Now that the McCain/Palin '08 stationery has been ordered and we've had a day to process the news the media has been working overtime to answer the question, "who is Sarah Palin." Here's what they've come up with:
People magazine whipped up an interview with both families, a stunning feat given that most of the Palin family didn't know until right before the announcement. Here's a taste:
Given her young age and relatively short resume, why is she any more ready to be president than Sen. Barack Obama?
JOHN: I don't think it's a short resume. She first ran for office back in 1992. I don't know what Senator Obama was doing then, but the first time she ran was 1992. That's 16 years. I think that's a pretty, pretty event-filled and record-filled resume.
SARAH: And I haven't had too many years other than that to fill up yet.
JOHN: There you go.
A woman on the ticket is what a lot of Hillary Clinton voters wanted to see. What's your message to women who might see a second shot at shattering the glass ceiling?
SARAH: Certainly in this election cycle, women aren't finished yet. And women can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all.
JOHN: I think that Sarah appeals to a lot of voters – I think because of her independence, because of her reform agenda and her record of balancing both family and service. It is motivation to not just Clinton voters but to lots of voters.
This just made me snort in my coffee:
Mrs. McCain, do you even remember the last time he changed a diaper?
CINDY: No. And I'm not sure he does.
JOHN: Heh-heh. I remember. There's some experiences you never forget.
There's much more! To see how others are playing the "Meet Sarah Palin" game, read more.
In next week's The Weekly Standard Bill Kristol calls Palin a spectre haunting liberal elites:
There she is: a working woman who's a proud wife and mother; a traditionalist in important matters who's broken through all kinds of barriers; a reformer who's a Republican; a challenger of a corrupt good-old-boy establishment who's a conservative; a successful woman whose life is unapologetically grounded in religious belief; a lady who's a leader.
Gregg Erickson, reporter for the Anchorage Daily News did an online chat for the Washington Post where he answered the question:
What are Governor Palin's three greatest strengths? What are her three greatest weaknesses?
"She is smart, vivacious and energetic; she tends to oversimplify complex issues, has had difficulty delegating authority, and clearly has some difficulty distinguishing the line between her public responsibilities and private wishes. She is under legislative investigation regarding the last issue, the so-called "troopergate," in which she is said to have used improper influence to try to get her sister's ex-husband fired from the state troopers."
Politico has "Six Things the Palin Pick Says About McCain," the New York Times takes a hard look at the woman issue, while the New York Post calls the choice "a brilliant trap." Finally, Time magazine has a pretty even-handed look at the choice.









Giuseppe Zanotti
Dina Bar-El
Nails Inc
You know not that I've had time to think about it, and I've read some of the statements made in the last 24 hours, it really irritates me that Hillary had to go through a year of hell and sexism and scrutiny and that this woman gets to just waltz in there. I'm not saying she's not qualified or that I would want her to have to go through the same thing. I'm just irritated that's all.
1"When CNN political correspondent Dana Bash interviewed McCain last April, she mentioned his joke that one of the two main tasks of the vice president is to check on the president's health every day, a job of particular importance in his case. What did he mean by that? It was just a humorous remark, he said. But when she pressed him further, McCain said: "I think about whether that person who I select would be most prepared to take my place. And that would be the key criteria [sic]."
http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2008/08/30/palin/
Does McCain really believe that this is the person who would be most prepared to take his place?
2Exactly. Does she have any medical training? What gives her the right to check McCain's health every day?
3Rac, I missed reading your comments. Welcome back.
4I feel bad for her, because most of the coverage I have read has not been positive, but hopefully once everyone gets to know her they'll be impressed. Just like Obama, just because she hasn't been around forever doesn't mean she can't be smart and effective!
(I did think her comment about breaking the last glass ceiling once and for all was a little off. Being appointed as the VP nominee is not the same as being voted the Presidential nominee, but I see her point overall that this would be great for women!)
5I find it incredibly hypocritical to slam her lack of experience when their top dog has less.
6I don't think she has more experience than Obama.
7I know that this is totally of topic...but my friends from Alaska are saying that the locals have been saying that Sarah Palin never gave birth and is actually covering up the fact that her sixteen year old daughter became pregnant.
8Wow, that belongs in the Enquirer.
9and lil, she does have more "years" of experience.
10The ceiling won't be shattered by a female VP, we need a female PRESIDENT. I mean sure, it's a step in the right direction (although, I hope she's not the first), but a McCain/Palin win still leaves us with a man in charge.
11Unless I'm doing the math wrong, they've each served roughly twelve years in elected office (unless we want to start counting years in PTA or service as the editor of the Harvard Law Review, but that's going to get ridiculous...)
