# If Palin is dropped from the ticket, who should McCain replace her with? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 7, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490 "2008-09-07T15:48:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/21 "2008-09-07T21:04:33Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > I realize that, but it’s simply not even in the realm of possibilities. Of course it’s “in the realm of possibilities”. She could become too sick to run or dead, as I said; or she could for some reason of her own decide to drop out. No, it’s hardly likely but let’s not pretend it’s the equivalent of asking what happens if she suddenly turns into an iguana. ---
**Author:** ![A\_shameful\_cracka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@A\_shameful\_cracka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_shameful_cracka)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/22 "2008-09-07T21:06:24Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > If only the OP had begun with the word **If** , it might be possible to approach this as a hypothetical question. I thought “Let’s suppose” indicated clearly enough I was talking about a hypothetical situation. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/23 "2008-09-07T21:14:52Z")
> [@A\_shameful\_cracka](#): > > I thought “Let’s suppose” indicated clearly enough I was talking about a hypothetical situation. I think he/she was sarcastically pointing that out to the people saying “But that’s IMPOSSIBLE ! !”. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/24 "2008-09-07T21:31:39Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Of course it’s “in the realm of possibilities”. She could become too sick to run or dead, as I said; or she could for some reason of her own decide to drop out. No, it’s hardly likely but let’s not pretend it’s the equivalent of asking what happens if she suddenly turns into an iguana. Of course she won’t turn into an iguana. She’s a pit bull, remember? ---
**Author:** ![JohnnieEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@JohnnieEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnieEnigma)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/25 "2008-09-07T21:40:11Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > Not going to happen. Palin isn’t going to go. The thought of Palin dropping from the ticket seems to be a liberal’s fantasy. Truth is, republicans and conservatives are thrilled to death with the Palin selection. She’s not going anywhere. She’s their golden child. ---
**Author:** ![A\_shameful\_cracka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@A\_shameful\_cracka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_shameful_cracka)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/26 "2008-09-07T21:47:23Z")
> [@JohnnieEnigma](#): > > The thought of Palin dropping from the ticket seems to be a liberal’s fantasy. Truth is, republicans and conservatives are thrilled to death with the Palin selection. She’s not going anywhere. She’s their golden child. I think it’s not exactly a fantasy, since most Democrats seem to believe she will hurt McCain’s chances in the long run. It just seems more likely than usual - she has a number of things going on in her personal life that might cause one to believe they need to spend more time at home (retarded baby, pregnant child), she is currently under investigation for corruption, and she was obviously not vetted properly. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/27 "2008-09-07T21:49:38Z")
> [@JohnnieEnigma](#): > > The thought of Palin dropping from the ticket seems to be a liberal’s fantasy. Truth is, republicans and conservatives are thrilled to death with the Palin selection. She’s not going anywhere. She’s their golden child. I suppose that makes her immortal then ? Really, this adamant refusal to contemplate what might happen even as a hypothetical is just bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![A\_shameful\_cracka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@A\_shameful\_cracka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_shameful_cracka)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/28 "2008-09-07T21:55:37Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I suppose that makes her immortal then ? > > Really, this adamant refusal to contemplate what might happen even as a hypothetical is just bizarre. I think it’s due to a realization that it seems more likely than usual this election for a change of the ticket, and denial. McCain supporters want to be able to claim total surprise if it happens when others say “I told you so”. ---
**Author:** ![JohnnieEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@JohnnieEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnieEnigma)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/29 "2008-09-07T22:04:03Z")
> [@A\_shameful\_cracka](#): > > I think it’s not exactly a fantasy, since most Democrats seem to believe she will hurt McCain’s chances in the long run. It just seems more likely than usual - she has a number of things going on in her personal life that might cause one to believe they need to spend more time at home (retarded baby, pregnant child), she is currently under investigation for corruption, and she was obviously not vetted properly. Nah, really, that’s all hype. She’s just fine. She was actually the best thing that happened to McCain. There’s a real race between him and Obama now. They’re at a dead heat. Do you really think there would be any excitement or passion in a McCain/Romney ticket? Not… This is like asking who Obama would replace Biden with if he dropped out… it’s not happening. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/30 "2008-09-07T22:04:41Z")
