Saturday, August 30, 2008

McCain's Misguided Tokenism


At 72, by presidential standards, Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee, is old. In fact, he'd be the oldest president ever to serve. But Grandpa John's age is that much more pronounced when he stands beside his much younger trophy-veep, Alaska's rookie Gov. Sarah Palin. Remember how Karl Rove & Company took the 2000 Gore/Lieberman logo and mockingly turned it into "Sore/Loserman?" Well, this year's McCain/Palin logo should be turned into "Too Old/Too Inexperienced." That she's a governor, as the conservative spinners are touting, does not impress. To put things in perspective, the 115,000 votes she received in the general election is not much more than the 85,000 Coloradans who packed Denver's Invesco Field to hear Sen. Barack Obama' brilliant acceptance speech.

Americans will be faced with a very real, very serious problem should McCain win: Palin would be a heartbeat away from the Oval Office. That's a frightening proposition. Should something tragic happen to the 72-year-old McCain, it's absurd to think that the 44-year-old hockey mom with five kids (including an infant with Down syndrome), with less than 2 years as Alaska's Governor and with zero foreign policy experience, is ready to step in and lead America in times of war, terrorism and economic recession. Is there anyone who utters "President Palin" and feels assured? When compared to Sen. Joe Biden, with his 36 years in the Senate and chairmanship of the Foreign Relations Committee, Palin makes Harriet Miers look like William Rehnquist.

McCain's appointment of Palin is not just patently offensive, it's a gargantuan insult to women in particular, especially those who supported Sen. Hillary Clinton. It's a gross miscalculation of what Hill's highly coveted army of 18-million soldiers valiantly fought for. They did not vote for their gal simply because she has tits. Throw a little liberal ideology in here, for Pete's sake. They supported Clinton because of what she stands for. Because she's been a consistent champion of women's causes for 40 friggin' years. They're not looking for some anti-choice, anti-gay, gun-toting, carcass-skinning, under-investigation right-wing evangelical creationist oil whore in Jimmy Choos as a replacement. That McCain believes they are proves yet again how out of touch he is, and it's another shining example of how the GOP truly feels about women and how it underestimates the potency of the issues that matter to them.

The Palin decision is such a mind-blowing mistake that we should nickname her "Waterloo," for her role in McCain's ultimate demise will equal that of this 1815 battle in Napoleon's. The question, albeit the most incredibly obvious one, is, Why would any female Democrat loyal to Clinton feel inspiration and passion for McCain's pretty little Rovian beauty queen? As Gail Collins acutely pointed out in Saturday's NY Times, "I know Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton is a friend of mine, and Governor, you're no Hillary Clinton."

And just wait until the race really starts to heat up and Palin's celebrated nothingness gets put under the microscope where it belongs. The double-talking, hypocritical folks who brought us "Why can't we criticize Obama without being called racist?" will be giving us massive doses of "You're all sexists for attacking poor Sarah!"

By the way, the latest Gallup Poll shows a 9-point bounce for Obama following the Democrats' convention and his speech last week. McCain, who had led by a point on Monday, the first day of the convention, now trails by 8 points. Something tells me that with the GOP's "big tent" charade next week, led by Grandpa John and the empty pants-suited beauty queen, this gap will continue to widen straight through to election day.


HELP ELECT BARACK OBAMA PRESIDENT: It's time now to help Obama fight the bigger fight and win the November election. He's gonna need money. Lots of money. Will you join me in making as large a contribution as you can to the campaign? I am personally commited to raising $25,000 for Sen. Obama and you can help me reach this goal. Click here to make a contribution. The White House is well within reach. Let's not let it slip away this time.

HELP ELECT BARACK OBAMA PRESIDENT: John McCain and the GOP are going to spend tends of millions on vicious attack ads and aggressive ground teams. There are many swing states this year--Colorado, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri among them. With a sizable war chest, Sen. Obama can successfully combat the GOP's attack and win these states. Click here to make a contribution. It's time to change America.

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

With two of the, what, two daily newspapers in Alaska as well as the president of the Republican Senate of Alaska all echoing the same view of Palin not being ready for duty should send shivers up the spine.

I don't recall the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times or any Republican leader who served in the Illinois state Senate going on record as stating Obama is not ready for duty.

McCain's move is pure pandering to women and the pro-life crowd. It's not even close to putting the country first.

