The narrative should not change. McCain is more of the same. There isn't any reason to change the discussion that was begun at the DNC last week.

Palin is a continuation of the continuation. She's even more Bush than McCain is, almost a clone. See my post on this.

"She's going to learn national security at the foot of the master for the next four years, and most doctors think that he'll be around at least that long."

Isn't the fact that he felt the need to add this line enough cause for concern? Most Doctors think he'll live at least another 4 years? Jesus Christ. If that were me, I wouldn't like those odds very much.

The worst pick in the history of this country. The pick will only energize the lunatic right but scare away the independent. Obama should continue to hammer away on McCain’s age…

The amount of energy among the Democrats is way higher than McCain/Palin combine.

Exactly.

The pick of Palin should be seen at as a retreat by the McCain campaign. They were trying to hold the "experience" line and just had to abandon it. Now we are going to be hearing about what kind of change agents (ahem, "reformers") McCain and Palin are.

The "Change vs. Experience" battle has been won. Obama is setting the narrative and agenda of this election and needs keep marching forward.

Overheard in the Oval Office on May 14, 2009:

President McCain: (talking with various advisors about the recent deadly incursion by Armpitistan rebels into oil fields being explored by Exxxon-Mobil) Bob, I agree we can’t let these gook---, I mean these rebels carry on. We have to stop them.

Bob (Exxxon-Mobil VP for Insurgent Affairs): Yes, Mr. President. We gotta get these assholes off our rigs. I’m losing a boatload of money every hour those filthy people are inciting the locals to block my crews.

Biff (Security analyst – affiliation not provided): Give me the word and I’ll get rid of those fuckers within an hour. I got Erik Prince on speed-dial. Him and his boys did great work in the Nigerian delta. We’ll get some backup from Langley and make it look like the Ballsacistanis took them out.

Bob: Can’t happen soon enough for me John.

VP Palin: Uh, Mr. President, I think we need to consider-

President: Hey, Sarah, honey, be a nice girl and get us some more coffee. Tell the steward to bring me more Oreos too. Cindy won’t let me eat them.

VP Palin (fuming quietly exists the room)

President: Great ass on that one. (Laughter fills the room). Now, let’s get Prince on the phone. I’ll talk to him personally.

Bob: So is she any good? (More laughter).

Here's what long-time McCain Charlie Black told the New York Times about concerns over Sarah Palin's inexperience: "She's going to learn national security at the foot of the master for the next four years, and most doctors think that he'll be around at least that long."

O well, in that case, gee, I feel so much better.

I don't get why everyone thinks she's such a sacred cow we have to be careful.

Every Repug businessman in this country had 50 coronaries yesterday when this was announced. Feminists are not going to vote for a fundie nut job. Fundie women won't like the fact that she has a 4 month old special needs infant and she's not taking care of it but running around being a Veep candidate.

IT's silly to start walking on eggshells now, for all love.

One presumes that poor Cindy will keep Grampy's stash of little blue pills under lock and key for the duration of the campaign. Given the history of Grampy's philandering eye, Sarah is the type who sends tingles through his loins.

From the new People interview:

McCain: I think the important thing was that she's a reformer. She's taken on special interests since she ran for the PTA and the city council and mayor.

She took on the special interests trying to influence the Wasilla PTA! Ahmadinejad is like so totally toast.

link to the whole thing: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20222685,00.html

The master who repeatedly confused Sunni and Shia? This is a downright dangerous ticket. I do think Gov. Palin was chosen to use as a tool against Obama. "If she can't learn foreign policy in four years...well Barack has only been a senator for four years so how much can he really know now?"

If she's helping to raise money like they profess, I wonder if McCain will opt out of public financing. I mean considering he has not collected any GE money, there would be a wave from donors, including max donations from special interests and their secretaries. Given the Evangelicals are rallied, there is a donor base that likely hasn't been tapped either.

I think McCain/Palin could blow Obama/Biden out of the water financially, especially since Biden really didn't bring any donation base with him.

Don't attack Palin. Attack Bush/McCain and the extreme right. Don't run away from the extreme word. Talk relentlessly about the future and give specifics related to science, math, higher education, global competitivenes and if they come at us with charges of elitism, own the fact that the US once defined elitism in education, science and global competitiveness. If they ask a question about creationism turn the question around to scientic research. Paint them as in the past, in the dark, out to lunch, and disconnected from the world.

My 87 year old mother had a conversation with her MD yesterday. He voted for Bush twice. He's voting for Obama in November. Republican professionals don't want stupid children either.

Eric, Greg:

It would be nice if you start calling on blatant A.P. bias, it has become an absurd platform for G.O.P. The last two days it read like a brochure to know more about the "exceptional" Sarah Palin.

That ad is pure political genius!

They're waiting for Obama to attack Palin so they can use their chivalrous defense to attack him - a clever trap but the Obama team is thinking several moves ahead.

The ad seems to say: "it doesn't matter that he's picked a brilliant a wonderful running mate - McCain is still in the #1 spot and he still sucks".

This leaves it to the viewer to thing: "But ... I don't know if she's all that brilliant and wonderful ... after all _____ (fill in the blank with the abject terror that we all feel when we imagine Monica Goodling as the president."

Her negatives never need to be spoken - they're obvious:

- no experience
- sounds unthinkably un-presidential
- corruption case
- creationist
- global warming denier
- gaffe prone

I would give her full leeway to talk uncriticized and let her become the gift that keeps on giving.

I swear I heard Ms. Palin pronounce the word "nuclear" as "nucular" during her introductory speech to the American people yesterday. Talk about more of the same. . .

she'll study at the feet of the master. right where a woman belongs, right, john?

also, i'm guessing the KKK vote is going to like that the mccain campaign things of him as the "master" in this election.

blech, that party is gross.

Guys - McLame has blown this sky high and I'll tell you why:

The Repug party is at war with itself - the old line conservatives would like to have their party back and if Mclame had gone that way - we'd be in some trouble. He didn't. He decided to go with the Bush Repugs - and they don't exist anymore except in pockets of fundie wackiness.

ANd this woman won't be able to bring the fundies in, either - not in numbers.

McLame has obliterated his own campaign - he's fucked, utterly.

According to Rassmussen poll, Sarah Palin made a great first impression.

Her favorability rating is higher than Biden's - 53% to 485.

"Palin earns positive reviews from 78% of Republicans, 26% of Democrats and 63% of unaffiliated voters. . . . Among all voters, 29% have a Very Favorable opinion of Palin while 9% hold a Very Unfavorable view."

http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/J/G/2/sarah-palin-pantsuit.jpg

Sarah Palin: ready from day one... thousand.

Site screwing up. Great quote in the W. Post by visiting Alaska journalist I tried to put up. He was provoked by an e-mailer to Post who said journalist seemed not to like her, and okay, but why?

He said some nice things about her, said she had been 80% popular but now 65% around, but that voters didn't see much of her and if you asked journalists, popularity would be in teens or twenties. No joke.

Obama keeps the local attack strategy:

Today's issue: Subsidies for car makers:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0808/Obama_Revitalize.html#comments

I'll take my chances with Biden's 30 years of expert foreign policy experience vs. Palin who just got the cliff notes version and when they debate will have 30 days experience.

Picking Plain proves yet again McCain will sell out every core conviction and principle he has ever had to pander to get vote

McCain built his career on being a so-called expert on foreign policy and national security. He has tried to tear Obama apart for having no experience or credentials to take on the challenges of today’s' world events.

So what does McCain do? Of course, he sells out once again and picks a hockey mom with NO foreign policy or national security experience NONE to pander to get Hillary votes and to appease the far right wing base of his party who control the republicans every move and thought

I smell an Eagleton.

I bet Palin will not make it until Election Day.

I think the ad is great!!!

What McCain is trying to do is rebrand his campaign to be an agent of change. By picking Palin he has completely abandoned the "ready to lead" OFFENSE and is now going to try to reclaim his "maverick" personae.

As a result, this ad is perfect in reminding voters that NOTHING has really changed. McCain will just continue to failed policies of Bush.

Biden will NOT be attacking Palin but McCain. Biden is the one who can dismantle McCain's "maverick" appeal. He knows McCain best.

Obama/Biden doesn't have to say anything more about Palin than they already have. The Obama team was initially harsh but totally backed away from that and has now just pivoted to attacking McCain. Let the surrogates (particularly female) attack Palin on her views and lack of foreign policy experience.

Hillary can also be helpful in this campaign by reminding voters "no way, no how, no McCain".

Good ad.

This has probably already been mentioned but it turns out Palin wasn't opposed to the bridge to nowhere:

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/08/29/did-palin-really-fight-the-bridge-to-nowhere.aspx

this "reformer" line is pretty weak tea. Alaska is an entity unto itself, with govt "handouts" up the wazoo.

She is People-mag-ready with her big family, gun-totin', etc., but c'mon. The fact that McCain has only met her once is just mind boggling to me.
With this pick McCain has shown he is willing to sacrifice the safety of the country in order to win an election.

I noticed in her acceptance speech that she referred to Cindy as "Mrs. McCain". Compare that to how the Bidens and Obamas interact, not just politically compatable but they all seem to genuinely like each other. I bet Cindy's gonna hate having that woman around John for the next 2 months.

I don't that there is one thing Obama, Biden or any other Democrat could say about this woman and have people get mad about it - I don't.

I don't care what the Repugs say about:

Obama's experience or lack of it
Obama is picking on Palin cause she's a girl
any damn thing they want to come up with.

Who cares? McLame-Palin is one of the worst jokes the Repugs have ever tried to pull on America and that's exactly how it is going down.

Careful about what Obama says? why? Who cares, beyond about 2000 fundies?

Wake up, my friends - I'm begging you - do not run scared of what the Repugs say about what Obama says - who cares? Look at that ticket - for the love of heaven, please. Americans are not this stupid - I promise!

I don't think that there is one thing Obama, Biden or any other Democrat could say about this woman that would do one thing to hurt the Democrats.

I don't care what the Repugs say about:

Obama's experience or lack of it
Obama is picking on Palin cause she's a girl
any damn thing they want to come up with - and they will, anyway - if never so much as mentions her name. Why do y'all worry about this so much? Karl Rove is dead, for all intents and purposes.

McLame-Palin is one of the worst jokes the Repugs have ever tried to pull on America and that's exactly how it is going down.

Careful about what Obama says? Why?

Wake up, my friends - I'm begging you - do not run scared of what the Repugs say about what Obama says - who cares? Look at that ticket - for the love of heaven, please. Americans are not this stupid - I promise!

I find it horribly irresponsible of McCain to put this woman so close to the presidency, him being a sick old man! So this Palin person has a very good chance of becoming president in the near future if the repugs win the election. Frightening.

NO ONE will touch the baby story, and they shouldn't. She has the right to do whatever she chooses.

Her downfall will not be about her gender. I'm not particularly informed, don't post a lot, and "don't know much about history"....

but I do know (just from what I've read SO FAR) that the RNC/McCain camp did NOT do a good job vetting Gov. Palin.

Troopergate is just the beginning.

I highly recommend this critical take on Palin from an Alaskan--check out "What is McCain thinking"
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/what-is-mccain-thinking-one alaskans-perspective/

NO ONE will touch the baby story, and they shouldn't. She has the right to do whatever she chooses.

Her downfall will not be about her gender. I'm not particularly informed, don't post a lot, and "don't know much about history"....

but I do know (just from what I've read SO FAR) that the RNC/McCain camp did NOT do a good job vetting Gov. Palin.

