I have a feeling

[novapsyche]

After Palin drowns in the debate, the Republicans will dump her and put someone else on the ticket. Then we, the American electorate, will have no idea how the new VP candidate would hold his/her own in a debate. (I doubt they'd schedule something on the fly.)

I really don't see how the GOP goes forward with the ticket as it stands.

Comments

[simianpower.livejournal.com]

From what I heard on NPR this upcoming "debate" is nothing of the kind. Rather, it's more like two simultaneous interviews where the candidates aren't supposed to engage one another. In addition, Palin already has such low expectations going in that as long as she doesn't start sucking her thumb it'll be called a victory. I sort of wonder if her prior few interviews were an intentional setup for a low bar like this. If so, it's backfiring in a way since even republicans want her off the ticket.

The other thing is, McCain tried to set himself up as some kind of economic ambassador by stopping his campaign to "help" with the bailout bill, and now that it's failed he has egg all over him. That CAN'T be let slide. He'd have been crowing about his victory had he succeeded, and should be nailed for the failure. The attitude in both Washington and Wall Street is that one can take huge risks and reap huge rewards, but should the risk fail there is no penalty. That has to change!

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

I don't think it was intentional. I think she honestly cannot tread water. She is not ready (forgive the mixed metaphor) to swim with the big fishes.

[simianpower.livejournal.com]

I don't really think it was, either. What (little) I've seen of her so far scares the crap out of me. Even more than McSame himself.

Unfortunately, somehow in this country words like "smart", "elite", and "erudite" have become slurs and we as a country try to elect Jo-Bob from down the way. I don't WANT to be led by an equal or inferior; I want the best to lead. Why is that so hard for people these days to understand? Has egalitarianism gone too far? The concept that everyone is equal UNDER THE LAW does not mean that everyone is equal in all ways.

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

The thing is, The Powers That Be know that people hate to think that they are not smart enough or that someone is smarter than they are, so TPTB do all they can to frame things as though only the lowest common denominator should be the standard. Anger and resentment are the emotions evoked.

It's a tactic to get people to vote against their own interests. It's been working in this country for some time.

[timiathan.livejournal.com]

I've thought from the beginning that was the plan: She's picked to rev up the base, then the "liberal media" is too vicious, and she can't put her family through that, so she decides to step down. The base is left fired up, hating the liberals for unfairly destroying their candidate, so they come out even with Ridge on the ticket, to make sure the damn commie bastards don't put a Muslim into office.

Of course I also thought mid-Summer, that McCain would have some kind of nebulous health problem and be forced to step down himself -- so what the hell do I know.

[bonerici.livejournal.com]

this theme about the "undecideds" really just a myth. elections today are won or lost on one thing: turning out your base.

mccain captured the fundie base with palin, she's worth perhaps 10 or 20 percent of his republican votes alone. If he dumps her, the fundies will revolt and stay home. they wont cross over to obama, they just wont show up. And that's how you win an election, make the other guy so disgusted with his or her own party that he or she wont even bother to vote.

Palin is a golden goose for mccain. He can't kill her.

[laureth.livejournal.com]

The only thing that would make the GOP look more foolish than keeping Palin would be to drop her and pick another. No one likes a flip-flopper these days, even when they legitimately change their mind.

Also, as much as I want to see a Palin roast this Thursday, the NYT is at least a little worried that she'll look too good.

At any rate, no candidate should be babied for any reason. If they want to lead, they need to know how to take the heat. It's not like people all around the world are going to say, "Oh, but we just can't be tough on America anymore, their VP is a woman!" If she has to fold, and I think she does, I want it right here, now, before she's in any important office.

[myelectricsheep.livejournal.com]

My sense is that she's more popular than McCain, purely based on her charisma. She comes across as authentic, non-pretentious, and truthful. Her lack of knowledge about politics, history, etc. doesn't seem to hurt her. I think they'll keep her.

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

I'm left just shaking my head at this point. I really do not know what the Republicans do. She is a liability. Once you become a laughingstock, no one puts credibility in you anymore. Ask Dean.

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

I hope they keep her. She's an incredible albatross.

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

No one likes a flip-flopper these days, even when they legitimately change their mind.

Heh. I keep thinking about the Titanic for some reason. ("There's an iceberg!" "Well, we can't go turning around--we set a course, and we're sticking to it!")

At any rate, no candidate should be babied for any reason.

Exactly. To treat her with kid gloves is the essence of sexism. If she can't handle it, she shouldn't be on that stage.

Can you imagine the MSM saying the same thing if Clinton had clinched the nomination? Would they have said that McCain needed to "walk a fine line"?

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

McCain made a horrible choice with Palin, and dumping her would be to publicly admit it. So I agree with you, he must keep her.

He didn't need to get his base. He needed to capture swing voters. They are fleeing him right now.

[myelectricsheep.livejournal.com]

The thing is, we already have a president who's a complete idiot -- and he got elected twice. So one might argue it's actually an advantage to be stupid.

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure it will happen but she only looks and sounds worse as time goes by - without a teleprompter, she's a bad-quote machine.

[timiathan.livejournal.com]

I'm with Bonerici. Swing voters are a myth. It's all about rallying the base.

[pgdudda.livejournal.com]

They said that about Quayle, too...

[jdoggiedogg.livejournal.com]

It didn't hurt Dan Quayle

[kittenkissies.livejournal.com]

Dunno what you think of Micheal Moore, but did you read this? :
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=235

[pstscrpt.livejournal.com]

Carter was probably the smartest president we've had in recent memory, and he's generally considered to be a failure. I think you could make a case that the proper role for the president is to keep the cabinet and advisors talking to each other and not getting deadlocked, and charisma may well be more important than knowledge, there.

Of course, you still have to know your own shortcomings and pick decent advisors. Bush and Palin both pretty clearly fail on the first point, and we have yet to see if Palin is any better than Bush on the second.