Wow. All of these unbridled attacks against the McCain/Palin ticket are almost heartening. I think I can actually smell fear (and the overconfidence is brimming over). If this ticket is really so pathetic, why are there multiple threads and 16 pages in this one thread of vitriol and spite. Good lord.
Lebezniatnikov
quote:
Originally posted by Shakka
Wow. All of these unbridled attacks against the McCain/Palin ticket are almost heartening. I think I can actually smell fear (and the overconfidence is brimming over). If this ticket is really so pathetic, why are there multiple threads and 16 pages in this one thread of vitriol and spite. Good lord.
Because there's a possibility of someone getting put into the Oval Office who has no history of even thinking about national issues. She's not ready for the big leagues, and American national security is what might pay for it. I'm sorry that we take our country more seriously than John McCain does.
I'm going to go back to your fellow conservative on this one again:
quote:
After viewing it live and twice on TV Ross weighs in on Palin's speech:
Instead of opening new vistas for conservative politics, it reinforced the perception - which is unfair, but not all that unfair - that the only thing John McCain's GOP has to offer on the domestic front is a big yes to drilling, an end to earmarks, and a big no to Obama's tax increases. It's possible that this is enough of a message to win this Presidential election; it's definitely not enough of a message to rebuild the GOP over the long haul. Sarah Palin gave the kind of speech she had to give, and good for her. But I hope she has some other kinds of speeches in her.
I feel for Ross as I feel for serious conservative foreign policy thinkers right now. This pick is so unserious in so many ways it is as much an insult to intelligent conservatives as it is to the rest of the country.
And I have one nagging question: we are told she is a reformer. Can anyone tell me anything she has actually reformed?
Yes, she won against an aging, decrepit corrupt Republican party establishment on populist boilerplate. But this was simply in her own self-interest as a rising Pentecostalist politician. Yes, she championed new ethical standards for pols - but her record in that matter is no different than Obama's, only he did it on a national stage. She then gave everyone in the state a big check from oil revenues. I could do that. So could you.
Is that it? The more I reflect on this decision by McCain, the more insane and reckless and shallow it gets. I've always respected McCain, even when I disagreed with him. I find it very hard to square that with this decision.
Originally posted by Shakka
Wow. All of these unbridled attacks against the McCain/Palin ticket are almost heartening. I think I can actually smell fear (and the overconfidence is brimming over). If this ticket is really so pathetic, why are there multiple threads and 16 pages in this one thread of vitriol and spite. Good lord.
quote:
Alaska's Republican State Senate President: Palin Not Prepared, Thought Pick Was A Joke. "State Senate President Lyda Green said she thought it was a joke when someone called her at 6 a.m. to give her the news. '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?'" [Anchorage Daily News, 8/29/08]
Alaska's Republican House Speaker Has Nothing Positive To Say About Palin's Qualifications. "State House Speaker John Harris, a Republican from Valdez, was astonished at the news. He didn't want to get into the issue of her qualifications. 'She's old enough,' Harris said. 'She's a U.S. citizen.'" [Anchorage Daily News, 8/29/08]
Conservative Rick Rydell: Questionable Vetting. "Conservative host Rick Rydell said there are some benefits to the state, but it's a gamble for McCain to pick an unknown with what he considered 'questionable vetting.' 'It seems almost like a Hail Mary pass at the end of a football game,' Rydell said in an interview after his show Friday. Rydell said McCain has destroyed his argument about Barack Obama's lack of experience." [Anchorage Daily News, 8/29/08]
California Republican Delegates Worried About Palin Pick. California Republican delegates Karen and Robert Bonadio (father and daughter) said they are worried about McCain's pick for VP. "They like her story a lot . . . But the Bonadios heard that Palin and her family are hunters, actually going out into the countryside to shoot wild creatures that weren't doing anything to her. That offends the L.A. delegates greatly, and they really don't want to hear that different parts of the country may have different cultures and views of such things. The Bonadios don't know that they want such a smalltown person as vice president. And they intend to make that point clear this week if they get another chance to talk with the senator." [LA Times, 8/31/08]
