Here’s the good news: Sarah Palin is so good-looking, dynamic and charismatic that she could easily star in her own TV show about someone like….well….Sarah Palin.
(Geena Davis in “Commander in Chief” was just fine, but if I were a network exec, I’d buy the Sarah Palin Show first in a heartbeat.)
And speaking of heartbeats…..
…Here’s the bad news: remember that thingy that the Republicans have been pushing about Barack Obama not being ready to be President? Well, that’s out the window.
Good luck making that argument again, guys.
Undoubtedly Palin’s entry as VP nominee will make for a far, far more interesting race.
She’s extremely likeable, gutsy, interesting and smart… and it was smart and classy of her to bring up Geraldine Ferraro and, even more so, Hillary Clinton. (And as one of the commenters below notes, a blatant political ploy. But still a classy one.)
She defines the term Bold Choice. And she helps shore up the “family gap.” She can’t out cute the cumulative cuteness factor of the Dem ticket families, but her family helps bridge the chasm.
But will Sarah Palin help John McCain win? My opinion: In a word: No.
Bottom line: Sarah Palin is a great choice for reality TV. Heartbeat away from the president? Not so much.
UPDATE: This is the email I just got from a smart writer friend of mine. It speaks for itself:
Admittedly I’m a little sleepy and the TV’s muted, but did John McCain just pick Tina Fey as his Vice Presidential running mate?! Did “Saturday Night Live” somehow manage to pull off interrupting every morning news program and run a spoof on the serious business of who will be a heartbeat away from the Presidency if something happens to, as Paris Hilton put it, “The old white guy…” on his 72nd b’day?
UPDATE 2: Marc Cooper calls this for the stunt that it is.
Nothing against Palin, you understand, I rather like her in spite of her gas and oil shilling, but this is definitely stunt casting.
I think Michael Palin is an excellent choice. He will bring humour and creativity to the otherwise stoggy campaign style of McCain. And he will help with the British vote which has always been undervalued.
“…and it was very classy of her to bring up Geraldine Palin and, even more so, Hillary Clinton.”
Well of course she said that, she was fishing for Hillary supporters. Like giving a bowl of milk to a kitten. People can see through that, dear.
My take, yes of course it was political, but it also came across as natural. But do I think it’ll work? Not at all.
Celeste, sorry for sounding gruff. I just feared people wouldn’t see it as “political.”
See, my first thought was: Huh, they got Mariska Hargitay to run for VP. My second was: And somewhere Dan Quayle finally sighs with relief, his long national nightmare over.
Celeste, you are right. I also don’t think Sarah Palin will help John McCain win. Even a Romney/Palin ticket would have been better and stronger for the Republicans. This ticket is lackluster, dull, and just looks plain uncomfortable.
Why do people think that women voters will now suddenly vote for McCain simply because he chose a woman as his VP running mate? Are we women so easy to sway that we will simply vote for someone because of their sex? Can we get just a LITTLE more credit here? Women will vote for who they think is the right choice (Democrate or Republican) and they will base it on their own intellectual thoughts and on the issues, not the sex of the candidate. Quite frankly, I feel like the whole choice is a little condescending…
I see, Celeste. This would “only work” if Democrats did it, because they choose women who hate men and love abortions, which makes them real women.
I think this pick just ends up making Obama’s choice of Biden look that much better. And I think it will end up reminding everybody of McCain’s occasional nasty comments about his wife.
And Tod: I think George Bush Sr. chose Dan Quayle because he reminded him of his son.
Now we’re seeing liberal women get really catty over a Republican female candidate who is prettier and smarter than them. (Celeste excepted.)
McCain and the Republicans have been drinking their own Kool-Aid. Do they really think that Democratic women who backed Hillary will vote for a Republican old white man instead because his running mate is a woman, and that they will do this instead of considering the issues? It’s almost as if the future of the United States doesn’t really matter here — what really matters is that a woman is a VP!
He’s been trying to make something of the fact that women were glad to see Hillary Clinton nearly win the Democratic nomination and they are sorry she didn’t get the nomination. I think he really insults women by thinking they would vote based on sex rather than substance. And I don’t think Democratic women will be the only ones who are insulted. Republican women must feel manipulated and used too.
Did anyone find it creepy that McCain stood hovering around her throughout her speech? Couldn’t he have stepped back and let her have the stage to herself?
What really irks me is that some are heralding this as a great moment in “cracking that glass ceiling.” Well, it’s not. It’s not because, unlike Palin, Obama earned his glass ceiling moment by actually winning all his votes and reached his position based on his own performance and accomplishments. Palin, as cute as she may be, was simply selected in a true move of desperation. So much for being anti-affirmative action, Republicans.
Thank you Shannon! I hope we hear from more women like you because I have a concern that other women may fall for McCain’s trick. The Republicans are at it again.
Gov. Palin is a beautiful woman and she’s made tremendous accomplishments during her short period in government. However, she would not be my choice to lead this country if something happens to the president. It appears that Sen. McCain selected a running mate in hopes to win the election without thinking or considering the safety of this country.
