I’m delighted by today’s news. By picking Sarah Palin, McCain has hit it out of the ball park.
I’m also delighted that M. Simon proved to be so prescient.
MORE: Dick Morris says that Barack Obama delivered McCain a “body blow” with his speech last night.
Maybe so, but it looks like McCain can take it.
Come to think of it, I think he’s taken a few body blows before…
(Yes he has, so yes he can.)
MORE: Here’s an interesting reaction from CBS News:
It’s more than surprising; it’s the strangest running-mate decision since Dan Quayle. Sarah Palin spent a year working as a commissioner for the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, and has been governor for a year and a half. Now, she’ll be the Republicans’ vice presidential candidate, and if things go well for McCain, one heartbeat from the presidency. When it comes to being untested and unknown, Palin is in a league of her own.
Just yesterday, advisers to the McCain campaign conceded to the New York Times that McCain “thinks highly” of Palin, but “her less than two years in office would undercut one of the McCain campaign’s central criticisms of Senator Barack Obama — that he is too inexperienced to be commander-in-chief.” So much for the McCain campaign’s message.
Stepping back, we have the man who would be the oldest president in American history, who happens to have a record of health problems, picking a virtual unknown who’s been a governor for less than two years. Amazing.
No more amazing that Richard Nixon’s pick of Spiro Agnew, who’d recently been elected governor of Maryland.
Or how about Walter Mondale’s pick of Geraldine Ferraro, not even a governor, but a then-obscure congresswoman? I could be wrong, but I don’t remember CBS complaining about her lack of experience.
(Of course, in those days, the news media used to at least pretend to be objective….)
MORE: Newsbusters points out that CNN’s John Roberts is also plugging the “inexperience” meme.
Hmmm…
I wonder whether a media analysis would reveal whether “inexperienced” Republicans draw more media criticism than “inexperienced” Democrats.
UPDATE: My thanks to Glenn Reynolds for the link, and a warm welcome to all.
I really appreciate the comments.
Comments
17 responses to “Good news!”
In an update to that post he mentions a commenter brought up her spend happy ways. I’ve heard similar stories like this. Are those stories accurate?
I really hope her supporters aren’t blinded by the same style over substance that obama’s backers are.
Media people, like many academics, don’t really understand the difference between *talking about something* and *actually doing something*. Even absent bias, they will tend to underrate Palin’s actual executive experience–not much, but more than any of the other current players–and overrate experience in giving speeches, etc.
Did anyone bother to point out these guys that Quayle actually got elected? Over Lloyd Bensen, the “safe”, “elder statesman” pick?
Most voters who will not vote for Obama will do so largely based on his political philosophy and his position on the issues and not on his experience or lack thereof. The same view will prevail with Palin, although she is second on the ticket and won’t command quite the importance.
Intelligence and integrity are attributes that will influence voters. Obama scores well on the first but serious questions arise about integrity. Palin will get a chance to demonstrate her intelligence over the next two months and there is already substantial evidence of her idea of integrity in public service.
Sarah Palin on the ticket should enable McCain to create some distance between his campaign and the Bush administration without causing heartburn with the base. I, for one, have not been excited by McCain as the nominee, but I sure feel good today.
I’m amazed that anyone is brazen enough to slam her for inexperience – per the Obama camp’s “Do we want a former mayor with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency?”. How about, ” Do we want a former community organizer with zero foreign policy experience as the president?”.
The counter-attack begins:
– A real career-woman, with family-of-five, as VP. (A living example of work-life balance!)
– Avid hunter and fisherman(woman).
– Pro-life, even when personally tested.
– Has a fisherman/snowmobile-champion for a husband.
– Son going to Iraq.
– Quite a good-looking family all around.
Add to that all the things McCain hasn’t bothered to emphasize yet:
– Every Democrat and media outlet criticizing him now has praised him in the past.
– His extensive record of bipartisan reform.
– His hair turned white, and he can’t lift his arms above his head because of captivity.
– He has two sons serving in Iraq
– He adopted an orphan from Bangladesh. (Obama, you wanna talk about personal commitment to reducing poverty?)
– He was right about Iraq, the surge, Putin, and Russia.
These are giant torpedoes that will slam into the hull of S.S. Obama.
What’s the true story on the Creationist tag being hung on her?
What’s the true story on the Creationist tag being hung on her?
Educational policy of that sort belongs to the States. Just as abortion belongs to Congress and the States.
Obama’s vote on abortion sickens me – and I’m pretty much pro choice.
What is most attractive is her understanding of the oil industry and her anti-corruption position. The ear mark industry will get a knife in the gut. Drilling for oil will get a boost.
Oh yeah. She took on corruption in the oil industry and her husband is an oil field worker. And her husband is a snow mobile racer.
If you visit No Quarter you will find a lot of Hillary Dems are excited.
The McCain campaign www site can’t keep up with all the folks who want to donate.
I’ve read some commentary opining that McCain has lost his most effective weapon against Obama – the “inexperience” charge.
I suspect there’s two things going on:
1) If the Obama campaign wants to have an “inexperience” debate, McCain will welcome it (Dem pres candidate with little legislative experience vs. Rep VP candidate with actual executive experience).
2) I wonder if McCain is going to re-extend his offer of additional debates, and spend the next few weeks talking about campaign issues and what McCain-Palin ’08 means for America, as opposed to going after Obama. Given the Obama’s campaign short-sighted attack on Palin vs. Mac’s congratulatory commercial, doesn’t it now seem the R’s are the party of a “higher political discourse”. When you lay out Mac’s possible lines of attack, he has so many, that he can pick and choose. He has been reacting to the Obama campaign’s actions extremely effectively.