So I don't think the Republican line should be that she's more experienced than Obama (since most people will discount some of her service just because it was for small towns or areas, which is another issue entirely...) but that, like Obama has said, it doesn't matter. She's coming in without preconceived notions or ideas and bring a fresh perspective to everything! And unlike Obama, she won't be subject to any "no time to learn on the job" criticisms since she actually can learn on the job since she doesn't actually have to do anything unless McCain passes away.
12Most women I know think McCain's insulted all women with this choice - as if all the women who supported Clinton just wanted someone wearing a bra on the ticket.
13Well, maybe they should consider how sexist it is to reduce Sarah Palin to just her gender. If he wanted to pick a woman, he had a wide pool of people to choose from: Secretary Rice, Senator Hutchinson, Senator Dole, CEO Meg Whitman, Congresswoman Blackburn, Congresswoman Granger, or a whole host of other Republican women. If he just wanted someone with a bra, why not select one of them?
So, clearly, he saw something special about Governor Palin and as the campaign unfolds, we'll see it, too.
14How did he see something special in Palin - he only met her ONCE!
15Palin has been in actual decision-making positions, as mayor and governor. Legislative and congressional jobs are more like being "on the committee."
I don't think either McCain OR Obama is foolish enough to choose a running mate based primarily on one superficial factor such as gender, race, or age. Faulting this choice because you consider it "pandering" is little different than faulting it *because* she's a woman.
She has tackled corruption within her party.
She has kept budgets down.
She turned down the "bridge to nowhere" pork project *that Congress approved.*
She's a great balance to the ticket, as she's younger (who isn't?) and conservative, which is already bringing some disgruntled Republicans back into the fold.
She's a true Washington outsider and agent of change, unlike that other guy who claims he is....
16Well, when you know, you know. And it's not like he couldn't read about her or look at her accomplishments. You have met her zero times and still feel comfortable passing judgment.
17You don't have to meet someone face-to-face to read up on his/her record.
And it's not as though he doesn't have trusted delegates to fly up to talk to her.
18Harmony- I agree.
On another blog someone mentioned that at least Sarah Palin had gotten where
she is on her own merits, whereas Hillary had bootstrapped herself up through her husband's successes. In addition to the fact that Hillary has an INSANE biography and experience, part of the
reason she took a backseat to her husband early on was due to sexism! I mean, I definitely admire Sarah Palin's accomplishments and her rise (though def. she is not experienced enough to be
vp!!) but to say that she earned this when Hillary didn't is absolutely absurd!
19Oh, to be fair: Hillary may well be intellectually smarter.
20But I think Palin is more ethical and practical/pragmatic.
"Presidential scholars say she appears to be the least experienced, least credentialed person to join a major-party ticket in the modern era."
Alaska State Senate President Lyda Green:
"She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?" said Green, a REPUBLICAN from Palin's hometown of Wasilla. "Look at what she's done to this state. What would she do to the nation?"
How could he not have picked her for her gender? Are you kidding about her record???? As a council member and mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, and two years as governor of Alaska? What is her most important accomplishment that will benefit the American people? We still have two wars going on, the housing crisis is putting people on the street, jobs are disappearing, the number of people who can't afford health insurance is growing. She's an ethics reformer who - oops - has a little ethics problem of her own. She has kept budgets down - in a town of 5,000 and for two years as governor?
21"Oh, to be fair: Hillary may well be intellectually smarter.
But I think Palin is more ethical and practical/pragmatic."
It depends on what you define as ethical and pragmatic. To me it is the opposite.
22ethical and practical/pragmatic
Isn't she being investigated? Ethical people usually don't have to go through that.
23Ethical people don't get investigated? So much for innocent until proven guilty. And hasn't Hillary been investigated? And Obama?
24people I know from alaska relly seem to like her and what she's done for the state... she may not have more experiance than obama but the man sure has some balls to comment on her lack of experiance when he himself has so little...
25Time Magazine has posted an article speculating if this choice is a reflection of what kind of president McCain will be....and if we should all be scared.
http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/08/gunslinger.html
26Oh good, more reason to be scared of him - as if 'bomb bomb bomb Iran' isn't enough.
27Gotta agree with Stephley - I do not understand this choice of VP at all.
28Alaskan newspapers opinion sections ask if she is ready to be VP:
http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/aug/29/palin-has-much-prove/?opinion
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/510703.html
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/510706.html
But there are positive opinions, too:
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/510705.html
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/510701.html
From what I've read and seen, people from Alaska either love her or don't like her at all, but most like her. Kind of a mixed bag of opinions.