“Did anyone find it creepy that McCain stood hovering around her throughout her speech? Couldn’t he have stepped back and let her have the stage to herself?”
Zach, I caught it too. Everything about this ticket looks uncomfortable, stressful, or bothersome.
You gals remind me of some women working for me who drove me crazy. Finally, I told them that they were going to have to report to the Office Manager. One by one, they told me that they are not going to report to her or to any woman, in fact. Your petty jealousies are a sight to behold.
Really amazing stuff from Woody. Just imagine if Obama had picked someone with a year and a half as a state governor. No don’t – because he would be all over this site with snarks if Barack had gone with Katherine Sibelius who has far more experience than the ex-beauty queen from the frozen North.
But Palin, lets see:
1. she’s anti-choice
2. favors teaching creationism in the schools
3. did i mention she is a shill for the oil companies
4. she defends Ted Stephens
5. She is under investigation for improperly firing state workers.
Assuming our media isn’t completely in the tank for big John this is such a joke that all the Woodster looks like now is one of those old hacks from the Gus Hall CPUSA defending whatever indefensible line the Kremlim was pushing this week!
At the end of the day, Token Sarah joins Trophy Cindy in a gaggle of girls who happen to be in the right place at the right time for the always opportunistic and the always pandering McCain. Yawn.
38 Million Viewed Obama’s Speech; Highest-Rated Convention In History.
MSNBC poll
What do you think of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate? * 490017 responses
Sarah Palin is the best choice for the job.
50%
McCain should have picked someone else.
50%
Funny how Zach condemns Cindy and Palin as Trophy Girls, even though Cindy’s a U of Spoiled Children Grad just like Celeste’s students posting here (Zach?) and Palin’s running a macho state. (Putting down SC that way has been common for those going through the competitive schools, but kind of hypocritical here.) News flash: You’re not automatically dumb if you’re pretty or rich; in fact, that’s a major kind of sexism that still remains and which many of us are still battling. (On the other hand, a man who’s good-looking, well-educated and rich is just “lucky.”)
Having said this, I don’t know enough about Palin to know just how smart she is or if she can handle the job, and I’m put off by a woman with an anti-choice stance. I also have reservations about a woman in her mid-forties choosing to have a child knowing it has Down’s syndrome — most women in her situation would choose not to after having an amnio in the first 6 weeks. Making this choice places a huge burden on the healthcare and educational systems, but granted, far less than collectively, all the kids born to illegals who’re keeping LAUSD and our local economy in the failure zone. (No one will raise this issue, though — it would lose the Democrats a lot of votes — but it’ll be there in the minds of pro-choice feminists she’s ostensibly gunning for, pun intented.)
But then Obama was selected over Hillary because of his age and DNA, too — his experience is nominally longer, but a Governor has to balance a budget whereas he’s been able to vote for greater spending and taxes and then blame Bush for it all, when in fact both parties share the blame. If she can improve her image like Michelle did overnight, and prove a smooth orator, they’ve got a good shot at the undecideds.
OK let me get this straight, break it on down for me.
If the old geezer McSame kicks the bucket, the US ends up with a President who is an ex beauty queen contestant, who likes to hunt moose in the morning, who is for creationism and prayer in the public schools, is anti gay or at least anti gay marriage, has less than two years experience as governor of the least populated state in the union, This governor and now VP candidate calls herself a pro life anti abortion rights feminist, huh?
And drives a snowmobile!
And to boot, Sarah Palin as governor is under investigation by the state ethics committee for firing a public employee for not firing another public employee who was the governors brother in law (or ex brother in law?) for supposedly punching or abusing the governors sister, while in some sort of a marital dispute. Say Whaaat?
But McSames real cherry on the cake is that Palin is a pro drilling, pro big oil, pro drill in ANWAR National Preserve, pro tax breaks for big oil zealot, and whose husband by the way, works for an Oil Company in Alaska.
So in conclusion I guess if the old geezer does kick the bucket anytime soon we will end up with an out of touch, almost completely inexperienced, ex beauty queen contestant as the leader of the the most powerful military and economic power in the world. Help!!
But on the other hand, if the old geezer makes an early exit then the same big oil, big profit, big influence, corporate robber barons will have their gal in the big white house, and everything will be hunky dory for them and it will be business as usual (as in the last eight years), and while President Sarah Palin goes Moose hunting or snowmobile riding the oil and money will just keep flowing through the pipelines.
Hep Me Lawd!
Lack of experience on Governor Palin’s side doesn’t quite cover it. If the Obama campaign cares to dig, this reveals more about McCain’s judgement, character and cynical side than everything which has come before. Plenty of material for the next two months.
Palin has run a business and killed a moose. That makes her more qualified than Obama.
the US ends up with a President who is an ex beauty queen contestant, who likes to hunt moose in the morning, who is for creationism and prayer in the public schools, is anti gay or at least anti gay marriage, has less than two years experience as governor of the least populated state in the union,
Kind of sounds like the female equivalent of a once popular California governor, doesn’t it?