Is Palin really qualified?

[ArfinGreebly]

Yeah, she's unqualified for myriad reasons.

But the biggest reason she's not qualified is that she's not congress.

The right thing to do is elect the whole of congress, both houses, to the presidency.

Absolutely.

Because they have lots of experience, and world knowledge, and expertise, and -- did I leave anything out? -- oh, yeah, corruption.

We're in this frigging mess because of all the goddamned expertise and experience and all that *expletive deleted*it in Washington.

Palin has shown one thing:  she's not part of the DC business as usual, and disinclined to take dictation from her party.

Scary stuff, that.

I am seriously fed the hell up with all the "qualified" aholes we have in government at all levels.

Economy is in the toilet because these idiots are so well qualified, we're on the brink of electing a bloody Marxist to play patty-cake with socialist majorities in both chambers, and we're worried about whether SHE is "qualified?"

Gee Zeus Key Riced All My Tea.

Hell, I'M not "qualified" and I could do a better job than the idiots who've been running things for all these years.

I know Kirk could do better, too, but he's evidently too smart to want that job.  None of the people I've ever known who OUGHT to have had the job would touch it with anyone's ten foot pole.

I have long held that anyone who actually WANTS to be president shouldn't be allowed to be.

Palin may be willing to do that job, but it hasn't been her lifelong goal, or even one spanning decades.

The other two pukes (make that three) have spent their lives accruing power with eventual ascension to the throne as the ultimate objective.

Give the girl a chance.  One thing is sure:  she won't be pushing to ban guns.

I mean, what the hell is she gonna do that's worse than what we now have?

Who knows?  Maybe the world's tin pot dictators will take a short vacation from posturing and threatening the US, uncertain of whether this lady is crazy enough to push the button.

That would make a pleasant change.

[zxcvbob]

Arf, why don't you tell us how you really feel?   

[Nitrogen]

She can't even keep to her own campaign's talking points, promising to keep people's social security safe after McCain said he'd have to cut them, for instance.

Conservative bigwigs like George Will, Charles Krauthammer. Lincoln Chafee, David Frum, and Kathleen Parker are amongst other conservatives that agree.  I want to say even Chuck Hagel agrees, but I'm not sure.

She's an empty skirt, much like Obama, only she's much worse at being one.

She doesn't even understand what the job of the Vice President is, as made obvious by her answer in the VP debate.  That alone scares me. 

Having said that, as long as nothing happens to John McCain, she's perfectly qualified to be a figurehead to send out to state funerals and other meaningless functions.  She's wholelly unqualified to be President should John McCain keel over and die.

There are far more people I'd rather have (both that I disagree and agree with, but can at least respect) in the office of vice president.  Biden, for instance, as said, is on the wrong side of many issues, and I'd rather have a wrong, intelligent man like Biden than a correct idiot in charge should something happen.

Yeah, I said it.

I do not think the Palin choice was a good choice. Picking someone for obvious political reasons is not putting your country first.

I'm pretty much disgusted with my choices, and will be throwing my vote away for Bob Barr.  The thought of McCain/Pailn scares me abotu as much as Obama/Biden, so I will not vote for either of them.

[Manedwolf]

She can't even keep to her own campaign's talking points, promising to keep people's social security safe after McCain said he'd have to cut them, for instance.

How about TALKING, not talking points? I'm sick of rehearsed talking points!!!

[Nitrogen]

How about TALKING, not talking points? I'm sick of rehearsed talking points!!!

Don't even get me started on this.  I'm sick of it on both sides.  Every time I hear "Maverick" or "Main Street" from either side, I want to do something that might or might not get me in trouble with the secret service if I ever publicized it.   For crying out loud, just say what you think. 

Also, don't be afraid to admit you were wrong about something.  If McCain came out and said he was wrong for getting involved with the Keating 5 for instance, or if Obama said he shouldn't have said the surge didn't work, I'd gain plenty of respect for either of them.
GOD FORBID you ever learn from your mistakes in politics!$!@$@#$@!#$%#!@$@#

[Waitone]

WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE LET THE CYNIC GET A WORD IN EDGEWISE!

