Like Palin, George W. Bush was a charismatic underachiever who hadn’t accomplished much in life and showed little intellectual firepower but was nevertheless presented by the GOP as its candidate for one of the most powerful jobs on earth.
However, unlike Palin who lost her vice presidential bid, Bush took the presidency for two terms – in two dubious elections – with disastrous consequences for the nation.
Then, even amid the wreckage of the Bush administration’s final days, the Republican Party enthusiastically nominated first-term Alaska Gov. Palin to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, which they hoped would be filled by 72-year-old cancer survivor John McCain.
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Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's abrupt and unscripted holiday resignation is an odd way to launch a potential presidential bid and certainly no help for a party battered by scandal and fighting for relevancy.Yet from a folksy figure who catapulted from obscure governor to conservative darling and vice presidential nominee, it's merely the latest move in a political drama that has left Republican elders scratching their heads.
No one is sure why Palin took such an unusual path. All points suggest a strategy designed to maintain her political viability with an eye toward a 2012 presidential bid. Barring a personal surprise or scandal, little else makes sense.
Even in explaining her exit from the governor's office during the middle of her first term, former aides to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and current allies criticized Palin for what they said was a typically erratic and seemingly irrational act. McCain, who named Palin his running mate in 2008, issued a terse statement wishing her well.
"If this is her launching pad for 2012, it's a curious move," said John Weaver, a former senior strategist for McCain's presidential bids. "Policy is politics, and she has no real accomplishments as governor."
73 comments:
We have never had a president any less qualified than Obama and it is really showing now.
Why does Sarah Palin scare the Democrats so much ?
She should scare the country!
Everyone was thinking that nothing could be worse than Bush II but they would find out with Palin I that worse does exist.
Why does she scare us? Because contrary to the hogwash you like to serve up we love this country and don't want to see our future destroyed.
Worse does indeed exist, and her name is Palin.
And don't think that the message has been lost on women. All those women who have worked hard, achieved respect for their intellect and leadership capabilities, and stand ready to serve - to see this flake offered up as a candidate for high office. She is a clear bright example of what is wrong with the Republican Party. They couldn't have done worse with Brittany Spears.
Leave Sarah Palin Alone!
the hyperbole i'm seeing here seems like a really bang up way to get labelled as elitists....
believe what you will about bush's presidency. believe al gore could have done better. beleive another sex scandal in the excecutive removing the country's focus from real issues would have been preferable to a much maligned president desparately trying to clean up his mess in his second term.
whatever you believe, it would be useful to support it. when our guys ask why you're scared of palin/do so much to denigrate her, replying that she's a flake who would certainly be worse than bush seems to me to be rather...flaky.
in regards to experience,
both individuals you criticize have executive experience dealing directly with some of the most challenging issues our country faces today (whether or not you agree with their policy stances on things like energy and immigration is irrelevant. the fact that both previously served as executives undermines the claim that they're underachievers who are unfit to be president).
don't get me wrong, i don't love palin or think she'd make the greatest potus. i just don't think it really helps your cause to make mindless, unsubstantiated criticism either.
remember
Seth, when you learn to spell, capitalize, punctuate, and construct sentences responsible adults will see that you respect dialogue and may be inclined to respect your point of view.
To your general point, we're running Country here, leader of the Free World, greatest Nation on Earth...we have a right and an obligation to ask for the best. Bob and Sarah need not apply.
How about catching a case of reality seth?
"the fact that both previously served as executives undermines the claim that they're underachievers who are unfit to be president)."
and
"don't get me wrong, i don't love palin or think she'd make the greatest potus. i just don't think it really helps your cause to make mindless, unsubstantiated criticism either."
What alternate world have you been living in?
Being labeled an "elitist" holds no fear for me from the likes of you. You guys live for labels. Will you call me a socialist or a liberal next? Ooh, scary stuff.
I wonder why your loyalty to incompetence so colors your thinking.
