Right now you are very fortunate that I have given up profanity for Lent. While I was reading my usual sources this morning, low and behold I discovered a certain conservative male on a very reasonable site which is political but fair to both sides of the aisle. I must also add that it is one of my ‘must read’ sites every day. Oy (and that’s not profanity)...
Lo and hehold (no profanity please), some Neanderthal wrote on the site that Sarah Palin, the very competent and very pregnant (seven months) governor of Alaska is probably out of the running for VP because she will be a new Mommy and would probably want to stay home with baby (no profanity please – it’s Lent)!
I must also disclose that I am a fan of Governor Palin and have advocated for her potential as a VP right here at Blogcritics.
If Governor Palin were a new, first-time Mommy I might give some credence to that mindset simply because she would need time to get adjusted to the whole situation. But Governor Palin is expecting her fifth – count ‘em – fifth child. Sarah and Todd’s oldest son Track is 18 and serving our country. Their daughters are Bristol, 17, Willow, 13, and Piper, 6. I think Governor Palin’s been there and done that. Considering her age, she has had all the proper tests and everything evidently looks very good. She even knows the gender of the baby but is not telling. She knows what she is doing.
What better way for my beloved GOP to show how beautifully modern and progressive we truly are than to facilitate and encourage John McCain, our nominee, to select Sarah Palin as his choice for Vice President? Baby Palin is not expected to make an appearance until mid-May, which is plenty of time for Mommy and baby to bond.
Proclaimed “America’s Hottest Governor” by an understandably prejudiced Alaska Magazine, Palin is the perfect choice for VP. Not only is she conservative, she is considered a “maverick” which would make her and GOP nominee John McCain a highly compatible duo. She was born in 1964 which would add just the right May/December touch to McCain’s seasoned 71. Not only would she bring a much needed bundle of joy to the ticket, she would also bring her 90% approval rating along with her!
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Krutic A
Interesting.
Although I must admit I've never heard of her..and that's probably true for most Americans.
I think McCain's VP should have some name recognition and the Gov of Alaska is probably the least known politician in the country.
Moreover Alaska is a given Republican state - McCain should pick someone who can help carry a swing state.
2 - E.A.
"If the Democrats manage to provide every Republican with their fantasy of a brokered convention with Al Gore waiting to step in as an alternative candidate, Sarah Palin can go to battle against his insane environmental policies."
So, it's "insane" to have more than rocks for brains and realize that there can be NO blessed economy without intact nature as we know it?
Despite what Creationists believe, nature doesn't owe anyone a living. It wasn't put here by a supernatural force expressly for people to pillage. It has zero concern for the welfare of the human race.
Anti-environmental growth-addicts have the truly insane priorities.
3 - Matthew T. Sussman
"(I want to apologize to any Neanderthal who might be offended by this politically incorrect slur upon their mental capacity.)"
None taken.
4 - E.A.
It's a shame that our last frontiers are inhabited by so many who want to cut, drill and mine pristine land into submission. Why can't people leave well enough alone? Why must the human population/economy try to grow forever?
The main things holding off lower-48 style development in Alaska are brutal weather, long nights and sheer distances. If they keep electing "conservative" governors, Alaska is doomed to become a materials warehouse for insatiable growth-addiction everywhere.
5 - Jay B
"...long nights..." only applies during the short 5-6 months of winter that we have, not the so called "8-9". Being a life-long Alaskan I am proud to know that we support our nation's economy by providing material resources. Also, we are not in danger of "cutting, drilling, and mining" our land into submission, someone has watched a little to much of The Simpsons Movie.
6 - Susan
I just can't decide on this one. Choosing Palin in the first place ran the risk of being seen as a publicity stunt. Less so as people got to know her, but at first, potential disaster. It's kind of hard to gauge what the country would think about it if she's running around with a new baby. That almost seems like more of a publicity stunt. It's easy to believe working women are good; it's another to see one in what is a 24/7 job of running for the White House and not experience some negative reaction. (Which could just be deep-seated resentment that she has enough help in her life to be able to do that.) I think I'm expecting she'll be told to cool her heels and wait for 2012. I was never convinced McCain would run the risk of being constantly upstaged by his running mate anyway.
