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- Randall Flagg
- Rep: 139
Re: McCain picks Sarah Palin for Vice President
The affect Palin will have on the election remains to be seen. The buzz around her is far greater than Biden's selection and certainly rivals the media stardom given to Obama when he was against Clinton. Unfortuately I'm not able to watch the convention or listen to commentators, so the internet is the only insight I have into it. Give it 2 weeks and you'll have an idea of any gains or losses. By the firts debate, the election will be essentially gridlocked with very small gains here and there. If I had to bet, I'd say McCain pulls it off just because people generally like to go with familiarity and Obama's resume leaves much to desire. Like him or love him, voting for Obama is just as much as taking a "chance" as McCain made by picking Palin. McCain is still up in the states that matter (again, quit using national polls as some sort of gauge; they mean shit - electoral counts is where it's at) but Obama can certainly make osme moves, though the monetary advantage he had against Clinton doesn't exist against McCain. Time will tell, but no one can claim McCain's ticket doesn't appeal to bi-partisanship and accomplishments when compared to Obama's highly partisan campaign. When the running mate of the modern Democratic party's golden boy is backing a republican, you know it's not business as usual. Either way, the country will go on, Obama will just fuck it up more with entitlement programs, but people get what they deserve and ask for. If you want a full out nanny state, vote Obama. If you want a partial nanny state with a slight chance of redemption, vote McCain.
- tejastech08
- Rep: 194
Re: McCain picks Sarah Palin for Vice President
Palin delivers star-turning performance for GOP
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Sarah Palin delivered. An embattled vice presidential candidate, a novice on the national stage, the head of a family suffering its "ups and downs," the first-term Alaska governor rocked the GOP convention with a star-turning performance.
Wielding a stiletto and a smile, Palin belittled Democrat Barack Obama and praised her new boss, John McCain, jolting the crowd of GOP partisans.
"Don't you think we made the right choice for the next vice president of the United States!" McCain said, hinting the controversy surrounding his pick. "And what a beautiful family."
Indeed, the family was on display for the TV cameras '” five children, including a 17-year-old unmarried daughter who is pregnant. Their mother lacked the soaring oratory skills of Obama '” a man she attacked as a tax-raising, terrorist-coddling, self-indulgent liberal. But the former TV sportscaster spoke in calm, TV-friendly tones reminiscent of Ronald Reagan. Like the former GOP president, Palin warmed the crowd with quips and jokes.
"What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull," she said, pausing for a beat and a smirk. "Lipstick."
She left the crowd smiling.
"For too many times, we've brought knives to gun fights," said Chuck Gast, a delegate from Maryland,
When asked if Palin brought a gun to the fight, Gast said: "Yes, I think she brings a big gun, like a moose gun."
It was the crowning moment of a roller-coaster week in which the first woman ever on a Republican presidential ticket has faced questions about how closely the McCain campaign scrutinized her. She also has heard a wide range of inquiries about family issues, her policy positions and her record of public service.
"Our family," she said, "has the same ups and downs as any other."
Facing down her critics with smiling resolve, Palin took crowd-delighting swipes at Obama and what she called the Washington elite. "Here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion. I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country," she said.
A new celebrity herself, Palin cast Obama as a little more than a fancy speaker with a compelling biography.
"The American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of 'personal discovery.' This world of threats and dangers is not just a community, and it doesn't just need an organizer," Palin said, a clear reference to Obama's time as a community organizer in Chicago.
The Obama campaign had less than a warm greeting, saying Palin's speech was "written by George Bush's speechwriter and sounds exactly like the same divisive, partisan attacks we've heard from George Bush for the last eight years." The speech was written by Matthew Scully, who met Palin for the first time last week.
Selected by McCain only last Friday, Palin addressed the convention amid questions about her qualifications and relative lack of experience.
The first-term governor had top billing at the convention on a night delegates also lined up for a noisy roll call of the states to deliver their presidential nomination to McCain.
Watching her speech were her husband Todd and their children, including daughter Bristol Palin, whom the Palins disclosed earlier in the week was five months pregnant. Bristol's 18-year-old boyfriend and apparent fiance, Levi Johnston, was seated with them.
McCain shook up the presidential race by picking Palin, a little-known governor less than two years in office. Since then, a bright spotlight has been trained on the life and record of the Republican governor who has bucked the state's political establishment.
Days after Palin made her debut on the national stage with McCain, the campaign announced her unmarried daughter's pregnancy. Other disclosures followed, including that a private attorney is authorized to spend $95,000 of state money to defend her against accusations of abuse of power and that Palin sought pork-barrel projects for her city and state, contrary to her reformist image.
"Our family has the same ups and downs as any other ... the same challenges and the same joys," she said.
Noting that the couple's oldest son, Track, 19, was shipping out to Iraq in eight days with the Army infantry, Palin praised McCain as "a true profile in courage, and people like that are hard to come by."