29"Look what she's done to this state"? Really? You're in the minority there, she has an approval rating of over 80%!
30That's not me saying that, it's the Republican President of the Alaska Senate.
31On Palin's record as mayor of Wasilla.
She balanced the budget of a town of 6000-9000 by raising sales taxes! And then, as a legacy, she began construction on a $15 million multi-use sports complex -- a big deal for a town whose operating budget was just $3.9M in 1996. The sporting complex was a money loser, and the town initially had to subsidize the complex with $600,000 a year. It still hasn't broken even, and the town still subsidizes another $125,000 per year.
But here's the kicker! The sports complex was built on someone else's land AND PALIN KNEW, OR SHOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT IT! The property owner sued the town and the land ultimately cost it $1.7 million in settlement and legal fees when the land would have just cost $125,000 had Palin handled it properly.
A botched process that cost the town $1.575 million and yearly subsidies in the hundreds of thousands. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/29/1223/87119/35/578632
I thought Palin was against wasteful spending?
32Palin was for that bridge to no where before she was against it. I'll dig up the article about.
33My post got flagged. I found some opinion pages from Alaskan newspapers. Real mixed bag. Some people love her, some are scared that she's a vp nominee. Maybe the post will show up. If not, here are the links to just the papers.
http://www.adn.com
http://www.newsminer.com/
34My goodness Kastarte, what are you saying?
35I wonder how carefully McCain's staff vetted her.
I feel a need to borrow from my earlier post regarding experience:
Some general musings on governor v. senator, executive experience v. legislative experience...
I've heard these before, and I have to strongly disagree. Governors may have "executive" experience steering policy and enforcing them as law, as well as administrative duties related to state government -- but that's precisely the problem! All that experience is on a local, state level. This is especially true in a remote and sparsely populated state like Alaska. To quote a quip from a talking head, "There's not much going on there (Alaska)."
A US Senator, on the other hand, may be one of two senators representing a state and one of one hundred in the Senate, and they are ultimately accountable to their state constituents, but when they craft and vote on legislation it's FEDERAL law! In other words, everything they do has national and even international importance. Senators are the ones who ratify treaties, authorize war, confirm Supreme Court justices, legislate tax policy, enact federal programs on issues like health care and educational standards.
From the point of view of being ready on day one, I would think US Senators have an advantage over governors. Senators already know their colleagues on Capitol Hill, know who are the power brokers and what incentives might move them, and ultimately how to move legislation through Congress. Governors coming from outside the beltway not only have to learn a whole new federal mechanism that's different from state governments, they come without knowing a large number of the 535 Senators or Representatives who will vote on his or her policies, and without the built-in connection to those who could champion his or her policies in the two chambers.
This isn't saying the governor-come-president can't learn, but it does suggest that when it comes to the more relevant experience for the presidency, I'd take a US Senator over a governor with so-called executive experience.
And to add...
Palin first ran for elected office 16 years ago, spent 4 years as a city councilwoman, 8 years as mayor of a town of 6000-9000, and 1 1/2 years as governor.
Obama served in the state senate for 7 years and in the US Senate for another 4.
Let's put this in perspective. The town Palin was mayor of is 1/20 the size of the district Obama represented as a state senator. The entire of population of Alaska wouldn't even make the state a top 20 US city (in terms of population size).
Yeah, Palin's got a few years on Obama but the quality of her experience is sorely lacking.
36I'm getting flagged for links i think. I found a bunch of opinion pages from Alaska newspapers. Mixed bag. Some people really like her, other not so much at all.
In an article from one of those papers, Anchorage Daily news, they imply the McCain camp didn't vet her very thoroughly. The same article also has a quote from the McCain camp stating that the Obama camp is pushing the "troopergate" story. The paper says that allegation is false because all Alaskan papers have been covering this for weeks.
37I'll just go read the Alaska papers - no one knows her better.
38Has anyone seen any indication that Palin has been outside the U.S. (beyond Canada)?
39My brother saw on CNN some comment on how Palin needed to quickly get a passport to go to Kuwait last year - what shocks me is that she had to get it then and there -so she obviously did not travel whatsoever until of late.
40Here is NYTimes saying the same:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/30veep.html?_r=1&oref=slog...
here is a link to a blog from an Alaskan about Palin,
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/what-is-mccain-thinking-one-ala...
Makes for interesting reading. I think the speed of the internet may be her undoing.
41Regarding the Wasilla sports complex:
The Daily Kos is not a legitimate source.
However, I followed through to the poster's original links to the Anchorage Daily News.
