Getting To Know You: Sarah Palin Edition

Your Vice Presidential Candidate "speaks" at the Wasilla Assembly of God in June 2008. Yes, a mere three months ago. This may seem like a lot to watch but it will tell you most of what you need to know about her history, attitudes, and politics. In this two part series you will find that the war in Iraq is God's will. Apparently God also controls the Congress because she asked the congregation to pray for a pipeline.

"I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that."

Republicans Love Her; Independents Not So Much

I was amazingly unimpressed with the Republican Vice Presidential nominee last night. I thought her snipey and snotty and sarcastic when she didn't have the chops for any of those. There was no substance but lots of lies. She had that "I got nothing so I'll attack you" tone that guys get when they haven't matured past the freshman year of hight school. Kind of like John McCain and George Bush. But when a beauty queen was introducing herself, it just convinced me that there is nothing there.

But I read the reports and everybody else -- well almost everybody -- seemed taken with the Governor. So I was pleased to discover that The Detroit Free Press conducted a focus group after Sarah Palin's speech. It included Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. The previous link contains quotations from each of the participants. Reading it is most interesting because it is clear that the independents are quite skeptical.

Here are a few quotes. Follow the link for more.

“Sarah Palin came across as the small town girl who made good. I knew that I disagreed with her on some issues before this evening. After listening to her speech … it appears that once she makes up her mind, that is the end of it. We live in a gray world, not every answer is black and white.”

-- Diane Murphy, 42, Sterling Heights independent

“Who is Sarah Palin? I'm sorry but I still don't know anymore about this young lady tonight than I did last night ... The way it looks to me, she's the Republican vice presidential nominee for one reason: because Hillary wasn't selected.”

-- Mike Kosh, 38, West Bloomfield independent

“Nothing worked for me. I found her barrage of snide remarksand distortions to be a major turn off. She is not a class act. The most important point she made is that she will be an effective attack dog.”

-- Jan Wheelock, 58, Royal Oak independent

“Sarah got as much applause as Hillary did, and had a friendly, appealing appearance.
Her delivery style reminded me of a high school valedictorian who also might have been a cheerleader. I thought she would appear more professional, more stateswomanly. She's no match for Joe Biden.”

-- Joellen Gilchrist, 64, Beverly Hills independent

Hello Young Lovers

I'm sure it is hard for you to believe but there were people who were skeptical of my theory that John McCain selected Sarah Palin because he had one of those pathetic old-people boners. Thankfully The Jed Report has come to my aid and offered the following. I think this closes the argument.

The Republican National Committee Crumbles Before Our Eyes

Update below

I had planned to do my final post about what the choice of Vice Presidential nominees revealed about each of the candidates, but that seems to have been overtaken by events. Instead this will be about the Republicans using another tragedy for their own selfish interests.
Tomorrow the Republican National Convention will gavel their convention in session, do a bit of back room business (platform, electing officials) and gavel out about two hours later. John McCain claims that they think it would be unseemly to Conventioneer with that hurricane threatening our people. (He didn't think Katrina was much of a problem when he was eating cake with Mr. Bush, as I recall.) The Times explains

Amid extraordinary circumstances that remain extremely uncertain, many questions remain unanswered, including whether Mr. McCain and Mrs. Palin will actually appear at the convention here to accept their party’s nominations and what the schedule might look like for the rest of what had been expected to be a four-day political coronation for Mr. McCain and his vice presidential nominee.

Rick Davis, the McCain-Palin campaign manager, said organizers are proceeding on a day-by-day basis, monitoring the course of the storm and its damage.

Stunning.

If they flush the toilets will it produce a surge down the Mississippi to New Orleans? (h/t to Landru for that line)

This, of course, would be the perfect platform from which to speak about the problem, address what needs to be done, and even to ask the American people to help out. They have four nights of prime time coverage on all of the networks and news cable outlets. And they're not sure whether they will show up or not?

My theory is that they are coming apart at the seams. There are women like Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Jodi Rell who were just told "fuck you." There are folks running for office downstream, beyond the Congresional members and wannabes who can't possibly get up there and support the ticket with a straight face, not and hope to win their races, anyway. I can't really see too many folks beyond Mr. McCain's favorite butt-boys, Lindsey Graham (who knew he couldn't be nominated without a wife -- and yes, that means what you think it means) and Joe Lieberman who was apparently vetoed by Karl Rove being able to say "YAY" with a straight face.

Politics is an insider game. Senator McCain was on the margin before, but now that he has publicly said FUCK YOU to such a large segment of the party, I expect it will take a while to get it together. And then there is Governor Palin who has to learn to give a big kick-ass speech between now and Wednesday. (I don't suppose they will have her hubby introducing her.)

Besides all that, it is harder to say "I was a POW for 5 1/2 years" when folks are dying. Good luck with that convention thing, party of Lincoln.


Update - The L. A. Times is compiling a list of no-shows at the convention.

At least 10 incumbent senators, plus several Senate candidates, have sent their regrets. Only three incumbents in hotly contested races, including Kentucky's Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, will join the partygoers.

"It's probably easier to say who is attending," said Rebecca Fisher, spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. But the list is "a moving target," she added. ...
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will bow out to stay in California and deal with a budget stalemate, and Govs. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Rick Perry of Texas said they would cancel their prime-time convention appearances because of the threat to the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Gustav.

The piece cites many more. Hard to see how they have enough to have a convention.

Sarah Palin, Barbarian

I'm offering this because instead of saving it for a more opportune time because, as I went Googling about the Intertubes this morning I find that many Sarah Palin material and web sites have been removed/pulled down/redirected to the JohnMcCain web site. (You can find it yourself. You don't need a link from me.) Interesting that she has the identical smile in both photos. I guess they learn that at Beauty Queen Camp.
(Click for big)

Sarah Palin, Dick Magnet, with updates

Updates I, II, III, IV and Final Update That I Couldn't Resist below:
John McCain's pick for a Vice Presidential nominee. It looks like he will have somebody else to refer to as a cunt.

Today John McCain is 73. Sarah Palin, age 44, has been the Governor of Alaska for less than two years. She has no other experience. (There goes the "Obama lacks experience" argument.) She is under investigation for something or other that happened in her office. She is wildly anti-choice.

Seriously, isn't McCain a little old to still be pretending he can get it up, Cialis or no? His only consistent throughout his career is chasing blonde "Miss HotShitOfTheDay."

Poor Cindy.

Look, the man is likely to croak. He is 73, has a history of multiple cancers, and won't release his medical records. The party that has been griping bout Obama's experience now thinks that they can sell her as a replacement whe he dies or -- more likely -- is declared incompetent. It seems like they just tossed their best card in the sewer.

Then again, I can't wait to watch her debate Biden.

Update I - It didn't occur to me how much older she would make McCain look just standing next to him. She even makes Cindy (who she calls Mrs. McCain) look old.

Update II - Geez she's been pumping babies out for nearly 20 years. She has a 5 month old and one in the Army. And they have names like Trig and Bristol and Willow. She is amazingly hickish.

Update III - Well at least she can deliver Alaska for McCain. Oh, wait ...

Update IV - Just in case anybody is worried about this, make sure you catch Letterman, Leno, and Jon Stewart. I think they will all make it crystal clear.

Final Update - Governor Palin? Supported and stumped for ... wait for it ... Pat Buchanan, that racist, anti-semitic craphead who was mooning over Senator Obama's speech last night -- in 1996. *swoon*