I Heart John McCain

Amen, Farris.

So when the Republicans lose the White House and more seats in Congress will you stand by “John McCain has saved the GOP today”?

Watch out … there’s a scandal in Alaska that may have her name on it. I don’t know what kind of legs it has.

Let’s just say that hell hath no fury and so on.

“She defeated the corrupt Murkouski.”

But can she narfle the Garthok?

Don’t forget DeLay in that mix, Chris.

It’s an interesting pick.

On the plus side, it certainly gives the ticket a little youth and energy, and of course puts a woman in the mix.

On the downside, I think given McCain’s age, there is a desire for a VP that is ready to serve in case he, ya know, dies or has a stroke, etc… She doesn’t fit that bill.

But very very interesting.

I guess McCain’s lack of experience argument against the Dem ticket goes out the window.

This is a crazy pick. McCain could of picked Ridge, Romney, Hutchinson, Newt…….all very qualified!

Biden will clean her clock on foreign policy debate which the above mentioned could of stood toe to toe. The Hillary supporters flocking to McCain will look at this pick as an insult in my opinion. BTW the exit polls showed Hillary supporters for McCain thought he was pro choice. And this takes the best attack on Obama off the table experience.

I do not get it!

I think it’s a great pick that will energize us Republican soccer mom women-folk.

John Konop: “McCain could of picked Ridge, Romney, Hutchinson, Newt…….all very qualified!” I think you mean “could have”.

Apparently ChrisHard likes hardcore lesbians as running (and other types of) mates.

It seems the Obama Dem talking points are to equate her with Dan Quayle - Kos, HuffPo, Salazar, and numerous others have all repeated the same thing on all of the blogs and interviews. Is this all they had on her? She’s Dan Quayle?

Executive experience IS executive experience. You can also very easily run a small city into the ground or keep it prospering depending on your leadership. While Alaska may have a small population, the issues dealing with land use, industry and the environment are huge issues in AK.

Also, Bill Clinton was the Executive of a small state as well and you Dems put him in the White House.

Obama and McCain both lack executive experience. Joe Biden has sat in the Senate since he was 30. He has been there since 3 years before I was born. He may have held a few hearings, but knowledge of foreign affairs and conducting foreign affairs are two vastly different things.

With the possible exception of McCain dropping dead on Jan. 21, 2009, Palin will have at least a few years of gaining experience in DC.

The self-described “Hockey Mom” who put her foot down as Governor to stop the $400 million “Bridge to Nowhere” is a brilliant pick for McCain and represents the real future of the GOP.

I’ll pick anyone who can juggle kids, a career, and put together a sled dog team over either Barak the bodysurfer or Joe Biden’s 30+ year Washington career.

She’s not experienced enough to be Quayle.

Quayle served in Congress for 12 years before being picked for VP (House, 1976 - 1980 and Senate, 1980-1988).

To paraphrase a great American “she’s no Dan Quayle.”

I hear people talk about executive experience being a qualification for a presidential candidate. Can someone define what that is?

Cobb you clearly know nothing about Biden’s history serving in the Senate and caring for his infant children after their mother died in a terrible car accident if you make a statement like that.

I guess someone who is much closer and more in touch with average America is still somehow less qualified than someone from Hyde Park and 4 years of DC experience.

Dem arguments are so contradictory. First we needed a DC outsider. We needed executive experience. We need someone who is in touch with middle America. We need someone who fights corruption and big business. Now suddenly someone who brings all of that is bad and unqualified. What was good last month is suddenly just not fit for even the VP spot.

chrishardcore,

But Biden is smarter than all of us. He has three degrees, and had a full academic scholarship, finishing at the top of his class.

As a life long, Repub, lately disenfranchised, but no less fiscally conservative Repub, I say enuff about Romney, already.

The Mormon aspect aside (that would be a reason FOR me to vote FOR him, they are usually pretty stable and industrious folk) the guy just cannot waffle that much in one political career.

Early Romney or later Romney, two completely different people, and that is an issue to me.

I’m very happy. Pawlenty did not settle that great with me, but Palin does. A Reformer and true Conservative. And with her NRA rating, perhaps the chatter about Barr getting the NRA endorsement shall end.

