McCain picks Sarah Palin as VP running mate

[Michael]

McCain takes big gamble in choosing Palin

DENVER — Win or lose, John McCain threw the long ball Friday when he stunned the nation by picking Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

His choice of a young, largely unknown woman from as far outside Washington as possible shakes up the presidential campaign and has the potential to either help him win the White House or doom his chances.

Source (http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/51128.html)

Well that's a big surprise. Palin appears to be a bit on the rookie side so there's little known about her. As the article states, it could be a brilliant pick, or a poor one, hard to tell right now.

To be honest, I thought McCain should have picked Condi Rice as his VP.

Anyone have any thoughts on the chances of a McCain-Palin ticket?

[Michael]

Here are some recovered replies to this thread...

Palin should appeal to those on the Right who don't like McCain. She seems to have all the "correct" conservative credentials to appeal to the base that twice elected Bush, including support for drilling in ANWR and opposition to embryonic stem-cell research (areas in which McCain doesn't toe the conservative line).

I was switching back and forth from NPR to the local conservative-talk station this afternoon, trying to gauge responses. The conservative hosts seemed thrilled and, more significantly, Focus on the Family creator James Dobson was on the air announcing that, if the election were held today, he'd vote for McCain-Palin. Earlier this year he stated that if McCain was the Rep. nominee he wouldn't vote; Dobson's change of heart strikes me as a signal that the religious right may be ready to accept McCain, even if they do so grudgingly. Palin's nomination should be enough to bring them in.

Personally, I'm a little distressed at the thought of a half-term governor being a heart-beat from the presidency, though I admit I don't really know much about Palin. Either way, I doubt it would be enough to make me switch votes.

On another note, I was under the impression that Rice had declared a while back that she had no Whitehouse aspirations for this upcoming term.

Palin should appeal to those on the Right who don't like McCain. She seems to have all the "correct" conservative credentials to appeal to the base that twice elected Bush, including support for drilling in ANWR and opposition to embryonic stem-cell research (areas in which McCain doesn't toe the conservative line).

I was switching back and forth from NPR to the local conservative-talk station this afternoon, trying to gauge responses. The conservative hosts seemed thrilled and, more significantly, Focus on the Family creator James Dobson was on the air announcing that, if the election were held today, he'd vote for McCain-Palin. Earlier this year he stated that if McCain was the Rep. nominee he wouldn't vote; Dobson's change of heart strikes me as a signal that the religious right may be ready to accept McCain, even if they do so grudgingly. Palin's nomination should be enough to bring them in.
Yes, that was my impression - that she represents an appeal to the religious right and an appeal to women voters. On the whole, that's not a bad plan on McCain's part.

Personally, I'm a little distressed at the thought of a half-term governor being a heart-beat from the presidency, though I admit I don't really know much about Palin.
Yeah, well, the Democratic ticket proposes putting a 1st term Senator into the Oval Office, so this isn't likely to be a major critique against her. I can't imagine Obama going after Palin for 'inexperience' in office.

On another note, I was under the impression that Rice had declared a while back that she had no Whitehouse aspirations for this upcoming term.
With respect to running as a candidate for President, yes. There was some movements pushing for her to run. But she didn't rule out being someone's VP and I think she'd be a fairly good VP candidate for any Republican running (though she doesn't have much religious-right attraction).

While it may pull in some of the religious right, I think it will backfire with women voters, especially the feminisits, who make up the really diehard Clinton supporters. To me it is a very negative image. McCain already has a trophy wife; I don't think that a trophy vice president looks so good. It is a most transperent pander, and I'm not sure how they will feel about being patronized like that. Also, she's not exactly carrying the torch for reproductive rights and other women's issues.

It is a most transperent pander, and I'm not sure how they will feel about being patronized like that. Also, she's not exactly carrying the torch for reproductive rights and other women's issues.
Do you know anything about what she's done wrt to equal-pay, discrimination, women's health-care...etc? I know she's ardently pro-life, but I'd hate to think that one issue has become the litmus test for one's stance on "women's issues".

You know that's a really good question. So far I can't seem to find anything about any of that...

Advisers say conservative ire pushed McCain away from picking Lieberman
By Elisabeth Bumiller and Michael Cooper
Published: August 31, 2008

...

"For weeks, advisers close to the campaign said, McCain had wanted to name as his running mate his good friend Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, the Democrat turned independent. But by the end of last weekend, the outrage from Christian conservatives over the possibility that McCain would fill out the Republican ticket with Lieberman, a supporter of abortion rights, had become too intense to be ignored."

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/31/america/31reconstruct.php

I don't have strong feelings about the Palin pick one way or the other, but even before the primaries were settled my favorite potential ticket was McCain-Lieberman. It's a shame that didn't work out.

The entire Democratic party was having a wet dream thinking about Lieberman running with McCain.

Suffice it to say that's a 'lose-lose' ticket for the Republicans. Holy Joe is A) hated by Jews in Florida and B) generally hated by independents, and C) the only guy who is generally hated by both the left and the right.

Btw, Joe only narrowly won his Senate seat last time and he had to lie to the voters to do it (and those voters aren't happy about being lied to). Pretty much guarenteed this is his last term as Senator as he's become 'unelectable'.

In many ways, Gore's 2000 Campaign died the day he chose Lieberman. Biggest insult to the Democratic party ever made by a Democratic candidate for President.

Without a doubt, I hold Lieberman to be the worst idiot in the Senate and the one I hate the most. This guy makes Senator Byrd look good by comparison.

I didn't figure he would be put on the ticket. Conservative talk radio is a major influence and all of those shows had been going on and on about how they would encourage people to stay at home this election. Like it or not Rush Limbaugh has the highest ratings of any radio program in the country and conservative radio in general has just about the whole top ten list of most listened to programs other than a couple from NPR.

It's a woman and she is only 44 - 5 kids and a career.

I don't think that most people will go and check her credential. It is GOOD that you don't know too much her about her.

It's a smart political move from Mc Cain.

[Donkey]

Well, it would seem that those of us who predicted that Palin would not pan out for McCain had some degree of foresight. Honestly I thought she would fizzle long before she did, but it seems to have happened sooner or later.

[partofme]

At this point this thread can serve no purpose other than a good laugh. :haha: