Sarah Palin is McCain's Choice for VP

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25970882/



[quote name='MSNBC']
WASHINGTON - Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain has chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, NBC News has learned.

She would be the first woman ever to serve on a Republican presidential ticket. The pro-life Palin would also be the first Alaskan ever to appear on a national ticket.

Palin, 44, was elected Alaska's first woman governor in 2006. The state’s voters had grown weary of career politician Gov. Frank Murkowski, whom she defeated in the GOP primary.

“I've been blessed with the right timing here,” Palin said before the election. “There's no doubt that Alaskans right now are dealing in an atmosphere of distrust of government and industry.”

On Aug. 1, she scored a major victory when the Alaska legislature passed a bill that authorizes her administration to award a license to TransCanada Alaska to build a 1,715-mile natural gas pipeline from Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s North Slope to a hub in Canada.

The pipeline would be the largest construction project in the history of North America. If completed as hoped within ten years, it would ship 4.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. The United States imported about 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day in 2007.

Under investigation for firing

But Palin’s seemingly bright future was clouded in late July when the state legislature voted to hire an independent investigator to find out whether she tried to have a state official fire her ex-brother-in-law from his job as a state trooper.

The allegation was made by former Department of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, whom Palin fired in mid-July.



“It is a governor’s prerogative, a right, to fill that cabinet with members whom she or he believes will do best for the people whom we are serving,” Palin told CNBC’s Larry Kudlow in an interview on Aug. 1.

“So I look forward to any kind of investigation or questions being asked because I’ve got nothing to hide.”

Palin also reacted to the indictment of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens by calling it “very dismaying.” She added, “Hopefully though, this won’t be a distraction and get people’s minds off what has to be done in the grand scheme of things.”

As for the prospect of her being vice president, Palin told Kudlow that she could not answer the question of whether she wanted the job “until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day. I’m used to being very productive and working real hard in an administration. We want to make sure that that VP slot would be a fruitful type of position, especially for Alaskans and for the things that we’re trying to accomplish up here….”

Palin is married to Todd Palin, a lifelong Alaskan who is a production operator on the North Slope and a four-time champion of the Iron Dog, which is described as “the world's longest snow-machine race.”

Mother of five

They have five children. Their son, Track, enlisted in the U.S. Army on Sept. 11, 2007.
Palin birth to their fifth child, Trig, last April. The baby boy has Down syndrome, a genetic abnormality that impedes a child's intellectual and physical development.

"When we first heard, it was kind of confusing," Palin said, according to an account in the Anchorage Daily News. She called the news "very, very challenging."

But she added in a note, imagining what God would say to her family, "Children are the most precious and promising ingredient in this mixed-up world you live in down there on Earth. Trig is no different, except he has one extra chromosome."

Palin made a name for herself in Alaska politics by serving as mayor of Wasilla City for six years and going on to run unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in 2002.

Clash over ethics

After her unsuccessful run, Palin received an appointment to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, where she ended up serving a role in an ethics probe into Republican Party Chairman Randy Reudrich, who was questioned about conflicts of interest with the oil industry.

The investigation ultimately forced Ruedrich to resign from the commission.

Palin's role in the investigation left her a party outsider, but she was able to win the 2006 Republican gubernatorial primary against Murkowski, going on to win the 2006 general election by seven points over her Democratic opponent.

During one debate before the primary, Palin said she was in favor of capital punishment in especially heinous cases such as the murder of a child. "My goodness, hang 'em up, yeah,” she said.
Born in Idaho, Palin moved to Alaska with her parents in 1964, when they went there to teach school.

She received a degree in communications and journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987. [/quote]

The fact that she's both unknown and also a woman certainly does an excellent job, in the short term, at silencing the post-DNCC-go-Obama feeling.

It's strategically brilliant, really. The news cycle is going to drop the DNCC like a bad habit and focus on this for the weekend and leading into the Republican Convention.

I'm interested to find out more about her before making a call.

.....Who?

You know, I'm honestly wondering if McCain's line of thinking in this was "Hmmm, Obama's black, so he must appeal to black people. How can I appeal to a minority as a rich white guy?....I GOT IT, SOME CHICK!"

