What Kind Of Vetting Process Did McCain Use?
By Nicole Belle Friday Aug 29, 2008 11:00am
As far as I can tell, the only people excited about McCain's choice of Sarah Palin for the Vice Presidency are the Religious Rights and those paid to cheerlead anything Republicans do, like Sean Hannity. Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty feel used and abused. Conservatives like Kathryn Lopez and David Frum think it's a mistake. Rove openly pushed Romney and discouraged McCain from considering Lieberman. James Dobson, in stark contrast, is dancing in the aisles. So was it the Religious Right (disgraced former head of the Moral Majority, Ralph Reed has reared up very prominently in the McCain campaign recently) that demanded the price of the VP pick to back John McCain?
It's the only thing that I can put together, given what appears to be a haphazard vetting process.
On MSNBC this evening Andrea Mitchell reported on how minimal John McCain's interactions with his choice for vice president, Sarah Palin, have been. According to Mitchell, McCain only met Palin once. 
Download | play 
Download | play (h/t Heather)
The very day he announces his choice, Alaska State Senator Hollis French announces that Palin is likely to be deposed in the abuse of power investigation, dubbed "Troopergate" in the media. ABC is reporting that Palin wasn't even in the running until this week and McCain sent lawyers to Alaska to vet out the Troopergate issue solely.
Well, that probably wasn't so smart. Because Palin has a cozy relationship with indicted and disgraced Republican Senator Ted Stevens. Luckily, like her Wikipedia entry 
Download | play (h/t BillW), those pages on her state governor pages have been scrubbed. As have the ones where she praised Barack Obama's energy policy. Maybe she's being so careful because she's had experience before in hacking in and looking for deleted files on someone else's computer.
Paul Begala nails the kind of Presidential decision making process that McCain has already proven himself ill-equipped for:
For a man who is 72 years old and has had four bouts with cancer to have chosen someone so completely unqualified to become president is shockingly irresponsible. Suddenly, McCain's age and health become central issues in the campaign, as does his judgment.
In choosing this featherweight, McCain passed over Tom Ridge, a decorated combat hero, a Cabinet secretary and the former two-term governor of the large, complex state of Pennsylvania.
He passed over Mitt Romney, who ran a big state, Massachusetts; a big company, Bain Capital; and a big event, the Olympics.
He passed over Kay Bailey Hutchison, the Texas senator who is knowledgeable about the military, good on television, and -- obviously -- a woman.
He passed over Joe Lieberman, his best friend in the Senate and fellow Iraq Kool-Aid drinker.
He passed over former congressman, trade negotiator and budget director Rob Portman.
And he also passed over Mike Huckabee, the governor of Arkansas.
For months, the McCainiacs have said they will run on his judgment and experience. In his first presidential decision, John McCain has shown he is willing to endanger his country, potentially leaving it in the hands of someone who simply has no business being a heartbeat away from the most powerful, complicated, difficult job in human history.
Login or Register to post comments.
Frist...
No, McSame is just as imcompetent as Bush ...they don't do homework
Pallins husband works for BP, that's a 3 month commercial in and of itself
Horse feathers!
This choice is ridiculous. What an idiot McPalin is.
Gotta wonder what he saw in Palin that he didn't see in Rice. Wait a minute, I think I figured it out. It's what he saw in Rice that he didn't see in Palin.
AUDIO: Palin laughs as host calls cancer surviving colleague a "cancer" and a "b_tch"
It looks like mcAncient is "quietly" for Obama.
This pick proves the old man is off his rocker. Reading the posted article, knowing that he had a long and helpful amount of time in selecting someone who would balance his ticket.....he failed in every imagineable category.
Seems to me he pretty much drove the last nail into his presidential coffin. RIP my "heroic" little pow.
Maybe I should have spelled that Palen.
Thank you baby jebus. This desparate hail mary pass is bound to fail. Crash and Burn, John. You're used to that after losing 5 planes in your flying career.
You could also take a look at what they have to say in the states 2nd largest newspaper:
http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/aug/29/palin-unqualified-serve-vice-p...
"Perhaps the strangest claim repeated endlessly on the news channels is that she has proven she can cut taxes and reduce the size of government in Alaska. She may have cut taxes as mayor of Wasilla, but that's not the same as cutting taxes as governor of Alaska, where there is no state income tax or sales tax to cut."
"By contrast, record oil prices since her election have helped Palin avoid anything as sensitive as cutting off the Longevity Bonus or proposing a tire tax or wildlife viewing tax.
The comments from GOP politicians about how she championed budget cuts, reduced spending and “stood up” to Sen. Ted Stevens on the “bridge to nowhere” are a distortion. The Alaska budget is growing, not shrinking. To claim that the $1,200 payouts due to Alaskans in September have anything to do with restraining government growth, as McCain supporters are doing, is false."
Paul Begala's comments make me want to kiss him.
Dave
Viet Nam Vet
YOU DECIDE!
Not to mention that she's a grandmother!
http://themoderatevoice.com/politics/sarah-palin/22236/the-fully-vetted-...
I said it elsewhere. This is McCain's concession. This was a deliberate tactic to derail his campaign because he realizes that the Obama/Biden ticket is strong. He knows he can't win.
CoIntelPro for Pronktastic Victory Over SCLM, DIEBOLD, ESS and SEQUOIA! @ 11:
Rhubarbs said:
i've had time to digest this overnight.
as someone else in a thread here yesterday pointed out, mccain chose palin specifically for her down syndrome baby and her redneck credentials -- she hunts and eats moose, her husband is part eskimo and he's won some tough-guy race four times -- they're just regular folk! (and oh, btw -- shhh -- they're white)
this is an extension of the anti-intellectualism that has become a foundational part of the republican/conservative movement.
