giddy and excited that they will be the first to deny they wanted her it will be to great to start the quoting.

Nbadan will be busy that week.

[AFBlue]

Biden's son is going, too, dumbass. They're just classy enough not to mention it.

They did mention it at the convention.

[Mr. Body]

This Palin furber will wear off after a week or two, and the GOP and the rest of America will see what a dumb move this was and will ultimately cost McCain the election.

It energizes the Evangelicals, who don't like McCain. There was a big enthusiasm gap that will be bridged at least a bit. Turnout is key.

As Palin herself goes, there is little 'there' there. She's smart, personable, and attractive, but despite what the dead-enders say, she is a big vacancy in not just experience, but any interest in the wider world. McCain's campaign has to try to hide her away as much as possible.

[Mr. Peabody]

There is still a notable difference.

Biden's son is in the National Guard as a lawyer. Sure, he is being deployed to Iraq, but did he join before or after 9/11? Did he ever expect to go someplace like Iraq? I doubt it...

Palin's son is only 19. No college, but going into an enlisted job... Infantry! He made it a point to reenlist on 9/11/07, the sixth anniversary of 9/11. He was sure to go to Iraq at some point.

My hat's off to Biden's son, but not because of Biden's values to become a lawyer first... I didn't find out how long ago he enlisted, but I'll bet it was before 9/11 rather than after!


Nice. Way to try to minimize someone's service to the country. And just so you know, you are completely wrong.

Posted: April 29, 2004
IT'S LIEUTENANT BEAU BIDEN

By Celia Cohen
Grapevine Political Writer

Without any public fuss, Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III has been serving in the Delaware Army National Guard since August [Article is from 2004, as noted], when he was commissioned a first lieutenant doing legal work as a judge advocate.

His father was the one who blew his cover. During a speech Saturday evening in Millsboro at the Sussex County Democratic Party's spring dinner, U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. talked about pinning on his son's bars.

Beau Biden has been reporting for the typical weekend a month with the 261st Signal Brigade, based in Smyrna, and expects to spend about three weeks for his annual training this June in Virginia with the JAG (Judge Advocate General) officers basic school, he said Thursday during a telephone interview.

Unlike enlisted personnel who sign up for six years, the tour of duty that comes with a commission is open-ended, according to Francis D. Vavala, the adjutant general in charge of the Delaware National Guard.

"When you're appointed as an officer, it's really a lifetime commitment. He's a great American. It's something he didn't have to do," Vavala said. The general swore in Biden in a ceremony shown by clicking here.

[Mr. Body]

Nice. Way to try to minimize someone's service to the country. And just so you know, you are completely wrong.

Republican supporters talk a big game, but when it comes to supoprting the troops, they go AWOL. No material support, no veterans benefits when they're done, not to mention the senseless wars they blindly follow.

[Ignignokt]

Nice. Way to try to minimize someone's service to the country. And just so you know, you are completely wrong. So you thought Pres bush's national guard pilot service was heroic, and you didn't minimalize it during 2004... yeah ok.

[Ignignokt]

Republican supporters talk a big game, but when it comes to supoprting the troops, they go AWOL. No material support, no veterans benefits when they're done, not to mention the senseless wars they blindly follow.

Democrats only pretend to care about troop benefits during a time of war, and not peace, and they always seem to bring it up during the budget. Infact Democrats cut military spending across the board in the 90's.

[Mr. Body]

Democrats only pretend to care about troop benefits during a time of war, and not peace, and they always seem to bring it up during the budget. Infact Democrats cut military spending across the board in the 90's.

Troops are the same as boondoggle cash assignments to contractor cronies? I did not know that...

Or... maybe this is where you fools go wrong and are dropping this country lower and lower.

Go read Eisenhower's Farewell Address, chum.

[Mr. Peabody]

So you thought Pres bush's national guard pilot service was heroic, and you didn't minimalize it during 2004... yeah ok.

Nope, I didn't think it was heroic. But, quite honestly, I didn't even think about it until the GOP started attacking Kerry's service.

Whose service is Beau Biden attacking?

[Mr. Body]

So you thought Pres bush's national guard pilot service was heroic, and you didn't minimalize it during 2004... yeah ok.

Still widely considered a nepotistic joke. Ran away from real service. Cheney got 5 deferrments. Fucking chickenhawks.

[Del Griffith]

It energizes the Evangelicals, who don't like McCain. There was a big enthusiasm gap that will be bridged at least a bit. Turnout is key.

As Palin herself goes, there is little 'there' there. She's smart, personable, and attractive, but despite what the dead-enders say, she is a big vacancy in not just experience, but any interest in the wider world. McCain's campaign has to try to hide her away as much as possible.


If McCain gets sick or passes away,watch how fast this nation panics with her in charge.

