But what I want to question is the importance of the Vice Presidential selection, and what it is supposed to represent as the future of the respective party.
When a President's term is up, it is generally the Vice President who is the next in line to run for the party in power. This election is an anomaly, which was widely discussed after the 2004 Bush victory, in that Cheney would not seek the Oval Office.
As we look at our prospects for President, we must also look at the selection of VP running mates, and what they represent for the next election cycle.
Obama's selection of Joe Biden would indicate that, should Obama/Biden win, Biden would be next in line in 2016. If Biden insists, as Cheney did, that he would not seek the White House in 2016, it would bring into question the selection of VP candidates, and the role of the VP for the future of the White House. More importantly, it represents the end of the Clintons in White House politics. If Obama and Biden gain victory, and Biden makes the move in 2016, Clinton would appear as a spoiler should she attempt to unseat the "next in line" candidate.
Obama's selection of Joe Biden means that the future of the Democratic Party - in a Post Obama Democratic Party - will be in the hands of a 74 year old Presidential Candidate, which is two years older than John McCain in the 2008 race. Biden will not just be a 74 year old, but a 74 year old with a history of aneurysms. Biden, as a symbol of the future of the Democratic party, and as a symbol of the future of America, is not a confidence builder on either front! That, of course, does not bring into account that less than 1% of Democrats wanted the gaffe master as their candidate to begin with.
Now let's look at the Republican selection. John McCain recognized that he needed to make a selection for the future of the party, and a leader for the future of America. Sarah Palin will be 52 in 2016, and 48 in 2012 - assuming that McCain stays only one term in office. Palin represents the conservative wing of the Feminist movement. Palin represents Conservative Reform in the party. Palin has the ability to bring the country together under a clean government initiative, sweeping ethics reforms in business and government dealings, and bring our society back from the brink.
As I watch the Presidential Race, I have to look at the Vice Presidential choices as the first indicator of decision making ability and intent for the future.
Palin was a great choice. Though she is not a well known Washington insider power house, she has the experience and the ability - her record of advancement proves it. And she did it all on her own.
Biden has indicated that he was a poor choice as a running mate, that he was wrong on foreign policy remarks, that the White House is not a place where you get OJT, that Obama is wrong on America's energy future, that FDR was president in 1929 - and that we had Television in 1929, that Indians are welcome in his community at the 7-11's, and that Obama makes poor judgement in his campaign advertisements.
Who best represents the future of our nation?
Please show me some evidence that Palin was a good mayor of Wasilla. I've read much to the contrary: that the city hired an administrator because she wasn't running the city well herself, that she took $50,000 out of other budgets without council approval to redecorate her office, that she promoted development with no regard to environmental impact, that she expressed a desire to ban books from the town library, that she left the city in a ton of debt on a building that was built without proper legal diligence, that she agreed to the policy of charging rape victims for their rape kits.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like she has six years of executive experience proving that she is not a good leader. Do you have any contradictory evidence?
Jessi -
ReplyDeleteI will clear up some of the misinformation you are referring to regarding Palin. Please, oh please, and I ask this in the nicest manner, do a little research before you post Obama talking points filled with lies!
1. Rape Kits: The kits are expensive forensic equipment which cost between $500 - $1200. The hospitals which performed the use of the kits charged the insurance company for the cost of the kit. This was a law on the books, and a practice which allowed the insurance companies to relieve the burden the city would have to otherwise make up. There is now a law against that practice because there were cases in which the hospital accidentally mailed the bill to the victim. She did not support this law, bring this law to be, or advocate for it. In fact Palin's spokeswoman stated that Palin never indicated that she believed the victim should have to pay for the kit.
2. Desire to Ban Books: There were never any books banned. Palin raised the issue of the library's policy because there had been widespread discussion in Wasilla at that time about banning books. She was trying to understand the city's policy. During that time, in Wasilla, there were many protests about certain books in the Library, and Palin as the new Mayor attempted to work with the librarian to understand the policy. The issue of attempting to fire the librarian came when the Librarian refused to discuss the process with the new Mayor. No books were banned by Palin.
3. Wasilla Debt: the debt was acrued because the town infrastructure was grossly neglected, and the economy was hurting. She brought transit to the region, created jobs, and improved the infrastructure, bringing Wasilla up to a "current" status on livability.
