Friday, August 29, 2008

McCain picks Palin for Veep

Huh? Well, he was pretty funny on Monty Python's Flying Circus and he's well-travelled...

Oh, sorry, wrong Palin. Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska.

Huh?

This has had one desired effect so far - it stomped all over Obama's speech for the moment. The gasbags are all atwitter. All their veep predictions were wrong, as usual.

What is the old fool thinking? Well, that's pretty much what the gasbags are all atwitter about. Fuck if I know. Here's how BuzzFlash puts it:

McCain picks Female Alaska governor as running mate in attempt to pick up the Pro-Life/NRA/PUMA/Pro-Anwar Drilling Vote. Hmmm, that's some crossover vote.

Then there's Alaska's all-important 3 electoral votes.

Maybe he's just up to his old trick of throwing over older models for younger ones...

Here's a NYTimes article.

Similarly, several of Mr. McCain’s outside advisers reacted with bewilderment that Ms. Palin was the choice, and one said that it would undercut one of Mr. McCain’s central criticisms of Senator Obama — that he is too inexperienced to be commander in chief.

“While it’s a dramatic and interesting choice, it would make the argument he’s making difficult to make,” said the adviser, who is close to the campaign.

There is one teeny-weeny investigation of her going on, but it seems like it's mostly local sour grapes and, by Repug standards, pretty small potatoes.

I've seen shows about Governor Palin, and my opinion is that she's not too bad for a Repug.

I'm quite sure there'll be more on all this later. Quite sure. Heh.

Rumor has it that Romney, Ridge, and Pawlenty are breathing sighs of relief that their political careers are not going to go down the shitter by being on the losing ticket with that senile old fool.

McCain allegedly said he was "thinking out of the box" when he selected her. What the rest of us better think about is what kind of president Ms. Palin will be when he's "in the box". Besides the yummy visual of Hillary's knickers in such a twist her head explodes should such a thing come to pass, of course.

My first thought is she'd be better than him.

No way, no how, no McCain.

Update:

More on the 'why':

Time

John McCain needs to persuade swing voters that he's willing to take on the Republican establishment. He needs to persuade conservatives that he isn't squishy about social issues. And he needs to close the gender gap. When you think about it, the real surprise about Sarah Palin's selection a his running mate is that it's such a surprise.

Still, it's a long leap from the Wasilla city council to the White House, and the top consideration for any candidate for the number-two job is readiness for the number-one job, an issue that may weigh more on voters' minds when the potential number one is 72 years old.

Her profile as a good government crusader may not be such an easy sell, either. She was endorsed in an ad by Senator Ted Stevens, who is now under indictment, and she faces an investigation into the firing of her public safety commissioner; there have been allegations that she sacked him because he refused to fire a state trooper who's involved in a custody battle with her sister.

Palin certainly does have an unconventional profile for a national politician. She won Miss Wasilla in 1984 and competed in the Miss Alaska contest. She's worked as a TV sports announcer. Her husband, Todd Palin, is part native Eskimo and a champion snowmobiler; he's known in Alaska as the First Dude.

Known as 'First Dude', huh? Unless she gets to keep her job after McCain loses, (Clouseau voice) not any more...

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