Put Sarah Palin at the top of the ticket and she’ll dwarf Barack Obama and Joe Biden, I say, and she has more executive experience than Obama, Biden, and John McCain combined. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine was unapologetically touted as a Democrat VP candidate and Kaine has precisely the same experience as Palin does. So listen to all the mainstream media’s choreographed agonizing over Sarah Palin’s supposed lack of experience with a huge grain of salt – you would not have heard a word of that about Tim Kaine.
But comparisons are not the point.
Bill Clinton had plenty of “experience” and we know how that turned out. George W. Bush had plenty of “experience” and we know how that turned out.
For good reason, Americans are willing to consider a president whose official credentials don’t necessarily reflect White House Prep School material. Americans want to see someone with demonstrated moral authority and common sense leading the country.
I expect we are going to see voluminous discussion of Sarah Palin’s biography in the coming weeks, especially with regard to challenging the political status quo and cutting pork, but for me the sale has already been made. Her unborn child was diagnosed with Down syndrome last year, and she and her husband elected to have the child. If you want to talk about commitment, judgment and decision-making, in the decisions she has made, Sarah Palin has established her record.
Barack Obama has zero accomplishments or decisions to point to as evidence of his capability to lead, and despite having already written two autobiographies on his really thin list of personal accomplishments, has not actually accomplished anything beyond giving some speeches.
Sarah Palin, on the other hand, has the intelligence and moral authority to lead the country.
UPDATE: It came up in the comments and is important enough to link here – the full story behind so-called “Troopergate.” (found via Ace)
UPDATE II: Finally, the complete Palin vs Obama Tale of the Tape. End of discussion.
Did McCain really say Palin was his soul mate? I have to see if there is a podcast of the show. Thanks
HERE IS SOME EXPERIENCE, I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT THIS IS REALLY BEING DEBATED.
BARACK OBAMA ACCOMPLISHED:
Since entering the U.S. Senate in January 2005, Senator Obama has written approximately 890 bills and co-sponsored an additional 1096.
Senators Obama and McCain have been running to be the nominee for President for their parties since January 2007.
Therefore the 890 bills written by Senator Obama and the 1096 he co-sponsored all occurred in a 2-year span.
- Obama passed legislation with Republican Senator Jim Talent to give gas stations a tax credit for installing E85 ethanol refueling pumps. The tax credit covers 30 percent of the costs of switching one or more traditional petroleum pumps to E85, which is an 85 percent ethanol/15 percent gasoline blend.
- After a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.
- Obama created the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income working families in 2000 and successfully sponsored a measure to make the credit permanent in 2003. The law offered about $105 million in tax relief over three years.
- Obama joined forces with former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon (D-IL) to pass the toughest campaign finance law in Illinois history. The legislation banned the personal use of campaign money by Illinois legislators and banned gifts from lobbyists. Before the law was passed, one organization ranked Illinois worst among 50 states for its campaign finance regulations.
- As a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Obama has been a leading advocate for protecting the right to vote, helping to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act and leading the opposition against discriminatory barriers to voting.
- In the U.S. Senate, Obama introduced the STOP FRAUD Act to increase penalties for mortgage fraud and provide more protections for low-income homebuyers, well before the current subprime crisis began.
- Obama sponsored legislation to combat predatory payday loans, and he also was credited with lobbied the state to more closely regulate some of the most egregious predatory lending practices.
- Obama worked to pass a number of laws in Illinois and Washington to improve the health of women. His accomplishments include creating a task force on cervical cancer, providing greater access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, and helping improve prenatal and premature birth services.
- Obama has introduced and helped pass bipartisan legislation to limit the abuse of no-bid federal contracts.
- Obama and Senator Feingold (D-WI) took on both parties and proposed ethics legislation that was described as the “gold standard” for reform. It was because of their leadership that ending subsidized corporate jet travel, mandating disclosure of lobbyists’ bundling of contributions, and enacting strong new restrictions of lobbyist-sponsored trips became part of the final ethics bill that was signed into law.
Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act. Became law
Secure Fence Act. Authorized construction of fencing and other security improvements along the United States–Mexico border. Became law
The Lugar–Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act.