"don't vote for barack obama -- he's smarter than you! here, vote for sarah and todd, because they're not!"
this is a scary place to be at this point in history given mccain's age, medical history and the current out of control nature of the federal government.
mccain's choice of palin as his running mate official opens the "beverly hillbillies go to washington" portion of the show.
hang onto your hats, folks, this is going to be a rough ride.
Doesn't the VP make less money than the president?
Seems she then fits right into McCain's vote against equal pay for equal jobs for women since Cheney has shown he was also running the country.
And ladies, now you have a misogynist with a woman working where he wants her, under a man!
And it looks as thought the two Republican pretenders to the throne are equally (un)qualified.
Man, I wish it was Michael Palin...
http://freewayblogger.blogspot.com/2008/08/barack-obama-quotes.html
still at it here in California.
He might as well have vetted some runner-ups at the Miss Buffalo Chips contest.
WOW
Sometimes it is nice to see the Dems hit back, using the facts and all!
Where was the 2008 John Kerry in 2004?
Have all the Dems finally read the eye-opener "Dude, Where's My Country?" from like 5 years ago....???
Dobson must have something on McCain. That is the only possible explanation (other than mind-numbing arrogance and stupidity).
My other comment would be that those lawyers dispatched to Alaska were likely not investigating as fixing the problem. Won't be cheap in a state gorged on oil wealth especially after those who must be dealt with have seen what happened to Uncle Ted Stevens.
A word of caution.
We all thought John Kerry was a shoe-in in 2004. We lost.
Keep your eyes on the prize, this thing isn't over until it's over.
It isn't his first Presidential decision. He's already declared:
1) He wants to kick Russia out of the G8
2) He would go to war with Russia over Georgia
3) He would be a puppet to the very same people pulling dumbya's strings.
He's hell on wheels I tell ya.
{Deleted, Off Topic. SiteMonitor}
John McCain: King of the Non-sequiturs
I honestly think Britney Spears would have brought more to the McDipshit ticket.
From the David Frum article:
"But question: If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat away from the presidency?"
So, even a right wing, foreign policy hawk like David Frum is asking the question now that everyone is asking. McCain's VP pick may win over some of the religious right but he may lose his foreign policy hawks in the process.
Is this an "apple sauce moment?"
Maybe McCain will nix this idea next week at the RNC and pick a normal candidate. Kate Bailey Hutchinson would have been a better pick if he wanted to pander PUMAs etc. Nah, just like a neocon, he'll run with with the ball all the way...to the wrong end zone.
StirFry @ 26:
That may be a possibility. McCain flip flops so many times on so many issues why should his VP pick be any different.
Harriet Myers redux.
Is it possible this could be a Harriet Miers-type situation (maybe even orchestrated on purpose)? McCain shows he's willing to pick a woman, wins points with the bible-thumpers, but then Palin chooses to withdraw for personal reasons and he can pick who he wants?
Begala's comments make me think there has to be more to Palin than we're aware of. If McCain's camp had wanted to go with a woman for the vice-president pick, Kay Bailey Hutchinson seems like the really obvious way to go. I think I would have even been impressed with that pick. The Palin pick almost seems like an insult to the more qualified women (and men) of the GOP. It's not like he couldn't find better people who are anti-reproductive rights, pro-drilling, pro-gun, pro-death penalty, pro-war, etc. Those are core values in his party. If the idea was to get me to forget about Obama's wonderful speech and leave me thinking "what the hell?" for the past twenty-four hours or so, then mission pretty much accomplished, McCain campaign. I'm not trying to be a concern troll for the GOP and tell them how they should feel (clearly this isn't the site for that kind of thing anyway). I'm just genuinely puzzled. Maybe it's to highlight the way things work in Alaska: no income tax or sales tax and lots of money from oil drilling that can just be given away. Sure it wouldn't work in the rest of the country, but they don't have to tell anyone that.
r @ 3:
I don't think her choice to take the slot is too smart either. Doesn't seem as if she looked within and asked some serious questions of herself. For goodness sakes in that silly video of her she even says she has no idea what a V.P. does. The tone of her voice in the statement was negative too...like give me a break I have no idea!!!
Samantha Bee and John Stewart had the best comments on this selection.
Could this just be a part of a larger strategy? Announce Palin as the VP pick, get all sort of media attention about the pick, then announce a different pick at the convention?
The VP pick is not made official until the convention. Could this just be a ploy to deflect attention away from the DNC convention with the real decision being announced later?
This thing Scares me. One might think that this was a major mistake in the real world of Political Strategy.
My fear is that his gamble on Palin might indicate that this Election has already been Rigged and so his
choice is Moot anyway.
bob dobbs @ 8:
The BERGEN RECORD disagrees with you there are more asshats than you think
CandleintheWind @ 347:
Well, Al Gore was the least qualified VP pick EVER, followed closely by Geraldine Ferraro.
When it comes to President, Barack Obama is easily the least qualified person to ever be nominated for that office. I don't think it's the lack of qualifications that bother you. If it was, you'd be livid over Obama's nomination. This woman is a conservative and she completely rejects your whole world view. This is what's so offensive to you, not the smokescreen of "she's this, that and the other". Every Democrat is guilty of everything you accuse Republicans of doing and being.
No, Palin's chief flaw is that she's not a liberal. If she were, she'd be a hero.
As a feminist you should be jumping for joy! You will see the first female Vice President in the history of the nation come November. Women truly have come a long way, but there's still a ways to go.
Noah @ 344:
Obama served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee? Ha! He hasn't attended ONE meeting! Look it up! He's like another Clinton, all image and no substance.
Your pretentious act is Clinton-esque. All style, no substance.