Obama has WASTED billions on a stimulus package that was suppose to save jobs and we have lost over 2 million since it was passed. Joe Biden said yesterday that no one knew the stimulus package would not have created jobs faster well wake up Democrats i along with alot of Republicans knew when it was passed it was false HOPE.Let me give you all a wake up call Sarah Palin isn't running for any office at this time and she still has all of the Democrats talking and trashing her if she is such a flake why waste your time on her ? Obama should be the one you Democrats are scared of he will destroy your party.
Only and imbecile or abject liar would keep going on about how the stimulus has used a trillion dollars and produced nothing. Too stupid to even argue with.
Lipstick on a pig comes to mind.
Seth don't get to excited these party hacks have been brain washed . They will not accept the facts of every poll out, they only listen to what the golden one tells them and other party hacks tell them what they can say.Even Fulk will not answer a direct question anymore.
Bubby i would not talk about anyone not being able to spell if i were you everyone knows your math skills are on the 1st grade level. LMAO
:)
bubby,
might be better not to drop articles in a comment criticizing the linguistic construction of others....
toni,
if you want to have a serious discussion (that is if you can overlook my typos/disregard my semantic informalities) i'd be happy to do so (although if you really want to have a decent discussion, it would be helpful to know that you realize that just because someone doesn't agree with you doens't necessarily mean they live in lala land (is lala one word or two? capitalization? bubby?).
at any rate,
i think that history will look back on the bush presidency in a very different way than what is dictated by the short sighted and partisan common wisdom of the day (and again, you guys should thank your lucky stars kerry lost in 04. the edwards thing would have been devastating).
as to palin, i'll say again that i don't think she was/is a great choice. i also don't think that labelling her as an underachieving idiot is the best approach the left could take.
as to labels,
both political parties make effective use of them. you're inclination to box me in as one who puts a lot of stock in them probably says more about you than it does about me though.
Ooh lookie, a party hack accusing someone else of being a party hack!
No seth, don't pay any attention to any of us, listen to mr. anonymous, don't think at all because then he would call you a hack too, or label you an elitist or a socialist or a liberal or maybe a pro homo abortion loving illegal immigrant who wants to take your guns and make you worship Allah. And heaven knows you would never want to be called names by your party seth.
You are pathetic. There was once a time I had the impression that you actually considered things, but then I got to know you better and realize you're simply bitter and filled with self pity.
Now, here's the grape koolaid from Reverend Jones, drink up like a loyal follower.
ToniD the only reason you won't make a real comment on the stimulus package is you don't have any real answers. You just throw out insults with no reasonable answers at all. The more you trash Sarah Palin the more it shows your ignorance.
If you want to have a discussion seth, fine. Somehow I don't think you're sincere though.
Ha! You can't even ask a sensible question regarding the stimulus package! Hahahahahahaha!
Want me to explain normed referenced testing to you? The internal combustion engine? Marine biology as it exists in a coral seabed?
Want a serious answer? Ask a serious question. Otherwise all you're wanting to do is argue.
ToniD i should have known you would keep some Kool-Aid on hand. Why don't you drink some,save some for bubby he will get mad if you don't.
ToniD you are a idiot, but you are good at changing the subject still no answers.
toni,
in case your'e not keeping up,
i don't really care who calls me what. you can check around and i think you'll see that i'm pretty equal opportunity in terms of pissing people off when i feel like they're using weak arguments.
palin is a flake and an embarassment to women everywhere
=
weak
i am sincere about wanting to have honest and straightforward discussions. i think lowell would probably confirm that.
i'm not quite sure what we have to discuss on this one though.
I don't think the rank and file voters fully realize how off track the GOP has gone. They're good and trusting people who want to believe the best of their elected leaders.
I used to be that way.
Call me a traitor if you like anon, but I have gotten a belly full of watching people I helped get into office simply ignoring the reality of what we as a society face.
I'm no liberal, but I also understand that there is never something for nothing. Everything has a cost. Every physical structure needs to be maintained. The GOP left me too. They have betrayed the generations who trusted them and put them in charge.
The far right.
When in an Islamic country, they are Taliban.
When in a European country they have historically been Facist.
When in South America they have been Facist.
When in Asia they have been Facist.
When in North America, they have been Republican.