Troopergate is just the beginning.

And, by the way, I am a single mom with three kids, three jobs, and have been a feminist since 1973.....no feminist will fall for this pick.

People are saying that his VP decision shows McCain to be a maverick. But actually it shows how far McCain has sold out to the neocon base of the party. Palin supported Pat Buchanan, she is further right than Bush. Even Bush admits there is man-made global warming, although he hasn't been willing to address it.

McCain was called a maverick because he stood up against his own party, but this decision was the final nail in the coffin of the maverick image. By choosing Palin, McCain looks pathetically controlled now by the extremists of the party. He is officially Limbaugh's little bitch.

I am a single mom, 54, with three kids (10, 11, 13), all adopted, all black (I am white), work two jobs, and have been a feminist since 1973. NO feminist will fall for this pick.

And

no one should touch the kid thing. If she has the support and energy, god fucking bless her.

Her downfall will not be because of gender, it will be because the McCain campaign failed to vet her properly. Troopergate is only the beginning, I think.....

hey y'all Nate Silver has excellent analysis of the Rassmussen numbers on Palin--surprise surprise: Women are very skeptical of her being ready and the moderates and liberals do so by big margins. Only conservatives (men especially) think she is ready. She moves the numbers very little.

All Biden would have to say is that is exactly how I would have went at a male candidate with zero foreign affairs experience and expecting me to take it easy on her because she is a women is sexist. This is a dangerous world, and Sarah Palin being a heartbeat away from the Presidency is dangerous for all of us.

Tomorrow is promised to nobody, not Joe Biden, not Barack Obama and not John McCain. The primary role, the most important role of a Vice President is to be ready from day one to be able to step in and be President.

Palin didn't even have a passport until 2007 when she got one so she could go to Kuwait to visit Alaskan National Guard troops (by the way she posed for pictures there)

Another reason Obama MUST become president: he's promised to fix the TPM server once and for all.

One of the things I liked about Obama speech was when he brought up abortion, guns and gays. It was: I'm a Democrat and I'm Proud, damnit.

I was wondering to what extent it would be beneficial (or not) for Obama to go after McCain (not Palin) on abortion. McCain really sidesteps in terms of providing quotes about what he will do when president on this issue. Should Obama go after him so they can get an ad up with McCain saying on the campaign trail "I will appoint judges that will overturn Roe vs Wade." And what about stem cell research, is he going to veto that or not.

Politico has a great article that talks about what McCain picking Palin says about him.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12997.html

1. He's desperate.

2. He's willing to gamble, big time.

3. He's worried about the political implications of his age.

4. He's worried about the conservative base.

5. It's McCain being McCain.

as the day goes by I am getting happier and happier. The excitement for those at the front of the right wing is wearing off. Ross Douhat, the boy genious at the Atlantic and pusher of Sam's Club Republicans was ecstatic yesterday. Just go through his blog and you will see this. Today he has sobered up. It is sinking in that the 'executive experience' argument is bs and that this woman is not ready. He is grudging in accepting this with words like 'might' etc. But this means the reality of this pick is sinking in. Which is more good news.

With the U.S. Economy and most of the economies of the World in turmoil, with Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and now Georgia in flames, with a second Katrina threatening, with famine in Darfur, now comes an Alaskan bimbo with no credentials to be Vice President to a candidate with geriatric deficits mentally, flagging health physically and questionable finances----. What the hell is he thinking? Is/was Mitt Romney too cerebral for McCain?, too difficult to manipulate? not that I'm a fan of Romney. Was his friend Joe Lieberman too what? It is terrifying to consider what can happen to our country with this duo in office-- what the walking brain-fart can do, or not do at 3am. What can happen to our Economy if the market crashes and McCain having admitted to a dismal lack of any knowledge of Economics. And lastly the thought of Cindy and Bimbo sharing the same house. yikes, yikes, yikes, and let us Pray.

