# Was sex anywhere near McCain's mind in selecting Palin as VP, in your view? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 4, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931 "2010-12-04T13:57:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/21 "2010-12-04T20:51:02Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > I was under the impression that choosing Palin wasn’t McCain’s idea, that party leaders talked him into it. Is that wrong? I just read his daughter’s book about it (Dirty Sexy Politics), and that was her impression. It sounded like he gave a lot of weight to the opinions of advisors who steered him in not-so-great directions. She and others on the campaign were about 100% sure it was going to be Romney. It sounded like they shut almost everyone out of it until the public announcement. ---
**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:** [December 4, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/22 "2010-12-04T20:52:23Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > I was under the impression that choosing Palin wasn’t McCain’s idea, that party leaders talked him into it. Is that wrong? That’s how I recall it; he wanted Lieberman, but let himself be rushed into getting Palin instead. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/23 "2010-12-04T21:05:55Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > That’s how I recall it; he wanted Lieberman, but let himself be rushed into getting Palin instead. This is accurate. He wanted Lieberman, but Lindsay Graham (who’s a good friend of McCain) let this spill to some GOP heavies and they freaked out. McCain was ganged up on by the party into ditching Lieberman. They had a few other options out there, including Palin. McCain had been impressed by a speech he saw Palin give and along with the fact that she was a woman and could possibly pick up some of the disaffected Hillary voters (which I don’t think worked at all), he decided to go with her. My source is _Game Change_, by Helper and Heilemann. Frankly, the idea that McCain picked her because he wanted to fuck her is kinda dumb for a lot of reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/24 "2010-12-04T21:11:27Z")
I voted ‘no’ because having sex with her was not part of the equation (assuming that’s what the OP was asking). The fact that every _other_ male who saw her would think that hopping in the sack with her would be high on their lists certainly must have entered into the equation, however. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/25 "2010-12-05T01:24:25Z")
I voted for option 4. I just don’t think it was a factor in the decision _at all._ ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/26 "2010-12-05T04:58:52Z")
My vote was 4. I highly doubt it. He simply listened to the wrong people. However, her popularity right now is very high ( it truly amazes me), which means that the idea that she would connect with the bulk of America was correct. I just think that when she was introduced to the country, she was eaten alive by the press. Her bad answers in interviews and debates made her an easy target, not to mention the winking. Any sexual attraction I may have had for her disappeared the minute she opened her mouth to speak. ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/27 "2010-12-05T07:56:24Z")
I really don’t think McCain picked Palin because he had plans to pork her. As others have pointed out, it’d be absurd to think they could carry out such a relationship with each other without the media/public finding out. Do people really think that Sarah Palin is that good looking? I’ll admit she’s better looking than your average middle aged female American politician, but that hardly means every guy wants to bone her. Personally, I wouldn’t nail Plain with Chefguy’s dick. And I’m talking purely about the way she looks here, if you throw in that dumbass accent and her noxious political ideas she’s down right repulsive. I thought maybe I just couldn’t see past her age, Palin is two decades older than I, but then I looked it up and found out that Courtney Love is the same age as Palin, and I have a little celeb crush on her. Yes, I think Courtney Love is hot, go ahead and make fun of me. But I think she is much better looking than Palin. And Courtney Love will show you her tits, something Palin has yet to do. To sum things up, I want Courtney Love to be VP. Sure she’s a little crazy, but admit it, if you could get drunk and throw things at Madonna, and get away with it, you totally would. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/28 "2010-12-05T08:36:24Z")
If we’re operating under the assumption that McCain is a sexist idiot, then he probably feels entitled to at least a handjob for making Palin a multi-millionaire. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/29 "2010-12-05T11:02:42Z")
interesting–with 102 votes cast, “Absolutely not” has 67 votes, and the other three options, which all include some degree of probability of “Maybe he was thinking of it…”, have 35 votes–about the opposite of the cynicism/naivete ratio I expected from the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/30 "2010-12-05T14:33:04Z")