Wow. i thought some of the candidates they were throwing around for Obama were unknown.

Ugh, do you ever have a jigsaw puzzle and can't find the right place for that one piece?

This piece says "pandering".

EDIT: I have to thank Joliet Jake again for that sig. McCain wanted to nominate somebody just old enough to be his granddaughter.

Short term it is a smart decision. Long term it is a gamble considering McCain's age and stumbling.

Way to be about 24 years behind the Dems.

Mccain had to pick an unknown so that if he loses, he doesn't hurt any of the more prominent republican candidates. If he loses, then there's no harm to him, or to her; its not like Palin is someone who the GOP needs.. unless of course her and Mccain actually win the election.

If he picked Romney it wouldn't hurt him in 2012.

And this is so stupidish (not really stupid, but something close), just trying to get some woman (is this the only Republican woman?) to run as VP? What about experience?! She has no experience!

It's kind of sleazy, just pick the only woman the Republicans have and throw her out there because you can't attack a poor innocent woman. However in the end of the day this will grantee a McCain win.

The Obama campaign's response is that this means any question of (in)experience brought up during the election cycle is "off the table."

They also question why McCain would select somebody currently under investigation in their home state.

On a personal note, I'm a little tickled to see that McCain's speaking at the Nutter Center in Dayton, since I spent a good bit of time there skating over the past few years.

EDIT: Of course she isn't the only female Republican, but do you want Jean Schmidt as a running mate?

[quote name='Thomas96']Mccain had to pick an unknown so that if he loses, he doesn't hurt any of the more prominent republican candidates. If he loses, then there's no harm to him, or to her; its not like Palin is someone who the GOP needs.. unless of course her and Mccain actually win the election.[/quote]

Just a random thought after looking at her and contemplating of a VP taking over for a P: Theodore Roosevelt.

...

Does anybody else get the impression that McCain wants to lose?

i think its a good pick. a dark horse woman that will appeal more to the republican base than mccain does. plus, its obvious that the woman pick is intended to neutralize obamas being black and to appeal to the hillary supporters that are question marks now.

[quote name='bigdaddy']If he picked Romney it wouldn't hurt him in 2012.

And this is so stupid, just trying to get some woman (is this the only Republican woman?) to run as VP? What about experience?! She has no experience! [/quote] QFT He should have picked Romney. Who is this chick? Did he just throw Darts and come up with this pick? I know he is trying to go with this. Trying to steal the clinton vote but i think he just proved how flawed his judgement is.

[quote name='RAMSTORIA']i think its a good pick. a dark horse woman that will appeal more to the republican base than mccain does. plus, its obvious that the woman pick is intended to neutralize obamas being black and to appeal to the hillary supporters that are question marks now.[/quote]

Love her or hate her ...

There's only one HILLARY CLINTON.

Its like Alan Keyes vs Obama all over again. Minority v Minority.

[quote name='RAMSTORIA']i think its a good pick. a dark horse woman that will appeal more to the republican base than mccain does. plus, its obvious that the woman pick is intended to neutralize obamas being black and to appeal to the hillary supporters that are question marks now.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I see that.

I do think, however, that Hillary supporters who will vote for McCain now may have increased in number.

But if that is the case, it increased from "incredibly, incredibly small" to "slightly fewer than that."

I hope the campaign doesn't think they're going to secure moderates this way, or convince Democrats to vote Republican.

I'm still curious what the far-right wackos think, but she has a pretty good track record of hating on gays and pro-choice folks that may please them. However, she has one major veto under her belt, which was a veto of a bill which explicitly sought to prohibit benefits extensions to gay couples. This, could, premised on the "anything that isn't hardline pentecostal ideology means that you're a communist who's going to hell" attitude of those on the far right, be a problem for her. They'll point to this, and not the state's awesome record of gay hatred (one of the first two states to outlaw gay marriage in 1998), and ask her why she would allow these sinners to share health insurance policies.