Has anyone realized, GOPeach is yet to weigh in?

The whole thing is funny. Mr. Change Obama goes and picks the ultimate Washington insider Biden, who represents no change, and McCain, critical of Obama’s experience picks Palin.

Both the Presidential candidates seemed to offset themselves.

I will say if you’re just going to compare raw experience as qualifications for President, I’d take someone with 2 years of executive experience in a Governor’s mansion over someone with 4 years experience in a legislative body. Especially if the legislator has essentially been running for President since day one and probably couldn’t even tell you were the Capital bathrooms are located.

At least in recent history, the American public seems to agree that those with executive experience are better qualified to be President than those with legislative experience.

How many state planes/helicopters did Roy Barnes park, Bobby?

From my research on the issue, none, as they were frequently used by Taylor and Barnes.

Woo Hoo! Did you all hear her speak?! My whole house is ecstatic with this pick. Get this -as governor, she got rid of that perk the previous administation had and got rid of that personal jet. A member of the NRA! Loves to hunt and fish.. Now that’s a woman I can relate to.

tb,

Did you notice she spoke WITHOUT a tele-prompter? She rocks!

Limbaugh loves Palin and is ripping O’bama a new one.

I just saw a clip of Gov Palin shooting what appeared to be an M-16 on full auto. You have to love a woman who can effectively squeeze off 3 round bursts AND cut wasteful spending.

I jazzed!

From John Oxendine:

Senator John McCain has made an outstanding choice in Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. Governor Palin is strong for America and will be strong in Georgia and the South. Her strong pro-life principles will be well received across Georgia. More then that, her common sense approach to the energy crisis and her support for drilling for oil is what America needs. Governor Palin is a lifetime member of the NRA and strong supporter of free market capitalism.

By picking a strong conservative, Senator McCain has ensured that Georgia will deliver its electoral votes for the Republican ticket. Georgia conservatives are very excited to welcome Governor Palin to our state; we are fired up to win Georgia for the McCain-Palin ticket.

Wreck — It was an M4. But an M4 is just a cut down M16, so close enough.

Palin was the safest “risky choice”, executive experience, strong woman. I really thought McCain was going to pick a northerner to help in PA so Im a bit suprised but it is a good pick. I’m a goldwater/ron paul republican and im ok with the choice and it appears from the people I’ve talked to that the social conservatives are ok with it as well.
I’d love to have seen Danforth or Lieberman. I’m glad it’s not Romney.

I must say I disagree with Farris.

If anything, McCain has shown that the only thing that the GOP cares about is trying to win elections.

Obama was spot on last night. The GOP does not get it.

I will leave it at that.

She is a brilliant choice and I applaud McCain and his team! To quote the dem at lunch - McCain will win! What? An Obama supporter saying that McCain wins with this choice?!?! And no, he wasn’t being sarcastic.

Say what you will, but McCain is going to the White House for 4 years!

Doug

And one more thing I have said on multiple occasions I though his smartest pick would have been Ridge or Paul. Ridge because of Pennsylvania being a key state and Paul to target fiscal conservatives like me.

John,

Space case and those idiots at the Dem convention are a tiny fraction of what comprise real word people. You actually think that delegates to a convention or political junkies posting on web sites in any way resemble ordinary people?

The kooks in Denver are the distilled spirits of various themes supported by the voters at large. McCain does not want them, he wants part of that 18 million, plus the 30 million of the voters out there that does not make up their mind by looking at the r or d before pulling the lever.

Palin has taken on the bad folks in her party, McCain has been very critical of the very same people that you have been critical of. He is not my favorite candidate, but my favorite candidates have about a 0% chance between them of winning a nomination. That is what independents are looking for.

And it is the independent voter that determines the winner every time.

I still find it humorous that Dems are calling her inexperienced. Her as VP brings more to the table than Obama as Pres. She represents middle class America, she appeals to Joe Sixpack, she’s a successful female with executive experience in local and state government. She relates to the hunting and fishing crowd. She’s a union member. She has the photogenic family. She’s fought corruption and wasteful spending. She’s smalltown America.

Last night we heard about Obama’s middle America roots. Palin is far more representative to middle America than Obama could dream of. She is far more in touch with middle America than career DC politician Biden and professor Obama.

