Palin Is Ready? Please.

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  • Posted By: wildtech @ 10/01/2008 2:06:35 PM

    The choice of someone like Palin as a running mate means on of two things. Either the choice was not really McCains, but that of some RNC committee looking to broaden their ticket to bring the neocons and evangelicals back into the fold (meaning the McCain let himself be a puppet of the RNC, not the "maverick" that he says he is OR that McCain has extremely poor judgement which would extend to the selection of his cabinet. If McCain wins, she will forever be compared to Dan "potatoe" Quayle and if McCain loses, she will forever be compared to Admiral "who am I and what am I doing here" Stockdale. Say what you will about Obama, he ran the nomination gauntlet and came out on top, but Palin is, to me, merely a choice made to pander to the extreme right of the Republican party.

  • Posted By: JEFFREY CONNORS @ 10/01/2008 2:03:59 PM

    Last responder, get a grip of the severity of the situation, and realize she was not the right choice.
    I was an undecided voter, leaning toward McCain, but when he choose Palin it was a no brainer.
    Sarah Palin will be the cause of the Republican defeat in November.
    We had a chance to have a sensible moderate President and McCain made a "Bone-Headed" mistake.
    The only thing that saves the ticket is for Palin to step-aside, for whatever reason, and we choose Joe.

  • Posted By: ksol77 @ 10/01/2008 2:03:23 PM

    I agree. If SARA PALIN was VICE PRESIDENT, SHE'LL DESTROY OUR ECONOMY EVEN MORE, by ELUDING THE STRIVING MIDDLE CLASS.

    She claim that rejecting the $700 BILLION BAILOUT will increase JOBS for his country? I guess she didn't realize that WHEN THE ECONOMY IS ON IT'S DOWNFALL, THE JOB MARKET IS SCARCE, which will lead to EVEN HIGH TAXES and MORE LAYOFFS, ( Not to mention that THE STOCK MARKET is practically USELESS at this time. )

    WHAT ABOUT THE TROOPS, who are serving in IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, and PAKISTAN? MOST OF OUR TAX DOLLARS went directly to this EVERLASTING WAR, WITHOUT VICTORY, for the UNITED STATES.

    Whoever is elected should WITHDRAW THE TROOPS from THE MIDDLE EAST and REPAIR & REFURBISH THE ECONOMY IN THE UNITED STATES, in order to save the STOCK MARKET and the STRIVING MIDDLE CLASS.

    SARA PALIN IS NOT READY TO LEAD and SHE NEVER WILL BE. All she wants to do is to BOAST HER PAST ACHIEVEMENTS, which has nothing to do with WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS WORLD.

    I DON'T GIVE A DAM IF SHE COULD SEE RUSSIA FROM HER HOME, however, COULD SHE NEGOTIATE WITH PUTIN with PROPER DIPLOMACY?

    Her BOASTING is the reason why more VOTERS will choose BARACK OBAMA for president.

  • Posted By: bjameson @ 10/01/2008 2:00:47 PM

    This is a reply to the comment made by ashwindhir;
    Your logic in equating Obama sitting in church listening to a preacher for 20 years superceding the preparation of Sarah Palin to serve and possibly lead our country is equal to the logic she has thus far displayed in recent interviews with the press--very very bad. PS, I sat in churches over 60 years listening to all kinds of preachers presenting their views and not one really speaks for who I am.

  • Posted By: JChicago @ 10/01/2008 1:59:28 PM

    The issue is not that she has no foreign policy experience. The issue is that she is claiming foreign policy experience because she lives in Alaska--and can "see Russia." The ridiculousness of that contention is what is so absurd.

  • Posted By: JD1964 @ 10/01/2008 1:43:12 PM

    "Can someone tell me, with accuracy, the amount of foreign policy experience the former governor of Arkansas had...or for that matter economic experience (considering Arkansas was in the bottom three states in standard of living I believe at the time)...or for that matter the good governor from Georgia, or even the good governor from California, the republican icon Reagan. Palin has more energy experience and EASILY comparable experience on foreign policy and economic experience than any of those men...and they were running for...and were elected President of the United States. Could it be that a conservative, attractive woman is judged by a radically different standard? People, get a CLUE! This has truly gone beyond disgusting. It is intellectually dishonest, but agenda true."

