FeedThe 66-Day Dash
August 29, 2008 in Uncategorized Tags: 2008, Biden, election, McCain, obama, palin
You’ve all heard the name Sarah Palin by now.
Already the pundits are at it, praising and bashing the choice, spinning their hearts out, slanting the news to suit their particular interests in the campaign. For now, let us set that aside.
Looking at the race as it now stands, with tickets for each side filled out, we are now destined to have a historic result come November. I already left a comment over at CJ’s Peoria Chronicle but I’d like to expound on it a little more. A historic outcome is probably going to be accompanied by an unprecedented campaign.
You can bet the Republicans have studied the Hillary Clinton campaign. The HRC campaign for President will serve as a trial balloon for the Sarah Palin campaign for Vice President. They will also apply the lessons to their approach against Barack Obama.
The tickets really do resemble each other is many ways.
- Each ticket has a traditional candidate (old/white/male) who has been in the Senate for quite some time and whose strength is in foreign policy.
- Each ticket has a non-traditional candidate (not old/white/male) who has little or no Washington experience. They are relatively good looking and focus on more domestic agendas.
- Each ticket represents and advocates a “Change” theme.
Say what you will about any of the four candidates, none have changed the race like the addition of Palin. Biden was the safe, insiders choice. One wonders who will actually be able to wave that “Change” banner most honestly.
Say what you will about any of the four candidates, none have changed the race like the addition of Biden. Palin is the freshest of faces. One wonders who will actually be able to wave that “Experience” banner the truest.
The debates will be more important than ever. Much like we (those of us that talk about such things) still talk of Lincoln-Douglas and Kennedy-Nixon, I think Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin will be spoken of long into the future. There has never been an election like this one.
One thing is for certain, the game is afoot.
August 29th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
“Biden was the safe, insiders choice”
Have to disagree there.
The safe choice would have been Hilary. The easiest thing for the Obama campaign to do would have been to go with Hilary, thereby appeasing all her supporters and having the black/woman ticket.
And as far as a “change” on McCain’s ticket? Maybe if he would have named her before Obama named Biden. Now it looks like a reactionary choice.
August 29th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Hillary safe? Far (very far) from that.
Why is naming Palin “reactionary”?
August 29th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
The Dems already have the “historical” candidate.
The Repubs have the “same old, same old” candidate.
Hilary doesn’t get the V.P. slot, and suddenly out of left field a female governor is chosen for the Repubs V.P. slot.
Like I said, if he would have chosen her before Obama named his V.P., that would have been groundbreaking. Now it looks like pandering.
August 29th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
So far I’ve successfully not written anything political. But the Republican VP choice ‘broke the camel’s back’.
My problem with this choice, beyond the obvious pandering, get the Hillary votes arguments is that this woman is in no position to lead the country.
With McCain’s health history and age factored in, there’s a good possibility that he may not make 4 or 8 years, or it’s very possible he will have to turn over powers while undergoing a surgery in one way or another. Palin may be a maverick and an up-and-coming Republican, but she has no business running the country, she doesn’t have any domestic or foreign experience.
On the other side of the ticket, Obama is much younger and in better health. Should something tragic happen to the president, I would defintely sleep better at night knowing Biden had his finger on the trigger, rather than Palin.
August 29th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
“What exactly does the VP do all day?” That is what Ms. Palin asked CNBC’s Larry Kudlow in a tv interview in July. That ranks up there with giving nukes to Taiwan, sticking your nose into a rape case while running with a lead for state’s attorney, and saying “you’ve done a heckuva job Brownie” Abraham Lincoln must be rolling in his grave. Someone should be printing up bumper stickers saying “Today’s G.O.P. Nuttier than Squirrel Poop” I guess P.T. Barnum was right about a sucker being born every minute.
And the best part is she’s being invesitigated for ethics violations in the firing of here brother in law from the State Police, and her record as mayor was a fiscal disaster. Yeah her pick changes everything. Do a little research people and think for yourselves.
August 29th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Cameron - Did you post on CJ’s blog under the name Scott Shepler?
Mazr - First, Politics being the chess game it is, you never want to make a move before your opponent because you can change your strategy and capitalize on your opponents mistakes. Perhaps McCain did that. It is all part of the process.
(Personally, I think Obama blundered with Biden. The Biden pick was ‘reactionary’ to McCain’s attacks on Obama’s lack of experience. Instead, Edwards (D-Tex) would have helped secure him a key state while keeping his “Change” theme intact.)
Second, the Democrats, with their “historical” candidate, went out and nabbed a “same old, same old” running mate for him. So much for “Change” - it is obvious the Democratic machine is still at work here.
Third, Hillary was never, ever, in one billion years going to get that VP slot.
Never.
Not ever.
