When Democrats denounce Palin, do they AMPLIFY McCain's "Not ready" refrain about Obama?

[ProgressiveEconomist]

McCain STILL is running ads that paint Obama as "not ready". While his choice of Sarah Palin to be a heartbeat away fromreplacing a possible septuagenarian President is hypocritical, I strongly agree with the Obama campaign that it's important to focus on McCain, not on Palin.

IMO, the more focus Palin's abysmal Presidential preparation gets from Democrats, the more Democrats invite comparisons of Obama's readiness 18 months ago to Palin's readiness now.

IMO, the last 18 months of Obama's becoming grass-roots spokesperson for the issues of kitchen-table America have made him better-prepared than any Presidential candidate in history. I'd much rather see a Democratic focus on Obama's issues, judgment and temperament--compared to McCain's third term for Dubya--than a focus on the irrelevant RVP candidate's preparation for office.

What do you think?

[ingac70]

1. Have you heard her talk?

"He's, like, independent of the party machine and I'm so, like, right on."- Sarah Palin on Ron Paul

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=178644&mesg_id=178644


OMFG!

[ProgressiveEconomist]

2. Yes, I've seen her acceptance speech on cable. But IMO she's a sideshow, like

Dan Quayle was decades ago. I say ignore her, except when you've got a really funny punchline for an occasional joke.

[eleny]

3. No....

See FrenchieCat's post for details and reasons why not.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6841291

[Cha]

16. Thanks, eleny!

FrenchieCat (1000+ posts) Sat Aug-30-08 11:18 PM
Original message
With one foot out of the door, This is what I will say.......
One of the reason McCain picked Palin is to try to draw attention to Barack Obama as being young, unexperience and charismatic.

The GOP is already giving us their talking points, if we had bothered to notice.

They top that off with saying that she has "more" executive experience than Barack.

So, what are our comebacks?

They should be:
1. Barack Obama contested in our elections and won and was thoroughly vetted. He interviewed for the position before he earned it. Sarah Palin did not contest in our elections, did not win, and has not been vetted by the voters. In America, the people decide who has enough experience, and we decided that Barack Obama did. We are not coming to that same conclusion about Gov. Palin.

2. Barack Obama was President of the Harvard Law Review, another elected office that required executive experience to get the job done. In addition, to being highly educated at the best schools in this country, he managed Project Vote in Chicago in 1993, and via his executive and organizing skills, helped put a Democratic Senator into the senate. That's call results.

3. Barack Obama was a State Senator for 8 years. He drafted laws and pass legislation. Again, he was voted into that office.

3a. Barack Obama has also been a law professor, and a civil rights attorney. Both job lend for much experience like the working knowledge of our constitution.

4. Barack Obama became a United State Senator 4 years ago. He has passed major legislations, and has sat on major committees, both on domestic and foreign issues. He has worked closely with heavyweights and has passed important bipartisan bills that affected 300 million Americans.

5. Barack Obama started a presidential campaign from scratch, and in so doing, created the best ran political organization our history has ever witnessed. For nearly two years, using vision, innovation, intelligence, endurance, tactical genius, and a strong macro management style, Barack Obama has shown us all exactly what his executive skills are. He defeated a well oiled political national political machine in the process, with all of the deck stacked against him. The convention that the Democrats pulled off is a full demonstration of Barack Obama's leadership abilities as well as his executive acumem.

6. Also Barack Obama is the author of 2 best selling books, which has earned him millions and wrote a speech that electrified the nation 4 years ago....

7. Barack Obama his highly educated and has gone to some of the most prestigious schools in our country.

8. Barack Obama has been endorsed by a wide array of newspapers editorial boards, national politicians, political interest groups, and many many more. In other words, he comes to us highly recommended.

To conclude; Barack Obama is a naturally born statesmen and leader who has worked and fought hard to prepare for the job that he is currently applying for.

The bottomline is that Sarah Palin's name should not be put in the same sentence as Barack Obama when it comes to accomplishments including Executive experience. In fact, anyone that tries it should be laughed at uncontrollably, once no. 1 through 8 and whatever anyone else comes up with, is clearly stated.

"This is what we should be writing to all of the newspapers about. The fact that Sarah Palin may be a nice person and a loving mother (as is Barack a wonderful father) but that doesn't change the fact that she is a lightweight. Two years of being the governor of a sparsly populated state cannot change that."