7 - Anon
Everything from the title to the contents suggests that Palin should be VP because she is pregnant.
Like a freak show, it'll be good publicity if she goes around campaigning with her newborn. Forget qualifications or other qualities needed in a VP (such as, people outside of Alaska should have at least a vague idea as to who the f**k she is), pick her because she is pregnant..?
what crap.
8 - SJ Reidhead
To Anon:
First, I need to make one correction in the article. Governor Palin is 44 years old, not 46.
Now, back to your comment. If you will check the link I provided in this article, you will note that I've been interested in Palin for some time for VP. I think she is one of the best possible choices for John McCain for VP because of her age, gender, and her accomplishments with so few years in politics, directly opposite to Barack Obama.
I was rather annoyed to put it mildly, yesterday, when I read that some people were now excluding her because of her pregnancy. In this day and age, that is unacceptable.
The day has come where my Republican Party needs to start thinking beyond the box and realize that there are more choices than white and male.
SJ Reidhead
9 - The Obnoxious American
Pregnancy should have nothing to do with it. That said, the GOP does not need to echo the diversity of the democratic primary. The GOP certainly should not exclude someone on the basis of race or sex or religion, and I don't think they really would (alan keys did run in the primary - perhaps i shouldn't have said that :>). But conversely, it makes no sense for the GOP to pick a candidate based on sex, race or religion either.
10 - Dr Dreadful
If Governor Palin does become VP, don't expect the White House to be taken too seriously in Britain once they find out she has a daughter named Bristol.
11 - Lee Richards
Given the actuarial probabilities, the only question that should be asked about any McCain potential running mate is, how qualified is he/she to lead the U.S. effectively. ("Hotness" shouldn't count here for TOO much!)
Remember, we got Johnson and Ford, and might have gotten Agnew, Mondale or Quayle.
12 - Baronius
I have no problem with Palin being pregnant. What worries me is her inexperience. She's been a governor for a year. No Washington experience, no military experience, no judicial experience, no business experience. She actually makes Obama look qualified.
That does raise an interesting question: how many women of child-bearing age have the qualifications to serve as president? Any 44-year-old mother of five would have had limited opportunity to build a political resume. Really, any 44 year old, man or woman, probably doesn't have the experience I'd want in a president. (I know, someone will probably post a comment about how experience didn't help Bush. But he didn't really have much experience. Six years as governor - a full term more than Palin, but still not much.)
13 - Dave Nalle
I think Palin would be a great choice for VP, but there are a few problems and none of them have to do with her being a mother.
She's relatively inexperienced. She's governor of a small state (government-wise) and hasn't been in office long.
She has zero national name recognition.
She comes from a state whose contribution to the vote cound is meaningless. McCain wants a running mate who can bring him votes he might not get otherwise.
She has connections to some state government scandals in Alaska which might be blown up into serious negatives in a presidential campaign.
Her main plus for McCain is that she's a woman. That might be particularly valuable against Hillary. For me her big asset is that she's basically a libertarian - one of two libertarian Republican governors.
But that's not enough given her liabilities.
That said, I think J. C. Watts is the right choice for McCain. I think an African-American VP is a better choice than a woman and Watts has more experience more of a national profile and can draw more votes.
Dave
14 - Baronius
Nalle, normally I would have agreed with your comment about the small population of Alaska. But Palin's strength isn't going to be geographic. These days, we're more patriotic to our genitals than we are to our part of the country. Palin would appeal to women.
But if Hillary wins the Democratic nomination, a female VP nominee will just look like a gimmick. And if Obama wins the nomination, McCain/Palin would take the issue of inexperience off the table. So I don't think this is her year.
15 - Al Barger
I'll take some issue with the author's indignance against the idea that being the mother of a new infant might be a legitimate argument against Palin being picked. She definitely would not be fit right now to actually be the POTUS and commander in chief.
