# Sarah Palin - McCain's stroke of genius? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 2, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683 "2008-09-02T14:58:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/61 "2008-09-02T19:54:07Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] Now, I don’t think this is a particularly thick resume. But the point is that plenty of other candidates for and holders of the Presidency have had resumes not much better or even worse - including Barack Obama. So I can only conclude that thsi much wailing and gnashing of teeth over her ‘obvious lack of qualification’ comes from one of two things - sexism, or the uncomfortable knowledge that your own candidate is somewhat lacking in this regard. [/QUOTE] Well, that’s not the only thing one can conclude, Obama did something much different than just run a campaign, he orchestrated a succinct effective campaign against a Clinton, and won. Qualifications to be president evolve over time, and during a presidential campaign your qualifications get tested over, and over and over for this position. Life experience wise - the last two years of Obama’s life have been dedicated to a campaign for President, that’s a lot of winning life experience in two years. There are other opinions of course. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/62 "2008-09-02T20:18:42Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Now, I don’t think this is a particularly thick resume. But the point is that plenty of other candidates for and holders of the Presidency have had resumes not much better or even worse - including Barack Obama. Resumes include things other than serving elected/political office. Jimmy Carter had a strong naval career. Edwards was a wildly successful trial lawyer. Obama has Columbia, magna cum laude at Harvard, teaching constitutional law at the Univ of Chicago, time as a civil rights lawyer, charity work, etc. What does Palin’s thin political resume have as non political backup? Her communications degree from the Univ of Idaho? Helping run a fishing business? The PTA? I know for an absolute fact that Obama isn’t going to be overwhelmed by the job of President, you don’t graduate MCL from Harvard unless you are a seriously sharp and capable person. I don’t even know if Palin has the intelligence to understand the nuances of the issues that will be brought to the President every day. Her time as mayor of Podunk doesn’t tell me that, neither does her limited time as Governor. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/63 "2008-09-02T20:51:05Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > What does Palin’s thin political resume have as non political backup? How about her successful fight against corruption? ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/64 "2008-09-02T21:25:31Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > If she were a man, this issue would not be coming up. It’s despicable. That’s outright absurd. And save your outrage for someone who’ll buy it. Your own guy, Rove, made the same damn issue about Tim Kaine, when he was under consideration by Barack Obama. > [@Karl Rove](#): > > With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he’s been a governor for three years, he’s been able but undistinguished. I don’t think people could really name a big, important thing that he’s done. He was mayor of the 105th largest city in America. > > So if he were to pick Governor Kaine, it would be an intensely political choice where he said, `You know what? I’m really not, first and foremost, concerned with, is this person capable of being president of the United States? What I’m concerned about is, can he bring me the electoral votes of the state of Virginia, the 13 electoral votes in Virginia?’ And Tim Kaine is _more_ experienced than Sarah Palin. This was a purely political ploy to put a vagina on the ticket to attract Hillary supporters. _That_ is what’s despicable. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/65 "2008-09-02T21:27:39Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > How about her successful fight against corruption? We’ll have to see how her deposition comes out next week: [Palin Lawyers Up](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/02/politics/animal/main4406180.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/66 "2008-09-02T21:31:56Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > How about her successful fight against corruption? Examples? ---
**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 2, 2008, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/67 "2008-09-02T22:21:08Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > How about her successful fight against corruption? How about her corruption? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/68 "2008-09-02T22:22:17Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > That’s outright absurd. And save your outrage for someone who’ll buy it. Your own guy, Rove, made the same damn issue about Tim Kaine, when he was under consideration by Barack Obama. And Tim Kaine is _more_ experienced than Sarah Palin. Rove’s paid to do that. (And Kaine’s not on anyone’s ticket, so who cares?) What’s the excuse for the sexist attacks we’re seeing by amateurs on the SDMB? Of course Palin’s inexperienced; so was John Edwards in 2004, and there simply was not one tenth as much nasty shit thrown at him around here. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/69 "2008-09-02T22:28:19Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > He voted for it initially, but came around against it (he was taken in by Bush’s cooked intelligence), and he was chosen for his expience and credentials. Palin was chosen for nothing but her vagina. Hey, she has a very nice rack, too! Honestly though, she is pro-life. A Washington outsider. Good conservative Christian credentials. Most of the other even vaguely qualified vagina bearing Americans didn’t check off everything on that checklist. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/70 "2008-09-02T22:32:10Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > How about her corruption? _Alleged_ corruption TYVM. It’s under investigation and it would be wrong to pre-empt the investigators’ report. