Sarah Palin

[Anonymous]

Opine on McCain's running mate!

All I can say is, if I had four kids at home, one of whom is an infant with Down Syndrome, I wouldn't be applying for 20-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week jobs. And for equality's sake, I wouldn't want my husband to, either.

But questionable family values aside, I don't see how being two years removed from small-town mayor makes one qualified to be the next president. And with a candidate as old as McCain, it's even more important that his VP be ready to take the controls. She might be a good pick, but I think her time has not yet come.

[Anonymous]

Hardcore liberal, and I LOVE HER!!!! Anyone with five kids knows it's not that much harder than two, which Obama has. Also, two of her kids are grown. Anyway, she kicks a--. What a role model for young women and girls (aside from her politics, which I loathe).

[Anonymous]

Another hard-core liberal here. I already opined in the "running mate" thread, but I'll agree with the PP: I think Palin's terrific. I think she's a brilliant choice, as I said. You can argue that "her time has not yet come," but realize that's the exact argument that Republicans have made about the man at the top of the Democratic ticket. The VP slot is, of course, traditionally for the person who needs to grow into the job.

OP, I think it's going to be tough the question the "family values" of a woman with five kids who knew her last child would be born with Down Syndrome and refused to even consider terminating the pregnancy. No real winning angle for the Democrats there. And as the PP said, a tremendous role model for girls.

[Anonymous]

11:16 here. Have to add that I loved Palin approving a huge tax increase on oil companies. It's brought a ton of revenue to Alaska and it frankly warms my liberal heart to tax oil companies. She also supports gay rights (though she opposes gay marriage, Obama opposes it too). And the ethics reform is major. Gotta love a woman who takes office and sells the governor's jet!

[jsteele]

I'm reposting from the other thread, since we should probably move discussion here. This is a total desperation pick. This is what you do when you are out of choices. Its a Hail Marry pass (and they almost always fail).

McCain's most effective attack against Obama was to cast him as an inexperienced celebrity. Now, here is his VP choice:



Are inexperienced celebrities the new black or something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
OP, I think it's going to be tough the question the "family values" of a woman with five kids who knew her last child would be born with Down Syndrome and refused to even consider terminating the pregnancy. No real winning angle for the Democrats there. And as the PP said, a tremendous role model for girls.

I don't get this. The measure of your commitment to family values isn't willingness to carry a baby to term-- it's willingness to give that baby the time and care it needs. I'm not saying the Dems should hit her hard there, but I do think it's an odd choice for someone with a 4 month old at home (and four other kids).

Here's someone who has 2 years of being governor of a small state (the entire state of AK doesn't have that many more people than DC, and many fewer than, say, MoCo), and already she's in trouble for abuse of office (allegedly firing a state trooper who was in a nasty divorce with her sister).

[Anonymous]

OP again. I actually teared up when I heard the news, because it means that one way or the other, we're going to break a significant barrier this November. I had a moment of gratitude to McCain, for giving us this.

Re: family values. Meh. I also question the "animal lovers" who get dogs and leave them alone in the house for 10 hours, take them on a five-minute walk, and then crate them for the night. Even if they did rescue the special needs pup that other folks ignored.

I've said from day 1 that Obama should have waited, that he didn't have the experience yet. (My dream ticket (seems so long ago) was Gore-Obama.) But, a lack of experience means a lack of controversial votes and speeches and such that he can be embarrassed by. I bet Palin's in the same boat. No political past means no skeletons; very convenient.

[Anonymous]

I'm all for women in high places and a woman for President, but man, if anything ever happened to McCain ... Palin? She's only been governor of Alaska since 2006 and she was mayor of Wasilla (pop. 8,471 in 2005). McCainites are saying Obama is inexperienced? They didn't recruit her for her abilities. I think in this case, they only recruited her for her gender. Not a good role model if she screws up on a national scale based on her experience or inexperience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm all for women in high places and a woman for President, but man, if anything ever happened to McCain ... Palin? She's only been governor of Alaska since 2006 and she was mayor of Wasilla (pop. 8,471 in 2005). McCainites are saying Obama is inexperienced? They didn't recruit her for her abilities. I think in this case, they only recruited her for her gender. Not a good role model if she screws up on a national scale based on her experience or inexperience.

Gosh, not a very feminist thing to say. If Obama loses or screws up, has he failed to be a good role model for blacks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP, I think it's going to be tough the question the "family values" of a woman with five kids who knew her last child would be born with Down Syndrome and refused to even consider terminating the pregnancy. No real winning angle for the Democrats there. And as the PP said, a tremendous role model for girls.

I don't get this. The measure of your commitment to family values isn't willingness to carry a baby to term-- it's willingness to give that baby the time and care it needs. I'm not saying the Dems should hit her hard there, but I do think it's an odd choice for someone with a 4 month old at home (and four other kids).

Here's someone who has 2 years of being governor of a small state (the entire state of AK doesn't have that many more people than DC, and many fewer than, say, MoCo), and already she's in trouble for abuse of office (allegedly firing a state trooper who was in a nasty divorce with her sister).

So you think Palin isn't giving the baby the care it needs? Do you work outside the home, PP? Do you think it's okay for mothers of children with disabilities to work outside the home?

The "abuse of office" thing isn't going to be a major problem, I don't think, given that it's a domestic violence case. I'm sure they'll spin it to her advantage.

[Anonymous]

I think it's incredibly sexist to say that because she is a mother to young children that she can't be a VP. McCain has young kids, so does Obama, and so does John Edwards, etc, etc.

I agree that picking Palin was a desperate attempt to get the HRC backers and independent votes. I'm excited that he choice a woman candidate, but she's not my kind of woman. She's a lifetime member of NRA, for one thing.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, can't make up my mind about this. It's either a brilliant choice or a desperate one.

She could definitely attract some independents and Democrats but at the same time it seems like an odd choice, given her inexperience, and given that McCain could die in office. How can he go on talking about Obama's inexperience when he is willing to risk leaving the government in the hands of a first-term governor?

And will the evangelical conservatives like her enough to go out and work for the ticket, given that they aren't thrilled with McCain?

It's a mystery at this point whether this was a good idea or not......

[Anonymous]

I actually think the gender is a plus, but her reputation as a serious reformer (like McCain) combined with her popularity as a social conservative is why he picked her. She's not just any woman, she is an amazing leader, just as Obama is not just any African American.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's incredibly sexist to say that because she is a mother to young children that she can't be a VP. McCain has young kids, so does Obama, and so does John Edwards, etc, etc.

I agree that picking Palin was a desperate attempt to get the HRC backers and independent votes. I'm excited that he choice a woman candidate, but she's not my kind of woman. She's a lifetime member of NRA, for one thing.

I don't think people are skeptical about her ability to be VP because she is a mother to young kids. No. She has minimal experience. She was mayor of a small town which covers 12.4 sq. miles and she has been mayor for 2 years of Alaska, with a population of 600K inhabitants. I'd say Adrian Fenty has more experience to be VP than she does.

Picking her was an act of desperation. They were looking for people of color or a woman to attract the disaffected voters from the democratic party and the rest of the country because the race is that close. Bobby Jindal, governor of Lousiana, was waaay too young. If he were a few years older with a couple years more experience, I'm sure he would have made the cut. As a woman of color, I love that they are considering women and people of color, but if their candidate lacks experience and screws up, it gives a really bad image for future qualified candidates of color.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McCain has young kids . . .

Huh? His oldest is 49. The youngest two are 20 and 17. I don't think it is comparable to Palin's family situation. Not that I think her family situation should be a factor for anyone other than her in deciding, but this comment seemed an odd stretch.