I’m not one to applaud the nomination of a woman just on that fact alone, just as I wouldn’t have plans to vote based on gender or race–either against or for; though I must say I would’ve loudly applauded Condi Rice since she’s one smart and tough cookie, AND it would have fulfilled the societal need for a show of support for race and gender as a side bonus. It wouldn’t fulfill gay rights’ needs, but we can’t have it all.
However, McCain’s choice of Palin appears to me to be a strictly politics-for-the-immediate need decision, that is, geared to winning the election.
Seriously, I question the lack of experience in government service here. I didn’t take Senator McCain’s claim against Senator Obama on this point completely as a fact of life, though a consideration; but with Governor Palin’s paltry 2 years at the state level combined with her service as mayor to a small town, I can’t help but worry. We’re picking a potential president here folks, and maybe this says it best:
And
Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton warned that McCain had "put the
former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a
heartbeat away from the presidency." (msnbc: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26456114/)
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology
I fail to see how there can be a comparison. First and foremost, she’s a VP pick, Obama is running for The Office. BIG difference in my book. Palin would have the time to learn from McCain. Obama is going to learn from…Biden?
Magaret Thatcher was short on experience too when she became PM. BUT she surrounded hereself with good advisors. And that is a major piece of contention with the Dem ticket since both Obama and Biden have not made correct foreign policy decisions, and I am not confident in who Obama would choose for cabinet positions that deal with foreign policy.
It’s all well and good to criticise McCain and Bush for not going to the gates of hell to capture OBL. What a lot of people don’t realise (’cause the media doesn’t reprt it) is that Afghanistan will not allow any coalition troops to operate in that country as the U.S. has in Iraq. There have been numerous leads only for the Afghan gov’t to say “sorry, can’t cross that mountain pass” or “sorry, that region is tense, so best to let us handle it with our own sub-standard tech…”
And it’s not just lack of experience with Obama. It’s also a complete lack of character AND his want to pursue socialist policies AND the complete arrogance and race-consciousness of him and his wife AND his close association with the likes of Rev Wright and William Ayers AND his downright scary voting record on abortion and criminal laws when he was a state senator.
The man gives a great speech every now and then but he hasn’t proved he can run anything. Palin’s critics say her 2 years as Alaska governor makes her too inexperienced to be VP, yet Obama’s ~143 days on the floor of the U.S. Senate make him qualified to be President? Guess we’ll find out.
And what if the president has a heart attack right after he’s sworn in? The VP must, in my opinion, be a viable presidential candidate.
And maybe she is.
Obama scares me on his tax policies alone. But I still am concerned that someone with just two years at state level government can become president of the United States. Obama has more experience at the state legislature level and the 143 day statement is taken out of context–I haven’t the figures, but I believe you’d find that a term in the Senate (or any governing body) is not based on a 5 day work week/50 weeks a year. Yes, of course I’d like to see any of them have more experience, and have some of the traditional values of the older folk yet the spirit and contemporary feel of the young. Unfortunately, I don’t think any politician is my first choice for the office, no matter how ridiculous that may sound, only because of what politics does to even the most well intentioned candidate.
John McCain used to strike me as a different type of politician–bold and independent in his thinking. But now he strikes me as similar to most of them. He’ll do and say whatever it takes to win, and if that includes selecting a woman with almost no experience because she’ll attract females who wanted Hillary or makes people feel that they are making history by voting in a female VP, he’ll do it. Maybe she’d be a great president if called upon, but what’s troubling is that there’s no way of knowing that. McCain doesn’t know it and obviously doesn’t worry about it. McCain’s got one thing on his mind–getting elected. What’s best for the country is way down on the list. Like I said, similar to many other politicans. He’s struggled with skin cancer and is no spring chicken–his choice matters more than with other candidates
Hi there Patrice! Even though we have two candidates without what we might consider enough experience, we need to see who they choose as advisors and look closer at what type of people they are (which is why I do believe that cheating in any form is part of the whole person and need be just one of the things to consider). Sometimes McCain is more liberal than Obama. But looking at their platforms and taking into account that maybe half of what they say at election time is what they believe, things change once office is taken. While I see the Palin choice as an obvious move for election purpose, so is Obama’s choice of Biden. Politics is a separate animal from administrating the position.
BTW, I tried to leave a comment on your weblog but it requires a blogger/google signup and I did that once & have since forgotten who I am. My comments were about a possible age discrimination statement, but more importantly, my question was “what’s puritanical about keeping ones vow (as in a promise made, which in a marriage means fidelity)?”
That a Congressional year matches something in terms of a regular school year in terms of days sounds about right–which is why it is even more imperative that members spend that time doing their jobs when Congress in session (especially given the pay grade of a U.S. Senator).
I have included the link where I found the “143 day” number. It can be cross-checked by anyone with a subscription to Congressional Quarterly I am sure.
The context of that number is that it is the number of days from when he was sworn in to when he announced his candidacy.
When one has a void of experience in national leadership, it has to be filled in with other stuff. And it is that “other stuff” he’ll be drawing from that should scare this country to pieces.
Further, I appreciate the point on the line of succession. I would rather have Governor Palin’s two years experience of governing Alaska and her proven character and integrity + the combined experience of McCain’s cabinet, than Biden and whomever the liberals are that would no doubt fill Obama’s adminstration.
http://www.gopusa.com/theloft/?p=707
Josh, to your last statement I can only say amen. Biden, for me, still lives under the cloud of plagiarism from college days to more recent speeches. I’ll take lack of experience over lack of character any day; experience comes with learning and living; character starts in the formative years and cannot as easily be attained.