McCain picks female running mate - Sarah Palin
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luke



Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Location: by the sea

PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 5:25 pm    Post subject: McCain picks female running mate - Sarah Palin Reply with quote

McCain picks female running mate



US Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has picked Sarah Palin, the female governor of Alaska, as his surprise running mate.

At 44, she is younger than Barack Obama and is credited with reforms during her first term, but she is relatively unknown in US politics.

Mr McCain has gone on stage at a rally in Dayton, Ohio, to celebrate his 72nd birthday and present Ms Palin.

Analysts say the Republican is keen to wrest back headlines from Mr Obama.

The youngest governor of Alaska and the first woman to hold that position, Ms Palin is married with five children.

Ms Palin is perhaps the most daring vice-presidential choice for Mr McCain, the BBC's Kim Ghattas reports from Dayton.

Todd and Hillary

Speaking to a large crowd, who sang Happy Birthday when he appeared, Mr McCain introduced Ms Palin as someone who "understands working people".

"She's got the grit, the integrity and commitment to the common good which are exactly what we need in Washington today," he said.

"She's exactly who I need, who this country needs, to help me fight to turn the same old Washington politics on its head."

Thanking Mr McCain, Ms Palin said she would be honoured to serve next to him.

She introduced her family including her husband of 20 years, Todd, saying:

"My husband was a lifelong commercial fisherman... [He is now] a production operator up in the oil fields up on Alaska's north slope, and he's a proud member of the United Steelworkers' Union. And he's a world champion snow machine racer."

Speaking of her time in office in Alaska, she said she had "fought corruption".

She paid tribute to other American women in politics, including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama's defeated Democratic rival:

"It was rightly noted in Denver last week that Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America. But it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all."

The Obama campaign suggested Mr McCain's choice was irresponsible, referring to Ms Palin's former role as mayor of the small Alaskan town of Wasilla.

"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency," said spokesman Bill Burton.

Broad appeal

Ms Palin may reinforce Mr McCain’s "maverick" tag, enjoying a reputation as someone willing to take on the party establishment.

Analysts say she may have been chosen by the McCain campaign as a tactic to win over Democratic women voters, disappointed by the defeat of Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama.

Her relative youth and reforms as governor may also go some way to match Mr Obama's appeal, and boost Mr McCain's chances.

"She will be his partner in reforming Washington," a senior McCain official told Reuters news agency, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Announcing Mr McCain's decision, his election website said Ms Palin had "brought Republicans and Democrats together within her administration [in Alaska] and has a record of delivering on the change and reform that we need in Washington".

At the same time, Ms Palin is a strong conservative, fiscally and socially.

She also opposes abortion and her baby son has Down's Syndrome.

Abortion has been a key issue cited by Republican voters who feel the Arizona senator is not conservative enough, our correspondent says.

Alaskan investigation

Ms Palin lacks foreign policy experience and while being a Washington outsider can be an asset for the McCain ticket, it also means she has not been tested on the national stage, our correspondent says.

Her electoral chances may be harmed by the fact that she was placed under investigation in Alaska by state lawmakers at the end of July.

She sacked a public safety commissioner and the allegation is that she sacked him because he had not fired a state trooper who is Ms Palin’s former brother-in-law, and who is in a custody battle with her sister.

She says she has "nothing to hide" and is "cool" about the investigation.

---

* Elected Alaska’s youngest and first woman governor in 2006
* Grew up in Wasilla, near Anchorage, and was voted Miss Wasilla in 1984
* Studied journalism and political science at University of Idaho
* Is mother of five, including a son with Down's syndrome
* Her husband Todd is an oil production operator
* Likes hunting and fishing
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faceless
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Joined: 25 Apr 2006

PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 5:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's not just a cynical move to try and attract the floating voters who warmed to Hillary is it? Say it ain't so John!
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luke



Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Location: by the sea

PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 5:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

what surprised me about this story wasn't her, but that her husband is a member of the steel workers union - thats theres actually a union left in america?! thats mad! Shocked i thought corporate america had got rid of them trouble makers ages ago Laughing union and america in the same sentence? it blows my mind! wow
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major.tom
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Joined: 21 Jan 2007
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 6:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Steelworkers' Union is huge and even includes a Canadian chapter. On the bright side, I guess this means that if McCain wins the election, he couldn't smash it without offending his V.P.

He's 72; she has 2 years of political experience. This is the dream ticket?

