I am not doing this to appease Hillary Clinton’s supporters.
This is utter misogyny.
Nothing tops The New Republic’s blog, The Plank:
The selection of Palin doesn’t simply, as others have pointed out, undermine the notion that Obama is too inexperienced to be president; it gives Obama the chance to actually take the edge on national security while making John McCain’s age a central issue of the campaign.
Whatever the political calculations involved in picking a veep, the most important qualification for the vice presidency is the ability to assume the presidency in a crisis. Given that of the last 12 presidents, three have either died or resigned, this is hardly a hypothetical consideration…Could Sarah Palin conceivably manage this task?
I’m going to try to use language acceptable for a PG-rated blog: how dare they? How dare they unabashedly support a man who has spent his entire Senate tenure running for president and accept it as axiomatic that he is prepared to be commander-in-chief, all the while criticizing a woman who is unquestionably more experienced than Barack Obama? Sarah Palin has executive experience as governor, served on an energy commission, governed a town, has fought corruption all of her career, and by all indications is intelligent and thoughtful. And these people have the gall to question whether Sarah Palin — our vice-presidential nominee — is ready to serve as president when she isn’t even running for the post, all the while supporting Barack Obama? And moreover, they state that Palin gives Obama the national security edge?! How!?
This is utterly blatant misogyny. There is no other possible explanation.
UPDATE: Some of you think I am overreacting. I am not. Would a man have faced such criticism from the left? We already have our answer: No, he did not.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
thanks for the memories barack. i hope i never have to hear of you ever again unless it’s in the same breathe as ‘walter mondale’.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DygBj4Zw6No
August 30th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Day two of the internets and punditry abuzz about Saracuda.
When is that Democratic convention? Next month?
August 30th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
This is getting ridiculous. This is not about gender. You people sound like whiny Democrats.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Can you provide another explanation, then, Big S, for the blog’s simultaneous unabashed support for Obama and criticism of Palin’s credentials?
August 30th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
What is the explanation for Obama to vet Kaine and then say this crap about Palin?
Obama has 140 working days in the Senate. I’ll take a two year governor with accomplishments over the 140 working day senator with none any day of the year, and I hope to see a McCain commercial saying the same thing soon.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Obama’s been running for president since he was elected. He only came to the Senate to run for president.
Palin went to the state house to get something done.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Nice photos of the McCain family on the McCainBlogette BUT why wasn’t their daughter Bridgette there
with them??
August 30th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Big S. You are so full of it as usual.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
my guess is High School just started up again.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
by the way has the 5pm Event started? CNN Live Video has nothing
August 30th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Don’t do this. Don’t take every criticism and call it “sexism” and “misogyny”. The real thing is bad enough – to throw it out any time there is criticism diminishes the real thing.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
“Sarah Palin has executive experience as governor, served on an energy commission, governed a town, has fought corruption all of her career, and by all indications is intelligent and thoughtful.”
– 20 months as governor of a state with an annual GDP of 44.5 Million (compare to Giuliani’s NYC GDP of 1.1 Trillion)
– One year as ethics commissioner of Alaska’s oil and gas conservation committee (Alaska’s mini-MMS)
– Six years as mayor of Wasilla where she was CiC of all 20 police officers
Forget Obama and comparing resumes. This is complete nonsense and she has no business running for a job that has one real requirement: the ability to take over as President of the United States immediately.
She seems like a nice person with a lot of potential, but that’s about it. What the hell is McCain thinking??!!
August 30th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Argh. Second time it ate my post.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Don’t do this. Don’t take every criticism and call it “sexism” and “misogyny”. The real thing is bad enough – to throw it out any time there is criticism diminishes the real thing.
Then what’s your explanation? Would a man be facing such criticism? We already have our answer: No. He did not. He is on the top of the Democratic ticket.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
“Would a man be facing such criticism? We already have our answer: No.”
What are you smoking?? ‘Not ready to lead’ has been the Obama mantra of Team McCain all summer. And with good reason.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Then what’s your explanation? Would a man be facing such criticism?
Take that a step back, Alex. Would a man even be on the ticket with such a thin resume? We already have our answer. No. He would not. You are trying to put lipstick on a pig here and I totally resent your calling criticism of Palin sexism and misogyny. How old are you? You seem like you’re about 14.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
BigS, at first I thought that Hillary’s supporters were just being whiny about the misogyny of the MSM , the Dem leadership and talking heads but then I started to listen to their words and sure enough it was loaded with gender negative words that are not used to describe men. The very same thing is happening again with Palin. The MSM, the Dem leadership and talking heads need to wise up and cut this out or more Hillary supporters will bail on the Dems and cross over and vote for McCain\Palin.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
#16
Absolutely 100% correct.