The good thing about all this it really doesn't matter who McCain picks he won't be the next President.

[ChumpDumper]

:lmao Leave it to Mild Cobra to shit on someone's military service.

Why do you hate our servicemen?

[efrem1]

My friend Peter Hitchens said this in the UK Daily Mail, spot on!!

Watch as the ultra-feminist sisterhood back away in horror from Sarah Palin, John McCain’s new running mate.

Mrs Palin is technically female, but she’s enthusiastically married, hates abortion and thinks criminals should not be the only people allowed to own guns. She’s everything Hillary Clinton isn’t. In short, she’s the wrong kind of woman.

Which just goes to show that ultra-feminists are not actually interested in promoting women because they’re women. They pretend they are, but really their agenda is a campaign against marriage, in favour of abortion and for every other disastrous liberal and socialist cause that ever existed.

In which case, they really can’t go on pretending that their opponents are women-hating bigots. Not least because they are the bigots – merciless when it comes to a choice between their own convenience and the life of an unborn baby.

[xrayzebra]

The tpark side of me wants to say "Hopefully he doesn't infect our troops with Down's Syndrome"
the rational side of me says that its a plus to voters who already were going to vote for mccain.


What a stupid post.:wow

[Mr. Body]

My friend Peter Hitchens said this in the UK Daily Mail, spot on!!

Watch as the ultra-feminist sisterhood back away in horror from Sarah Palin, John McCain’s new running mate.

Mrs Palin is technically female, but she’s enthusiastically married, hates abortion and thinks criminals should not be the only people allowed to own guns. She’s everything Hillary Clinton isn’t. In short, she’s the wrong kind of woman.

Which just goes to show that ultra-feminists are not actually interested in promoting women because they’re women. They pretend they are, but really their agenda is a campaign against marriage, in favour of abortion and for every other disastrous liberal and socialist cause that ever existed.

In which case, they really can’t go on pretending that their opponents are women-hating bigots. Not least because they are the bigots – merciless when it comes to a choice between their own convenience and the life of an unborn baby.

That's a mouthful of stupid.

[xrayzebra]

If McCain gets sick or passes away,watch how fast this nation panics with her in charge.

The good thing about all this it really doesn't matter who McCain picks he won't be the next President.


Why would I panic. She seems like a level headed, intelligent lady.

Of course I could say that The Messiah appears to me as stupid neighborhood rabble rouser, and also shows his female side.

[Ya Vez]

as stated before..

So I guess VP's don't have staffs and advisor's on everything from national security to domestic issues... besides she is not at the top of the ticket, and people are acting like Mccain is going to croak or something within his presidency.. the experience argument is a mute point as far as I am concerned... you see Presidents and VP's have staffs and advisor's no matter the party affiliation.. And I rather have a VP doing on the job training rather than the president... IMHO

[ChumpDumper]

So the experience argument is moot and off the table for both sides.

Ok.

[Mr. Body]

McCain can 'sit at the knee' of one of the masters of executive experience and learn a lot from this woman.

[Ya Vez]

Sarah Palin made a good first impression.

A new Rasmussen Reports poll finds 53% now have a favorable opinion of Palin:

Palin earns positive reviews from 78% of Republicans, 26% of Democrats and 63% of unaffiliated voters.

By way of comparison, on the day he was selected as Barack Obama’s running mate, Delaware Senator Joseph Biden was viewed favorably by 43% of voters.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/palin_makes_good_first_impression_is_viewed_more_f avorably_than_biden

something is wrong with MSM...

[Mr. Body]

Favorability ratings are different in this poll than 'electability' numbers. People like her, but 'right choice'/'more likely to vote McCain' and most especially 'is she ready to be prez' numbers were much lower.

What's most important is Women surveyed, where Palin is -23 points in 'is she ready to be president'. Men like the Palin pick more than Women so far. We'll see once she makes her case; Biden's numbers went up during the convention.

[Mr. Body]

http://www.jplt.com/~jake/pics/beautycontest.jpg

[ChumpDumper]

Sarah Palin made a good first impression.

A new Rasmussen Reports poll finds 53% now have a favorable opinion of Palin:

Palin earns positive reviews from 78% of Republicans, 26% of Democrats and 63% of unaffiliated voters.

By way of comparison, on the day he was selected as Barack Obama’s running mate, Delaware Senator Joseph Biden was viewed favorably by 43% of voters.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/palin_makes_good_first_impression_is_viewed_more_f avorably_than_biden

something is wrong with MSM...

67% of voters didn’t know enough about the Alaska governor to have an opinion

Something is wrong with your repeatedly missing that.

[Wild Cobra]

:lmao Leave it to Mild Cobra to shit on someone's military service.

Why do you hate our servicemen?