As far as progressives go, the word applies usually to BETTER methods, BENEFICIAL progress, etc. You will note that American society and the decay thereof, whether it be morally, academically or physically has been in serious decline as liberal methods have taken root in every aspect of the country.
There have always been liberals, but there haven't always been the pretentious bleeding hearted liberals of your ilk. I, for one, hope you get your way. Elect The Messiah. You deserve it. Unfortunately, every other American is going to have to deal with the fallout as well.
Good thing Obama doesn't have a chance, ain't it? But then, you'll have plenty to complain about and plenty of people to look down your nose at in the future. It won't be so bad.
Frank @ 305:
No, I think what he was trying to refute was the idea insinuated by someone earlier that Obama accomplished more in his nomination speech than all the conservatives have accomplished in 40 years, as well as someone else trumpeting as one of Obama's few qualifications that the Europeans loved him.
I think the point was that being a great orator means nothing at all. Hitler was one, for example. The equally hated (by the Left) Reagan was one also. Clinton was a great speaker and look at the mess he left.
I think all he's saying is that of any reason you could possibly have to vote for Obama, being able to deliver a great speech isn't one of them. That, as shown by Hitler, Reagan and Slick Willie, isn't worth a whole lot.
Oh, please, label it what you want. Obama is the ONLY senator with a 100% approval rating (in the senate) by the ACLU. If that doesn't tell you what's going on, nothing will.
And for the love of Bill check his voting record! No, really! Check it! If he's not a radical left winger, I don't know who is. I don't mean that he's a left wing wacko like Michael Moore, I didn't say that. But please, don't let the media spin him to center for you. Look into his record, look into what the ACLU says about him.
If you can't reject him because of his inexperience or that he's green as a blade of grass, reject him over misrepresenting himself as a centrist. At least with McCain what you see is what you get, the Cons don't have to pretend to be at center in every election year.
EZ @ 329:
No, I'm actually a highly educated, intelligent person who knows the difference between facts and opinion. And I make a living teaching people to learn that difference, which is becoming more and more difficult in our society, in which everyone thinks that having an opinion is the same as knowing something. EZ, you're entitled to your opinions, obviously, but you need to learn that offering an opinion is as easy as going to the bathroom--anyone can do it.
orcas @ 333:
mmm ... a VPILF. nice.
Notnow @ 360:
i'm pretty sure that most everyone else has left the building notnow so there's no one left to debate you. i came back to turn off the lights and found you here spewing nonsense to no one.
don't hold your breath waiting for any real feminist to 'jump for joy' as palin's 'world view' includes NO abortion even if her/your daughter was RAPED (an official postion of hers). jump for joy? women will be returning to the stone age, my friend.
.
ShameUS @ 181:
you could put Obama in there with a few changes...
-male
-white/black
-smart?
-very young
-not much govt experience
-NO int'l affairs experience
-NO foreign relations experience
Sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but has yet to attend even one meeting.
The one difference? This man is running for PRESIDENT, not Vice President, as Palin is. No, Obama is running against McCain, against whom he pales by comparison, whether it be experience of international or domestic, federal gov't experience or any other kind.
Obama just isn't ready, and that's going to cost him. They can throw darts at Palin all they way, but those darts go both ways. The awful inexperience of Palin is still awful when it belongs to Obama.
Yes, a baby conceived in rape is still a human being. This person deserves to live, too, as he/she had no say in how he/she was conceived. Murder isn't ok under any conditions and that includes a child conceived due to rape.
Frank @ 365:
As you so aptly and frequently demonstrate. Please go to the bathroom someplace else.
Oh and add some moral fiber to your diet. It will make your "arguments" more cohesive.
More trolls swimming here than 'gators in Melbourne, FL after TS Fay...
FACT
Politics as a rule is BS.
Your representives are good people.
WELL. A majority of those that voted ,voted for them.
I admit, in most cases the altenate was a certified idiots.
You had no choice.
FACT
So Sarah is the GOP VP Candidate.
SO George was the President of the US of A for two terms.
George is non threating . Unfortiunately Osama Bin Laden
or his allies think the same.
How bad can Sarah be ???
FACT
And More Important
Homo Sapiens ( that's us ) are not deep thinkers as a rule,
Sort of like Cow's or Moose's.
People ( ie. the elecorate ) prefer DOPPIE Leaders .
All this flag waving , patriotism routine is BS.
FACT
THE GOP has the right combo
Doppie people will vote for doppie leaders
Most of the electorate , are super people, but they is doppie.
FACT
Politics as a rule is BS.
Your representives are good people.
WELL. A majority of those that voted ,voted for them.
I admit, in most cases the altenate was a certified idiots.
You had no choice.
FACT
So Sarah is the GOP VP Candidate.
SO George was the President of the US of A for two terms.
George is non threating . Unfortiunately Osama Bin Laden
or his allies think the same.
How bad can Sarah be ???
FACT
And More Important
Homo Sapiens ( that's us ) are not deep thinkers as a rule,
Sort of like Cow's or Moose's.
People ( ie. the elecorate ) prefer DOPPIE Leaders .
All this flag waving , patriotism routine is BS.
FACT
THE GOP has the right combo
Doppie people will vote for doppie leaders
Most of the electorate , are super people, but they is doppie.
Probably the same as with the trophy wife. Get it while you can you old codger.
"What Kind Of Vetting Process Did McCain Use?"
Spin the bottle?
Notnow @ 361:
False, and laughably so. You get your news from Bill O?
Who has been in charge of this country for the last 28 years?
8 years - Bush II
8 year - Clinton
4 years - Bush I
8 years - Reagan
That's Republicans 20, Democrats 8. In the 26 years from 1981 to 2007, Republicans have had a senate majority except for 1987-95 and 2001-03. That's 16 to 10. From 1981 to 2007, Republicans held the House majority for 12 years, Democrats for 14.