4. $50K to redecorate - The attack is circumstantial, with no evidence - no paperwork - and heresay recollection from a conversation 16 years ago by a disgruntled ex-coworker. This Carney guy says he was against it, and for all we know, without any evidence to the contrary, his outlashing is a feable attempt to get her back because she went against the better wishes of her "mentor" - it is all heresay mudslinging.
5. Environment: Palin has never been cited as being anti-environment. This is Huffington Post flap because of her pro-ANWR stance. But anyone who has been to the North Slope will notice that there is found the cleanest oilfield in the world! The Russians actually believe that we are not truly drilling oil because all the hardware is so clean. This is a partisan hack story that has no merits.
6. City Administrator: Simply put, the city was in such bad shape that she needed a little help to get things headed in the right direction. Delegation is key to great leadership - are you going to chastise her for delegating responsibility by hiring an aide?
The stories on Huffington Post and Salon.com are less than newsworthy hack jobs, with no merit, and often citing sources that can offer no evidence, or merely opinions or decades old recollections about a single conversation - often from people with an axe to grind... we all know that Palin cut a few trees, and pissed some folks off. That is part of her agressive reform nature.
I believe that I have given ample evidence that Palin was a GREAT mayor of Wasilla. I would love to discuss this in more detail if you need.
I ask you for information because I've not found anything on the internet that shows her to be a good mayor.
ReplyDelete1. Rape kits... isn't charging the victim's insurance company like charging the victim? Insurance wouldn't pay otherwise. Palin also is rumored to have fired someone in the administration after he went to Stevens to request an earmark for a sexual assault team, which Palin wasn't interested in implementing. Alaska has three times the rate of sexual assault and rape as every other state, but she doesn't seem to have cared.
2. Yes, no books were banned. The part about firing the town librarian wasn't good, but in the end, no books were banned.
3. I'm talking about the debt for the recreation center.
4. okay, maybe that one is false, I don't really know
5. Palin isn't anti-environment? She's anti-wolves and polar bears. But is Wasilla a healthier place to live than before she was mayor? (of course, that can be blamed on growing population, too)
6. If delegation is key to great leadership (and I agree that it is), what about Palin's appointees to state offices, like her Attorney General and the head of Agriculture, where she appointed people she knew who had very little relevant experience? She seems to demonstrate cronyism, a bit like McCain.
The original point stands: who says she was a good mayor? I'm sure someone does, and you seem like the most likely source to find the information.
I wanted to respond to the comment left regarding Palin and the rape kits so widely discussed by the left. I spent five years and thousands of manhours as a crime victim advocate, specificly rape victims. Contrary to what the Palin haters would have you believe - this has been an unfortunate common practice through out the country. The victims were initially billed, any insurance the victim had would pay their part, the victim was obligated to pay the balance and would be reimbursed by the Crime Victims Compensation Fund. Alaska has had a CVC since the 1970s, paid for by criminals. This was never exclusive to Wasilla. As recently as 2005, I had to fight with a hospital nurse asking my client to sign accepting responsibility for the bill AFTER Texas legislators passed a bill that police agencies would be billed and reimbursed by CVCF. The victim was not to be held responsible for the bill. This has been hotly debated by victims rights groups and municipalities all over the country. I blogged about this very subject when this issue first was raised.
ReplyDeleteBiden really is the gift that keeps on giving. My favorite moment so far, was when he announced that Hillary would have been a better choice.
ReplyDeletePalin was a brilliant choice, for so many reasons. And, at this point, I hope that after four years as VP, she does run for president in 2012.
There's not a chance that Biden would get the Democratic nomination in 2012 or 2016, regardless of whether Obama wins this election. If memory serves, he got less than 1% of the vote last time around. And he sure isn't making a great case for himself, presently.
So, assuming McCain/Palin do win, 2012 will probably be a most interesting race, possibly pitting two diametrically opposed women against each other, both vying to be the next President of the United States.
If Obama wins this election, the Republicans would have a chance in 2012 or 2016. If McCain/Palin win, I'm sad to say, I believe the seat will be Hillary's for the taking.
Sigh.
I find it a bit ridiculous that one has to go very out of their way to read about the perpetual gaffe's on Biden's part. It just shows how leftist the media is and how ignorant they want to keep the masses.
ReplyDelete