McCain Veep Is Woman

[Gurn Blanston]

She's correct, of course. John Adams commented that the Vice Presidency was the dullest job in the world, and Theodore Roosevelt agreed. As a matter of fact, Adams called the VP "His Superfluous Excellency."

And I forget who, but back in the 1890's one candidate said it was worth a bucket of warm spit...

It is not superfluous in this case though, because of McCain's age. The person who is one heartbeat away from the presidency should have more experience than one term as governor of Alaska when the president himself is a septuagenarian.



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Listening to:
Berliner Philharmoniker / Barenboim - Bia 486 Op 80 Fantasia in c for Piano, Chorus & Orchestra "Choral Fantasy"

[Solitary Wanderer]

Any relation to Michael? Could be a hoot!

[(poco) Sforzando]

She's correct, of course. John Adams commented that the Vice Presidency was the dullest job in the world, and Theodore Roosevelt agreed. As a matter of fact, Adams called the VP "His Superfluous Excellency."

That was then. Do you seriously think it's true any more in Dick Cheney's America?

[Brian]

That was then. Do you seriously think it's true any more in Dick Cheney's America?

I don't want another Dick Cheney. 

[DavidRoss]

And I forget who, but back in the 1890's one candidate said it was worth a bucket of warm spit...

It is not superfluous in this case though, because of McCain's age. The person who is one heartbeat away from the presidency should have more experience than one term as governor of Alaska when the president himself is a septuagenarian.

Not a strong argument when the other Party's candidate for President has even less executive experience--in fact, none whatsoever.

[Sarastro]

"hockey moms"

[Wendell_E]

he chose... a woman who dared to veto anti-gay legislation from the Alaska legislature

She "dared" to veto it not because she opposed it, but because the Alaska attorney general had advised her that it was unconstitutional.

[DavidRoss]

She "dared" to veto it not because she opposed it, but because the Alaska attorney general had advised her that it was unconstitutional.

Do you mean to suggest that she exercised her power as the State's chief executive to uphold the State's highest law?  Sounds like good judgment to me.  I wish there were more public officials enlightened and ethical enough to separate their personal views on such matters from their Constitutional obligations. 

[drogulus]

She "dared" to veto it not because she opposed it, but because the Alaska attorney general had advised her that it was unconstitutional.

    Maybe that, or maybe because she's a libertarian. There's a method to this madness. McCain and Palin are not evangelists*, they are old school Goldwaterites, except about abortion which I think is a matter of party politics in your home state. Moderate Republicans in some states are still pro-choice.

    Whatever the rationale, after thinking about it for a day or so, this is an imaginative but in the end frivolous pick. It lowers McCain in my eyes. She may be an admirable person and one day might be a credible national leader but she is not even close now. So if they win she's another Truman, though probably a smarter one. The best pick (Lieberman being out of the question IMO): Gov. Ridge.

      *Wow! It seems Palin is an evangelical. How did I miss this? She's not a very orthodox one if she won't sign anti-gay legislation on the flimsy excuse that it's unconstitutional. That suggests a higher level of objectivity than is usual. What, in the minds of the demon-haunted, could constitutionality have to do with anything?

[Sergeant Rock]

Are you sure that's what he wants to drill?

McCain/Palin bumper sticker:





Sarge

[Homo Aestheticus]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2008/aug/30/uselections2008.republicans2008

My thoughts exactly.

[Brian]

McCain/Palin bumper sticker:





Sarge

[Brian]

    Maybe that, or maybe because she's a libertarian. There's a method to this madness. McCain and Palin are not evangelists, they are old school Goldwaterites, except about abortion which I think is a matter of party politics in your home state. Moderate Republicans in some states are still pro-choice.

    Whatever the rationale, after thinking about it for a day or so, this is an imaginative but in the end frivolous pick. It lowers McCain in my eyes. She may be an admirable person and one day might be a credible national leader but she is not even close now. So if they win she's another Truman, though probably a smarter one. The best pick (Lieberman being out of the question IMO): Gov. Ridge.

The best pick would have been, in my view, Christine Todd Whitman.

[flyingdutchman]

Not a strong argument when the other Party's candidate for President has even less executive experience--in fact, none whatsoever.

Let's see, not having executive experience versus not having any international or national experience.  I'd take the person who doesn't have executive experience any day.  Palin is there to shore up the rightwingers and ultra-conservative base.  Does that include you Mr. Ross?

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

McCain/Palin bumper sticker:

Excellent, excellent! 

[DavidRoss]

Let's see, not having executive experience versus not having any international or national experience.  I'd take the person who doesn't have executive experience any day.  Palin is there to shore up the rightwingers and ultra-conservative base.  Does that include you Mr. Ross?

Of course not, jbuck, as you would know if you were capable of reading my posts without twisting them through the distorting prism of your bigoted point of view.  But as you have demonstrated for years, here and on CMG, your mind is utterly closed, impervious to fact, unwilling to give fair consideration to other points of view, and therefore condemns you to perpetual hypocritical self-righteousness that makes thoughtful discussion of ANY issue impossible. 

[drogulus]

Let's see, not having executive experience versus not having any international or national experience.  I'd take the person who doesn't have executive experience any day.  Palin is there to shore up the rightwingers and ultra-conservative base.  Does that include you Mr. Ross?

     It's designed to do a little more than that. There's an appeal to Hillary voters. Did you hear her remarks praising HRC? It is an imaginative move but an irresponsible one to put her on the ticket. The best political picks should have a governance rationale as well, like Kennedy picking Johnson, Bush picking Cheney (remember how he was viewed in 2000?), Clinton picking Gore, and Obama picking Biden. All of these are sound political choices because they're make sense as governance choices. Bush I picking Quayle, Mondale picking an unknown Ferraro, McCain/Palin are just politics pure and simple. If you think about what happens if the President is incapacitated, you see how shallow the thinking is about the choice. This is McCain at his "I don't give a shit" worst. As much as I like and admire him, I have to question his fitness to be President. It's one thing to be a maverick in the Senate and another to be the leader of a country.

[DavidRoss]

One of the most crippling things about prejudice is how it limits our vision.  It conditions us to accept immediately and unquestioningly whatever coincides with our bias, and to reject uncritically whatever conflicts with it.  This means we can never penetrate beneath the most superficial aspects of a person, a thing, or an event.  It condemns us to shallowness.

To get to the depths requires the courage and integrity to examine all sides of an issue fairly, with a mind open to understanding how each point of view might be right.  Bigots' unwillingness to do this is what incapacitates them to learn and condemns them to perpetual ignorance.  The second something even seems to contradict their pre-established point of view, they demonize it, and this is no more nor less true of the bigots on the political right than those on the political left.

[Don]

Although I still expect to vote for Obama, I am getting very irked with the Democrats blasting Palin for her lack of experience.  To be fair, neither Party is now in a good position to use the "experience" card.

If the Dems. keep cutting away at Palin in the manner they have done in the past two days, I just might switch my vote.

To be honest, there's something about Palin that reminds me of my wife Ellen Jane, so I feel some affinity with Palin.

[johnQpublic]

Yes Palin was chosen to first and foremost soldify the conservative base. She was also picked because she is a woman and therefore will appeal to some undecided women (but only those that can accept her pro-life stance which a number of Hillary supporters can't do....but in a close election McC will not need lots of them; just enough of them should do).

But as for a the third reason: If you remember McCain saying, a week or two before he picked her, that he particularily wanted a running mate that shared his views. And so in that regards she was clearly his best choice. Was his choice smart or dumb? We'll see.