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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

All Major Media Buzz Now Focusing on Sarah Palin (R-AK)

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  August 29th, 2008 at 07:31 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Holy cow, this is a game changer if, in fact, John McCain has chosen her. Serious game changer. Wow.

YES, IT LOOKS LIKE THIS IS IT. ON DRUDGE REPORT NOW.

Here’s what we know: Sarah Palin landed in Ohio last night with her two oldest kids. She landed thirty miles from Dayton on a plane owned by one of McCain’s fundraisers.

That’s all we know.

UPDATE: So now the media is moving beyond Palin.

Here’s the take away: John McCain is awesome. He has pulled a major head fake with Pawlenty and has gone for a bold, wildcard pick. Everyone will forget about Obama’s speech today.

So Let’s Cover the Developments This Morning Live:

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COMMENTS

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  • ChicaGOP

    Apart from the task of introducing the most remote governor in the union, I don’t think the Palin pick will draw women away.

    The only thing guaranteed to p*ss off a woman more than ignoring her (Obama) is patronizing her.

    There were a lot of good options. I don’t see Palin as one of them.

  • khelek

    Just used the Google(tm) Search Engine to find out more about Ms. Palin, and hit the link for the Wikipedia article. Imagine my surprise at this:

    She is the Republican vice presidential candidate for the November 2008 election.

    Someone didn’t waste time…..

  • Waingro

    Does anybody really think she’ll be able to win a debate against Biden?

    Does anybody really think she has the requisite educational background — a journalism degree from University of Idaho???

    Does anybody really think she’s a credible person to deal with Iran? China? Russia?

    How is McCain going to argue that Obama lacks the experience to deal with all of these international threats when his own VP, a heartbeat away from the presidency, has absolutely NO foreign policy experience?

    McCain just lost the election.

  • Evilpens

    Sarah Palin is Great & a Woman & Conservative

  • Achance

    but she will draw women. The Lefty, feminazi types will hate her all the more, just like liberal Blacks hate Clarence Thomas. But, that’s not who you’d be looking to draw in; the wymyn are going to vote D unless the Communist Party has a better candidate.

  • Waingro

    How is McCain going to make the argument now that Obama is too inexperienced to be president when his own VP nominee — the person a heartbeat away from the presidency — hails from the most obscure state in the union and has ZERO foreign policy experience???

    McCain just lost the election with this silly choice.

  • WOSG

    Forget the woman angle.

    Palin is pro-life. Palin is pro-domestic energy.

    Palin is a conservative reformer.

    McCain/Palin is a ticket conservative Republicans like me can get excited about. WOOHOO!!!!

    McCain scores again!

  • Crowe

    Waingro, you’ve been around for 9 hours and posted twice about Palin being an awful choice; McCain just lost.

    Pipe down until you’ve got something more to offer than disdain for one of the 50 states and the experience of a governor.

  • BrianH

    You registered just a short while ago to post negative comments with no backing about OUR potential VP. Why should anyone care what you think?

    Post something a little better than that!

    You’re side is wanting us to pick a guy with NO executive experience, NO foreign policy experience, and NO major accomplishments. And you’re complaining about OUR #2 person (who has more experience than YOUR #1). Get real.

  • BigGator5

    I think she is a great choice! Will be updating my blog entry when more infor comes in.

  • redneck_hippie

    1

  • c17wife

    become a master at fake-outs.

    I just had linch with hubby and talked through this.

    Sarah Palin makes so much sense on so many levels.

    1. Obama/dems can’t say sh*t about her inexperience and have any credibility with the middle.

    2. While Biden shows us Obama’s weaknesses, Palin pacifies those of us that are hacked at McCain about ANWR and immigration. She is tough and obviously persuasive, so let’s hope you nudges McCain our way instead of Congress nudging him across the aisle.

    3. She is a mother of 5 children, one that is handicapped. Who better to champion the pro-life cause.

    4. Sarah Palin is young, new and fresh to the political scene. She loses NOTHING if McCain does not win. Her future isn’t tarnished one bit. We can not say the same for Mitt or Pawlenty.

    5. Energy is a winning issue for us and she is the perfect face to put on that issue.

    I must admit I was bummed last night when I went to bed. Pawlenty is a good man, but I just wasn’t excited about him on the ticket. Mitt would have been fun to watch against Biden, but sure would not have helped dampen the “elitist” brand.

