Sarah Palin!

[Pookster]

It would seem Palin likes parts of Obama's energy plan according to a press release on Aug 4. As MSNBC notes, it's on the Governor's website page for press releases and such. However, the link to the archives where it would seem to be located isn't working though. But they found the Google copy ...

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cach...palin,+obama,+energy&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us

Palin Pleased with Obama's Energy Plan
Includes Alaska's Natural Gas Reserves Print Now Printer Friendly

No. 08-135

August 4, 2008, Fairbanks, Alaska - Governor Sarah Palin today responded to the energy plan put forward by the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

“I am pleased to see Senator Obama acknowledge the huge potential Alaska’s natural gas reserves represent in terms of clean energy and sound jobs,” Governor Palin said. “The steps taken by the Alaska State Legislature this past week demonstrate that we are ready, willing and able to supply the energy our nation needs.”

In a speech given in Lansing, Michigan, Senator Obama called for the completion of the Alaska natural gas pipeline, stating, “Over the next five years, we should also lease more of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska for oil and gas production. And we should also tap more of our substantial natural gas reserves and work with the Canadian government to finally build the Alaska natural gas pipeline, delivering clean natural gas and creating good jobs in the process.”

Governor Palin also acknowledged the Senator’s proposal to offer $1,000 rebates to those struggling with the high cost of energy.

“We in Alaska feel that crunch and are taking steps to address it right here at home,” Governor Palin said. “This is a tool that must be on the table to buy us time until our long-term energy plans can be put into place. We have already enjoyed the support of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, and it is gratifying to see Senator Obama get on board.”

She does have an issue with how it will be paid for though ...

The Governor did question the means to pay for Obama’s proposed rebate — a windfall profits tax on oil companies. In Alaska, the state’s resource valuation system, ACES, provides strong incentives for companies to re-invest their profits in new production.

“Windfall profits taxes alone prevent additional investment in domestic production. Without new supplies from American reserves, our dependency and addiction to foreign sources of oil will continue,” Governor Palin said.

 

[MaGZ]

Mother of five living in Alaska? I'll bet no. If yes, well, I am not too sure I'd be surprised. It's all that networking that makes politics so incestuous.

DR

I would be interested to know if she secretly attended the Bilderberger meeting in Virginia along with Obama, Hillary and Olmert last June 5-8, 2008.

If so, it would mean the fix was in for Palin early on.

 

[kallsop]

How thin can you shave that ham? Palin is on the ticket to get the Hillary voters and other fence sitters and she has a very good chance of securing quite a few votes there. Biden is there to convince bitter gun totin' religious kook whitey that the democrats really do feel their pain, and to be the attack dog. He can do that.

I doubt the talking point that Palin is too inexperienced for VP will survive through the weekend. It makes the choice of similarly (in)experienced Obama look bad.

 

[Tricky]

Palin is not even qualified to run Alaska. Expect to hear a lot in coming days about some possibly criminal activity surrounding her tenure there.

Well, she does come with her own scandal called "Troopergate". Sounds like a tempest in a teapot to me, but considering the recent nastiness surrounding the Attorney General, it might draw unwanted comparisons.

 

[Nogbad]

I could make a few comments about some of the people whom have managed to get elected in the UK.

Fair point.

How that mad old cow Thatcher kept being re-elected beat the crap out of me. I just assumed the English had some sort of collective mental illness at the time.

 

[boloboffin]

Do you mean the investigation that she ordered herself? That one?

Yeah, the one she ordered to head off one from the legislature. That one.

 

[Rob Lister]

Trick question. The VP does nothing.

Historically, that's just about true (Cheney the only notable counter example). Aside from the constitutional (albeit trivial and rarely executed) duty as President of the Senate, the VP pretty much just does what the Pres sez...while waiting for him to die.

I read Palin's question about the VP job as rhetorical.

 

[gdnp]

People say that the president-in-case situation is more important with McCain because of his age, and then they throw in the list of VPs who've ascended to the presidency. But in fact there have been very few presidents who've died in office of natural causes. Both Harrison and Taylor died of sudden ailments--Harrison of pneumonia and Taylor apparently of heatstroke--that don't seem particularly relevant. So really there's only FDR as the historical comp.

Talk about cherry picking and hand waving. You leave out Harding, who also died in office. And why is dying of a "sudden ailment" not relevant? People die of "sudden ailments" all the time.

There have been no presidents who have been as old as McCain will be on inauguration day. Or, to my knowledge, who have had multiple malignant tumors which are known to recur. Older people get sick more often than young people. Pneumonia kills tens of thousands of people per year in the US. It is the 7th leading cause of death.

There have been other presidents who have become incapacitated. Woodrow Wilson's wife may have been running the government after his stroke in 1919. Eisenhower had a heart attack and was hospitalized for 7 weeks. He also suffered a small stroke. Reagan had to hand over powers temporarily not only when he was shot but also when he had his colon cancer. Is Palin the person best able to take over the football if McCain becomes similarly incapacitated?

McKinley, Garfield, Lincoln, and Kennedy were assasinated. There have been assassination attempts on every president since Nixon. I am not aware of bombs or rifles becoming less powerful or less accurate. Nixon resigned. Johnson and Clinton were impeached but not convicted.

Bottom line: the probability of the VP taking over as president is non-trivial and is a legitimate issue for discussion.

 

[Brainster]

So I point out her cluelessness about the VP position in an unedited interview that she gave, and you respond with a political ad?

Yeah, good one...

