McCain’s Veep is Sarah Palin. Conservatives Rejoice. (Updated with Extra Democratic MSM Snarkiness. And Fred! And Van Palin!)
I have to admit, John McCain surprised me. I had really thought he’d go with one of his buddies (Ridge, Lieberman) or with a conventional pick (Pawlenty, Giuliani). But he didn’t.
He picked Sarah Palin, someone new and exciting (though dig the unflattering picture at that link. You won’t be surprised what news organization is responsible). She disagrees with him strongly on domestic oil drilling, to the point where she has practically begged Harry Reid to support drilling in ANWR. He also picked someone who’s no stranger to political knife-fighting. Not for nothing has she earned the nickname “Sarah Barracuda”. She is someone that the members of the old Reagan Coalition (socially conservative Democrats, libertarian Republicans, fiscal conservatives) can rally around
Jonah Goldberg is admitting getting the flop-sweats about her, but sees more good than bad. His point about debating Biden is well-taken. She’ll have to study her foreign policy hard, but Biden being Biden, he’ll go into the dabtes with her even more cocky than he alraedy is. And it won’t play well shen he turns his ever-present sneer on her. He is also right, though, that Palin is going to be the instant target of the effete liberal press who will laugh at how she speaks. That will ultimately be a benefit for her since the average American thinks a whole lot more of middle-America than they do of the snobs who write for tht lefty online rags.
Mark Levin, who has been a notable McCain opponent, is “in with both feet”. If he’s sold Mark Levin, he can sell most of the conservatives like me who have been extremely critical of John McCain to this point.
UPDATE: Man, it took about a hot second for the Obama campaign and their media concubines to break out the ugliness. Obama’s people say – and I swear to you this isn’t a joke – that Palin doesn’t have enough experience to be Vice President. Seriously, the guy with absolutely no executive experience of any sort is bagging on the woman who has been both a mayor and governor for her inexperience.
Let me stay on this for a second. When Barack Obama left college, he took a job begging state legislators for money to fuel his various causes. Then he swapped up to be one of those guys handing out the money. How on Earth can he legitimately put that past up against someone who has actually had to wrestle with a budget on a local and a state level? She’s not had the luxury of being able to demand more and more without ever having a day or responsibility for any of his demands like Barack Obama has for his entire career. At what point in his career has he had to be accountable for anything?
Sarah Palin knows how to be accountable because she’s had to be. She didn’t get millions of dollars to write her life story before she had lived half her life. She’s had to work hard to make her family’s budget stretch to cover their needs in the times when business wasn’t very good. Barack Obama never has, not for a day in his life. Sarah Palin knows what it means to be responsible for tens of millions of taxpayer dollars. Barack Obama has never been held accountable for a single dime his entire career. Indeed, his business has been all about taking your money and mine and spending it on whatever would get him the most votes in the next election.
That’s the experience Barack Obama and Joe Biden bring to the table. I, for one, want none of it.
And another thing. Alaska, which I think Obama knows as the 54th state, borders two foreign countries, one of which isn’t exactly our bestest buddy right now. You don’t imagine that Sarah Palin has had to deal with those countries in any way it he past couple of years do you? Hell, Barack Obama doesn’t even know what states his home state borders.
Seriously, if he wants to push the experience issue, it’s going to get very nasty for the rookie, very quickly.
Meanwhile, the bitter core of the MSM is starting to show. CNN is wondering out loud how she can be a good mother to her children as the Vice President. What a abominably sexist question to ask! Count on more like this all the way to November. Women only have rights if they’re Democratic women. Everyone else has to sit down and shut up. Let’s get Hillary Clinton in an unguarded moment after her big “GRRRRRRL Power!” speech and ask her what she thinks.
There’s a lot of other nastiness going on in MSM circles based on Palin’s gender. Like I said, you can count on plenty more of this because the one thing progressive hate above all else is a member of an aggrieved minority who doesn’t toe the party line.
But enough of that nastiness. Here are some posts that will make you happy. The Anchoress live-blogged the announcement and is on the verge of giddiness. She’s breaking open the checkbook for McCain, which is something I would never have expected her to do. I like seeing her like this. We can thank John McCain for helping her out of the blogging doldrums today, I think.
