How Stupid do they think Americans Are? Potatoe.

[shannon_a]

So, let's see, McCain picked Susan Palin, the governor of Alaska who ...

• Just 18 months ago was the mayor of a town of 7-9000 residents. [Edit: it was actually longer than that. She got termed out, then was minimally involved in politics for several years until she lucked into the governor's mansion.]
  
• Is part of the intensely corrupt politics of Alaska, which seem to currently be bringing down Senator Stevens (who has no chance of reelection) and Representative Young (who might even have lost his primary).
  
• Has her own ethics scandal, involving firing someone who refused to discipline her sister's ex-husband, which is unfortunately just a little complex to explain easily. However the fact that she's currently under investigation is pretty damned easy to explain.
  
• Has no foreign policy experience, no national political experience, and really no experience doing anything other than running a state who's population is smaller than San Francisco's.
  
• Believes in creationism, doesn't think that global warming is real, and generally is anti-science.
  
• Has no idea what the position of Vice President actually means. In a recent interview, she said, "[A]s for that V.P. talk all the time, I’ll tell you, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the V.P. does every day."
  

Given McCain's advanced age, history of cancer, and the abuse he suffered during Vietnam, his VP is very likely to ascend to the presidency if he serves two terms. You'd think he would have picked someone more, y'know, ready for the job.

So what could possibly have possessed him? Apparently he thinks America is stupid enough to vote for him if he offers up a token woman to replace Hilary. How stupid is America? We'll see.

But the analysts are already saying that Palin would be "worse than Dan Quayle." Ouch.

Comments

[cartazon.livejournal.com]

My thought is that he suddenly realized that being President is hard work and, dang, isn't it time to retire? Of course, having gotten himself the nomination, he's kind of stuck actually running for office now, so he picked someone only vaguely suitable, hoping that it would "backfire" and lose the election for him. Watch, he'll be shopping for fishing poles come October ...

Okay, probably not. But I'm a fantasist by nature.

[pwca.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't it take something as simple as a spelling test to confirm or deny that Susan Palin is worse than Quayle?

[shannon_a]

Palin certainly seems smarter from the interview I've seen, but conversely Quayle had actually worked in Washington for 12 years and didn't think that he had foreign policy experience because Indiana was across some water from Canada.

[catwithclaws.livejournal.com]

hahahaha. you are serious, right? PALIN???

well, nice to know Obama will win now :)

[miyaa99.livejournal.com]

My guess is that he picked her mostly because of her strong pro-life stance. She also has a baby son who has Down's Syndrome, so I expect that will be played up in the convention.

I also think it's less about Hilary but to try to counter on the novelty of Barack Obama, with the chance of him being the first African American president.

Now, does that mean that people are more likely to vote for McCain because of his Vice-President running mate? No more than people will probably be more likely to vote for Obama because of Sen. Biden. The selection of a Vice-Presidential candidate is slightly overrated in this regard.