Also, I think he’s 18.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
How can you say Obama hasn’t been criticized for not being ready? That’s the other piece of stupidity about this pick – McCain just threw away his big stick of attack.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
16&18 – couldn’t agree more. You cannot make the case that she was the right choice for McCain without referencing gender somehow, and that’s what’s infuriating people more than anything else.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Big S and Bill C. Yes, you may not like Palin as vice president but there is no way you can denie how much more enthusatic the conservative base is at this point. Dr. Jim Dobson, a man who holds sway of many opnions in this country is now supporting McCain instead of reluctanly putting him down. Come on guys, let the guys be dissidents but let’s not think that Palin didn’t do anything either.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Big S, please go here > http://www.dailykos.com/
We will see you in 8 years.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Ok it does not start to 6pm
August 30th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Brendan – absolutely this fired up the base. But I think she could turn off more moderate undecideds so I’m not sure what the trade off is, if any.
Kristofer- is that your answer to anyone who disagrees with you? Ban them or tell them to leave so you can exist in an echo chamber?
August 30th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Obama has not been criticized for not being ready by these same people criticizing Sarah Palin!
You’re totally misunderstanding me.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
#21
The “conservative base” of the Republican party is about 20% of the electorate. There are moderate Republicans, independents, Democrats, and others that also need to be convinced to vote for John McCain. The first polling results are not very good (see the Rasmussen split of 3:1 for Obama since Palin in the last thread!), and will only get worse once things like her Buchananite past and Troopergate come out.
Ugh. I was really hoping for McCain to win this election, but it looks like he’s throwing it away to appease the “base”.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Bug S, then if you have nothing else to add….leave.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
#21. No doubt she has excited some people. So has Obama. What’s your point?
August 30th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
28 – Because Palin is OUR #2 and Obama is THEIR #1, trying to be Commander-in-Chief RIGHT AWAY.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I am not a supporters of Christian Conservatism, but if we cannot get them out in force, we will be defeated.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
This is interesting about how events leading up to the decision. Apparently McCain really wanted Lieberman – he was the guy until aids convinced him to go with Palin. Pawlenty was deemd “too safe.” Who was it that was on the conference call with Pawlenty and said he seemed really discouraged. I think he was really led to believe he was going to be the guy, thus his crestfallen demeanor.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
You can’t go after both the moderates and the Dobson followers. It’s either or and I guess those dice have been thrown.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
#27
Here’s something else I have to add – Troopergate!
I’d like to see the talking points you guys can come up with, because the Republican party is going to need them.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
#27 – Let’s not have any of that. Big S has made very legitimate arguments and pointed to weaknesses in have Palin as the VP – I was less than enthuised about Palin for many of the same reasons that Big S has pointed out – but after having a day to mull it over I see it differently and see it as very strategic political move.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
“Obama has not been criticized for not being ready by these same people criticizing Sarah Palin!
You’re totally misunderstanding me.”
Misogynists? Maybe, but it could be they’re just complete hypocrites and partisans. Want to put you on the record here Alex. Do you think Palin’s ready to be POTUS?
August 30th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Big S, are you going to be doing this for the next two months and ruin this site?
August 30th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
#35 – From what I’ve seen of her, and from what I know of her record, I haven’t seen any indication that she’s not ready to be the POTUS – she’s an excellent speaker, a great communicator, much, much better than Bush – looks good on camera – handles the press well – and is conservative – yeah, I think she is ready?
August 30th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Bill C., Obama’s issue is that he has done NOTHING!, has not experience at running anything, or taking political risks! Nothing! He has poor judgement.
Obama = tax everybody and everything, no energy plan, wrong on foreign policy, wrong on trade, and he has shown poor leadership by going back on his word on campaign funding and debating McCain!
