The Palin Fear Factor
Some voters are scared of the prospect of a black president. Can Obama convince them that they really should be petrified of a Palin vice presidency?
These days, however, it isn't Obama who's looking like the risky choice in November's election. McCain's erratic behavior and high-profile stunts alone are spooking some voters, and making the unflappable Obama seem all the more solid in comparison. But the scariest thing about McCain is the person on the other half of his ticket.
On Monday, Sarah Palin was whisked away to McCain's Sedona, Arizona, estate with his top campaign advisors where, as The Nation's Katha Pollitt described it, "She's prepping for her debate with Joe Biden like a student jock cramming for a test." The McCain campaign has also negotiated a less-challenging debate format, with shorter answer periods and little time for follow-up or free exchange between the candidates. But none of this is likely to obscure the increasingly glaring truth about Palin.
In a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released last Wednesday, only 40 percent of Americans said they believed Palin was qualified to be vice president, while 49 percent said she was not qualified. In comparison, 64 percent said that Joe Biden was qualified, and just 21 percent said he was not. An earlier Associated Press/Yahoo News poll found that 61 percent did not think Palin had the right experience to be president. Those polls were done before the Dow dropped 700-plus points in a single day—and before the airing of Palin's disastrous interview with Katie Couric last week, where Americans saw just who it was they could be placing on the threshold of the oval office.
After running an excerpt from that interview, in which Palin answered Couric's question about the economic bailout package with a rambling and incoherent response, CNN's Jack Cafferty commented:
"If John McCain wins, this woman will be one 72-year-old's heartbeat away from being president of the United States. And if that doesn't scare the hell out of you, it should…
I'm 65 and have been covering politics...for a long time. That is one of the most pathetic pieces of tape I have ever seen for someone aspiring to one of the highest offices in this country." (A commenter on Cafferty's blog wrote that he felt "sorry and embarrassed for Sarah" because "McCain has sucked her into an 'opportunity' akin to a sub-prime mortgage situation on a house she cannot afford.")
The Cafferty piece has joined an assortment of eyebrow-raising Palin videos that are making the rounds on YouTube. Others include various scenes from Palin's former church, the Wasilla Assembly of God Church: Palin praying for a natural gas pipeline and a pastor at her church asking God to finance her campaign for governor and protect her from witchcraft.
A notable addition comes from the pre-show green room conversation among several guests on Sunday's This Week with George Stephanopoulos . Asked what he thought of Palin's interview with Couric, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich—a longtime admirer of the Alaska governor—replied, "They shouldn't have scheduled it" while she was still in "training." The conversation continued:
Robert Reich: "When is she ready for prime time?"
George Will: "When is she ready to be president, that's the question."
Gingrich: "If you want to ask me which gamble do I prefer—I prefer the gamble of Palin to the gamble of either Obama or Biden..."
Will: "Life is full of gambles that are unavoidable. This surely was an avoidable gamble."
George Will is no fan either of Palin or of McCain, who he accused accused last week of "behaving like a flustered rookie playing in a league too high" under the pressure of the financial crisis. But he is just one of a growing number of conservative commentators who have joined the mainstream press in questioning Palin's qualifications, including Kathleen Parker, David Brooks, and David Frum, who recently commented that Palin had "pretty thoroughly—and probably irretrievably—proven that she is not up to the job of being president." Frum added, "this is a moment of real high anxiety, a little bit like 9/11, when people look to Washington for comfort and leadership and want to know that people in charge know what they are doing."
Apparently, members of the McCain campaign team might be feeling the same way. Palin is being kept away from the press while she undergoes her pre-debate tutorial. And while Biden made the rounds on the networks last Friday doing Obama's post-debate spin, Palin remained sequestered in Pennsylvania with a small gathering of debate-viewers and a "limited group of reporters." The spin for McCain was instead done by Rudy Giuliani.