The Republicans have been solidly in control of the presidency and congress for the last 28 years and you want us to believe that Democrats are responsible for the decline of America?
LOL the ignorant arrogance of the right - they don't even recognize that the Royal Screwing they've received has been at the hands of their OWN PARTY!
Just wait until sexy photos from her pageant days surface. Who knows what lurks there, but it can't be conducive to a serious candidacy for VP of the US. McCain is a complete idiot whom we can't afford to place anywhere near the suitcase of eternal destruction.
His campaign self-destructed in one move. Good job, Angry White Dude.
oregonian @ 379:
He had to give the fundamentalists a reason to vote for him. A gun-toting anti-women's rights beauty queen is the righteous ticket.
Nicole Belle @ 173:
The point for me is this: Why even bother HAVING amniocentesis if you know you will not abort ANY fetus??? Duh.
Now I see what the strategy is and why he picked a nice-looking church lady as his running mate. They'll try to get the Christian fundamentalists voting in record numbers. Expect a lot of thinly-veiled allusions to Obama being a secret Muslim at the convention.
gwen @ 382:
Not so thinly veiled, and on this forum too -
David G @ 198:
Abbybwood @ 381:
Abbywood, my very question. I'm as pro-choice as they come. Yet, I had made a decision early in my pregnancy (age 41) to not terminate in the case of Down Syndrome. Since amnio is the gold standard for detection of DS, but not really so hot for anything else, I by-passed it. There was no need for it for me.
I wonder though, Palin was informed of Trig's possible DS status in her fourth month, so that had to have been amnio, since that screen was developed for testing within a certain window between 17 and 20 weeks. Did Palin skip the NT screen in her 2nd month? I went for that one because it was a lot less intrusive than amnio and the blood tests that accompany the ultrasound within the whole screen give a wider scan of potential disorders. Amnio isn't so hot in giving indications of life threatening disorders.
Noah @ 378:
you can line up all the gop crooks 10-deep for the mother of all perp walks and they will go into the deepest, darkest corners of their warped universe...and produce another one.
No panic EZ just side splitting laughter.
Mcsame is a proven liar by his own words. Are you going to vote for someone that you know is a liar?
If so you can see where the GOP is going to the lowest common denominator.
LOL!
Ruthless People @ 319:
...and don't forget Bristol.
Patty @ 387:
Those are really the name of her kids?? Probably short for:
--Dirttrack
--Trigger-lock Strongly Recommended
--Piper Cub
--Weeping Willow
--Harvey's Bristol Creme
What ever happened to good ol' cracker names like Bubba and Crystal (no offense to any of them who post here...)?
Austinite @ 332:
Thanks for spelling it out clearly! It galls me to hear the gop trying to draw parallels between them. It harkens back to 1988 when they tried to compare Dan Quayle to JFK based on experience. Lloyd Bentson shot that one down pretty effectively. I think the Palin choice was a huge gift to Obama/Biden.
orcas @ 333:
That's true, but after getting their way by (s)electing a beer buddy, they've had 8 years of lost wages, home forclosures, high home heating bills and astronomical gas prices, and of course loss of civil liberties, torture and endless war. So,I think they may just bite the bullet and choose the elitist, thinking, competent intellecual who has the common good in mind. Jeezus, I hope so anyway, because I can no longer afford to move out of the country.
bill carli @ 342:
:-D
CoIntelPro for Pronktastic Victory Over SCLM, DIEBOLD, ESS and SEQUOIA! @ 37:
that's why we need to get personally involved. obama has said he has no intention of losing this election. as we have seen he has been tough on smears and he fights back. if there are shenanigans that we see during the elections we shoulbe prepared to video, photo, record and document them. let's not leave it all up to him and his staff. we have a part in this, too.
what i noticed about palin from her short speech yesterday was the untempered ambition in her eyes. she wants this very much for herself. she unabashedly used her son to score points and compared herself to hillary without even noticing that there is big difference between the 2 of them; that shattering the glass ceiling by being chosen is so far below scrapping for votes and earning 18M of them. she is reckless in her ambition and is at the very least as big a risk as mccain is.
also, her speech was very shallow which indicates that she is intellectually lightweight.
ciu @ 279:
Oh, and most important... she was a beauty queen!
Mean Ol' Liberal @ 384:
I wonder how foreign leaders are viewing this development. I bet there is an urge for each one of them to say "Lovely pick Sen. McCain. I have several, ummm..VPs just like her somewhere around here." Still others might say, "Look. How sweet. John McCain brought his daughter along!"
bennythebouncer @ 33:
is there any doubt?
Joe O. @ 35:
their corporate masters are the same as ours.
Thrillhouse @ 30:
mccain's pick was not made through a "search committee," it was done by a marketing committee and focus grouped on all the issues.
we've got a woman holding a shotgun, mixing up a batch of moose stew, defending her "sick" baby against the predatory demon democrats from the wilds of alaska, with her regular-joe, blue-collar husband who works in the oil fields and supplements the family income with fishing, all of her children clustering around except the brave young man just out of high school who has volunteered to join bush's war on terra.
"don't vote for the smart people! they've screwed you every time! vote for mccain/palin -- they're not that smart but they know how to use guns and bombs!"
yesterday morning when i first heard this, i was laughing so hard i fell out of bed.
this morning i'm not laughing so much -- because the american people really are just stupid enough to vote these people into office.
Two things ...
The ex bro-in-law trooper looks pretty shaky, using a taser on his son. He was being investigated before Palin was in office. This tack looks like a dud.