What does being qualified have to do with elected office?  Take a good hard look at the current ship of fools steaming in DC and tell me it is a well-run enterprise.

And by the way, Monkeyleg nailed it

Howcumitzzit that, every four years, gun-related forums get new members questioning the most pro-gun candidates?

[Scout26]

If McCain came out and said he was wrong for getting involved with the Keating 5 for instance

McCain did and has said it repeatedly.

But to me her biggest problem is in trying to remember her talking points.  Dadgumit, "LET SARAH BE SARAH !!!!"

[Manedwolf]

Has anyone ever seen the commercial where a bunch of firefighters in turnout coats are running Congress and going right through the agenda in seconds in a matter-of-fact manner?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO6DORwBzuA

[Nitrogen]

Ann Coulter's column today.

Howcumitzzit that, every four years, gun-related forums get new members questioning the most pro-gun candidates?
[/quote]

You won't like my answer.

It's because pro gun folks are notoriously single issue voters, along with pro lifers.
You can be (pro life|pro gun) and want to murder old folks for their gold, return to child labor to fix the economy, pave over the entire planet, and spend a trillion dollars to put a giant magnyfing glass in space over China, and you'd have nearly a guaranteed block of pro gun and pro life voters.

As said elsewhere, it's the basic test. If a politician doesn't trust you with a gun, they don't trust you, period.

This also, but not as much.

And yes, before someone asks, I'm having a really rotten day.  I hate politics these days.

[Manedwolf]

Ann Coulter's column today.

Howcumitzzit that, every four years, gun-related forums get new members questioning the most pro-gun candidates?


You won't like my answer.

It's because pro gun folks are notoriously single issue voters, along with pro lifers.
You can be (pro life|pro gun) and want to murder old folks for their gold, return to child labor to fix the economy, pave over the entire planet, and spend a trillion dollars to put a giant magnyfing glass in space over China, and you'd have nearly a guaranteed block of pro gun and pro life voters.

As said elsewhere, it's the basic test. If a politician doesn't trust you with a gun, they don't trust you, period.

[roo_ster]

Sorry Nintrogen, but your post lacks the Oxygen necessary to sustain life.

To be merciful, I will put it out of its misery:

Conservative bigwigs like George Will, Charles Krauthammer. Lincoln Chafee, David Frum, and Kathleen Parker are amongst other conservatives that agree.  I want to say even Chuck Hagel agrees, but I'm not sure.

Will is the only "conservative bigwig" in your list.  I am not surprised the Eternal Tory is not impressed with the savage from the hinterlands.  Her message is poison to East Coast weenies.

Kraut comes close, but being a gun-grabber & big spender, will always be asterisk-ed. 

Parker is famous for swallowing the anti-Palin hype, going wobbly, calling for her to be replaced, and being quoted and praised by the MSM for her "growth."  The same MSM pretty much ignored her book, "Save the Males," as it did not tear into a fellow conservative.  Check out here wikipedia entry.  As of 2008-10-09 1515CDT, EVERY SINGLE REFERENCE cited has to do with her slamming of Palin. 

[What do Will, Kraut, & Parker all have in common?  All are East Coast Washington Post opinion writers and syndicated by the WaPo.]

Frum might be a bigwig in his own mind, and maybe he is, in Canada.  Where he was born and is a citizen.

Chaffee has never been any sort of conservative, let alone a bigwig.  The Chaffee family has, over generations, put the "INO" in "RINO."  They have never claimed to be conservative. 

Ah, Chuck Hagel.  The favorite Republican of the press, now that McCain is running against their Golden Boy.  He's always good for a anti-Republican or anti-conservative quote.  Senator, yes.  Conservative bigwig, not so much.

She doesn't even understand what the job of the Vice President is, as made obvious by her answer in the VP debate.  That alone scares me. 

