McCain’s VP: Goodbye Romney, Hello Sarah Palin

Posted on August 29, 2008 by Dennis

CNN has just confirmed that Sarah Palin, the 44-year old Alaska governor, is McCain’s VP pick.

Why not Romney? Your thoughts?

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41 Responses

  1. Michael, on August 29, 2008 at 9:06 am said:

    Yeah!!! A well-balanced surprise choice that recognizes that women are in the majority in the US.

  2. Debbie, on August 29, 2008 at 9:17 am said:

    Sarah Palin is a perfect choice for VP, though we don’t know that much about here, except that her husband is an oil producer, so we know they are already friends with the Bush/McCain camp.

  3. Howard, on August 29, 2008 at 9:28 am said:

    BREAK THE GLASS CEILING !!!
    WOW … What a great pick!!! America should elect McCain & Palin for the Whitehouse in November,
    for a return to wholesome American values.
    An experienced Governor for V.P. vs. a
    community organizer for President … I pick Palin.
    No Wright, no Farrakahn, no Ayers, no Rezko,
    no mean Michelle, NOBAMA!

  4. Steve M, on August 29, 2008 at 9:32 am said:

    The fact that she’s (a) strongly pro-life, and (b) not a Mormon will certainly appeal to evangelicals.

    I was never a Romney fan, but I think he is more qualified. That having been said, Palin seems pretty impressive.

  5. Steve M, on August 29, 2008 at 9:35 am said:

    An experienced Governor for V.P. vs. a
    community organizer for President

    Minor detail: The “community organizer” to whom you are referring also happens to be a U.S. Senator. He also happens to be more “experienced” in that position that Palin is as governor.

  6. Joe From Baytown Texas, on August 29, 2008 at 9:48 am said:

    What is McCain thinking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.Is Sarah qualifited to be comander in chief should something happen to McCain.This person was a mayor of a small town and Gov for not even 2 years yet. If the answer is “yes” ,we should NEVER here McCain say the Obama is not qualifited. “Good Judgement McCain”.

  7. Katie, on August 29, 2008 at 9:49 am said:

    Monumentous. This is the first time picking a woman as a running mate will actually work in the favor of a presidential candidate. I am very saddened that McCain’s Pick for Palin as VP is soley strategic and simply a way to reel in Hillary supporters. I hope the champions of Hillary realize the detrimental harm a pro-life anti-gay rights pro-drilling VP could do to our country and vote for the candidate that will best benefit our country. Barak Obama.

  8. Dennis, on August 29, 2008 at 9:52 am said:

    It looks like a link to this blog has been made from the CNN article. Hence the monological and sensational comments from the peanut gallery (not all of them). Sorry to the regular, thoughtful viewers and contributors of this blog.

  9. Rutkowskilives, on August 29, 2008 at 10:09 am said:

    This is very good news. Can’t believe I called this pick a few months ago. I was two for two on the VPs and am absolutely tooting my own horn, because I felt Biden and Palin were the best two picks IMO. Palin stands for the destruction of corruption in politics. She’s like the anti-Cheney.

    I couldn’t be happier with how this has shaken out – I really like Obama-Biden, and I really like McCain-Palin. I’m still planning to vote Obama because I’ve consumed large quantities of the Obama kool-aid (when Obama is President, we will all ride hoverboards like in Back to the Future II), but in recent election years I would have certainly voted McCain-Palin over other tickets.

    This just feels great. No matter who wins, I believe we will see a significant improvement in our nation’s leadership.

  10. Anna, on August 29, 2008 at 10:42 am said:

    There goes McCain’s experience argument. No way is Palin qualified to be so close to the presidency when she has only been governor for almost two years of a state with such a small population. It seems pretty insulting to Hillary’s female supporters, too. All they need is to have any old woman thrown at them regardless of where she stands on issues? Seems a little insulting.

  11. Aluwid, on August 29, 2008 at 11:15 am said:

    I’m a huge Romney fan but the Democrats made it clear they are going to play class warfare and he has too many houses.

    Petty, but that’s politics.

    I don’t think being Mormon was the problem, I don’t think changing his position on abortion was the problem, being too successful was the problem.

    Having said that, I think Palin is a great pick and am very excited about the ticket now.

  12. Dennis, on August 29, 2008 at 11:39 am said:

    Aluwid,

    Romney used the term “politics of envy” in describing the petty politics you’re describing. I might beg to differ, but … certainly the Republicans are doing the same thing you are decrying here regarding Obama’s “celebrity” status, especially regarding his speech at Invesco Stadium.

