I’m back!

I’m home. I’m exhausted, my legs are swollen beyond recognition, and my blood pressure is inexplicably up. Hopefully, I’ll get some sleep tonight and get some posts up tomorrow.

In the meantime - who the heck is Sarah Palin? Talk about a pick from out of nowhere.

Absolutely coolest moment of this trip: meeting a member of the Hungarian Parliament at the Denver airport who had traveled to the convention.

20 Comments

  1. Posted Friday, August 29, 2008 at 10:27 pm | Permalink

    wow, take care of yourself.

  2. jackey wilson
    Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 12:06 am | Permalink

    I must have hit my head. John Mccain just picked a woman to be his VP….. This is great , but I nor the women i know will fall for this. Ok he has had nothing to say but drill drill and drill …. What will she say? Where does this leave women who cant afford to feed there families? Does she n=know anything about the economy because we sure know he doesnt. I often wondered if Mccain thought black people where stupid. Now i wonder if he thinks women are stupid too. I am not a Hillary fan period end of statement, but she does even less for me. I do like the fact that she has a child that will be disabled, but does she really know how hard it is to raise a child with Downs? I dont think so. And the ARC doesnt take kids. Once again i ask ARE YOU KIDDING ME. I never thought I would ever quote JOHN MCCAIN, but ” Is this change you can Believe in”.

  3. Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 3:04 am | Permalink

    Jackey,
    I think you missed the point entirely. McCain didn’t pick Palin becuase she’s a woman.

    It’s not a political ploy.

    Maybe that’s how Democrats think, but Republicans have always looked at the merit of a person and their ability to get things done.

    As the campaign moves forward, you’ll learn what those of us who follow GOP politics closely know — Palin is a reformer, strong-willed, conservative, articulate, and willing to lead: exactly the kind of change we need in DC.

    I couldn’t be happier with this choice: the best PERSON for the job.

  4. Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 3:47 am | Permalink

    I agree with J.R. I’d also add that Obama was considering Kaine. Here in Virginia, we might recognize him, but the people of Alaska and the other 48 states would also say “who the heck is Tim Kaine? Talk about a pick from out of nowhere.”

    Say what you will, but there is one key thing that this did that Democrats should not be happy with. Right now, the Republican party appears united behind this pick, and McCain now may have more support from the base than he has had at any point prior. The Democrats, on the other hand, still seem a little split concerning Obama and Clinton. I would not expect too many solid Democrats to switch sides, but the PUMAs are a place Obama’s campaign will have to pay a lot of attention to. If nothing else, Palin can serve as a reminder that Hillary could’ve been the nominee, and with polls suggesting that this race is going to be similar to the last two in that neither candidate appears as though they will run away with it, each side will be counting once again on every vote. On that alone, I like the Republican ticket’s chances a lot more right now.

  5. Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 3:54 am | Permalink

    Palin is a reformer, strong-willed, conservative, articulate, and willing to lead: exactly the kind of change we need in DC.

    JR: Are you suggesting that Ms Palin, the ethics-challenged Governor of Alaska, deserves the jump from <10,000 people in Wasilla Alaska, to 600,000+ people as Alaska’s Governor, to now being VP of the United States? And not because she is a woman?

    I will predict right now that if she survives the process, she and Senator McCain will go down in flames in November.

    What is the ‘merit’ of Sarah Palin and the ability to get things done? Have you looked at how badly she managed the finances of Wasilla, AK? How about the sports complex that was built on land that could have been the town’s for a song, except that they allowed an investor to get the land and sell it to them at an incredible price marked up for the occasion.

    What about the allegations that she tried to use her power as Governor to get her former brother-in-law fired? If true, is this the kind of ethics we can expect from Palin being in the VP’s office?

    Let’s face it, as Governor, she is sitting on Alaska National Wildlife Preserve. John McCain and Rush Limbaugh are both heavily supported by big oil. Limbaugh tees up the racist rhetoric and all three of them (Limbaugh, Palin and McCain) would benefit from this arrangement. I know, because I listened to the rotund one today for 5 minutes, until I felt like I had to wretch. Overt racism is just not in style.

    Sorry, but your rosy, ‘I can’t imagine what you see wrong with her’ schtick is already worn out, and it is only the forst of September coming up.

    Try harder to convince me why Palin should be on the ticket and eligible for President and the 3AM phone call. So far, you have failed.

  6. Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 3:58 am | Permalink

    Oh, and welcome back, even though I ama few days out still, Vivian.

    :)

  7. Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 8:16 am | Permalink

    Nice to have you home safe and sound, Vivian.

  8. rlewis
    Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 8:29 am | Permalink

    Try harder to convince me why Palin should be on the ticket and eligible for President and the 3AM phone call. So far, you have failed.

    Mark,
    I think you need to replace Palin’s name in your statement and insert Obama. How ironic that the dems are now saying this isn’t a race of VP’s its about the Presidency, when prior to Palin being named, the dems were validating Biden (which was terrible pick, I believe Biden said Obama wasn’t qualified to be president at one point).

    I feel much better about a Governor who has the experience of running a government from a healthcare, education, etc. being the VP than a Presidential candidate who doesn’t have that experience what so ever.