3AM feedings might reasonably would be seen as interfering with the extremely demanding job of commander in chief. It's 3AM, the baby's crying and the red phone's ringing. Which do you answer?
On the other hand, VICE presidents don't have the exact same temporal issues. If that red phone rings, it'd be McCain answering it. She could have some time to mostly be raising the children, ready to step up to the plate if President McCain's head explodes from a temper tantrum.
On the other hand, perhaps partly dependent on who the Democrats nominate, JC Watts probably is a better choice. He's just flat got more experience and would have more credibility as a commander in chief.
Whereas, NO mother with young children is going to look like a credible commander in chief. You might claim that this outlook is bigoted, but it is not. It's simply a matter of practical facts.
Do you really see a young mother nursing an infant while she's ordering military strikes? That doesn't sound at all credible. It's being pulled in emotionally opposite directions. And you certainly wouldn't want a commander in chief who's working through post partum depression or such.
Perhaps Ms Palin can be a candidate for president herself - 10 or 12 years down the line. Doesn't sound like she's ready yet.
16 - L.Murray
Our new Governor Sarah Palin would NOT make a good vice presidential candidate. She is proving in our state of Alaska she is a divider, not a uniter. On many issues now she has gone against the majority vote in our state. Sarah Palin is behind the move to move our state capital from Juneau to Anchorage Alaska even though this will devastate the families of southeast Alaska. Many people will lose their homes, jobs, entire life’s savings; families will be torn apart all because of moving the capital. The people of Alaska have voted down moving the capital time and time again. This issue is being pushed again by only a few legislatures and Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin and a few Republican legislatures just passed a bill to REPEAL the FRANK Initiative. This bill gives Alaskans the right to vote on moving the capital and it gives us our right to know the cost of the move. Sounds like the Bush administration doesn’t it, it is. Other issues like hunting wolves from airplanes; this has been voted done time and time again by Alaskans and when she first took office she put a Bounty on wolves. Sarah Palin aligns herself with Ted Stevens and Don Young and does not support the science behind global warming and is fighting against listing the polar bear on the endangered species list. She is part of the old Republican style of leadership that takes hope away from people, and our right to vote on issues and our right to bring forth initiatives. There is a movement across this country to end this old Republican style of leadership. People want change; they want things to be done the right way for the right reasons. Yes we even want change in Alaska Sarah.
17 - katie
"If Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee, Sarah Palin counters any feminist appeal Hillary Clinton might have."
Feminists are not voting for Hillary Clinton just because she is a woman. I was in Alaska when Palin was elected and there were plenty of women who didn't vote for her for any number of reasons.
18 - Fiscal Conservative Alaskan
Palin for VP?
Are you serious??? Oh please, stop!
Mmmmm… let’s see. She was on the city council and mayor of Wasilla (population 5,469 in 2000), an Alaska Oil and Gas Commissioner for 9 months, and now Governor of Alaska for a little over a year.
National experience and expertise? None.
International experience? Nada.
Let’s see if she has the competence to run the state first. She might, but it’s a bit early to tell. Good intentions are a great start, but if the GOP is seriously looking at Sarah as a VP candidate, they are really desperate.
Democrats love her! I wonder why?
-Palin promised to cut the budget, but the budget grew $350 million.
-Palin introduced a $700 million tax hike, but signed a $1.5 billion tax hike.
Fiscal conservative? NOT!
19 - Syrin
Sarah Palin, aka Sarah the Incompetent, proposed and pushed through the largest socialistic raise in taxes in the history of the world. She supports the idea that the State can seize the property of private industry aka oil producers in Alaska if they don’t do what she wants. She has attacked almost the entire Republican majority in the house and senate. She just resently tried to oust the Republican party chair at the annual convention. She stood by and giggled when a radio shock jock called the Republican President of the Senate a “bitch” and “a cancer”. She threatened to support Democrats running against Republicans if they did not support her tax and spend policies.
She would be a disaster as VP.