I didn't shit on his service. Being a lawyer in JAG,. Knowing you have that position when you join, isn't the same as volenteering as an infantryman. There is no comparison to the level of risk you can face.

I questioned a point, and I did say "my hat's off to him!" It's good to see he joined in 2004. It would have been nice if Mr. Peabody linked the aticle:

http://www.delawaregrapevine.com/beau%20f1.jpg (http://www.delawaregrapevine.com/april04stories/4-04%20lt%20beau.asp)

Here's the last few paragraphs:


"It's a different kind of law than most people practice. You get an opportunity to help a lot of kids," Gebelein said.

There is no predicting whether Biden himself would be sent to a war zone. It could happen but probably will not. "The odds are much better now than it used to be. I'm not saying it's real likely," Gebelein said.

The truth of the matter is, as Dallas Winslow put it, there is not much use for a lawyer where the shots are being fired. "There's no great demand for attorneys. They'd rather not take the attorneys with them," he quipped.

Whatever happens, it happens. "If I go, I go. You know when you sign up," Biden said.

[Mr. Body]

You were comparing terms of service to score cheap political points.

[Mr. Peabody]

as stated before..

So I guess VP's don't have staffs and advisor's on everything from national security to domestic issues... besides she is not at the top of the ticket, and people are acting like Mccain is going to croak or something within his presidency.. the experience argument is a mute point as far as I am concerned... you see Presidents and VP's have staffs and advisor's no matter the party affiliation.. And I rather have a VP doing on the job training rather than the president... IMHO

The National Review, the most widely read conservative/Republican magazine disagrees with you.



Link (http://frum.nationalreview.com/)

4) Okay, maybe she is less prepared than I'd ideally prefer. But how are Obama's qualifications any better?

Let me start with point 4.

I (and most NRO readers) will vote against Barack Obama because I oppose his ideas. He is (at best) an old-line Walter Mondale taxer, spender, and regulator possibly still under the influence (at worst) of the radical alienation from America preached in his church and expressed in his own early writings. I'd vote against a candidate like this even if he had previously served as CEO of Google, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Governor of California, with a Nobel prize on top of it all.

That said: Can we conservatives please stop kidding ourselves about Barack Obama's "qualifications"? Yes, if I had been a Democratic donor back in 2006, I'd sure worry about whether Barack Obama had what it took to be president. That was before he took on the toughest political operation in America, before he beat Bill and Hillary Clinton, before he won 18 million primary votes.

Obama's nomination was not handed to him. He fought hard for it and won against the odds. "Qualifications" predict achievement. Once you have achieved, it doesn't matter what your qualifications are. Who cares whether the guy who built a big company from nothing didn't have much of a resume when he started? But if you are applying to run a big company built by somebody else, the resume matters ...

The worst mistake in any fight is to under-estimate your opponent's abilities. Look what happened to the people who under-estimated Reagan. If conservatives are to have any hope in the coming weeks, we should wake up to the fact that we face in Barack Obama a formidable man, who appeals to something important and deep in the American electorate. He's not a superman, he has vulnerabilities, he can be beaten. But he won't be beaten until we who are trying to beat him understand why and how he has come so far ...

. . . .
Likewise, had Sarah Palin decided in 2005 to run for president in 2008 - had she spent 3 years mastering the issues and explaining her views in public statements - had she one by one recruited leading experts on economic and defense issues to her cause and privately explored the issues of the day with them - then her current background would not be disqualifying. Indeed it would resemble that of many successful presidents.

None of those things happened. She was plucked by John McCain because of an electoral calculus. She could be vice president of the United States in January 2009 - and president at any moment thereafter, abruptly thrust in supreme command of two wars in two different countries. And who knows how she'll do? She does not know what she would do. Yes she might turn out to be a Harry Truman. Or she might be an Andrew Johnson. Wouldn't you wish for some hint in advance of which it might be?
....

But does her selection look more like a"an intensely political choice" than a "governing choice"? It sure does. And could that exact a cost? I fear it will, and I fear that cost may be very large.

McCain's case in this election rests above all on the claim that he's something more than a typical Republican and a typical politician. He's the man who puts country first - not party, not his own career. He is the man who is summoning Americans to something greater than their self-interest. And if that's the guy he is ... he has to be that guy all the time.

[Mr. Peabody]

I didn't shit on his service. Being a lawyer in JAG,. Knowing you have that position when you join, isn't the same as volenteering as an infantryman. There is no comparison to the level of risk you can face.



So when he says "If I go, I go, You know when you sign up," that still means that he joined because he didn't think he would have to go? Is that what you're saying? His dad is the Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee. You don't think his dad would have told him that there was a decent chance of him going?

[Wild Cobra]

You were comparing terms of service to score cheap political points.
I keep forgetting how a libtard's mind works. Thank-You for reminding me!