Tena......I see what you are saying......there will be lots of judgment out there, and if it helps Obama/Biden to raise it, fine......I'm just saying that there is so much else to talk about with Palin, I'm not sure it's necessary....

whether anyone says it out loud, those who disagree will still be THINKING about it. As someone who wishes she didn't have to work full-time at a job that's ok, and could devote myself to the job I love........anyone who gets to pursue their passion should do it. My kids are my life, but if Mommy ain't happy, ain't no one happy.

Lots of ladies might think Miss Sarah is spunky and cute as heck.

But most people aren't looking for Katie Couric to run the free world, as it were.

I will not vote for or against a candidate because of the way they pronounce "nuclear".

Major upsides of the Palin pick: Tina Fey is going to hate being compared to Sarah Palin, so I expect we'll get some good zingers in the first episode of 30 Rock.

Also, this is a gift from God for Kristin Wiig. She can do those northwestern vowels, and reproduce that cheerfully crazed look, while towering over whatever poor sh*t they get to play McCain.

I need to answer some things addressed to me on the thread and make something clear: when did I ever advocate telling the Obama campaign what to do? I'm not saying attack her. I'm addressing all the to me strange blog posts and comments saying this is an experience trap, we have to be careful, etc.

The Obama campaign will handle this brilliantly. I have no doubt.

But for all those ladies - "legally blonde whatevers" who think she's cute as heck and spunky, there are millions of Americans who do not want Katie Couric as Leader of the Free World.

There were twice as many people at her annoucement yesterday (15,000) than in the town were she was a mayor (7,000).

I just hope that the women voters see this for what it is, a gimmick. Palin aint Hillary. She cant even hold Hillary's pants suit. Hillary has a 35 yr record, Palin just got into politics. A few years ago she was picking up her children from soccer practice for goodness sakes.

here is an interesting youtube video comparing Obama and Reagan's celebrity....could appeal to republicans and independents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfKXVDbvkoQ

The new ad is exactly the right way to respond. McCain wants people to believe that his selection of a woman, who is supposedly a reform government type, shows that he is an agent of change. Rather than talking about experience, we should point out that what he has in fact done is pick someone acceptable to the most right wing elements of the GOP and he is using her gender to try to detract attention from that. That is why it was her instead of Pawlenty (and the belief that she it will be more difficult for Biden to attack her rather than Pawlenty). If he were really an independent/maverick he would have picked Tom Ridge, who is clearly whom he wanted to pick, but John McCain wasnt willing to stand up to the GOP right and once more as he has throughout the campaign, he has abandoned his prior principles for politics. Thus, this is not change. Rather, it is the same old cynical politics.

There's absolutely no NEED for Democrats to go on the attack against this woman. Just hand her the microphone and let her talk...and talk and talk and TALK!!! Let her proudly display her ignorance and extremism (Global warming is not man-made; morning-after pills for rape victims = baby murder; etc.) for the whole world to see. Give her as much airtime as possible (preferably intercut with footage of Sally Field blubbering "You like me! You really like me!"). Ask her how, as a "reformer," she would address the problem of *politically motivated firing* of District Attorneys. No need to engage in name-calling. Just start rolling out the rope.

The convention bounce has stabilized with Obama up 4 in the 3-day Rasmussen and up 8 in the 3-day Gallup for 2 days in a row. According to Gallup, Friday night polling for Obama (after the speech and Palin) was lower than on Thursday night (mostly before Obama's speech).

In 1988, Dukakis came out of his convention ahead by 17 points and he ended up losing by 8 points to Papa Bush -- a 25 point swing.

At the end of the GOP convention that year (at which Quayle was picked), the race had gone back to even. Then, Dukakis gave his disastrous death penalty answer in a debate and Dukaakis never led again (despite Bentesen crushing Quayle in their debate).

Next week, the GOP gets its turn at bat and when their convention is over, I assume the race will be back to even. We'll see.