20 - Karyn
So, why is it that everyone assumes that Sarah has to take time out of work to raise her children? She is married. Why is a female governor/president okay, but the idea that Todd Palin is perfectly capable of raising thier child isn't even mentioned?
Equal rights for both genders you neanderthals!
21 - Ray
I just heard about Sara Palin last night from a friend who lives in Alaska. I have read a good deal about her on the internet and I am very impressed by her.
As for name recog nition. Remember Barak who?
I think she has a great deal of potential. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE HER!
22 - M.T.
I'm a declared member of the Alaska Democratic Party, and yes, I am a woman. Until recently I didn't know much about my own governor (going to college out of state leaves room for missing out on home-state politics). Truly, she amazes me. She is an incredibly inspiring politician, woman, and woman politician.
It is definitely an interesting thought to have Palin share the ticket with McCain. What's *especially* interesting is that Alaskans HATE McCain. He doesn't like the huge amount of federal money spent there (we don't have state taxes; oil pretty much funds everything), and he's not "conservative" enough for Alaskan Republicans.
Alaska has high potential of going "blue" this election year; they're hotter for Obama (received 75% of the Democratic caucus) than McCain. They overwhelmingly caucused for Romney on Super Tuesday, and Ron PAUL got away with more votes.
(These are the Alaska GOP primary stats I found: Romney-44%, Huckabee-22%, Paul-17%, and McCain, dead last, with 16%.)
So what does this mean? If Palin shared the ticket with McCain, the Republican party wouldn't risk losing Alaska. Granted, there are relatively few votes both at the popular and electoral levels, but this election could use every single one available. The general election may not be as insane as the Democratic primaries, but it'll be pretty darn close.
I find it amusing when I read these comments about Alaska as a "given" Republican state, when in fact, with McCain as the unofficial Republican nominee, Alaska is far more likely to go with Obama (dare I say Hillary?) than McCain--unless Palin shared the ticket. I don't think that's likely, but mark my words--this MAY be the first time since LBJ that Alaska votes blue in November.
23 - Dave Nalle
So, basically you're saying that Alaskans value the 'bridge to nowhere' more than a smaller federal government and lower taxes.
Dave
24 - Ben K
at first i was really opposed to her being the pick, but the more I read the more I shift towards the other side of the argument
25 - Ted
There’s been noted buzz of late on rising GOP star Louisiana Gov Bobby Jindal as a McCain prospective Veep. Certainly Jindal is more than very good, However, I believe there’s some “strategerie” going on here. The “real” beneficiary of the Jindal talk is the other rising GOP star, Alaska Gov Sarah Palin. Palin’s got everything that Jindal has (new/exciting, wildly popular, ethics and spending reformer, core conservative etc.) and more â€" mother of 5 w/remarkable bio, she’s 8 yrs older than Jindal, Alaska energy issue, and set to garner the disenfranchised female Hillary voter (I don’t believe Dem leaders can dump Obama).
Getting Jindal’s name out first â€" at Team McCain’s BBQ for instance â€" sets the stage for the obvious choice, Palin. For example, albeit Rush Limbaugh introduced Palin’s name, and later Jindal’s as good Veep choices, of late Rush has been praising the name of Jindal while on his very same shows discussing at great length the frustrated female Hillary voter and the global warming hysteria/need for energy development, without mentioning Palin’s name as the obvious beneficiary of those two issues. Rush walks a fine line, introducing Palin, yet can’t, at least yet, reiterate much, knowing that his praises may be counter-productive to many a swing, moderate and/or formerly Dem voter (who’s against Obama and switching to McCain). Moreover, while I feel that Palin has more real accomplishment, experience and qualification than Obama (and Hillary combined, albeit w/Obama the bar is pretty low), the only potential argument against Palin is she’s a newbie to the national scene. By having Jindal out there first as a VP prospect “passing” the “experience” and “new to the national scene” test, implicitly passes Palin as well. (For that matter Palin’s got as much if not more experience and accomplishment than Florida Gov Crist who’s only been Gov for 2 yrs â€" and the media has been touting Crist as a VP prospect.)
That’s my thinking at least.