[PixelPusher]

Likewise, had Sarah Palin decided in 2005 to run for president in 2008 - had she spent 3 years mastering the issues and explaining her views in public statements - had she one by one recruited leading experts on economic and defense issues to her cause and privately explored the issues of the day with them - then her current background would not be disqualifying. Indeed it would resemble that of many successful presidents.

But she got to sign and veto bills! That's the only really important executive experience that counts!

[Mr. Body]

I keep forgetting how a libtard's mind works. Thank-You for reminding me!

I respect everyone who serves for this country, no matter what party they belong to.

[PixelPusher]

I respect everyone who serves for this country, no matter what party they belong to.

Does this mean that if soldiers voiced opinions you disagreed with, and then they were killed in combat shortly thereafter, you wouldn't infer that their deaths were the result of karma?

[Wild Cobra]

The National Review, the most widely read conservative/Republican magazine disagrees with you.
This may be true, I don't know. I don't subscribe to it.

However, such a magazine likely prints several differing views among conservative. Not all conservatives agree. It makes for good mind candy and learning.

Thatnks for the link. The full link makes more sense than your clips and highlights.

[Mr. Body]

Does this mean that if soldiers voiced opinions you disagreed with, and then they were killed in combat shortly thereafter, you wouldn't infer that their deaths were the result of karma?

Of course not. What crazy person does that?

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I want to insert my fist into her slippy.

[PixelPusher]

Of course not. What crazy person does that?

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77558&highlight=Kharma

fwiw, I don't think Wild Cobra is "crazy", I just think he needs to break out of his right wing radio cocoon a live a little.

[Mr. Body]

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77558&highlight=Kharma

fwiw, I don't think Wild Cobra is "crazy", I just think he needs to break out of his right wing radio cocoon a live a little.

Crazy or not, he looks like a giant asshole.

[Wild Cobra]

Crazy or not, he looks like a giant asshole.

No.

I just cannot stand stupidity and incompetance.

I'll give you this. I am an ass to those who deserve it.

[Wild Cobra]

fwiw, I don't think Wild Cobra is "crazy", I just think he needs to break out of his right wing radio cocoon a live a little.

It could be said that living in one of the most liberal cities in the USA can drive one crazy.

I see idiotic stuff daily here from libtards here in the Capitol of the North Left Coast! If I didn't vent here from time to time, I would go crazy!

[ChumpDumper]

I didn't shit on his service. Being a lawyer in JAG,. Knowing you have that position when you join, isn't the same as volenteering as an infantryman. There is no comparison to the level of risk you can face.

I questioned a point, and I did say "my hat's off to him!" It's good to see he joined in 2004. It would have been nice if Mr. Peabody linked the aticle:



Here's the last few paragraphs:It was nice of you to shit on him for not joining after 9/11 and being completely wrong about it.

I forgot how your stupid mind works.

Quit hating our servicemen. It's disgusting.

[Wild Cobra]

It was nice of you to shit on him for not joining after 9/11 and being completely wrong about it.

I forgot how your stupid mind works.

Quit hating our servicemen. It's disgusting.
So, by your logic, when I rate someone as good, and abother person as better, I'm shiiting on the good one?

OK, I understand. Thanks for teaching me more libtard logic.

What would you have said if I really did say something bad about Beau?

[Wild Cobra]

For those of you who say she came from nowhere, that's not true at all. Look at revisions of her wiki entry last year, and you will see otherwise. Here is one of the older links to be found, February 2007:

Draft Sarah Palin for Vice President (http://palinforvp.blogspot.com/2007/02/palin-on-issues.html)

The others I tried are bad links now and I'm out of time. Gotta go.

[Del Griffith]

It was nice of you to shit on him for not joining after 9/11 and being completely wrong about it.

I forgot how your stupid mind works.

Quit hating our servicemen. It's disgusting.

Many service men and women died on 9/11 that you shit on every day you when you defend Bush and don't seek the truth.

pot meet kettle.

[j-6]

Deadspin found a clip of Palin from her sportscasting days...

Bza63nnqiKA

http://deadspin.com/5043889/sweet-lincolns-mullet-the-sarah-palin-sportscast-video-is-here

[AFBlue]

67% of voters didn’t know enough about the Alaska governor to have an opinion

Something is wrong with your repeatedly missing that.

They have two months of saturated media coverage to get to know her and form their opinion on someone who is on the bottom of the ticket.

[boutons_]

Even Alaska GOP and Alaska major newspapers, local Palin-watchers, say Palin is not ready for VP, are dumbfounded.

Palin says more about McBefuddled's decision-making (no secret, his handlers say he wanted Lieberman, which would have pissed off Repug hard-right). McSenile had met her only once.

Palin is another Harriet Miers.