The Obama campaign seems to have picked up on the growing anxiety about the Republican ticket. Campaigning in Colorado on Monday, Obama explicitly introduced the theme into his
<p><blockquote>I read the other day that Senator McCain likes to gamble. He likes to roll those dice. And that's ok. I enjoy a little friendly game of poker myself every now and then. But one thing I know is this—we can't afford to gamble on four more years of the same disastrous economic policies we've had for the last eight. </blockquote></p> <p><blockquote>I know that when Senator McCain says he wants to bring the same kind of deregulation to our health care system that he helped bring to our banking system—his words—well, that's a bet we can't afford. We can't afford to roll the dice by privatizing Social Security, and wagering the nest egg of millions of Americans on Wall Street. We can't afford to gamble on more of the same trickle down philosophy that showers tax breaks on big corporations and the wealthiest few.</blockquote></p> <p>If Obama succeeds in depicting the McCain-Palin team as risky and threatening on the basis of their policies as well as their persons, it might surmount another kind of fear that has plagued this presidential race: the <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94733622" target="new">fear and mistrust
The fact that McCain is a loose cannon and Palin is an empty shell may not have much effect on hard-core racists or Christian fundamentalists. But it just might tip the scales for some Independents and for white working-class Clinton voters in swing states, who displayed mistrust of Obama through the primary races. If this is Obama's strategy, he would do well to continue in the reserved, statesmanlike mode that has some supporters yearning for his earlier soaring rhetoric. If the economy continues to implode, the Democratic candidate will need to project some of the gravitas that FDR showed in 1932, convincing American voters that the only thing they have to fear is fear itself—and Sarah Palin.
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I am fearful of McCain, yes, his trojan horse Sarah also.......but McCain is the one that will accomplish WWIII. By the way, get a transcript if you can of "On the Record" with Greta Van Sustran last nite. Newt Gingrich is involved in the Republican debacle...I know it, another tip, Sarah Palin has been involved with Cheney/Rove/Gingrich/Bush since at least January of 2008, has been to the WH 4 times since 2006, and Gingrich and Rove have been slipping her name out since January of this year to Fox News pundits. I know of a personal phonecall from Cheney to Palin in January from Alaska blogs and her involvement with the Corrupt Bastards Club, eg; Frank Murkowski, Stevens, Bill Allen, Randy Rhuedrich and others. Todd has also been deeply involved in absolutely everything, and yes, they both have their affairs and stay together.
My former University of Wyoming
Political Science teacher would have
been better than Palin. At least, she
has a Ph.D to show for it.
Palin is new on the national scene and the MSM wants her to fail after a bad interview. Obama's credentials are not impressive and he is at the top of the ticket and Palin is not. Obama has not accomplishments to speak of and at least Palin had the gumption and inteligence to move from the PTA to VP nominee....no affirmative action required.
Do you seriously entertain the thought that Palin got the nod to be VP because of her intellect or even hard work? She is the poster girl for the worst excesses of tokenism.
We don't want her to fail. We just don't want an air head as VP. She is taking classes to try and become VP. She is way out of her league. I thought the intervew was good, not bad. It showed that she is in no way ready to be VP or step in and be the President. Please list her accomplishments since she has so many. Also, was she in Hawaii going to College or was that a college online ? Just checking.
What terrible choices the voters have. Palin stands out in the gallery of hand puppets. Many votes will be cast for reasons that are not grounded in logic or comparisons of experience, etc. Here's the interesting factor in upcoming VP debate: When a guy beats up a girl (however gracefully and gently) with whom are the spectators likely to sympathize? Just a thought.
Neither party has a real go-to person, another words we have another bettor of two evils,....but, and I have seen this for along time, Obama has the intelligence and the know how to put a team together of like people...not old cronies and "good job - Brownies " My first thoughts of Palin are still there, poster woman and Hillary-voter magnet.
You're missing the point.http://www.counterpunch.org/conn10012008.html
yes. We vote for the choices of oligarchy - not the candidates in the two-party two step.
There's just no way McCain could survive the stress of the job which would put this revolting woman in charge; until she asked Cheney to be VP... didn't Putin pull a stunt like this?
The more I think about this the surer I am that Cheney is behind this.
First, Palin. I do believe that she is not very smart at all, that she is duplicitous, has early on engaged in questionable things (I won't go into this here),but the real issue of course is that she is not prepared to step into the White House as CEO.She has clearly demonstrated this in remarks she has already made.
Now one can say Obama has not much experience but he has as much time in national politics As did Lincoln! and the manner in which he is running his campaign is a sure sign of great skills.
Now McCain: aside from the frightening display of an incompetent campaign he is showing the public, he has all the symptoms of PTSD--I have Nam vets who also have great outbursts of anger, rage. Now we have not been allowed to see in detail McCain's medical record. It has been carefully kept from the public. The few doctors allowed a very brief glimpse are very upset by what they believe might well be in those records, records public deserves to know. For details of this concern, listen to the doctors who glimpsed the medical records!
Bradley's problem was a progressive gun-control initiative on the same ballot that brought a lot of new or occasional conservative pro-gun voters to the polls to vote it down. While they were at it, they voted against the black guy.
