After having a full day to contemplate Palin...

I have to tell you that I have a stomach ache.

Palin was such a bad choice, that it defies common sense and
good judgment. I am afraid that I fear John McCain more than
ever, for being such a knee-jerk reactionary who makes extremely
poor decisions that showcase complete incompetence.

McCain obviously re-calibrated after hearing Obama's speech. He
needed a shiny object to take away the overwhelming success of
Obama's speech to 80,000 supporters. So, he picks an unqualified
veep candidate to ameliorate his inability to compete with an Obama
who has come out with specific plans for change and a fighting spirit.

I'm really afraid of McCain. He obviously has no integrity, a penchant
for reckless compulsivity and the inability to make intelligent decisions.

She's not only inexperienced, she's unknown to the American public. We knew who Barack
Obama was before he began his campaign. Furthermore many Senators and Congress members--including
the Kennedys, John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi, Bill Richardson and others--have stepped forward
to vouch for Obama's integrity, honesty, intelligence and ability to get legislation
passed by working both sides of the aisle. He was selected to give the keynote at the
previous Democratic Convention, because he had earned the spot. She is unknown by
virtually everyone. A completely untested, unproven person who was the mayor of a small
town in Alaska--just two years ago. She's a question mark--during a time of war, economic
meltdown, environmental crisis and when our national security is so threatened.

This is completely disjointed and bizarre.

Look at the only people praising this pick. The fringe twenty percent of the Republican
party--who are only interested in furthering their extreme agenda. Rush Limbaugh, Glen
Beck and the rest of hate radio adores her. That should leave us all frightened further.

And to think that McCain thought he could snag Hillary voters, just by choosing a woman.
What a myopic simpleton he is! Is the man completely outer limits? Did he actually think
that Democrat Hillary voters would vote for a woman who is against equal pay, against women making
their own reproductive choices and who has familial ties to the oil industry?

Again, completely off-the-wall decision making.

I have a stomach ache because if John McCain is President, it will be worse than Bush--because
he is clearly showing that he's off the deep end and unable to make a sound judgment on such
a profound decision.

I just don't think it's funny. I don't think it's cute or novel or interesting.

I think it's downright frightening.

Her plane left Alaska for Ohio before Obama gave his speech.

They thought they would undercut Obama's change message -- and were not expecting Obama's broadside against McCain's experience. McCain thought he was going for the jugular by trying to take the change mantle while seeming to have an edge on experience. Instead Obama took both the change and experience mantle from him last night and easily so. Palin would have been a better choice against a weak Obama. Instead she looks awfully silly as a VP choice.

And a note -- politics aside, she is a dangerous choice in my opinion -- for no other reason than she is so far from the realm of what it means to be President, it is not even funny.

Someone suggested here that Snowe would've been a better pick if he wanted a female who would draw in moderates. I agree with that.

The stakes in this election just went up.

reactionary than McSame in some ways. Instead of war with just Russia and Iran, we'd probably have one with Mexico too. Not supposed to be a funny joke.

but I read that he did not decide until later that night after spending
several hours talking with her.

Then he made the decision on the spur of the moment.

McCain chose a gimmick.

the drumbeat to war dominated and delivered to republicans the 2002 election, and the afterglow of the invasion made Bush a war president and delivered them the 2004 election.

but like you said, it appeals to the smaller fringe of the GOP...I believe they lost quite a percentage by this pick. I know 2 republicans who changed their mind after this pick. I find it odd that his advisors would agree to this. I know he was trying to appeal to his "maverick" side, trying to compare the the "historical" significance of the Obama nomination.

With Democrats - the candidate runs the campaign

With republicans - the campaign runs the candidate.

edit typo.

Not even bad judgment -- NO judgment on his part.

and I have come to the same conclusions. This was a last minute, knee jerk reactionary decision. You are 100% right, and I agree, I fear a McCain presidency would be worse than Bush as well.

We all need to work for Barack and Joe. We can't just sit around and talk about it. We need to get out and talk to our neighbors, our families and our friends. We have to talk to strangers and acquaintances. We cannot assume that just because the last 8 years have been horrible, that the Republicans can't pull out another victory. We have to out hustle them.

We have to get EVERYONE out to vote. EVERYONE.

When John McCain first started to take the lead in the Repub primaries, I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, he was reversing his position in practically every issue that lent him his "maverick" status, but I surmised that he was just pandering to the base he realized he needed. He didn't really mean it. Despite planning to vote for Obama or Hillary at the time, I didn't fear a McCain presidency.