I just think it’s hillarious that what Obama is, Dems are throwing at Palin. Using the line inexperience a heartbeat away from the White House is laughable when inexperience IN the White House is what Obama brings.

Biden can always count on his lobbyist son or brother to give him a job. Of course him leaving cuts off their access to the trough though.

“Sarah Palin because she’s a creationist who can shoot and fillet moose. If I’m an Obama strategist, I’m feeling good today.”

Andisheh, don’t know if you saw Obama’s video last night, but there weren’t a whole lot of green tea sipping liberal types on it. Most of the pictures were of white, WWII generation, swing voters.

Obama made fun of those salt-of-the-earth types when raising money in San Fran and has been back-tracking ever since.

They’ve already got your gang on your board, this election is about those swing voters: hard working miners, factory workers, and farmers from states like Ohio and Penn.; who like to hunt and go to church on Sundays.

Doug

Anyone can see McCain has been playing the Hillary card with his advertising dollars. Why do you think he is dong it? I am not arguing policy I am just pointing out what the polls say. And this pick goes against McCain’s strategy of going after Hillary supporters. I think he made the pick thinking it would help, but my only point is I think it will backfire.

And I think you were right on the other thread that the abortion issue weighted to hard will hurt the GOP. And I think the McCain of old would of made a maverick move and picked the most qualified person regardless of social issues.

John,

I would have to disagree with you there. There have been a lot of conservatives pushing for Palin as someone fresh and new for a while now. I have been suggesting her as a potential running mate for several months now, the perfect candidate, but too much of a dark horse to really get the nod…too far off the radar out there in Alaska.

After this bold move coupled with his Saddleback Church appearance, he has earned the full trust of the bulk of the Conservative base.

P.G.

You need to read the “progressive blogs”. That is one of the big points they are making. How dare she leave a 4 month old baby to campaign? Basically same ol’ same ol’. Changing core beliefs to fit the desired outcome.

John K,

If by qualified you mean those empty suits that ran for the GOP nomination, no thanks. No one worth my vote ran for President in either party, but McCain represents the best and only hope. Palin on the other hand has a number of libertarian leanings (the right kind) and actually fights against corruption. If you actually cared about those issues, you wanted be wasting your time on a kook like Barr.

Doug,

Do you believe the self-proclaimed Christian Right would criticize a female, liberal, Democratic candidate if she didn’t dedicate the majority of her time to taking care of her four month old disabled child? Or would they give her a free pass because they respect her to make the right decisons for her family? I think the family values types would be all over her. I don’t know what’s going on at other blogs, but pointing out the hypocracy of the other side is fair game, and just who is changing “core beliefs to fit the outcome,” Doug? Can you say, “family values conservatives?”

It’s funny that the ones who are complaining about this are the liberals. That must mean it’s the right pick. Biden wasn’t the highest approved selection by Obama because of Hilary, but the Republicans don’t seem to have that problem.

“Andisheh, don’t know if you saw Obama’s video last night, but there weren’t a whole lot of green tea sipping liberal types on it.”

You’re right. Obama’s video did not include Republican caricatures of Democrats.

I suspect McCain’s bio video will not include rebel flags and shotgun racks either.

I must say, these bitter fringe/Paulista conservatives are really starting to get on my nerves. They are worse than the Hillary whiners. You lost. And you bash Gov. Palin, who is, by her record, exactly what you should want. She has cut unnecessary spending items in the state budget, grounded state helicopters/planes to save money, and worked against the GOP machine and wasteful pork spending. Alaska is a libertarian-leaning state, and she represents that well. Guess what, no candidate with a shot at actually being President will fit your preferences completely, and since you folks only make up, maybe 5% of the national vote, you will never see a serious presidential contender in the mold of Ron Paul or Chuck Baldwin. You are living a fantasy. And sadly, you actually have a chance to push forward a VP candidate who can take on the mantle of the Republican party and who matches, for the most part, your values. But nope, you go on talking about people who will NEVER be president or real leaders, like Paul, Barr, and Baldwin.

Three Jack

Read this and tell my how picking Sarah Palin helps McCain with Hillary supporters?