She appears lovely, but looks don't make good politics. All I really know about her is that she's against abortion and describes herself as a "hockey mom."
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SpursFan1902
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Joined: 24 May 2007
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 9:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Her hockey connection aside, she doesn't show me much and with her stance on abortion, I feel even more confident about Obama's chances. What a weird choice on his part. No experience and she is governor of Alaska, a state most people forget that we have. Not sure what he was thinking, but we will see what happens.
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luke



Joined: 11 Feb 2007
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 9:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

major.tom wrote:
She appears lovely


i was thinking the same thing ... Laughing
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major.tom
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 9:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I should correct myself. She has 2 years in Federal politics. Apparently she was a mayor also. Not that that is a stunning prerequisite for V.P., but I don't want to belittle her experience.

Actually, I think our populations would be well-served by electing common folks without any political baggage whatsoever. But that's probably not going to happen anytime soon.

She's certainly a better pick than the (not-so-) distinguished gentleman from Alaska, Ted "series of tubes" Stevens. Very Happy
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luke



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PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 9:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

major.tom wrote:
I think our populations would be well-served by electing common folks without any political baggage whatsoever.


reminds me of a quote from chomsky ...

At the Democratic Convention, Barack Obama said, 'only in this country, only in America, could someone like me appear here.' Well, in some other countries, people much poorer than him would not only talk at the convention - they'd be elected president. Take Lula. The president of Brazil is a guy with a peasant background, a union organizer, never went to school, he's the president of the second-biggest country in the hemisphere. Only in America? I mean, there they actually have elections where you can choose somebody from your own ranks. With different policies. That's inconceivable in the United States.
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Twirley



Joined: 29 Apr 2006
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 5:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I saw that McCain had picked Palin in my local paper this week and OMG, after reading about her it mad me lean more to the left than I already do. I mean, did McCain pick her cos she's a woman (trying to pick up Hillary's voters) or did he pick her for her youth and inexperience...? Firstly, I really hope that Hillary supporters don't get turned onto Palin - she has a completely different stance than Clinton on many issues, and has nowhere near the experience. Secondly, I'm truly hoping that this selection of VP is McCain's and the Republicans' downfall.


Do you think Obama will rush through my citizenship so I can vote in November...??
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Skylace
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 2:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

She's a creationist, a member for life in the NRA, she's pro-life, she recently pushed a bill through in Alaska to make the aerial hunting of wolves legal again, she made sure polar bears were not put on the endangered species list in Alaska, she attempted to use her political influence against the father of her sister's children in a custody battle, and she is obviously McCain's attempt to say "Shut up ladies, here's a woman."

I knew about her before the nomination and my blood ran cold when I heard her name. She is a nasty piece of work and she's only been doing politics for two years. If at such a young age and with such little experience she already has this impressive resume I can only imagine what she would become being VP.
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SpursFan1902
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 2:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow, she is even more evil than I first suspected!
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faceless
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 3:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

cheers for that info sky - she sounds like a real charmer. Being pro-life is to me an acceptable position only if you treat all species (and thereby the planet) with the same value. The fact that she was involved in beauty contests (separation by breeding?) just enforces that hypocrisy.
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luke



Joined: 11 Feb 2007
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 6:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
John McCain met running mate Sarah Palin just once

The Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, was facing a backlash from his party last night over the appointment of Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, as his running mate after it emerged that he had met her only once before offering her the job.

His choice of Palin, a 44-year-old, gun-toting, moose-burger-eating mother-of-five, confirmed his maverick reputation but also caused some leading Republicans to question his judgment.

Shannen Coffin, a former White House counsel to Dick Cheney, the vice-president, said choosing Palin seemed “desperate” and that it would be difficult to attack Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, on the grounds of inexperience. “It is hard to imagine Palin playing the same sort of role that modern vice-presidents like Gore, Bush, Cheney or Mondale played,” he said.

Anti-abortion conservative Republicans applauded the choice as daring and modern, but others criticised her lack of foreign policy expertise and inexperience in a national election.

David Frum, President George W Bush’s former speech-writer, warned: “The McCain campaign’s slogan is ‘country first’. If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat from the presidency?”
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faceless
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 7:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum, I smell the fear of a David Frum...
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Skylace
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 7:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

luke wrote:
what surprised me about this story wasn't her, but that her husband is a member of the steel workers union - thats theres actually a union left in america?! thats mad! Shocked i thought corporate america had got rid of them trouble makers ages ago Laughing union and america in the same sentence? it blows my mind! wow
that is a surprise. There are many unions here and they are very strong. We have everything from teamsters to teachers.
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