Posted on 07/29/2012 7:38:46 AM PDT by dirtboy
Dick Cheney has some advice for Mitt Romney on choosing a running mate: Don't pick another Sarah Palin.
In his first interview since receiving a heart transplant in March, Cheney told ABC News, that John McCain's decision to pick Palin as his running mate in 2008 was "a mistake" - one that it is important from Romney not to repeat.
It's subject on which Cheney has some unique experience. He helped Presidents Gerald Ford and George W. Bush lead their vice presidential searches and, of course, served as vice president for eight years. He's also privately offered some advice to both Romney and Beth Myers, who is leading Romney's search for a runningmate, on the process.
Cheney would not comment on what he told Romney and Myers, but he was harsh in his assessment of McCain's decision to pick Palin.
"That one," Cheney said, "I don't think was well handled."
"The test to get on that small list has to be, 'Is this person capable of being president of the United States?'"
Cheney believes Sarah Palin failed that test.
"I like Governor Palin. I've met her. I know her. She - attractive candidate. But based on her background, she'd only been governor for, what, two years. I don't think she passed that test
of being ready to take over. And I think that was a mistake."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
It’s hard for me to remember what Cheney has done for the cause of constitutional conservatism, maybe because it has been obscured by the way the Bush administration was able to make conservatism look bad enough to hand the 08 election to Obama.
Can you name something Cheney has done for the conservative cause?
Thank you for your most kind words.
LLS
Does that include being part of an administration that left the GOP a smoking wreck after the 2006 and 2008 elections? Reagan was able to easily hand off the Oval Office to his own vice president. McCain had little chance, and his ONLY chance came when he picked Palin.
Sarah Palin and the Tea Party are the ones who have restored the GOP brand, not the DC GOP establishment.
Cheney strikes me as someone who wants all that power in DC so it can be used by him and others like him. That's hardly conservative.
Permit me to slightly modify that statement.
McCain and the Bush/Cheney record lost the election for McCain.
We both know that what you say is exactly what is happening. progressive republican leaders are in control of the party, and if they win the coming election... maybe the White House, Senate and House... and they will then be in control of everything... including our lives and how we live them. THAT is the message... the message... “RESISTANCE IS FUTILE”. Well not for me it isn’t.
LLS
PICKING MCCAIN WAS A MISTAKE! All the offered us was a wrinkled old white man with no original thoughts. Running after a Republican president had run up huge deficits. The Repubs have trouble picking candidates when a foreigner, who is not qualified, can beat them.
Palin is doing a lot to advance conservatism, but strictly from the standpoint of running for President this time around, or even being selected as the running mate, the attacks over the past four years have taken their toll. She has been able to turn lemons into lemonade and that’s great, many would have been destroyed by the kind of attacks she has faced, but i can’t help but wish she would have been a viable force this time around in her own right instead of only being able to help other conservatives get elected.
And this is relevant today, not simply wistful thinking. For what happened to Palin may be what will prevent Romney from seriously considering a Martinez or Rubio or West. The left and the liberal media have let it be known through their attacks on Palin and Clarence Thomas and others, that if Republicans attempt to make in-roads into areas of the electorate controlled by the left, then those people will be vilified by the left and their cohorts in the media. We all know that women and minorities on the right are held to a higher standard, while those on the left to a lower standard, as evidenced by Palin vs Obama or Thomas vs Holder.
So if we try to go in that direction again, it will need to be with someone who already has established a well-respected national identity, someone who won’t be easily redefined by the media. For instance, a Bobby Jindal if he meets constitutional requirements. Martinez, Rubio, West can expect the Palin treatment.
Factor in a compliant media, and Obama wins. It's perfectly human to try and find someone to blame. But he won because he won.
I think this is somewhat misconstrued. It is possible to like Palin and still believe she was unqualified and I think that was what Cheney was saying. It cheapens Cheney’s credentials to think one could achieve the heights he did with just a couple of years as governor.
Of course, if Palin was unqualified, Obama was immensely unqualified and the past four years have only demonstrated how immensely unqualified Obama was. So perhaps the lesson isn’t to turn the long knives on Cheney or Palin but to insist that candidates have more experience Palin or Obama.