  • ZootSuit

    Even if you are a newbie troll, sometimes even newbie trolls are right.

    And let this be a lesson to every backseat benchwarming state legislator and small (and I do mean small) town mayor: you too can be the President or Vice President of the United States of America in just five short years!

  • The_Rebel

    Just heard a report on the radio that she is not in Ohio. We’ll see.

  • olderthangandalf


    Yeah, I think she might. Don’t overrate him.


    Stupid argument. I’ve got an Ivy degree and an equally fancy graduate school degree, and I’m here to tell you that no one, I mean no one, makes the alma mater of anyone a criterion for any big job. By the time you are in your 40s, as she is, what counts is what you’ve done.


    Not on day one. It’s a concern, and they will need an answer.


    The story will have to shift. Looks like he’s going with the reformer, independent, regular person theme instead of the experience theme.

  • IndependentfrMI

    Are you talking about the inexperienced Democratic Presidential nominee…oh excuse me the “community organizer”? Oh that’s right he does not have the experience that Palin brings to the VP choice. Me thinks thou does protest too much.

  • Dem_Lurker

    is unveiling a quarter in Alaska with fireworks or something.

    http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/08/mccain-vp-conte.html

  • BrianH

    You meant to reply to the newbie troll, right?

  • WOSG

    Palin has MORE EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE THAN OBAMA AND BIDEN COMBINED!!!

    Now if its damning by faint praise to compare her short executive stint to the non-existent experience of Obama and even lifelong senator (not executive) Biden, lets have at it.

    I’d love to see Biden try out the “You’re not ready” line.

    Been there done that … in 1988.
    People want the PRESIDENT to be ready. If Obama/Biden want a debate on readiness to be CinC … BRING. IT. ON.

  • Kate_Shanahan

    I’m sure Sarah Palin is a terrific person. But this should have been a resume pick, not an affirmative action pick.

    I guess what McCain is saying here is experience and qualifications don’t really matter? It’s all politics?

    A heartbeat away should have been the best person, not the best pander.

  • spainishirish

    I hope, if this report is true, Palin immediately points out she has more executive experience that her opponents and running mates combined, and then eludes to Obama’s pious “we can agree to disagree” about abortion and say as a pro-lifer she respects his position.

    As for overall experience, I don’t think that is a road the Dems want to travel given their standardbearer has zero, nada, zilch, unless a “community organizer” carries a larger job description that it would indicate.

  • ChicaGOP

    DANIELLE QUAYLE. You can quote me on it.

    I know everyone is fainting with joy over the idea of a groundbreaking pick, but after all my years in advertising and marketing, I can tell you one thing has always been true:

    People will complain all day about getting the same old thing, but given the chance to try something different, 99 times out of 100 they will STICK WITH WHAT THEY KNOW.

    People say they want more choice on a McDonald’s menu, so they spend millions to develop options that no one eats. They go there for the burgers, protestations notwithstanding.

    People, in short, are full of crap. Taking their hue and cry at face value is a sure recipe for failure, and our own big Mac just put the Arch Deluxe on the ticket.

    The woman is a lightweight. Positions mean nothing without a resume (unless you’re Obama, of course). And she’s from a red state, to boot – Pawlenty could have given him MN. Mitt could have given him MI. Either could have tipped the balance.

    McCain will regret this decision, if this is how it really goes down this morning. I hope I’m wrong. I really do.

  • jcallis

    Good job John McCain.

  • Shaggy_Dog

    I love it- what’s the over/under for how soon the first suggests that with 5 children, she couldn’t possibly handle being VP/Pres?

    Rhetorical question- I wonder how will that angle play with Moms in middle America.

  • boomshak

    I looooooove this pick.

    How can the Obama camp possibly criticize her experience when she has more executive experience than Obama?

    Friggin brilliant!

  • ChicaGOP

    It’s a naked sop to women. It will not go down well in the long run.

  • spainishirish

    nt

  • lobo

    Who is running the McCain Camp.
    I am a Huge Romney Supporter.
    I would have voted for Obama had the pick been Huckabee. I would have consider voting for Obama if the pick had been Pawlenty (Huckabee lite).