  • Posted By: ashwindhir @ 10/01/2008 1:34:32 PM

    Why do you not ask the same Question for OBAMA? Sitting in church for twenty years, where they cursed America. Just later saying I am leaving the church, does not mean he has not been influenced by the church's teaching. If a muslim sits in the mosque and listens to Iman who says one should hate America, That person would be put on watch list. Country first is love the Country First. Please stop the nonsense.

  • Posted By: ashwindhir @ 10/01/2008 1:23:14 PM

    Why do you not ask the similar question for Obama? Does book knowledge and Judgement alone qualify one for the PRESIDENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. . May be I should be elected ? I am looking for a job. I have good judgement and can rescue some of the Banks hire me as the CEO. Take a chance and everything will be fine trust me. It is amazing that logic is out of the window.Hype and marketing

    • Posted By: fccFH @ 10/01/2008 1:33:27 PM

      Yes, but she does not even have book knowledge of quality judgment. Remember she supported the bridge, before she had to say- what was it again- oh, yeah- no thanks.

  • Posted By: SherryP @ 10/01/2008 11:37:31 AM

    I certainly recognize the media's anger about Palin. It's disgusting no doubt to meet a poltiician that is so silly that virtually even the cub reporter knows more about foreign and domestic issues than she does. But Sarah does a huge disservice to women in this country. We are not airheads and stupid sounding wind up dolls. Further she does a great disservice to small town America. We are not like this. We read newspapers, books, watch PBS, and news shows on Sunday. We are literate, aware of the world, don't need wars to teach us geography, and know that foreign policy is not gained by looking out our windows at another country. I am sickened by this utter vile cynicism that McCain and his caretakers have for the American voting public. While I agree that many, perhaps most voters are woefully unaware of common and basic issues, we all aren't swilling beer and watching Nascar. And we highly resent being treated like we were morons. Thanks Mr. Zakaria for joining the ranks of responsible journalists (of which there seem mighty few these days) and calling it like it is. Sarah is just an insult to everyone and an embarrassment.

    • Posted By: jmck53 @ 10/01/2008 1:31:02 PM

      Reall, do these politicians and everyone supporting Ms. Palin, really think we are this stupid?
      I agree with SherryP's post, and as another woman who makes it a point to stay abreast of things, to say that Palin is compleatly out of her league on such serious and important issues that face our nation, is saying it lightly! For all our sakes people, forget blue and red, forget party, and vote for accmplished academics that actually know how to speak the English language correctly.
      If I want to sit down to a plate of home cooked venision with a cold beer, I can. But not every "dude" and "dudette", from North Podunk, is capable of a top leadership role in our country. Certainly, not this one!

  • Posted By: bluebloodedLV @ 09/30/2008 6:54:28 PM

    Posted by Jim: It is hard to believe in the years of the Iraq War that there have been more Americans killed in Chicago than in Iraq and Afghanistan put together.

    Yes, Jim, it is hard to believe because it's a complete lie. You are a sad excuse for an American. People like you should not procreate! You must be a ditto head. Seriously? You believe more people have been killed in Chicago? Are you aware that hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens (the people our service men and women are fighting and dying for) have been killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Remember, we are not at war with Iraq. We are the liberators, fighting and dying to protect the rights of the Iraqi citizens. But maybe they don't count because they aren't Americans? What a small, teeny tiny mind you have. You are the people the republican machine is responding to, counting on your vast ignorance that will lead you to vote against your best interest on election day.

    • Posted By: theBSR @ 09/30/2008 8:26:59 PM

      "You believe more people have been killed in Chicago? Are you aware that hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens (the people our service men and women are fighting and dying for) have been killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time?"
      He said "Americans"...pay attention Jack.

      • Posted By: bluebloodedLV @ 10/01/2008 12:58:20 PM

        Jack - Do you have a point? I know he said "Americans". Excuse me for making the WILD and CRAZY assumption that all human life is precious! Does it take away from the fact that he thinks Obama is responsible for the murder rate in Chicago?

    • Posted By: Jim Johnson @ 10/01/2008 12:30:42 AM

      The Iraqis like your poor forefathers are dying for their freedom. Saddam was going to wipe them out anyway or starve them to death. Obama and his friends were stealing the oil for food money!