Anonymous said...

andy,

she was picked not to grab the dem voters...but the independents and quiet the base.

and what is really historical about this pick is not that its a woman...but that it was spurred on from bloggers...it was a wingnut blogger who first brought her up...and then that was carried by many of the more fringe talk show hosts.

what is sad, is that the msm is falling down on the job in talking about her record...and that was what mccain was hoping for

btw, has anyone ever had a moose burger? would love to know what it tastes like

Anonymous said...

As I previously posted, Palin is the Dan Quayle for the 21st century! In one of the most cynical political ploys in recent memory, McCain believes that he can siphon off some of the Clinton supporters' votes by nominating a woman as his running mate, despite the fact that this woman ia as reactionary as any arch-conservative. If Sen. Clinton's supporters honor her wishes--no way, no how, no McCain--then they would never vote for someone so idealistically the opposite of Sen. Clinton. If any Democratic woman votes for McCain because of his VP choice, she was never much of a Democrat to begin with!

Anonymous said...

What is forgotten is that everything said about Palin's lack of experience applies to Obama. Add to that his flip-flops over liberal positions, his shady friendships, the Rev. Wright and the hate/whites and hate/America church he attended for 21 years, his wife who has had to be completely remodeled to make her acceptable, and his inability it seems to describe how he's going to implement the chahes he raves about, if in truth, he intends to try or yet may flip-flop, then Palin looks like the better choice not only for v.p. but for President.

Anonymous said...

Biden looks ancient standing next to Obama. Is he ready to take over should Obama be unable to continue as President, if elected?

Anonymous said...

Palin got many more votes than Biden's 9,000.

You're all forgetting Quayle was not very bright whereas Palin is a quick study they who vetted her say.

Anonymous said...

Of course the Chicago Tribune and the Chicao Sun-Times did not say; and no other publicans or people said Obama was not ready. Racism is taboo in this country but sexism is welcomed.

The women for Hillary are not voting for McCain because he picked a woman. Their minds were made up before that. According to reports of their complaints there are two reasons:

1. Many are furious and simply cannot forgive Dean, Kennedy, and the Democratic Party for not complaining to the media when it endlessly bashed Hillary. They say that had it been racism instead of sexism the Party would not have tolerated it.

2. The other reason they are voting for McCain is because they do not think Obama is capable of being President at this time.

I hope they don't eventually form a chruch and we see their raving preacher on TV screaming from her pulpit: "God Damn Men." But, you just can't tell how deep-seated resentment will manifest and how it can turn into hatred.

Anonymous said...

Suddenly Hillary has experience. All during the primary we heard how inexperienced she was. She'd only been First Lady and Senator for a short time. And the general feeliing was, too, don't vote for her because she has "tits". Vote fot the one with the "balls". Now the entire story line has changed. Now Hillary is the epitome of all the Democratic Party stands for and how could anyone who was for Hillary think of voting for a "token" and "uppity" mother and, well, yes, governor, but who cares.

Anonymous said...

the real problem with palin is not what she can't do but what she can. what she can do is move the creepy fingers of nut ball dominionist assembly of goders further into the running of our civil institutions than bush ever dreamed.

"Dominion Theology is a grouping of theological systems with the common belief that society should be governed exclusively by the law of God as codified in the Bible, to the exclusion of secular law."

these people are evil morons who are capable of destroying everything this country stands for.

Anonymous said...

9:27 Since Palin will not be the President I don't why you're not more worried that Obama switched sides and joined the Religious Right when he supported Faith Based groups and by so doing, lessened the separation of church and state. Aren't you worried that he belonged to a church that hates another race so much that that hatred is spewed from the pulpit of a church whose sacred scripture teaches "Love thy neighbor as thyself"? In fact, it would be rather nice if society did follow that law of God, woudln't it?

Obama is running for President. He will have the power.

McCain will have the power if he's elected.

Palin is an understudy, like the actress who is hired to step in and who never gets the chance. Why are you all so afraid of her? She will have no power. There will never be another Chaney/Bush-type administraiton.

Anonymous said...

Palin is far scarier and likely more dangerous than Quayle ever was. Her reactionary views are the red meat the true believers on the right have been yearning for. It's a gamble for Grandpa Seven House McCain,but my sense is she will energize all those right wing wack jobs who believe science is a pesky inconvenience.

As to her reformer reputation (newly minted, by the way) let's not forget that she was for the bridge to nowhere before she was against it.

Democrats can't be complacent, but unless they botch the next two months horribly, Palin will have great difficulty appealing to independents.

By the way, let's not forget that Bush/Quayle won in 1988.

Anonymous said...

Palin was for the bridge before she discovered the corruption. Then she was against it. She has no dealings with crooks like Rezko and Ayers.