And the big one: if people are hand-wringing over a possible President Palin, why, why, why on earth do we permit presidential candidates to appoint their veep before they take office, without congressional approval, and in a secret process far, far away from the voting public? Please don't give me the nonsense of a president having to pick someone he can work with. Politicians have fifty percent of their working colleagues (give or take) coming from an opposite political party, or adversaries from within their own party. Maybe it's time for the presidential candidates to grow up and swallow someone the party voters have approved in a democratic process.
That is a great pick! Sarah Palin. Good job John, you just helped the democrats a lot more and opened your campaign up to a new level of scrutiny. What are you going to do next, go to Disneyland?
With Russia stating straight out that they will "have to" respond to our placement of a missile "shield" in Poland by Nuking them!!!
I await the to the "death cage match"...
McCain dies after being elected, and it will be Palin verses Putin...
These people (Rove in particular) are trying to bring Armageddon for real!
Please stop electing religious fanatics (except my religion of course, ha ha), they are being used to destroy this earth, and all of civilization for some reason.
Back to the Ghost Dance
Andrew @ 22:
The harder the right tries to convince everyone that she is the perfect pick, the easier it is to see that she isn't. If she were so great, why would they have to try so hard to sell her? Something is very goofy about this whole deal.
I hear you and second that this is an appalling example of McCain's bad judgment. So why are so many people calling this choice brilliant and dangerous for us??? I'm not just talking about paid shills, but folks like David Sirota.
The only thing that will make this selection work for McCain is if we don't attack this choice for fear that somehow McCain has made some mavericky selection that will capture the hearts of voters.
I wonder how much bribe money the oil companies pay to the governor of Alaska?
Notnow @ 370:
you carry it.
Notnow @ 360:
what bothers women, if you know women, is that she is an UPSTART TART. women do not want a nobody breaking that glass ceiling after another woman has just finished a long and painful run to put cracks in them. women dislike other women who hasnt earned any benefit she is reaping. hence the disdain for 2nd and trophy wives.
palin's her record is all over the place. look into it. invoking the name of hillary and benefitting from her work this soon is a sore point.
SassySandy @ 221:
good point. thanks.
Masha, you are a voice of reason. I felt exactly the same way when Palin tried to take Hillary's long and tireless work of trying to break the glass ceiling to come back and shamelessly take credit. All I can say is it was sickening tactic which the women will not fall victim too. Thanks for speaking clearly.
EZ @ 246:
I'm so glad you voted with your conscience when you wanted to vote for Bush. You obviously haven't used that one gift we all have but Republicans refuse to exercise; your mind.
Keep popping Viagra in the slim hopes you're gonna bang Stepford Sarah.
Poor judgement or dementia or just knee jerk reaction.
kasinca @ 402:
I don't think that was his knee doing the jerking.
I'm looking forward to the Vice Presidential Debate:
"Governor Pailn. I know Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton is a friend of mine. Governor, you are no Hillary Clinton."
Argelius @ 404:
Perfect!
This is Rove. He and his team had a short mid and long term scenario in response to each potential VP pick on our side that among many things also accounted for momentum build and party unity through our convention.
I believe this person was and is his favorite scenario as the pick will energize the religious right (get out the vote game) who believe that McCain will at best be one term and in that term take them closer to their ultimate goals which as everyone here likely knows are to stack (destroy) the court, over-turn RvW, gut the constitution, silence dissent, win the culture war etc. The neocon goals are a bit broader and include a level of social control through the next 12 years (given they hone her skills to win against HRC or?) that will make the last few years look like the summer of love. He has the dog whistle the MSM is what it is and so my argument is that if we don't get past this pronto and put the focus on McCain we will lose.
To everyone: research and vet this person if you like but realize that any attention helps them. I know the frustration over the fact that she is obviously unworthy but the ad hom attacks and lazy sexism are exactly what they want. Barack is leading on this so let's follow.
To Bill C: please absolutely just "no comment" on her until Nov. as there is a pre prepared PR nuke with your name on it if you so much as congratulate her. But you know that so sorry for the presumption.
To Hillary: wish you could sub for Joe B but then KR would have gone with Huck.
To Al G: convince everyone to focus on the macro environment and quit the polar bear thing...
To Joe: hey there...a big way to go! I wish you had MRom but they aren't that stupid. Your task is to avoid condescending at all costs, minimize name use, and just so I can detox here is how I would open in the debate so feel free to use any in any order you like:
"Mrs Palin... with respect--you are not my opponent... the real debate for me is with anyone who believe that:
1. our cops should be left to face AK47s loaded with armour piercing cop killer ammunition while having no help from the leaders we elect to keep America safe...
2. young girls who are assaulted raped and left impregnated along with the doctors whose sacred oath is to help them should have to endure criminal prosecution legislated by the leaders who we elect to protect the least among us
3. people who have disagreements with government should be silenced and punished using any means by the the leaders we elect to safeguard against corruption and abuse of power
4. we should fear attack and marginalize; people who live their lives assuming the constitution and the integrity of their elected leaders will shelter them from being judged as being unworthy of its protection
5. electing leaders now who retreat from combating the teaching ignorance will guide our future generations to wisdom
6. that pollution has no consequence or if it does it doesn't matter as long as our elected leaders reassure us that those who profit most from poisoning Americas air land and water know best how to keep our country safe and healthy for our grand children
7. lying to the American people and then sending our best and brightest into harms way is justifiable in any circumstance
8. the world will respect and work with us if we confront them with shallow, ignorant, self serving reactionaries as leaders.
etc.
Good news is I think if everyone takes a pill and Joe makes sure the VP debate is a pre-emptive non personal address followed by a boring non event we win that one.
To Barack: get out the vote and take your vitamins.
Count to 10... Breath in paper bag... Repeat... *gulps double shot of Bowmore* There now I feel erm wheee.
Vetting process for McCain's trophy VP: Look under her skirt. OEM Vagina? Thumbs up!
