Palin as Republican VEEP

[Embar Angylwrath]

I have to say, I don't know what to make of McCain's choice. Huge potential upside, huge potential downside. She can appeal to "some" of the former Hillary supporters, but she has spit for experience, and McCain can't attack Obama anymore on the inexperience thing, since she's just as green as Obama is.

But Obama can't really attack her (nor can Biden) on her lack of experience without drawing attention to Obama's rookie status. McCain could easily brush off experience questions by saying she's just as qualified as Obama in that category (and he'd be right). All in all, I think it's a gutsy move, will certainly put a new twist in the race, shows that McCain isn't afraid to think differently and include new and younger input in his decision circle. If nothing comes out of the woodwork with her, I think McCain probably scored a significant strategic victory with his choice.

[Rsak]

I think the experience debate for Obama is still on the table. There is a difference between an inexperienced VP and an inexperienced Prez.

The risk is the combination between McCain's Age and the inexperience of his VP. Those together could get some traction.

[Fallakin Kuvari]

Obama has never lead anything, Palin has been Mayor and Governor.

They've already attacked her on her "inexperience". Obama v. Obama is gonna shape up to be interesting.

[Partha]

I love the smell of desperation in the morning.

[Fallakin Kuvari]

I love the smell of desperation in the morning.

Whys that?

She was actually a stronger choice that Romney or Pawlenty(lets be honest, that guy would've lost it for them) and lets not even wonder what would have happened if it had been Lieberman (I predict the campaign would have imploded).

[Embar Angylwrath]

I love the smell of desperation in the morning.

I would hope so, because I think you reek of it.

[Garrdor]

I am usually unphased by this sort of thing. I lol'd IRL when I walked into a patients room and saw this on the TV. Desperate is a very good word. In a world where people want change from white_male_leader_001 - sometimes you have to make sacrifices to win the hearts of the weak, right?

All I have to say is, if the McCain/Femnoob ticket wins: GG USA. Epic fail.

[Ddrak]

It's an interesting choice, that's for sure. I seriously doubt he'll collect any Hillary supporters with her though - that's never really been on the cards. I think he's more trying to counter Obama's image of "change" with his image of "more of the same" and it may or may not be effective.

I still think it's the Democrats' election to lose.

Dd

[Partha]

I love the smell of desperation in the morning.

Whys that?

She was actually a stronger choice that Romney or Pawlenty(lets be honest, that guy would've lost it for them) and lets not even wonder what would have happened if it had been Lieberman (I predict the campaign would have imploded).

She's only a 'stronger choice' if you have to unify your base. Otherwise, why go picking a person with less than 2 years of statewide office experience and only 4 total years of political experience with no pedigree in foriegn policy and no special qualifiers in domestic policy? Take away her tits and she's much less impressive than Bobby Jindal (or even Rob Portman) as a political figure.

Further, this pick undercuts two of the biggest arguments against Obama that McCain had to work with. How can you carp about Obama being a political lightweight when Palin is essentially Danielle Quayle? Further, how can you argue about 'celebrity' when you're running with Miss Alaska runner-up and Vogue photo shoot subject Palin?

No, it was clearly desperation. McCain saw the numbers Obama pulled and the reaction, saw that the Republican convention is likely to be postponed or shortened by Gustav, and realized that as is from the state level polling numbers that Obama is one state away from locking it up altogether. Too bad this pick not only knocks out his own attack lines on Obama, but it's also the one pick guaranteed to make Hillary and Bill campaign twice as hard for Obama.

[Kulaf]

I see it as actually nulifying two different tactics. One was the age thing.....which Obama countered by picking Biden......but now age is also not an issue because she is younger than Obama. The other was experience........which now Obama is free from attack on because she doesn't have a lot of experience.

However I think the scale still tips to McCain in the balance issue because she is not connected to big oil at all......and is from a region clearly not tied at all to "business as usual" D.C..

[Kulaf]

Too bad this pick not only knocks out his own attack lines on Obama, but it's also the one pick guaranteed to make Hillary and Bill campaign twice as hard for Obama.