Her reactionary views are merely the meat and potatoes of the Republican Party. Who, besides the flip-flopper Romney would be different, except McCain, himself, who once considered becoming a Democrat?

I don't believe Independents are anymore anxious to elect Obama for President, who has dubious connections and little experience, than I, a Democrat, am.

The Democratic Party made its mistake when they all pushed for OBama.

Anonymous said...

"... with less than 2 years as Alaska's Governor and with zero foreign policy experience,..."

2 years of Governor of Alaska is more executive experience that the entire Democrat ticket.

Zero foreign policy experience ? As Governor of Alaska (largest fishing territory in the world) she has negotiated gas pipelines with Canada and fishing rights with Japan and Russia. This is more foreign policy experience than the entire Democrat ticket.

Obama's self declared foreign policy experience is living abroad for four years as a child. He's not going to be a heart beat away - you want him to learn on the job on day 1.

Anonymous said...

As expected Maureen Dowd is leading the march of the misogynists. There is no greater hater of women than Maureen. I first noticed it when she bashed Howard Dean's, wife, a doctor, during that campaign. His wife had nothing to do with politics or the media, but Maureen sought her out to attack. Ms. Dowd simply cannot abide another successful woman. I have never read a column by her that is supportive or complimentary to another woman. We saw how she joined MSNBC in her sexist attacks against Hillary. However, if Dowd's books' sales are an indication, no one reads her. Perhaps I should say, no one pays to read her.

Anonymous said...

Ostroy,
"...the 44-year-old hockey mom with five kids..."

Is there any reason -- other than your embarrassingly desperate partisanship -- that you've left out her elected experience since 1992 ? BTW, that's 5 years more elected experience than Obama has.

Andy,
You just called me out in your previous thread for calling Obama "the community organizer" and then you do the same to Palin. Can you be any more hypocritical ?

The fact is that all of your complaints that Palin is too inexperienced to be Vice President are reflected back to Obama's inexperience and he's at the top of the ticket. Obama's poor judgement was highlighted when he threw away the 18,000,000 votes for Hillary Clinton and selected a man with a few hundred votes to be Vice Plagiarist on the Democrat ticket.

Anonymous said...

I am reminded by 9:07 that Obama was caught plagerizing an effective phrase he used in one of his more impressive speeches. What a team -- Biden and Obama - who both steal ideas and creative words from other people. How can we count on their honesty?

Anonymous said...

Biden didn't just steal parts from Kinnock's speech, he also stole parts of Kinnock's life story. See below:

Kinnock said: "Why am I the first Kinnock in a thousand generations to be able to get to university? Why is (my wife) Glenys the first woman in her family in a thousand generations to be able to get to university? Was it because all our predecessors were thick?"

Kinnock continued: "Those people who could sing and play and recite and write poetry? Those people who could make wonderful, beautiful things with their hands? Those people who could dream dreams, see visions? Why didn't they get it? Was it because they were weak? Those people who could work eight hours underground and then come up and play football? Weak?"

Biden said: "I started thinking as I was coming over here, why is it that Joe Biden is the first in his family ever to go to a university? Why is it that my wife who is sitting out there in the audience is the first in her family to ever go to college? Is it because our fathers and mothers were not bright?"

Biden continued: "Those same people who read poetry and wrote poetry and taught me how to sing verse? Is it because they didn't work hard? My ancestors, who worked in the coal mines of Northeast Pennsylvania and would come up after 12 hours and play football for four hours?"

Anonymous said...

Well she would make a great VP and even President to those simultaneously believe that a) The Bush administration is a wonderful thing and B) McCain is a maverick who is not like the Bush administration and is therefore a wonderful thing!
The bottom line for me is that support for her is not based on reasoned thought but a willingness to believe that unemployment, inflation, falling dollar, massive deficits,the rich-poor divide, climate change, senseless war and cronyism, attacks on science, fears of gays and the Katrina disaster are minor things compared to the horror of gays getting married. Never underestimate the power of fear and smear ..A strategy the GOP has honed to perfection.

Anonymous said...

I love this remark..

Obama's poor judgement was highlighted when he threw away the 18,000,000 votes for Hillary Clinton and selected a man with a few hundred votes to be Vice Plagiarist on the Democrat ticket.

Well now here we have a typical Republican..suggesting that Obama should have selected someone for the VP spot on the basis of the number of votes they got! Dont you just wonder what this person would be saying if Hillary got the post! "He selected Hillary because she got 18 million votes and ignored the much more qualified Biden" Why do Repubilcans put their party above their country so much? Why do they want us to forget the lessons of 9/11? Why do Republicans hate America so much?