    If Romney’s financial success was an issue, it wasn’t because the Democrats were playing petty politics. You don’t need the Democrats doing this in order for the American people to realize that the Pres and VP are both filthy stinking rich. I’m not even saying that’s a bad thing — it’s simply am image issue that would turn people off.

  13. “Is Palin a Mormon?” Many Are Asking « Thinking in a Marrow Bone, on August 29, 2008 at 12:37 pm said:

    […] Posts McCain’s VP: Goodbye Romney, Hello Sarah PalinObama vs. McCain 2008: Round 13: Terrorism and DiplomacyVP Choices: Biden and … Romney?Fold Your […]

  14. Dennis, on August 29, 2008 at 1:55 pm said:

    Interesting commentary by CNN’s David Gergen:

    John McCain’s selection of a running mate represents the first one I can remember that has brought smiles to activists on both sides of the aisle.

    Among conservatives, one hears nothing but praise for Governor Sarah Palin — she is strongly pro-life, a long-time member of the NRA, a fiscal hawk, and an interesting combination of charm and toughness. She helps to bring the party back to its conservative roots. With the commitments that McCain made at Saddleback that he would run a pro-life administration, social conservatives — especially evangelicals — can now rally to the McCain-Palin ticket with genuine enthusiasm. McCain seemingly is helping to close the enthusiasm gap on his side.

    Yet among Democrats, there is lots of positive acclaim as well. From their perspective, the one argument that McCain has used so effectively against them is that we live in a highly dangerous world — he repeatedly calls terrorism “the transcendent issue of our times” — and Barack Obama has so little national security experience that he represents too much of a risk. Now, say the Dems, here we have a 72-year-old candidate — the oldest to ever seek the office for the first time — and he has asked someone to be a heartbeat away from the presidency who has no national security experience at all — none, nada. Democrats think McCain has completely undercut his strongest argument. They are also relieved that he didn’t choose Mitt Romney, who brings a lot of economic understanding and would have been helpful in a big battleground state like Michigan.

    So, smiles on both sides. What is uncertain is how uncommitted voters will respond — especially women who might have voted for Hillary Clinton. Clearly, the GOP is betting that Sarah Palin can bring them back. Are they right? Meanwhile, Democrats have told me that a lot of Clinton women will be shooed away by Palin’s conservatism — and some will even be insulted. Are they right?

    I think Gergen has captured very well some of the issues surround this VP pick. As a Mormon Obama supporter, I am actually quite delighted that Romney was not picked. McCain-Romney would have given Obama-Biden a run for their money.

  15. TheFaithfulDissident, on August 29, 2008 at 3:38 pm said:

    I agree with Dennis. I’m an Obama supporter and I’m happy about this. When I heard who he had picked, I thought, “Who?” McCain has just flushed his strongest argument against Obama down the toilet: inexperience. If some white supremacist takes out Obama (something which a lot of people fear will actually happen), I think that Biden has the experience to be a reasonable president. It can even be argued that he makes a better president than Obama himself based on his experience. But if McCain’s heart gives out our melanoma comes back again (certainly not a more unlikely scenario than Obama being assassinated), the country is going to be in the hands of someone who was picked because she’ll be popular with women, she’s anti-abortion and a member of the NRA? I guess experience isn’t any more relevant to Republicans than it is to Democrats.

    I’m still shocked it wasn’t Romney. With his economic experience and popularity in MI, what more does McCain have to gain with Palin? White women? He was already leading Obama in that category. I don’t think Palin will be enough to sway Hillary supporters. Why did they support Hillary in the first place? Probably because she was a Democrat with Democrat values (i.e. pro-choice, adamant health care activist, giving back to the middle class). Are all the Hillary supporters really going to flock to McCain now just because he’s picked some woman hardly anyone knows for VP who’s anti-abortion, anti gay marriage, and member of the NRA? Her values are totally different from Hillary’s, so how can he think her sex is going to be enough?

  16. Karen, on August 29, 2008 at 4:36 pm said:

    The thought of Romney ascending to the Presidency was HORRIFYING for many of us… Mormons need to wake up to the fact that the world is not prejudiced against their religion – we sincerely believe you are crazy! Dangerous crazy.

    Spend some time looking into Utah’s staggering rates of child abuse and molestation, rape, domestic violence, suicide, anti-depressant use, obesity and bankruptcy… LDS culture has produced a seriously sick society.