Notnow @ 370:
The following story has been all over the internet. http://www.bristolpalinpregnant.com Has C&L investigated it?
EZ @ 246:
Neutral yesterday, an idiot today. What does your conscience say about McCain's flip flops?
Some highlights from the Double Talk Express:
The old McCain didn’t want an amendment and didn’t want Roe overturned. The new McCain completely disagrees with the old McCain.
McCain criticized TV preacher Jerry Falwell as “an agent of intolerance” in 2002, but has since decided to cozy up to the man who said Americans “deserved” the 9/11 attacks.
McCain used to oppose Bush’s tax cuts for the very wealthy, but he reversed course in February.
In 2000, McCain accused Texas businessmen Sam and Charles Wyly of being corrupt, spending “dirty money” to help finance Bush’s presidential campaign. McCain not only filed a complaint against the Wylys for allegedly violating campaign finance law, he also lashed out at them publicly. In April, McCain reached out to the Wylys for support.
McCain supported a major campaign-finance reform measure that bore his name. In June, he abandoned his own legislation.
McCain used to think that Grover Norquist was a crook and a corrupt shill for dictators. Then McCain got serious about running for president and began to reconcile with Norquist.
McCain took a firm line in opposition to torture, and then caved to White House demands.
McCain was against presidential candidates campaigning at Bob Jones University before he was for it.
McCain was anti-ethanol. Now he’s pro-ethanol.
McCain is now for off-shore drilling, after being against it for 26 years.
McCain was against privatizing Social Security. Now he’s for it.
McCain was against storing Nuclear Waste at Yucca Mountain. Now he’s for it.
And that is only the tip of the iceberg ...
Maccain's selection of a little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate on Friday underminds his actual understanding of the the dangerous period we live in today as a nation whose foreign policy and national security readyness and credentials are threatened. As a supporter of John Maccain's strenght on national security, I am very discouraged about his choice of vice president. I did not know that John Maccain was so weak to the extreme that he will give in to the pressure from Evangelical Republicans threat of not voting for him come November if he does not put their choice of Sarah Palin on his ticket. Is this the maverick I have always thought about? IT IS A SHAME AND AN EMBARASSMENT THAT JOHN MACCAIN WILL GO SO LOW SELECTING A LADY WHO IS NO WHERE CLOSE TO THE QUALITIES OF HILLARY CLINTON EVEN IN THE CASE WHERE JOHN MACCAIN AND THE REPUBLICAN BASE THOUGHT THE SELECTION OF MRS. PALAIN COULD REDIRECT THE FEMALE VOTERS FROM HILLARY CAMP TO THE SUPPORT OF JOHN MACCAIN. THIS LADY DOES NOT HAVE THE QUALITIES TO LEAD THIS COUNTRY AS HILLARY CLINTON DOES. IT WAS A COMPLETE STRATEGIC BLUNDER IN HIS CHOICE OF THIS LADY. THE BIGGEST QUESTION IS, HOW WILL AMERICA FEEL SAFE WITH A JOHN MACCAIN PRESIDENCY WHEREIN HE IS 72 AND A LITTLE WEAKER IN HEALTH, AND A VICE PRESIDENT WHO IS NOT READY AT ALL TO ADDRESS THE PRESENT CHALLENGES OF OUR TIME? THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER TO GIVE CONSIDERATION TO. THE WOMEN OF AMERICAN ARE VERY SMARTER THAN FOLLOWING JOHN MACCAIN'S CHOICE ONLY BECAUSE OF GENDER PURPOSE. THE WOMEN WHO SUPPORTED HILLARY KNEW FULLY WELL THAT HILLARY WAS READY TO LEAD THIS COUNTRY AT ANY MOMENT, AND NOT ONLY BECAUSE THEY WERE HUNGRY TO SEE A WOMAN IN THE OVAL OFFICE.
In conclusion, I must congratulate Maccain on his decision to give the presidential election to Barack Obama. I therefore recine my previous notion that Maccain is stronger on national security. Instead, I truly believe that Barack Obama has the right judgement that's why he choce Joe Badine as a running mate. Obama clearly understand the current threat of our time. He must be the one to lead this country and not Maccain who is easy to give in for political gain,, and not the benefit of his country at the crucial time. Maccain, what an odd way of ending your legacy!
365
Frank, thank you for responding. I am a female and am excited with McCain's choice. I would like to know what subjects you teach. I am worried about those students, because you are not going to let them reason out for themselves.
What I meant is by looking at the way the liberal Pelosi and Reid went about; Edwards campaign and now Obama the savior is something like a snake bite in the future.
McCain, on the other hand, has a proven record who many a time has supported liberal bills. BTW, Palin being a woman = first black president.
Well, Noah, we all have as individuals, well meaning subjective desires. I am sure McCain as a president has to reform due to the present pressing political/economical/social conditions of the entire nation. We cannot rule the nation by self-centered goals.
I would still vote for him due to his choice on Palin and what he stands for within the liberal arena. Check his records.
I have decided to make my first choice on voting and please stop influencing me.
EZ @ 413:
This nation has been ruled by the self-serving since John Adams. The most blatantly self-serving are those in power now - Bush and Cheney.
Wake up! This country is in the toilet because the Republicans have been in almost complete control for the last 30 years. Reagan eviscerated the middle class, the backbone of this country, by lowering taxes on the rich 50% and raising taxes on the working class by 50%. Since then millions of Americans have spiraled into poverty, lost their jobs and health care, now they are losing their homes - this is the direct result of Republican policies - deregulation of business and the concentration of wealth.
If any of this makes you think at all, you should start reading a variety of sources and opinions as well as history including Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States.
