McCain's Tricky Calculation

He tried to shore up the base with her conservatism, shore up his own previous moderate maverick image with her maverick ways of legislating (hopefully attracting Indies), tried to reach out to disaffected Clinton supporters and women with her "Northern Exposure" image and her gender, and tried to shield her from Biden bulldog attacks in the Veep debates and media scrutiny by having HER constantly put her family forward (as though being a parent were qualification for Veep), so that if there were any criticism, you'd be attacking her family, who's not running for anything, including a Down syndrome 4-month-old and a pregnant teen. Plus you'd appear sexist, holding her to a different/higher standard (as a working executive mother), and you'd be attacking average normal families that she'd represent in rural voters, which, the McCain camp would hope, would make for a backlash, due to sympathy for Palin, and outrage at attacks on their own identities that rural voters would sense, and cause more support for his ticket. Shrewd and clever, except, if you put all your eggs in one basket, to make up for MANY deficits in yourself, McCain, with only ONE person, you'll have an omelette today, but how will you eat tomorrow? You really can't kill that many birds with one stone, or please all of the people all of the time. Someone's bound to be put off by something, as Hillary Clinton feminists and many Indies aren't usually in the same camps as his conservative base.

Typical elitist media mentality: if you haven't gone through THEIR gauntlet of "tough" interviews, "gotcha journalism", and "drive-by" smears, then you aren't prepared for office. Ridiculous on its face.

I think that Mrs. Palin is an idiot. In my opinion she has less experience then obama and she abuses her power. She need to make up her mind on her issues. Her speech was funny but not because she is right, but because she believes all the bs she is saying

Would you be writing this if the mayor of that small town and governor of that state for 20 months was a man who had similar travel experiences as Sarah Palin? Probably not. On the issue of experience, the real choices in deciding who has more of it boils down to who's had to make tougher choices with greater repurccusions? Does giving guidance to a bunch of lost souls, and having to vote yeah or nay on proposed policies give more experience to a person who's had to balance their own political interests against the good of the people whose lives depend on their decisions?

Tip O'Neil said that all politics is local, and he was right! So what if Obama can speak conversly on matters of state or foreign affairs, he's never had to make a decision that would directly affect the lives of his vote. In the natural order of things, Washingtonian pols like Biden, Obama, and yes, even McCain get to vote yeah or nay on legislation. The executive then crafts a policy and ways to get that policy implemented. The State than reinterprets that and provides funding, however its the mayors like Sarah Palin who have to implement it and how they do it directly affects the lives of the residents of that town.

So on the experience front, i'm going to go with the person whose had to make the tough choices rather than a guy who can't even muster himself to vote on controversial issues.

whataboutthefacts?, we all know that Palin got no where near 18 million votes for Governor, when Alaska's population isn't big enough for that, and what you call "simply a race for a spot on the dem ticket," that ticket is for the highest office in the land, and arguably the free world, not just a mayor or governor of a state with one of the smallest population's in the union. And no one, in his position (unknown black with limited elective experience, and muslim sounding name), running against a Clinton (a brand name and financial and political powerhouse in the Dem party), could ever be said to be "afraid to compete for votes." He's obviously got cojones. Face it. McCain saw that experience argument didn't work so well for Clinton (and wasn't working so well for him either prior to the Conventions, as evidenced by the fact that he couldn't erase Obama's lead, though he shrunk it with the negative ads), so he took a page out of his Obama's "change" playbook, and got an "Obama" of his own - popular but not as experienced. Unfortunately for McCain, though, Obama never argued from a point of elective experience (how could he?), but McCain DID. So now, he has to incorporate that into his conservative maverick "Obama" in Palin, by arguing her executive experience trumping the entire Dem ticket's combined elective experience. But, it also trumps McCain's elective and executive experience and is less than Bush' gubernatorial experience. You see where that leads? Also, she has zero foreign policy experience, which you CANNOT say for Obama, having passed nuclear proliferation legislation in the Senate. With McCain's age and health, and her only having been in the NATIONAL spotlight just recently (whereas we've had the past 18 mos. to get to know Obama), and Obama having chosen Biden, should he be assassinated, Palin's lack of travel to the lower 48 states, limited travel abroad, and zero foreign policy creds, McCain putting her a mere heartbeat's away from handling our foreign policy matters.

Less than a week ago McCain introduced Sarah Palin to America and they both claimed to be reformers. Keep in mind this woman claims that she is against Congressional Earmarks and that she flat out rejected 223 million in federal funds for what she calls "the bridge to nowhere" Keep in mind this "bridge to nowhere" was in fact an essential bridge that would link Ketchikan to an island with an airport and 50 residents which in an emergency would allow easier evacuations of those residents. Amazing how she was highly in favour of this project when she running for election but came against when the Federal Government stated that Alaska would have to pay some of the costs for building the bridge.