    However This is a great pick, and now I am supporting the McCain/Palin ticket. Brilliant move. Brilliantly done.

    Now, I can only hope there is a position for Romney in the McCain administration.

    And lets.

    Drill, Drill, Drill.

  • JTaylor

    I’ve been hoping for Palin for some time.

    Yippeee..

    (1) A true conservative
    (2) a reformer
    (3) Washington outsider
    (4) a Woman….

    yippee, yippee, yippee…..

  • machapman

    She has executive experience – Governor of Alaska – remember. Conservatives vote on issues not sex or race, that would be the democrats with their identity politics. I am very excited by this conservative choice. I was going to vote for McCain without enthusiasm – now I will open my checkbook since he picked a conservative running mate.

  • Neil_Stevens

    It’s as though… no. Nobody ever is such a waste of a human life, that they have nothing better to do than to come onto a website and pretend to be a Republican and bash the pick.

    That’s just so laughably horrible to be true.

  • speciallist

    n/p

  • birdmojo

    Aren’t even being terribly persuasive.

    I actually considered asking if that was a Order of the Eastern Star necklace around her neck and if that meant that, in the event that she became President, Masonic Lodges would have to start opening their doors to women and what effect that would have on the electorate.

    But I worried that now was probably not the right time.

  • Neil_Stevens
  • speciallist

  • clevergael

    for the MSM to come out with the “she’s too pretty”, or “wow, five kids…does she have time to be VP?”, or “Biden will have his way with her”, or some other such blatantly sexist comments. All but the unshaven, unwashed, far-left loon feminazi’s will come unglued.

    C’mon, you KNOW it’s just a matter of time.

  • PoDunk

    Damnit, just when you think we’ve finally learned our lesson, our nominee does something stupid like this. To paraphrase the she-clinton, No way, No How, No Woman in the White House. What happens if he kicks the bucket!?! PMS and foreign policy don’t go together.

  • Ranger

    The most interesting thing about this is pick, though, is what it says about McCain. He didn’t pick her because she is pretty. He picked her because she is a woman. This is the only reason he picked her. If he was way ahead in the polling, he wouldn’t have picked her. If Hillary Clinton hadn’t received 18m votes, he wouldn’t have picked her.

    This pick was the first presidential decision made by McCain, and it was his responsibility to pick someone who would be ready to lead on day one. If you want to fault the Democratic voters for nominating someone who lacks experience, go ahead. The responsibility for this VP pick lies squarely with McCain.

  • WOSG

    He picked her because she is a maverick reformer. Consider the woman part as electoral icing on the cake. He’s comfortable with the reformer. That’s why Palin makes so much sense that KBH or another woman wouldnt have. He would have also been comfortable with Pawlenty’s style too, but because Palin has the domestic energy angle vs Pawlenty’s globaloney angle, conservatives like me are A LOT MORE THRILLED WITH PALIN. … and it has NOTHING TO DO WITH GENDER.

    Is she ready to lead? I think she will be when the time comes. She’s got her head screwed on a lot straighter than the doofus ticket on the other side.

  • streiff

    why do you think Obama picked Biden? Because he liked him? No. Because he was being hurt like crazy over his lack of experience and wanted someone to innoculate him.

    And you do realize that Palin is running for VP, right? Not president.

    If McCain had been ahead in the polls he still would have had to pick someone very like Palin simply to shore up his base.

  • aaronbg

    ..we don’t do misogyny here.

  • PoDunk

    Steel-belted Radial Right Winger? Right, oh, I guess you’re one of those faux conservative – aka YANKEE!

  • PoDunk

    Steel-belted Radial Right Winger? Right, oh, I guess you’re one of those faux conservative – aka YANKEE!

  • WOSG

    If McCain had been ahead in the polls he still would have had to pick someone very like Palin simply to shore up his base.

    BINGO! It’s just a bonus that of the Governors floated around – Sanford, Pawlenty, Jindhal, Palin – Palin is as good as any of them for pleasing the base.

    What makes it more thrilling is the scary picks thrown out – Lieberman, Ridge, etc. … and he goes to Palin.

    Palin hits all the notes. Oh, and she is as new as Obama, and that’s a bad thing. So someone without experience should be President but not a heartbeat away? Go ahead Democrats. Bring. It. On.

