By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star editorial page columnist
Sorry to be writing the obituary before the patient has expired, but the pick of Sarah Palin was fatal to John McCain's campaign, and he should have seen it coming.
Remember, McCain was finally gaining some traction in his campaign by derisively calling Barack Obama a "celebrity" and questioning his readiness to lead the nation.
So who does he pick for a running mate? A folksy mother of five who draws big crowds but
knows little about the U.S. government or world affairs.
I guess McCain was enamoured with the idea of a team of mavericks, but Palin's maverick credentials were inflated. She never really said "thanks but no thanks" to that Bridge to Nowhere, for instance.
Palin did irreparable damage to McCain's credibility. The strange thing is, her political future appears set to soar, even as she sunk McCain's.
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John McCain's
I wanted to thank you for you direct and truthful comment. Why doesn't the media really come out and say what the American people are thinking.
As a Vietnam Veteran, American working and living abroad, I was ashamed of Senator McCain for thinkin the people of america are Stupid and would go along with his Joke.
for the first time in my life I voted for a Democratic President, due totally to his choice of thinking a Hocky Mom should be a heart beat away for the hardest job in America
Respectively
Leland Baldwin
Cry Wolf? Bad analogy in regards to Palin
she is after all a proponent of the barbarian and cruel practice
of hunting wolves and other predators from a helicopter.
Disgusting and speaks volumes about her character!
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel
What we're witnessing is internecine war
What we're witnessing is internecine war. These reports were coming out of the party insiders & FOX with Rush in opposition. Us lefties are just observers now. It's the potential breakup of the Rebublican axis.
100% of Democrats want Sarah P to run in 2012
She's the gift that keeps giving. America has rejected an extremist who is unqualified and intellectually, well to be kind, not terribly bright.
If she comes back, she'll lose again.....
By the way, it's the Republicans who have turned on Governor Palin.
I wonder why McCain hasn't come to her defense?
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel
Cry Wolf
Wolf! Palin is a wolf! When the real wolf comes around you will be so complacent that you will ignore him or her. I suspect that the reason the Star is hellbent on destroying Palin's reputation is that they fear what she will do in 2012. The McCain Palin ticket won Kansas and Missouri - even without the Star's holy endorsement.
It's like polling the chior to see if they like their singing
The Rassmussen poll was of GOP voters only. I'd like to see a poll of independents. I think that's where that damage was done. I'm not a John McCain fan but prior to her pick I could have lived with him as president. Aferward I was dead set in oppostion. It was a Faustian bargain I could not accept. The extreme right, or for that matter the extreme left cannot govern. They are slaves to their ideology. We need bi-partisan pragmatic practical solutions not demagoguery. Obama needs to build a coalition of open minded Redemlicrats.
New poll data on Sarah Palin and her impact on the election
Rasmussen Reports, a polling firm that was proven to be the most accurate of the presidential polls, has new data regarding Sarah Palin and her impact on the election. The data is mostly favorable for the Alaska governor, and contradicts the view that she hurt the GOP ticket. In fact, the data shows Palin was more popular than McCain among Republicans.
Even more distressful for the anti-Palin crowd: she is the current overwhelming choice among Republicans for president in 2012:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_2012/69_of_gop_voters_say_palin_helped_mccain
Sarah Palin did damage
Sarah Palin did damage McCain's run for office! This is fact. Proof? Well, I was for McCain until he picked Palin. My wife and many of my friends were also for McCain. This all changed when he picked Palin. I know at least 15-20 people in my workplace who would have voted for McCain had he picked someone else. It doesn't matter how good her rallies looked, she did cost a lot of votes on a national level. That sad thing is some believe that because she had good values, that was enough. I am pro-life, very conservative, more so than Palin ever thought of being. I say this using the facts of her life as an example. Yet as a conservative, I could not support McCain's decision. She was not and is not qualified. Yes, she may be a hero of some sort to many people, but they are not thinking clearly. When I was growing up, John Wayne was one of my heroes. I would have probably thought he would make a great president. But really, would he have been? I doubt it. Same thing with Palin, people need to grow up. If the conservative side of America (I count myself on this side) wants to be heard, they need to be realistic in their choices. If in 4 years Palin or someone like her is presented as a presidential choice, expect the same result. There are a lot of republican conservatives out there who are rational and who do think for themselves. Unfortunately, there are many who are not.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road...
Well, I know why the men connected with her...
http://babyboomeradvisorclub.com/what-most-women-already-know-about-sarah-palin-she-isnt-hilary-clinton/
But for the life of me I can not understand the women who fell under her spell. Perhaps it was that folksy Sarah'cuda that repelled me so...
She is a dangerous woman. I have not forgotten her pork barrels, her bridge to no where, her OVER 150,00.00 wardrobe, her indictments that seemed to vanish, Senator Ted Stevens, the fact that she knows nothing about government, she governs a state with less people then Los Angles. and was a Mayor of a town that equaled the same amount of kids in 2-3 high schools in NYC.
If her political career is sky rocketing it is because the Republican party has no one else to put out there. To me she is nothing but a hot air balloon.
Her one redeeming quality:entertainment on SNL.
My idea of a Maverick is not the Sarah Palins or John McCains in the world. I have too much respect for my self to print the words I would choose.
The race is over the winners and losers have been chosen.
Southern smiles and world peace,
Sharon/BabyBoomerQueen
http://www.BabyBoomerAdvisorClub.com
Sarah Palin - Stupidity Rejected by a Nation
I voted as a hard core Republican for 30 years. McCain's choice of Sarah Palin was a defining moment for me that ultimately had me voting for Obama. I wasn't alone in my disgust that a legitimate candidate for President would choose a running mate with the level of stupidity that Palin displays. It said little for McCain's judgment as well. I have no regrets in voting for Obama.
W.S. Blevins