I'm not trying to influence you, I'm trying to get you to open your eyes, to get out from under the sound bite labels ("the liberal arena"), to plug in your brain and understand that politics should not be about imposing your personal / religious values upon someone else. It would be just as wrong for you to impose yours on me as it would be for me to impose mine on you. Better that we act in accordance with our own values and with respect for the values of others.
Maybe McSame wants to feel 36 again, and she gives good Lewinski!
One more (probably obvious) observation:
How can the Family Values(TM) folks support a woman who is seeking the office of the Vice President of the United States(R) while:
[1] taking care of 5 kids including a toddler, and
[2] knowing that her teenage daughter is pregnant and will inevitably have the attention of the media intensely focused on her.
How does this paint her as a good mother?
McCain watched Obama's speech, had a stroke, and picked Mayor Hockey Mom.
They're going to go with the drill here, drill now meme big time with her as the eye candy
This election is in the hands of Premier Election Solutions, formerly Diebold Election Systems. Proven unreliable, easy to hack and completely without a paper trail, about 1/3 of American votes will be cast on this equipment.
Wondering why the polls are so close (with the exception of private, non-sectarian Quinnipiac University)? Keeping the polls close makes throwing the election to McCain almost believable, which it couldn't possibly be if Obama was 10 points up across the board.
pissed off patricia @ 44:
like mcHeatingFive's addiction to gambling?
Look at this:
McCain's slogan is COUNTRY FIRST, right?
There's a newsletter put out by Palin called: "Putting Alaska First."
And it's been taken off the Internet, as far as I can tell.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Here's how it appears on Google:
[PDF] Putting Alaska First Newsletter - Governor Sarah Palin
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
Putting Alaska First Newsletter - Governor Sarah Palin. If this newsletter does not display correctly, you can view it online here >>>. August 2008 ...
www.gov.state.ak.us/newsletter/pdf/PAF_August2008-PRINT.pdf
Just can't get to it.
Noah @ 49:
Summary Rebuttal Talking Points regarding the "equally thin resumes" canard:
OBAMA:
Undergrad degree in International Relations, Columbia University
Law Degree and Editor of the Law Review, Harvard University Law School
Worked for a year at the Business International Corporation and then at the New York Public Interest Research Group.
Law firm associate, Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, Chicago
Chicago community organizer
Taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years
Illinois State Senator
U.S. Senator
PALIN:
Undergrad degree in Journalism, PolySci minor, University of Idaho
Briefly worked as a sports reporter for local Anchorage television stations while also working in commercial fishing with her husband.
Wasilla AK City Council
Wasilla AK Mayor
AK Governor since 2006
No Contest. It is also worth noting that Obama has been vetted to date by millions of primary voters, however imperfectly we might view the vetting process. Palin was vetted by no one comparably. McCain summarily decides for the GOP voters decides she's proper, absent any rational measures of relevant national experience. This is [1] and insult to women, [2] an insult to the intelligence of GOP voters in general, and [3] a dangerously expedient tactic transparently executed solely for the purpose of winning the Presidency -- the public good be damned.
Mr. McCain, have you no sense of decency, sir?
Interesting blog from an alaskan's point of view on Palin:
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/what-is-mccain-thinking-one-ala...
CoIntelPro for Pronktastic Victory Over SCLM, DIEBOLD, ESS and SEQUOIA! @ 52:
not true. they can skew whole votes or partial votes. see the results in 2004, where people seemd to vote the democratic line, except for kerry.
Look at this:
McCain’s slogan is COUNTRY FIRST, right?
Yes, but he meant Iran.
She's just the reserve remotely operated sock puppet, for if when McCain kicks the bucket. A complete idiot, like Reagan, Chimpy and McCain. Katherine Harris, V2.0. The perfect Goper candidate.
CoIntelPro for Pronktastic Victory Over SCLM, DIEBOLD, ESS and SEQUOIA! @ 43:
I don't know how 52/55 happened. maybe I blacked out. sorry. I think.
CoIntelPro for Pronktastic Victory Over SCLM, DIEBOLD, ESS and SEQUOIA! @ 34:
Ah, The Bergen Record. Fellow NJ resident? I wish I'd realized I was moving to a red district when I moved northward from central NJ. I think I see your point in the way you bolded a few words in my earlier post and was just about to say something about the drilling, especially since it looks like she's connected to something Cheney has been pushing for.
Summary Rebuttal Talking Points regarding the “equally thin resumes” canard:
But she's a HMILF (Hocky Mom I'd like to ...)! Don't you get it? It's about the sizzle, not the steak.
Unfortunately for the old man, it's not going to work.
McCain-Palin
Dumb-Dumber
check it out:
http://www.cafepress.com/mccainpow_palin
CoIntelPro for Pronktastic Victory Over SCLM, DIEBOLD, ESS and SEQUOIA! @ 43:
Anyone can cut taxes, just as anyone can raise taxes. What matters is what did the change in tax code do for the community the next year and for several years there after.
Personally I like a competent police department, fire department, state regulators keeping an eye on the medical community, the insurance industry, making sure I have somewhat clean air to breath and water to drink. I like knowing my neighbor's kids can attend a good school, and I enjoy good roads so that I visit my clients, run my business, regardless of the weather.
The GOP stands for selfishness over community. I have no problem contributing taxes to the common good. I like libraries, public pools, an army, navy, and air force. I like state school systems, and spending the money on a state court system, and countless other aspects of local, state, and national government. Republicans hate the common good. They prefer a jungle mentality, every man woman and child for him or her self. They are inheriently selfish and afraid. Although professing to be Christians, they are the embodiment of what it means to be anti-Christian. If Dick Cheney and the Pope sat down together, the only sound would be the chirping of crickets.
