Palin: Good or Bad Choice

[True Democrat]

It's your choose.

I personally say help, if only for the unconventional factor.

[Hashemite]

What's her experience except for being Governor since '06?

[True Democrat]

What's her experience except for being Governor since '06?

Not much.  Mayor of Wasilla.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

Help, but not significantly.  VP picks this year seem to be theme-builders, not really blockbusters.

[WalterMitty]

ill reserve judgment for now.

i will say i wouldnt have voted for her for governor.  i would have voted for the independent republican running.

[CPT MikeyMike]

It's something different, which McCain needs. Does it help or hurt him? Probably neither.

[Grumps]

At 72 years old for McCain, President Palin is not out of the question, and I'm not totally comfortable with that.

[All life is a blur of Republicans and meat.]

I don't really know yet. I really don't expect any intial bounce from the pick.

[Sam Spade]

I'm going to tentatively say good - though honestly I have never seen her speak, which means a lot in my book.

[Ebowed]

At 72 years old for McCain, President Palin is not out of the question, and I'm not totally comfortable with that.

Very good point.

[Gravis Marketing]

I've got to call my Mom and get her reaction. I suspect this is going to play poorly with women who will see Palin as America's Second Wife, but again, I'm in wishful thinking mode. I'm not worried about her as VP nominee, but she just seems too risky and untested.

[JSojourner]

Pardon my language, but I think we're phucked.

[Verily]

She makes things different. The experience argument is dead, the military argument is dead, the celebrity argument is dead. The feminism debate is alive. And that's pretty much it. I would have been happier with McCain choosing Pawlenty simply because it would mean a continuation of the same campaign (on both sides), which I think Obama would have won now that the DNC has happened. (Other choices such as Romney would have just made things worse for McCain.) On the other hand, I don't think Palin makes it more likely that McCain wins; what she does do is make the election harder to figure out, at least in the short term. We may know the paradigm a week from now.

[© Tweed the Younger]

At 72 years old for McCain, President Palin is not out of the question, and I'm not totally comfortable with that.

Very good point.

the only point that matters

[Grumps]

Pardon my language, but I think we're phucked.

No, JS, you know I'm way more conservative than liberal but this choice truly concerns me.  Obiden can't be too unhappy.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

She makes things different. The experience argument is dead, the military argument is dead, the celebrity argument is dead. The feminism debate is alive. And that's pretty much it. I would have been happier with McCain choosing Pawlenty simply because it would mean a continuation of the same campaign (on both sides), which I think Obama would have won now that the DNC has happened. (Other choices such as Romney would have just made things worse for McCain.) On the other hand, I don't think Palin makes it more likely that McCain wins; what she does do is make the election harder to figure out, at least in the short term. We may know the paradigm a week from now.

I'm not sure the experience argument is dead.  The Rove playbook is not big on addressing cognitive dissidence.

[Verily]

She makes things different. The experience argument is dead, the military argument is dead, the celebrity argument is dead. The feminism debate is alive. And that's pretty much it. I would have been happier with McCain choosing Pawlenty simply because it would mean a continuation of the same campaign (on both sides), which I think Obama would have won now that the DNC has happened. (Other choices such as Romney would have just made things worse for McCain.) On the other hand, I don't think Palin makes it more likely that McCain wins; what she does do is make the election harder to figure out, at least in the short term. We may know the paradigm a week from now.

I'm not sure the experience argument is dead.  The Rove playbook is not big on addressing cognitive dissidence.

McCain can still use it, but Obama now has the easiest ammunition of all to rebut it: Palin is an enormous lightweight (lol, oxymoronic metaphor). I don't think we'll see much of it.

To be sure, the Palin pick would probably have drawn me to McCain against Clinton (depending somewhat on her VP, too, and I doubt McCain would have chosen Palin against Clinton). But Palin is probably the most inexperienced person ever considered for high office; I don't vote on experience, but a lot of people do.

[© Tweed the Younger]

I really think this is a disaster for McCain...  all of you seem to disagree and I suppose the chance exists that he's hit a home run, but I think it's very stupid and reeks of desperation...

[Ebowed]

I'm not sure the experience argument is dead.

No, it's absolutely dead.

If Barack Obama isn't prepared to lead, then Sarah Palin definitely isn't.  Didn't John McCain promise to pick someone qualified?

[Grad Students are the Worst]

She makes things different. The experience argument is dead, the military argument is dead, the celebrity argument is dead. The feminism debate is alive. And that's pretty much it. I would have been happier with McCain choosing Pawlenty simply because it would mean a continuation of the same campaign (on both sides), which I think Obama would have won now that the DNC has happened. (Other choices such as Romney would have just made things worse for McCain.) On the other hand, I don't think Palin makes it more likely that McCain wins; what she does do is make the election harder to figure out, at least in the short term. We may know the paradigm a week from now.

I'm not sure the experience argument is dead.  The Rove playbook is not big on addressing cognitive dissidence.

McCain can still use it, but Obama now has the easiest ammunition of all to rebut it: Palin is an enormous lightweight (lol, oxymoronic metaphor). I don't think we'll see much of it.

This may explain the tone transition from "inexperienced" to "not ready to lead," though -- which I think is clever.  This might explain why McCain's campaign has almost seemed to stop using references to experience recently.  Maybe I'm reading too much into that.

[Beet]

I'm not sure the experience argument is dead.

No, it's absolutely dead.

If Barack Obama isn't prepared to lead, then Sarah Palin definitely isn't.  Didn't John McCain promise to pick someone qualified?

Palin is qualified. President is like rocket science. It's about leadership... and although most people don't know what kind of leader she'd be, that doesn't mean she can't be a good one.

[Verily]

She makes things different. The experience argument is dead, the military argument is dead, the celebrity argument is dead. The feminism debate is alive. And that's pretty much it. I would have been happier with McCain choosing Pawlenty simply because it would mean a continuation of the same campaign (on both sides), which I think Obama would have won now that the DNC has happened. (Other choices such as Romney would have just made things worse for McCain.) On the other hand, I don't think Palin makes it more likely that McCain wins; what she does do is make the election harder to figure out, at least in the short term. We may know the paradigm a week from now.

I'm not sure the experience argument is dead.  The Rove playbook is not big on addressing cognitive dissidence.

McCain can still use it, but Obama now has the easiest ammunition of all to rebut it: Palin is an enormous lightweight (lol, oxymoronic metaphor). I don't think we'll see much of it.

This may explain the tone transition from "inexperienced" to "not ready to lead," though -- which I think is clever.  This might explain why McCain's campaign has almost seemed to stop using references to experience recently.  Maybe I'm reading too much into that.

Maybe, but that shift happened well before the Biden pick. McCain couldn't have settled on Palin back he was floating pro-choice VP possibilities and Obama still could have gone with Sebelius or Clinton herself.

"Not ready to lead" doesn't help, either. Palin is ready to lead because... ? (At least insofar as Obama is not ready to lead. If he is, then I can agree that Palin is, too. All these theoretical positions spin my head.)

[Lief]

It's a really, really weird choice. I think it'll hurt him in the end, as his best attack against Obama (the experience thing) is completely off the table. It might also defuse Biden a bit, as he can't really attack her as viciously in the debates as he could have Romney or Pawlenty. But she's still a lightweight, and has been the governor of less than one million people for less than 2 years.

[Sam Spade]

The experience argument is far from dead, unfortunately. Yall are overthinking in this case.

[True Democrat]

I'm watching Salazar on CNN, and he doesn't have anything against Palin.  All he can say is that "I didn't hear of her until this morning."

I think this is a big plus.