"He's a man who wore the uniform of this country for 22 years, and refused to break faith with those troops in Iraq who have now brought victory within sight. And as the mother of one of those troops, that is exactly the kind of man I want as commander in chief," she said.
Largely unknown outside her home state, Palin told the convention: "I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town. I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids' public education better," she said, speaking of her home town of Wasilla, Alaska, with a population of about 6,500.
"When I ran for city council, I didn't need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too," she said.
Before becoming governor, Palin served as mayor of Wasilla, she recounted, adding: "And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."
Palin delivered her speech in a firm, cheerful voice. It was her first chance to introduce and define herself to the American public and to explain to fellow Republicans how her experiences as Alaska governor would help galvanize the GOP ticket.
She strongly endorsed more oil exploration and drilling. "Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems '” as if we all didn't know that already. But the fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all," she said.
Palin has been an aggressive advocate for drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, while McCain opposes drilling there. That difference was not touched on in the speech.
Re: McCain picks Sarah Palin for Vice President
Palin says Obama unfit to lead
ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin introduced herself to the world Wednesday by calling herself a "hockey mom" and then asking what the difference was between a hockey mom and a pit bull.
"Lipstick," the Republican vice-presidential nominee said.
She promptly went on to prove the point, tearing into Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama as two-faced, inexperienced and intoxicated by the sound of his own voice.
"This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting and never use the word 'victory' except when he's talking about his own campaign," she said.
She slammed Obama for "saying one thing in Scranton and another in San Francisco," argued that he had written two memoirs but never authored a major piece of legislation and asked what he would do "when those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot," a reference to the stage where Obama gave his acceptance speech last week.
Thousands of delegates at the party conference roared their approval at Palin's speech, bursting into chants of "Sarah! Sarah!" and "Zero! Zero," the amount of executive experience Republicans say Obama has accumulated.
"I think Sarah Palin can do a one-two punch better than Muhammad Ali," Kansas state senator Karin Brownlee said after the speech. "And I think she delivered it just square on the opponents' face. I think she has energized the Republican Party like we haven't seen in a long time."
Jose Rodriquez-Suarez, a delegate from Puerto Rico, said simply, "It's about the best speech I have heard at any convention."
Conventioneers waved banners reading "Palin Power" and "Hockey moms for Palin." Delegates from her home state of Alaska were spotted wearing buttons calling her "the hottest VP from the coolest state."
"I love those hockey moms," she said.
Palin began with a lengthy, minutes-long standing ovation as she accepted the Republican Party's nomination for vice president. It marked the first time in history that a woman has taken the stage as the GOP vice president pick.
"I accept the challenge of a tough fight," said the woman nicknamed "Sarah Barracuda."
The Obama campaign dismissed Palin's speech as "well-delivered" but said it was "written by George Bush's speechwriter and sounds exactly like the same divisive, partisan attacks we've heard from George Bush for the last eight years."
Bush aide Matthew Scully was largely responsible for the speech.
Palin, whose son is to deploy to Iraq soon, praised her running mate John McCain as a man who has met grave challenges and "knows how tough fights are won." She criticized Obama's stance on Iraq, saying he "wants to forfeit" while victory is "finally in sight."
"It's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform, not even in the state Senate," she said.
She praised McCain, a decorated war hero, as a "true profile in courage."
"In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change," she said.
Throughout the speech, it was clear the first-term governor of Alaska had won over the hearts of the crowd.
"What exactly is our opponent's plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make the government bigger and take more of your money."
Palin, the former mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, contrasted her résumé as a former mayor of a small town with that of Obama. "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."
Palin presented herself as both a mother and as an outside-the-Beltway reformer in the McCain mold, saying she "took on the old politics as usual in Juneau" and "stood up to the special interests, the lobbyists, big oil companies, and the good ol' boys network."
She tied oil, a major industry in her home state of Alaska, to foreign policy and national security on a night when convention delegates repeatedly burst into chants of "Drill now, baby, drill now!"
She insisted that the United States seek "energy independence," including through more drilling, in the face of threats as diverse as hurricanes in the Gulf and Russian military power in the Caucasus. iReport.com: A 'free for all' on Obama
And Palin dismissed criticism about her that have appeared in the press. "Here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion. I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country."
Palin, whose youngest child has Down syndrome, also promised that families of special needs children will have "a friend and advocate in the White House."
At the end of the speech, McCain came on stage amid raucous cheers and said, "Don't you think we made the right choice for the next vice president of the United States?"
Just before Palin took center stage, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani warmed up the crowd by continuing the barrage on Obama, calling him a "celebrity senator" with no leadership experience.
"He's never had to lead people in crisis," Giuliani said. "This is not a personal attack; it's a statement of fact. Barack Obama has never led anything. Nothing. Nada."
