Sarah Palin Chosen as McCain's VP

Sarah Palin Chosen as McCain's VP.

Do you think that she will help or hurt McCain?
She is female, very conservative, and Pro-life.
That cuts both ways.
What do you think?

He took a big risk in choosing her.

Good points:
She's young
She's pretty (attractive and likable)
She's very conservative
She's a "she". (I don't think Hillary voters will be swayed by her gender - I think that's an insult to think they would be.)

Bad points:
If McCain can't fulfill his presidency, I CANNOT see her as president
She's not got much experience
She's not known
She's got 5 kids

reply to post by ProfEmeritus


I absolutely love it. I think it'll definitely help him with the conservative base; she's a strong conservative. She'll also help him very well with those that are looking for 'change'. You can't get much further away from Washington DC than Anchorage, Alaska. Women? Again, its a big plus, especially for moderates and independents and should be a draw for at least a few of the Hillary holdouts.

The risk is obviously her relative lack of experience, but McCain's campaign is largely insulated from that line of attack due to Obama's own weakness in that regard.

So much for the 'experience' issue, eh? I believe this is an attempt to scrape up the female vote. Cheap gender manipulation plan and simple. I see this as a move of desperation. Biden will eat her alive in the VP debates.

Sheesh!

How short-sighted and naive does McCain think we women voters are? Will I vote for someone "just" because she is a woman? NO!

Not only that she is also under investigation for several things:

But Palin’s seemingly bright future was clouded in late July when the state legislature voted to hire an independent investigator to find out whether she tried to have a state official fire her ex-brother-in-law from his job as a state trooper.

The allegation was made by former Department of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, whom Palin fired in mid-July.

“It is a governor’s prerogative, a right, to fill that cabinet with members whom she or he believes will do best for the people whom we are serving,” Palin told CNBC’s Larry Kudlow in an interview on Aug. 1. “So I look forward to any kind of investigation or questions being asked because I’ve got nothing to hide.”

After her unsuccessful run, Palin received an appointment to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, where she ended up serving a role in an ethics probe into Republican Party Chairman Randy Reudrich, who was questioned about conflicts of interest with the oil industry.

The investigation ultimately forced Ruedrich to resign from the commission

All from McCain's VP Pick

reply to post by Dances With Angels


It sounds like that second one there, about the ethics probe, was her doing a good thing. A probe she was part of forced a corrupt poli to resign. Is that not what it was? That's a good thing.

The first one could just be family B.S. but the investigation is ongoing.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


I'm sure they've done their homework and feel comfortable that there's nothing to it. We'll see.

And you're right about the other one. She was the one who brought the corruption of the previous Republican administration to light. That's nothing but a positive for her.

Cool. But I'm still voting for Bob Barr.

reply to post by Dances With Angels


From what I understand, she used her position to get this guy fired. Apparently the guy was hitting her sister. Not sure about that, but that's what I heard on MSNBC this morning. Still, the proper lines of law and justice should be used. She fits right in to the Bush/Cheney/McCain family, in my opinion.

And on the ethics probe, she WAS on the "right side".

The Polar Bear issue is what bothers me.

She and other Alaska elected officials fear a listing will cripple oil and gas development in prime polar bear habitat off the state's northern and northwestern coasts.
...
"She's either grossly misinformed or intentionally misleading, and both are unbecoming," said Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity. "Alaska deserves better."
...
As marine mammals, polar bears are regulated by the federal government, not the state. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne last week made the listing decision and said it was based on three findings.

Arctic Ice Second Lowest Ever. Polar Bears Affected

This year's Arctic ice melt could surpass the extraordinary 2007 record low in the coming weeks. Last year's minimum ice level was reached on September 16, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Even if no records are broken this year, the downward trend in summer sea ice in the Arctic continues, the Colorado-based center said. Last year's record was blamed squarely on human-spurred climate change.

"No matter where we stand at the end of the melt season it's just reinforcing this notion that Arctic ice is in its death spiral," said Mark Serreze, a scientist at the center. The Arctic could be free of summer ice by 2030, Serreze said by telephone.