Allow me to emphasize the obvious: She didn't even know what the VP does. She didn't seem to think it was important, and even the interviewer seemed a bit taken aback at her comments.

Give me a break.

No, she does know what the VP does--tie breaking role in the Senate, weddings and funerals of foreign dignitaries, wait for the president to die. What she wanted to know is what the day-to-day function of the VP is.

Have you noticed yet that you are the only person to consider this important? The rest of us have certainly noticed.

 

[Tricky]

Palin is a wonderful choice, and has Democrats stunned and worried. She has more executive experience than the Democratic nominee for President, and is a "real" person, which is refreshing given the anti-Washington feeling running around this country.

I doubt that the Democrats are more worried than they would have been with, say, Romney as VP choice. Any sensible Democrat realizes that McCain has a good chance of winning regardless of his VP choice.

As for her "experience", well, she is the governor of a state with a budget surplus. Also remember the last time our president's "experience" consisted of being governor of an oil-rich state? You may remember the fella. His name was George W. Bush. I don't doubt that this comparison will be made often during the campaign.

 

[Nogbad]

As a matter of passing interest, is she a young earth creationist?

 

[Tricky]

No, she does know what the VP does--tie breaking role in the Senate, weddings and funerals of foreign dignitaries, wait for the president to die. What she wanted to know is what the day-to-day function of the VP is.

Have you noticed yet that you are the only person to consider this important? The rest of us have certainly noticed.

The VP job is whatever the President allows it to be. It is common belief that Cheney runs the government more than Bush. But no, there aren't many "official" responsibilities. (Recall the words of former VP, John Nance Garner.)

As for the video, it is not so much that she wasn't able to sound clear on what her job was, it was more her general cluelessness. She looked like a deer in the headlights. She'd better improve her interview skills for the tough campaign ahead.

 

[Pookster]

I doubt the talking point that Palin is too inexperienced for VP will survive through the weekend. It makes the choice of similarly (in)experienced Obama look bad.

I agree, when it comes to the politicians and campaign staff. McCain's basically taken his strongest issue off the table by choosing Palin. If he doesn't, it makes the choice of similarly (in)experienced Palin look bad.

That's why I see this as a horrible choice by McCain. He's leveled the playing field in the hopes of attracting some vapid women voters (want a woman just because she's a woman). He may get some, but how many more men and women will see Obama-Biden as a safer choice now. Only time will tell. But the strong issue McCain had on his side with experience is out the window now.

 

[gdnp]

Palin's only relevant experience, as best I can tell, is less than 2 years as governor of Alaska. Even that, I think, is less than meets the eye.

People think of Alaska as a large state because they think in terms of area, but in terms of population it is the 4th smallest, with less than a million people. The US has 16 cities with more people than Alaska.

Alaska's population is not reflective of the US population. 75% white (4% hispanic), 4% black, 5% asian, and 19% native alaskan/american indian.

Most importantly, Alaska's budget is funded primarily from oil revenues and the federal government. There is no state income tax. There is no state sales tax.

As of 2007, the state income broke down like this:

Oil and gas revenue: 9.5 billion
other revenes: 1.2 billion
Federal revenues: 2 billion
investment income: 2.4 billion


They have so much excess revenues that Alaskan citizens get checks every year from the oil trust fund, $1,654.00 per person in 2007

So in her brief tenure she has never really had to face the toughest question that other governors have to deal with on a daily basis, how to balance the benefits of various government programs with the need to raise revenues through sales or income taxes. She really has no relevant experience in balancing a budget.

 

[Nogbad]

Presumably his pick is to strengthen the somewhat shaky support he was getting from the religious right rather than attract Hillary voters?

 

[Pookster]

I've read here and elsewhere that there are some Hillary supporters that will vote for Palin just because she is a woman. There's the impression that some are purely motivated by having the glass ceiling broken through instead of just cracked. I don't doubt that there are a number. But, is there a flip side to this coin? How many others won't vote for McCain now because a woman would be in the White House? As I've said before, a woman candidate is a double-edged sword. I hope the day will eventually come when that isn't the case.

 

[Pookster]

Presumably his pick is to strengthen the somewhat shaky support he was getting from the religious right rather than attract Hillary voters?

Possibly, but again it's a double edged sword. There are elements of the religious right that don't believe a woman should be in a leadership position.

 

[MaGZ]

Errr, and what did Obama bring to the table? Extra melanin, nice speaker, pretty face? Didn't vote for the war?

What did John Edwards bring to the table in 2004? Southern drawl, pretty face?

Of course McCain chose her because she's a woman. So what? If he'd chosen Mitt Romney it would be because he's got all that dough and could help in Michigan and Colorado. If he'd picked Portman it was an attempt to keep Ohio red.

She is every bit as qualified as Obama. We can argue whether she's as qualified as Biden, but I'm astounded that Obama supporters don't see the downside of that argument.

So you think you can make an argument Palin is more qualified than Biden to be VP or President? I’m calling you on that! Make your argument.

 

[Pookster]

Have you noticed yet that you are the only person to consider this important? The rest of us have certainly noticed.

He pointed it out well. The clueless nature of her reply shows just how inexperienced she is as a politician. Even for just a Governor, I was surprised at it. It has to give Republicans pause as to how she will do in this campaign.

 

[MaGZ]

I think she looks like Elaine from Seinfeld.

Maybe it’s genetics.

We all remember Senator George Allen from Virginia who was supposed to be the Republican nominee this year.