The Bill expanded the Nunn–Lugar cooperative threat reduction concept to conventional weapons, including shoulder-fired missiles and anti-personnel mines – Became Law
The “Coburn–Obama Transparency Act” eliminated gifts of travel on corporate jets by lobbyists to members of Congress and the establishment of USAspending.gov,
a web search engine launched in December 2007 and run by the Office of Management and Budget to require lobbyists to disclose the candidates, leadership PACS or
political parties for whom they collect or arrange contribution and the combined amount of the contributions – Became law
Amendment to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program providing one year of job protection for family members caring for soldiers with combat-related injuries – Passed in Senate
Energy Policy Act of 2005 to add $200 million for Function 270 (Energy) for the demonstration and monitoring of carbon capture and sequestration technology
by the Department of Energy – Passed in Senate
The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act (after amendments became the Secure Fence Act which became law) – Passed in Senate
Education Bill. Require that the Director of Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education to establish a program to recruit and provide
mentors for women and underrepresented minorities who are interested in careers in mathematics, science and engineering. – Passed in Senate
Summer Term Education Program. Supports summer learning opportunities for low-income students in the early grades to lessen summer
learning losses that contribute to the achievement gaps separating low-income students from their middle-class peers – Passed in Senate
Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007 a bill to cap troop levels in Iraq, begin phased redeployment, and remove all combat brigades from Iraq before April 2008. – Republicans voted against
Iran Sanctions Enabling Act supporting divestment of state pension funds from Iran’s oil and gas industry – Republicans voted against
Sponsored an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act adding safeguards for personality disorder military discharges,
and calling for an official review following reports that the procedure had been used inappropriately to reduce government costs – Republicans voted against
Senator Obama sponsored approximately 820 bills in the Senate
- 233 regarding healthcare reform
- 125 on poverty and public assistance
- 112 crime fighting bills
- 97 economic bills
- 60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills
- 21 ethics reform bills
- 15 gun control bills
- 6 veterans affairs bills
The April 18, 2005 issue of TIME Magazine listed the 100 most influential people in the world. Obama was included on the list under the section of ‘Leaders and Revolutionaries’ for his high-profile entrance to federal politics and his popularity within the Democratic Party.
Palin: PTA, Mayor, Governor. Actually, flipped flopped on the major accomplishment of standing up to the bridge to nowhere. She argued that she wanted it to get elected and now she says that she was against it. And the state of Alaska still got a huge chunk of the money that was intended for the bridge. If she was so against bad gov’t spending why did she and the state take all that money?
it is not that she is a woman, she is just not qualified. the one thing i fear though is that Biden will demolish her in the debate and then everybody will say that he picked on her or bullied her, and that is sexist. No it is not sexist, it is experence thinking, and any claims things are sexist should not be argued, she is in the big leagues now and she is playing the the big boys, is she cant handle that then how could she handle putin, iran, china, etc.. they are just talking but they back up their actions with force.
go bama.
He did say “soul mate”. About the woman he just met.
Marcus,
several months back went over the legislative record of Obama. While more accomplished than Clintons, it is no where near what you listed. Voting for something does not mean you put your stamp on it. Get real.
Kevin, she totally ticked off the Republican status quo in her state, something McCain likes to do occasionally on a national level and pretty much the reason he is considered a maverick. Makes sense to me.
HAAA! Oh man Marcus, you just made the case that Obama has made his supporters insane.
Holy mackeral, Obama hardly spent any TIME in the Senate before he started running for President, much less “writing” a legendary number of bills. Maybe his staff “reviewed” that many bills written by others. Or maybe you just pulled those numbers out of your rear end.
Marcus, you ought to at least have come prepared with citations if you thought you could get away with unloading a pile of BS like THAT around here. Sheesh.
Go to his Web site and review his self-reported voting record, as a start.
http://obama.senate.gov/votes/
Quite a record, I’ll say!
Next go to thomas.gov and find links to any of those bills he supposedly wrote. Good luck.
[...] is now some dispute going on in this discussion thread over how exactly Barack Obama is qualified to be president, apart from being over 35 years old. One [...]
Joe, yes, I was scratching my head over Marcus’ post as well. I have not been able to find anything near what is claimed after reviewing Thomas and other sites recently in my own quest to see what BHO has done.
Yes, one will find many resolutions akin to “The Senate recognizes Hienz for making the thickest, richest ketchup”.
BHO was sworn in in 2005, and has been campaigning for a year and a half. This equates to very marginal experience as a U.S. Senator.
Very likely this is the same story as Kaine, claim credit for programs initiated by his predecessors ?
As a resident of Richmond, VA, I can safely say that being a weak mayor of Richmond, a city run by a city council, is not the same a being a real mayor. That said, ol’ Tim-may is a terrible Governor. We have been surprised by a billion dollar shortfall because of his inept planning. The most you can say about his programs are that he has not damaged the successes that Virginia has had. He can’t even get his fellow democrats to agree with him. He’s been an 0bama mouthpiece since the campaign started and has ignored his state. We actually were consoled to a possible 0bama win with a Kaine VP, with the fact that, then our GOP Lt. Gov. would be Governor.