In the nationally televised speech, she stood by McCain and said, "I've championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress thanks, but no thanks, on that bridge to nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge, I said, we'd build it ourselves."

Like I said above, she was against the project after the Federal Government would not invest 100% of the funds in the bridge. After her election, she killed the project when she realized the responsibilities and other matters of priorities of the state. It is important to note however, that this so called "reformer of pork barrel spending" submitted to Congress a list of Alaska projects worth $197.8 million, including $2 million to research crab productivity in the Bering Sea and $7.4 million to improve runway lighting at eight Alaska airports.

It's funny how she seemed to forget that in her speech. Let's not forget to mention that before Palin became Mayor of Wasilla, the town was independent of Congressional Earmarks. Immediately after her election, she hired the former chief of staff a lobbyist for Senator Ted Stevens (the corrupt Alaska senator under investigation, who long controlled federal spending as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He made funneling money to Alaska his hallmark. ) who would help her bring home taxpayer dollars to fund her project for shooting wolves from a helicopter and building an expensive road linking Stevens residence to Wasilla. This marriage allowed Palin to obtain funding for several projects in 2002, including an additional $600,000 in transportation funding. "So while Sen. McCain was going after cutting earmarks in Washington," said Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense, "Gov. Palin was going after getting earmarks."

Very good analysis. The "Heartbeat " away from the President is a point the Democrats and Republicans need to think strongly about. I'm tired of hearing Palin is the mother of five and that prepares her for the Vice Presidency. What experiences has she had with the "real world" of most of us. I'm a retired teacher, I worked with children for 45 years, and now I'm trying to determine if I have enough to life on or do I have to look for another job? (Oh, I'm not experienced to be vice president, eventhough I taught government, geography, social issues, etc.)

That's right, Jonathan, it's all about you tough minded establishment reporters. I hope you are ready fror your big test.

You are so heroic, and all, taking all those chances. Grit and guts, I tell you. How do you do it, and still have the energy to hobnob on the cocktail circuit.? You, brave reproter man, are my hero. You complete me.

Now go get that girl. Go all wilding on her pretty little tush. It will be a hard, long crucible, but tough times call for strong, brave men like you.

Jonathan, you and I had dinner together at Cafe Cabernet in Tallahassee after the Florida Recount in 2000. Why are you still so bitter? You were bitter towards me then, and you appear to still be bitter. Does liberalism make you like this? Please explain to me, my friend, Obama's experience?

Jonathan, you and I had dinner together at Cafe Cabernet in Tallahassee after the Florida Recount in 2000. Why are you still so bitter? You were bitter towards me then, and you appear to still be bitter. Does liberalism make you like this? Please explain to me, my friend, Obama's experience?

Would you have written this article if the mayor of a small town and governor of AK for 20 months was a man with similar travel habits of Sarah Palin? Probably not. The true test of experience is being able to make decisions. So what if Obama is conversely fluent in matters of state and foreign affairs, he has never had to make the tough decisions. In fact, when he did have to, his response was "present" 130 times over.

Tip O'Neil said that all politics is local, and he's right. The decisions that town mayors make affect the daily lives of its residents exponentially greater than politicians in Washington. Washingtonian pols make decisions on matters of policy by voting yeah or nay, states then interpret that policy and provide funding for it, but town leaders and executives have to implement those policies.

So on the experience question, I'll go for the person who has had to make the tough choices instead of someone who couldn't even muster himself to vote on controversial issues.

Thank you, Jonathan for coming right out and saying it. You will be happy to know, we, as the American people are on it. Soon there is a gift coming to the American people were we can ask the hard questions that goes to the root, of feasibility and fitness of Palin.

She is too wrapped in a little baby blanket--marketed. The convention projects--small minded people, with a small agenda. The questions isn't are you better off now than 4 years ago. The question is..can you financially surve the next 4? If you can, vote for McCain/Palin.
THE REPULICAN PARTY...is an "old paradigm".

Thank you, Jonathan for coming right out and saying it. You will be happy to know, we, as the American people are on it. Soon there is a gift coming to the American people were we can ask the hard questions that goes to the root, of feasibility and fitness of Palin.

She is too wrapped in a little baby blanket--marketed. The convention projects--small minded people, with a small agenda. The questions isn't are you better off now than 4 years ago. The question is..can you financially surve the next 4? If you can, vote for McCain/Palin.

Alter says: "the Palin nomination is as much of a test of us as it is of her". Judging from her performance last night compared to the quality of Mr. Alter's abundant political analyses, I think I'd bet the mortgage on Gov. Palin in that matchup.

Alter says: "the Palin nomination is as much of a test of us as it is of her". Judging from her performance last night compared to the quality of Mr. Alter's abundant political analyses, I think I'd bet the mortgage on Gov. Palin in that matchup.

GREAT ARTICLE!! EVERYONE NEED TO READ THIS!!