You scare easily, especially since she got the answer right: POTUS replacement, Pres of Senate, with any and all privileges allowed by POTUS or Senate.

Your boy Biden flubbed the content of it and placed the executive powers in Article I.  And he's the one with the spiffy law degree, isn't he?

There are far more people I'd rather have (both that I disagree and agree with, but can at least respect) in the office of vice president.  Biden, for instance, as said, is on the wrong side of many issues, and I'd rather have a wrong, intelligent man like Biden than a correct idiot in charge should something happen.

Now there's a recipe for disaster and an interesting window on to your thought process.  "Staaaay with the flock," even as it is lead over the cliff by a known black sheep...

I would much rather have someone with the correct world view and instincts than a glib liar like Biden who has spent his entire career seeking higher office and being wrong on every great issue of the day.  Or don't you recall the way he fought the Reagan re-build of the armed forces, fought Reagan when he got tough with the Soviets, and lied his way through the Bork nomination?

[roo_ster]

One last bit:

Biden has been on the public teat since before age 30, when he was elected to the Senate.  He has made in excess of $100K for decades.  He owns a 6000+sqft mansion on 6+ acres in Delaware worth millions.  Yet, his net worth is less than Palin's at $150K.

It seems that while Palin & her hubby were busting their humps and staying out of debt, they socked away some cash and made prudent investments.  Meanwhile, Biden accumulated much debt & mortgages, he is worth less than the rube from Alaska.

[Perd Hapley]

This only works if you're a "lesser of two evils" type of voter and not everyone is. The question Mr. King is asking seems to be excluding that type of reasoning. Just because I won't vote Obama/Biden, doesn't mean I have to vote McCain/Palin.

This only works if you're a "lesser of two evils" real-world type of voter and not everyone is. The question Mr. King is asking seems to be excluding that type of reasoning the facts of the American electorate, and what they will vote for. Just because I won't vote Obama/Biden, doesn't mean I have to vote McCain/Palin for a candidate that actually has a slight chance of winning the election.

Fixed that for you.  Given our Constitution, and our ideal of government by consent of the governed, it is simply not enough to vote for the best candidate.  One must persuade one's fellow citizens to one's point of view.  When some Constitutionalist, libertarian third party achieves that, then we will make some progress.  Until then, my vote for a deeply flawed candidate (McCain) or party is one of the few things I can do to preserve our Constitution and liberties from the ravages of those that are even worse enemies of the same. 

I've voted for third parties before.  I may again.  But I've seen through the sham of "lesser of two evils" so your Jedi mind tricks won't work on me.  Any vote cast for a human being is a lesser of some number of evils.  It's just that your vote for a less-evil politician (Paul, Barr, whatever) is doing more harm than good. 

[MicroBalrog]

  "The perfect is the enemy of the good", you say? I say that if nobody ever insisted on the perfect, there'd never be any good.

In other words, running moderate candidates because they're 'more likely to win' is a strategic error. Eventually you'll end up fielding a candidate so moderate he's unable to excite his own base - and therefore incapable of winning. Eventually "b-b-but the other guy is worse!" will fail to scare your own people - even if the other guy IS much worse.

By all means, vote for McCain - but know that McCain is an enemy of liberty, just like Obama.

[Monkeyleg]

Eventually you'll end up fielding a candidate so moderate he's unable to excite his own base - and therefore incapable of winning.

Which is precisely what happened to McCain until he picked Palin, and one reason why McCain is trailing Obama so horribly in campaign cash. (The other reason is that Mr. Change decided to break nearly all of his primary campaign promises, including accepting public funding).

[MicroBalrog]

Which is precisely what happened to McCain until he picked Palin, and one reason why McCain is trailing Obama so horribly in campaign cash. (The other reason is that Mr. Change decided to break nearly all of his primary campaign promises, including accepting public funding).

I'm not sure Palin will be enough. We'll wait and see.

[Perd Hapley]

Micro,

I agree with that, if we're talking about the Repub primaries.  But that's not what I'm talking about right now.