Wow! From the reactions of Obamaites on this blog, one senses a real panic in their house. That extensive list of Obama’s purported legislative accomplishments made me burst out laughing. He’s snookered even his own supporters, who are apparently ignorant of the long-time political tactic of latching like a leech onto someone else’s bill and then claiming to be a major player.
As for the Palin vs Obama argument, looks to me like old “Iowa Caucus 1%” (otherwise known as Joe Biden) may be in danger of becoming a footnote in this election. I must say, however, that the argument could become an interesting one. As a focus is put on Palin’s readiness to fight corruption in her own party, there will be inevitable comparisons to the guy who launched his political career by playing under-the-table footsy with Tony Rezko and the notoriously corrupt Chicago Democratic machine. Bring on those comparisons. I love it! Also do me the favor of raising the issue of the Dodd and Dorgan sweetheart deals with Countrywide Mortgage and tell me what good old Joe Biden intends to do about that, along with other scandals on the Dem side of the aisle.
I find a heartless trophy hunter who represents only 8% of our population completely unfit to be Vice President. Palin is also the driving force behind the aerial wolf hunts and lately approved the slaughter of 14 wolves and 14 wolf pups in their den. Palin is a psychopath! I will do all in my power to let everyone know how dangerous this monster is. Obama and Biden have my vote!
Grossman,
Hunting wolves! KEWEL.
She has my vote! Palin for President forget McCain. “A wolf pelt on every bed” is the 21st century equivalent of “a chicken in every pot”.
Now, considering how only only one pair in a pack of wolves mate, and wolf litters range between 2 and 8, how did this pack get 14? Also, only the Alpha pair is allowed in the den with the pups so how did the the other 12 fit in there? One last thing, how do you shoot from a chopper into a wolf den which is under ground?
The only psycho is you Grossman, because you must be crazy to thing such a pile of bull cookies would pass the smell test.
Hey Virginian, All that mumbo jumbo concerns NORTHERN Virginia. None of that benefits SW Virginia. He is like the other stupid democrats. Ignores the “rural, bible clinging, hardworking class Virginias”. There is no growth in our part only plant after plant closing and going to Northern VA? The unemployment rate is up in our part.When funding for these so called schools are given by government. Our schools NEVER get the good stuff. We still have classes at some schools in trailers for Gods sake. Education in OUR area, we dont matter. I could give you many more talking points and debate them. FACT is when you praise VIRGINIA and what Governor Pain has done. Be sure to state which part he takes care of!!!!
Proud Southwest Virginina
For McCain/Palin!!!!!!
Actually, I’m in Northern Virgina. Fairfax, in fact — supposedly the best school system in the state. My son was in trailers for second grade, and my third-grader this year has her classes in a trailer.
Come to think of it, I had classes in trailers in Virginia Beach public schools, too.
I think Loudoun Valley HS (pretty sure it is LVHS, one of the first HS in the county) has had trailers for the better part of 25 years. A friend of mine graduated from there in 1986 and she sat in the trailers then and her son sits in them now.
Good source on your second ‘discussion ending update.’ Lucky for you it’s a blog. None of your writing has to be backed up with reliable non-biased sources (yes your source redplanet.com was very biased).
Yeah, we’re real happy about that.
Please, how can you people not associate “Gov. George W. Bush’s” so called experience with “Gov. Sarah Palin”??? If I’m correct, Pres. Bill Clinton did not have to give out money to help our economy out. Ok sure, not everything Bill Clinton did was all gravy, but his Pros definitely outweighed his Cons. I see the same thing in Sarah Palin; her experience does nothing for me but promises me another 4 years of George Bush’s experience. Experience has no merit to Common Sense. How can someone not see that common sense says spend $10 Billion/Month for a war and your own country is struggling. That’s what experience gives you instead of common sense, which says take care of home first before you help someone else out.
Relate experience and common sense to when the flight attendant is going through the speech before take-off! When they get to the part of if oxygen is low, the oxygen masks will drop and provide oxygen to everyone. Well “Experience” says, rather than putting my mask on my face first and then help out my partner if needed, I’ll help them out as I struggle for air. Whereas, “Common Sense” says, put my mask on first, and then help out my partner. You’re only as much help to others as you are to yourself. You can never give more to others than you can to yourself. Sarah Palin is probably a wonderful person, but to sit there and ride the “Experience” train, the same train George Bush rode on is totally OUTRAGEOUS!