If they want to compare Palin to Quayle, can we compare Obama to Dukakis? Fair is fair.
Actually, Palin has done the 3 things all girls dream of :
1) Becoming a beauty queen.
2) Marry and have 5 wonderful children.
3) Have a super-duper career, rising to the top.
Palin has done all 3 of these things. Most women never even manage to achieve one of them.
Palin has 5 kids, yet has still gone further in her career than any childless unmarried feminist can ever hope to manage. She has singlehandedly killed radical feminist-leftism.
Isn’t Palin’s inexperience an issue ONLY if McCain dies after just 2 months in office?
If McCain dies after, say, 3 years in office, then Palin has 3 years of VP experience by that time.
The inexperience issue is a losing one for Obama. Palin’s inexperience only matters if McCain dies (and soon, at that). Obama’s inexperience matters on day one (as does the likelihood that he will give US nuclear weapons to Al-Qaeda).
Having a Dept. of Education at the federal level makes the creationist inquiry a relevent question… of course we should *get rid of it* as it doesn’t belong at the federal level.
Ronald Reagan should have done that like everyone expected him to.
It is an excellent tactical move by Sen. McCain to energize the base and deflate Sen. Obama’s campaign. They are stuck with an overlong speech that promises much but is so full of nostrums from past campaigns that no one believes any of it will be done.
Voting strategically is top of the ticket, and the VP is a reinforcement of ideas of the campaign. There are many good ones, but some poor ones also being reinforced, with ‘windfall profits taxes’ now entering in on both sides… just like global warming is foursome.
Russia doing its best to dismember Georgia is a worry. Threatening Poland a definitive heartburn. Mexico decaying into a criminal insurgency? Southern border?
Getting the US to more of its own energy is well and good, do not get me wrong. I would hope that a pro-business partnership would understand that the profits of the oil companies are necessary to rebuild that lost capability to get it. A lack of deep-sea drilling platforms puts things into a capital investment mode and ‘windfall profits’ is now what you want to hear when that sort of investment is needed.
Gov. Palin is an excellent tactical choice in the campaign. The basics are not being addressed, due to the window dressing and the lack of a window.
I will vote against Sen. Obama.
Defense of the Nation starts with her borders and her ability to sustain herself in times of trouble and keep our word to our allies that we have promised to help defend.
Like Poland.
Let us hope we don’t get the 1939 test on that. Or the slow simmering over of Mexico as oranized crime from the south spreads unabated northwards.
Those are basics.
If we cannot help those we promise to help, we are a disgrace.
And if we can’t defend ourselves we are at peril of our liberty and freedom.
Nice curtains.
Don’t mind the storm winds picking up…
Palin can point to things she did in Alaska and say “I did this” and “I did that” while Obama can say, at best, “I voted for this” or “I voted for that”. (BTW, did he actually sponsor any initiatives as a Senator? And I would imagine his attendance record, not to mention his ratio of “Present” votes to actual “Ayes/Nays” may be of interest….)
FWIW, the effectiveness of Obama’s campaign has been his strongest selling point, but after sewing up the nomination the campaign hasn’t seemed to be the sharpest organization around. Meanwhile, of late McCain’s people have been eating Obama’s lunch. (Anyone talking about Obama’s speech today? Anyone?)
What’s the over/under on the date of the big Obama campaign shake-up? I’d take September 30.
Love the Palin pick. She’s tough and bold. She has a proven history of getting up and running in her duties. If the best the dems can do is say ( she lacks some experiance ) then bring it on. Remember, Regan only had two terms as governor before he was Pres. Clinton only had two terms as governor & 2 years as atty. Gen. Years in office are only part of the picture. What have you done with that time ? Thats the real question. Palin spent 1 year as oil & gas exec. 4 years as council member. 1yr 7mos. as governor. Thats enough for me. Here record speaks volumes.
Love the Palin pick. She’s tough and bold. She has a proven history of getting up and running in her duties. If the best the dems can do is say ( she lacks some experiance ) then bring it on. Remember, Regan only had two terms as governor before he was Pres. Clinton only had two terms as governor & 2 years as atty. Gen. Years in office are only part of the picture. What have you done with that time ? Thats the real question. Palin spent 1 year as oil & gas exec. 4 years as council member. 1yr 7mos. as governor. Thats enough for me. Here record speaks volumes.
With one move Mac has converted Michelle Malkin, Althouse, Limbaugh, Paterico, Instapundit, Hannity and hundreds of other luke warm supporters, into full throated cheerleaders.
Plus he gave the Obama press a bucket of Alaskan glacier melt water splashed in their faces. Take that Boxer. In your face Pelousy.
The vague dawning of the idea that most Americans think ManBearPig is a fraud of mammoth proportions, which the dems know from internal polling (hence the de-emphasis of AGW at the Federal level and absence from the Obama coronation) has been brought out in a big way, with McCain picking one of the precious few politicians in a position to say “We got ice – lots of ice” with the power of authority, and who also happens to agree with most Americans that Al Gore’s hobgoblin is a hobgoblin.
McCain used to be Senator McShamnesty, the gang of ten’s ringleader, the co author of the Republican self gagging reform act, and the creator of the popular democrat “GITMO is Torture” meme. Take your pick. And that was just with his friends!
No more.
Now he’s that old guy who might die and leave us with Sarah Palin – a true libertarian reformer – as the first woman president.
Hell ya – I’ll vote for that.
IF McCain died in office, Palin can always pull an Obama and appoint an experienced old foreign policy hand as HER vice president. Surely that?s good enough for Democrats (it was until yesterday).
And a little executive experience still beats none whatsoever. Palin is a reformer. What has Obama done in the time he was given?