      • Posted By: marksgershenson @ 10/01/2008 1:27:02 AM

        funny how the Repugs also approved the measure, and it was approved by the UN. Jim, when you present information, please cite your material. I can throw as much or more about the failures of the Republican party. You are testing my patience, and other people who blog on topic. Do yourself a favor and the rest of us, and blog where the appropriate discussion is taking place about Obama and McCain. Thank you..

  • Posted By: McNulty @ 10/01/2008 12:56:04 PM

    Re: Fareed Zakaria on Sarah Palin: The only people who can take some comfort from Sarah Palin's comments on the current economic woes and on western security (her comments on Russia) are those who seek to weaken, demoralise and ultimately destroy the west and its values, if it has any left!! I find it appalling that a person possessing such almost childish views and naivety could be "a heartbeat away from the Presidency of the United States". Has it really come to this? God help us all.

  • Posted By: tinkers @ 10/01/2008 12:53:16 PM

    You know the secret behind Palin's confidence of being qualified for VP candidacy .."When George Bush can be a president of this Powerful Country for 8 years, why can't I be VP and then President for if not 8 years, at least 4 years.

  • Posted By: rchmorrison @ 10/01/2008 6:42:16 AM

    How about some fair balance on this? Obama doesn't have the foreign affairs credentials either. And his name resides at the top of the ticket. McCain embarrassed him at the first debate on this. Anyway, after the inability of either campaign to lead on this financial crisis, it is clear that it is time to put both the Democrats and Republicans on notice. I am voting Libertarian.

    • Posted By: bluebloodedLV @ 10/01/2008 12:52:48 PM

      That would essentially be throwing away your vote. Why don't you save yourself the gas it takes to drive to the polls. Your attempt at making a statement will only make you feel better. Good job.

  • Posted By: tinkers @ 10/01/2008 12:51:41 PM

    You know the secret behind Palin's confidence of qualification for VP. Here it is.."When George Bush can be a president of this Powerful Country for 8 years, why can't she be VP and then President for if not 8 years, at least 4 years.

  • Posted By: mslater2008 @ 10/01/2008 12:50:46 PM

    This is a response to the posting that Katie Couric was mean! How dare she?! Can you imagine, she asked a Vice Presidential candidate about the war in Iraq, Foreign Policy, what magazines she reads! And poor, poor Sarah was caught so off guard she couldn't even come up with one magazine she reads. Maybe that's b/c it's People, Us, Elle Decor and the Enquirer. Katie Couric was right on and did a righteous interview just as she would do with Joe Biden. The difference is, Joe Biden would have been able to answer these questions intelligently and would not have had anyone saying afterwards, "poor Joe, Katie was so mean to him!" Why don't the journalists just treat Sarah Palin like a grammar school student and give her an open book test? "Wait a minute Katie...let me look it up and read it to you!" Correction: "....read it to ya!"

  • Posted By: Jim Johnson @ 09/30/2008 10:05:16 PM

    19. Which university professor was anti-Israel?
    20. Which university professor was the main supporter of the Iran president???s visit to the U. S. and his
    university?
    21. At which university professor???s retirement did Obama give a speech and praise the professor?
    22. Which church did Obama attend for 20 years whose minister preached hate for America and white people?
    23. Which minister served as personal and political adviser to Obama?
    24. Which radical Catholic priest was a close friend and advisor to Obama?
    25. Who is the leader of the Nation of Islam who praised Obama?
    26. Whose million man march did Obama participate in?
    27. Who hired members of the Nation of Islam to work in his political offices?
    28. Was it okay for Michelle Obama to say that she has never respected America in her adult life until her
    husband started running for office?
    29. Was it okay for Michelle Obama to say that America was a mean country in 2008?
    30. Which international terrorist group endorsed Obama?
    31. Which radical leaders who support terrorism endorsed Obama?
    32. Why did Obama really come out against the war in Iraq when he didn???t even have access to pertinent
    information and had no vote on it?
    33. Who in Washington tried to warn Congress of possible problems with financial institutions??? way of doing
    business 5 years ago and recommended stiffer regulations or they could fail?
    34. Who submitted a bill 3 years ago in an attempt to implement tighter regulations and controls over the
    financial institutions warning that they would fail if Congress didn???t act?
    35. Which members of Congress blocked this bill and said that there was nothing wrong with the way they did
    business?
    36. Who was the second largest recipient of contributions from Fannie Mae even though he served actively only
    17 months in Congress?

