McCain replacing Palin (huh?)

[...of J.Temperance]

I'm finding it somewhat baffling, that I've read posts, and in cases several OP's, where some people actually want John McCain to dump Sarah Palin and replace her with someone else.

Why would ANYONE want that to happen?

The fact is, in politics, you want to face the easiest ticket, the weakest ticket....and this must be the weakest GOP ticket for a very long time.

Let's look at it briefly:

John McCain - 72 years old, four bouts of skin cancer, not in the best of health.

Sarah Palin - 44 years old, holds VERY Extreme Right-Wing political and social views, has next to no experience at all outside of Alaska.

I saw a poll where 48% of people said that they didn't think that Sarah Palin was qualified to step up to the plate and become President, IF McCain won and died after taking office.

All added up, this means that we should be happy that McCain is running with such a weak Veep choice as Palin, because it's beneficial to our ticket and thus to the Democratic Party as a whole.

Why on earth would ANYONE want McCain to dump Palin, he'd replace her with someone like Tom Ridge or Tim Pawlenty, which would be a slightly more meaty ticket and thus more difficult for our team to handle.

We have the best GOP ticket to face, an old man who's in poor health coupled with an Extreme Right-Wing airhead with hardly any experience.

Palin's Extreme Right-Wing beliefs are way outside of the mainstream, at some point in this campaign, she's going to be forced to say what she believes in, what she stands for, on the ISSUES....she can't keep being hidden after her RNC speech, like she's been hidden since last Friday, people are going to want answers and explanations from her, she can't keep hiding.

When the daylight is thrown on her, more people will see her for what she is....in the simplest terms possible, she's a nutjob.

So I'm baffled as to why I read posts and in cases OP's, where some people are hoping that McCain dumps Palin and replaces her.

I'd like to ask those who want Palin replaced, why do you want her replaced? What possible benefit can you see for the Democratic Party in having Palin replaced?

I hope those who want Palin replaced respond, because I'd really like them to explain and elaborate on why they want her replaced, because I think it's deeply perplexing myself and I'm really struggling to understand the logic of replacing Palin.

Thanks for reading this, I know it's a wee bit long, sorry for that ;)


On Edit: I should add, that as we're getting like a thousand new threads an hour it seems on DU now....I'm going to keep kicking my own thread here until I get sufficient responses to my questions.

I apologize in advance for this, I have never kicked my own threads before, I know it can be annoying to some when people kick their own threads, but I feel these questions are rather important.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Dump her or not dump her, I think McNutso is trapped in a no-win situation.

Whatever he does will be wrong.

Like McGovern/Eagleton '72.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

2. The thinking is that nobody can recover from dumping their VP

It's an unambiguous statement that your one presidential level decision was a total fuck-up, and the sort of thing presidential campaigns just don't recover from.

I agree with that analysis.

[...of J.Temperance]

5. But McCain isn't going to recover WITH Palin ON the ticket either

So why give him a second chance, he might pick someone like Tom Ridge ie. less Extreme than Palin and with more experience....it's a second chance I DON'T want to give McCain.

Don't forget the media isn't on our side, they'd spin and help McCain WHATEVER he did....don't forget that McCain has refered to the media as his "base".

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

10. Th RW base might have voted for him if he picked Ridge, but if he NOW dumped Palin

they would make it a project to not vote for him.

It's one thing to not get what you want. Having it taken away after you think it is yours is far more serious.

[...of J.Temperance]

13. Don't forget they're not called Broken Glass Republicans for nothing

I'd be willing to bet they'd hold their noses and vote for McCain/Ridge regardless.

[grantcart]

3. Anyone over 50 remembers the Eagleton affair it was the most excruciatingly embarassing

event in modern political history.

If McCain replaces Palin the election is over.

Nobody is going to vote for a candidate that can't get their first decision right after 6 months of thinking about it.

All of the other candidates will refuse and you have this public search for somebody that will go on the ticket.

All the people who were passed over get to come out and say that they never wanted it in the first place.