All cut from the same cloth.
Wallace H how many lies does Obama have to tell,how many failures does he have to have, and how far in debt do we have to be before you admit he has lied and failed.
Can anyone honestly tell me this is the CHANGE you voted for ?
Young man (I assume?), I learned a lesson in life called patience.
This economic mess was not created in six months to a year, and it will not be healed in six months to a year. I have lived through times like this, and have my experience to draw from.
I have also learned to look beyond mere words to the actions of a person for a true measure of their character.
That being said, so far yes, this is the change I had hoped to see.
I hope to see further change in that instead of constantly bashing the President with the sole aim of "driving his numbers down" that some of you will actually begin looking for ways to be a benefit.
Obama did not say he would be the solution, he said that "We" would be the solution, together.
He did not promise to change things overnight.
I grew up believing in "United We Stand, and Divided We Fall." I suppose I'm old fashioned that way.
But you see, I have lived long enough to have seen the change in attitude from one of teamwork, to one of greed and selfishness and envy. To an attitude of "This is mine, mine, mine, and you can't have any of mine and can't make me give it up for anything."
I attained some success in my life by cultivating teamwork and common purpose and by working together with my employees and we accomplished much good for the entire organization. I wasn't unionized, because I paid better than the union shops, and provided similar benefits. My people were loyal because I treated them with respect and dignity. My late wife was my partner in life and helped keep me balanced as regards employee treatment. (Sometimes I could grow impatient)
If you voted for huge debt,more lost jobs and a president that bows down to other leaders i quess you got what you wanted. Watch for the backlash its coming i promise.
Huge debt? This we already had. The present administration simply began reporting it in its entirety and honestly. The cost of the war in Iraq had never been included.
New debt? To invest in our country instead of a foreign land? I have always been in favor of investment at home. I remember helping to pay to build the interstate highway system and am proud to have done so.
Can't you now at least agree now to maintain what you have inherited?
Showing respect in a culturally sensitive way is not bowing down.
I was embarrassed however to see our prior President holding hands with and kissing the Saudi King on the lips. President Obama has the dignity I witnessed in Eisenhower. The world sees it and is heartened. So should you be. You have a President you can be proud of, such a pity that you can't see it.
Wallace H can i ask you a question ?
Of course you can ask a question.
dear anony...
you confuse our interest in Sarah with being politically concerned about dear Sarah... NOT ... she's just plain good comic fun.
we miss W so much... Sarah just filled the comic fool role so well.
we'll miss her
Alot of people knew when she was picked that the Dems had just won the White House.
What good did the auto bailouts do ?
That is a good question anon, and much better than many which have been asked in the last while. I've been tying some things up in the office and decided to check the goings on. Mind if I join the discussion? I'll be home in a bit.
Please do Fulk i would love for you to answer my question. It may take me a little while to answer back i have to pick up a prop for my boat.
I would appreciate your contribution to the conversation Lowell.
Was the lake rough on your prop anon?
(is this Tom?)
I would say that the first benefit is to change the paradigm from one of short term profit concentration to one of long term viability, and it has allowed room in time for that shift to take place.
Wallace H., excellent point. ! trillion dollars spent in Iraq (a war that even Cheney has admitted had nothing to do with Al Qaeda)went to corrupt Iraqi officials and corrupt defense contractors.
I'd much rather spend a trillion on OUR infrastructure and people. Although I;m not so sure about the banking corps., they are a evil as the defense corporations.
The difference that I see is that the radical repugs love to bitch about the money spent on rebuilding the economy, but conveniently ( and as usual, hypocritically) ignore the money spent on an oil/Bush legacy war.
I heard an internet rumor that Palin had participated in a "threesome" a couple of years a go and that the other woman is ready to go public. Normally I wouldn't believe that sort of thing but considering the never-ending avalanche of GOP sex scandals, I guess anything is possible.
We really need to give strategic thought to where we, as a society, will employ people in the future. While the economy, the environment and energy are huge challenges that need solutions, so also is envisioning and providing meaningful work for American citizens that can and will be sustained.
