Sunday Roundup

Picking Sarah Palin was clearly a Hail Mary pass. But the McCain campaign is tapping into an archetype that resonates deep in the human psyche. That of the unknown innocent plucked from obscurity and magnificently rising to the challenge. Hollywood has long recognized the appeal of this fantasy. Think Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, A Face in the Crowd, Dave, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. So in questioning Palin, it's not enough for Democrats to mock the smallness of Wasilla, Alaska or shout, "it's insulting," "it's ridiculous," "it's pathetic." They must make the case that given the gulf between the crises we face and her capacity to handle them, this is a truly dangerous choice. Forget Dan Quayle. Palin is more Harriet Miers -- chosen for all the wrong reasons, and glaringly not up to the task. Maybe an anxious nation can offer John McCain a do-over.

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

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Comments

[AndyKlein]

>>Think Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, A Face in the Crowd, Dave, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.

Er...one of these is not like the others. Unless my memory is worse than I thought, A Face in the Crowd has more or less the opposite message -- you pluck someone from obscurity, help make them famous, and then realize -- when it's almost too late -- that you have enabled the fascist authoriarian within them to project his worldview on the political system.

[TreesPlease]

Is History Siding With Obama’s Economic Plan?
"The two Great Partisan Divides combine to suggest that, if history is a guide, an Obama victory in November would lead to faster economic growth with less inequality, while a McCain victory would lead to slower economic growth with more inequality. Which part of the Obama menu don’t you like?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/business/31view.html?em

[timetorevolt]

Insulting to women. They are trying to appeal to the so called 'working class white women' . But if these women vote against their interest again, they deserve what they get..

Minimun wage jobs with no insurance
Unaffordable Child Care
In adequate access to Health Care for children
Unable to afford a higher edcation for theit children
Substandard education for their children
Supreme Court over turning Roe vs Wade
Increase homelesness among this group etc....

Somebody needs to educate these women.

[adled]

Harriet Myers was a light weight. What ever you think of Palin, she ain't going to rollover and weep into her pillow. Like it or not she's a tough cookie and she's got to get punched between the eyes with her glasses on.

[Anthrofreak]

Our country needs more than "tough cookie" They need a proven, vetted LEADER who is right on all the major issues facing our country and the world. OBAMA/BIDEN 08!!!

[CactusTom]

I love the Harriet Miers theme best. Makes her look like a real zero.

[Marilu1701]

LOL. As a McCain supporter, that's been my fantasy ever since the announcement--A do-over!!
As for you Dems, you must be laughing your butts off, or running scared. After all, Bush 43 did get re-elected.

[ElectronoftheOne]

I think "scared" would be an appropriate bi-partisan reaction to the thought of Sarah Palin as the person who is just a heartbeat away from a Presidency occupied by a 72-year-old recurrent melanoma survivor. Marilu, why would you continue to support a candidate who demonstrated that kind of judgment in his choice of a vice presidential candidate?

Imagine a world beyond Bush/Cheney in which respect is restored to our national image; the national deficit begins to move back in the direction of the surplus we enjoyed before this administration took over, we're not afraid we'll die of some dreadful disease if we get laid off from our jobs and lose our health care, our children can go to college without incurring lifelong debt, social security is there when we need it.

Imagine our lives when clean, domestically generated energy keeps our dollars out of the hands of hostile oil-producing countries while helping to create new "green collar" industries and jobs while reversing the effects of fossil fuel pollution. Imagine war veterans being treated like the heroes they are, and fewer wars because we no longer need to fight over securing oil resources, and we have respected diplomats resolving foreign conflicts before they can escalate to hostilities. Imagine everyone having adequate housing, healthcare, and nutrition.

Why would anyone not support a candidate who asks for a chance to bring these things about?

