Picking Palin: McCain's Folly, or "crazy like a fox"?

Wow. We thought McCain and his advisors were out of touch with women. Now we know it. In an attempt to win women's votes, he's picked a former beauty queen with practically no experience, who wants to overturn Roe v. Wade.
This proves how little his campaign understands about the women of this country, now. Give us a Rhodes Scholar with a real track record of accomplishments instead of insulting our intelligence yet again.

Are you both sure? Lot of women could identify with her...

The blatant sexism in your post, David Gibson, is something one could cut with a plastic knife.

Obama has two younger children -- does that mean he'll be too busy as a Dad to take up his duties as President? So what if she has 5 kids -- apparently her husband and her eldest daughters are willing to pitch and help with their youngest child, the one with Down's syndrome.

She's been busier as Governor of a state -- and had to face more responsibilities and make more executive decisions on a daily basis -- than any Vice President actually faces. Judging by her record and her speech today, she's apparently a quick study and I'm sure will use her time wisely as VP to come up to speed on foreign policy issues.

Otherwise, your post was pretty balanced and measured. As for experience, she's got more EXECUTIVE experience than Obama and, for that matter, Joe Biden. A lot of these Senators just sit there and bloviate all day long (when they're not using it, as in the case of both Obama and Biden, as a launching pad to run for President).

Yes, one could argue that Joe Biden can point to his years as Senate Judiciary Committee chair as evidence of executive experience ... but one wonder's what Anita Hill would have to say about that!

"Palin has been running a state goverment, and from what I can find out she has been doing a good job."

LOL. Yeah, the state of Alaska.

I'm actually impressed that he would pick a woman (although it's pretty clear now that he didn't want to pick her, but his party kind of forced the issue with Lieberman), but why this woman? Too bad that Bush ruined Condy, because she would have been a great VP.

It's just so wacky. But the more I think about it the more I believe that this move will really backfire on McCain, and will be the straw that broke the camel's chances at being president.

To say I was flaggergasted and outraged at Mr. McCain's or should I say the Repulican Party's pick for VP, is an understatement. I still have not decided if this choice of a Sarah Palin was a smart ploy by the party's leaders, or a total gaff. I am leaning toward the last, as I see it as the Rebublicans shooting themselves in the foot by their choice of Sarah Palin. No experience, just like they berated the Dems, regarding Mr. Obama, an avid non-environmentalist, owing allegiance to the NRA, Big Oil, and anyone elase with money.

My even bigger fear is that this woman could actually end up running the United States of America! That would be like going so far backward, that we couldn't even fathom the terrible state our America would be in. What in Heavens name were they thinking picking Sarah Palin for this very high post in your, my and everyone's America!? Did the Rebulicans really think picking a pretty young soccer mom, with no reall experience of any kind, would make us women of America rally to McCain. With all the negative political baggage she brings with her, I think the Republicans, have outdone themselves in their outdated thoughts regarding America's future.

With Palin and McCain, we will not only see more of the last eight years, but a regression even further back. I trully hope that the true Ameican Republicans will do their homework, and see this terrible twosome for what is really is, a last ditch effort by the party bosses to give their nominee a much needed boost. Sorry guys, but we women are a lot smarter than you apparently give us credit for, and see through your patent ploy. Please try a less apparent method to get us older women, because we seen too much, to fall for this joke.

Some of the shocked, stunned and dazed lefties on this blog are puzzled by this choice. Why would McCain pick Palin?

Three reasons:

(1) it will motivate and enthuse conservative women and cause a lot of moderate women to seriously consider voting for this ticket. Geraldine Ferraro was saying a lot of very nice things about today's announcement.

(2) it solidifies the support from the social conservative base of his party.

(3) but by far the most important reason is that Palin's anti-corruption and reformist track record conforms with McCain's own focus. Don't overlook that in Alaska she has taken on the corrupt GOP establishment symbolized by the indicted Senator Ted Stevens ... who is a longtime nemesis of McCain's. With this choice, McCain is sending a clear message to the pork-barrel Republicans that the party is over.

We all can appreciate that some on the left will react in knee-jerk horror at this choice. Too bad for them. Nevertheless this is good news for women and it is good news for efforts to clean up the cronyism and corruption in Washington.

Lots of soccer moms I know are questioning how this mother of five could even consider having the job of V.P. Who is going to raise those children? Who is going to be there to comfort, nurture and advocate for that poor little baby???? She will have NO TIME....ABSOLUTELY NO TIME... for her family if she takes this job. I for one think this in not the kind of person whose values reflect mine. Politics is a 24/7 job at that level. She will never see her children once she takes office if elected.

For what it's worth Reganite, I was a Regan fan, and still think he was one of our better Presidents in recent history, but I do hope you're not comparing the McCain/Palin ticket with anything Regan did. Regan was a President for America, McCain/Palin are for special interest groups such as Big Oil (who don't need more oil leases, as they have an inordinate amount of public lands already to drill on), and the NRA.

Just like Bush, the McCain/Palin team will gut the environment until there's nothing left for our children and grandchildren. Isn't it bad enough that Bush has decimated the protection that our land and animals were afforded? Do we really want someone who voted more often than not for Bush and his cronies, with an occasional discenting vote to show his independence. Do we really want a VP who is willing to give up the day to day care of her children just to get back in the limelight? Her views on the environment and animals are so well known that even my granddaughter was horrified to hear Sarah Palin might be on the ticket! When you have views that can stir up young high school teenagers to react so forcefully against them, doesn't that make you begin to look beyond the pretty facade and ask, what is going on?!