Why? If Obama loses, Hilary would be seen as the saviour of the party in 2012. She has far more to gain by seeing Obama lose than win. If he wins she never sees the WH as president.

[Ddrak]

I'm expecting the Dems to continue to fire back pretty strongly on the theme of McCain's hypocrisy.

- Supporting the war, then opposing it, then supporting it.
- Preaching about Obama being "elitist" while being far more elitist himself.
- Campaigning on Obama's inexperience then taking a similarly inexperienced VP.
- Railing on Obama's celebrity then taking an actual celebrity/beauty-pageant/sportscaster VP

And, finally I expect them to nail home the fact that he's very clearly gone for the only available woman on what seems to be more the fact that she's a woman than any other qualifications, in what must only be an effort to pick up the women voters. If they go down that line, then it makes Palin look far more like a chauvinistic decision than a choice on her non-gender-based merits.

Of course, I fully expect the Dems to prompty tie themselves in knots explaining why voting for a woman is bad, blah, blah.

Dd

[Kulaf]

I thought the McCain ad showing Biden saying that Obama did not have the experience to lead the country pretty funny. I think that ad is going to get a lot of play.

[Arkaron]

It's too bad they can't stand each other, because Romney would have done well as McCain's VP. He was a strong contender in the west, looking at some of the donation numbers. McCain's pick reeks of pandering to disenfranchised, stupid, selfish Clinton supporters to tip the election in his favor.

[Partha]

Too bad this pick not only knocks out his own attack lines on Obama, but it's also the one pick guaranteed to make Hillary and Bill campaign twice as hard for Obama.

Why? If Obama loses, Hilary would be seen as the saviour of the party in 2012. She has far more to gain by seeing Obama lose than win. If he wins she never sees the WH as president.

Actually, that presumes that Biden follows up 2 terms with Obama and runs for President a third time, which doesn't seem likely.

The reason they have to campaign twice as hard is because McCain, win or lose, is a 1 election guy, even if he won't admit it in public. If he wins 2008, the default nominee would be Palin. In contrast, if Obama wins, he's quite likely to switch VP's for his second term...

[Partha]

It's too bad they can't stand each other, because Romney would have done well as McCain's VP. He was a strong contender in the west, looking at some of the donation numbers. McCain's pick reeks of pandering to disenfranchised, stupid, selfish Clinton supporters to tip the election in his favor.

Those are mostly a myth, outside of Clinton cirlcle career political hacks like Penn and McCauliffe who have lost hold of the power levers in the party and a bunch of Republican plants. That's why they only raised 80k or so to retire Clinton's debt in June - there's no there there except for their Baghdad Bobs.

[Fobbon Lazyfoot]

There's no way I can't vote for a vice president that's that hot.



Grats McCain, I'm ignoring every sense of political intuition I have in favor of the MILF factor. Or GILF factor. Or VPILF factor.

[Arkaron]

Obama has never lead anything, Palin has been Mayor and Governor.

They've already attacked her on her "inexperience". Obama v. Obama is gonna shape up to be interesting.

Population of Wasilla, Alaska during Palin's time as mayor: just over 5k. This means that she was they mayor of a town about the size of the largest high school in California. Besides, it's not Obama versus Obama, it's Palin versus Biden. Hopefully Biden's not afraid to hit girls.

[Embar Angylwrath]

Obama has never lead anything, Palin has been Mayor and Governor.

They've already attacked her on her "inexperience". Obama v. Obama is gonna shape up to be interesting.

Population of Wasilla, Alaska during Palin's time as mayor: just over 5k. This means that she was they mayor of a town about the size of the largest high school in California. Besides, it's not Obama versus Obama, it's Palin versus Biden. Hopefully Biden's not afraid to hit girls.

See, that's the thing about hitting girls. If you're successful, you look like a dick. And if she turns around and kicks your ass, you look like a fool. Biden has to be careful. The worst thing that can happen to him is him picking a fight, and her winning it. He'd lose a lot of face.

[Fallakin Kuvari]

No, this election is still Obama v. Obama. Always has been.