Fourth, no McCain pick would have ever been considered NOT pandering by the Dems. Pandering to women, the Religious Right, African Americans, geographic region, whatever.
Fifth, I think this pick really scares the hell out of the Dems. Look at the veracity of their attacks. I think this pick has energized the McCain campaign. It gives the Republican ticket some flavor. Biden is vanilla pudding, Palin is apple pie a la mode.
August 29th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Mouse - nope, don’t know CJ’s blog and I definitely don’t claim to be a Scott Shepler. Maybe he listened to the same MSNBC analysis I did earlier, or was it CNN, I can’t keep track anymore. I don’t pretend to be too political, for the most part I’m a Republican…but I know an idiot when I see one and George W is an idiot. Is McCain George W? No…but if he supports even some of W’s ideas, then he’s an idiot too. And this VP pick…talk about your Hail Mary. This race is Obama’s to lose, and he can indeed lose it, but if he does, it’s because he screwed up.
August 29th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Sarah Palin was doing in Alaska what Barack Obama SHOULD have been doing in Illinois. Sarah Palin took on the corruption in her own party and challenged the failed politics of nepotism, chronyism, and favoritsm. She opposed the Murkowski machine and beat him in the primary, she opposed Ted Stevens and Don Young and their favoirtism. Barack Obama endorsed it in Illinois. Lipinski, Stroger, Daley, Beavers, Jackson, Hynes, Mell, Emil Jones Jr. & 3, and on and on. When she saw unethical actions and decisions on the board she served, she quit. When Barack Obama sees it in his state party, Obama is silent.
As Mayor and Governor she has much more executive office experience than Barack Obama, and just as much foreign policy experience as Barack Obama. Its hard to credibly attack Palin’s experience while backing Barack Obama. And on the topic of judgment, Palin has stood up to corruption in her own state party and continues to fight it enjoying a 90%+ approval rating in her state. Barack Obama has done nothing to change politics as usual in Illinois and continues to do nothing. If Palin is used as an attack dog against Obama on his complete incompetence in seeing or doing anything about corruption, this should be a fun couple months.
And please do try to bring up an ethics investigation in Alaska while supporting Barack Obama at the same time. Look at how corrupt Illinois has been the last ten years and note that not once while Barack Obama was a State Senator did he call for any ethics investigation in Illinois. Not once. How many politicians and their operatives have gone down while Barack Obama was a St. Senator and he didn’t ask for one ethics investigation? Please make that issue.
She let a commissioner go that served at the pleasure of the Governor. Her brother-in-law was a police officer and was suspended for ten days, (not fired as the sycophant above tries to claim) when it was alleged he threatened to kill his father-in-law (Palin’s father), and threatened to taser his 11 yr old son. Her sister’s messy divorce. Then when Palin let that department’s commissioner go, partisan speculation arose claiming she fired him because the guy wasn’t punished hard enough. That all happened years ago and it nothing but a partisan ruse to smear Sarah Palin put out by the hate monger left.
That said, I’m not voting for Obama/Biden or McCain/Palin. This election was over in Illinois long ago.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:40 am
TaxMeeMore… A big ‘Amen’ to your comments about Sarah Palin taking-on “corruption… and challenged the failed politics of nepotism, chronyism, and favoritsm”.
You are right — just think how bad things would be if we’d had a White House administration full of nepotism, chronyism, and favoritsm for 8 years??? Golly, if that ever happened, we’d probably have to pay $4 for a gallon of gas, or maybe let the poor and blacks in New Orleans die of thirst after a hurricaine, and heck, we could even pick a war with a soverign state and let 4000+ young Americans die, just so that administration’s former employer (ohh, just for fun, let’s call that employer ‘Haliburton’) could make no-bid billions of dollars. Heck that kind of nepotism, chronyism, and favoritsm might even get into the White House by having their Daddy and little brother ‘fix’ the election in Florida.
Gosh, that’s just unimaginable — so I had no doubt that the GOP would never put people like THAT on the ballot.
August 30th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Sarah Palin helps the Republican ticket with women, and it helps them safely secure the mountain states. Some of the libertarian-leaning Western states, including Alaska, were potentially in play for Obama. Now I think those states are safely red again.
While the specifics of the experience argument can be hashed over ad nauseum, with the addition of Biden to the Democratic ticket and Palin to the Republican ticket, I think most of the electorate will now see the issue as a draw. Now, neither side can argue experience without looking a little silly. I think that’s bad for McCain in the long run. When you just compare him to Obama, McCain clearly has the edge in experience. The value & importance of that experience can certainly be argued, but clearly McCain is the more experienced candidate. Now, with the VP selections, that argument has been muted. It’s a draw … and that hurts McCain.
I think the Republicans are hoping that the X chromosome factor will outweigh losing the experience factor. We’ll just have to see how it all plays out in November.