Anonymous said...

10:15 is yet another Democrat with reading comprehension skills. No wonder the party is in trouble.

Had you, 10:15 read Ostroy's blog carefully you would have noticed that he referred to Palin's meager 115,000 votes to Obama's 85,000 attendees to his gala acceptance speech. Ostroy was saying her supporters were few. McCain misjudged was implied.

That invited a linking comment about the vast number of suppoters Hillary had which Obama was foolish enough to forego.

To repeat: Ostroy said Palin had few supporters amd implied McCain's poor judgment. 9:07 said Obama threw away all the votes Hillary could have given him indicating poor judgment.

It's a subtle link, but, that's what readers do. They see the relationship of ideas,' they just don't read words.

And as for love of country. what Republican have you heard say "God damn America.?"

Anonymous said...

10;05 Yours would be an indisputable argument if we had a candidate ready to tackle those problems. We do not. We have an inexperienced candidate who can't even keep his campaign promises through a campaign. We have a candidate who is under a cloud of suspicion for his relatihnoship with a terrorist who bombed the US, a preacher that lies about the government and hates it and whites; a candidate who is associated with a convicted criminal and a candidate who voted for infantacide.

I'll take my chances with McCain and his Democratic leanings for four years, than risk disaster in the first few months of an Obama presidency. It's not the issues this time; it's the man.

Anonymous said...

10:59,

Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and John Hagee.

Anonymous said...

Sarah Palin has more executive experience that John McCain. Wanna put her at the top of the ticket?

Anonymous said...

Wow, Andy and his friends here are really worked up over Sarah Palin. You guys don't know how ridiculous you sound. Wipe the spittle from your chins and take a breath. Pick up all the stuff you threw around your houses in your fits of rage. I know you are worried about yet another presidential loss, but it will be ok. Obama will lose, but there are plenty of meds out there to help you.

Anonymous said...

11:14 They're going to sic the devil on you for lying. No tapes, no ptints, no way.

Anonymous said...

Beden has more foreign affairs experience and more experience of every worthwhile kind, than Obama. Wanna put him at the top of the ticket?

Anonymous said...

Sarah Palin does not have more elected experience than Barack Obama and has not held elective office continuously since 1992, as is implied. She lost her campaign for Lt. Governor in 2002 and did not hold elected office from the time she left as mayor of her little village until she won the governor's position in 2006. She has 10 years of serving a town of 5500 people and less than 2 years as governor of Alaska.

Obama served 8 years representing over 200,000 people in the Illinois Senate and has been a United States Senator for 4 years. He's also been vetted by the American voter for almost 2 years.

Sarah Palin is a nobody from nowhere and brings nothing. What's pathetic about her selection is that she was chosen SPECIFICALLY because she is woman - not because of her qualifications. It's a complete and total pander move having nothing whatsoever to do with putting the country first.

My prediction is that this move will backfire with the very targeted crowd it is intended to reach and put McCain over the top - die-hard Hillary voters and female independents.

My county Dem party leader is a 60+ year old female Hispanic and proud Clinton supporter who, behind the scenes, has had difficulty getting emotionally behind Obama as have many in her demographic. Not anymore and I doubt she's far from alone among her hermanas.

Anonymous said...

11:32,

Spin does not address the question. Your GOP friend made a charge about Palin's executive experience trumping that of Obama and Biden. What he/she failed to mention was Palin has more "executive experience" than McCain, too.

It's a ridiculous comment meant to mask Palin's ridiculous lack of qualification, which was McCain's main charge against Obama over the last three months.

Anonymous said...

"Biden" not "Bedin" "prints" not "ptints"

Anonymous said...

10:59.

Are you seriously suggesting that Obama "threw away" 18,000,000 votes by not picking Hillary as a running mate? That makes so little sense that nothing else you have written can be viewed as legitimate.
I guess those votes all go to McCain and Palin since their views are pretty much antithetical to the views and positions of most dems and many independents. Oh no, wait that makes no sense, does it?

Of course, your right, Republicans love this country, they just hate 50% of the people living in it.

Anonymous said...

Argue experience, compare vote numbers, argue policies -- do what you will. It doesn't matter. Unforunately, but true, the race is about character and ethics. McCain and Palin are the winners. No argument can be made otherwise.

