Sarah Palin: Dems Pounce On McCain Pick

Barack Obama Campaign Spokesman Bill Burton responds to John McCain's choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate:

"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies -- that's not the change we need, it's just more of the same."

Sen. Chuck Schumer says:

"After the great success of the Democratic convention, the choice of Sarah Palin is surely a Hail Mary pass. It is a real roll of the dice and shows how John McCain, Karl Rove et al realize what a strong position the Obama-Biden team and Democrats in general are in in this election. Certainly the choice of Palin puts to rest any argument about inexperience on the Democratic team and while Palin is a fine person, her lack of experience makes the thought of her assuming the presidency troubling. I particularly look forward to the Biden-Palin debate in Missouri."

Rep. Rahm Emanuel:

"Is this really who the Republican Party wants to be one heartbeat away from the Presidency? Given Sarah Palin's lack of experience on every front and on nearly every issue, this Vice Presidential pick doesn't show judgment: it shows political panic."

Rep. Jim Clyburn on South Carolina ETV Radio:

"I do believe that McCain has to do something to reshuffle the cards, shake up the establishment, do something unexpected and Governor Palin has all the kinds of things that McCain might see as a way to shake things up. I think [her selection] would be something similar to Dan Quayle. Dan Quayle proved to be sort of an embarrassment as a campaigner. Being thrust on a national stage like that could be very tough. Now Mondale tried to shake things up by going with Geraldine Ferraro.she proved to be a disaster as a running mate. And as a campaigner, she was absolutely awful. And so I just think that it is very risky for McCain to do this, but it may be all he has left."

Barbara Boxer:

The vice president is a heartbeat away from becoming president, so to choose someone with not one hour's worth of experience on national issues is a dangerous choice.

If John McCain thought that choosing Sarah Palin would attract Hillary Clinton voters, he is badly mistaken.

The only similarity between her and Hillary Clinton is that they are both women. On the issues, they could not be further apart.

Sen. McCain had so many other options if he wanted to put a woman on his ticket, such as Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison or Sen. Olympia Snowe -- they would have been an appropriate choice compared to this dangerous choice.

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In addition, Sarah Palin is under investigation by the Alaska state legislature, which makes this more incomprehensible.

Meanwhile, the non-partisan group Campaign Money Watch responded that the pick underscores McCain's loss of maverick reformer credentials:

"In choosing Governor Palin, Senator McCain is clearly trying to shore up his past maverick reformer image - an image that is now in tatters due to the type of campaign he's run and the big money lobbyists he depends on every day of the week," Donnelly said.

"This selection raises plenty of questions," Donnelly continued. "She bills herself as a reformer, but has been silent on whether she supports public financing of elections in her own state. As governor of an oil-producing state, she's been a friend to Big Oil. Given John McCain's extensive fundraising from Big Oil, her selection raises concerns of whether the McCain-Palin ticket will promise the same access for oil companies and their lobbyists that we've seen for nearly eight years from the Bush-Cheney administration."

Obama distanced himself from some of the harsher criticisms of Palin, the Politico reports:

"I think that, uh, you know, campaigns start getting these, uh, hair triggers and, uh, the statement that Joe and I put out reflects our sentiments," he said, according to the pool report, apparently criticizing his staff for going overboard, as he did occasionally in the primary.

He was referring to a more gracious statement of congratulations he issued later with Biden, which he then reiterated.

"I haven't met her before. She seems like a compelling person ... with a terrific personal story.

"I'm sure that she will help make the case for Republicans, unfortunately the case is more of the same, and so ultimately John McCain is at the top of the ticket."

"He wants to take the country in the wrong direction, I'm assuming Gov. Palin agrees with him and his policies," he said.

"But the fact that she ... will soon be nominated ... is one more indicator of this country moving forward ... one more hit against that glass ceiling. I congratulate her and look forward to a vigorous debate."

Read more about Sarah Palin here. See videos of her here.

Comments

[Fresh View]

Bill Burton is doing a horrible job representing the democrats, because every time we watch him on television he never gives a straight answer.