[ChumpDumper]

Many service men and women died on 9/11 that you shit on every day you when you defend Bush and don't seek the truth.

pot meet kettle.What do you think really happened on 9/11?

[ChumpDumper]

They have two months of saturated media coverage to get to know her and form their opinion on someone who is on the bottom of the ticket.And? The point is nobody knows her now, so polls declaring opinion about her are lame.

[ChumpDumper]

So, by your logic, when I rate someone as good, and abother person as better, I'm shiiting on the good one?They are serving, that's all that matters.

I never said you sucked because you weren't on the front lines of any one conflict.

But you do suck.

[Nbadan]

"The MSM keeps mentioning her high approval ratings, but they aren't explaining the reason"...

Two reasons...

(1) She replaced an extremely corrupt governor with a 14% approval rating and (2) ... the BIGGEST REASON.. she lucked out and oil prices went through the roof -- SKYROCKETED --- after she took office.

Without so much as lifting a finger, the state went from a deficit of $475 million to over a $4 billion budget surplus and it's still growing strong. Oil money in Alaska = fat dividend checks to residents. Fat dividend checks = happy residents. (Every resident is handed a check each October from windfall profits)

The exact amount of this year's check is still unknown, but is expected to be well over $2,100.00 per person, with an added "fuel hardship check" of $1200.00 thrown in.

After the "trooper-gate" scandal, she smartly moved the date of the two fat paychecks a month ahead. So in approximately two weeks, every resident in the state will receive a minimum... MINIMUM.. of $3,300.00 each. (Residents will learn the exact amount of the dividend check in a week or so)

And speaking of oil... What do you think many Alaskans think will be used as the Republican's Rovian tactic to win this election?

[Mr. Body]

1. Alaska faces no problems. None.

2. It's the greatest welfare state in the nation. Of all the states receiving more pork/earmarks and handouts than taxes they pay (almost all are Red States), Alaska receives the most.

[Wild Cobra]

But I do suck.

Yes, I can tell.

I keep wondering how long you are going to give The Invisible Man head...

[boutons_]

"the point is nobody knows her now"

Harriet Meirs II is known in Alaska.

[Mr. Peabody]

:lmao


Here is Palin's response to a candidate questionnaire for the Alaska 2006 gubernatorial race:

Are you offended by the phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance? Why or why not?

SP: Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance

Link (http://eagleforumalaska.blogspot.com/2006/07/2006-gubernatorial-candidate.html)


The Pledge of Allegiance wasn't written by the Founding Fathers. It wasn't written until 1892 and the phrase "Under God" wasn't added until 1951.

:lmao

[Mr. Body]

:lmao



The Pledge of Allegiance wasn't written by the Founding Fathers. It wasn't written until 1892 and the phrase "Under God" wasn't added until 1951.

:lmao

Ouch.

[jochhejaam]

Good read;

Sarah Palin: conservatives find the girl of their dreams

The Alaskan governor’s family life and political views press the right’s buttons
By Sarah Baxter

When Sarah Palin stepped into the spotlight as John McCain’s running mate in Dayton, Ohio, and promised that women could “shatter that glass ceiling once and for all”, it was an electrifying moment in a presidential election that had already produced its share of upsets and surprises.

History was on the march again the morning after Barack Obama became the first African-American to accept his party’s White House nomination. After the fireworks, the 80,000-strong crowd who had cheered Obama to the skies at the Mile High stadium in Denver woke up with a hangover.

“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.”

With her beehive hairdo and retro specs, Palin, 44, has a “naughty librarian vibe”, according to Craig Ferguson, the Scottish comedian who stars on late-night US television. However, the selection of Palin, the governor of Alaska and a mother of five, as the first female Republican vice-presidential nominee is no joke for the Democrats.

Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio chat show host, exulted, “We’re the ones with a babe on the ticket” — one, moreover, with a reputation as a tax-cutter and corruption buster in her job as the first woman governor of Alaska.

Palin’s selection on the eve of the Republican convention in St Paul, Minnesota, has set the stage for an epic battle for the votes of women, African-Americans, evangelical Christians and the young. The demographic wars that dominated the contest between Obama and Hillary Clinton are now set to be replicated in the national election.

Will America fall in love with Palin or will she fizzle, like Dan Quayle, the vice-president to George Bush Sr who could not spell “potatoe”? Can she help McCain to defeat Obama, a modern political phenomenon, who drew a record-shattering television audience of nearly 40m — more than the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing — to watch his convention speech?

“Good Lord, we had barely 12 hours of Democrat optimism,” said Paglia. “It was a stunningly timed piece of PR by the Republicans.”

