Updated:What if You Named a VP and Nobody Came?
Today is the day that McCain picks his VP candidate at a rally in Dayton, OH.
EDIT: VC was right, it really is Palin. How desperate is that?
Update: Kos reports various media reaction —
Joe Scarborough: I can’t imagine a woman that’s been a governor for a year and a half, but to debate Joe Biden on Georgia, a remerging Russia, an emerging China and India, on the Middle East, my God, how does she do that?
Pat Buchanan: Biggest political gamble I believe just about in American political history…that is not hyberbole. I can think of no choice of VP that approaches this.
Kay Bailey Hutchinson: I really don’t know that much about her.
Interestingly, this rally was still trying to give away its 10,000 tickets as of yesterday afternoon.
Compared to Obama’s acceptance speech event at Invesco field — 60K tickets snapped up in 24 hours from supporters around the country, with a rumored wait list in the 100K+ range.
This is it, gang — take a good look at the enthusiasm gap this cycle. Even in the media I get ( radio and print) there is little of the highwire anticipation and guessing on the state of the candidates. Maybe this is going on on the TV.
But the announcement is due in less than an hour. Talk about which of the supposed short-list might help to remediate this enthusiasm gap.
The “straight tank” express.
I actually think McCain changed his mind on his VP pick last night after Obama’s speech. I think he’s going for the hail Mary pass and… pick a woman.
Yeah, I think McCain is trying for women voters. How will she do against Biden?
OH NO!!! Sara WHO?????
We had 20K at Rodney Square just for a rally. It certainly doesn’t bode well for him in Ohio.
I read some statement that he picked a VP “from his heart.” Are we supposed to believe Sarah Palin is the choice from his heart?
Palin is the choice.
In 1984, Palin was second-place in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant according to wikipedia.
Palin??
You liberals are fucked now. Sarah Palin! WOO HOOOOOOO I called that shit a loooong time ago.
Palin has a LOT of advantages for McCain and I am fairly upset. I mean I am already seeing all kinds of chauvinistic jokes about her on DailyKOs and I am terrified the same kind of “female solidarity” phenomenon thing that happened in the primary will spill over.
That said, I doubt they can call Obama inexperienced now.
Bold move picking a woman coming off an ethics investigation.
How are we fucked? You idiots just destroyed your only remaining argument against Obama: that he is too young and inexperienced.
Palin is younger than Obama, with even less experience than him (She has been governor for one year. One year. Before that she was a mayor for 2 years and before that she was on a city council).
This pick reeks of desparation.
This pick is also disasterous, because Palin is currently embroiled in an ethnics scandal and investigation in Alaska that could lead to her impeachment before the general election.
she’s got 8 years he’s got one
wtf is an ethnics scandal?
Anti-choice,anti-same sex marriage, pro exploit ANWAR,
And note that ethics scandals are so routine for repubs now that a repub pol without one is the outlier.
Like I said… a Hail Mary Pass. McCain is desperate. If Palin wasn’t a woman she would have never even been considered.
Benjamin, don’t worry. Women can see through this stunt. Her pro-life stance won’t help with women.
DJK, you are so stupid. If you want to count total experience, than Obama has 13 years experience, going back to his start in the Illinois state legislature. You can only say Palin has 8 years experience if you go all the way back to city council.
LOL.
You guys are fucked.
They saw through it with Ferraro too.
Agreed. The reason women were motivated this year was because their candidate was Hillary and what she represented. But we women are funny that way… we don’t feel you can substitute one woman for another and expect us to fall in line.
The VP debate will be a massacre.
One talking point.
Obama has 8 years at the local level and four years in a federal office.
Palin’s experience is all at the state level, and lets face it, Alaska is hardly the kind of experience that prepares u for federal office.
I am worried that our road is a little tougher. But clearly that deprives them of one of their best attacks against Obama.
LOL. Palin’s experience is still superior to The Messiah’s, despite her younger age. And get this: she’s the #2 while Messiah is #1. You guys did it in reverse.
Talk about who’s fucked! The polls are statistically tied when you guys should be MILES ahead. But that’s OK, keep talking yourselves into it. That’s all you can do.
😉
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH H Ooooooowhwhwhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
OH man. This is good.
“DJK you are soooo stupid!” HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA blah blah blah
If McCain really thought the race was tied, would he have made such a risky pick ?
Just sayin
Hube – The way McCain’s run his campaign, and with how unpopular the Republican brand is right now Obama should be crushing McCain……..but he’s not.