St. Louis Republican Delegate Deeply Concerned With Palin Selection. "Several Republican delegates said they too were shocked by the selection of Ms. Palin and, while they wished her well, were deeply concerned that she did not have the experience in foreign policy or national security to be commander in chief. 'We've been told for the last few months that experience is what matters most in the next White House,' said John Scates, a delegate from St. Louis. 'But McCain is picking someone whose experience is little to nothing or, at best, unknown.'" [New York Times, 8/31/08]
Conservative Columnist: Palin Pick Near Suicidal. "'The Palin selection completely undercuts the argument about Obama's inexperience and readiness to lead' wrote syndicated conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer. 'To gratuitously undercut the remarkably successful 'Is he ready to lead' line of attack seems near suicidal.'" [Ottawa Citizen, 8/31/08]
Alabama Republican Delegate: Palin Not Qualified. "As they began gathering in Minneapolis-St. Paul for the start of their convention on Monday, some Republican delegates said they were concerned that Ms. Palin did not have the experience in foreign policy or national security to be commander in chief. 'We're in a global war, we're in a global economy, so it's less than honest if someone says that this woman is qualified to lead America right now,' said Todd Burkhalter, a Republican delegate from Mobile, Ala." [New York Times, 8/30/08]
Republican Operatives Worry About Palin Pick. "'I want to believe this is a game-changer, but when I close my eyes I see New Orleans in 1988,' said a dumbstruck Republican operative, recalling the convention where Vice President George H.W. Bush tapped Dan Quayle" . . . 'Hell, I don't know anything about her,' a top Republican fund-raiser sputtered. 'She may attract some independent women, but I can't think of a state where she can make a difference.'" [New York Daily News, 8/29/08]
Republicans Describe Palin Pick As "Desperate" And Contrary to McCain's "Country First" Slogan. "Shannen Coffin, a former White House counsel to Dick Cheney, the vice-president, said choosing Palin seemed 'desperate' and that it would be difficult to attack Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, on the grounds of inexperience. 'It is hard to imagine Palin playing the same sort of role that modern vice-presidents like Gore, Bush, Cheney or Mondale played,' he said. Anti-abortion conservative Republicans applauded the choice as daring and modern, but others criticised her lack of foreign policy expertise and inexperience in a national election. David Frum, President George W. Bush's former speech-writer, warned: 'The McCain campaign's slogan is 'country first'. If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat from the presidency?'" [TimesOnline, 8/31/08]
Alaskan Republicans Have Reservations About Palin. "[A] growing chorus of Alaskans expressed reservations. 'She's not qualified, she doesn't have the judgment, to be next in line to the president of the United States,' Larry Persily, who until June worked in the governor's Washington office as a congressional liaison, said in a phone interview. A supporter of Palin's campaign for governor, Jim Whitaker, the Republican mayor of Fairbanks, also questioned Palin's readiness to serve as vice president. Whitaker said that while he is 'still an avid supporter' of Palin as governor, he will continue to back Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama." [Bloomberg, 9/1/08]
Republican Strategist: I'm Perplexed. David Marin, a principal at the Podesta Group and a Republican congressional strategist said, "I'm perplexed. Maybe the choice is pure genius. Maybe McCain has energized the base, re-established his maverick credentials, re-emphasized his reform agenda, and added historic new cracks to the odious glass ceiling, all with a single decision. Maybe Palin will amaze us all and be able to stand toe-to-toe with Biden. Maybe she'll add some much-needed sizzle. But I thought the McCain campaign was about experience at a time of national crisis. And I thought he understood the outcome will ultimately rest with independents, with 'post partisans.' I guess it's a good thing most people vote for president, not VP, because, right now at least, this has Bentsen-Quayle written all over it." [Politico, 9/1/08]