    As I heard last night on Larry King, where the dems got smoked, one of the panel stated “the democrats need new talking points” because that is all they have right now!

  9. Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 9:39 am | Permalink

    rlewis:

    Larry King? Really?

    Is that a news show now?

    “Washington DC, Hello!”

    HAHAHAHAAH

    And everyone knows if you replace Palin with Obama, it would be wrong. Obama has never been Governor of Alaska or Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.

  10. Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 10:38 am | Permalink

    Me, I’m thinking that someone who didn’t bother to follow what was going on in Iraq, and just a month ago admitted that she didn’t understand what Vice President does really ought not be the person we’re relying on to step in if the guy old enough to die in office actually does.

    We don’t even have to go anywhere near the experience issue with Palin to see what a horrible pick she is. Her positions - such thinking that creationism should be taught alongside science in schools, or that women should be forced to bear the children of their rapists - will be anathema enough to most Americans. And we can thank her for the reminder that the GOP attracted to those with a penchant for abuse of office for personal purposes (and then lying about it. always!). The invocation of executive privilege over email related to the coverup is just Bush-echoing icing.

    Thank you, John McCain!

    ~

    If they weren’t being so gut bustingly dishonest about it, I might even feel bad for Republicans having to put a good face on it (really, look at the first hour of coverage- before everyone had received their instructions on what to say - and see the reaction. Hoo boy. Ouch.).

  11. Lamont
    Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 1:25 pm | Permalink

    “What would or should we expect from a cocky fighter-pilot who missed his targer?”

  12. Anon E. Mouse
    Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 1:30 pm | Permalink

    So, what does the VP do? As I recall, the job is “not worth a bucket of warm spit.” The VP is, officially, the President of the Senate, and casts the tie-breaker vote, if necessary. However, VPs generally do not participate in the day-to-day activities of the Senate — that is left to the Senate President Pro Tempore. Aside from that, the VP sits in meetings as another advisor.

    “And we can thank her for the reminder that the GOP attracted to those with a penchant for abuse of office for personal purposes (and then lying about it. always!). ”

    Sounds like President Clinton!

  13. Maria
    Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 4:16 pm | Permalink

    Honestly, this woman scares me:
    a gun-toting mom of 5, first term Governor, whose previous experience was Mayor of Wasilla, same town from which she was beauty queen?(Miss Wasilla), who hunts deer at three o’clock in the morning and coaches basketball?
    Who went back to work after three days of her last baby’s birth?
    Do days have more than 24 hours in Alaska or are we already being lied to by McCain?

  14. Posted Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 9:17 am | Permalink

    Gosh, the sexist questions launched against Palin…..

  15. Posted Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 9:55 am | Permalink

    This is going to be fun.

    Palin hunts and fishes, flies her own float plane, rose quickly to be governor of a state and on top of that is hot, and a stellar mother. She is married to a real oilfield worker, not an executive, who is literally bringing us the energy we need.

    Women across the country feel a secret sense of pride in her.

    Men across the country are falling in love.

    And against that, the Democrats are running the urban metrosexual Biden.

    Seriously, does anyone get a tingle from Biden?

    This is going to be great political theater.

  16. Posted Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 12:17 pm | Permalink

    McCain picked Palin for ONE reason, and one only, to get the “overturn Roe v. Wade” crowd on his side. Why folks want the government inside a woman’s uterus is beyond me, but they must find it seriously fascinating, because they’ve been trying to invade the uterus of every American woman for a long, long time. So, I got rid of mine. I hear tell it’s flexible, but I don’t think it’s THAT flexible!

  17. Posted Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 1:38 pm | Permalink

    Akesling- It must be very reassuring to so fully understand the mean and trivial motivations of those who disagree with you. Now you can dismiss them as unworthy of a reasoned debate.

    Pro-life people may disagree with you on when life begins, but if you would climb down from your high horse for a moment and talk to them, you would understand that they sincerely believe that there is no difference between an unborn fetus and an infant. Agree or not, when you accept that is what they truly believe, you will understand their passion and persistence and when you think about what you might do if you saw someone preparing to murder a child, you will realize they are truly tolerant and non-violent people.

    Just because someone disagrees with you does not make them evil or inferior.

  18. rlewis
    Posted Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 3:41 pm | Permalink

    And everyone knows if you replace Palin with Obama, it would be wrong. Obama has never been Governor of Alaska or Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.

    That’s right Mark, Obama has never been Governor of Alaska or Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. Obama can’t even come close to the experience of running a state and you want this guy to be our President! What a joke.

  19. Posted Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 5:05 pm | Permalink

    You’ve have thought that Republicans would have learned their lessons about desperately trying to will an alternate reality into existence. But it seems not. So we’re going to continue to get things like Don’s creepy posts and these gobsmackingly stupid assertions from rlewis.

    (and of course, the response to my post will just be that I am so afraid of McCain’s brilliance that all I can do is attack someone personally. It’s really a nifty little closed circuit they’ve created for themselves.)

  20. Posted Monday, September 1, 2008 at 2:12 am | Permalink

    Vivian,

    It was fantastic seeing you in Denver; same goes for you, Mark!

    BTW, Vivian, the photo that I had taken with you at the Big Tent is now posted at my blog, in case you were looking for Christmas card ideas.

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *
*
*