Sarah Barracuda has also earned the Fred Thompson Seal of Approval.
“I am absolutely delighted by this selection. Once again, John McCain has shown that he is an independent thinker who paints in bold strokes. Sarah Palin is a conservative reformer with executive experience who will bring a breath of fresh air to Washington. She will be an ideal running mate for John McCain, and will make a major contribution to our country’s future.”
When he says “absolutely delighted” that means that he’ll only punch a couple dozen hippies today.
Also, I’m tickled about the name of her youngest son, who she decided not to kill when she found out he would have Down’s Syndrome. He is Trig Paxson Van Palin.
Van Palin? How freaking cool is that?!
Rock on, little dude.
UPDATE 2: Via Ace, a Van Palin logo! Also, the difference between Barack and Sarah in two pictures.
Now, someone go get David Lee Roth, load him up on whiskey, and stuff him into spandex. Stat!
Oh hell, let’s go get a classic. I tell you, if this isn’t the McCain campaign song, they’re stone-deaf.
Now. Let’s rock.
Other Posts of Interest:
- My McCain Veep Conjecture: I Want Palin
- Could He Pick Sarah? I Sure as Heck Hope So!
- McCain’s Veep Pick is Stealing Obama’s Thunder, and The One is Not Pleased
Category: Featured, Johnny Mac, Sarah Palin
Excellent choice. I wanted Romney but knew it wasn't gonna happen. Second choice was Palin. Damn, she's got it all. Looks, brains, spunk. Can't wait for her and Biden to go at it. I'll need lots of popcorn that night.
McCain you surpised me!!
Not since Fred have I been this excited about the election!
Yea! A real conservative! Who knew? lol
As someone who opposes McCain, this is a big relief. I was worried he'd pick Hutchinson, who is a genuinely talented politician and more than qualified to be president. I think Obama dodged a bullet here. This pick is like the dems picking the mayor of Boulder for VP. Except that the mayor of Boulder actually has to deal with tax issues, which isn't the case for the Governor of Alaska. Tax issues are important, and she's never had to face them in the Emirate of Alaska.
Tom – You're whistling past the graveyard here, man.
Hoorah!!
Jimmie, I gotta thank you for being the first to inform me of Sarah Palin's existence. I've been totally in the tank for her as VP (and anything else the future might hold) ever since that day. However I had resigned to the idea that McCain would not be gutsy enough to pick her as veep. I'm currently rejoicing that he proved me wrong.
The McCain/Palin ticket has every chance at taking this in November. And dare I hope, in 2012, Palin takes over the presidency??
Hurrah!
I don’t know much about her. When the option that she’d be a VP choice was mentioned, someone on some blog commented that “she brings her own set of problems with her”…I have no idea what that means. I’m sure the Dems will shortly inform me. I’ll be looking for information on the topic!
[...] has the first hates. Jimmie Bise is looking around and making some smart observations. by TheAnchoress @ 1:32 pm. Filed under America, Barack Obama, Election 2008, John McCain, [...]
how she can be a good mother to her children as the Vice President
She can be a good mother to her children as the Vice President because she has a good husband who is an excellent dad to take care of them while she is away. Or is taking care of the kids a woman's job?
Next: how she can be a good wife to her husband as the Vice President
Next: how he can let the little woman wear the pants at home
Any more sexist questions?
Craziest think I've yet read: Trig is not Palin's baby but her daughter's, that Palin faked her pregnancy, and oh, yeah, her daughter is pregnant AGAIN and that's why she held Trig today.
Okay? These people are officially freaking nuts.
"Tom – You’re whistling past the graveyard here, man."
Hardly. Let's face it, all it takes to be elected in Alaska is to be Republican and not in jail or under indictment. And sometimes you can even win a primary under indictment. Of course, she'll probably be under indictment by the time the election rolls around.
This is bold, but here's my prediction: she'll pull an Eagleton and leave the ticket. And McCain will replace her with Hutchison. (sorry for the previous misspell, I was outfoxed by Mozilla's spellchecker)
>>…here’s my prediction: she’ll pull an Eagleton and leave the ticket…>>
Heh. Well, time will tell. I was convinced that Hillary would pull something and end up the Dem candidate…didn't happen. Question now is whether the suit for birth certificate proof of "natural born status" will go anywhere.
