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Tuesday, 02 September 2008 17:32 |
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The newest political argument seems to be that of experience - the experience of Presidential Candidate Barack Obama versus Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin.
Palin's claim is simple - She started her political career in 1992 - four years before Barack Obama began his is 1996.
Obama's claim to more experience is that his is more relevant, whereas Palin's tenure as a mayor doesn't matter as much.
So which one is more experienced? That all depends on who you want to believe. Those in the McCain camp will undoubtedly say Palin, while those in the Obama camp will side with Barack. The only voices that matter are the independents who will decide the race, however. I'm a statistical oriented person, so from pure experience I'm inclined to say Palin, my support for the McCain-Palin ticket notwithstanding.
A couple of thoughts though to put this into perspective. Sarah Palin isn't running for President - John McCain is. To make a valid comparison, you need to compare apples to apples. The whole premise of this argument doesn't knock Palin's credentials, but lowers those of Obama. By getting sucked into an argument comparing the Democratic #1 to the Republican #2, it elevates McCain above them both - naturally, otherwise the roles of Palin and McCain would be reversed. It also diminishes the idea of Joseph Biden, since he isn't talked about either.
The other argument I hear is that she is only a "heartbeat away from the Presidency." Well, if she is being compared to Obama, then he doesn't even need a heartbeat, since he'll be there if voted in. The notion that Biden will be there for advice is also invalid because if, God forbid, something was to happen to a sitting President McCain, then Palin would select a capable Vice President as well.
Democrats are trying so hard to dig up dirt on Sarah Palin, that they've simply looked at best foolish - by falling for arguments such as this - to downright mean - for making up allegations claimign Palin's son is really her grandson (albeit false) and then prying into the family life to find out her seventeen year old daughter actually is pregnant. |
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Friday, 29 August 2008 17:31 |
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Lets look at the differences here...Barack Obama was running on the premise of change...and then picked Joseph Biden, a Washington insider with 36 years of experience, more than that of John McCain, who was tied to the "same old politics."
By selecting Governor Sarah Palin, McCain has presented the real change in the campaign. The Obama camp and those on the left are quick to counter with the talking points stating how she is younger than Obama and doesn't have the experience. Palin however, has more experience in politics than Barack Obama, which presents a challenge to the Democrats. She has a total of 16 years of political experience, with the last twelve years being in an executive position, and has been governor the last two. Barack Obama has a total of 11 years of political experience, with none of those being at an executive level. No, the Democrats feel that the President isn't required to have experience, but the Vice President is. Because that makes sense...
Palin isn't my first choice, but she brings some interesting things to the table. First, the obvious - Palin is a woman and will help to bring the female vote into the GOP camp. I've met many women who said they would vote for woman no matter what, just based on principle, even if that isn't my preferred way of voting, since issues are my source of narrowing down my choices. A recent statistic I saw was that 24% of women are still undecided, while only 7% of men are. This is a huge boon for the McCain-Palin ticket, and the Obama camp is probably kicking themselves for choosing someone other than Hillary.
Palin also has a near 90% approval rating in Alaska - while only offering 3 electoral votes - may help to influence energy issues with her positions on drilling in ANWR, even if contrary to that of McCain. She also has a "real" blue collar background, unlike the supposed one being touted for Joe Biden. Biden has been receiving the salary of a senator for the last 30 years, automatically putting him leaps and bounds above the common folk. He also takes the Amtrak train each day to work - Have you even seen how much that costs? It costs more than an average person can afford...As Obama claimed:
“Instead, night after night, week after week, year after year, he returned home to Wilmington on a lonely Amtrak train.”
Well, as an average person, I'm sure I could afford that. The cost from Wilmington to Washington DC only has a low, low price range of $83 to $97 for a round trip, daily. So...$400 to $500 per week - that sounds like the average "working class" American to me!
Palin is closer to the average worker than any other candidate in history - if that isn't a change in politics as usual, I don't know what is.
Let's face it - The left is terrified of this choice (as they should be) due to the unpredictability of losing more of Hillary's voters, while rallying the conservatives with a breath of fresh air. The election just got more interesting. Oh and by the way, with all of the talk regarding McCain's VP I forget...was there a speech last night or something? |
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 17:30 |
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 With the recent headline on Drudge that McCain has decided on his running mate, some analysis on who that person will be is in order. Common thoughts are either former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, or current Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. Other names such as Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Bobby Jindal, Tom Ridge and Sarah Palin have been mentioned, among many more, but I find all of them to be a reach.
Tim Pawlenty is a safe choice, but I don't think he would be able to hold his own against Joe Biden in any comparisons or debates. In addition, Minnesota looks like a solid Democrat state in the 2008 election, so there would be no electoral help. Pawlenty has around a 55% approval rating, which probably isn't enough to swing the state to the GOP.
Mitt Romney, the other front runner for the selection, also wouldn't win his home state of Massachusetts. However, the wildcard effect from Romney is his backing in my home state of Michigan, an interesting swing state. Michigan is in a unique position for the GOP in this election. While much of the country is upset with Republicans and the Bush administration, Michigan is much worse off than other states and is controlled by a flawed Democratic leadership:
Governor Jennifer Granholm has a lower approval rating than George W. Bush and only won the 2006 election due to a poorly managed campaign by Dick DeVos and by drilling into folks minds that he was just the same as Bush - sound familiar?
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is lucky to not be rotting in jail as we speak. He's facing jail time for assaulting a Sheriff's detective among other things and has an approval rating of 2%.
Senator Debbie Stabenow has received bad PR lately with her husband getting busted in a prostitution sting.
Unlike Obama's Vice Presidential choice of Joe Biden, McCain's choice could actually flip a state, and in the case of Michigan, a 17 electoral vote swing would be immensely helpful. Should John McCain select Mitt Romney, the ticket will receive my full support. If McCain decided to go in a different direction, my support would be lukewarm at best, with the exception of Mike Huckabee - for whom my support would be non-existant. The recent press tour Romney has been on, along with the never-ending praise he gives McCain leads me to believe that he will, in fact, be the selection.
I believe he will select Romney, and look forward to the announcement after the Democratic Convention. |
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 17:28 |
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Trick question, because it isn't a question. The answer is the large, obtrusive, non-hd "Sound from the Floor" picture used on CNN HD during the Democratic convention.
Anyone notice how the sound doesn't even match up. Either time delayed or messed up, which is stupid no matter how you look at it. Thanks for reminding me of this Sean. |
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Tuesday, 26 August 2008 20:16 |
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As mentioned previously, the Obama camp can't be too happy about polling the day after the Biden selection. In the past, Vice Presidential selections have given roughly a five point bump in the polls. Now, with the three day rolling poll taking the three days after the selection, the news looks even worse for the Democrats.
So, while there was no bump for Obama immediately after the selection, it appears he has lost traction to McCain, which simply shows that choosing a Washington insider with more experience than McCain is not the change that America hopes for. It also doesn't hurt that the most liberal member of the Senate decided upon the third most liberal member of the Senate as his running mate. Those are the values needed to unite the country, right?
Obama really didn't have many choices though. He couldn't pick Clinton due to the power struggles and Michelle's disdain for Hillary. Kaine would have highlighted the inexperience of the ticket, and Sebelius would have alienated the Hillary supporters for choosing a woman other than HRC. Rumors that he passed on Bayh and Kaine for not being pro-choice enough are equally disturbing.
While the White House isn't won based on a VP selection, it is telling to a candidate's core values and character. |
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