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McCain Picks Gov. Palin As Running Mate

Many readers have written to tell us about McCain's choice of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his VP choice. "Palin, 44, a self-described 'hockey mom,' is a conservative first-term governor of Alaska with strong anti-abortion views, a record of reform and fiscal conservatism and an outsider's perspective on Washington. [...] If elected, Palin would be the first woman US vice president, adding another historic element to a presidential race that has been filled with firsts. Obama, 47, is the first black nominee of a major US political party. The choice of a vice president rarely has a major impact on the presidential race. Palin will meet Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a debate in October."

37 of 1,813 comments (clear)

  1. Quote from the Future by Bryan_Casto · · Score: 5, Funny

    Joe Biden: "Governor Palin, I served with Dan Quayle; Dan Quayle was a friend of mine. Governor, you're no Dan Quayle."

    --

    Bryan J. Casto
    bryan.casto(a)gmail.com
    1. Re:Quote from the Future by megamerican · · Score: 5, Funny

      Joe Biden: "Governor Palin, I served with Dan Quayle; Dan Quayle was a friend of mine. Governor, you're no Dan Quayle."

      In this case, that quote would be a great compliment.

      --
      If you have something that you dont want anyone to know, maybe you shouldnt be doing it in the first place -Eric Schmidt
    2. Re:Quote from the Future by Chris+Burke · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yes, that's what we in the humor biz call "the joke".

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
    3. Re:Quote from the Future by Rei · · Score: 5, Insightful

      She only said the "not part of the curriculum" and "no litmus test" stuff after there was a backlash against her mentioning it in the debates. During the debate, her exact wording was: "Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both."

      Do you honestly think that we should be teaching creationism in science class?

      --
      Maybe, but I can barely make out what you're saying because your horse is too high.
    4. Re:Quote from the Future by Martin+Blank · · Score: 5, Informative

      Nary a rebellious thought in her head.

      That's not quite true. She's a staunch Republican, but even so, she bucked the party on several issues, including helping kill the Bridge to Nowhere, boosting taxes on the oil industry, and vetoing a measure that would have prevented Alaska providing benefits to the partners of gay state employees. She also managed to defeat the incumbent Republican governor while much of the party actively fought her, pulling in 51% of the primary vote against two other opponents, something hard to do in US politics. She also managed to get the state's Republican Party head to resign when she reported him for working on party issues while on public time. She's apparently not willing to kowtow to the Party at the cost of her ethics.

      Now, whether she's willing to cross ethical boundaries for other reasons is under investigation. McCain is in serious trouble if the independent prosecutor finds that she really did fire the state Commissioner of Public Safety for refusing to fire her brother-in-law during a contentious custody battle between him and her sister. If that ends up without a finding against her, though, she at least is unlikely to hurt him.

      It looks to me like the VP candidates are balanced in terms of negatives (excepting perhaps the experience side), each with a possible black mark against them but mostly clean. I respect and admire Biden, but I'm interested to find out what Palin is like in more detail -- something I'm sure we'll be soon learning.

      --
      You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
    5. Re:Quote from the Future by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That depends. How much of the scientific method was used on the creation experiments? How much was used on the ones in the textbook? In some cases, creationists do the scientific method better.

      Really? I've never seen that. Can you present any paper (suitable for education or not) that presents creationism as a testable hypothesis, or better yet as a tested theory?

      Personally, I don't care if the source is alien chasers or whoever. If they have a repeatable scientific experiment, regardless of whether it is damaging to some tenet of evolution or the big bang or whatever, I want it taught! Anything else is censorship of the truth, and holds back the progression of scientific understanding.

      So here's the thing, not all theories are equally supported. Things like gravity and evolution have centuries of testing and support and huge amounts of known science are built upon them. They're staples of science and as such have earned a place in the basic curriculum. Even if someone comes up with a creation hypothesis and tests it with an experiment that is repeated, that doesn't bring it the level of credibility of the more tested theories.