I believe the real tragedy concerning the Palin pick, shouldn’t be so focused on Palin herself.
The real scandal was that McCain himself was so repulsive to the party as a whole, that he had to do the outlandish and nominate some unknown that the public would see as a Conservative and counter-balance his Leftist leaning stupidity.
McCain had to find a person that was not well known, because he didn’t want them to have enough chops to be able to force his actions after being elected. He planned to pick her, get elected, and ignore her.
As others have stated, without her he would have been destroyed at the polls. As it was, the vote didn’t go into the realm of ‘embarrassing’.
I have said it a number of times on this forum. You do join a team to moderate it from full on Leftist. You do not back a full blown Leftist for return to office.
Palin did this. Her endorsement of him to return to Washington, D. C. was a full-on Leftist enabling act.
Conservatives don’t enable Leftists.
Palin’s endorsements today may mean something to some people. They mean nothing to me. If you can endorse McCain for office knowing what there is to know, how in the Sam Hell is it a reliable endorsement when you endorse others.
Her endorsements are worthless. Unless you know the candidate’s history yourself, I’d advise people to dismiss her endorsements.
If only they would have in Arizona...
Palin today loves to play the role of Conservative spokesperson. She destroyed that ability in my eyes, when she decided to back the worst Republican I’ve ever been aware of.
Thanks but no thanks Sarah. Cheney was right. I still don’t know what other choice McCain had at the time. Known visible Conservatives would not have been as malleable as Sarah turned out to be.
Was she ready to be president? No.
The GOP-e have actually assured their own eventual destruction by thrusting Sarah onto the National Stage, she will help lead us Vote Conservative-Libertarian-Tea Partiers to Victory!
Yep. I have no use for any of the GOP-E and Cheney has proved he’s one of them.
If the reported plans to silence her at the convention are true, well, I’ll be totally done.
God bless and keep you.
TEA Party patriots united.
As Stephen K. Bannon documented in his film "Undefeated", Palin accomplished more in Alaska in her first 18 months as governor than was accomplished in any 18-month period for any other governor in the history of the USA.
What scared the establishment pukes of both parties about Sarah Palin is that in Alaska some corrupt establishment pukes were getting convicted and sent to prison, where they all belong.
Apparently Dick Cheney realizes that he belongs in that category.
He served this nation for a long time... something that was once considered a wonderful gift. I appreciate his service but... with the current state of American politics... I now see career politicians at the core of all of our problems.
He did start out working high up for gerald ford... a progressive republican if there ever were one. His support for homosexual marriage and attacking Palin when it serves no purpose other than to further insult Conservatives and decrease their presence in and influence on the gop... is disappointing in the least. Regardless, nothing excuses his actions and words of today. Cheney will survive... michael moore survives also. That point is pointless.
LLS
GOOD TO SEE YOU, TitansAFC!!!!
Cheney’s remarks were completely unnecessary, so we have to know they came from Team Romney, the Bush’s and the GOP-E for sure.
STOP Sarah Palin at all costs. Perish the thoughts about her popularity with us conservatives and TEA Party patriots.
Heck why not? Romney “won” his nomination without our votes, so let him win his election without us too.
Go ahead. Continue to insult Sarah Palin. That goes a long way with me. /s
I was the schmucks sign holder. They were SO mean to me. The little faggot couldn't even tell me himself to go away, he had his side kick do it for him.
One of the organizers asked me why I was just standing there and not w/ the schmuck. I told him she told me to go away, I was no longer needed. He took a few seconds to try to comprehend what I just told him and finally said “what?”.
So I told him again and also let him know she wasn't too nice about it. After a few more seconds he told me to go and stand behind the schmuck. I told him if I did that, they would probably be even meaner to me. He said “go, that's what you're here for”.
So I did, and I was correct. schmucks female dog side kick WAS even meaner the 2nd time around. However, I refused to budge. I told her I was directed to stand behind the schmuck and I will do my job.
They tried to “skirt” me, but I stuck to him like glue, lol. They eventually ran behind the ropes, in which no one was allowed to enter.
That was the end of my experience. I didn't tell anyone else about it because I didn't want to bring down anyone’s enthusiasm.
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