"The choice in this election comes down to substance over style. John McCain has been tested. Barack Obama has not. Tough times require strong leadership, and this is no time for on-the-job training."
His speech was the third of the evening by former GOP presidential candidates who pumped up the Republican faithful ahead of Palin.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee got the crowd cheering when he ripped Obama for looking to Europe for ways to change America.
"Barack Obama's excellent adventure to Europe took his campaign for change to hundreds of thousands of people who don't even vote or pay taxes here," he said.
"The fact is, most Americans don't want more government; they want a lot less."
Huckabee said McCain represents small government and has ideas for change that will make the nation's economy better. He added that McCain is "a man with the character and stubborn kind of integrity that I want in a president."
Huckabee took a jab at the "elite media" for "unifying the Republican Party and all of America" in support of McCain and Palin, a first-term governor of Alaska.
"The reporting of the past few days has proven tackier than a costume change at a Madonna concert," Huckabee said.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney blasted "liberal Washington," saying McCain is a "prescription for every American who wants change in Washington."
He added that it's time to take a "Weedwacker" to excessive regulation and to impose lower taxes and to stop big-government spending.
"Throw out the big-government liberals and elect John McCain," Romney said. "We need change, all right: change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington."
He also threw his support behind Palin, saying the McCain-Palin ticket "will keep America as it has always been: the hope of the world."
"We will never allow America to retreat in the face of evil extremism," Romney said.
The Republican Party officially nominated McCain for president at the convention Wednesday. McCain will give a speech accepting the nomination on Thursday night.
Police said two protesters were removed during Palin's speech. They said they were members of the anti-war group Code Pink. A spokesperson for the Joint Information Center said the two women were escorted by law enforcement officers from the Xcel Center for heckling.
They stood and yelled off to the side of the podium during Palin's speech. They were not charged and have been "sent on their way," this spokesperson said.
Re: McCain picks Sarah Palin for Vice President
The Obama campaign dismissed Palin's speech as "well-delivered" but said it was "written by George Bush's speechwriter and sounds exactly like the same divisive, partisan attacks we've heard from George Bush for the last eight years.".
She co-wrote it you imbeciles. At least get your facts straight before issuing a statement.
She has the Obama camp shaking in their boots. I guess we should expect more attacks.
Re: McCain picks Sarah Palin for Vice President
You guys should obviously choose your president based on what's best for your nation, but not even the president of the USA can reign in a vacuum. I can guarantee you that the world would be showing a lot more goodwill towards the US if Obama becomes president then what you have now, or will get with McCain.
I know it's not worth much to any of you, but us Europeans are generally puzzled (if not slightly amused) at how McCain or any of the current crop of Republicans could even be considered worthy to lead a country as big and influential as the USA. Notable exception to this might be Ron Paul, because of his non-internvention policies and lack of religious connotations to his political positions.
You are a proud nation, and in many ways rightfully so, but I think it's worth considering the impact your elections has on the rest of the world. Or, even more importantly, the impact the reaction of the rest of the world will have on your nation.
- NY Giants82
- Rep: 26
Re: McCain picks Sarah Palin for Vice President
I mean this in the most respectful way possible, so dont take any offense to this, but I couldn't care less what Europe, the Middle East, or anywhere else thinks about us. I'm not voting on who will make the world like us more. I am voting on who will best lead our country, keep the US safe, and represents conservative values.
But man, did Palin hit it out of the park last night. Great speech, and yes, she does have the liberals shaking. It is still a long way till the election, but this race is much closer now with Palin.
- NY Giants82
- Rep: 26
Re: McCain picks Sarah Palin for Vice President
BREAKING: Sarah Palin "Winged" Her Speech Because of "Broken" Teleprompter
Halfway through Sarah Palin's speech tonight at the RNC, people following the speech noticed she was deviating from the prepared text.
According to sources close to the McCain campaign, the teleprompter continued scrolling during applause breaks. As a result, half way through the speech, the speech had scrolled significantly from where Governor Palin was in the speech. The malfunction also occurred during Rudy Giuliani's speech, explaining his significant deviations from his speech.
Unfazed, Governor Palin continued, from memory, to deliver her speech without the teleprompter cued to the appropriate point in her speech.
Contrast this to Barack Obama who, when last his teleprompter malfunctioned, was left stuttering before a crowd unable to advance his speech until the problem was resolved.
Sarah Palin. Winner.
Re: McCain picks Sarah Palin for Vice President
^^ not for nothing, but that's just a blog entry by someone. I could goto CNN.com and post in their comments section something and write "Breaking News", and it's no more valid.. we'll see if it ever gets reported.
Anyway, it only takes a short time to put responses back to speeches.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_ … fact_check
That's all I really goto say about last night.
