Ooh! The first thread in the new GD!
Anyway, I’m in conspiracy mode. Some time ago I wondered if McCain intended serving a full term. Now I’m pretty sure he doesn’t. Consider that the troops will be out of Iraq in 2011. McCain retires on a high, and Palin takes over, becoming the first female POTUS.
How say you all?
I think your thread title is two words too long.
McCain’s stroke of genius? I think he had as much to do with picking her as he has had with any other part of this campaign.
I know it’s early, but I think you win the thread.
That’s not cool, mate. I wouldn’t wish a stroke on anyone.
McCain gave the Dems a golden opportunity to change the conversation away from the “experience” issue, but they just refuse to shut up about Palin and her lack thereof, keeping the conversation and thoughts of the public on the “Is he ready?” question that the Republicans so love to hammer away on.
I really think that was the idea behind Palin, opponents will say “oh she’s not ready” and the easy response is the very issue they want to make central to the campaign - “McCain = ready, Obama = not”.
I wasn’t wishing a stroke on anyone. I was saying that McCain’s VP choice is evidence that he must have already had one.
It doesn’t matter, it’s on everyones mind. If the unthinkable happens we’d be stuck with Palin. Waay too scary for me.
I think thats a non-starter. Obama is far more qualified than Palin. He’s been in elected office for 11 years, Palin for 5 (regardless of McCain’s attempt to count the PTA as “elected office”). He’s got three years of national experience, she has zero. He graduated Magna from Columbia and Harvard Law School, she has a BA from the University of Idaho. He was a community organizer, a civil rights attorney and a Constitutional Law professor before he went into politics. She was a beauty pagent loser. She was the Mayor of a small town for three years, then spent less than two years governing a state with a population less than the city of Austin, Texas. He spent 7 years in one of the largest state legislatures in the US and 4 years in the United States Senate.
Attempts to gloss Palin’s qualifications as being comparable to Obama’s are specious at best. I’m not even saying Obama’s experience and qualifications are especially impressive. Compared to most candidates who make it as far as he has, his resume is relatively modest. He still blows Palin out of the water, though.
The reason this is a stroke of genius is that it forces the Obama campaign to make the case against Obama. Throughout the primaries, Popeye Legs and the other candidates were claiming that Obama did not have the experience or accomplishments to be president. Obama’s campaign kept trying to change the subject to how good a speaker he is and how great everyone will feel when there is a black president. Now, with the Palin pick McCain has moved the debate to where he has the best advantage.
Experience is the primary selling point of McCain over Obama. After the initial excitement of the unveiling wears off, the VP makes almost no difference in the election. McCain has been hammering the message that Obama is not ready to lead, now Obama is talking about how important it is for the president to have experience. It is like Burger King getting McDonald’s to run ads about how great flame broiling is.
What does McCain gain by retiring and handing the presidency to Sarah Palin? He met her for the first time this week. She’s not a political buddy of his and she certainly wasn’t on the fast track list. If he was going to resign to give the presidency to someone, wouldn’t it be one of his cronies like Leiberman?
This scenario makes no sense. McCain picked Palin because she’s a rock-ribbed conservative God-botherer who can bring the base, she’s a governor not a Washington insider, and she’s an affirmative action pick to (probably futilely) bring Obama-hating PUMAs.
Why would McCain go to the trouble of campaigning for President for the last 4 years if he didn’t really want to be president?
Whoa! When did this ever happen? Can you show me exactly when the Obama campaign ever brought up Obama’s race and used that as a campaign tool?
And really? The Obama campaign actually changed the subject to address his speaking ability?
The one fault with this assertion is that Obama is more experienced and prepared then Palin is. I don’t know how much debate there is about that issue, but it seems to me Obama is clearly ready and capable to be POTUS. Palin on the other hand is not.
I would not feel comfortable with her being #2 in the line of succession.
I agree with you. Unfortunately, a great many right-wing voters I’ve talked to don’t. A lot of right wingers couldn’t give two hoots about Obama’s stellar educational acumen and moreover consider legislators to be the absolute scum of the earth. What matters to them, and why they’re so happy with Palin, is that she has executive experience.
No it doesn’t. It just makes it impossible for McCain to try to argue that Obama isn’t qualified. Obama is far more qualified than Palin.
In addition to undercutting McCain’s own strongest argument (and calling both his judgement and his age into question). Palin has also kicked the slats out the GOP’s ability to tout family values. Her membership in an anti-American, right wing separatist group even takes Trinity Church off the table. her troopergate scandal makes it impossible to talk about ethics or reform. He’s kneecapped himself in so many ways with this choice it’s like an absurdist comedy.
Obama has been touting his “judgment” for a while. The correct way for him to play this would be to use her as an example of McCain’s bad judgment. You’re right that if he attacks her inexperience, he hurts himself too, but luckily there are other problems with her for the Democrats to focus on.
On another subject, I suspect that McCain hasn’t even considered the possibility that he might not serve a full term. He seems to be the sort of guy who says “I’m fine! Nothing’s going to happen to me!” It seems clear that he picked Palin purely because of the way she strengthens his ticket, and not with any consideration of her fitness to be President.
Mark Steyn would disagree:
Yeah, but those are votes McCain already had anyway. She pulls nothing away from Obama. Obama has actually increased his lead in the polls since McCain put Palin on his ticket. As of today, Obama is leading by 8 points in the daily Gallup, 6 in the daily Rassmussen, 8 in a CBS poll and has an average of a 6.4 point lead in an aggregate of all polls. Since the day Palin was announced, Obama has doubled his average lead.
Do people actually believe in “executive experience”? I thought it was just a buzzword.
A right wing blogger is full of shit on the internet? Well that changes everything. I would invite Mr. Steyn to look at the polls.