I am a fiscal conservative small business owner. I applauded when Obama spoke about government waste. I hate my tax dollars and my neighbor's tax dollars being wasted. But no government, no thanks. Just because I hate government waste does not mean I want anarchy. I applaud "Tax and Spend" and can't understand why this seen negatively. Is there any other way to run a governement? You tax, and then you spend; that's how it works. What GOPers do it "Tax and Charge". Tax and charge is bad policy; in fact the worst use of the people's precious money.
So if Miss Cutie-Pie cut taxes in her itty-bitty small town, good for her, but so what? What became of the community after she left? Can they still meet their obligations to their citizens? Palin got glory and moved on, what did the folks who still live there get in the long run?
I was just listening to Maher, and in his opening mono log he said that 38 million people watched Obama's speech.
Pumas my ass. I think it's safe to say a vast majority of of the female HRC voters are on board now. The rest were never Dems anyway. Just more Op KAOS bullshit.
mudshark @ 58:
It's important to note that she could end up in the Oval Office even without McCain dying. At his age, he could have a stroke or otherwise become incapacitated and there she'd be, sitting at the big desk, Commander-in-Chief. I'm telling you, Cheney must be about to burst his pacemaker.
The old Davy Crockett song comes to mind:
Sara, Sara Palin, queen of the wild frontier.
Born in an igloo on the Bering Sea,
Killed her a walrus, when she was only three.
From what I heard McCain was looking for a Self-Admitted Pot smoking , moose killing , Pat Buchanan Candidate for President supporting , Creationist for VP . B I N G O ! Mission Accomplished .
{ Deleted, Off Topic. SiteMonitor}
To Augustus O. Kwaidah:
You are an idiot. It is Joe Biden, not Joe Badin. Once again your stupid, uncouth Liberian accent leads to the mispronunciation of basic vowel sounds. For the Love of God, stop pronouncing every "i" with an "ahh" sound. It's irritating and obnoxious. Go back to kindergarten if you need further assistance.
mudshark @ 65:
Time will tell. Was Chris Matthews right to ask the question: Will white middle-class voters get out and vote for Obama?
This was not a "haphazard vetting process"....This was the careful selection of someone who will do exactly as she is told by the coalition of industrialists who are REALLY running America, who have been funneling their orders to Bush through Darth Cheney for the past 8 years. These people are nothing if not slick. You all think Bush is actually smart enough to do what he does ON HIS OWN? Hell no. He's a dumbass spoiled richkid who was granted the presidency if he did what he was told (even if they had to rig the election to get his sorry ass in there).
Look for a LOT more election-rigging, and/or the probable assassination attempts on Obama.
Palin is a big oil tool and a fundy whackjob as well. What's there to vet?
Beelzebud @ 20:
you are oh so right! look for a multitude of
voting rights violations and criminal acts when
the votes come for counting.
ohio, never corrected their touch machines
and it is a fact that they drop votes when
transfering votes from the precinct locations
to the main voting office. don't forget that
one county in one state had 18,000 more
votes total than they had registered voters.
this is the kind of crimes the fucking gop
will commit to win and more.........
Here's the Palin Wikipedia entry before it was scrubbed:
http://209.85.141.104/search?q=cache:wPu4ia1Ld8EJ:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Joe O. @ 35:
sitemonitor: I'm sorry for getting carried away with the implications. I know they are unsubstantiated and I should have been better than that.
Or this zinger from an Alaska State Rep (D) http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/local-reaction-to-the-palin-bom...
Alaska State Representative Mike Doogan (D): “Either Sarah Palin has talents and skills we were not aware of”, or “John McCain fell down and hit his head”. He also called the prospect of Palin potentially needing to take over as President”pretty scary.”
Old McCain Slogan:
"PUTTING COUNTRY FIRST"
New McCain Slogan:
"PUTTING POLITICS FIRST"
Not that they had any before BUT these Fox News pundits have lost ALL credibility in defending this mind-boggling decision.
{ Deleted, SiteMonitor}
No. 44 @ 79:
You sure it's not putting c*ntry first?
{ Deleted ,Off Topic. Lets not go there. If you want to discuss that then take it elsewhere. SiteMonitor}
OH, MY!
I heard Palin told someone she was a member of the TALIBANGELICAL church?
Can you believe Evangelicals think its something to be proud of to describe themselves are TALIBAN + EVANGELICAL = TALIBANGELICAL
I mean, I know they think its appropriate to legislate their beliefs into law and force us all to believe their literal interpretation of the bible but for Sarah Palin to BRAG she is a TALIGANGELICAL? Jeesh!!!
NOW THAT is something to be afraid of!
{ Deleted, You're right.It is off topic.SiteMonitor}
{Deleted, Off Topic.SiteMonitor}
lol who cares if Tom Ridge was pro-choice, he would of helped McCain with moderates and undecided
McCain is out of touch and lacks judgment
The following from the hacking link,
But as she and an AOGCC technician worked their way around his computer password at the behest of an assistant attorney general in Fairbanks, they found his cleanup had not extended to his electronic files.
would seem to indicate that this line in the story has too damning an implication,
Maybe she’s being so careful because she’s had experience before in hacking in and looking for deleted files on someone else’s computer.
Beagle @ 80:
FauxNews has credibility? When did that happen?
people...the woman lied in her first appearance in front of a national audience
she never said no to the bridge to nowhere
when the funding was cut, and alaska would be forced to shell out the dough...she then stopped the project
and she never returned the monies that were sent from the fed
those are the monies that were given as a rebate...it was fed welfare...not a windfall from the oil companies
she may be a great wife, mother and ex mayor...but as gov, there isnt much to do...and she is a fucking liar
great family values
what else is she lying about?
As Craig said on Bill's show last night:
http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/latelate/comedy/video/lls_sarah_palin....
{Deleted, Off Topic. SiteMonitor}
Login or Register to post comments.