    And no – I’m not an evangelical freak, I’m simply a proud Utah resident who wishes Brigham Young had stopped several hundred miles earlier :-)

  17. tipptalk, on August 29, 2008 at 4:43 pm said:

    She is a great pick!! One more voice for people with disabilities alone makes me happy! She is tough, she is ethical, and I have always said let a good woman in the mix and see what good comes of it. Condie Rice can get her ready for the foreign affairs briefs.

    Great pick

  18. David, on August 29, 2008 at 4:49 pm said:

    I heard about Palin while I was driving. All I’ll say is that I seriously thought about driving into the on comming traffic.

  19. Becky, on August 29, 2008 at 5:16 pm said:

    Palin has been a Governor for almost 2 years…but of a huge state with numerous issues. Obama may have been a U.S. Senator, but just over 2 years into it he began running for President…so he has about the same experience in my mind as Palin.

    Great pick in my mind…she seems smart, energetic, assertive, down to earth, honest. McCain is in very good health and is physically fit. He could easily do a term or two, while Palin gains more experience.

  20. andrphilip, on August 29, 2008 at 5:53 pm said:

    Change comes in tiny increments. The Declaration of Independence declared that all men are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights. And yet, our founding fathers subjected Africans to slavery.

    85 years later, Abraham Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation, abolishing slavery and assigning basic human rights to them.

    91 years later Brown v. the Board of Education abolished school segregation and 101 years after Lincoln’s Proclamation, the Civil Rights Act stripped away most of the remaining hindrances to African American citizens to be involved in the political affairs of their country.

    The Women’s Sufferage movement gave women the right to vote in 1920 but not until the highly popular but still unratified Equal Rights Amendment did women get the political respect they deserved. Geraldine Ferraro was seen as a joke not a serious candidate for the VP spot in 1984.

    Now 232 years after the Declaration of Independence the sun is finally setting on the WASP Male dominance of American politics. This season has seen historical campaigns by both Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama, the first legitimate candidancies of a female and an African American respectively. The average American citizen is now okay with an African American or female president or vp like Obama or Palin.

    Mitt Romney is a respectable man with plenty of strong credentials. Unfortunately, his church is still seen as an aberrant sect that the average American does not know or understand. Soon this barrier will be removed, too. In the meantime let’s rejoice in what progress has been made thus far.

  21. Mookie2214, on August 29, 2008 at 7:23 pm said:

    I look forward to Sarah Palin being the next vice president. I was secretly hoping for Mitt; however, having a female with values representing our country is like a breath of fresh air. I hope McCain chooses a position for Mitt. He would be an asset to the federal government.

  22. TheFaithfulDissident, on August 30, 2008 at 3:36 am said:

    OK, let’s say McCain-Palin win. Let’s say a year or two from now, McCain kicks th bucket. (I’m not trying to be mean, I’m just saying it’s not unthinkable for someone who is 72 and has had 4 bouts of melanoma.) Based on all her “relevant” experience, how do you feel about Palin being at the helm when a new Cold War is brewing? Say what you want to say about Obama’s inexperience, but his VP does bring foreign policy experience to the table. That, combined with Obama’s temperament and diplomacy, is in my opinion, a strong ticket.

  23. Bryan, on August 30, 2008 at 6:17 am said:

    All of the comments about Palin’s lack of experience remind me of the Anton Ego character from Ratatouille. (And no, I’m not trying to equate cooking with being vice president of the United States.)

    It’s true that Biden will totally run the table at the upcoming vice presidential debate. Palin’s got a lot of work ahead of her.

    This race suddenly got interesting again.

  24. Dennis, on August 30, 2008 at 6:10 pm said:

    People are starting to cast Palin as a female Huckabee.

    You heard it here first: Huckabette!

  25. andrphilip, on August 30, 2008 at 11:13 pm said:

    The Faithful Dissident wrote:

    OK, let’s say McCain-Palin win. Let’s say a year or two from now, McCain kicks th bucket. (I’m not trying to be mean, I’m just saying it’s not unthinkable for someone who is 72 and has had 4 bouts of melanoma.) Based on all her “relevant” experience, how do you feel about Palin being at the helm when a new Cold War is brewing? Say what you want to say about Obama’s inexperience, but his VP does bring foreign policy experience to the table. That, combined with Obama’s temperament and diplomacy, is in my opinion, a strong ticket.