Wow talk about drinking some kool aid hube. Congratulations you have just graduated to the Bush level of reality. However, those of us in the real world recognize that by choosing Palin for his VP McCain has made a concious and public choice to say that she has the experience to be president. IF SHE HAS THE EXPERIENCE then OBAMA with even more experience on the federal stage obviously is qualified to be president.
DJK. Is that you laughing to stop the sobbing that will occur as only 100 people show up for the announcement and nobody claps?
Also, the VP debate will be like leading a cow to a slaughterhouse and even Pat Buchanan knows this. Obama chose Biden to support a “supposed” weakness but McCain chose to just add weakness to his ticket and pander to the conservatives.
Wait and see what the polls say moving forward, Hube.
El Somnambulo wants to know, has anybody seen Sarah Palin and Christine O’Donnell in the same place at the same time?
Palin is proof that, in Alaska, even a rabid anti-abortion gun nut (didja know that she is a former Miss Alaska runnerup?) can get elected. Christine O’Donnell, take notice.
I couldn’t be more excited. Educate yourself on this lady. http://delawarepolitics.net/2008/08/29/could-it-be-sarah-palin/ She has more executive experience than the entire Democrat ticket. She is governor, but before that she served as mayor, and a state commissioner. She has a much experience as the typical VP historically.
She is the most amazing person, and I could be more thrilled. She unites the party like few others. She the woman, what more can I say.
This is the one person I feared. A woman as VP means Biden will have to tone down. This is not good, any way you slice it.
New GOP talking point:
Obama & Biden are OVER qualified.
Matthews has the “concern troll” act down pat.
One more thing. She’s a creationist and believes that creationism should be taught in schools. Yep, the Hillary voters will go for her alright:
http://scienceblogs.com/afarensis/2006/10/27/intelligent_design_and_the_ala/
Fot the gays among you….
Palin’s first veto was used to block legislation that would have barred the state from granting benefits to the partners of gay state employees. In effect, her veto granted State of Alaska benefits to same-sex couples. The veto occurred after Palin consulted with Alaska’s attorney general on the constitutionality of the legislation.[34]
So if the ex-POW gets called to the tiger cage in the sky then this is the person qualified to move to #1??? She couldn’t even get #1 in a beauty contest.
Freak out much Obamabitches? Your lunch has been eaten.
Jason,
You’re a fucking nut if you don’t face reality and agree that this isn’t good. This woman’s gonna peel off at least a few million of Hilary’s 18 million voters. Even if it’s only 2 million, how many votes did Bush win by in 2000? 3 million, Jason. Wake the fuck up and look at this from a REALISTIC — and not IDEALISTIC — point of view.
Mike, you really need to know women. Hillary voters will be outraged. In case you missed it… it was Hillary or bust! And Biden will do just fine in the debates. He’s old school and knows how to treat a “lady”. He’ll change his tone, not his points.
Even better, go beyond the Hillary voters. The majority of women in this country are center to right but were unsure if the Republicans had lost touch with their concerns. They see the Democrats even attempt to keep the name of Hillary from getting mentioned in the roll call until she begs and pleads then agrees to make a show of dropping out. You guys are screwed.
This woman will be the equal of Biden in the debates. She will destroy him in energy and economic policy, win the cultural debate, and show a poise and dignity that he could only dream of having. He will have advantages in some areas. I am comfortable in saying that she has made a history of winning against the old guy establishment and Biden will be one more along the way.
Good Lord. It’s like someone kicked a beehive around here today. All the bees are buzzing and stinging anyone not like them that they can.
bzzz bzzz bzzz
Das ist gut, jas. JAS!
David,
You are even more nuts than I realized if you think that being the mayor of a city and then 1 year in your first term as governor is experience to potentially be president. Also, Biden has participated in multiple debates with extreme effectiveness while Palin has been in one basic debate in a state that is overwhelmingly republican. Yeah, that is an even matchup. On the topics of energy policy and economic policy the differences are very clear. What is also clear is what Americans want this year. McCain is trying to keep his Maverick image but Palin sure as hell doesn’t burnish those credentials. All Biden will have to do is bring up evolution and she is sunk.
Oh and the tone of the republithugs on this debate towards women as only being so superficial that if a women is on the ticket they will vote that way is blatantly sexist. Guess the hillary supporters will really like that comparison.
Plus I guess Palin will take a pay cut as VP since she obviously can’t make as much as Cheney due to the whole stand against equal pay for equal work. At least this is one area McCain can claim to cut government spending.
She gained attention for publicizing ethical violations by state Republican Party leaders.[2]
Fot the gays among you….
Absolutely unacceptable.
Nemski – DJK’s “gays” comment was highlighting Palin’s support for gay rights.
C’mon man. read entire comments.