Palin is in COMPLETE denial of the facts because she wants to open ANWR. If she has any say, ANWR will be drilled and the polar bear will be moved off the endangered species list.

A polar bear is seen in the water during an aerial survey off the Alaska coast in this photo taken August 15, 2008. Arctic sea ice shrank to its second-lowest level ever, U.S. scientists said on Wednesday, with particular melting in the Chukchi Sea, where polar bears were recently seen swimming far off the Alaskan coast.

reply to post by jtma508


I wouldn't be so sure about that. She may be a pretty face, but she also has a reputation for being very tough. She took an awful lot of heat from her own party in Alaska for taking on a corrupt Republican administration there and won. This is another level up, certainly, but it says a lot that she could survive politically after going after her own party there.

I think the Dems would be making a mistake to underestimate her. She may struggle on foreign policy, but by the same token, she could give Biden fits on domestic issues, particularly energy issues.

Already being discussed here: www.abovetopsecret.com...

Don't worry, I am still wondering how he beat me too it.

reply to post by truth_seeker3


Ah. Nice catch.

[edit on 8/29/2008 by Blueracer]

I don't know, I think everyone that's heard about the nomination is looking up who the hell she even is.

Swimming is a natural activity for polar bears.
www.seaworld.org...

A. Swimming.

1. Polar bears are strong swimmers; they swim across bays or wide leads without hesitation. They can swim for several hours at a time over long distances. They've been tracked swimming continuously for 100 km (62 mi.) (Stirling, 1988).

2. A polar bear's front paws propel them through the water dog-paddle style. The hind feet and legs are held flat and are used as rudders.

3. A thick layer of blubber (fat), up to 11 cm (4.3 in.) thick, keeps the polar bear warm while swimming in cold water (Stirling, 1988).

4. Polar bears can obtain a swimming speed of 10 kph (6.2 mph) (Stirling, 1988).

5. The hair of a polar bear easily shakes free of water and any ice that may form after swimming.

6. A polar bear's nostrils close when under water.

Although I concede that there is warming occurring in the Arctic, I firmly believe that it is driven mainly by normal cycles of the sun and earth. Human activity has not been proven to be a major factor. In the past, before their were humans, there were MUCH warmer periods of earth history. If polar bears are meant to survive, it will be nature that determines it, not humans.
remember, it was a natural event that allowed humans to ascend to dominance on earth.

reply to post by davion


That's true, but I don't think that's necessarily a negative. People have been saying that they want someone who is not associated with Washington DC and who was an 'outsider'.

Well, they just got it. Their reaction, positive or negative, will say as much about them as it will Palin or the McCain campaign.

reply to post by vor78


Besides, this "alleged" problem is peanuts compared to some of Obama's problems, not the least of which are:
Tony Rezko
Rev. Wright
Frank Marshall Davis, his mentor, was a communist
William Ayers, radical terrorist bomber

Originally posted by ProfEmeritus
Swimming is a natural activity for polar bears.

So, don't worry about the ice? They can swim?

Permanently?

I understand what you're saying and I don't want this thread to become about polar bears. It's just one concern I have about Palin's fringe politics.

reply to post by ProfEmeritus


I agree. She does have a potential scandal, but if the Dems want to play dirty, the Republicans can return the favor in spades. I don't think they want to get into a real mudslinging fight for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is Obama's claim to be running different, positive campaign.



[edit on 29-8-2008 by vor78]

The BIG million dollar question:



What does she bring to the table in regard to economic policy?


The economy is the biggest hot button issue in the entire race, and Mccain is clueless when it comes to this subject. I am assuming she must be well versed on the topic, or this ticket will be in big trouble.

Well, whoever she is, she's under investigation for Abuse of Power for firing the Public Safety Commissioner because he refused to fire her ex-brother-in-law. I'm sure that will all be "taken care of", though.

Cronyism and a "drill here, drill now" attitude. She fits right in with the Bush/Cheney/McCain family, except she's a little more conservative.