[quote name='RAMSTORIA']i think its a good pick. a dark horse woman that will appeal more to the republican base than mccain does. plus, its obvious that the woman pick is intended to neutralize obamas being black and to appeal to the hillary supporters that are question marks now.[/QUOTE]

I think this is great marketing by him.... lets see where it goes from here.

[quote name='mykevermin']
I'm still curious what the far-right wackos think[/quote]

If you can't take my word for it, Rush starts broadcasting at 12PM EST.

This kind of scares me, because the idiot voters in this country don't vote with candidates' political records, they vote with what they hear from the media and what they see on the surface, such as race, gender, pro-life, pro-gay rights, etc. A LOT of ignorant women are gonna see this and immediately run to McCain. They don't care if she has no experience or is nothing like Hillary.

However, it will be hilarious seeing her get mauled by the Obama campaign in attack ads/statements for her record, and even more hilarious when Biden absolutely demolishes her in the debates. It probably won't have much effect on them PUMAs though.

[quote name='bigdaddy']If he picked Romney it wouldn't hurt him in 2012.

[/QUOTE]

It may not, hurt him, but tell that to Romney, (and McCain) To the GOP this is more of a politicial suicide mission, than a campaign.

[quote name='Thomas96']It may not, hurt him, but tell that to Romney, (and McCain) To the GOP this is more of a politicial suicide mission, than a campaign.[/QUOTE]

Honestly I was hoping it was Romney. He is hilarious to watch as he constantly changes his stances for his audience.

Mccain is going to just concede right? Or will the supreme court just make him president.

I don't like Palin but she's an extroardinarily popular governor.

[quote name='mykevermin']The Obama campaign's response is that this means any question of (in)experience brought up during the election cycle is "off the table."[/quote]


They had an Obama person on MSNBC, the first thing out of his mouth was "She has no foreign policy experience!!!", and I rolled my eyes.

I'm voting for Bob Barr, both McCain and Obama.

And Romney is a dumbass, but if Obama picked Mrs. Clinton, McCain would have picked Romney. She has no economy experience, and McCain really needed that.

[quote name='Unickuta']I don't like Palin but she's an extroardinarily popular governor.[/quote]

In Alaska, woo hoo. 3 already guaranteed red state electoral votes in the bag.

EDIT: You have to admit, the MSM is covering this over Obama's Speech. Mission accomplished, Sparky.

I thought mission accomplished meant thousands of deaths and complete and utter failure.

[quote name='fatherofcaitlyn']Ugh, do you ever have a jigsaw puzzle and can't find the right place for that one piece?

This piece says "pandering".[/quote]
VP nominations are designed to be pandering, political moves. This makes sense.

[quote name='fatherofcaitlyn']In Alaska, woo hoo. 3 already guaranteed red state electoral votes in the bag.

EDIT: You have to admit, the MSM is covering this over Obama's Speech. Mission accomplished, Sparky.[/QUOTE]

The media was all over the entire DNC for the last week, and most of this morning. In a 24-hour news world, Obama's speech is already old news.

[quote name='Dead of Knight']Honestly I was hoping it was Romney. He is hilarious to watch as he constantly changes his stances for his audience.[/QUOTE]

well he is a snacker.

[quote name='mykevermin']

I'm still curious what the far-right wackos think, but she has a pretty good track record of hating on gays and pro-choice folks that may please them. However, she has one major veto under her belt, which was a veto of a bill which explicitly sought to prohibit benefits extensions to gay couples. This, could, premised on the "anything that isn't hardline pentecostal ideology means that you're a communist who's going to hell" attitude of those on the far right, be a problem for her. They'll point to this, and not the state's awesome record of gay hatred (one of the first two states to outlaw gay marriage in 1998), and ask her why she would allow these sinners to share health insurance policies.[/QUOTE]

I think her pro-life stance will be very good in the GOPs eyes. Shes a mother of 5 and has a son with down syndrome, testing during the pregnancy showed he would have it.

As for "hating on gays", she says she has gay friends and has done more for gays in Alaska than anyone before. As best I can tell she is just against gay marriage, a stance I understand, but don't necessarily agree with (we've done this debate before, so let's not do it again).

Still, all this talk about her not having foreign policy experience is worthless because McCain has plenty and he's the one trying to be Commander-in-Chief.