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/71 "2008-09-02T23:19:06Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > What’s the excuse for the sexist attacks we’re seeing by amateurs on the SDMB? Duh … obviously we think women are inferior to men. > [@](#): > > Of course Palin’s inexperienced; so was John Edwards in 2004, and there simply was not one tenth as much nasty shit thrown at him around here. Palin is inexperienced and what experience she has is very narrow. Edwards and Obama are both senators. They have played on the national stage and have had to grapple with big national issues. If Palin were the governor of a big diverse state or had been in the job a long time you wouldn’t be hearing these sorts of objections. But she’s a brand new governor of a tiny state. Running Alaska is about the same scale job as being mayor of Jacksonville Florida. Maybe McCain should have named [John Peyton](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Peyton_(US_politician)), the mayor of Jacksonville, as his running mate. After all, after six years in office he has far more EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE than Sarah Palin. And Jacksonville is not very far from Cuba, giving him valuable foreign policy experience! ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/72 "2008-09-02T23:31:13Z")
So now McCain is saying that she was “thoroughly” vetted. I’m not so sure this helps, the idea that she was vetted and he still chose her doesn’t exactly fill me with McCain confidence. ---
**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 2, 2008, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/73 "2008-09-02T23:33:49Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Rove’s paid to do that. (And Kaine’s not on anyone’s ticket, so who cares?) What’s the excuse for the sexist attacks we’re seeing by amateurs on the SDMB? What sexist attacks? I haven’t seen any. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/74 "2008-09-02T23:41:45Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > What sexist attacks? I haven’t seen any. Ach. There have been a few - some funny - “Caribou Barbie” for example - some not - “Princess” for example - but mostly any criticism is sexist. That’s the spin and they’ll stick to it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/75 "2008-09-02T23:42:15Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > He voted for it initially, but came around against it (he was taken in by Bush’s cooked intelligence), and he was chosen for his expience and credentials. Palin was chosen for nothing but her vagina. Well, if he had taken the time to read the intelligence himself, which he could have done, maybe he wouldn’t have been “taken in”. He also voted against the first Gulf War. I’d like to see him explain those two votes. Probably the biggest foreign policy votes he had to make in the Senate, and he got both of them wrong. Now, you may think the first vote was right, but most Americans would disagree with that. Anyway, the point is that if you are determined to pick someone apart, you can do that. I actually like Biden and only wish the ticket were reversed. I like Biden/Obama more than Obama/Biden. ---
**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 2, 2008, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/76 "2008-09-02T23:46:40Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Well, if he had taken the time to read the intelligence himself, which he could have done, maybe he wouldn’t have been “taken in”. He did read it. What Congress was given to read was falsified. Read Vincent Bugliosi’s latest book. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/77 "2008-09-03T00:04:24Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > He did read it. What Congress was given to read was falsified. Read Vincent Bugliosi’s latest book. How many times do I have to quote the _Democratic chairman of the Senate Intelligence committee_ on that before you accept the fact that any Senator could have read the unedited NIE? None of them needed to be “taken in” if they had taken the time to read it. I know I’ve posted that NYT link for you at least 3 times in the last year. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/78 "2008-09-03T00:10:46Z")
I think I can say, without fear of contradiction, that with the selection of Sarah Palin, we have seen the pinnacle of John McCain’s political acumen, and if he is elected, we will continue to see this caliber of judgement applied to all the challenges facing our nation. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/79 "2008-09-03T00:21:09Z")
> [@Pochacco](#): > > But she’s a brand new governor of a tiny state. Running Alaska is about the same scale job as being mayor of Jacksonville Florida. Really? Does the mayor of Jacksonville have a National Guard to command? Does he have to manage massive oil resources? Does he have a staff of 15,000 people? Does he have to negotiate trade agreements with other states and countries? How many bills does he veto? Does Jacksonville have a 12 billion dollar budget? Really, the comparison is silly. Seriously, a governor’s job is basically a smaller version of a President’s job. A Governor has a legislature she has to work with. She has a military force to manage. She has territory to defend (Alaska’s coastal waters need to be patrolled). She has multiple communities with varying needs and demands which need to be placated. She is presented bills to sign or veto, and she has to work with hostile members of the other party, many of which would like to see her fail. Senators have luxuries Governors don’t have. A Senator can pick and choose his battles - he can avoid contentious votes. A Governor has to deal with the issues as they arise. When a Senator gets a bill through, he’s done with it. A governor or a President has to figure out how to implement it, appoint people to carry it out, and deal with the budgetary fallout. This is why Presidents usually rise from the ranks of the nation’s Governors, and not from the Senate or House. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683/80 "2008-09-03T00:29:55Z")
The good ones, and the bad ones. More likely though, governors tend to successfully achieve the presidency because they do not have a long list of previous votes to tie around their necks. One could make the same case for the acceptance of Obama vs. Kerry- if Obama had another four years in the senate he would be much more vulnerable to flip-flopper charges. Does one shitty governor-to-president transition invalidate your idea? How about a pretty good one? Because those are our last two examples. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-mccains-stroke-of-genius/461683.md?page=5)