The Nature Conservancy, which owned the land, made offers to both the city and a private developer. There appears to have been a paperwork foul-up. Not excusable, but also not sinister, as the previous commenter seems to have tried to make it appear.
The intention was apparently to use it as a starting point for the Iditarod, one of Alaska's main tourist draws. As such, it seems like a valid public investment.
42This McCain pick is embarrassing.
There are so many other STRONG women in the Republican party that have toiled for years and risen to the top and have achieved something and he decides to go for the beauty queen on a freebie instead.
I have a strong feeling she was chosen because:
1) She is a woman
2) She is politically weak and will stay "quiet" unlike say Kay Hutchison or Liz Dole.
Ah well ... whatever.
43It's pretty apparent why McCain chose Palin. He himself is moderately conservative but not conservative enough for most Republicans. Palin's is.
44Apart from her stand on abortion being extremely rigid she also believes that creationism should be taught in schools.
45This is the type of woolly thinking of the person that could be potentially in charge of the worlds most prominent superpower?
Truly frightening.
The bottom line is, Palin would never have been chosen if she were a man.
McCain's presumption that Clinton supporters will swing because of the choice of a female is insulting and embarassing. Does he really think that American women are so stupid they don't see the difference between Palin & Clinton??
I am troubled by the number of commenters saying her political experience is equal to or greater than Obama's. Read Serial's post. Being mayor of a tiny town for 8 years, 1.5 years governor of ALASKA, (ALASKA! What happens in Alaska? How does that prepare her for dealing with foreign policy and federal legislation??), doesn't even begin to compare to Obama's 7 years in state & 4 years in US Senate.
What is most worrisome to me, is that should something happen to McCain, this woman would be President of the United States. A woman with only a bachelor's degree, who first traveled outside of the country last year, only experience being mayor of a tiny rural town and under two years as governor of a (sorry) marginal state. That is frightening!
46mushaboom, I think I have to agree.
47Lainetm, I know DailyKos is a very liberal blog and you can take it as such. But the story is nonetheless there and doesn't speak too highly for her administrative skills.
mushaboom, good point. I've always wanted to say Palin wouldn't have cut it if she were a man, but my fear of being called a sexist kept me from stating the obvious.
From Bush's Brain himself, Karl Rove on Governor Tim Kaine of VIRGINIA (!!!):
"With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he's been a governor for three years, he's been able but undistinguished," Rove said. "I don't think people could really name a big, important thing that he's done. He was mayor of the 105th largest city in America."
So ... Tim Kaine, who's been governor of a "large" state like Virginia and was previously a mayor of the 105th largest city in America (Wasilla is how big again?), is undistinguished by Rove's calculus. But Palin is qualified because of what now?
On Obama's judgment in picking a VP:
"I think he's going to make an intensely political choice, not a governing choice," Rove said. "He's going to view this through the prism of a candidate, not through the prism of president; that is to say, he's going to pick somebody that he thinks will on the margin help him in a state like Indiana or Missouri or Virginia. He's not going to be thinking big and broad about the responsibilities of president."
Seems like Obama did pretty good with his pick. Someone who is a veteran lawmaker, with considerable expertise on foreign and domestic affairs. McCain, on the other hand, is irresponsibly playing with the security of our country by selecting a novice for the sake of political spectacle!
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/10/ftn/main4336134.shtml
48The difference here is that Obama choose a VP that would help him lead and McCain choose a VP that would help him win (so he thinks).
I know she not running for pres but I'm sorry, when the man you're running with is 72 - of course we're going to look at your VP pick and ask our selves "is she ready to lead if the unthinkable happens?" And what makes it worse is that she knows she not qualified - she knows she being used for her gender and she's allowing herself to be mistreated.
Frankly -- this woman scares me. Lifetime member of the NRA, EXTREMELY Pro-Life, wants to take polar bears of the endangered list, supported the bridge to nowhere (oh yes she did), cozy with BIG OIL, under ethical investigation and the case does have merit -- IF McCain thinks he'll woo the Hillary Dems by picking her he needs to think again.
Those 18 million cracks were made by Hillary not her. Hillary campaigned hard, went through h@ll and never gave up or backed down -- she's a true Maveric. Now it's like the GOP is force feeding me this woman and saying see "We like women too. Vote for me."
And out of all the more qualified VP picks this is what he comes up with. Shameful.
49I just want to add to the whole experience debate that Obama went to LAW SCHOOL...that should count too. He is an expert in CONSTITUTIONAL LAW..
PALIN AS POTUS IS PETRIFYING! She is sooooooooo inexperienced!
* Her husband works for BP and oil company.
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