McCain can’t drop Palin. Where’s he going to find another believer in Creationism? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![JohnnieEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@JohnnieEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnieEnigma)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/31 "2008-09-07T22:08:31Z")
> [@glee](#): > > McCain can’t drop Palin. Where’s he going to find another believer in Creationism? :smack: But you don’t really care that she’s a believer in Creationism, do you? You’re more concerned that Creationism is taught in public schools, right? Just wondering… ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/32 "2008-09-07T22:16:37Z")
> [@JohnnieEnigma](#): > > But you don’t really care that she’s a believer in Creationism, do you? You’re more concerned that Creationism is taught in public schools, right? Just wondering… It’s a stupid, ignorant belief that no one in power should hold. It makes them dangerous; likely to make stupid decisions based on their stupid beliefs. > [@JohnnieEnigma](#): > > This is like asking who Obama would replace Biden with if he dropped out… it’s not happening. Of course it could happen; he’s not immortal either. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/33 "2008-09-07T22:19:17Z")
> [@JohnnieEnigma](#): > > But you don’t really care that she’s a believer in Creationism, do you? You’re more concerned that Creationism is taught in public schools, right? Just wondering… I’m quite worried that a potential US Vice President is a religious nutter, actually. If God commanded her to nuke infidels, would she do it? ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/34 "2008-09-07T22:57:06Z")
For Pete’s sake, anyone can get into a head-on collision, or have a sudden aneurysm! Can’t we just try to answer the hypothetical question? It’s very hard for me to judge, because my mindset is so far from the rightwing. I don’t have any real feel for the reaction if McCain chose Huckabee, but he seems to be the most exciting potential candidate and the one who seems the most likely to get buzz. ---
**Author:** ![laughingboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@laughingboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/laughingboy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/35 "2008-09-07T23:26:08Z")
> [@glee](#): > > I’m quite worried that a potential US Vice President is a religious nutter, actually. > If God commanded her to nuke infidels, would she do it? Do you think that Sarah Palin believes God personally speaks to her? If so, what is the basis of that belief? If not, then do you think your hypothetical is reasonable? Personally, I think that the God hypothesis is nonfalsifiable and extraneous. I think that the Intelligent Design hypothesis is nonscientific by definition and should not be taught as science in any setting. But that doesn’t mean that anyone who believes that some sort of god had a hand in the creation of life / the universe is a “nutter” incapable of rationality. Would you agree? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/36 "2008-09-07T23:56:04Z")
> [@laughingboy](#): > > Do you think that Sarah Palin believes God personally speaks to her? If so, what is the basis of that belief? If not, then do you think your hypothetical is reasonable? She thinks that the invasion of Iraq is a “mission from God.” That’s close enough for me. > [@](#): > > Personally, I think that the God hypothesis is nonfalsifiable and extraneous. I think that the Intelligent Design hypothesis is nonscientific by definition and should not be taught as science in any setting. But that doesn’t mean that anyone who believes that some sort of god had a hand in the creation of life / the universe is a “nutter” incapable of rationality. Would you agree? Strawman. Evolution has nothing to do with the origin of life. Palin wants to to teach in public schools that there are “alternative theories” to evolution. There aren’t. Her belief in God is neither here nor there. The problem is that she wants to teach that magic is a kind of science. ---
**Author:** ![laughingboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@laughingboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/laughingboy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/37 "2008-09-08T00:45:01Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > She thinks that the invasion of Iraq is a “mission from God.” That’s close enough for me. My question was directed to **glee** , and I’m still interested in hearing his response. But perhaps you could clarify your position for me. (BTW, I’m not looking to trap or even persuade anyone here, but I like seeking clarity in others’ positions.) Are you, like **glee** , “quite worried” about Sarah Palin being a “nutter” who would potentially “nuke infidels” based on a commandment from God? If we assume that both Palin and Ahmadinejad had access to such weapons, which prospect would be more worrying to you and why? > [@](#): > > Strawman. Evolution has nothing to do with the origin of life. Palin wants to to teach in public schools that there are “alternative theories” to evolution. There aren’t. Her