> [@SecretaryofEvil](#): > > …Do people really think that Sarah Palin is that good looking? I’ll admit she’s better looking than your average middle aged female American politician, but that hardly means every guy wants to bone her. Personally, I wouldn’t nail Plain with Chefguy’s dick. And I’m talking purely about the way she looks here, if you throw in that dumbass accent and her noxious political ideas she’s down right repulsive… I’m with ya. Don’t find her attractive at all. Her voice alone would kill it for me. ---
**Author:** ![Leon497](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Leon497](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leon497)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/31 "2010-12-05T15:38:46Z")
I first thought it was asking if he selected her due to sex, that is that she was a woman. I think that ought be in the poll, yes, I think it was time to run a woman and glad he did so. I think with a dull boring VP he would have lost so many more votes as to be a record low. A woman was a great idea. Just like with the supreme court, the Republicans led the way in putting one in while Democrats just would talk about it but not do it. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/32 "2010-12-05T15:41:24Z")
> [@Leon497](#): > > A woman was a great idea. And a qualified woman, or even a sane one, would have been an even greater idea. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/33 "2010-12-05T16:49:34Z")
I’m watching Fox News at the moment and wondering why the Teapublicans don’t push Liz Cheney to run. I disagree with just about everything I hear her say but she’s pretty smart and certainly no worse looking than Palin. She could more than hold her own in debates and seems pretty up to speed on what’s going on. Dana Perino is on too. If cons want to nominate a hottie, that’s a potential candidate I could [del]get on top of[/del] [del]get behind[/del] vote against. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/34 "2010-12-05T17:26:21Z")
I can’t stand either McCain or Palin, personally or politically. He may well have thought “Boy, I’d like to fuck her” at some point during the campaign. But I don’t think that desire entered into the decision to select her in any way at all. Gender, yes. Sex, no. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/35 "2010-12-05T17:33:22Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > –about the opposite of the cynicism/naivete ratio I expected from the SDMB. I think suspecting McCain wanted sex with Palin personally _is_ the naive view. The other perspective would be that he has plenty of easier/better ways to pursue extramarital affairs. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/36 "2010-12-05T19:39:32Z")
> [@Leon497](#): > > I first thought it was asking if he selected her due to sex, that is that she was a woman. I think that ought be in the poll, yes, I think it was time to run a woman and glad he did so. I think with a dull boring VP he would have lost so many more votes as to be a record low. A woman was a great idea. Just like with the supreme court, the Republicans led the way in putting one in while Democrats just would talk about it but not do it. How old are you? The Democrats had a female veep [candidate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraldine_Ferraro) in 1984. ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/37 "2010-12-05T19:41:36Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > I think suspecting McCain wanted sex with Palin personally _is_ the naive view. The other perspective would be that he has plenty of easier/better ways to pursue extramarital affairs. I agree. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/38 "2010-12-05T21:49:37Z")
> [@Leon497](#): > > I first thought it was asking if he selected her due to sex, that is that she was a woman. I think that ought be in the poll, yes, I think it was time to run a woman and glad he did so. I think with a dull boring VP he would have lost so many more votes as to be a record low. A woman was a great idea. Just like with the supreme court, the Republicans led the way in putting one in while Democrats just would talk about it but not do it. > [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > How old are you? The Democrats had a female veep [candidate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraldine_Ferraro) in 1984. Conservatives. Living in a past that they’re making up as they go along. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/39 "2010-12-05T22:52:21Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > I think suspecting McCain wanted sex with Palin personally _is_ the naive view. The other perspective would be that he has plenty of easier/better ways to pursue extramarital affairs. “Naive” in the sense of “trusting in the Senator’s public rhetoric about Palin’s qualifications” and “cynical” in the sense “McCain’s a horny old man who lets his dick do an astonishing amount of his thinking for him–straight talk express, my ass.” But you understood that, right? You just didn’t like being painted naive. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931/40 "2010-12-05T23:17:41Z")
You don’t run for President (or Senator or Governor) because you want women or money. You run for President because you want power. Even for complete horndogs like Clinton or Kennedy, women were just a sideline. McCain picked Palin because he thought it would make him President not because he wanted to get laid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sex-anywhere-near-mccains-mind-in-selecting-palin-as-vp-in-your-view/562931.md?page=3)