If Obama is disqualified, does Biden become the automatic Dem Presidential candidate?
By the way, I've also seen people posing the possibility that Biden will have health problems, drop out and Hillary will become Obama's VP pick.
It's going to be an interesting 2+ months!
Tom, you're killing me over here.
I checked on the "what happens if Obama is disqualified" thing.
http://www.obamacrimes.com/
has a link to the Dem rules. Apparently if either nominee is unable to run, it goes back to the Dem nominating committee. Wanna bet they'd nominate Hillary over Biden???
Also, Gateway Pundit reports that LGF has done some online background checking on a couple of Palin smear sites, and they go back to the Obama campaign. So much for "change".
This is probably the nub of the "she has baggage" issue. Excellent article with research links that apparently will make you cross-eyed if you follow them all and read them…
http://www.floppingaces.net/2008/08/29/palins-tro…
Hey dollin, your Loyal Opposition here. Can you give your thoughts as to why he didn't choose seasoned Republican women such as Senator Hutchinson or the relatively young Representative Shelly Moore Capito?
I'll take my answer off the air.
xo
Grace, if it's okay, I'll answer that in another post, since it's a bit of a lengthy answer. I have been pondering that question and there are some very good reasons.
Sure thing, my friend. I look forward to that post because, with all due respect to Governor Palin, it seems to me there are a number of Republican women who are far better prepared for the office.
All righty, then…
I bet Obama would take back Biden if he could. Man, was that a botched choice. With Hillary as Veep I betcha he'd have taken this, even with Palin on the GOP ticket. But hey, I ain't complaining!
"Question now is whether the suit for birth certificate proof of “natural born status” will go anywhere."
There's really no question about that. The issue of whether Obama's mom was old enough doesn't apply in this case, because he was born on US soil (unless you want to argue that Hawaii is not a state, which has a sliver of merit). The age situation applies only to foreign born children with a single US citizen parent. Now, had Obama been born in the Panama Canal Zone, he would not be a citizen (unlike McCain, who clearly is because both of his parents were US citizens). I'm familiar with this because I had a little scare with a Thai woman, and I talked to some immigration lawyers. Turns out, if she had become pregnant, her Thailand born baby would have held dual Thailand-American citizenship because I was over 21 at the time. Had I been under 21, she would have needed to give birth on American soil for the American citizenship (but the baby would have lost the Thai citizenship in that case because of Thai law). It's all cleared up now, though. She didn't get pregnant, and then she married a Dutch guy and now lives in Rotterdam. Interestingly, had she become pregnant from me, married the Dutch guy, and given birth in Thailand, that child would have triple Thai-Dutch-American citizenship.
So short response: short of declaring that Hawaii is not a state, Obama must be accepted as a natural born citizen. And I doubt any judge would want to wander into the Hawaii Nationalism debate. Even Hawaiian judges steer away from that issue.
There is an interesting wrinkle to this: had McCain's mother been three years younger, we would need a DNA test to prove paternity. Otherwise, we would not know if John S McCain Jr was really the father. And if the real father were a Panamanian, John McCain wouldn't be a citizen. It's a good thing McCain's mother was 24 at the time, or we might open up a nasty can of worms. Some things are better left as mysteries.
fostert…
Didn't read the Obamacrimes link, did you.
It could all be put in the "finished" file if Obama produces his official birth certificate to the court. Why hasn't he?
Palin comes to the ticket laden with scandals, troopergate, former member of the Alaskan secessonist party, firing of people who stood in her way when she was the mayor of Wasilla
. And she's neglecting her Down's baby, and her unmarried pregnant teenage daughter (the girl was in at least one traffic accident where she was at fault while she was supposedly home with "mononucleosis"– clearly the daughter was crying for attention). I'm sorry, but this is not my idea of family values.
Sarah Palin is not just No Hillary. She's a joke. As a woman, I don't see how she has any courage or conviction. She's as duped with the whole male supremacist ideology when it comes to her politics as the wives of the Texas Polygamists are when it comes to love. Women have no choice or voice in the Republic party. They're just used as puppets. B/w, Doesn't McCain look too frail to be President? He looks like he's barely able to keep his balance.
Los Angeles, CA