  • Ranger

    because of he would help him to win the election and to GOVERN.

    McCain’s pick was purely political. Yes, I realize it is ONLY the VP pick. If McCain only does four years, as many here suggest he should, suddenly Palin is at the TOP of the ticket. If McCain thought Joe Lieberman was better prepared to deal with global issues while we are at war, he had an obligation to pick Joe.

  • streiff

    the VP has no role in governing. That’s what the cabinet does.

    I don’t know how old you are but Dick Cheney’s role is unique in American politics because of he background as a legislator and SecDef and because he had no aspirations to succeed Bush.

    In most White Houses, the VP is held at arm’s length and goes to state funerals. Now if you’re betting McCain dies in office, maybe you have a point. I’m not.

  • aaronbg

    …oh and nice take on my sigline…yeah I must be a yankee…pfffft!!!

  • IndependentfrMI

    Yes sorry for that, I’ll be more careful in the future.

  • Ranger

    This is a blatant attempt to pander to women (i.e. Hillary voters). Did you see her acceptance speech? She mentioned Hillary and Geraldine Ferraro.

    Streiff, you may believe that vp is a figurehead job, and that experience doesn’t matter. You may believe that it is ok to make a pick based on gender if it will help to win an election.

    I’m betting that women and Hillary supporters will be insulted by this pandering. Anyway, that’s what my wife told me.

  • streiff

    to do with it.

    If you’re under 25 you only ever remember a VP actively involved in government.

    Clinton-Gore started out with Gore involved but by 2000 Gore was shut out of policy. That’s the way the system used to work.

    Women weren’t insulted with Geraldine Ferraro was picked (again if you were politically active at the time you know that).

    I hope you and your wife are happy voting for Obama because you have your collectiv e panties in a wad over a pro-choice, reform minded, Republican governor as a veep.

  • IndependentfrMI

    Well that depends on whether or not you’re a democrat. Symantics is the word of the democratic party. I guess that depends on what your definition of experience is.

  • David_Hinz

    [with one additional word]

    [Some] “People, in short, are full of crap.”

  • janis

    Speaking for ME, I’m tickled to death with this choice, and not because she’s a woman. She has impressive credentials, she’s not an “insider”, and the woman thing is just the icing on the cake. Political pick? Absolutely, but then again, any pick would be a “political” pick.

    McCain now has my enthusiastic vote, not just my vote against Obama. As for Hillary supporters, now they have just one more reason to vote against Obama– he’s all about keeping the glass ceiling intact. If he had a whiff less arrogance, he would have picked Hillary as VP. Not because she’s a woman, but because she got 18 million votes in the primaries. But he’s a dunce and McCain isn’t. Deal with it.

  • Ranger

    isn’t appropriate for this site. And please, do tell me more about Palin’s pro-choice views. That’s news to me.

  • streiff

    and because of the nebulous nature of the title of Ranger’s post, I have never beheld the panties of either Ranger or Mrs Ranger. It was a figure of speech. A metaphor.

    My mistake. She’s pro-life, not pro-choice.

  • Ranger

    You are an active poster on a conservative blog.

    You are a McCain voter.

    You would never have voted for Hillary Clinton.

    This pick was not targeted to win your vote.

    Your views, therefore, are less relevent when determining the political effectiveness of this pick.

  • Ranger

    You are an active poster on a conservative blog.

    You are a McCain voter.

    You would never have voted for Hillary Clinton.

    This pick was not targeted to win your vote.

    Your views, therefore, are less relevent when determining the political effectiveness of this pick.

  • janis

    My vote for him was solely a vote against Obama. Saddleback and this choice have made me an enthusiastic voter. So, yeah, this pick was just as much to help pull me and others like me in as it might be to appeal to Hillary supporters. This is a candidate that excites me in a way that neither Romney nor Pawlenty could have. Not because she’s a woman, Ranger, but because she’s a conservative, can give a good speech, has a compelling life story, etc.

    For what it’s worth, I have several friends who were Hillary supporters. They are excited by this choice of McCain’s. They were enormously disgusted with Biden as the VP pick by Obama. They were considering voting for McCain, but are now much more wedded to that idea with this choice of Palin. She’s a solid pick irregardless of her gender.