For that reason McCain will keep Palin no matter what.

[...of J.Temperance]

8. McGovern didn't call the media his "base"

Don't forget McCain has the media whores on his side, the media ain't for our side, they haven't been for over a decade now, lets face it.

They can and WILL spin McCain replacing Palin (if he did God Forbid), they'd spin it as him recognizing he's made a mistake, everyone makes mistakes, everyone deserves a second chance....that sort of bullshit.


On Edit: Dammit spelling error

[RichGirl]

11. By all logic and reason you're right.

But this is the republican base we are talking about. (McGovern/Eagleton were democrats after all.) These people are experienced apologists. If he drops Palin and picks someone who actually is fit to be president, they won't see it as a huge lapse of judgement or the biggest flop flop of the century. They'll be deliriously happy the way they were when Meirs got dumped and replaced by Alito.

I want her to stay because I think she'll self emplode. She is admittedly (It's on You Tube) a loose cannon who is liable to speak first and think later. I don't think she knows how to self-censor. All we need is one macaca moment.

[...of J.Temperance]

12. Exactly....and that's what we'd be up against....and the media whores obviously

n/t

[C_U_L8R]

4. I know ! I know !

But it's so hard to keep a straight face without giggling.

[liberal N proud]

6. Why would ANYONE want that to happen?

Simple, because McCain is incompetent enough and Palin has 20 months experience in any form of government higher than dog catcher.

The biggest fear I have is that somehow gramps and his soul mate manage to find themselves in the White House on January 20, 2009. We all know the odds on McCain's survival and I don't want someone with 20 months experience to be our leader. Look what we have had for the last 8 years.

Then it's too late, we are stuck with this corruption.

Yeah it sounds like self destruction on McCain's part to keep her on and that would be great and fun to watch but things are what they are in America. Weird shit and criminal shit happen in elections.

[cynatnite]

7. The only one who'd be better than Palin is Lieberman...

:rofl:

I'm just havin' too much fun.

[Me.]

9. It's Not A Matter Of Want

It's a question of will he. As far as I'm concerned she's his banana peel (a good reason for her staying in)the very reason why he may have let her go. As they are digging themselves in even deeper with this, he may have no choice soon but to hobble in second on election day on that broken leg of his.

[deadmessengers]

14. Because they could steal the election

After seeing the last two Presidential elections stolen, I'm still mostly convinced they're going to steal this one, and explain away the massive exit polling discrepancy as the "Bradley effect". At that point, we would be stuck with a sick old man and Sarah Cheerleader ready to step in when he croaks. And, if you could find someone who is almost guaranteed to fuck things up worse than Shrub did, it's Sarah Palin. So, I'm thinking he should replace her, because the alternatives (Hutchison, Condi, Pawlenty, hell, even Joementum) are at least competent and qualified to hold the office. It's reallyh a choice between "very evil and barely competent" and "somewhat evil and quite competent." I would take the latter in that scenario, hands down.

[taught_me_patience]

15. It's about country

There is a small chance McCain could pull off a victory and we'd be one heartbeat away from having an inexperienced right wing loon int he whitehouse.

[MadrasT]

16. Because if those idiots steal the election

There is NO WAY, NO HOW, I want that insane, incompetent, freakshow of a woman a heartbeat from the Presidency. I really fear that she's bat-shit crazy.

The others on McGrumpy's "short list" were unpalatable, but as an earlier poster said, they are at least competent.

A Sarah Palin presidency would be a complete train wreck, and our country would not survive.

We, as human beings on this planet might not even survive. :nuke:

That's why.

[NotThisTime]

17. Please don't dump her and please let us win!

[...of J.Temperance]

18. Okay, I understand the logic a bit more now

That Palin being a nutter and inexperienced, that IF McCain won and died, she'd be in charge.

I hadn't actually thought that much about McCain winning, just because it's too scary a thing to even imagine.

If there's a God or if there's even a Higher Spiritual Force, he, she or it must make Obama win....McCain winning simply CANNOT be an option.