Jack & Jill Politics

John McCain picks Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for his running mate.

She’s only been Governor of Alaska since 2006.

She’s 44.

Her last job before that was Mayor of a town of 9,000.

She’s literally in bed with big oil – her husband is big with BP.

She’s already under investigation for corruption.

No Washington experience.

Nada on foreign policy.

She’s an evangelical who believes in creationism.

She’s pro-life with a Downs Syndrome infant.Palin is strongly anti-abortion, and only makes an exception on abortion for the life of the woman — excluding even rape and incest.

This is obviously a pick to go after disaffected Hillary voters. If Hillary wants to earn her keep and prove that she’s a team player, she’ll go out there after her.

McAncient turned 72 today. And THIS woman is ready to be President?

UPDATE:

From poster whiterosebuddy

Just for you D

From http://www.ontheissues.org:

Sarah Palin on Families & Children
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on Foreign Policy
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on Free Trade
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on Government Reform
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on War & Peace
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on Welfare & Poverty
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Oh yeah, she’s prepared.

Found this in the comments at Politicalinaction.com:

This might be the best reaction to this pick. From the CNN political ticker comments:

“‘With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he’s been a governor for three years, he’s been able but undistinguished. I don’t think people could really name a big, important thing that he’s done. He was mayor of the 105th largest city in America. And again, with all due respect to Richmond, Virginia, it’s smaller than Chula Vista, California; Aurora, Colorado; Mesa or Gilbert, Arizona; north Las Vegas or Henderson, Nevada. It’s not a big town.’
–Karl Rove, August 10, ‘Face the Nation’

Tim Kaine’s service as governor: three years
Sarah Palin’s service as governor: twenty months

Population, Richmond, VA: 200,123
Population, Wasilla, AK: 9,780″

UPDATE: From Ta-Nehisi Coates:

Is the experience argument over?
29 Aug 2008 12:04 pm

Isn’t the biggest problem with a Sarah Palin pick that by McCain’s own standard, she fails:

John McCain’s central and best argument in this campaign is that Barack Obama simply lacks the experience to be President of the United States. And now John McCain, who is a cancer survivor who turns 72 years old today, is picking a vice presidential nominee who has been governor of a small state for less than two years and prior to that was mayor of a town with roughly one-twenty-seventh of the citizens that Barack Obama represented when he was a state senator in Illinois.

Also, if you’re making a play for Hillary voters—older, middle-aged white women in rust-belt states–is the way to get it done by bypassing, say, Carly Fiorina and Kay Bailey Hutchison, to pick a former Ms. Alaska who’s only been governor for two years? There’s a meme about Barack Obama reminding older women of the slick, handsome guy who beat them out for a big promotion, even though they were more qualified. But here’s another very likely meme–Sarah Palin as the inexperienced, younger, attractive woman who beats them out for a promotion, even though they were more qualified.

UPDATE: Just want to bang on that last point a little more, as I just got off the phone with Kenyatta. I think there are some weakness to being a party associated with identity politics, and hopefully, the Dems are moving past that. But if you think about it, this is the sort of mistake you make when you have only a vague understanding of sexism and women’s issues. I may be very, very, very wrong about this, but let me go out on a limb. I think “Hillary voters” can only resent Barack Obama but so much because he actually won an election. He wasn’t appointed–he actually won, and that’s a crucial difference.

Palin was appointed by a 72-year old man who passed over many more qualified, older women for a much younger, former runner-up for Mrs. Alaska with a thin resume. Add in the fact that this is a dude who left his wife after coming home from Vietnam for a much younger rich, former rodeo queen and you have the makings of a narrative. And it’s not the sort of narrative that attracts “Hillary voters,”–it’s the sort of narrative that attracts dirty old men. To be clear, I’m not saying that that’s what McCain is. In fact, I think it’s the opposite–this looks more hamfisted than sexist.

UPDATE: From Politico.com:

Palin dissed veep job
By MIKE ALLEN | 8/29/08 10:22 AM EST

Count Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as one of the most surprised that she was chosen as running mate for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

In an interview just a month ago, she dissed the job, saying it didn’t seem “productive.”

In fact, she said she didn’t know what the vice president does.

Larry Kudlow of CNBC’s “Kudlow & Co.” asked her about the possibility of becoming McCain’s ticket mate.

Palin replied: “As for that VP talk all the time, I’ll tell you, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day? I’m used to being very productive and working real hard in an administration. We want to make sure that that VP slot would be a fruitful type of position, especially for Alaskans and for the things that we’re trying to accomplish up here for the rest of the U.S., before I can even start addressing that question.”

UPDATE: From The Jed Report:

Fri Aug 29, 1:15 PM Pacific
Sarah Palin’s Inexperience Is Relevant
Guest post by Jed’s father, Richard Lewison

What this choice does is put the lie to McCain’s “Country First” mantra.

A 72 year old chooses a VP candidate with no national political experience. He clearly would put the country at peril if he thinks it will win him enough votes to become president. What a fraud. He reacts to the presidency the way Gollum reacts to The Ring. I wouldn’t be surprised if in his dreams he thinks of it as ‘my precious.’

Those who compare Palin’s slim experience with Obama’s should remember that Obama wasn’t chosen by a dispeptic old man to run for office. He was chosen by voters after a long and hard campaign.