Yes Fulk the lake was very rough on my prop and yes im Tom but you still didn't answer my question so i will ask again if the Chrysler and GM bailouts had never been made what would the difference be now ? All i want is a honest no bs answer.
Shari im very impressed but there is no way you will sell that idea on here. The Democrats want to play the blame GWB game without giving any real problem fixing solutions to the real problems.
Uncle Sam you seem to forget all of the sex scandals that the Democrats even the shame they brought to the White House.
Of course I didn’t answer your question Tom, not yet, not completely.
Do you not want a considered answer?
Do you not want a participatory endeavor here?
The rescue of the American auto industry isn’t a “Jeopardy” type of question that can be addressed by choosing A B C or D.
Do you want a sincerely considered answer or not? If not, save us both a lot of time and effort by telling me and some of the others who have begun to participate.
In any case, we will continue this conversation (as Wallace H. has so graciously named our endeavor) regarding the pro and con of United States’ help of United States’ industry.
You're welcome to join in, but not to disrupt.
Do you want to accomplish? Do you want to gain understanding? Or do you only desire to wreak distraction? Perhaps that would be a good question for you to answer.
What is your goal?
I really don't know what is a prudent choice any longer in the USA. Chevron just shipped their tax department to Argentina. So, don't count on ACCOUNTING as a safe career in this country.
I wonder what people in this country will do for a living wage in the future?????? Working at Wal-Mart is NOT a Living Wage.
Thanks GOP.
No anon, I haven't. The difference is this, Dems understand the faults of man, the cowardly, hypocritical GOP claim to be the party of morality and family values. You fuckers lie, cheat and steal and claim righteousness, dems are realists. Your lying and insincerity is exactly why so many people are leaving your party in droves.
Your party is dying, as it should be. If you ever want to meet and chat about this I'd be glad to, I suspect though that you are the epitome of your party.....a coward.
When Chrysler was petitioning the federal government for the financial assistance it wanted, in 1979, the company announced its Salary Reduction Program.
Under this, executive salaries were cut between two and ten percent; Lee Iacocca's salary was reduced to one dollar a year (although it was made clear that, under the program, Iacocca would collect the balance of a recruitment bonus due to him in 1980).
If Chrysler's financial performance was adequate after two years, the executives would be eligible to receive retroactive salary payments to make up for these reductions.
Isn't this successful model being followed now? My impression is that it is.
And haven't the unions also made very considerable concessions on their benefits and salary scales?
My understanding is that they have.
And the loan guarantees from the federal govt made that possible.
So that should answer your original question anon/tom.
the company I worked for made a joystick assembly for John Deere that was outsourced to china and people lost their job at our plant because it was now made in china.
a key part started to break all the time. chemcial analysis showed instead of it being 17-4 stainless steel, it was "some unknown grade" of steel.
Thanks GOP!
Cheaper doesn't mean better. It just means cheaper.
but at our company like many, the buyer was praised for saving the company several thousand dollars in "costs". that buyer made 4 times what i made, and it took at least 6 engineers to keep dealing with, handling the descrepant china parts.
~ then the engineers' job became failure analysis rather than new product design because so much coming in from china was descrepant material.
If the rescue is managed right, and it seems like team Obama is doing it right, the government could help the the auto companies survive and even prosper. Washington is playing bankruptcy judge very well, forcing the unions and creditors both to cut long-term obligations and make General Motors and Chrysler competitive again.
Yes Fulk i would like a real answer of how the bailouts helped. How hard is that to answer? Im not talking about the bankruptcy.
Wallace H i want you to tell me that the Republican party is dying after Nov. 3
I thought the auto bailout was a pretty clear financial move: America saves the industry or it loses the very industry that produces our military vehicles, $150 billion in tax revenues, and 3 million jobs.
And if we do it right, we'll be selling auto technology to the rest of the world - for a healthy export trade revenue. Betty is right, America needs good jobs making things, not Walmart jobs.