August 30th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
#36
Consider me an asset – I’m giving you people a heads up about the negative stuff coming down the pike. It seems your only response is to hope for me to leave the site, which does not instill confidence in your ability to defend Palin from such criticism.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
#37 – ready. #36 – Can’t you defend your positions and handle some criticism of your candidate – don’t be a girlyman – let Big S make her points and offer a counter argument or, if you don’t have one, concede the argument.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
http://kdka.com/
August 30th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Massive McCain-Palin rally live.
http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/36791/5m/cbslocalimg.dayport.com/htm/DayPortCBSPlayer.html?categoryID=9,48,41,55,33,8,7,44,71,42,13,6,58,49,46,14,65,51,21&limit=10&articleID=11767@kdka.dayport.com&adInsertionInterval=2&bannerAdConDefID=15&defaultPreviewImage=http%3A//cdn.dayport.com/vlnimg/img/PartnerPlayer/samplepreviewimage.jpg&domain=kdka.dayport.com&imageDomain=cdn.dayport.com/kdkaimg&limit_default=10&conDefID=6&videoAdObjectID=14&logoAdConDefID=5&logoAdObjDefID=13&hitboxAccountID=DM530703N7WS&hitboxDomain=kdka.com&siteName=KDKA%20TV&callLetters=KDKA&isLiveStream=true&version=20071003
August 30th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
are you guys watching the rally in PA? Look at the crowd!
August 30th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Damn Ridge is pretty damn good.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Misogynists? Maybe, but it could be they’re just complete hypocrites and partisans. Want to put you on the record here Alex. Do you think Palin’s ready to be POTUS?
I am undecided.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Do you hear them, “Sarah, Sarah, Sarah!”
August 30th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
McCain sounds like a populist. He’s good at that. He’s the Harry Truman of this election.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
It’s the same speech from yesterday. Couldn’t they have written a new speech for her? I wanted her to come out swinging. I wanted her to attack Obama/Biden.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I can’t post anything
August 30th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Calling this misogyny is just the same as calling many comments on here bigotry when they speak against candidates like Romney. I’m surprised at you, Alex.
It definitely *is* possible that those comments have a misogynistic intent; but there’s no way to tell from the comments themselves; this is probably the same with a lot of the anti-Romney comments here: the authors may indeed be bigots but you can’t always tell from the comments!
August 30th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
#38. I agree with you. Trust me, I’m not trying to prop up Obama by putting down Palin. It’s just that I think both aren’t qualified to be POTUS. That said, I’ll still be pulling the lever for McCain this fall, just doing it with a prayer that he’s able to finish his term.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
#39 – Thanks for being here. I completely disagree with you on Palin, but thanks to your posts (and those of many others), I’ve been mentally drafting and sharpening my defenses of this pick. Love the selection or not, we’re going to have to be much, much more precise and articulate in defending this pick than, say, Romney, Pawlenty, or Ridge. One of the problems of this pick is that it’s easier for a surrogate who’s having an off day to really cause damage by stumbling. You’ve gotta have sharp, instant responses ready to questions about Palin’s resume.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Calling this misogyny is just the same as calling many comments on here bigotry when they speak against candidates like Romney. I’m surprised at you, Alex.
Huh? No it isn’t! There is no double-standard against Romney!
There is a clear double-standard against Palin, here!
August 30th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Would I have a problem with Palin becoming President? No, because she’s not beholden to a bunch of Beltway establishment types exercising their soft influence.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
“I’m going to try to use language acceptable for a PG-rated blog: how dare they?” Now that was funny.
You’ve got a good dry sense of humor, Alex.
August 30th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Ambers is running a contest on the official ticket designs in his (rarely opened) comments (not always safe for work):
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/08/the_tickets_iconography_compar.php
August 30th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Doesn’t Gov. Tim Kaine has a resume as thin as Palin? And if so, why did Obama even bother to vet him?
August 30th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
The spam filter is making this site really unpleasant.
August 30th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Alex,
You think this is sexist? You should visit the more insane lefty blogs. You have folks on dailykos writing diaries describing her as “a tro*lop*”. You have comments where folks are musing about whether Palin is qualified enough to “wash their dishes”. You have multiple MSM commentators wondering why she’s not “staying home with her baby” (i.e, women must be chained to the stove at all times). Trap. Trap. Trap. Just stay on your toes for a 3-4 weeks Sarah, and we’re home free.
August 30th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Funny (but beware if you are easily offended): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qUVQDmLf7s
August 30th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
The Democratic Party, the MSM, the Kool Aid drunks and Nut Roots are all part and parcel of a mysoginist campaign against Gov. Sarah Palin.
She has more executive experience that B. Hussein Obama and Uncle Joe Bin Biden put together!!!