belief in God is neither here nor there. The problem is that she wants to teach that magic is a kind of science. **glee** expressed his worry in the context of “Creationism”, so it’s not entirely clear whether he was referring to Palin’s views of about the origin of the universe, the origin of life, or the evolution of life. What say you, **glee**? If Palin wants ID to be added to high school curricula as an alternative theory to evolution, then that’s a problem for me. (I’d love some clarification on this, because I’ve also heard that she doesn’t support such an addition). In any event, it is unfortunate that I can’t vote for any candidates that I agree with down the line, but I decided not to run this time out 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/38 "2008-09-08T00:52:19Z")
> [@laughingboy](#): > > My question was directed to **glee** , and I’m still interested in hearing his response. But perhaps you could clarify your position for me. (BTW, I’m not looking to trap or even persuade anyone here, but I like seeking clarity in others’ positions.) > > Are you, like **glee** , “quite worried” about Sarah Palin being a “nutter” who would potentially “nuke infidels” based on a commandment from God? Yes. > [@](#): > > If we assume that both Palin and Ahmadinejad had access to such weapons, which prospect would be more worrying to you and why? They’d scare me about the same. Palin probably a little more becuse she could do more damage and because I fear she’s might be an end-timer. > [@](#): > > **glee** expressed his worry in the context of “Creationism”, so it’s not entirely clear whether he was referring to Palin’s views of about the origin of the universe, the origin of life, or the evolution of life. What say you, **glee**? **Glee** was referring to comments Palin has made about wanting to teach creationism as an “alternative” to evolution in schools. Her personal views on the origins of life or the universe are not relevant. This is about her publicly stated desire for public school curricula. > [@](#): > > If Palin wants ID to be added to high school curricula as an alternative theory to evolution, then that’s a problem for me. (I’d love some clarification on this, because I’ve also heard that she doesn’t support such an addition). In any event, it is unfortunate that I can’t vote for any candidates that I agree with down the line, but I decided not to run this time out 🙂 Yes, she has said she wants to “teach both.” Later when called on it, she back-pedalled a little and said she “just wants to allow discussion,” which is semantically little different and scientifically just as absurd. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/39 "2008-09-08T00:55:47Z")
> [@laughingboy](#): > > Are you, like **glee** , “quite worried” about Sarah Palin being a “nutter” who would potentially “nuke infidels” based on a commandment from God? If we assume that both Palin and Ahmadinejad had access to such weapons, which prospect would be more worrying to you and why? You know, “she’s more stable than Ahmadinejad” is not the most ringing of endorsements. [And in response to the inevitable question, I find the prospect of someone a heartbeat away from the presidency who believes in creationism and that the war in Iraq is a ‘mission from God’ to be worrisome. I’ll admit I have not cacluated the exact likelihood that Palin will ‘nuke infidels.’] ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490/40 "2008-09-08T01:06:03Z")
> [@laughingboy](#): > > Do you think that Sarah Palin believes God personally speaks to her? If so, what is the basis of that belief? If not, then do you think your hypothetical is reasonable? > > Personally, I think that the God hypothesis is nonfalsifiable and extraneous. I think that the Intelligent Design hypothesis is nonscientific by definition and should not be taught as science in any setting. But that doesn’t mean that anyone who believes that some sort of god had a hand in the creation of life / the universe is a “nutter” incapable of rationality. Would you agree? Palin hasn’t spoken to the media yet since being nominated as far as I know. However anyone who believes in creationism or intelligent design is certainly a religious fundamentalist who puts their specific faith above evidence. And there are plenty of examples of such religious fundamentalists who do believe that God speaks directly to them - and that they must act on it, even if it involves killing people. Most creationists don’t know the difference between evolution and abiogenesis and Palin wants schools to directly compare evolution and Creationism. This means she is ignorant of what evolution is, which is also a scary position for me. That covers my view on Palin’s religion, and certainly justifies my use of ‘religious nutter’. You asked a separate question about my opinion of ‘anyone who believes that some sort of god had a hand in the creation of life / the universe’. I don’t know why anyone believes that, since there is no evidence for it. But I have met plenty of religious people who are calm and rational. I would ask you a couple of points in return: - which of Judaism or Christianity is wrong over the Divinity of Jesus? - does it matter that one of them is completely wrong? - what is your view of someone who believes Ra, the Sun God, created the Universe? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-palin-is-dropped-from-the-ticket-who-should-mccain-replace-her-with/462490.md?page=3)