[ProgressiveEconomist]

17. Thanks for the link. But a fairly good "Obama v. Palin" argument STILL is the WRONG

focus in an Obama vs MCCAIN election.

"Obama vs. Palin" is a political trap, IMO. No matter how good your argument agains the Great Republican Wurlitzer singing palin's praises over Obama, you still are stuck in THEIR political gamesmanship.

IMO, THIS is why the Obma campaign says, 'IGNORE HER'.

The real contest we should be worrying about is Obama vs MCCAIN.

[eleny]

19. FrenchieCat's whole point is to focus on O vs McC - and she provided the ammo

If it happens to draw a distinction between Obama and Palin that erodes McCain's argument then so be it. Double whammy.

[Bluerthanblue]

4. not hardly- Palin's been 'gov' for only 20 months-

does not have any educational background that would give her presidential credentials, and is pretty ignorant on many issues outside of Alaska, hunting and oil.

IMO-

If McCain were to become incapacitated enough for her to have to become president, she would be the only one of the "team" left.

Obama has the advantage of far more knowledge and skills going into this, and he can avail himself of Joe Bides's persepctive and input as part of the team they are. God forbid, if Obama, were incapacated, and Obama not able to give input, Joe Biden has PLENTY of experience and qualifications to keep the country going-

McCain's foolish comment that all the VP does is "inquire about the health of the president, and attend foreign funerals" is going to come back to bite his sorry ass if you ask me.


:hi:

[ProgressiveEconomist]

6. Why is any of that worth fussing about? Why not focus on McCain versus Obama,

rather than Palin vs. Obama?

IMO, Palin vs. Obama is a Rovian trap during Republicn National Convention week.

[TahitiNut]

25. The 'governor' of a state with a population 1/3rd lower than Detroit ...

... and seventeen other U.S. cities. Kwame Kilpatrick is more qualified. :evilgrin:


Hell, more people have to evacuate the New Orleans area than live in all of Alaska!! How about Ray Nagin for VP?

[endthewar]

5. It makes the experience issue a wash for both sides

This is a HUGE advantage for Obama. McCain's campaign has been nonstop beating Obama over the head as inexperienced and not ready. I bet you they'll be walking on egg shells when they make that argument again.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

10. I disagree. I bet Rove's minions are rubbing their hands together in glee whenever

they see Democrats attacking Palin's "inexperience", because dong so justifies republican focus on Obama's "inexperience".

I fully agreed with you yesterday, before I noticed that Republicans are CONTINUING to run ads accusing Obama of being "not ready to lead".

IMO, you are falling into a Rovian trap.

[endthewar]

12. This takes away McCain's best argument against Obama

Doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure this one out.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

14. Logically, of course. Politically, no.

[endthewar]

20. Wait to see if they have anymore commercials about Obama not being ready

Their best argument is gone. Here is my rundown of some of the top reasons why this is political malpractice naming Palin as V.P.:

1. Experience argument. It was working pretty good against Obama. Now they have seriously undercut that attack line. All the conservative radio shills are now confused as to what their talking points need to be. If you watch the Republican strategists on the cable news channels, they're all referring to things like Obama's "present" votes in the Illinois Senate now. Desperation has set in.

2. Brings McCain's age front and center to the campaign discussion. Before McCain selected Palin, the Obama campaign hadn't found a good way to broach the age/health issue for McCain. Now they have an easy opening to do it. Keep in mind that polls have shown that more American voters are worried about having a very old President than they are worried about having a black or female President.

3. Takes away the Rev. Wright ace-in-the-hole card for McCain, or at least damages its effectiveness. Obama has proven politically weakest when having to fend off accusations that he's on the far-left fringe, sitting in Rev. Wright's church and socializing with William Ayers. Palin has some questionable religious associations herself. To top it off, she's a Pat Buchanan Republican. Don't get further to the right than hearing Buchanan's "culture war" and then deciding that he represents your political beliefs.

4. The pick has a gimmicky feel to it. McCain's slogan of "Country First" is being widely criticized by just about every newspaper since it appears that he is putting this election first. There goes the patriotism attacks. I guarantee that McCain won't continue saying that Obama would rather lose a war to win an election. The secret is out that McCain puts election first, country second.