Whether Palin’s selection is more than a political stunt depends on how she handles the electoral pressure cooker. With the election in November, there is no time for on-the-job training. Karl Rove, Bush’s former aide, offered a guarded welcome to the “gun-packing, hockey-playing” governor, sayhing: “We’ll get a taste in the next five days of how well she does in the 62 days that follow.”

After Obama’s acceptance speech was wiped from the front pages, even he was forced to acknowledge that she “seems like a compelling person . . . with a terrific personal story”. Republicans are hailing their potential new vice-president as the all-American girl of their dreams.

Palin is gunning for the 18m(illion) women who voted for Hillary Clinton — a third of whom have not made up their mind to back Obama, according to the latest polls. McCain specifically deployed the language of feminism and civil rights when announcing her candidacy. “She stands up for what’s right and she doesn’t let anyone tell her to sit down,” he said.

Palin’s parents learnt that she had been selected by McCain while they were heading for a remote camp in Alaska to hunt caribou. “I was speechless,” her father said. The skin of a grizzly bear that he shot drapes the sofa in her office.

The more Republicans examined Palin’s record, the more they liked it, although some are fearful of buyer’s remorse. She was born in the conservative heartland of Idaho before moving to Alaska as a baby. At school she was nicknamed Sarah Barracuda on the basketball court because she was so competitive and she led the prayers before each game.

She was a “hockey mom” who cut her teeth at the parent-teacher association before becoming mayor of Wasilla, a suburb of Anchorage with a population under 7,000. In 2006 she beat the corrupt male establishment in Alaska to win the governorship. She opposes same-sex marriage, but one of her first acts in office was to veto a bill blocking health benefits for gay lovers of public employees.

She hunts, ice-fishes and is a crack shot who knows how to fire an M16 rifle. “I was raised in a family where gender was not going to be an issue,” she said. “The girls did what the boys did. Apparently in Alaska that’s quite commonplace.” No softy, she sued to stop the federal government making polar bears an endangered species and favours drilling for oil in the Arctic wildlife refuge. However, she also levied a windfall tax on oil companies.

Palin was glamorous enough to have entered beauty contests to earn money for college. She was crowned Miss Wasilla in her home town and was runner-up in the 1984 Miss Alaska contest. “They made us line up in bathing suits and turn our backs so the male judges could look at our butts. I couldn’t believe it,” she told Vogue, more amused than outraged.

Counterbalancing McCain’s reputation as a political dinosaur, Palin smoked pot when it was legal in Alaska, admitting, “I can’t claim a Bill Clinton and say I never inhaled”, and her children, Track, 19, Bristol, 17, Willow, 13, Piper, 7, and Trig, four months, have hippie-sounding names. Track, who joined the US infantry in September last year, is about to be deployed to Iraq. “It has really opened my eyes to international events and how war impacts everyday Americans like us,” she said.

On stage in Ohio, the Palin family looked every bit as photogenic as the Obamas on their big night in Denver. Todd, her rugged husband, is part Yupik Eskimo and is four-time champion of the 2,000-mile Iron Dog snowmobile race. If that is not macho enough, he is a member of the steelworkers’ union and a seasonal oil production operator for BP, from which he earned $93,000 last year. He also helps to run the family’s commercial fishing business. They eloped in 1988 to avoid the cost of a wedding. “We had a bad fishing year so we didn’t have any money,” he said.

Like his wife, he is able to swap the traditional roles. “My husband loves being a dad as much as I love being a mom,” Palin said. “I’ve got great help there.”

She needs it. They “wanted enough kids for a basketball team”, she once said, but Trig was born this year with Down’s syndrome. Palin knew there were complications while she was pregnant but never considered an abortion. When he was born, she said, “I’m looking at him right now and I see perfection. Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking: in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?” Undaunted, she held a meeting as governor three days after giving birth. “I just put down the BlackBerrys and pick up the breast pump,” she said of her life as a working mother.

Left-wing websites such as the Daily Kos are leading the chorus of disapproval for now. “Having had two children at home at the age of four months, I know how much help they need even without unfortunate medical conditions,” said one tut-tutter.

Republican women, however, are delighted by Palin’s example. Kellyanne Conway, 41, a Republican pollster and mother of three, said, “I really feel mother knows best without the peanut gallery giving unsolicited advice. She strongly conveys to women today that you don’t have to choose between a successful career and motherhood. You do have to make sacrifices, but you can have it all.”

Evangelical Christians could turn out in droves for Palin, a member of Feminists for Life who opposes abortion even in cases of rape or incest, if she maintains her promise.

Deborah Fikes, a board member of the National Association of Evangelicals, said: “I would just trust that the child is not neglected in any way. There are millions of women who work. Why is it that the father cannot provide the same standard of care? There has been an evolving view of working women even in conservative Christian circles.”

