Quote Of The Day: Is Palin A Mistake Or Masterstroke?

That's one heck of a cynical attitude, Joe. The worst part is, you're probably right.

Good and fair analysis, Joe. If Gov. Palin goes on Hannity & Colmes, will the latter pitch her some harder questions, or is he just window dressing?

BTW, I like this:

"The question is... whether the McCain can get away with what no major candidate has ever attempted — staying totally away from press interviews."

Maybe we can now say "the Obama" and "the Biden" etc. : - )

Has Colmes ever been anything but window dressing?

well, disdain and hatred are easy. I myself got mad in some comments earlier today and expressed myself poorly even by my own low standards.

The no interviews thing is going to be really interesting. The main reactions are clear.

Republicans: Of course, it's fine. After all, the media is biased against her so why should she participate in needless gotcha sessions engineered by the liberal media? After all, some Dems didn't do a debate once on Fox.

Democrats: This is a travesty unparalleled in the annals of history. Etc...

And of course, if the roles were reversed, it would all switch. Republicans would be livid if Obama never spoke to the press but only gave teleprompter speeches and pointed them to his Senate records. Dems would of course decide it's okay if it's their guy shunning the media. Hey, you gotta control the message! What's wrong with that?

While I would try to tone down the rhetoric, I can't see that never giving interviews when you're brand new to the national political scene is a good idea. It's got to make many voters think she must not be ready to handle a tough interview. I wonder if the McCain campaign is underestimating her? The other, perhaps main, drawback is that the media hates nothing more than being treated as unimportant. If they are only mildly biased against you now, they will become more so with this plan. Voters who are just starting to tune in and don't have strong opinions about bias are going to be influenced by that.

There's two long cents, surely all wrong.

Newsbusters has the Rasmussen numbers on this subject.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brent-baker/2008/0...

It’s interesting how many self-described democrats believe the press is trying to hurt Palin.

Us magagine is losing subscribers?

Now that's a lesson the media is certain to learn.

More from Rasmussen:

Palin Power: Fresh Face Now More Popular Than Obama, McCain

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/...

Pacatrue is dead-on, I think: "You gotta control the message."

I suspect this strategy was just a knee-jerk response to the hammering of Palin in the media. It will probably break soon, for I suspect Palin can easily handle her own. The Alaskan press seems in no doubt of this.

The real story of Palin is the overall weakness of the Republican party and how it is more vulnerable than the Democratic party. The incompetent leadership of Bush, Hastert, and Frist killed the political careers of many people who would have been better VP candidates.

In addition, all Repubican candidates can be hurt by one incompetent or stupid Republicans (See Larry Criag) but a bad Democrat (See kwame Kilpatrick or Cynthia McKinney) never hurts other Democratic candidate. As long as this happens, the Republican Party has no chance at victory and no chance of a comeback.

Superdestroyer...what will you do if McCain-Palin should win?

You have been depressed about the GOP for ages.

He'll moan and groan about the collapse of the GOP in Congress, LOL. It won't matter if McCain-Palin can't get anything passed.

kritt11,

I could also point out that the number of Republican Governors is also going down along with the number of state legislatures. Remember, demographics is destiny.

SD--When immigrants first came to this country, and were sworn into citizenship, they usually became Democrats--- when they started making a lot of money and had to pay higher taxes, they moved to the suburbs, joined the country club, and became Republicans.

I think you are overemphasizing demographics. And the number of Republican governors is going down because of scandal (with the exception of the very smart and decent Bobby Jindhal in Louisiana).

Palin: She has next to no experience in government. When ask about national security back ground or knowledge regarding foreign affairs the best Ms. McCain could come up with was “she lives right by Russia.” She has only traveled outside the country twice in her life.
She was associated with to a 3rd party which among other things supports allowing Alaska to secede from the United States and feels the only thing wrong with the John Birch Society was it was to liberal! Her husband “First Dude” was registered as a member of this party between 1994 and 2004!

She tried to have a local Librarian fired for not banning books. She used her political office to try to have fired and smear a state trooper who is in a custody battle with her sister. She is being investigated for this and is worried enough about the outcome to have recently “lawyered up.”

Palin currently has pretty messy family issues. She recently gave birth to a son with Downs Syndrome and has a 17 year old daughter who is pregnant. Ironically she has fought sex education in the schools and availability of contraception for minors. I am glad she was able to make the choice to carry her disabled son to term…we all need the right to make our own choices!!!

She believes that for 9 months a woman has no right to control what is happening to her own body and is basically nothing more than a baby container. She does not believe in a women’s right to choose to end a pregnancy, even if she has been raped.

She does not believe human pollution has anything to do with global warming (even Bush has had to back down on this one). Is so in bed with big oil she is willing to watch as the polar bear and beluga whales become extinct, rather than slow the possibility of drilling. She would open up one of the last great wilderness on earth to exploitation by oil interests.

She laughed when hearing a fellow Republican woman being called a bitch in public (she and the woman had disagreed on several issues) I guess this does make her on par with McCain who thinks it is alright to call your wife a cunt in public.

She has been repeatedly described as stubborn with a vicious streak – even by family and friends. (nick name Sarah Barracuda)

Has an undergraduate degree in Journalism for a small obscure university.

She did fund raising for Sen. Ted Stevens (think major Alaskan corruption) and accepted money from the same sources as Sen. Ted Stevens. She pushed for the “bridge to no where – the flipped when convenient to do so.

She has been named Sen. John McCain’s VP selection for the Republican ticket. Sen. McCain is 72 years old and has reoccurring cancer as part of his health history. One can not help but question Mr. McCain’s judgment regarding her selection. John McCain has made a calculated choice in selecting his VP, that has unfortunately put an undereducated, inexperienced right wing nut case a “heart beat” away from becoming President at a time when our Nation faces some of the most complex and volatile issues it has in decades. I VOTE FOR A PERSON BASED ON THEIR STAND ON THE ISSUES – NOT THEIR PLUMBING!!

PUMAS eat Barracudas for breakfast!!!!

kritt,

The wealthy Asians in California are overwhelmingly DEmocrats. They see that the Republican Party has no future due to growth of the Hispanic popualtion and thus, the Asian-Americans are involved with the party that can actually affect policy. As the demographics of the future become the demographics of today's California, the same thing will happen. Also, the Voting Rights Act creates a huge incentive for blacks and Hispanics to stay with the Democratic Party no matter what.

Remember, Hispanics are the new blacks in politics and Asians are the new Jews. The problem for the Republicans is that there are no new mormons.