Sarah Palin stepping down as Governor of Alaska

[Hauptman]

Jeff, the Diogenes of analogies...

And I'll bet you quarrel with that one, too!

Now THIS made me laugh..... Pot meets Kettle...

[Hauptman]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washing...lin-poll_N.htm

Palin's decision to resign as Governor of Alaska has IMPROVED her standing among GOP voters.

Republicans by 71%-27% say they'd be likely to vote for her if she ran for president.

Let me see if I understand this correctly. A woman who was mayor of a small town for two terms (and was nearly kicked out of office in the first term but they simply hired a town manager to do her work and kept her in office); who quit her appointed job, blaming her supervisor's corruption versus filing charges through normal channels; and who then became governor with papproval ratings that soared with the price of oil and fell with the price of oil, then quit saying she was doing it for the good of Alaska... is a good candidate for President.

Have I got that right?

If I ever had any doubts about leaving the Republican party last election, this poll just eliminated them. Obviously, the Republicans don't give a damn about KSAs (Knowledge, skills, and abilities).

This isn't so odd when you consider the few people that will still self-identify as Republicans these days.

[Sins of the Fleche]

I'm a registered Republican, and Sarah Palin scares the crap outta me. At this point, I'ld be more comfortable running Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, or Megatron in 2012 rather than her.

I think that she's the darling of Fox News and their ilk, but for Republicans like me, we're really hoping she stays away from Washington.

PS: Well, maybe not Cheney, but definitely Megatron.

[Inquartata]

Let me see if I understand this correctly. A woman who was mayor of a small town for two terms (and was nearly kicked out of office in the first term but they simply hired a town manager to do her work and kept her in office); who quit her appointed job, blaming her supervisor's corruption versus filing charges through normal channels; and who then became governor with approval ratings that soared with the price of oil and fell with the price of oil, then quit saying she was doing it for the good of Alaska... is a good candidate for President.

As opposed to a one-term Senator and former "community organizer" from arguably the single most corrupt political district in the nation, who had never run anything, and who neglected his actual job, to which he was elected and for which we taxpayers paid him, in order to run?

Have I got that right?

Find an honest man?

No, an honest analogy!

Now THIS made me laugh..... Pot meets Kettle...

Well, I would NEVER use pot, so I must be t'other one.

[erik_blank]

Well, I would NEVER use pot, so I must be t'other one.

So are you advocating smoking Kettle?

[thereom4]

As opposed to a one-term Senator and former "community organizer" from arguably the single most corrupt political district in the nation, who had never run anything, and who neglected his actual job, to which he was elected and for which we taxpayers paid him, in order to run?

Have I got that right?

Grease. Burn.

Now that I've given you props for that burn, I have to ask, what's so wrong with being a community organizer? You have to start from somewhere. Community organizers are in the neighborhoods actually talking to the people living there. The ability to affect change is greater here.

As far as him neglecting his job while he was running.....is this some new phenomenom? I'm not saying it's right, but it's not new.

[Sins of the Fleche]

I don't think Inq was knocking community organization as an activity or occupation, but more just pointing out that Palin's lack of experience on a high-level stage isn't exactly glaring compared to Obama's lack of prominent leadership experience.

Of course, I've been wrong before...

[Inquartata]

So are you advocating smoking Kettle?

Just kettle corn.

I don't think Inq was knocking community organization as an activity or occupation, but more just pointing out that Palin's lack of experience on a high-level stage isn't exactly glaring compared to Obama's lack of prominent leadership experience.

Right.

I'd just like to see a little consistency. Either think that lack of experience should disqualify everyone from the Presidency, or that it's not a problem for anyone. To be aghast at a characteristic only when it's found in "the other" candidate and not your own chosen hearthrob is a large part is what's wrong with our politics.

[Hauptman]

I'd just like to see a little consistency. Either think that lack of experience should disqualify everyone from the Presidency, or that it's not a problem for anyone. To be aghast at a characteristic only when it's found in "the other" candidate and not your own chosen hearthrob is a large part is what's wrong with our politics.

Reading back I didn't see where anyone was knocking Palin's lack of experience, more the quality of that experience.

"I'm a fighter, not a quitter..." btw, here's my resignation.....