Fikes said Palin was an inspiring choice: “I didn’t think the Republicans would pick a female candidate for another decade, but John McCain is not a typical conservative leader.”

Other conservative women have pointed out that Palin was a much more effective counterweight to the super-competent and glamorous Michelle Obama than Cindy McCain, wife of the Republican candidate.

Cindy, a beer industry heiress who bought the seven homes that McCain cannot remember and once said the only way to travel around her home state of Arizona was by private plane, was under fire last week from her own half-sister. She said she was voting for Obama after Cindy had repeatedly claimed to be an “only child” and never expressed regret that her father had ignored her half-sister in his will.

In fact, even though the Clinton aides could barely conceal their satisfaction when she was chosen, the woman who Palin upstages most of all is Hillary. If Obama wins the election, Hillary will have to wait until 2016 to stand again. And if he loses, Palin will be first in line to become America’s first woman president.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article4641030.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797093

[Mr. Body]

Windfall taxes are a big no-no for Repubs.

[PixelPusher]

Good read;

{snip}

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article4641030.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797093

I love British op-eds on American politics. They really get whats going on the same way Jackie Chan's "Rumble in the Bronx" really gets what gangs in Brooklyn are all about.

[whottt]

It was funny when all the Brits started writing Ohioans to not vote for Bush in 04...

[Mr. Body]

It was funny when all the Brits started writing Ohioans to not vote for Bush in 04...

That was pretty stupid.

[efrem1]

:lmao



The Pledge of Allegiance wasn't written by the Founding Fathers. It wasn't written until 1892 and the phrase "Under God" wasn't added until 1951.

:lmao

Just like you liberals used the lame "wall of separation" argument. When Jefferson wrote that letter to the Danbury baptists, three states had state churches including Connecticut. The first amendment only applied to Congress and not the states so don't go around accusing conservatives of not knowing their history.

[Mr. Peabody]

Just like you liberals used the lame "wall of separation" argument. When Jefferson wrote that letter to the Danbury baptists, three states had state churches. The first amendment only applied to Congress and not the states so don't go around accusing conservatives of not knowing their history.

WTF are you talking about? The discussion was about the Pledge of Allegiance. WTF does Jefferson have to do with that? Are you jumping on the Pledge being written by the Founding Fathers bandwagon as well? :bang

[efrem1]

WTF are you talking about? The discussion was about the Pledge of Allegiance. WTF does Jefferson have to do with that? Are you jumping on the Pledge being written by the Founding Fathers bandwagon as well? :bang

Just as Palin was wrong about the origin of the pledge, you liberals are wrong about the nature of the church during the early years of our republic and that both statements are ficticious.

[Mr. Peabody]

Just as Palin was wrong about the origin of the pledge, you liberals are wrong about the nature of the church during the early years of our republic and that both statements are ficticious.

Please show me where I said anything "about the nature of the church during the early years of our republic" in this thread or this entire forum.

Why don't you just have an argument with your damn straw man...:rolleyes

[efrem1]

Please show me where I said anything "about the nature of the church during the early years of our republic" in this thread or this entire forum.

Why don't you just have an argument with your damn straw man...:rolleyes

Well, I was just pointing out that although Palin had limited knowledge of the pledge, emminent democrats parrot the "wall of separation" smack with no knowledge of that history also. Maybe since Biden wants Iraq partitioned, I think I can stoke the confederate fires and argue for sucession from the liberal US :lol

[boutons_]

This radical-right bimbo has lots of history. Here she admits to Beck that Iraq is for oil:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/31/palin-iraq-is-a-war-for-oil/

Here she is laughing as nasty shock jock trashes a Palin rival as a cancer and fat-ass.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/31/palin-laughs-as-opponent_n_122776.html

You stay classy, Sarah! :lol

[01.20.09]

McCain didn't think things over very well.

http://www.hoffmania.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/29/2gue0d0dh7.jpg

[Mr. Peabody]

Maybe since Biden wants Iraq partitioned, I think I can stoke the confederate fires and argue for sucession from the liberal US :lol

Again, let me know when Biden runs for second in command of Iraq so I can call him out on this.

[boutons_]

"The Anchorage Daily News at the time reported the strange events: (via Nexis)

Mayor Sarah Palin sent the resignation requests Thursday to Police Chief Irl Stambaugh, public works director Jack Felton, finance director Duane Dvorak and Mary Ellen Emmons, the head of libraries. A fifth director — John Cooper, who oversaw the city museum — resigned earlier this month after Palin eliminated his position.
Cooper initially resisted resigning, but to no avail. Palin also later fired (http://www.washingtonindependent.com/3671/the-reform-candidate) the police chief, saying she knew in her “heart” that he did not support her. She left the head of libraries a letter saying she was out — though Palin later decided to spare (http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/510219.html) the librarian after being convinced that she would tow the line."


one nasty, ignorant, classless bitch


http://www.washingtonindependent.com/3767/palin-involved-in-ousting-scandals-from-the-start


WC, Anchorage Daily is lying, right?