August 30th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Anon, let me get this straight.
Obama’s pick was reactionary to the “lack of experience” criticism.
Which would make McCain’s choice….”I’m too old, a man and not the guy the Christian cons want me to be”?
And say what you will, this choice was also based on getting that far right, christian con voter. Suddenly, all that was wrong with McCain in their eyes is O.K. because they have “one of theirs” on the ticket.
And let’s be honest here…..if Biden is vanilla pudding, what does that make McCain?
August 30th, 2008 at 7:51 am
Knight- that is a good argument, but your analogy would be far more accurate if you were comparing the two at the TOP of the ticket.
August 30th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Mazr asks: “if Biden is vanilla pudding, what does that make McCain?”
I sez: I misspoke. McCain is vanilla pudding with granola. Biden is tapioca.
Obama is cotton candy.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:39 am
I’m getting hungry.
August 30th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I didn’t vote for Bush, Ginny Martinez. I won’t vote for Barack Obama either, and neither will you unless you are a complete hypocrit.
Barack Obama will just give us more of the exact same failed policies that Bush gave us. Joe Biden voted WITH BUSH on every single one of the issues that matter most. You blame Bush for Iraq? Joe Biden voted for it and cheered Bush on. $4/gallon gas? Both Biden AND Obama voted FOR the Bush energy legislation. McCain voted against it actually to his credit. The Patriot Act? Biden voted for it. And again to re-authorize it. “Fixing elections”? How about Illinois’ worst ballot access laws in the democratic world that were ruled unconstitutional, blatant gerrymandering of districts, using state employees to kick candidates off the ballot, and using government employees on the taxpayers dime to work on campaigns that Barack Obama has NEVER uttered one word about or against? You claim Bush fixed one elction so what have you to say about all the elections since 1980 being fixed in Illinois by Democrats? No-bid contracts to Halliburton? Joe Biden voted for it and said nothing. Poor and blacks supposedly dying of thirst after Katrina? The voters of La threw out the DEMOCRATS that ran the state and city that had MORE responsibility in that failed disaster relief than Bush did. Where is your anger, and where was Biden’s, for the Democrats that failed in Louisiana? Or is everything the Republican’s fault regardless of reality? Both corrupt parties are failures, thank you for pointing that out more clearly Ginny.
Barack Obama has already completely agreed with the Bush admin on the Georgia situation and that is very dangerous for our future. Georgia was wrong to invade South Ossetia and Abkhazia in an effort to squelch their desire for independence. The Ossetians are sick of people that speak a different language and have a different culture ruling them. Why does Obama support the continued oppression of Ossetians and Abkhazians just like Bush, instead of supporting their desire for freedom? Because Obama is running for Bush’ third term just like McCain is. Obama failed his first test of foreign policy judgment by taking the exact same position as Bush. We should be scolding the Georgians as much as the Russians and supporting the people of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in their effort for self rule. I’d suggest you look outside the Rs and Ds for any hope of change any time soon.
Obama is gonna win Illinois at least 60-40 without others on the ballot. Give those others ten percent to send a strong message and Obama still wins 50-40-10. No harm if you buy the lesser of evils argument, BUT a message is sent that will do more to lessen the evil than wasting a vote on a done deal.
August 30th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I feel sorry for the Republican ticket. Honestly, I sincerely feel pity. McCain can’t keep anything straight and bumbles through all his answers (how many houses he owns for christsakes? Really, John?), and he has to deal with Obama, who is a very talented and charismatic speaker.
On the other hand, we have Palin v. Biden. Palin, as is seen by her Creationist views and rapidly emerging record (or lack thereof), has absolutely no clue what she’s talking about, while Biden is a friggin shark.
Agree or disagree on the issues, it looks like the Democrats are going to walk all over them with ease. And why not? The GOP has already lost the debate on substance.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Biden is a shark alright. His best friend for 30 years, Joseph Cari Jr., is sitting in a prison right now for ripping off Illinois taxpayers in the pension scheme that took down Rezko and many others. Not a word from Biden or Obama about the former DNC Fundraising Chair sitting in prison. Obama and Biden are afraid of standing up to powerful people in their own parties, which tells how they might handle more powerful people outside their own political party.
“has absolutely no clue what she’s talking about”
Right, because she’s already debated Biden and has done dozens of interviews on the VP campaign trail for you to make that judgment. Someone has no clue what they are talking about, but it isn’t Sarah Palin.
September 1st, 2008 at 1:55 am
…says the guy who thinks he has all the answers, but hasn’t provided a single solution. Epic fail, Tax.
September 1st, 2008 at 1:57 am
Oh, and specifically I was referring to her view that religious topics should be part of public education’s curriculum. We have enough religious crazies in the country, the last thing we need is to give one of them power.