In the past couple of years, I've said many times on this board that the Republicans can only win with a candidate that is conservative, or at least looks like one.  I have never had very high hopes that McCain could win, precisely because I do NOT believe that a moderate Republican is more likely to win the election than a conservative Republican. 

As for McCain being an enemy of liberty, that was true one year ago.  At this point, his ticket is the only one that will at least rape liberty gently, without all the chains and torture devices.   

[hoosier8]

She's an empty skirt, much like Obama, only she's much worse at being one.

Oh man!   Did I miss something?  Will this be on the news?  Obama, an empty skirt?

I love the comparisons.  SP is always compared to Obama.  Wouldn't that give you the impression that Obama is on the same level of inexperience?  Back during Obama's run for Senate he sounded even worse than SP.  Always great during a scripted speech but during interviews, he sounded very unsure of himself and, IMHO, like an idiot.  I was impressed with him until I saw him in interviews.  SP actually sounds better at this stage than Obama did, she at least sound sure of herself.  Obama has come a long way but he is still learning on the job, otherwise why would he have to keep changing his opinion continuously?

I mean really, Obama is the least experienced candidate the Democrats have ever put up for office and maybe, like Arf says, for Obama and SP, this is a good thing.  At least SP has not had a drink of the Congressional koolaid.  Can't say the same for O.

[MicroBalrog]

I agree with that, if we're talking about the Repub primaries.  But that's not what I'm talking about right now.

Neither am I. Have you read Aristotle's 'Poetics'?

Aristotle defines tragedy as the story of a man inherently noble, yet suffering from an inherent flaw, one that inevitably leads him to his doom.

The American Conservative movement's history can thus be viewed as an Aristotelian tragedy.

[txgho1911]

I want ArfinGreebly to explain his point. And tell me who hell he supports because I think he is patronizing us. That's not fair.

Couldn't say it any better. I promise to plagiarize if given the opportunity.

[longeyes]

Biden has been on the public teat since before age 30, when he was elected to the Senate.  He has made in excess of $100K for decades.  He owns a 6000+sqft mansion on 6+ acres in Delaware worth millions.  Yet, his net worth is less than Palin's at $150K.

It seems that while Palin & her hubby were busting their humps and staying out of debt, they socked away some cash and made prudent investments.  Meanwhile, Biden accumulated much debt & mortgages, he is worth less than the rube from Alaska.

And you believe the numbers?

***

Qualified is not a word I'd be applying to the people in power because we have one purpose and they have quite another.  The concept is meaningless.

***

I'm a one-issue voter: LIBERTY.  Guns are just a sub-set of that, albeit a rather enjoyable one.

[GigaBuist]

Biden has been on the public teat since before age 30

When I first read that I spotted the error, as you cannot be a senator before you're 30, then looked up Biden's record.

The dude was 30 years and 2 months old when he took his Senate office.

Holy crap!  That's gotta be a record.

[grampster]

Here's a question for you.

Ability or Experience.

Given the option, which would you choose?

I'd pick ability.

[roo_ster]

When I first read that I spotted the error, as you cannot be a senator before you're 30, then looked up Biden's record.

The dude was 30 years and 2 months old when he took his Senate office.

Holy crap!  That's gotta be a record.

I am having a rough day with folks reading what they think I wrote rather than what I wrote.

I did not write "has been in the Senate since before the age of 30," I wrote, "Biden has been on the public teat since before age 30."  That includes his two years on the Wilmington city council.

I'm thinking the error is non-existent.

[French G.]

My sweet wife may vote Repub for the first time ever just because she hates Mr. Smug so so much. I explain the Palin qualified thing to her this way. Dumb old George Bush has been kicking around DC for 8 years. If he didn't manage to accidentally mash the big red nookular button then nobody else will. Short of that any gaffes are something to make cartoons out of.

Remember, being a mayor is kinda like being a community organizer except that you actually have to make decisions.