Bubby you are in over your head again please leave the math to the grown ups.
i heard on the radio yesterday that gas would have to go up another dollar to really spur public interest in the new technology you're talking about. i'm on board with setting an example for the rest of the world, but i'm afraid that if the leaner, meaner gm comes back trying to sell things that people aren't interested in buying, they'll be back to square one in short order. i guess that leads me to wonder whether folks would support measures to jack gas prices up.
on another note, i'm also curious about the difference between gm being bankrupt now after receiving government money vs. having gone bankrupt before receiving said funds (i think people would just like to know that that money wasn't spent for nothing and i don't think the administration is doing a very good job of conveying that right now)
And what are we supposed to make of the House Republican Leader (John Boehner) making statements like this:
"In Ohio, the infrastructure dollars that were sent there months ago," as part of the economic recovery package, "there hasn't been a contract let, to my knowledge."
The Ohio Department of Transportation has OK'd 52 stimulus-funded road and bridge projects at a cost of nearly $84 million.
Is Boehner stupid, or just a liar? And where did he get that tan?
i reckon you'd need to ask boehner...
and i realize that we're already way off topic, but do you intend to keep jumping around? it makes it hard to have the real discussions we're ostensibly interested in.
The taxpayer money that GM got was to keep the lights on and the suppliers paid until they could emerge reorganized from bankruptcy. If you remember there were tight strings on the money. Had that process failed (or never been done) GM would have been liquidated, suppliers would be stiffed, and 3 million jobs would have gone away.
good point
Bubby you are in way over your head. If Chrysler and GM had not been given the bailouts the end results would still be the same. The suppliers still got stiffed and 1100 dealers will loose their franchise how many people will that cost a job ? If they had just went bankrupt without the bailouts we could have saved 24 billion the end result would still be exactly the same.
"If they had just went bankrupt without the bailouts we could have saved 24 billion the end result would still be exactly the same."
I suppose you have something other than your opinion to back this statement up?
Well Fulk prove to me im wrong.
Not how it works, you made the claim, now back it up or otherwise it's just your opinion and based on nothing. Everyone else here (most everyone) participating in this discussion has been reasonable and factual with their comments.
You're the one making the wild claims without proof or verification.
How about this? Have you stopped having carnal relations with goats? If so, when did you stop? And prove that you stopped.
If not why not, and why did you start to begin with?
Why won't you answer these questions? I'm uncomfortable thinking that you might be out there lurking around small children. Are you anonymous because you don't want people to know you could be listed here?
toni,
his comment is just as well supported on the one i was willing to give bubby a pass on (which is not at all). i don't mind people acting like they're knowledgable when it's pretty clear that they aren't (seems to be part of the human experience), but it does seem kind of ridiculous to only expect people voicing opinions you disagree with to provide verification.
doesn't it?
Too many bong hits to think logically Seth?
Go back and read all of the comments including your attempts at sarcastic wit.
You seem to have trouble being relevant.
toni,
don't be a dick....
what i said is pretty straightforward. people defending the auto bailout have as much of an obligation to back up what they say as those who oppose it.
weren't you the one who was interested in having informative instructions?
...make that discussions
Fulk i actually do have something to back it up with.Lets start with the 789 Chrysler dealers that lost franchise agreements and 1,100 GM dealers. The Chrysler dealers were left out in the cold they had to get rid of their cars,trucks and suvs along with parts inventories by June 9th as they would not have in rebates or incentives forcing some dealers into bankruptcy. Obama sure isn't doing anything to help them. How did that save any jobs ? Fulk can you prove me wrong ? ToniD i can prove you are a sick person just look at your comments. When you don't have any answers you start name calling like a kid.You Democrats are going to have alot of words to eat very soon.
ToniD do you think Bubby has been factual ? You have got to be kidding me.
Fulk i backed it up and guess what you still won't give any answers. Fulk just admit if you gave any answers it would prove you were wrong about the BS you were shoveling last fall.
Let's see, you backed up your opinion... With your opinion...
Not what I had in mind. And not credible in the least.
You've got to do better just to live up to your demand of others.
Now, can you back up your statement or not?
In case you've forgotten, this was your statement:
"If they had just went bankrupt without the bailouts we could have saved 24 billion the end result would still be exactly the same."
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