"Grandma Sarah:" The Gift that Keeps on Giving -- McCain's Veep Continues to Sink his Campaign

"This is great!...It really shows courage!...What's the big deal?" Take a spin around right-wing radio and you'll hear the talking heads tripping over themselves to minimize the significance--or better yet, unconvincingly celebrate--the news that Sarah Palin's 17-year-old unmarried daughter Bristol is five months pregnant. Adding insult to injury, Palin likely lied about it all to Sen. John McCain when she was being vetted as his vice-presidential nominee. This ticket is coming apart at the seams. It was McCain's birthday last week, but he gave the Democrats one giant gift in Palin. Indeed, Grandma Sarah's the new Harriet Miers. Watch this appointment implode just like that one infamously did in January 2007.

For several days now Palin's selection as McCain's running mate has created a shitstorm in both Republican and Democratic circles. A self-proclaimed "hockey mom,' Palin's less-than-impressive resume consists of six years as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska--population 6500--four years on the Wasilla City Council, and 1 1/2 years as the state's Governor. Clearly, her appointment is purely for political purposes, as she is far from being the best candidate McCain could've chosen. He simply, and foolheartedly, expects she will attract an appreciable chunk of Sen. Hillary Clinton's 18-million disaffected supporters, most of them female. It's foolish to think Clinton's supporters will rush to the polls to vote for the anti-gay, anti-choice, anti-evolution, gun-slinging NRA member who can skin a carcass with the best of 'em. Ideologically, she has zero in common with Sen. Clinton. In fact, she's Mike Huckabee with tits.

The major issue here is McCain's age, 72, and his three bouts with cancer, which puts Palin but a heartbeat away from the Oval Office. A testy McCain said last week that she's more qualified than Sen. Barack Obama, the Democrats' nominee, to be president. Unlike Palin, "he's never had one day of executive experience." Well Senator, neither have you. Are you suggesting that being a Governor is the prerequisite now for White House service?

And now comes the teen pregnancy scandal, which is certain to be a colossal distraction to the McCain/Palin campaign. Will her daughter's situation undercut her position as a staunch advocate of conservative family values? Will it once again remind everyone of the inherent hypocrisy of so many heretofore publicly-humiliated Republicans, many of them evangelical religious zealots, who had sanctimoniously preached to the rest of us how we should morally live our lives yet under their own roof it's Sin City. Another tragic irony of this religious fanaticism is that this is the sort of thing that happens when you live a socially-repressed life and try to insulate your kids from knowledge; from sex-education.

So now the Hannity's, Limbaugh's, Levin's, Wilkow's and the legion of McCain's surrogates are pretending like this is some sort of character-building badge of honor non-issue for Grandma Sarah. But underneath the surface, Republicans must be fuming. Livid that Grandpa John's latest demonstration of maverickness just might've cost them the election. Stay tuned. The Palin fun's only just beginning....

Read more reaction from HuffPost bloggers to John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate

Comments

[ghenry]

They are going to turn this girl's baby drama into a "prodigal daughter all is forgiven" scenario. Don't underestimate these people. There is something here we are missing and I am afraid it is going to explode anytime soon.

[Terriac]

His campaign is a train wreck. It's the Titanic. The only question is how long it manages to stay afloat. We're watching his campaign self-destruct before our very eyes.

[GLaB]

"The major issue here is McCain's age, 72, and his three bouts with cancer, which puts Palin but a heartbeat away from the Oval Office."

So, that's THE major issue, is it? You know, the last time a VP succeeded upon a President's death? - Barack Obama was crawling around in diapers; Sarah Palin wasn't even born yet.

Oh, and that President who died? He was THE YOUNGEST President, NOT THE OLDEST.

This is a non-issue.


"A testy McCain said last week that she's more qualified than Sen. Barack Obama, the Democrats' nominee, to be president. Unlike Palin, "he's never had one day of executive experience." Well Senator, neither have you." - Wrong. Simply wrong. John McCain was the decorated commander of a Naval Air Squadron, and that, sir, IS executive experience.

You REALLY should get out more, and read news from NON-LEFTWING BLOG sites.

[alphax]

JUST so you're aware there have been 6 instances in the last 50 years where a VEEP has stepped into the role of POTUS, and not on death!

2 x Cheney for GW Bush (whilst undergoing an operaton)
1 x GHW Bush for Reagan (whilst undergoing an operation)
3 x Nixon for Eisenhower (whilst he was suffering illness)

The question is what are the chances of McCain eithe being ill or needing an operation!

[GLaB]

What important decisions/crises were handled during those critical hours by the acting presidents?

If McCain lasts, say, 6 months before any such problem, wouldn't Palin's 6 months as President of the Senate and member of the National Security Council dwarf Obama's foreign policy experience?

[JaMar]

"She's Mike Huckabee with tits."

Brilliant, and truly, truly frightening.

[Yola]

There is an expression that goes something like this: "if you spit in the sky , it will fall right back in your eyes. That is what happened with McSame.

[Bobrobert]

Holy, holy holy.

Holy cow.

Religious fanatics might have some fun with this one.

[jsarets]

The Palin roll-out is either going much worse than the McCain campaign expected or much better. She's definitely sinking one of the campaigns, but I can't figure out which one just yet. I was leaning toward much better, but the succession thing and the pastor problem are causing me to lean back to much worse.

Palin is certainly causing a distraction (one of Obama's pet peeves) and shifting the media away from Obama and toward the McCain campaign. They were starving for media attention, and now they're not. They say any press is good press. We'll see how it plays out.

[AC500]

Country first? Instead, in his first most important decision as the Republican presidential nominee John McCain shafted the country and put his political ambition first ... the very thing he accused Obama of doing ... putting winning the election above the well-being and best interests of the country. The only qualification for Vice-President is that s/he be ready to take over as Commander and Chief should the need arise ... that's why there is an office of Vice-President ... What does McCain do? He gambles the potential leadership of the country ... the well-being, best interests and security of the country .... on someone who is dangerously under-qualified for the position. Country first? You tell me.

[jfor]

This whole mcpalin dilemma would fit into an episode of Northern Exposure.

[torrrep]

Sink his campaign? Are you joking? The only one I see sinking is Obama who once again proved he can't answer a question without the answer right in front of him on the screen. Ummmm.....ahhhhh....well...ahhhhh....ummmm.. ehhhhh. McCain will wipe the floor with him the debates and their is nothing Obama can do about it.

[Stefano]

I don't know, all this gloating over a 17 year old's pregnancy seems a little messed up to me. With all the things we can go after her about (trooper gate, NRA, etc), it seems like this may not be the best way to go on the attack. I really doubt she'll resign, that would basically mean McCain is done. He'll have to stick with her, and vice versa. So if we seem to be attacking her child (in reality, we're attacking hypocrisy, but thats not how they and the media will paint it), this could backfire.

[jeanrenoir]

Yeah, I was terrified when McCain brought out Erin Brockovich as his running mate Friday. I thought she was the perfect bait for the great unwashed, especially the Hillary's waitresses. I figured she was the latest, and best, in the Reagan-Bush-Palin line of candidates "just like us" the Republicans have been putting out there for decades. The intelligent people always guffaw, then the mob,who love the candidate for being as ignorant and mediocre as we are, gets offended at the insulting "elites," and the Republicans are again off to the races. In Obama's prophetic phrase, "Not this time!" This is clearly a teen uterus and a "fuc...n redneck!" too far. The stakes are too high after Bush's ruinous idiocy, and a solid majority of the country is not going to fall for this crap again. That said, McCain-Palin are a farce and their ticket is toast. In just a couple of days. What a fool McCain is!