Former McCain Advisor: Palin Pick Suggests Lack of Confidence. "'It was certainly a surprising pick,' says Dan Schnur, who served as McCain's communications director during the Arizona senator's 2000 presidential campaign. It's the sort of pick, he says, that you would expect when a candidate is 'behind 10 or 15 points in the polls.' But with McCain and Obama running neck and neck, most analysts would anticipate a safer choice. 'So it seems the senator and his advisers aren't as confident' as they might be, Schnur says." [NPR.org, 8/29/08]
Local Conservative Blogger: McCain's Worst Mistake. "Sherry Whitstine, a local [Alaska] conservative blogger, was dumbfounded by Palin's selection, and not in a good way. Palin is 'small potatoes,' said Whitstine, who is still struggling to come to grips with McCain's decision. '[Trying to make Palin] the VP of our country is probably the worst mistake of [McCain's] entire life,' Whitstine said." [Chicago Tribune, 9/1/08]
Pat Buchanan Mocks Palin With Joe Scarborough. On MSNBC on August 29, 2008 (before the announcement), Pat Buchanan had this to say about Sarah Palin: "You mentioned the word commander in chief. And it is -- it is hard to see Sarah Palin as commander in chief within the next year or something like that. I think that's the real risk that just -- this woman, she might be outstanding. She might get women, get conservatives, energize the base. But I think the argument made against her would be that she just is not ready to be commander in chief, and she could be eaten alive in a debate with Joe Biden." Buchanan went on to acknowledge that Obama has done more to validate himself, saying "No, you are right. He validated himself, Barack Obama, by beating everybody all the -- over 18 months." [MSNBC, 8/29/08; YouTube]
Karl Rove: Palin "Risky" Pick. Before the news of her daughter's pregnancy broke, Karl Rove told the Maine Republican delegation that Sarah Palin is a "risky" choice for vice president. [TheAtlantic.com, 9/1/08; PolitickerME.com, 9/1/08]
Washington Post: Republicans Nervous. "[S]ome Republicans remained nervous about the party's ticket, worrying about the potential for more surprises in the days ahead. 'Palin's daughter's pregnancy is probably much ado about nothing -- I think,' one GOP strategist said. 'If there's more, it will raise questions about the whole vetting process because she's such an unknown.' Another McCain loyalist said he doubts the controversy will last. 'It came out in the vetting, and if that's true, then the vetting worked,' he said. 'If that's not true, then I would have concerns.'" [Washington Post, 9/2/08]
Prominent Republican Writer Says Palin Pick Neither Wise Nor Responsible. Former Bush speechwriter, David Frum, said this about Sarah Palin: "Ms. Palin's experience in government makes Barack Obama look like George C. Marshall. She served two terms on the city council of Wasilla, Alaska, population 9,000. She served two terms as mayor. In November, 2006, she was elected governor of the state, a job she has held for a little more than 18 months. She has zero foreign policy experience, and no record on national security issues. All this would matter less, but for this fact: The day that John McCain announced his selection of Sarah Palin was his birthday. His 72nd birthday. . . If anything were to happen to a President McCain, the destiny of the free world would be placed in the hands of a woman who until recently was a small-town mayor." He concluded by saying, "Ms. Palin is a bold pick, and probably a shrewd one. It's not nearly so clear that she is a responsible pick, or a wise one." [AEI.org, 9/2/08]
Veteran Republican: Palin Pick Reckless. "Each new fact we learn about Sarah Palin--her reversal on the bridge to nowhere, her disagreements with McCain on issues from windfall profits to global warming, emerging facts about troopergate--contribute to the feeling that this whole Palin thing is being made up as we go along. It may be fun to read about, and it sure is fun to cover, but it also supports the judgment of the Palin pick that I first heard from a Republican veteran shortly after the announcement: 'Reckless.'" [Slate, 9/1/08]
Yeah!!! Who cares what she thinks about issues! It's the speeches she reads that matter!! That's all America should care about!! Psh, questions about policy from journalists... like Americans care more about that than her mooseburger recipes. :rolleyes:
Lebezniatnikov
quote:
Originally posted by The17sss
WHo really knows what those zaney Clintons will do.
quote:
Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Thursday, Sep 4, 2008
The two party conventions showcased vastly different directions for our country. Senator Obama and Senator Biden offered the new ideas and positive change America needs and deserves after eight years of failed Republican leadership. Senator McCain and Governor Palin do not.
