John McCain has made a brilliant strategic decision today in picking Sarah Palin. Palin is a reformer. She defeated the corrupt Murkouski to become Governor of Alaska. She is anti-pork. She is the exact opposite of the corrupt and incompetent GOP leadership that lost us the majority two years ago.
Even if Senator McCain does not win in November, he has raised Palin’s profile putting her in a solid position to be the nominee in four years. This would change the course of the GOP back towards responsible limited government.
John McCain has saved the GOP today.
{ 145 comments }
Next Comments →
Spot on Chris.
Amen, Farris.
Absolutely BRILLIANT! I’m actually going to donate money to his campaign now.
A great day, TECH WINS and McCain makes an excellent choice for VP all within 24 hours. It doesn’t get much better than this.
So when the Republicans lose the White House and more seats in Congress will you stand by “John McCain has saved the GOP today”?
Agreed!
Who would have thought that it would be McCain of all people to pull the levers to put life back into the Republican party that Bush drained.
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.
“John McCain has saved the GOP today.”
That’s a pretty big statement, and I hope it’s true.
What I like is that this choice is apparently bringing happy surprise to Republicans, as opposed to the controversy and angst among some democrats at their VP nom.
“She defeated the corrupt Murkouski.”
But can she narfle the Garthok?
So when the Republicans lose the White House and more seats in Congress will you stand by “John McCain has saved the GOP today”?
The corruption and incompetence of the Bush/Hastert/Frist/Lott lot mean a November 2008 victory is a tall order. As I said this is a long term decision, creating a positive future for the GOP even if McCain doesn’t win this year.
Don’t forget DeLay in that mix, Chris.
So losing helps in the long term? How did Kemp help out?
Politics is zero sum. You win or lose, get no points for character or long term benefit (which only comes from–winning).
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.
Wow, you guys mean to tell me that Sarah Palin had the courage to “take on” a Governor who had an 18% approval rating and ended up finishing 3rd in a GOP primary?
What this pick really tells us about John McCain is that he thinks he will live forever. A 72 year old who questions the readiness of a 4 year US Senator who served 8 years in the state legislator and was President of the Harvard Law Review is willing to put someone “one heartbeat” away from the Presidency who is not even a 2 year Governor of a pork addicted outpost in the northern wilderness whose previous experience consists of running a city 1/4th the size of Valdosta.
What’s with McCain’s former-beauty-queen complex?
I guess McCain’s lack of experience argument against the Dem ticket goes out the window.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFjqZ_vvLNc
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!
Let’s see here. McCain and that unashamed bigot Sean Hannity have been saying for weeks that Obama is not ready to be President since he’s only been a Senator for 4 years.
So who does the 72 year old Republilcan nominee with a history of health problems pick? A 2 year Governor of an obscure state with a tiny population whose only previous experience was finishing runner up in the Miss Alaska contest and being on the city council and then mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (Pop – 5,470).
How exactly is she qualified to be President? Say what you will about Mitt Romney, you may not like him but he was clearly qualified to take over if need be.
Oh, I also just read that as Governor she vetoed a bill that would have prohibited benefits for same sex partners in Alaska.
Strange choice to me. Looks like a hail mary to try to get some of the women vote.
I think it’s a great pick that will energize us Republican soccer mom women-folk.
It was a Hail Mary *and* a smart choice, because the only way McCain would win is if his oppenents make a serious error, and this selection could elicit such a blunder if Biden or another surrogate goes after her in an inartful way. (Obama has style; I’m not worried about him.)
John Konop: “McCain could of picked Ridge, Romney, Hutchinson, Newt…….all very qualified!” I think you mean “could have”.
Macon has a population of over 97,000. I guess Erick Erickson is over 19 times more qualified to be President than Palin, given his service on the Macon city council.
Heck, Fulton County has about 300,000 more people than the whole state of Alaska. Since Karen Handel was chair of the County Commission, maybe McCain should have picked her.
Apparently ChrisHard likes hardcore lesbians as running (and other types of) mates.
“soccer mom women-folk”
*PERK*
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?
I hope McCain vetted her with the spelling of Potato.
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.
I’m not equating her with Dan Quayle. Dan Quayle was far more qualified to be Vice President than Palin.
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.”
John K.,
You would have been complaining about whoever McCain picked. You want to be a Democrat this year, go for it, just stop pretending that you are soem sort of independent.
I hear people talk about executive experience being a qualification for a presidential candidate. Can someone define what that is?
I feel like the McCain camp really overthought this one. Romney was ready and waiting, and I think he would have been a superb choice. He’s unquestionably qualified (political views aside) and they could have hammered the experience thing down Obama’s throat. Is the fact that he’s a Mormon THAT important to conservatives?
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.
Its funny Dems are hitting Palin, the VP candidate for not being experienced, and totally overlooking the top of their ticket has the most un-experienced, un-qualified Pres. candidate in history. Palin’s two years as Gov of Alaska, actually making reforms, stopping the wasteful spending, and her work on the Gas and Oil commission of Alaska (which provides real American energy, not tire gauges) and also funds a large portion of the state budget, give her a whole lot more experience than Obama.
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.
Boo,
Executive experience is being the person who signs checks, determines policy and has their personal stamp on every action of their organization (governmental or private).
There is a big difference between being a legislature in Congress and being mayor of city. The mayor is much more qualified than the House member. Legislatures hide from the problems and claim credit for the successes. No legislature ever had a placard on their desk that read “the buck stops here”.
A would take a manager of a Wendy’s over Obama in the experience department. He has never been in charge of anything, not even his own sub-committee. Governor of any state (even weak governor states like Texas) are on a whole different level than voted yes and no depending on what some aid told you was best for your image.
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.
Oh, nevermind.
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.
My gosh. I’m so happy with his pick that I can almost bring myself to congratulate Bullmoose.
John K, don’t be so quick to think she’s gona get “her clock cleaned” by Biden. Biden is yesterday’s news and his speech put people to sleep. Palin is one tough cookie.
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.
Barack Obama’s campaign is blasting John McCain for putting “the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency.”
So putting someone with none IN THE WHITE HOUSE is BETTER???
Has anyone realized, GOPeach is yet to weigh in?
Biden is as dead a piece of meat as Rick Lazio was when he debated Hillary.
Palin will kick his pompous rear-end all over Missouri.
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.
One of the first things Gov. Palin did upon taking office — parked the state airplanes.
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.
No chris, Biden, like most Dems., choose to continue working in DC rather than staying close at home to care for his children when thier mother and sister were tradically killed.
Most reports were that he resisted calls to step down. So he goes to work in DC. What a great example of a family man he is…leave your grieving kids at home with the nanny or other family to become the DC big shot. Another Democrat showing that nothing is more important than the Government.
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.
Hey Shep,
That’s close to being out of line.
Biden’s never lived in DC he’s always headed home after “work”. If you know someone who loses a parent do you suggest the lone parent quit their job (and thus, likely ending all sources of income for the family)?
tb,
Did you notice she spoke WITHOUT a tele-prompter? She rocks!
Next Comments →
Comments on this entry are closed.
{ 1 trackback }