I am so conflicted over who the hell I want to vote for. Both parties are absolutely in the shitter, but my work and my wallet tells me to vote for republicans, but my social issues tell me to vote democratic.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Right now it's a great move.

But how will a political newcome with so little experience in a sparsely populated state fair on the biggest national stage of all--a presidential election?

How will she be as a campaigner on this stage?

How will she do in debates against the uber experienced Biden?

How does this help his ticket on the economy, which McCain admitted he knows little about? And that Obama will continue to hammer as a main issue of the campaign?

It's a great PR move now. Counters the message that McCain is just old washington, and should make a strong play for women independent voters and Hillary supporters who are still disgruntled.

But it could backfire if she ends up being a disaster on the campaign trail, in debates etc.

I do agree that this election is probably one of the more interesting in recent years.

[quote name='RAMSTORIA']
Still, all this talk about her not having foreign policy experience is worthless because McCain has plenty and he's the one trying to be Commander-in-Chief.[/QUOTE]

But with a 72 year old candidate you can't ignore any shortcomings of his VP choice as there's a much greater chance of McCain dying during his term, or suffering a debilitating health issue that leaves him unable to serve.

With a younger president people will think about it less, with an old president voters on the fence will undoubtedly pay more attention to the VP and whether they are comfortable with her taking over should something happen to McCain.

How much difference that will make is hard to say, probably not a ton. But the VP choice will get more consideration from swing voters than usual I would think.

[quote name='dmaul1114']

But it could backfire if she ends up being a disaster on the campaign trail, in debates etc.[/QUOTE]

It's a huge gamble that will either pay off big time or backfire.

[quote name='FloodsAreUponUS']I do agree that this election is probably one of the more interesting in recent years.[/QUOTE]

Not in recent years, ever. No matter who wins history will be made with a woman or an muslim african-ameircan in the white house.



[quote name='dmaul1114']But with a 72 year old candidate you can't ignore any shortcomings of his VP choice as there's a much greater chance of McCain dying during his term, or suffering a debilitating health issue that leaves him unable to serve.

With a younger president people will think about it less, with an old president voters on the fence will undoubtedly pay more attention to the VP and whether they are comfortable with her taking over should something happen to McCain.

How much difference that will make is hard to say, probably not a ton. But the VP choice will get more consideration from swing voters than usual I would think.[/QUOTE]

McCains health isn't a concern for me at all.

They have five children. Their son, Track, enlisted in the U.S. Army on Sept. 11, 2007.
Palin birth to their fifth child, Trig, last April. The baby boy has Down syndrome, a genetic abnormality that impedes a child's intellectual and physical development.
"When we first heard, it was kind of confusing," Palin said, according to an account in the Anchorage Daily News. She called the news "very, very challenging."
But she added in a note, imagining what God would say to her family, "Children are the most precious and promising ingredient in this mixed-up world you live in down there on Earth. Trig is no different, except he has one extra chromosome."

Click to expand...

This is what irks me, she's an idiot.

She admits she contemplated abortion ("it was confusing" and "very, very challenging") but decided against it because of her religious beliefs.

Well some of us don't have the same religious beliefs lady. Some of the people faced with this decision aren't rich white women in Alaska with alot of connections.

That's why it's a choice. You can choose against it on reliigious grounds. But it's a choice.

The damn Repubs, they managed to find one of the only women politicians that's pro-life. Shouldn't this type of woman be baking cookies somewhere?

I always hate it when politicians reference religion in one way or another.

You don't need religion to do your job, in fact, you might be better without it.

So how would one juggle raising an infant with Down's Syndrome and the Vice Presidency at the same time? Even with the best child care in the world, her family life is going to take up a significant portion of her time.

I really think McCain should've gone with somebody more experienced, but it's too early to judge the reaction to Palin.

Why did she spend so much of her time talking shit about the Republican party? I guess McCain must have realized that he truly has become a Washington insider and needed a "maverick."

Also she panders to the crowd more than a professional wrestler. I ing hate that.