After listening to all the speeches this week, I heard nothing that suggests the Republicans are ready to fix the economy for middle class families, provide quality affordable health care for all Americans, guarantee equal pay for equal work for women, restore our nation’s leadership in a complex world or tackle the myriad of challenges our country faces. So, to slightly amend my comments from Denver: NO WAY, NO HOW, NO McCAIN-PALIN.
Capitalizt
Quote of the day:
"I didn't decide to run for president to start a national crusade for the political reforms I believed in or to run a campaign as if it were some grand act of patriotism...In truth, I wanted to be president because it had become my ambition to be president."
This is from John Mccain's biography in 2002. So..how do you Mccain fans jibe that with his "Country First" slogan?
The17sss
Obama in a panic, now dispatching surrogates and crawling to Hillary for help on the stump to counteract Palin-mania. I bet Hill is loving it. All of a sudden he needs her huh? Her Majesty gets to play kingmaker by dispensing her gender cache to whatever greater or lesser extent she sees fit to counter Palin. Obama’s at her mercy. Am I mistaken or wasn’t the left very indignant last week that McCain would stoop to playing identity politics with women’s votes? Best part... Obama's camp started with the headline "Obama to Dispatch Female Surrogates"... and changed it to: "Obama Camp Turns to Clinton to Counter Palin." Oops!
Originally posted by Krypton
We absolutely positively cannot let McCain be president. America's future relations with the world depends on it.
But they've both been campaigning for change lol.
And in the experience field, Obama's resume is lookin' pretty thin...
hardcore trancer
quote:
Originally posted by Fir3start3r
But they've both been campaigning for change lol.
And in the experience field, Obama's resume is lookin' pretty thin...
oh pleeeease Obama started the whole change speach from the begining and then a week after the Republicans started saying the same.It is sad that you are really buying into the whole Obama has no experience bull.
Groundhog Boy
quote:
Originally posted by Lebezniatnikov
Yeah!!! Who cares what she thinks about issues! It's the speeches she reads that matter!! That's all America should care about!! Psh, questions about policy from journalists... like Americans care more about that than her mooseburger recipes. :rolleyes:
From what I've been hearing, don't expect her to be answering any questions from journalists anytime soon, like (I'd imagine that this also includes questions from the audiences when she's stumping). Like weeks of silence to the media. She apparently been reading off of notecards this week in order to give her attacks on Obama's view of Iraq.
Will someone get this shell her own brain on issues of national importance. She may be all-knowing when it comes to exploiting our national resources to make her state rich, but what does she know about anything else?
And yes, we're concerned that there are enough Christian whackjobs out there to turn this election McCain's way. I'm very worried we could end up with another 4-8 years of Bush politics (or worse from the sounds of it if McCain kicks).
Shakka
quote:
Originally posted by hardcore trancer It is sad that you are really buying into the whole Obama has no experience bull.
So what in your opinion qualifies as irrefutable experience and what are his accomplishments to back it up?
Krypton
quote:
Originally posted by Fir3start3r
But they've both been campaigning for change lol.
And in the experience field, Obama's resume is lookin' pretty thin...
If 90% agreement with Bush is change to you, then you don't have a clue what change is. As for experience, he has served in the Illinois senate since the mid 1990's, helped to legislate major BI-PARTISAN laws, started career by working with the bottom half of society, and obviously shows a cautious, pragmatic, competent ability as an organizer of party, people, and will most assuredly show the same qualities as an executive. You can't deny the fact he has surrounded himself with very competant pragmatic advisors who have counseled him very very well, and the same would be true if elected. Your man McCain has as his economic advisor, Phil Gramm, the de-regulator of the oil and finance sectors...Great job there..:rolleyes:
