McCain Shocker!

[pixletwin]

McCain will roll ever just like them rolling eye smilies.

 

[barbelith]

smart move. get all the die hard feminists that wanted to see hillary on the ticket to switch teams

It's a miscalculation if that's the goal. The only thing less likely than a feminist voting Republican is a black man joining the Klan.

A ton of Hillary supporters have already been pretty vocal saying that they feel "cheated" and won't vote for Obama, this play right into that division in the Democratic party and tempts them to switch parties.

I think this was true a week ago, but Hillary absolutely nailed it this week. There will be a few on the fringe who hold fast, but it really looks like the Democrats for once have managed to unify the party.

All that said - while I see this as a pandering (and ultimately suicidal) move, I will say that the little I know of Sarah Palin has earned my respect. She seems like an incredible woman and precisely the sort of person I would cross party lines to vote for in a local or state race. Unfortunately for McCain she is even more vulnerable than Obama to most of the criticisms of Obama; she is unlikely to attract the Hillary camp; she runs the very real risk of convincing a significant number of conservative voters to stay home. I wouldn't tar the entire party with this brush, and obviously local elections vary regionally, but anyone who thinks there isn't a large number of - to be blunt - traditional sexists in the GOP who will never under any circumstance vote for a woman is blind.

 

[wofford29]

It's a miscalculation if that's the goal. The only thing less likely than a feminist voting Republican is a black man joining the Klan.



I think this was true a week ago, but Hillary absolutely nailed it this week. There will be a few on the fringe who hold fast, but it really looks like the Democrats for once have managed to unify the party.

All that said - while I see this as a pandering (and ultimately suicidal) move, I will say that the little I know of Sarah Palin has earned my respect. She seems like an incredible woman and precisely the sort of person I would cross party lines to vote for in a local or state race. Unfortunately for McCain she is even more vulnerable than Obama to most of the criticisms of Obama; she is unlikely to attract the Hillary camp; she runs the very real risk of convincing a significant number of conservative voters to stay home. I wouldn't tar the entire party with this brush, and obviously local elections vary regionally, but anyone who thinks there isn't a large number of - to be blunt - traditional sexists in the GOP who will never under any circumstance vote for a woman is blind.

True on a lot of points, but it spends backwards as well. There are plenty of democrats who won't vote Obama because of the color of his skin.

 

[barbelith]

This election is over, and Obama just won by a landslide. I just hope the country survives.

America circa 1992 to 2000
America circa 2001 to 2008

I know which one I'd rather live in.

 

[bunnah]

My wife who was a very firm Hillary supporter though still says even after this announcement she sides with Obama after last night's speech so she'll have to really be a great speaker to turn the tide at least in this house.

I was (and am) a huge Hillary supporter too. I don't trust Obama, but I do sort of like Biden. McCain makes me want to pull my hair out, but he is smart in his VP choice. It makes me VERY happy and excited to see a woman on either ticket, but I'm too pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, and pro-middle class to vote Republican. There are bound to be some women out there who get excited about it AND decide to switch over. I'm not saying that's the most logical decision, but it's still their choice and McCain knows it.

 

[ProgMatinee]

Hillary supporters won't be switching parties just because McCain's running mate wears a skirt. Most feminists don't consider conservative women to be real women at all. They consider them to be sell-outs.

This election is over, and Obama just won by a landslide. I just hope the country survives.

LOL. I agree with the first statement. Women that vote for a woman just because she's a woman aren't looking at conservative women.

They want to vote for the women that believe that a fetus is a cyst or wart that could be removed for whatever reason. They won't be voting McCain.

Its really a hollow ploy. Now, a ploy like getting an African American or a a former Dem like Lieberman on the ticket would not be so hollow.

 

[barbelith]

True on a lot of points, but it spends backwards as well. There are plenty of democrats who won't vote Obama because of the color of his skin.

I would agree there are probably some. But let's be brutally honest: it's no contest when it comes to which party's voters will accept minority candidates.

 

[Shropt]

McCain just lost. :chew

Yep. LOLLLOLLLOLL

Wow.

 

[RoboDad]

she runs the very real risk of convincing a significant number of conservative voters to stay home.

On this point you are absolutely correct. Many, many conservatives will be "staying home" now (meaning, skipping the presidential portion of the ballot), me included.

I wouldn't tar the entire party with this brush, and obviously local elections vary regionally, but anyone who thinks there isn't a large number of - to be blunt - traditional sexists in the GOP who will never under any circumstance vote for a woman is blind.

Wow, that one came out of left field, and is a pretty stupid thing to say. Sexism (and most other negative -isms) know no party affiliations. I won't be skipping the election because Palin is a woman. I'll be skipping because I can't stand McCain, almost as much as I can't stand Obama. My decision to vote for McCain was based on whether he chose the candidate I wanted for his running mate. He didn't do that, so he lost my vote.

 

[wofford29]

I would agree there are probably some. But let's be brutally honest: it's no contest when it comes to which party's voters will accept minority candidates.

True, but I can't help but think of northern union dems, in particular in the Penn area Not that I'm lumping them all into one category. Just the first thought that came to mind. One thing is for certain though, this election season is going to be exciting.

I'm still writing in Dennis Miller as my pick.

 

[carbo-fation]

I hope this helps Obama win by a bigger margin. We can't afford another republican in the office.

 

[ProgMatinee]

I would agree there are probably some. But let's be brutally honest: it's no contest when it comes to which party's voters will accept minority candidates.

I'm not too sure. There will always be segments that vote one way or the other for the wrong reasons, but on the whole I think Republican voters are open minded on race.

Unfortunately traditionally there have been few African Americans to run using Republican ideals.

Alan Keyes and JC Watts come to mind. Prior to scandal a few years ago JC Watts could have been a potential nomination candidate.

Edit: Now thinking about it I'm not sure if there was a scandal? Someone remind me why Watts dropped off the map.

 

[RoboDad]

I hope this helps Obama win by a bigger margin. We can't afford another republican in the office.

The really sad thing is that you think we can afford Obama.

 

[Vader AL]

Hillary supporters won't be switching parties just because McCain's running mate wears a skirt. Most feminists don't consider conservative women to be real women at all. They consider them to be sell-outs.

This election is over, and Obama just won by a landslide. I just hope the country survives.[/QUOTE]

i think it's the other way around. i don't see this losing any votes but gaining a good bit of fence riders.

 

[RoboDad]

i think it's the other way around. i don't see this losing any votes but gaining a good bit of fence riders.

Maybe you missed the part where I guaranteed that it lost my vote. That's at least one.

 

[pixletwin]

An Idaho repub is just about as valuable an asset as a Utah Repub. If McCain lost you (the bread and butter of the repub party) he really is in trouble.

 

[wofford29]

An Idaho repub is just about as valuable an asset as a Utah Repub. If McCain lost you (the bread and butter of the repub party) he really is in trouble.

Is an Idaho repub as good as their potatoes?

 

[Shropt]

She has a 4 month old child with down syndrome and she wants to spend the next 4 years as VP? Wow, that doesn't sound good at all.

 

[RoboDad]

Is an Idaho repub as good as their potatoes?

Hey now, be careful what you say about our potatoes there, bub!

 

[Staggerly]

i think it's the other way around. i don't see this losing any votes but gaining a good bit of fence riders.

No rational feminist's going to vote for two pro-lifers, if that's who you mean.