The bottom line is my parents are in their early 50's and don't know how to use the computer either, and i can tell you that they believe Obama is being unfair by attacking people that don't know how to use the computer. We have discussed this issue and they feel i should write on their behalf a few words explaining their disappointment of Ageism attacks and try to fluff it up as an" he's with out of touch" answer.

My father is a union organizer for the AFL-CIO and i can assure he is not out of touch because he doesn't understand computers. All year long we have been waiting for some straight talk from Obamas campaign, and he can't deliver. We are begining to see that pattern of just avoiding the tuff answers and stick with democrat talking points.

We are getting tired and fatigued with the "out of touch theme" or "4 more years or the same". They are not answers to our families questions... just themes.
This year my father is not as motivated to support democrats like his employers are.

[buckingthesystem]

If she is such a terrible choice, then why are the democrats so up in arms about her? Also, could someone tell me exactly what foreign policy experience Barack Obama has? What experience does he have that would even qualify him to be president? He is a wonderful orator, as long as he has the teleprompter, otherwise, he spits and sputters. Will be really interesting to see him up against one of the world's dictators, don't ya think??

They keep comparing Sarah Palin's credentials to Obama's, you might think she was the one running against him. Face it, you democrats have a sad argument if this is the best you can do!

[ohmygawd]

If the intent of the selection was to create a 'buzz' it was 100% successful.

If the intent was to simply nominate a woman with no National let alone International experience it also hit the bulls eye.

If the intent was to embarrass me when talking to my international friends why she's been picked; right on the money.

If I was a republican woman I'd be angry at the blatant sexist pick; there's gotta be another Rep woman better qualified ( if not wow)

I am appalled that she didn't have the smarts to say thanks for the honor but no thanks at this time.

Send her back to Alaska and let her complete the political promises she made. Groom her for the National scene by electing her a Congresswoman or Senator. If she succeeds there by all means nominate her then.

[ohmygawd]

If the selection was to create a "buzz" it's a 100% success. It's all people are talking about.

If the selection was designed to select a Republican woman without any National let alone International experience, it was also very successful.

When I receive questions about her from my lower 48 and international friends, I'm ashamed and embarrassed that she is the best woman in America we could find for the job.

Send her back to Alaska to see if she can accomplish what she set out to do; groom her to enter the national stage like Congress or the Senate and if she succeeds perhaps then nominate.

It is scary to me that she does not have the insight to simply thank the Reps for the honor of the nomination and respectfully decline.

Sarah Palin? Really

[JRLB]

What I find appalling about McCain's choice of Sarah Palin is that she chose to become pregnant and have a child while in office. I think this shows supremely poor judgment. Parenting a child is very time consuming if done well and so is governing a state. Like poster sullybaca I am disturbed by the fact that Ms. Palin now knows she has a child with special needs. The comment about her husband being Mr. Mom is not valid. These children need lots of work and early intervention by the whole family.

As I have observed with many anti-abortion people, they are willing to invest much to make sure a child is born but they are not there for the next 18 years; pro-life but not especially pro-child. With Ms. Palin's philosophy she might have yet another baby as vice-president.

[dagraz]

Well, you may be right, however most young girls have the kids so that they can get paid by the Gov. to take care of them. Which means that ME & YOU(if you work) pay for this. And as far as working moms, get a life!, in todays HIGH Democratic taxes moms HAVE to work and having or not having a child, is not in the job description. The job description says do THIS XXXX job.

I am not a Dem or Rep. I am who I am.

[RANCIDDEM]

POOR OLD HUSSEIN IS ALREADY A HAS BEEN.MCCAIN/PALIN HAVE GOT THIS ELECTION SEWED UP.THE DEMOCRATS SHOULD START PLANNING ON HOW TO DEFEAT FUTURE PREZ SARAH PALIN IN 2012 AS IF IT WOULD DO THEM ANY GOOD.ITS FUN TO WATCH REAL HISTORY IN THE MAKING.

[FirstShirt]

It must be hard for democrats right now. It is hard to say lack of experience is not an issue while railing against a mother with five kids and more experience than Barry at governing anything of value or interest, other than the Law Review.