[BillyJesus]

Women need to look at Sarah Palin and realize that she could set back women's rights by decades. She is against birth control and against abortion. She believes that even in the case of incest or rape that the woman should carry the child to term, including her own daughter if raped. Even among pro-life women, when they look at their 14 year old daughter and ponder that scenario, would have problems putting that to the test in real life. With the balance of the Supreme Court hanging by a thread, we only have one chance to get this right. And she wants to privatize medicine in this country. Someone should ask her what she would have done with four children and a down syndrome child on the way, without health insurance. The way she speaks, with that kind of self righeousness that the religious right posseses should scare every woman in this country who cares about reproductive choice and health insurance for all.

[INTUITE]

I have a question. Does anyone know how often Palin has been out of the United States, the extent of her foreign travel? When in Pa. she was thrilled to be in another part of the country.

[mdey]

She doesn't have a passport.

[nanton29]

Correction: Palin does have a passport, however she only received her first passport last year(2007), think about this for a second, Your kid who's been going away every year for camps or some sort of student exchange has accumulated more frequent flyer miles than her.

[BillyJesus]

The first thing I thought of when I saw John McCain's VP pick of Sarah Palin, was that this was another Harriet Miers. Yes, an attractive person with a professional career and a resume, but not fit for the Supreme Court. The highest bar must be set for these positions. This woman is dangerous to our country. She represents the extreme right wing of this country, and by choosing her, we are going back in time to the 80's to fight the culture wars of Gary Bauer and the Christian Coalition, while Barack Obama will reach into the future and take America into the next century. She is for drilling in ANWR, pro-life with no exception for rape or incest (she would force her own daughter to carry a child if raped) and has no experience in foreign policy. The mainstream media should not go lightly when claims and screams of 'sexism" occur with any slight scrutiny that is legitimate. They need to uncover who she is and let Americans know what will happen if she is indeed a heartbeat away from the Presidency. With McCain turning 72, it is a totaly possibility.

[thepathforward]

I can’t help but believe that this decision by Sen. McCain relative to his VP selection is on the par of President Bush having selected in the past Michael Brown to head FEMA, relative to lack of preparedness for the (critical) position. It seems to me to speak loudly that this selection was primarily politically motivated and perception based, and therefore IMO displays questionable Presidenti­al/decisio­n making skills by Sen. McCain.

Gov. Palin’s lack of large scale domestic experience, and completely void international experience and knowledge, lack of visibility on the world stage, and associated overall inexperience and un-preparedness (and objectively weak political resume) relative to being (by one heartbeat) a potential successor to the US Presidency, is IMO frightening in terms of national leadership readiness relative to potential US Presidency succession.

[MadeinAmericaProud]

If the Democratic party to include anyone thinking to run to McCain just because they cannot ever think of voting for a black skin man, must truly also remember the immediate action McCain/Palin win will do,

PARDON BUSH AND ALL HIS STAFF

Work hard for Obama/Biden, because they will have an opportunity to investigate with a better justice department, GAO, and IG to bring it all out in the open and adjust the FISA bill.

[GSMRaleigh]

I was an ardent Hillary supporter.­..didn't want Obama to get the nomination, etc. I even considered for a short time of just not voting. This has changed my mind. In fact, I think I might help register voters in areas whose residents are likely to vote for Obama.

[curocat]

McCain will seal the Bush/Cheney/ Gonzales records just like Bush sealed his fathers records...

[RobVukovic]

So I would submit that the real issue for debate is not whom, we as individuals we deem to be the best qualified as our criteria differs dramatically from one citizen to the next. The real question is, are we as a nation of diverse backgrounds, priorities and opinions, qualified to make the determination as to who will best lead us. And if we happen to be wrong are we capable of admitting our mistake and fixing it. I think so. We've proved that many times over.

[UrbanRevolution]

not the last 2 elections.

[GhiaccioPronto]

Other than being a female, I don't get the repeated comparisons to Harriet Miers, Bush's ancient loyal retainer, in fact their careers chart near opposite courses. Palin is a phenom in her own right, defeating the old boy network in both her own, and then the democratic party, in her meteoric rise to the become governor of a state, with a population only slightly smaller than the one Biden represents in the senate. That said, her solution to everything, up till now, seems to be to drill more holes in Alaska.