It is time for the USA to stand up and say, no more GEORGENOMICS! We have to change the way we treat other countries and not have a “MAVERICK and his Pit bull with Lipstick” with a fully loaded gun ready to invade every country that sneezes. Foreign Policy nowadays are more crucial to the success of our country that we have done nothing in the past 8 years but CONTINUALLY DISTANCED ourselves from these other countries that we have to deal with. IT’S TIME FOR CHANGE!
If we cannot accept CHANGE, then why even bother having a Democracy? The reason why no other countries really respect us is because we put on this facade as if we are the KINGS OF THE UNIVERSE! We want every other country to follow us, yet our national debt has increased more than any other administration because your, “Experienced” George Bush put us there. So now, you want other countries to follow our trend of take care of others, before you take care of home???? That’s a mind-boggling affirmation!
CHANGE IN ‘08! Check yourself and what you stand for…
Let’s just look at qualifications for a second:
Obama
—–
43 years old
Harvard law degree in 1991
Civil rights lawyer – 6 years (1991 – 1998)
Illinois state senator – 8 years (1998 – 2004)
US senator – 3 years (2004 – present)
Palin
—–
44 years old
Journalism degree in 1987
Sports reporter in 1988
City council member – 4 years (1992 – 1996)
Mayor – 6 years (1996 – 2002)
Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission – 1 year (2003 – 2004)
Alaska governor – 2 years (2006 – present)
I fail to see what makes Obama more qualified. His years in the US Senate barely count because he’s been campaigning for president since February 10, 2007! I’ll give him two years in the Senate, for a total of 10 years of political experience, compared to Palin’s 13, much of which was in the executive branch. You may disagree with Palin’s politics, but she is no less qualified than Obama.
Tony B, Why don’t you run the same type of stats for McCain, being as that’s who Obama is actually supposed to be running against. Now, that would be interesting.
BTW, I realize your post supports Palin, I’m just reenforcing the point.
Sarah is a heartbeat away from the Presidency, and given the four cancer scares her superior has had, this puts her odds quite high of actually assuming the Presidency. That the Republican party could so shamelessly put forward a candidate so utterly lacking in political stature and so lacking in any understanding of the larger policy issues is shocking enough, but the candidate has subsequently shown herself to be unable to lead policy and instead simply parrots ‘talking points’ of the platform. Her refusal to answer “difficult” questions in the debate, and instead continue with the talking points indicates how much use she would be in a complex political or international negotiation. Such a candidate is absolutely unfit for office, and she should be removed from the Republican Party platform rapidly in order to restore some confidence in the Party’s goals for this great nation. Finally, I suggest all our fears are succinctly summed up by this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abZLjIpHzj8
O’Bama is far worse. He got nominated for Senator by having the other candidates disqualified. He has done absolutely nothing as a Senator, and as a state senator, he is most famous for voting “present.” Palin has been much more of a leader than O’Bama.
I wouldn’t trust O’Bama to run a fever.
Cancer, gee, wasn’t that a melanoma which was surgically treated in 2000 ? Btw, localized melanoma has a 95% survival rate doesn’t it ?
Lets also talk about sickle cell. Approximately 8%, or one in 12 African Americans have sickle cell trait.
Man, these Obama fools talk the same empty crap, devoid of any substance or original thought.
And so what? This is not McCain vs. Биден, with Palin and O’Bama as the VP nominees. If elected, O’Bama WILL be President, and right now, he has absolutely nothing, and he IS absolutely nothing. He peddles hope and change like snake oil. He is friends with socialists and terrorists. He has done nothing in the Senate, and he did nothing in the Illinois Senate.
He has done nothing in which we should invest our hopes, and he has changed nothing more significant than his underwear.
Braintrust takes a mighty whack at Sarah Palin by spitting out cancer, heartbeat, and political stature in one breath. All this aimed at the Republican No. 2, their “rookie” on the bench, so to speak.
Look at it again, Braintrust. Your side is STARTING an unproven rookie whose record is highly suspect, if not a tissue of exaggerations. His pee-wee league coaches were Saul Alinsky and Jeremiah Wright, for pity’s sake! Talk about heartbeats!!
Starting a rookie usually means one of two things: (a) you are so desperate because of a losing streak that you will try absolutely anything to try to reverse the downward spiral; or (b) you think you may have found the political equivalent of Jim Thorpe. Got news for you, Braintrust. From what I can see of Obama’s record all up and down the line, you have NOT found Jim Thorpe. Not even Heath Shuler, for that matter.
There is obviously a lot more to figure out about this issue, but you made some really good points. I will definately be checking here more often. Thank you.