    • Posted By: JustDeWitt8 @ 10/01/2008 12:36:10 PM

      Jim Johnson,

      You have shown yourself very capable by cutting and pasting the text from your Uncle Leroy's e-mail in the comments section. Congratulations. Now get back to work on that GED.

    • Posted By: marksgershenson @ 10/01/2008 1:23:40 AM

      Jim, your posts have nothing to do with Palin.

  • Posted By: kervacs @ 09/30/2008 12:05:25 PM

    The whole point is that every criticism hurled at Palin applies to Obama every bit as much. Inexperience, the "gotcha" gaffes, the meager achievements and empty resume. What is a community organizer anyway? Isn't that what you put on your resume when you don't do a damn thing but schmooze for three years? And does anyone know the real story behind his Harvard Law Review editorial assignment? He has accomplished nothing. What he has done is use each new position as a staging platform for attaining a higher one, speak in platitudes and buzzwords, and rehearse the speeches of JFK, Malcolm, and MLK. Is Obama ready? No, THE MAN IS A FRAUD.

    • Posted By: SavethisCountry @ 09/30/2008 12:30:45 PM

      Scarey when we can list the 8 years of issues the Repubs have caused around making ours and future childrens lives so bad, that you can still vote for party lines. McBush may have had a chance but by dragging in the marketing stunt of Palin (because living next to Russia does not international policy make), I think will be his downfall. How poor do you have to be, and how much must they make you bleed before you realize there is a better choice?

      • Posted By: kervacs @ 09/30/2008 1:05:56 PM

        This is a classic lesser of two evils election. I was a Hillary Clinton supporter. I have never voted Republican before. As I phrased it in another entry, Obama is every bit as bad as Bush. We are refusing to look critically at him, probably because of his race. I would rather have four more years of Republican mismangement than the Holocaust, Part 2. If you think that this is hyperbole, then I have just two words for you: Jeremiah Wright. Obama sat in that hate mongers pews for twenty years.

        • Posted By: fccFH @ 10/01/2008 12:34:18 PM

          You really are getting caught on this one issue of Jeremiah Wright. Could you please explain how this would be the Holocaust Part 2 because saying that Obama is going to kill over six million Jews is a pretty lofty accusation, and a truly disgusting and deplorable one. If you really think that Obama is going to bring about a second Holocaust then you really do not have a clear grasp of your history. How is he as bad as Bush? I understand that you are upset about Hillary not getting the nomination, but your vehement hate for Obama seems unjustified and misdirected. People have looked at him critically and the only thing spewing out of the right is that he was a community organizer, and you know what, that is all you have been able to come up with as well. So please, since we are all obviously missing what is so bad about Obama, what else is there that the media has overlooked? I think you are pissed off and desperately wanting to find something about the man to hate, but you can???t, so like the right you rattle off names of a nutcase religious leader and demonize a commendable post the man once held. McCain has proven that he will only continue the path that Bush has set for this country- which means more death in the Middle East, a sagging education and healthcare system, and refusal to spend on programs that will push America back into the intellectual and scientific leadership position it once held. If anything McCain is the one who would cause a second Holocaust, though I hate saying that because comparing what happened in Nazi Germany to this is petty, naive, and ridiculous.

  • Posted By: trueblackamerican @ 09/29/2008 10:33:03 AM

    Please excuse my spelling I did not know how to go back and proof read my comments. I am talking about the mark of the beast. God is working so in the 2008 election, and seperating his people from satan's people, his people, look at this election as what is best for our country, and satan people' s are all about hate and more hate and racism. God is working, To the 30 preachers yesterday that spewed out that hate from your pulpit, God saw that too. Even you were exposed. God is moving in a mighty way.

    • Posted By: kervacs @ 10/01/2008 11:57:16 AM

      God sees everything; but those of us that think we see God are delusional. That excludes Palin, Bush, Jeremiah Wright, and by extension, Barack Obama from the category of the sane. Of the four, only Obama distanced himself from that madness; but he did so for political expediency by throwing his old pastor under the bus. That says something even worse about him.