Sure one was a governor and one was a senator, but let's put that aside. I'll take the guy who was president of the Harvard Law review, and offered tenure at a quality law school versus the small town mayor with the very questionable record and very little education.

[I_luv_saber]

I'll take neither, please!

[fencerchica]

As opposed to a one-term Senator and former "community organizer" from arguably the single most corrupt political district in the nation, who had never run anything, and who neglected his actual job, to which he was elected and for which we taxpayers paid him, in order to run?

Sounds like you're arguing explicitly that no sitting politician should be allowed to run for office, and implicitly that Obama did this terrible, terrible thing but his GOP opponents did not.

Regarding the first, how is formally or informally banning public servants from running for office a tenable situation?

The second is obviously absurd, as every single one of the major GOP presidential hopefuls was a public servant at the time of their campaigns.

My point? It is dishonest to sling mud at Obama on those grounds.

[thereom4]

To be aghast at a characteristic only when it's found in "the other" candidate and not your own chosen hearthrob is a large part is what's wrong with our politics.

Ha! ha! This is hilarious. Less hearthrob more President. There is a huge difference between Obama's so-called lack of experience and Palin's lack of experience. I mean have you ever even heard Palin speak? It's embarassing.

A potential vice president should have at least a basic understanding about umm......the economy, geography, how to form a coherent sentence. When she went on "tour" during the campaign and was meeting with world leaders, her people wouldn't even let cameras in. Why? Because they knew she would say something stupid. That was my problem with her. I just didn't think she was intelligent. I mean she was a general studies and then a communications-journalism major as an undergrad and she could barely communicate her thoughts.

Whatever you may think of Obama, you can't deny that he is an intelligent person. As someone else mentioned, Obama made it on to law review at Harvard, the current number two law school in the country according to U.S. News and World Reports. He's the only U.S. President to not only have been an alumni of Harvard but president of law review. This counts for something.

So yeah if I had to pick again......communications-journalism major and mayor of small town w/ over a year's experience as governor versus a political science major, law school graduate, community organizer and senator......I choose the smart black guy.

[Hauptman]

I choose the smart black guy.

OMG!!! Are you a reverse-racist!?!?! Don't hate Sarah cause she's white.

[erooMynohtnA]

Ha! ha! This is hilarious. Less hearthrob more President. There is a huge difference between Obama's so-called lack of experience and Palin's lack of experience. I mean have you ever even heard Palin speak? It's embarassing.

A potential vice president should have at least a basic understanding about umm......the economy, geography, how to form a coherent sentence. When she went on "tour" during the campaign and was meeting with world leaders, her people wouldn't even let cameras in. Why? Because they knew she would say something stupid. That was my problem with her. I just didn't think she was intelligent. I mean she was a general studies and then a communications-journalism major as an undergrad and she could barely communicate her thoughts.

Whatever you may think of Obama, you can't deny that he is an intelligent person. As someone else mentioned, Obama made it on to law review at Harvard, the current number two law school in the country according to U.S. News and World Reports. He's the only U.S. President to not only have been an alumni of Harvard but president of law review. This counts for something.

So yeah if I had to pick again......communications-journalism major and mayor of small town w/ over a year's experience as governor versus a political science major, law school graduate, community organizer and senator......I choose the smart black guy.

Don't confuse terms. You're jumping from inexperience to stupidity. Even the smartest people start out inexperienced. It doesn't make them any less intelligent. I do agree with Inq. I think it's disingenuous to attack Palin's experience on the basis of Obama's supposedly much greater political resume.

I think both Obama and Palin were both equally inexperienced. He was a little more experienced with national politics and she was a more experienced at running her own show. I wouldn't really be comfortable voting for either based upon their political appointments alone.

However, the big difference is that Obama seems very intelligent to me. His non-political resume impresses me greatly. Palin seems very stupid, and even worse, very ignorant of how stupid she is.

[Sins of the Fleche]

First off, I completely agree with eroo's statements. Very nicely put.

Second off, while Palin has to put foot to mouth almost every time she gives a speech, our current Vice President doesn't exactly act like a Mensa candidate or a stellar public speaker either....

[thereom4]

OMG!!! Are you a reverse-racist!?!?! Don't hate Sarah cause she's white.