[mogran]

Yes, the Republicans would like to change the subject. Alleged corruption by Sarah Palin is growing by leaps and bounds. The allegation and information so far relating to her abuse of power is enough for her to step down for this election. Allow McCain to try and save a little face. Everyone knows that he only chose her because of pressure brought on by Karl Rove.

[avgjane]

This is a woman who believes the sun revolves around the earth.

This is a woman who wants to legislate her warped opinions and "morals" on every other American yet is a walking, talking argument against her ridiculous policies such as abstinence only education for teens.

I'm disappointed in McCain for making this pick. I actually considered putting my vote to him at one point. So no, it's not "really hard for dems right now". I think alot of us are just really disappointed that this is the direction McCain took his campaign. Divide the country to win instead of unite. It's really sleazy.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/general_election_mccain_vs_obama-225.html

[Schoogy]

I'm still giggling after seeing McCain's campaign mgr on MSNBC this morning, who was defending Palin's lack of experience by saying, "It's about judgment, not experience".

Wow. . . and double wow.

[Nexialist]

You are absolutely right. The Republicans are doing a lousy job on the experience issue. The fact is Palin has every bit as much elective experience as Obama. What she lacks is the foreign affairs knowledge that Obama has spent 22 months learning. But what Obama knows Palin can learn between the election and inauguration. Neither candidate has any foreign policy experience going in. But Obama is at the head of his ticket. Moreover, it is a grim prospect for the country if something should happen to Biden should the Dems win.

[gp NH]

Continued from Above:

Despite Palin’s many obvious weaknesses, McCain’s choice reveals a dramatic shift in campaign strategy from the last several months: an abandonment of the experience vs. change comparison and an embrace of a maverick vs. ‘typical Democratic failures’ comparison. Under this new strategy Palin seems a complementary choice for McCain, emphasizing her ties to the working middle class, and her strong conservative credentials, which have turned many Republicans off to John McCain. The choice of a woman also seems to target female voters who may have supported Hillary Clinton in the primaries and refuse to support Barack Obama because of a perceived mistreatment. These PUMA’s (short for Party Unity My A**) could be ripe for the picking, even in light of Hillary’s rousing support for Obama at the Democratic Convention.

I believe that Gov. Palin is a very smart pick for Vice President despite mixed feeling in both parties in and out of Washington. What she lack’s in experience she more than makes up for in tenacity and popularity. She has certainly been a force in Alaska politics, shoving aside the political establishment to become Governor and vetoing popular Republican programs that solidify the corrupt connections between the GOP and the Oil industry. The country has underestimated Gov. Palin’s political abilities, a mischaracterization that may serve her very well in this campaign, and possibly the Vice Presidency.

[FirstShirt]

"I believe that Gov. Palin is a very smart pick for Vice President despite mixed feeling in both parties in and out of Washington."

You are right. She has her flaws like anyone else and her strengths like anyone else. And she has the same credentials as Bill Clinton when he took office.

[gp NH]

Continued from Above:

Its fair to say that Gov. Palin is a neophyte when it comes to most national political issues and the McCain campaign will have to work hard to fight the “fresh paint” image of the former small town mayor. The general sense of the media and of Washington insiders is that McCain made a grave miscalculation in choosing Palin. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has called the pick ‘Worse than Dan Quale’ in a Time Magazine video blog (http://tinyurl.com/hoyer-worsethanquale). Perhaps the steepest obstacle will be the comparisons to Obama’s running mate Sen. Joe Biden, a seasoned foreign policy expert who’s competency for the Vice Presidency has never been in question. In discussing the inevitable VP debate it is very possible to imagine Sen. Biden, upon learning of Palin, to throw up his hands and shout “Are you freaking kidding me!” Certainly the most outrageous statement about Palin has come from Cindy McCain, who suggested that Alaska’s geographic proximity to Russia will shore up Palin’s foreign policy credentials (ABC’s “This Week”, 8/31/08).