[quote name='CaseyRyback']Why did she spend so much of her time talking shit about the Republican party? I guess McCain must have realized that he truly has become a Washington insider and needed a "maverick."

Also she panders to the crowd more than a professional wrestler. I ing hate that.[/QUOTE]

Picking a "maverick" will probably come back to bite him in the ass, since it's going to be an easy thing for the Democrats to seize on.

[quote name='RAMSTORIA']
McCains health isn't a concern for me at all.[/QUOTE]

And it's not going to be for most solid conservatives. They vote the party line and don't have to worry about such things.

But for people who are on the fence on which way to vote and are taking time to pay attention and make an informed vote, it will matter. And it should matter.

But it won't for conservatives who would take any republican over any democrat.

So if McCain drops dead before Nov this woman will run for president?

Hilary has her work cut out for her. She needs to campaign and make sure her supporters vote Barrack. If they H-Rod supporter go for Palin, it could create some future backlash against Hilary by Barack supporters.

[quote name='Gothic Walrus']So how would one juggle raising an infant with Down's Syndrome and the Vice Presidency at the same time? [/quote]

Obviously, you ...

step down from the vice presidency to spend more time with family.

OR

let somebody else raise the defective (get over it) child.

Too cynical?

[quote name='FloodsAreUponUS']I am so conflicted over who the hell I want to vote for. Both parties are absolutely in the shitter, but my work and my wallet tells me to vote for republicans, but my social issues tell me to vote democratic.[/QUOTE]

I really dont want to vote for either canidate either. Maybe the way I decided could help you. As many as 3 Supreme Court Justices will be put on the bench by the next President.....thats really freaking important. Supreme Court justices dont effect economics nearly as much as social issues...and on social issues like you I lean to the left.

Add to the fact that McCain held up Alito someone who said that there is nothing wrong with torturing people because its not punishment(because its ok to be cruel...as long as its not punishment)as an ideal Justice....and my choice was obvious.

I still really dont want to vote Obama....but I cant bring myself to see 3 more Alitos on the bench.

[quote name='MSI Magus']I really dont want to vote for either canidate either. Maybe the way I decided could help you. As many as 3 Supreme Court Justices will be put on the bench by the next President.....thats really freaking important. Supreme Court justices dont effect economics nearly as much as social issues...and on social issues like you I lean to the left.

Add to the fact that McCain held up Alito someone who said that there is nothing wrong with torturing people because its not punishment(because its ok to be cruel...as long as its not punishment)as an ideal Justice....and my choice was obvious.

I still really dont want to vote Obama....but I cant bring myself to see 3 more Alitos on the bench.[/quote]

Thank you for this insight. I just hope that we keep on building ships.

[quote name='FloodsAreUponUS']my wallet tells me to vote for republicans[/quote]

Your wallet must enjoy being opened and drained of its contents or you're overlubing your credit card for your wallet's pleasure.

Unless you profit from selling insurance at steeper rates or produce milspec weapons, I don't see what McCain can offer you economically.

Please elaborate.

Bob Barr everyone vote for Bob Barr!

[quote name='Gothic Walrus']So how would one juggle raising an infant with Down's Syndrome and the Vice Presidency at the same time? Even with the best child care in the world, her family life is going to take up a significant portion of her time.
[/QUOTE]

my guess is shed do it the same way she would as governer. with a nanny. they way most working parents raise their kids.

[quote name='camoor']

She admits she contemplated abortion ("it was confusing" and "very, very challenging") but decided against it because of her religious beliefs.

[/QUOTE]

She doesn't admit that at all.

[quote name='dmaul1114']
But for people who are on the fence on which way to vote and are taking time to pay attention and make an informed vote, it will matter. And it should matter.

[/QUOTE]

as an on the fence voter it still doesn't matter to me. a health emergency can happy to anyone at anytime, including obama. nobody knows what tomorrow brings.

[quote name='bigdaddy']Bob Barr everyone vote for Bob Barr![/QUOTE]

id like to, but barr is the most lackluster libertarian candidate i can ever remember. id rather write in ron paul.

Man, Obama should had Hilary as his VP and these bitches could have had a bra and panties match for votes.