5. He only met her one time before picking her. The McCain campaign should have been smarter and never have released this information. Pure stupidity. Either have him meet her more times or make sure that nobody finds this out.

6. Obama's money advantage will give him a leg up on McCain in the race to define Palin.

7. Obama was viewed as the more risky choice. Now the McCain ticket will be viewed as very risky as well.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

24. I saw one this morning. See my post #10 in this thread. IMO, "Obama v. Palin"

is an INGENIOUS ruse for amplifying the continuing "experience" selling point for McCain.

IMO, selecting Palin for RVP so close to the start of the convention in St. Paul threw her out as "bait" for Democrats to get drawn into an irrelevant comparison of Palin's qualifications versus Obama's.

IMO, Democrats need to focus on Obama's issues, Obama's strengths, McCain's many weaknesses, and the "FREE RIDE" McCain's gotten from the media for DECADES (see http://mediamattersaction.org/freeride ).

I like some of your points about what his selection of Palin says about McCAIN. THAT is the main aspect of the Palin selection Democrats should focus on, IMO>

[endthewar]

26. What new ads about Obama not being ready to lead has McCain put out

since he announced Palin as his V.P.? I haven't seen any yet about that. He had already made some TV ad buys before the V.P. rollout. He will obviously focus on reforming government and ending corruption in the ads he will put out soon.

[Vinca]

7. There's no comparison between Palin and Obama unless she's

got years in the state and national senate she hasn't talked about or a law degree she's hiding or knows the Constitution inside and out. Maybe she was the only person who would say yes to the nomination.

[sandnsea]

8. Focus on her fundy nutso position on the issues

She's the dingbat that keeps voting for these neocon knuckle draggers. That's what we should be focused on.

[searchingforlight]

9. His statement that Obama is not ready makes me wonder if he is ready.

We're talking a woman who is so politically savvy that I am not convinced she could pass a civics exam. She has a bachelor's degree in Journalism from the Univ of Idaho. She has been politically involved in a sparsely populated state. Her CV is so thin it wouldn't get her a mid-level manager job. She screeches.

Barack Obama Harvard Graduate, Harvard Law Review, Raised with a world view. The programs he handled in Chicago were much more complex than anything she has done in Alaska. He has been involved in politics much longer AND he has worked at the federal level on major issues of policy. He has traveled all over the world and cares about the American people enough to select a VP who would be ready on day one and one we could have confidence in. He does know what the President's job is and what the VP's job is. His CV would and should qualify him for just about any job in the public or private sector. Oh, by the way, I can stand to hear his voice.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

13. You're simply taking the other side of the "Obama vs. Palin" argument that was the

big talking point for Rich Lowry, Monica Crowley, and other Republican talking heads this weekend. You're disagreeing with them, but nevertheless you are playing the game they have chosen--Obama vs. Palin, rather than Obama vs. McCain.

When you play the game of your opponent's choosing, rather than focus on your own agenda, you already have lost, IMO.

[searchingforlight]

15. You may have taken it that way.

I am comparing experience vs inexperience and you are right it is Obama vs McCain but I will bet she has a better shot at being President that Biden does and that makes it an issue.

[Motown_Johnny]

11. That is clearly the plan... but i don't think it will work

[TheDonkey]

18. No, she makes Obama look like John Adams

that is a KO remark

[WinkyDink]

21. No.

[Ron Paul- voting BO]

22. Yes it is a trap

This is the trap they are hoping we fall into.. This election will not come down to Palin or Bidden people. It will came down to Obama and McCain. Obama is doing the right thing by keeping the focus on McCain. As her record is heard and trust me in the debates the items we are talking about (for and against the bridge to nowhere- allowing her opponent to be called a b***ch on the radio and then laughing) will be brought up. The one downside for McCain is that when these issues are brought up there is not alot of time to correct them. That is why what he did (selecting Palin) is not only unusual it is unheard of. Also on the plus side it will be hard for her to go out on the stump and attract women voters by bringing up Hillary. Did you guys see she tried that line later about 18 million cracks and thank you Hillary and was booed. Please remember the base of her party (man and women ) hate Hillary and each time they show that Hillary supporters will see it.

[swishyfeet]

23. Nonsense.