In a podunk berg of 9,000 people, the mayor purges the entire fucking management? Typical small person with megalomania.

[Wild Cobra]

"The Anchorage Daily News at the time reported the strange events: (via Nexis)

Mayor Sarah Palin sent the resignation requests Thursday to Police Chief Irl Stambaugh, public works director Jack Felton, finance director Duane Dvorak and Mary Ellen Emmons, the head of libraries. A fifth director — John Cooper, who oversaw the city museum — resigned earlier this month after Palin eliminated his position.
Cooper initially resisted resigning, but to no avail. Palin also later fired (http://www.washingtonindependent.com/3671/the-reform-candidate) the police chief, saying she knew in her “heart” that he did not support her. She left the head of libraries a letter saying she was out — though Palin later decided to spare (http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/510219.html) the librarian after being convinced that she would tow the line."


one nasty, ignorant, classless bitch


http://www.washingtonindependent.com/3767/palin-involved-in-ousting-scandals-from-the-start


WC, Anchorage Daily is lying, right?


In a podunk berg of 9,000 people, the mayor purges the entire fucking management? Typical small person with megalomania.

Will you ever stop wasting our time with this useless tripe?

Palin's actions were right after taking office. The article does not give enough facts around the case.

As the new executive of the city, she is within her right to change her cabinet as she sees fit. These people were loyal to the previous administration. Any new executive cleans house of anyone that cannot be trusted. Deserved or not.

As for the police chief:

JUDGE BACKS CHIEF'S FIRING ( http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AS&p_theme=as&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F793D42B8AA7008&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM):



Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin says she didn't fire Police Chief Irl Stambaugh three years ago because he supported her election opponent John Stein. But even if it was the reason, she was within her rights to give the police chief the boot, a federal judge ruled. The police chief serves at the discretion of the mayor, and can be terminated for nearly any reason, even a political one, U.S. District Court Judge James K. Singleton ruled in dismissing most of Stambaugh's claims

[Steve Perry]

This Palin furber will wear off after a week or two, and the GOP and the rest of America will see what a dumb move this was and will ultimately cost McCain the election.


What I like is Hannity and many other brain washed republicans are so giddy and excited that they will be the first to deny they wanted her it will be to great to start the quoting.

Nbadan will be busy that week.


Week two is coming up you may be right!

[mouse]

How many conservatives will be pissed he didn't pick Romney?

Ask the same question today see the birth of the flip flopper.

[Horn Tooter]

This Palin furber will wear off after a week or two, and the GOP and the rest of America will see what a dumb move this was and will ultimately cost McCain the election.


What I like is Hannity and many other brain washed republicans are so giddy and excited that they will be the first to deny they wanted her it will be to great to start the quoting.

Nbadan will be busy that week.


Only I saw it coming!

[Cartman]

Just read this whole topic I can now see why the Palin supporters are now avoiding the politics forum. :lmao

[MannyIsGod]

Too bad Palin isn't running for President, I might have voted for her.

As it is, I fail to see how someone my dad's age is going to lead us in a new direction.

:lol

[MannyIsGod]

I haven't read this thread through, but saw the title. Palin is an awesome pick. She basically ran against an incumbent, won, threw out all the corrupt fuckers, looked at the budget they had and all the oil money coming in and said 'fuck that, we're spending on shit we don't need' and cut it all. And told the oil companies that we need them, but we don't need them.

Palin's going to own Biden's ass in the VP debate, and this pulls in all the women who were going to vote for Hillary just because she was a woman. I really thought Palin would be on the ticket in 2016 as the Republican presidential candidate, but this is even better.

Mother of all trump cards for McCain, and she's going to bring in a ton of votes for the Republican ticket. Love it.

:lmao

[MannyIsGod]

This Palin furber will wear off after a week or two, and the GOP and the rest of America will see what a dumb move this was and will ultimately cost McCain the election.


What I like is Hannity and many other brain washed republicans are so giddy and excited that they will be the first to deny they wanted her it will be to great to start the quoting.

Nbadan will be busy that week.

Damn, you deserve some horn tooting.

[MannyIsGod]

It energizes the Evangelicals, who don't like McCain. There was a big enthusiasm gap that will be bridged at least a bit. Turnout is key.

As Palin herself goes, there is little 'there' there. She's smart, personable, and attractive, but despite what the dead-enders say, she is a big vacancy in not just experience, but any interest in the wider world. McCain's campaign has to try to hide her away as much as possible.

Another good call. Damn, this must be the smartest post by Mr. Body...ever.

[JoeChalupa]

These were not that hard to call.