More Hillary supporters going for McCain

Sixty-six percent of Clinton supporters, registered Democrats who want Clinton as the nominee, are now backing Obama. That’s down from 75 percent in the end of June. Twenty-seven percent of them now say they’ll support McCain, up from 16 percent in late June.

“The number of Clinton Democrats who say they would vote for McCain has gone up 11 points since June, enough to account for most although not all of the support McCain has gained in that time,” says Holland.

http://rightwingsparkle.blogspot.com/2008/08/more-hillary-supporters-going-for.html

McCain Ad Appeals to Clinton Supporters

FROM WSJ

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/08/25/mccain-ad-appeals-to-clinton-supporters/?mod=googlenews_wsj

The Christian right is energized and ready to deliver. A gruop of us knocked on 300+ doors 2nite. Sarah Palin came from us and we will not let her down….

FYI

FROM NRO

Palin

The longer I think about it, the less well this selection sits with me. And I increasingly doubt that it will prove good politics. The Palin choice looks cynical. The wires are showing.

John McCain wanted a woman: good.

He wanted to keep conservatives and pro-lifers happy: naturally.

He wanted someone who looked young and dynamic: smart.

And he discovered that he could not reconcile all these imperatives with the stated goal of finding a running mate qualified to assume the duties of the presidency “on day one.”

Sarah Palin may well have concealed inner reservoirs of greatness. I hope so! But I’d guess that John McCain does not have a much better sense of who she is, what she believes, and the extent of her abilities than my enthusiastic friends over at the Corner. It’s a wild gamble, undertaken by our oldest ever first-time candidate for president in hopes of changing the board of this election campaign. Maybe it will work. But maybe (and at least as likely) it will reinforce a theme that I’d be pounding home if I were the Obama campaign: that it’s John McCain for all his white hair who represents the risky choice, while it is Barack Obama who offers cautious, steady, predictable governance.

Here’s I fear the worst harm that may be done by this selection. The McCain campaign’s slogan is “country first.” It’s a good slogan, and it aptly describes John McCain, one of the most self-sacrificing, gallant, and honorable men ever to seek the presidency.

But question: If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat away from the presidency?

http://frum.nationalreview.com/post/?q=M2VhOWE0N2VkOWI3MDdlODRlZWE4ODljMDc2NjliZDk=

Okay - I am weighing in!

I have been sitting on my peach colored chase lounge watching C-Span, CNN, and FOX cover the Presentation of America’s Princess - Sarah ( which is Hebrew for Princess) Palin -

I see a noble, down to earth, common -sense, leader who is PRO-LIFE !!! She is the most articulate of all the candidates. She clearly speaks from the heart. We are blessed to have such an opportunity to make history.

When given a chance, there is no stronger candidate than a conservative woman. ( It is a shame we let Doug Stoner unseat Ginger Collins) .

I have been thinking of how proud Cindy and John McCain’s mother must feel. How secure John is to stand beside such a person as Governor Sarah Palin. WOW!

Now, I know this is PEACH PUNDIT and Erick wants us to relate everything to Georgia - so I will.

The whole time I was watching Sarah Palin, I thought of Cindye Coates - having a solid family and a strong husband who stands in complete support.

Sarah Palin lost her race for Lt. Gov and then ran again and won! I am so very glad our C-Biscut is running again. She, like Sarah is no quitter and I am glad to see so many peopke supporting her in the Cobb and State GOP. That is just wonderful!

This is an exciting time to see these young conservative women show such strength and leadership. Even though they have husbands to love and kids to raise, they still have the heart to get out there and make the effort to fight for their community.

I am inspired and I am excited - like NEVER BEFORE! Yeah - I am truly excited. This is helping me get completely over Gov. Mike Huckabee. THAT IS SAYING A LOT!!!!

GOPeach

I am not debating policy; I am just debating the logic. Palin was clear she is going after the 18 million women who noted for Hillary. Help me understand why you think a female democrat will vote for a pro-life woman with no exceptions and is for teaching creationism in the schools?

There is a myth that women who are young, pretty, married with children at home can not be a logical choice for a leader. This is being shattered as we speak!

I know quite a few Conservative