[ArtistinNY]

I believe that the comparisons refer to the lack of suitability for the position that is up for consideration based on qualifications.
Harriet Miers = unsuitable for the Supreme Court
Sarah Palin = unsuitable for the VP or the Pres.(of which she could imaginably become).

[GhiaccioPronto]

Harriet Meirs = Lifelong Bush flunky

Sarah Palin = barely known renegade provincialist

[BillyJesus]

Ghiaccio
Harriet Miers was average. AVERAGE. NOT FIT TO BE A SUPREME COURT NOMINEE. Nor is Sarah Palin fit to be considered VP. That is the Harriet Miers comparison.

[votedem08]

The similarity is that Bush,Cheney and McCain all consistently value politics over experience -- as long as Palin has the "correct" stand on the issues (like Meyers, Brownie,and the bible-thumpers hired into the Justice Dept.), they consider her qualifications and experience irrelevant. I used to think that McCain was a patriot with whom I respectfully disagreed. Now it is clear that he is a Rovean political hack who values winning the election over doing what is right for the country.

[TRWSEW]

You're right on. And I'm SICK of hearing the Senator from Delaware keep saying he's from Scranton, PA. What a spin. And I know he was born there. Why isn't he a Senator from PENNSYLVANIA????? Cause they wouldn't elect a liberal like him..that'­s why. And PA wont elect the 2 most liberal Senators to the presidency either.

I hope all you people from PA realize Biden is just playing you for ignorant people.

And of course: Mr. BO really wants all you down and out weak PA people to "cling to your guns and religion"

[Rodemeyer]

What a thick skull you have as you know nothing but the past and all the mistakes that the self centered republicans have made these last eight years. They are for free market. Read the Newsweek. We are victims instead of beneficiaries. All the other countries have used us and spit us out. They have better infrastructure and a stronger economies so that is why the foreign countries are buying us out. Now, here, you have a beauty queen who thinks she can save America. She is an insult to women. What about women who are prregnant and find out they have a retarded child with no health insurance or a woman gets raped. Sarah does not care. She is a radical right and she would be a put down to women's rights. We would be going backwards because of her antiquated thinking. You better wise up and stop looking at her good looks and think with your cerebral head.
McCain according to him is number one, Sarah is number two and the country is last..

[ElectronoftheOne]

I think the similarity must go something like this: Harriet Miers, with no experience as a judge, made Samuel Alito look good by comparison, and Sarah Palin will make Romney look good by comparison. Meanwhile, McCain's Palin pick stole the headlines from Obama's acceptance speech, garnered some evangelical support, and (theoretically, at least), demonstrated that McCain is not sexist. The strategists' aim is that now "an anxious nation can offer McCain a do-over"; then Palin will be back in Alaska before you can say, "Yup yup."

[SheriChardonnay]

You would think the GOP would have learned their lessons of the past, like when they picked harriet miers...bu­t no I for got Its the GOP.

[dignityandhonor]

Saw a frightening montage of women voters in Pennsylvania on one of the networks and the numbskullness (I know, not a word) of these people was staggering. One lady gushed that Palin was "just like her" and "had a family and stuff" and "seemed so down to earth". Next time, maybe the republicans can just pick the person standing closest to the White House to be VP. The DNC needs to take a play from the Bernard Fife playbook and "nip this thing in the bud".

[matandch]

Dems need up the ante: announce that Michel Phelps would be their nominee for Secretary of State should they win.

[princessofnowt]

True.
I heard the same reaction from someone who follows just enough for the soundbites.
I heard 'Hell yeah! Take that Obama! '

Its a numbers game how many dupes vs how many know what they are talking about.
Who would you guess has a better handle on the stats? And failing that, who has a better handle on the actual machines..­..