Bush was elected on the basis of his ideas (religious right ideology and "compassionate conservatism" ) and personality (I'd drink with him). If we had but looked at his character we would have been saved a lot of grief. Character is destiny and in the case of the presidency, it's history and the destiny of millions.

Anonymous said...

11:44 am,
You failed to successfully use the Obama tactic of 'disqualification' in your post. 10:59 did not suggest that Obama "threw away" 18,000,000 votes - I did in a previous post.

So your entire post can be discounted based on the false premise in your first sentence.

Anonymous said...

Character and ethics?
Except of course for the past 16 years (at least). It's the pocketbook, the "do I want to have a beer with the guy" factor and the slime thrown at the other candidate (was GW Bush really able to make ab issue of Kerry's military service???).

Character and ethics??? Whenever someone says "no argument can be made otherwise," you know they haven't thought it through.

Anonymous said...

Ok 11:51, it was you. I stand corrected. Thank you. So remind me again how those 18,000,000 votes were thrown away?
I guess McCain and Palin can count on 18,000,000 more votes. A landslide for them, no?

Anonymous said...

12:03 PM,
I know you are the silly posted that likes to ask questions and expects answers. Feel free to read comments any way you like, I'm not posting on this blog to answer your questions.

The fact is Palin has more executive experience than both Obama and Biden. McCain has experience as a commanding officer in the Navy.

Obama and Biden have nothing. Biden's chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is due to his seniority because he's been lingering in the Senate since the Nixon days. Obama showed his cards - he knows that he is weaker in foreign policy than McCain, he knows he is not fit to be Commander-In-Chief like McCain is.

McCain has a lot more than his military experience and his heroic POW experience to back him up. Even Obama and Biden have to admit that McCain is a military hero. McCain has shown his ability to understand world affairs going back to the days of Lebanon when he went against Reagan. Obama was high on drugs during the days of the Lebanon crisis.

Obama has attacked Hillary Clinton and John McCain over his authorization of the Iraq war, then he chose Biden as VP even though Biden also authorized the Iraq war.

Obama stayed in the "God Damn America" church for 20 years. He didn't have the backbone to stand up and take a position.

Look at Obama's state Senate votes, he couldn't take a stance on issues, so he would vote "Present". It's a dangerous world out there and Obama has no record of taking a position and standing by the position. You may point to his speech against the Iraq War authorization, but its easy to make a speech when you don't have to take a position with a vote.

Anonymous said...

"I think that I have a lifetime of experience that I will bring to the White House. I know Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience to the White House. And Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002." -- Hillary Clinton March 3, 2008

Anonymous said...

12:37 Thank you for the much needed clarity.

Anonymous said...

Andy and his fellow libs are doing the McCain ticket a favor by lowering the bar of expectation for Sarah Palin so low that it will be impossible for her NOT to dramatically exceed expectations.

Look for America to be more and more impressed by this woman the more they get to know her.

As opposed to Obama who is disliked more, the more people know about him.

Athena Smith said...

"I think that I have a lifetime of experience that I will bring to the White House. I know Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience to the White House. And Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002." -- Hillary Clinton March 3, 2008


Then, it is no surprise that she lost. Is it?
History books are filled with the tragic effects of underestimating your opponent. Varius III brought his own huge empire to en end by underestimating Alexander. The same way a Persian Army of 25,000 brave warriors had underestimated the abilities of an unknown general, a former carpenter, Miltiades, who led an army of 10,000 exhausted soldiers to one of the most famous victories in Marathon. And if we visit modern history we only have to think what happened when both Napoleon and Hitler underestimated Russia.

Underestimating your opponent has always been the most disastrous attitude of all.

Anonymous said...

2:13 Hillary was evaulating her experience and McCain's experience as it compared to Obama's. In fact, she may have truly estimated the extent of sexism in this country, the potential betrayal by the DNC and the fact that every black person in the country would vote for Obama. Perhaps that correct estimation of his advantages gave her the courage to risk making the observation that favored the Repubican candidate over the Democratic rival. She could have simply mentioned her own experience. This could indicate she knew Obama's power.

Not only could it be disastorus to think one has read another's mind and therefore knows her motives, it is impossible.

The Ostroy Report said...

Anon 9:07am....
Jeez, dude, are you that hellbent on showing me up that in your mania you fail to see the very words you accuse me of not writing? Take a look at yesterday's piece. I very clearly mention her stint as mayor, as city councilperson, and even mentioned her failed attempt at Lt Governor. Unlike you disingenuous Republican miscreants, I have no need to lie about someone's resume, especially when their embarassingly meager credentials make the point for me.
Andy