      Just last year there was a theory that there was an extrasolar planet similar in size to the earth because of a peculiar observed dimming of the star. They tested it with more observations and it seemed to hold up as a theory and was peer reviewed and repeated. Then a few months ago a counter theory appeared that it was not a planet causing the dimming and they predicted some other characteristics if it was more closely observed. Those predictions proved true and we have a new best theory to fit the data. This happens all the time. No one teaches these brand new theories in undergraduate education because they aren't the basic theories we know with great likelihood won't be outdated in another few years.

      It isn't censorship to not teach either the theory about the planet I mentioned or creationism because they aren't well accepted and proven science. It is especially not censorship to not teach such unproven theories when they are championed by religious cults desperate to try to promote their religious beliefs in public schools in violation of the separation of church and state. For a creationism theory to earn a place in the basic curriculum it first needs to be proper, testable science, then it needs to build up a large supporting body of evidence such that it is not a theory of the month and we have a good and rational expectation that it is the best theory to understand the truth (or at least close to alternative theories in the amount of supporting evidence and testing).

    6. Re:Quote from the Future by 2short · · Score: 5, Insightful

      My concept is that a giant turtle named George barfed up the universe last Tuesday (including all your memories of stuff existing before that).

      I demand my concept be discussed in elementary schools, so we can have a healthy debate and students can make up their own minds. You won't dare suggest I be censored, will you?

    7. Re:Quote from the Future by tfoss · · Score: 5, Informative

      , including helping kill the Bridge to Nowhere,

      Actually, she was for that before she was against it. Also she was against it only after it became apparent that the state would have to kick in serious $$$ that the feds weren't providing, *and* Alaska still got the federal dollars, just not earmarked specifically for that project anymore.

      Not quite the maverick-y bucking the party line that McCain'd have you believe.

      Also, she is anti-abortion (even in the case of rape), pro-creationism in science classes, a global warming denier, and has it out for polar bears.

      -Ted

      --
      -=-=- Quantum physics - the dreams stuff are made of.
    8. Re:Quote from the Future by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Now see, this is exactly what she was advocating--introduce both concepts and encourage healthy debate.

      I disagree. She advocated teaching both "theories" which strongly implies them being placed on similar standing. A discussion of what constitutes a scientific theory does have a place in the classroom, but the topic of evolution versus creationism is probably one of the worst topics to use since their are so many religious people with a vested interest in skewing the facts and hence convincing children that the latter is the truth, and in the process undermining the lesson about what the scientific method is and how it works. A less controversial example, such as the theory of gravity versus the theory of directional falling would better illustrate the subject and be less likely to be undermined by religious "leaders".

      Debate requires constant research, exploration, and effort. This strengthens the mind and carries us forward.

      This assumes the people are interested in logical debate instead of emotional considerations and pushing their religious beliefs. I don't think that is a safe assumption with teachers today. Schools have a limited amount of time, so they should teach the scientific method using non controversial examples and preferably real, hands on experiments, and they should teach the fundamental and well supported theories like evolution, gravity, relativity, atomic models, etc. They should not bring in unsupported hypothesis which happen to be the subject of huge misinformation campaigns. Right now a significant portion of our populace doesn't even know what the theory of evolution is and it is a complex concept for children, yet you think we should be using it as an example for teaching the scientific method at the same time? I think we should concentrate on making sure kids know what the theory is and how it works and if they want to debate the topic later in life at least they won't do so from a completely uninformed perspective.

  2. Re:Sure shes pretty and all but.... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Funny

    C'mon, don't be such a downer. We need faith based science to advance our faith based economy!

  3. So, what are your front page setting again? by Chmcginn · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Because I'm seeing this story at the top of the front page.

    Face it, though, neither Palin (a self-admitted creationist) nor Biden (a proponent of stronger police powers) is a 'nerd-friendly' pick.