Ha! ha! No I'm not a reverse racist, just an amateur comedian. Sarah Palin is awesome, if she ever ran for Mrs. Hockey Mom, she's got my vote.

Side note: Who coined the term reverse racism anyway? Racism is racism. Just saying.

[thereom4]

Don't confuse terms. You're jumping from inexperience to stupidity. Even the smartest people start out inexperienced. It doesn't make them any less intelligent. I do agree with Inq. I think it's disingenuous to attack Palin's experience on the basis of Obama's supposedly much greater political resume.

I think both Obama and Palin were both equally inexperienced. He was a little more experienced with national politics and she was a more experienced at running her own show. I wouldn't really be comfortable voting for either based upon their political appointments alone.

However, the big difference is that Obama seems very intelligent to me. His non-political resume impresses me greatly. Palin seems very stupid, and even worse, very ignorant of how stupid she is.

I wasn't confusing terms. I know that the experience argument is a losing one, so......I just decided to talk about Palin's lack of intelligence. Would I be a good Obama supporter if I didn't?

[thereom4]

Second off, while Palin has to put foot to mouth almost every time she gives a speech, our current Vice President doesn't exactly act like a Mensa candidate or a stellar public speaker either....

Agreed.

[Inquartata]

Sounds like you're arguing explicitly that no sitting politician should be allowed to run for office, and implicitly that Obama did this terrible, terrible thing but his GOP opponents did not.

Yes to the former, and no to the latter.

Regarding the first, how is formally or informally banning public servants from running for office a tenable situation?

Maybe the same way people in the private sector generally do not get to keep getting paid by their current employer while they spend most of their time interviewing for other jobs? At least, not right out in the open.

The second is obviously absurd, as every single one of the major GOP presidential hopefuls was a public servant at the time of their campaigns.

Tu quoque, I'm afraid. "They do it, too!" is not a great defense of a behavior...

It is dishonest to sling mud at Obama on those grounds.

My point is that your point is just plain wrong.

Less hearthrob more President.

That was a jest aimed at one person ( who is not you ). Feel free to disregard.

There is a huge difference between Obama's so-called lack of experience and Palin's lack of experience. I mean have you ever even heard Palin speak? It's embarassing.

Ah...what does experience have to do with public speaking ability, or vice versa?

The same claim was aimed at Bush, even after years of "experience" in the "hardest job in the world". The two are unrelated subjects.

A potential vice president should have at least a basic understanding about

This wasn't even the basis of the standard opposition to Palin. It was "Omigod, McCain wil absolutely positively die in office and she'll become President! It will happen! And she's not experienced enough to be President!"

As someone else mentioned, Obama made it on to law review at Harvard, the current number two law school in the country according to U.S. News and World Reports.

But he could not see Russia from his back porch...

Seriously, though---what does this prove? Carter was quite possibly one of the most "intelligent" Presidents we have ever had. It didn't make him a very good leader, though. And that is what the President is supposed to be: Not the smartest guy, but the best leader. As such he gets the smartest guys to work FOR him.

Not but that I would necessarily assume automatically that "law review=intelligent", either...

This counts for something.

Why? Are we suddenly supposed to have great reverence for the intelligence and ethics of lawyers or something?

Now, I'm not saying either that Obama is not a smart guy or that Palin is not...dim. I'm just pointing out that some of your arguments are less than convincing about either.

[I_luv_saber]

So yeah if I had to pick again......communications-journalism major and mayor of small town w/ over a year's experience as governor versus a political science major, law school graduate, community organizer and senator......I choose the smart black guy.

I always had to laugh how people's counter to Obama's lack of experience was "But...but, PALIN is FAR more inexperienced!!!". For crying out loud your comparing the Preidential candidate to a Vice Presidential Candidate! That's just sad. It's an insult to Obama, really, to say "YOUR VP candidate is more dumb than our Presidential candidate!".

Palin was not running for President. Let's compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges, shall we? Comparing Palin to Obama is just silly. Now, if we're talking about a (very) theoretical future race, that's another matter... but I don't really see Palin earning the GOP's trust after her recent stunt.

That said, I give you that Palin is still more dumb than Beiden. But I did like McCain as a candidate more than Obama. And personally, I don't vote based on a VP candidate as much as the head hancho.