I do now. The Palin decision calls into question EVERYTHING. His independence from the Machine. His judgment. Even, I dare say, his sanity. The more I think about, the more I think he couldn't have made a WORSE decision.

I may have not expressed myself properly. What I mean is that I expected McCain's worse possible choice (in turn, being best for us) to be someone from the Bush Administration. Palin is a shockingly bad choice.

No, a bad McCain decision is a good thing - so long as the people realize it and do not vote him into office. There's a lot of ignorance out there for us to fight. And a lot of spin that perpetuates and enables that ignorance. After the convention, I'm more confident that our movement is large enough to combat this, but the voters have made the wrong choices in the past.

This bad McCain choice is very good if it helps Obama win, but disastrous for our nation if McCain pulls it out. We just have to do everything in our power to make sure the latter doesn't happen.

I am speechless about how low this "maverick" has taken this campaign.

Let's all work damn hard to make sure there's a President Obama.

I know you will in Iowa as I will in Pennsylvania.

Though not before an advance copy of the text was available, I believe.

But I agree, this pick makes me fear the possibility of a McCain presidency much, much more.

It is alarming. I have posted this is other threads, but McCain has lost his fucking mind. I am not amused. I am horrified.

a cheap trick. his age and her inexperience shows his arrogance toward america

recommended

Hello I'm a first time poster long time reader of the site. As a father and husband and proud American. I can not believe the choice of Gov. Palin to be the republicans VP choice. Although she may be the gov. of Alaska and probably tiring to the best job she can for that state and its people. This is an insult to me and my family to appoint someone with less than two years experience to the position of VP. It goes to show me even more now than ever. That the status quo will stop at nothing to win this election. To put someone to within a heartbeat away from leading the free world and this nation that I love who has only been a gov. for less than two years is appalling and should be condemned for the gimmick that it is. People think about it McCain would be the oldest first term president ever. And for him to put the task and responsibility of leading this nation at maybe its most important time ever in the hands of this lady is simply an insult to the people of this great nation.

:hi: An insult, indeed.

Edit to add: Welcome to "Posting on DU", at least!!!

I like your post. I like your sentiment.

Welcome to DU. I hope you find it as informative and stimulating as I have.

... this morning on MSNBC. She literally was speechless in offering a defense and said she didn't know much about Palin, looked forward to learning more about her. (link)

This is what the Republicans are offering as someone who could be sworn-in on January 20th, 2009.

She is farther right (for real) than *!

After the initial WTF moment, I listened to the pundits, read some about her and came right back to WTF?!? I initially was going to write my blog this morning about the wonderful roller coaster ride of Obama's speech last night. Then I thought I'd add a bit about Palin but, the words wouldn't come to me. More thought would be needed. All day, I checked in for more info on this person, but all that did was throw my thought processes further into confusion. How could he make such a pick? Politically it's disasterous. After the initial novelty wears off the media, they wont be able to help coming to the same conclusions, that being what is he thinking?!

Following the spin to it's inevitable conclusion, if they think that spinning her total lack of national experience, foreign policy experience, into "she's got more executive experience than Obama", they are seriously warped in their logic. The inevitable conclusion is that she also has more executive experience than McCain too.

It feels as though we are witnessing McCain's meltdown. If you've got the time Andrew Sullivan's take on all of this is terrific. Don't always agree with Sullivan, but, he's spot on with his analysis.

I just saw a campaign photo this evening of McCain, Cindy, Palin, and hubby. Front and center was Palin

holding her infant son. No other candidate's children in the picture. Earlier today, Palin

was questioned by reported as she cruised a souvenir shop in Ohio. During her response

to reporters she held a bright red pair of infant pajamas.

Dare I quess where this is going?

I just saw a campaign photo this evening of McCain, Cindy, Palin, and hubby. Front and center was Palin

holding her infant son. No other candidate's children in the picture. Earlier today, Palin

was questioned by reported as she cruised a souvenir shop in Ohio. During her response

to reporters she held a bright red pair of infant pajamas.

Dare I quess where this is going?

complete his term - not just his age, but his history of cancer and increasingly apparent senility/dementia. This person is an even loonier religious fanatic than Shrubatollah. And the fact that the usual Nazi suspects a drooling and walking around with sticky shorts underscores the danger all the more.

We all knew we had to win this, of course. It's just even more obvious than it already was.

Myself, I've been saying for a long time that McCain is too unstable to hold the nuclear football.

A year ago if somebody told me we'd be facing a potential president worse than Bush, I would have thought they were nuts - how could that be possible? Yet here we are.

"wow, if they manage to steal the vote this nightmare could become real". It made me shudder in amazement.