Palin speaking well.--
Once the sappy warm-ups were over, Sarah Palin hit her stride. She is good when talking about what she did in Alaska. I can see why she has an 80% approval rating. The frequent interruptions for cheering, however, are annoying.
She's not as polished as Joe Biden, but she's much more straightforward in her speech patterns and (to me) she comes off as more genuine.
So as public speakers, I'd rate Obama way ahead of the other three, McCain at the bottom, and Biden and Palin in the middle (with very different styles). In debates, I don't know how they would rank, but I would be surprised if Palin is as good as the other three.
She beat her own party's incumbent to gain the governor's seat. She's an ex-marathon runner, and enjoy PLAYING hockey ( not just watching it ). Those are TOUGH hobbies. She is TOUGH.
Master stroke by McCain, and now the election 'his to lose'. Wait a week or so until the polls and averages catch up with this - Blobama will be a solid 5 + points behind !
Mrs. Hoosier, who has NOT signed on to "Catholics for McCain," called me to say "Obama has a problem." I tend to agree, IF she can do the other parts of the job--interviews and debates--well.
At this point, I can't say if she can or cannot. So I'm still thinking this is very risky for McCain. But to be generous on her first day as veep-nominee-designate, she gave a very good speech.
The only well-executed part was the play for Hillary voters. But aside from that, she looked very shaky to my old ex-debater eye.
Sorry. I meant to add: "Perhaps I'm judging her vs. Obama based on my lower expectations for her."
Are these just a bunch of kooky bitter-enders or are they in some important way indicative of the way Hillary supporters will vote in November?
http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=5055328
Depends. How many of them live in Ohio?
Palin is also decidedly not "presidential." She looks like an assertive and self-assured PTA president (which I think was actually part of her bio). I have seen people like this perform very well on local school boards and city councils, but she will have to show a lot more maturity going forward to convince me that this is someone who should be president.
This choice makes it clear that McCain was looking for someone to complement him (and compliment him), but not for someone to replace him any time soon. McCain was beaming from ear-to-ear as he stood next to Palin on stage, basking in the fawning behavior of a young, energetic woman. I couldn't tell if he was afraid to leave her side or if he just stayed up there because he was enjoying the adulation so much.
The selection of Palin has made things interesting, but it is the kind of self-indulgent risk-taking that does not increase my confidence in McCain's judgment. We already have had to endure one gunslinging cowboy in the White House, and we don't need to elect another one.
While I can appreciate a pretty woman, I'd much rather focus on how she has more executive experience than Senator Obama.
eforhan, BO ever been an executive or CIC? What did he do before he became a senator besides cozy up to weathermen?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Thanks for boiling it down to the essentials, J.
Be objective now!
Perhaps he hadn't heard that "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." So he thought he did.
I view the McCain/Palin ticket very differently now.
As to going head-to-head with Biden, she'll give straightforward, honest answers. Biden will blow smoke, clever smoke yes, but smoke. I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds Biden irritating and pretentious.
As to PUMAs who might cross-over, what does that tell you about their focus on issues? Or are they Hillarites because of gender identity only? I'll bet a substantial percent are motivated by the latter and will happily vote GOP now. Down ticket GOPers probably won't see much coat tails though.
Truer words were never spoken.
Perhaps McCain will win the presidency DESPITE Palin. But I see little likelihood that he will win it because of her, and a lot of evidence that she is in over her head.
"I think this is all superficial, but Palin comes across as a cheerleading ditz, high school president kind. Gushy, unserious."
Thanks for the prejudice. She wasn't a cheerleader, she was the star basketball player. Women can be strong and beautiful now - did you miss the memo?
"Perhaps McCain will win the presidency DESPITE Palin. But I see little likelihood that he will win it because of her, and a lot of evidence that she is in over her head."
Keep looking under that street lamp, you'll find those car keys eventually. Sure seems like a found some keys under mine today, though.
It is possible, as Quayle did, to win the Vice Presidency without being qualified.
It is not, however, an asset to not be qualified.
Conservatives may have found some keys under their street lamp, but I would suggest to you that having an unqualified pro-lifer in the second slot on the ticket and losing the election is much worse for your cause than having a pro-choicer in that slot and winning it.
I doubt McCain would have chosen her if she didn't fulfill the qualifications stipulated in the Constitution. What others did you have in mind? Careful, there's a presidential candidate here to consider...
Frankly, I'm very excited to have someone from outside the Ivy/Beltway axis.
As for abortion, I see the dynamics moving as much away from marriage restriction (hurting Palin mildly, her party moreso) as toward pro-life positions, especially backed up by those with the courage of their convictions.
This is the result, ironically, of the rights inflation evidently inevitable in a liberal polity (not that that's a bad thing), coupled with the technological advances that both make the life in the womb more visible and defects more detectable, raising justified liberal qualms with selective termination of those lives based on those defects.