[gp NH]

So much for the “October Surprise.” Republicans, Democrats, and non-identifying Americans were caught by complete surprise this weekend when John McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate for the Vice Presidency. Torpedoing news coverage of Obama’s coronation in Denver, this stunning move brushed aside not only a host of popular men who ran against McCain in the primaries (i.e. Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee) but also a group of very successful men and women from the Republican party (and one “Independent Democrat”) who would have seemed a safer choice for Sen. McCain. Other possibilities could have included Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Fmr. Ohio Congressmen Rob Portman, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas, and Fmr. New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman. Regardless, many Americans familiar with the move have likely pondered the following question in the last few days: Has John McCain lost his mind or is this the smartest move his campaign has made in the last year?

[FirstShirt]

Notice how Barack's speech barely got a subtitle. Nice strategic move.

[Jinxykb]

McCain's trolls are here! Woo Whoo! They must feel really insecure and sickened by the VP choice or they wouldn't be swinging so hard in effort to defend her.

[joeinvt]

It does the Obama campaign no good to criticize Palin's minimal experience and even less to try to paint her as an anti-Israeli Nazi sympathizer because of her supposed support of Pat Buchanan. Those kinds of complaints can only make her a more sympathetic figure to the media and many voters. Further, it gets the campaign off message.

[Cali33]

Has anybody considered the idea that W may not leave office. I get this feeling we are going to war with Iran and that he is going to call a national emergency and the elections will be halted and he will stay in power. Didn't he sign something last year that makes this legal?

[veracity]

re "W may not be leaving office - war before the elections".

I think you have something there, Cali33. Just saw some video of 'the leader' slouching in a chair at a conference table, as he was "coordinating" preparations and disaster relief for Hurricane Gustav.
Of course Bush despises New Orleans, much less anyone needing disaster assitance there, and if we had a "FREE PRESS," he would not be able to answer a single question about post-Katrina reconstruction, because there is NO long-term environmental master plan for the Louisiana coast or New Orleans, and everything to do with post-Katrina reconstruction is just more of Bush-Cheney's "Loot the taxpayers to reward our plantation-owning cronies" (at Halliburton, KBR, Bechtel, Blackwater), and other connected insider companies feasting on Bush corruption).

AS to the WAR VS IRAN, the Bushies and AIPAC (Israel-first) lobbyists who OWN Washington have settled on the bright-boy idea to use UNMANNED AIRCRAFT to ATTACK IRAN, whcih gives them the "THEY STARTED IT!" excuse they are looking for when Iran responds to attacks on its territory by sending missiles to attack ships in the Persian Gulf.

Yep, Bush & Cheney stole two US presidential elections (thanks to the cowering Democrats), and have NO intention of giving up all that draconian, dictatorial power. All that is needed is a war vs Iran, soaring gas prices, and riots, for them to DECLARE MARTIAL LAW and SUSPEND US elections.

[parvo63]

My dearest Lefties, sorry. Dems:

Why are you so concerned about John McCain and his pick, Sarah Palin? You are not going to vote for them anyway. If you truly believe that McCain/Palin are going to lose, then you should be more than happy, guys. Celebrate! Sing! Dance on the street!

So why is it that you're so concerned? Since when Dems care who the VP pick of the Reps is going to be? What do you care, after all?
Or, aren't you, guys, a little bit scared?
'cause you KNOW you're going to lose with, let's see - how 'bout 4.5% margin?
'cause you know that Obama is empty and Joe is fake (not just his smile), and old John and Sarah are the real thing?

You know what? If I were you, I would be very concerned, too. Even scared.

[Jinxykb]

I know this comment comes late, but I just find your post so funny!! LOL!

[FirstShirt]

"Sing! Dance on the street!"

Not these guys. They would prefer to break windows and slash tires. Expressing their values more eloquently than any republican could ever do.

[avgjane]

My dear right wing extremist:

I think most dems are thrilled with the Palin pick. It pretty much cllnches it for us in November. Yes, she'll bring in some of the religious zealots and people from the flat earth society. But many moderates will not vote for him now.

We keep discussing it so much because it's all just too delicious to ignore! I do hope she puts up her recipe for opossum stew on the mccain/palin website!