Posted on 08/29/2008 10:31:47 AM PDT by americanophile
Don’t kid yourself…John McCain just put all his chips on the table and rolled the dice.
Over the past many months, McCain’s team had skillfully underscored the natural impressions of Americans – that Barak Obama was the lightweight in the race; the candidate of risk. Now, with a single stroke McCain has undercut his most effective argument. He has weakened his case for wisdom and experience, and elevated a one-term governor of a small-population state based on her gender.
McCain had plenty of safe choices. Choices that would have bolstered Americans’ inherent understanding of McCain’s competency and ability; choices that would have underscored the longstanding notion that whatever gimmick the Democrats try, the Republican Party remains the serious one.
With the electorate evenly split, McCain’s first job was to pick a competent running mate that would not undermine his standing, and would reassure voters that should something happen to the oldest man ever to be nominated for president, a competent, experienced leader, ready to serve as commander-in-chief in a time of war, was waiting in the wings.
The former Miss Congeniality, and hockey mom from “the last frontier” is a bizarre choice.
McCain’s pick today has all the hallmarks of a political gimmick and a hail-Mary pass. While it is likely to excite some conservatives, his choice will refocus the entire campaign away from Obama’s status as a political neophyte and will reshuffle the risk calculus in the favor of the increasingly familiar, and always-eloquent Obama. With Biden on the ticket, Obama has lessened the sense that he poses a serious danger to the electorate. McCain’s selection by contrast is likely to shake voters and cast uncertainty on the wisdom and safety of a McCain presidency.
With competent and proven individuals waiting in the wings such as Governor Mitt Romney, the selection of Sarah Palin is a most unfortunate choice.
John McCain may have just lost the 2008 election…cue the hurricane.
Fair enough.
Let’s continue this another time on a thread where it is more on point.
I don’t particularly want to hijack this one, OK?
“Had to change their underwear”
Score one for ‘Bammy’ - he’s bin’ callin’ for change!
>>>Sounds like the problem is not with Palin, it is with you.
Please copy and paste where I’ve said anything about Palin? I’ve not.
>>>I followed your link, and from what you wrote, it seems like you wouldn’t like any woman for commander in chief, even a Maggie Thatcher type.
That is correct.
>>> I don’t have a problem with women in charge of the country, as long as they are able to make the decisions that have to be made.
Good for you. Then please support the ticket. But if you think for one minute that I am a along in this thought, you are very mistaken. There is a large voter block that will not vote for a woman as CIC. That is just fact whether you agree or not.
The more I read about her, the more I think McCain hit a GRAND SLAM.
Nope. They can't pound Palin's lack of experience without spotlighting the fact that zerObama has even LESS executive experience.
They can no more attack Palin on this than Panamanian born McCain can question the circumstances of Obama's (Kenyan?) birth.
If McCain had picked Pawlenty or Romney, I wouldn’t have voted for him. With a pro-RKBA, pro-Life, solid conservative as Veep, McCain just EARNED my vote...
Still be a good idea for McCain to formally renounce McCain/Feingold as just another failed policy of the past that should be disposed of as soon as possible.
At one point, I would have actually preferred Palin to McIdiot as a Prez choice.
Walter Williams was high on my list too... ;-) I just like the guy.
One thing I haven’t seen commented on yet is Sarah Palins efforts as Mayor, Commision Chairwoman, and Governor in ETHICS REFORM and cutting wasteful spending.
With Congress having an approval rating of less than 10%, and Obama crying “Change”, she HAS ALREADY DEMONSTRATED the abiltiy to come in and effect immediate change.
In fact, she boldy and bluntly made that point in her address in Ohio. Don’t under-estimate that angle. People are SICK and TIRED of Washington politics as usual. This is where she CRUSHES Biden.
Uhh, you might want to rethink your analogy there, as Hamilton wound up not winning the Home Run Derby.
Not one “more conservative” candidate turned in anything but pathetic, mostly single-digit numbers in the primaries.
That had nothing to do with “non-Republican” voters.
It had everything to do with the fact that the majority of Republican voters voted for someone else.
That is correct.
Wow, thanks for being honest, and not making something up to cover for your true feelings. I didn't expect her sex would be an issue among conservatives. I guess I was wrong. Hopefully, you are a rarity. Conservatives love Maggie Thatcher and point to her as a woman we could support. I have not ever heard a conservative say he could not support a woman, any woman, because she is a woman. I think that's just wrong. But kudos on your honesty.
Romney is experienced, but is lacking in character. Palin has proven character, something the others in this race lack. Hopefully, she can be Margaret Thatcher 2.0. This is a brilliant political move by McCain, peeling off some of those disgruntled Hillary supporters who vote their genitalia, while shoring up the conservative base.
If you want further proof of this, just look at how big an issue offshore drilling has become in this election. Even many Democrats who adamantly opposed it have downplayed their positions on this issue (if they haven't changed it completely).
I've said for a long time that 95% of the people who consider themselves "environmentally conscious" when gasoline costs $1.49/gallon really don't give a sh!t about the environment when it costs $4+ per gallon. This is what we're seeing right now, and this is why Barack Obama is going to lose this election by a landslide margin -- the likes of which we haven't seen since Walter Mondale in 1984.
The very first step to becoming a true Christian is to realize you are indeed not one and helplessly lost in that state. By the Grace of God, I hope the day comes when you realize that for yourself, and then seek a cure at the hands of the real Jesus Christ of the Bible. As the hymn writer wrote, “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.”
Will you people do me a favor and quit knocking on my door and telling me i'm going to hell if i don't believe exactly as you do? You are a real pain in the butt, obnoxious, and just plain wrong.
Huckabee was “thrown in”? By whom? Was a gun put to his head for him to be complicit in this grand conspiracy?
More importantly, was a gun put to the head of voters to force them to vote for Huck?
LOL, how true, how about
Palin and McCain - he he, great campaign poster man !
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