    I’d say I feel as good about Palin’s “relevant” experience as I do Obama’s. Actually, Palin has two things going for her that Obama doesn’t. The first is she was a point guard. Point guards know how to negotiate their team in the heat of a game (or a battle). As an athlete Palin knows what it means to compete in difficult situations. She has shown this same tenacity in her political career and has come out on top even when it was a long shot. The second is as governor of Alaska, she has two years experience in an executive office which is two more years experience than Obama.

  26. andrphilip, on August 30, 2008 at 11:16 pm said:

    Why do we think that Biden will run the table on Palin if and when the two debate? By my accounts, Palin had 24 hours to prepare an acceptance speech and hit it out of the park. What will she do if she has some real time to prepare?

  27. TheFaithfulDissident, on August 31, 2008 at 2:59 am said:

    A point guard? Yeah, that’ll come in handy in a Cold War. I played basketball for many years as a kid. Heck, I played all competitive sports. That makes me a good judge in a difficult political situation? :)

    Obama has more than 2 years “relevant” experience. Even Newt Gingrich once commented regarding Obama’s experience, “Well, Abraham Lincoln served two years in the U.S.House, and seemed to do all right.” (Meet The Press 12/17)

    Before starting her first term of Alaska governor, Palin was the mayor of a town about 5000. I don’t know where you live, but chances are there are more than 5000 people. Would you elect your mayor as president?

  28. Bryan, on August 31, 2008 at 5:54 am said:

    @andrphilip: Biden has a large cache of personal anecdotes to share relative to his time as a senator and as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee (“When I met with so-and-so . . .”; “When I visited this-place-or-other . . .”), whereas Palin has none. Biden can be expected to counter Palin’s rhetorical assertions with actual experiences, and try to convince the national audience that experience trumps theory. It won’t be too hard.

    I’m not saying I approve of it one way or the other. Just calling it as I see it.

  29. Bryan, on August 31, 2008 at 6:20 am said:

    I’m more concerned about the type of leader a person is than necessarily who and where he or she led. We can’t all be the mayor of New York City or governor of Massachusetts (or Arkansas, or Texas). Many of the derisive comments about Palin’s lack of foreign policy experience have been downright insulting to the people of Alaska. Even small towns need a mayor, and every state needs a governor. We do our best wherever we are — “grow where you’re planted,” to employ a Church-ish kind of phrase.

    I really dislike it when people start playing the experience game because it’s a futile exercise. Every candidate has some kind of experience limitation (unless you find someone who went from school board to city council to mayor to state legislator to governor or U.S. House of Rep./Senate, and is still perceived as “young enough” to assume the national presidency), and every candidate except the one you like has less experience than you feel is appropriate.

    Show me a proven leader — not so much who or where, but how he or she successfully tackled a given challenge, and allow me to make up my own mind. I believe that goes for Obama as well as Palin, or anybody else for that matter who has to fend off subjective charges of “not enough experience!”

  30. Mary, on August 31, 2008 at 8:16 am said:

    He seems to be going after the NASCAR, NRA, and white supremist vote here. To say nothing of the fact that she’s a corporate oil shill. Beauty Queen? No, she’s the Alaskan Oil Mafia Princess!

  31. TheFaithfulDissident, on August 31, 2008 at 12:01 pm said:

    Actually McCain is having trouble among white supremacists. Seriously. :)

    http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feature/racists-support-obama-061308

  32. andrphilip, on September 1, 2008 at 1:21 am said:

    I will concede that Obama did a better job picking a credible vp candidate. In two months we will select our president and within 200 days after the election we will know if we picked the right man or not.

    Government exists to provide an atmosphere for its citizens in which every member has the opportunity to thrive at their optimum level. In the end, each citizen needs to pick the candidate they believe has the best chance of making this happen.

  33. TheFaithfulDissident, on September 1, 2008 at 2:46 pm said:

    According to ABC News, “Palin is an outspoken opponent of abortion, opposing the termination of a pregnancy in all cases except when the mother’s life is in danger. Palin also opposed sexual education programs in schools, other than an abstinence-only curriculum, during her 2006 Alaska gubernatorial campaign.”

    Makes you wonder if maybe she’s re-thinking that abstinence-only curriculum now that her 17 year-old daughter is pregnant.