Brian - Which lunatic-fringe blowhard did you pick up that talking point from??? Obama's been vetted through the primary process - for something like 18 months - like no candidate in history. Palin should recognize the look on her own face - it's the same look she sees on a moose (a close cousin of the deer) when she's driving at night.
Native Girl, I wish that you would cite some sources or elaborate a bit more on these remarks--give us something to fact-check. Thanks!
I have never met your college poli sci professor, but I suspect you insult her by comparing her to Palin, who does not seem to have shown any interest in government except as it affects her ego and ability to employ her high school friends.
I'm petrified of a McCain/Palin presidency. I think they are both scarier than each other!
Obama has amazing credentials - constitutional scholar and teacher (remember the constitution?)top in his class at Harvard, 1st AA to head up Law Review. Has authored and co-sponsored numerous pieces of impressive & complex legislation. Palin has gumption? So did W. How'd that work out for ya? It isn't that the woman is inexperienced-I could deal with that. Besides her hard core right wing, religious fanatic views, she has the depth of a saltine cracker. This week the McCain campaign said she was in "debate camp" good lord! are we back in grade school???
First Palin reveals she has no knowledge of the Bush doctrine, then she can't name ANY supreme court case other than Roe v Wade? What kind of journalism student was she? She wouldn't tell Couric any of the newspapers she reads. Doesn't appear that she gets beyond the local Wasilla paper.
I believe that the strong comments of a "Dyed In The Wool" conservative like George Will says it all about the Screetching White-Trash,Religious Whacko, Compulsive Liar, Worldly Ignorant, Presidentially Incompetent, Good Old Girl, Small Town Politician....................need I say more????????
Usually it's 3 strikes your out...........in this case it's 10 strikes before she gets to bat!
What a JOKE!
What an embarrassment before the rest of the world!
Yes.........the rest of the world is watching and I'm sure many of them are laughing also!
God help us all..................
To be painfully honest, my dog would make a better vp that Sarah Failin.
Hey People,
Every reputable study indicates that 5% of DEM voters are not voteing for obama since he is black..!!!
What do you think the percentage is for Rebublicans...?
Red Necks Rule..:-)
Bill
OH yea, i forgot, Do you have any idea what axe the black people have to grind...?
What do you think is going to happen when a bro is in the White House...?
Bill
America, let us solemly affirm that we will stop supporting STUPID with a vote for Obama and Biden this November. We're stuck in foreign quagmires, with an economy that's about to sink the planet into an abyss of insurmouontable debt because an unchecked rabid pack of numbskulls elected a twit who was a lot like them, dumb as a brick and growing dumber every Sunday. We're where we are today because the misguided 'they' wanted a President with whom they all felt comfortable having a Bud! We've spent the last eight years fighting the very elitism and intellectual superiority that once made us a great and compassionate beacon of justice and freedom to be imitated by the whole world, just to become a gullible herd of superstitious, fascist SHEEP led off to slaughter by the very conniving corporatacratic feinds with whom we so naively wanted to have a beer, because it saved us from critically THINKING! Our beloved democratic republic has become some unrecognizable, deviant, repressive, regressive third world dictatorship, viciously run amuck by the BFEE Junta and their avaricious, hegemonic cronies. Electing Gramps and the Alaskan Airhead will only continue our descent into that perdition. So, join Chris Rock in voting for the black guy who, like us, only has one house he lives in fear of losing during these economically uncertain times. Vote for Obama - Biden in November!
That Gramps would select this pig-ignorant dunce to be his VEEP running mate is the utter height of insulting cynicism. This irritating, impudent, feebleminded churl has an IQ equal to that of a megaton sack of hammers. And, I, at this time, wish to apologize to sacks of hammers everywhere for the derrisive insult. To say that Sarah Louise Heath Palin is qualified for absolutely positively NOTHING is quite possibly the understatement of this millenium. That Gramps selected this challenged dip duly disqualifies him to hold any office higher than that of WalMart Greeter. These two miserable incompetents need desperately to be institutionalized somewhere where they can recieve treatment and care for their mental and emotional impairments. To allow them to continue this mockery of our electoral process with this farsical campaign for our highest office only further diminishes the Office of the Precidency of the United States of America in the eyes of the whole world in every embarrassing way imaginable. The McCain-Palin campaign is that felonious form of defamation so hurtful to America's reputation that it ought to be federally prosecutable as a form of high treason.
She is the conservative chaff the political winds will blow away.
Another "Intellectual Gem" from BILL NIGH "The Rascist Guy".
What ANOTHER embarrassment before the world!
All you have to do is go to an Electoral Vote monitoring site to see that Obama has a nice 134 point lead over Blinky The Clown and his Repukelican Whore!