Their sexist rhetoric and condescending behavior would make even the Saudi Mutaween (religious police) and Mullah Omar blush…
August 30th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
You think this is sexist? You should visit the more insane lefty blogs. You have folks on dailykos writing diaries describing her as “a tro*lop*”. You have comments where folks are musing about whether Palin is qualified enough to “wash their dishes”. You have multiple MSM commentators wondering why she’s not “staying home with her baby” (i.e, women must be chained to the stove at all times). Trap. Trap. Trap. Just stay on your toes for a 3-4 weeks Sarah, and we’re home free.
I’m only going to discuss mainstream commenters, though. I’m not one of the O’Reilly types that goes looking for the nuttiest anonymous people out there.
August 30th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Alex,
I think diarists at DailyKos are only slightly less mainstream then TNR. But, I take your point about random comments.
August 30th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I don’t agree that the attacks are inherently misogynistic, just anti-Republican. No matter who McCain picked, we would seeing articles on how the pick completely undermined some position of McCain’s, how it emphasizes his age, etc.
The attacks we need to watch for, and jump on, are the ones that can ONLY be applied to a woman. And if you want to limit yourself to mainstream commentators, that like means accusations of pandering. I’ve been following this blog for over a year, and I know Palin’s has come up long before the Dems chose Obama over Hillary, and certainly long before Obama chose Biden over Hillary.
August 30th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
MetroRepublican, that was funny.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Zogby_Palin_Gives_McCain/2008/08/30/126447.html
August 30th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Zogby has McCain up
August 30th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
If a few mild comments about Sarah Palin bother you guys, you better stock up on some serious medication over the next few weeks. Because,
An “Army ” of Democrats and sympathizers in the media are about to descend on tiny Wasilla and Juneau looking for every bit of information about her term as Mayor, the Sports Complex, the budget overruns, the Canadian Gas pipeline, Troopergate 2 or 3 or
whatever they can make of it, her sister Molly, and every bit of information about her family and her life story. They may find nothing. I hope they don’t, but they will really, really try hard, while Sarah is on the road in the lower 48.
And nobody, including John McCain has a clue how she will handle this 24X7 media overload in the lower 48 campaign while the pressure is leveled in Alaska a few thousand miles away, not to mention the attacks that are coming from the Dems.
McCain must be curious how Sarah will stand up because his Presidency chances await the results. Sarah Palin may be all that everybody hopes …but nobody knows. Certainly the least known of the VP options and probably the least known to McCain.
A high risk, one time, bet the house play with zero margin for mistakes.
We’ll see
August 30th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Why aren’t my comments being posted?
August 30th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Alex, I like you so much better now that you’re railing about something other than Mitt Romney.
Good post.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Alex must have got to management – but perhaps someone can ask him why he was so anti Tim Kaine if experience doesn’t matter for a VP?
Hands up how many Palin supporters where ridiculing Kaine when he was under consideration?
Be honest now.
August 30th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
I wasn’t “anti-Tim Kaine”. I said that he was not going to be Obama’s VP, and that if we did have an Obama-Kaine ticket, then we’d have a scarily unprepared ticket without an accomplishment to its name.
Hell, at least Palin’s accomplished something. But either way, she’s IN THE NUMBER TWO SLOT. So come on, now!
If we’d had a Warner-Obama ticket, I’d have understood. Clinton-Obama. Bayh-Obama. Obama would have been an acceptable vice-president.
But Obama is their #1 guy!
August 30th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Besides, by the left and Obama’s logic, if something happens to McCain, she’ll just name a Joe Biden to be VP and that’ll cover nat’l security.
Heck, she could even bring back Cheney to be VP to cover nat’l security.
She’d have Lieberman and Ridge in the cabinet, Petraeus at CentCom access to Rice, Powell, Cheney and all the Bush people, input from the Senate(FR chairman Biden), it’s not like she’d be all alone.
Even if she was, she cant be any worse than Obama.
The problem with Kaine was that Obama had no experience either. If Wesley Clark or Bill Richardson picked Kaine, no one would really care.
August 30th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
jim, right.
Kaine was a poor choice…FOR OBAMA. A Clinton/Kaine ticket would have been acceptable.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:34 am
Metro thanks for the good laugh with that video.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:05 am
Alan Colmes Says Palin’s Neglect Caused Down’s Syndrome Birth-
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/warner-todd-huston/2008/08/31/stooping-lowest-level-democratic-claim-palins-faked-pregnancy-ga#comments
He should be fired from FNC