    I just find it ironic that Christian Conservatives are overjoyed by the fact that Bristol is keeping the baby when a more liberal sex-education curriculum in schools may have helped to prevent the pregnancy in the first place. Bristol was probably going to have sex anyways, but maybe she didn’t know enough about how to not get pregnant.

    http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=5701331&page=1

  34. Bryan, on September 1, 2008 at 4:26 pm said:

    That’s reaching, big time. None of us here know the family well enough to conclude, or even suggest, the probable causes of Bristol’s behavior. Leave it alone.

  35. Ryan, on September 1, 2008 at 6:55 pm said:

    Well said, FD. This is a great demonstration of the need for pragmatic sex education.

  36. Bob, on September 1, 2008 at 7:58 pm said:

    Bryan is 100% correct. Leave it alone.

    I would much rather hear comments about andrphilip’s assertion that “Government exists to provide an atmosphere for its citizens in which every member has the opportunity to thrive at their optimum level.” I’ve never heard that.

    I thought that government exists to frame laws that hold inviolate each individual’s right to the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of personal property, and the protection of life. (D&C 134:2)

  37. Craig, on September 2, 2008 at 8:04 am said:

    response to: Karen, (August 29th, post)
    Time to move out of Utah Karen.
    The very definition of a bigot.. a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from their own or intolerant of people of different ethnicity, race, or class.
    As a member of the LDS faith I find your post to be offensive and unfounded. Although Utah does have problems in some of the catagories you’ve listed they are in now way tied to the LDS church nor is Utah alone in these problems.
    As far as your statement about Brigham Young stopping before reaching Utah.. Brigham Young is the only reason Utah isn’t just a big desert.

    Now as for the question that was originally asked. I am disapointed that McCain did not choose Romney (not because of his religion) but because he was the better choice. Palin does not have the experience that Romney does but I will still be voting for McCain/Palin as I believe she still represents me on most issues much better than Obama/Biden.

  38. TheFaithfulDissident, on September 2, 2008 at 11:47 am said:

    Even though I support Obama, it still baffles me that McCain didn’t choose Romney. OK, so the Christian Conservatives may hated the fact he’s a Mormon, but they would have gotten over it. They would have voted for a Mormon VP before they would have voted for a Democrat. And if McCain was hoping to sway many of the Hillary supporters, he would have chosen a liberal like Lieberman, who supported abortion rights. The way I see it, Romney was giving McCain a complete package, with the slight problem that he was the wrong denomination in the world of Christian Conservatives. But if the Christian right can get over the Palin family scandals, then they would have gotten over the shock of having a Mormon for VP. The Romney family is probably as squeaky-clean as anyone can get in the dirty world of politics. Plus he was getting someone who knows economics — something that McCain admitted himself he was weak on. McCain can’t seriously have more confidence in Palin than Romney when it comes to having to step in as president.

  39. Aluwid, on September 2, 2008 at 12:32 pm said:

    Right TFD, because nothing inspires enthusiasm for Republicans to vote against the first black Presidential candidate in history then giving the opportunity to vote for two rich white guys.

    We’re already seeing this narrative being pushed: This is a historical opportunity for America to prove they have moved past racism by electing a black President. If Obama loses then it means our country is still racist.

    So Romney has that wind blowing against him. Plus a McCain-Romney ticket would have been easy for the Democrats to portray as out of touch given how wealthy it would be. They likely already had the attack ads against Romney’s wealth ready and queued. Selecting Palin caught the Democrats completely off guard and off message. I think that explains part of the vile reaction to her from the left. They don’t know how to deal with her so they’re grasping at whatever attack seems even remotely plausible.

  40. puncturevine, on October 6, 2008 at 3:13 pm said:

    Just because Palin is a woman it hardly makes her a good choice.
    Just because other people in the world will think America is less racist because we vote a black man in doesn’t make Obama a better choice.
    It comes down to the charachter, judgment, and leadership skills of the individual. I cannot honestly see how Sarah Palin fits anyone’s bill as a person of outstanding judgment or leadership. She consistently flubbs or outright avoids questions related to economic planning. Other than this years republican campaign, she has very little experience in dealing with disasters, The population of the “city” she is mayor of is smaller than the bleachers in most “real” cities baseball stadiums. Her personal demeanor is not what many people in other nations would call “folksy”….more like “trashy”. She is a poor representation of America, if you want people to think of America as intelligent, cultured, or ethically grounded.

  41. Aluwid, on October 6, 2008 at 5:06 pm said:

    Puncturevine, are you aware that Sarah Palin is a *Governor*? Being a mayor is part of her past experience, it isn’t her current position…

    Are you basically calling her white trash?

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