Red-Necks will NOT choose my president this time...........crawl back under your rocks.
I'm sure that most Red Necks don't realize that the people do NOT elect the President. There is a little thing called the Electoral College that does that! DUH.............
Just go to www.fivethirtyeight.com for instant enlightenment.
The very same people who "fear" voting for a black man to be president will have no fear of Palin eventually becoming president because she's of their tribe. Although Sarah doesn't own a trailer she is, nevertheless, a yahoo. I have no doubt about her intellect; she hasn't any.
Surely, or at least one can hope, the people who take the time and make the effort to vote will reject the Palin choice. Unready and unprepared describe Palin, but more than that, she clowns or plays cute under stress. She is such a disaster and McCain needs to be stuck with his bad choices. Palin has been thoroughly tutored for the debate; don't be surprised if she can hold her own in this one situation. Other situations in which advance tutoring isn't possible such as we have already seen are the true measure of her incompetence.
Everytime I see Palin and Mccain together I think of a quote from Sinclair Lewis. "When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."
What really amazes me about the so-called "Red Neck" cult of voters is the indisputable fact that the people who they are constantly "suckered" into voting for are simply USING the red-necks!
It is NO secret that the majority of Americans are benefitted by the ideals and philosophys of the Democtratic Party. Their may not be a HUGE difference between the major partys, but none the less there IS a difference for the average citizen!
The difference is NOT a cultural, but a CLASS difference. The Repukelican party is a "Rich Man's Club". Anybody making LESS than a Quarter Million dollars is a complete "IDIOT" to vote for a member of this "CLUB"! What party do you think the Wall Street theives belong to? What party do you think that your Banker belongs to? What party do you think your Boss belongs to? Wake up! The only way the Repukelicans can win is to "HOODWINK" the idiots that think things like Guns, Gays, and Abortion will have any REAL effect on their lives!
The ONLY way for a reasonable Average Joe to vote is "YOUR WALLET"! Anybody who votes otherwise is an IDIOT who is voting against their own interest.
The ironic thing is that the candidate who will do the MOST for the "Red Neck" class of people is the "Black Man"! Only they are SO poisoned by their irrational hate that they can't even realize it. And if they can............they won't admit it. What a sad statement for a supposedly "Christian" nation.
BE A SUCKER FOR THE RICH..........VOTE REPUBLICAN!
if john maccain wins, sarah palin will be a cancer cell away from the presidency
Gumption is not equal to ability. Her past interviews prove that her abilites lie at a PTA level. And are not near what is needed from a vice president. And heaven forbid because of McCain's questionable health she would become president. Besides who is one of the Repubican's advisors? Good ole Phil Gramm the architect of two bills which deregulated Wall Street. Which along with greed led us to where we stand today. If McCain chooses Palin as his VP. And Gramm as a chief advisor. Just how bad will it become under the McCain administration. It would be simple to administer no middle class just the rich and the poor. Waiting for something besides the Republican's rhetoric to trickle down.
Any sane person is already frightened at the prospect of Palin in a high government position. Even many Republicans & conservatives realize that she is the most unqualified nominee in decades. What scares me is how so many other right-wing partisans continue to stubbornly defend her as being qualified, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Are they really that stupid? Or are they just so blinded by their own partisanship? Either way, it's a sad reflection on the state of conservatism in the US today- intellectually bankrupt, clinging to stale symbolism, flailing blindly against progress.
After his Putinis KGB on International TV and his Freeze Spending except for Defense Spending, I Would Prefer Palin For President-It's McCain that wants to keep the War going and the Surge in Defense Spending and Casualties!
I'm afraid the McSame / Paine ticket's gonna win.
Why?
The morons overwhelmingly outnumber people with an I.Q. above that of your average chihuahua. Moron appeal is the gold key.
Simple as that.
Fear factor and idiot appeal go hand in hand and they both spell "Repugnican Victory".
The morons will choose McSame over Obama because they fear a potentially brilliant statesman who happens to be Black. The morons will also just love Pain, another moron who is, as they are, cast in the same mold as dubya. He had loads of that "ignirant" charm, too.
The morons will "Vote With Their Hearts" because they simply don't have enough grey matter to vote intelligently and prevent a grave threat or even the downfall of Western Civilization.
If the repugnican ticket wins, it will also signal the failure, the downfall not only of America, but of democracy as a whole.
There's just too many idiots for democracy to work properly if the morons keep on having their say... all you have to do is pull the idiot's heartstrings and you're the leader of the whole free world. That SO stupid!