Even more horrifying to me was the photo of Sarah Palin holding up what can only be described as an assault rifle. What was she thinking, and what in Heavens name was the Republican party bosses thinking with a photo op like that?! I certainly hope the Democrats latch onto things like the assault rifle photo, and show the United States what an administration with McCain/Palin could end up being.

As for Sarah Palin being a unifying force for women, are you serious? This woman is so out of touch with the average woman of this country it boggles the mind. When was the last time you saw a woman, young or old brandish an assault rifle with such apparent glee?! No wonder the NRA loves her, she over-rules her own constituants when they tell her they don't want to allow aerial hunting from low flying small planes. The hunters like the challenge of chasing down animals to the point of exhaustion, even mothers of wolf cubs, then killing the cubs in the den after they kill the mother.

Sarah Palin will not motivate and enthuse women, she will instead turn off the thinking moderates of either party. If the Republican party wanted to sabotage Mr. McCain's chances, they couldn't have done a better job than choosing a running-mate like Sarah Palin. I suppose I should be glad to see them make such an obvoius blunder, but in a way feel sorry for Mr. McCain to be saddled with such a disasterous running-mate.

I dug around yesterday, and while I personally hadn't heard of Palin before yesterday, it is a fact that she has been on all those cable news programs in recent months, since she gained a bit of national fame when she sued the federal government over the protection of polar bears as endangered species. Why would she do that? Because if the protection can be lifted, that's one more barrier removed for Big Oil to begin its drilling in Alaska. Oh yes, you will hear a lot about this issue in the coming days, I'm certain.

So it isn't really a stretch to say that a teenager who's up on the news would know who Palin is.

But anyway, the best thing about Palin is that in certain photos she looks a lot like Tina Fey, and I love Tina Fey. However, that probably won't be enough to get me to vote McCain. :)

PhoenixOrion: "I don't think that McCain should have picked Sarah Palin. This is not for political reasons (I am a Democrat and Obama/Biden supporter), but the fact that she gave birth to a special needs child only FOUR MONTHS AGO strongly indicates to me that Palin should devote her energy towards taking care of that child (and her other children), rather than trying to fill the demanding job of VP."

Your post proves how hypocritical so many on the left are. When Chelsea was just an infant that didn't stop Hillary from working full-time at the Rose Law Firm on top of her second full-time job, which was to keep Bill at the top of his game as Governor of Arkansas.

I am appalled at so many of the sexist comments that are coming out re: Palin and her daughter, most notably yesterday by John Roberts over at CNN. Why isn't the National Organization for Women speaking out on behalf of this woman -- and, by extension, all women?

Emilie,

Apparently you didn't read my entire post. I said that I was not saying that Palin should concentrate on her new baby (and other kids) for POLITICAL reasons, I just think that people should put their families ahead of their political ambitions. An infant with Down's Syndrome requires a LOT of attention and care, and I honestly think Sarah Palin and her husband should devote their energy toward their family at this critical juncture in their lives, rather than nursing lofty political ambitions. And I also said that John Edwards (a Democrat, like myself) shouldn't have been running for President, as he had recently cheated on his wife and should have spent the time mending his relationship with his wife and children rather than going out and trying to convince the American people that they were the "picture perfect family" that should be in the White House. And I said that my personal political views have nothing to do with my stance that Palin should not be running as VP (I am also skeptical of her because of her relative inexperience, but that's off topic) due to her busy family life, but that family should always come before politics. And I didn't know that Hillary was working overtime when Chelsea was an infant, I was only about 10 years old when Bill took office as President.

Speaking of ambiguous political designations, I consider myself a "progressive libertarian Democrat". Meaning that I am a Democrat with many liberal views (I am far to the left on social issues), but embrace some conservative/libertarian ideals, such as supporting the right to bear arms and ending corporate welfare. I also like the idea of limiting welfare on a personal level to a minimum (or at least reforming it so people don't abuse it), and replacing race-based affirmative action with income-based affirmative action (or else doing away with it altogether).

PhoenixOrion,

No, I read your entire post. First of all, it's "Emelie" not "Emilie" Secondly, you're being 10 when Billary were first elected means you're about 26 years old, so I wish you the best of luck in a long life ahead of you :-)

Third, it's pretty lame of you (sorry to be harsh) to compare Sarah Palin with John Edwards; or to compare her decision to work a full-time job (in politics) while caring for a child (as most working working have to do today) ... with a smooth-talking lawyer and jerk (Edwards) cheating on his ill wife.

Are women with kids (even ones requiring special care) supposed to just stay home all day long? That may be ideal for some, and I don't want to knock those who can afford to do this ... but this is not realistic for most.

Honestly, the more I hear people dumping on Palin for her life choices (especially the hypocrites among the media/Washington elites), the more I'm beginning to like this person. Not only because she's a woman. But also because she's "real" in a way so many of the professional talking heads on TV aren't.

acs: "We still have archaic ideas about what children and adults with Down Syndrome as well as other disabilities, can accomplish ... "

Thanks for your detailed and thoughtful post at 10:18 AM today. I learned a lot from you and thank you for your sharing, as an MD, your knowledge in this area. My uncle is developmentally disabled and I can't help but agree with your general conclusions which I partially excerpted above. Thanks again!!