  • Posted By: kervacs @ 09/30/2008 12:27:29 PM

    Who does know what a Vice President actually does beyond breaking ties in the Senate? The President determines what the VP does. And experience is important. Speeches are rehearsed and read from teleprompters. It is better to have an inexperienced VP than President.

    • Posted By: fccFH @ 09/30/2008 5:47:21 PM

      That is such a terrible rationalization. It is as if you are, and you really are, condoning mediocrity. After eight years of Cheney how can you say that the VP does not do anything? He practically is the one who led us into Iraq, using lies and manipulation to get us there. But you are also discounting the very plausible concern that she could become president- in which case you yourself said she is inexperienced. She cannot even perform when the speech/interview is rehearsed- when force-fed the answers she cannot even bring herself to explain why the bailout was needed. The reason so few people, putting aside the foaming-at-the-mouth conservatives, look critically at Obama is because for every shortcoming there is an explanation- people forget that he was also a State Senator where he was very effective and successful- McCain, alright, has years on him, but he has accomplished little in the senate in those decades, except for pissing off the base whose good graces he now desperately pandering too. His flip-flopping made Kerry???s look like nothing. And may I remind you, people chose Bush over McCain eight years ago, and look what a disaster he was. Let me rephrase that- McCain was the runner up to the worst President in US history. People, we are only back-tracking here. Every time Bush screws up, we say, well how can it get any worse- but the man wont let us down, he just keeps tripping over himself- why vote for four more years of this?

      • Posted By: kervacs @ 09/30/2008 10:46:20 PM

        First of all Bush gave Chaney that scope; it was not part of the Vice President's job description. Secondly you say that for every Obama shortcoming there is an explanation, but I have seen no evidence that his resume or his past have been scrutinized in the media at all. He just keeps getting passes. By the way, the right wing makes the same excuses for Palin that you do for Obama. And finally, believe it or not, I have never voted for a Republican. I was a Hillary supporter, and Obama's sleaziness in the Democratic primaries and his association with some genuinely contemptible characters, like Wright and Ayers, have made it impossible for me to support him. Since then I have found that the closer that I look at him, the more worried I become.

        • Posted By: fccFH @ 10/01/2008 9:54:47 AM

          I do not know if you would be refreshed to know that I was a Hillary supporter also, who was very upset when she did not get the nomination. Initially I had reservations regarding Obamas stance on dealing with Iraq and immigration issues. But I feel that in the past few months he has surrounded himself with people that have influenced him to take a more logistical and practical approach to dealing with these issues, and I have since warmed up to him. Just wanted to get that out of the way. While I understand that Bush gave Cheney that scope, what I want to reemphasize is not so much what Palin would be doing as a VP, but if in the event something happened to McCain, that she simply is not ready to be President. Biden on the other hand has experience that can trump them all. And on your second point, during the race between Obama and Hillary, all people did was scrutinize his resume; remember, she was the media darling for those first few months and then he shot out of nowhere. I would argue to say that when he got the nomination, and though I hate to say it, won it fair and square, the media kind of shut up. The public had spoken and they were confident with their choice. Now McCain on the other hand, a man who has spent years in politics and has achieved little in the way of progressing democratic ideals, scares me. His flip-flopping, pandering, desperate attempt at winning this position horrifies me. His and Palins lack of knowledge of the economy, that all of a sudden they supported regulation- staring a week ago- that he wants to stay in Iraq, that he wants to cut spending- spending we need to continue to be the strongest (though we are not any longer thanks to Bush) in public education and health care, scientific and information technology research. The country that focuses on these last two areas of study will be the country that leads the world in the generations to come, and Bush has done everything to push us back into a simpler time where these studies are irrelevant. I cannot have a President who will drag America back into the Stone Age. So okay, Obama is not who you want, but do you truly feel that the McCain/Palin ticket is what is right for our future?

  • Posted By: jmartyc @ 10/01/2008 8:57:45 AM

    Oh Dear is all I can say. I tried for a while to speak intelligently about Gov. Palin but what's the point. Her Sarah six-pack statements really require an expletive.

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