That's the way Hitler did it, by the way. In a democracy, by the way. It was a Bush-esque disaster, by the way. The only difference is that old Adolf had talent.
Bush had backers.
Spitfire
I was never as scared about the prospect of Palin as veep until I saw the trailer for the movie, 'The Palin Presidency'. Terrifying:
That montage follows a scenario so obviously stupid that it could win over some of the particularly intellectually challenged repugnicans.
What can I say?
[deleted] 'em...
Not after reading the post on this site about Obama and Alinsky and the connections with radicals and marxists and all kinds of really scary people. Obama is not suited, wrong background, wrong political belief system, wrong angry wife, wrong preacher man, wrong friends...any questions??
And? Is something wrong here? at least mccain knew what and who he was getting. Affairs? well, bless her..it must have been very difficult with all those kids!!
Hold the phone ladies! Obama had two years to learn, and many teachers, He wasn't allowed to speak of prompter for about 18 months. this woman is 44 she has had 7 weeks in the eye of the world. Lets give her some time! 7 weeks!! that's like learning to play the piano in 7 weeks.
Bill N, you seem to have twisted view of our country, in other words you are an IDI-T.
I find this idea so important that I will venture to post it again :
There's just too many idiots for democracy to work properly if the morons keep on having their say... all you have to do is pull the idiot's heartstrings and you're the leader of the whole free world. That SO stupid!
That's the way Hitler did it, by the way. In a democracy, by the way. It was a Bush-esque disaster, by the way. The only difference is that old Adolf had talent.
Bush had backers.
Spitfire
Please. She isn't digusting, Michelle is disgusting with that humungous mouth spouting all kinds of anti-american garbage. Now that's disgusting.
I wish Newt Gingrich would get lost. A man that is not wanted keeps showing up with his ugly face and behaviour.
Re Palin, I don't consider a two-month crash course in civics, foreign affairs and economics as a qualification for VP.
They all go to debate camp. God knows Obama stuttered, "uhhh" and arms waving in the arm! It took him `18 months to stop that and 23 debates. Give Palin a chance it's been 7 weeks or less!! She is refreshing, Hillary was like leather,and the rest of those old broads aren't any better. She will learn, she came a long way in a short time, give her a break
Your comments, JNH88KROctober 1, 2008, are sadly too true. The dumbed-down populace of this mass in the United States who votes against their own sociological, economic, (and yes) security interests is on the level of filial cannibalism--the Wolf spider eating it's young, and the masses mesmerized into drinking Jim Jones' KoolAid. It's also a testament to how well the Republican corporatist's strategy of owning all mainstream media and turning it into a propaganda machine, and years of under-funding public education has accomplished their goal of turning the US citizenry into the most ignorant population in the industrialized world--and far behind those of India and China.
Modern-day Rome is falling--the beacon on the hill is collapsing. But the rich global oligarchs will amass and consolidate all the more wealth and power. And when the ignorant mass’s jobs are no more, and depleted oil and no alternative energy development has driven food, transportation, and heat for shelter out of their economic reach, the ignorant red-necks and Christian fanatics will blame those 'liberals' and 'illegal immigrants.' They’ll fight for the right to keep their guns, and outlaw gays and abortions while they eat their young and burn their bones for heat to survive the winter.
I heard tonight when Clinton was debating long ago, he knew nothing of foreign policy and had to be trained, even the best go through a learning and training session. I guess like Diana did when she started living in the "castle". they were on her constantly, training, etc.
Obama will win. The race card is already factored in. He would have a 15-20 point lead without the race card. Me, a white woman, will be proud to have Barack Obama as my President representing my country to the world. I am sure America and the world will breathe a sigh of relief after eight years of insanity.
Oh please! don't compare Obama to Lincoln. Obama is a socialist. He has no experience, none, nada. He has a horrible background, his friends, his wife, his books are unbelievable. He is not who you think he is..he has a radical anti-American past worth looking into right here on this site. He isn't desireable as a President.
Well, people find her refreshing and something new rather than the hard crusted old broads.
Bush had 4 doctrines. That was a stupid question.(she should have told Couric that the question was stupid) I am sure only one or two people on earth knew the answer. She could have said Affirmative Action, but that would have opened a can of worms. I think she was nervous. I remember Couric's first 2 months on her new job, it was miserable to watch, she was so self conscienous, she couldn't decide if she should sit on the desk at the end of the program or stand or how her clothing should be, her uncomfortable behavior made me squirm. I guess that is how Sarah felt with that crusty old Couric. RUMOR HAD IT SHE AS ALMOST FIRED.