    --
    Have you been touched by his noodly appendage?
  4. Re:Sure shes pretty and all but.... by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Republican ticket is now complete

    Yeah, I still couldn't get the voice of Darth Vader out of my head for that.

    --
    Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
  5. Re:Hahahah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Well, given the title, I am tempted to assume you're joking. But the capacity of Republicans and their supporters for self parody can't be down played. Perhaps you're actually serious. Next you're going to be going on about Palin's experience and readiness to be president in a job that is, as they say, a heart beat away.

    I think that the opposite of your claim is true: McCain is doomed. He just destroyed the "Obama doesn't have the experience to lead" meme. Sure Palin is a hard right social conservative. But she also happens to be an ex-beauty queen with an ethical scandal in Alaska. The social conservatives claim that women should be at home, not running for the Vice Presidency. Of course they're a bit inconsistent on this. I think that you'll find that Palin and her big breasts are a huge liability for McCain. If nothing else, she'll emphasize that he's very old.

  6. Re:Pandering to the Vagina Vote by letxa2000 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's so sad that so many Americans will fall for this trick.

    What's sad is that when Democrats run women, it's looked at as somehow genuine but when Republicans run a woman it's looked at as pandering.

  7. Re:Creationism by pluther · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What's your problem with students receiving a more well-rounded education on the different views that are out there?

    Because when people talk about presenting "both" sides of an issue, they usually don't mean the "informed" and "uninformed" sides.

    --
    If the masses can keep you down, you're not the Ubermensch.
  8. Re:Sure shes pretty and all but.... by SengirV · · Score: 5, Interesting

    how can anyone take a candidate seriously when they shamelessly pander to the stupid lobby?

    I don't know, it doesn't seem to bother the Obama supporters.

    Waiting to be modded as a troll while the OP gets modded as informative or interesting. Even though both took shots at the other side.

    No bias to see here.

    --

    Prof. Farnsworth - "Oh a lesson in not changing history from Mr I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!"

  9. Re:Well-rounded? by Chris+Burke · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That's not what the Constitution says. Besides, I learned about different belief systems back in public high school in my world history class. You can't ignore religion and the Constitution doesn't require that it be ignored.

    Yeah, history class, not science class. You want to teach different theologies in history class? Be my guest. I loved learning about all the Abrahamic religions in my high school world history class.

    You want to teach that in science class? Screw you, you're not teaching your religion as though it's science.

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are
  10. Re:Pro Life by Naqamel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Are you saying she should have? I thought it was all about the "woman's right to choose" with the abortion crowd.

  11. Re:Good choice by Jaysyn · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Seeing as if he (McCain) somehow manages to get elected, I give his remaining lifespan a duration somewhere between James Garfield & William Harrison's presidencies. The good news is we'll have our first woman president. The bad news is she has experience leading about 670000 people total (9000 if you just want to go by her mayoral experience), is rabidly pro-life & loves Big Oil. It will be kinda like Bush, but with a vagina.

    And don't bother to rail on me either, I'm voting for Barr. I've given up on the Republicrats, the only thing that will make our leaders stand up & take notice is another political party coming to power & taking it away from them.

    --
    There is a war going on for your mind.
  12. Re:Good choice by bigtoy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I am not so sure this is a great political move by McCain.

    One of the things the Democrats have been hammering McCain on is his lack of judgment. I can easily see Palin as another example of poor decision making.

    While selecting a VP as a strategy to win the election is part of the decision tree (going after the disenfranchised Hillary votes), choosing a VP is also about having someone that can step in and do the presidents job competently.

    I have a feeling this is going to backfire.

    --
    "A sample size of one is really just statistical masturbation."
  13. Re:Sure shes pretty and all but.... by jandrese · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is so sexist, vpilf.com doesn't have a single picture of Dick Cheney.

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    I read the internet for the articles.
  14. Re:Good choice by ThePiMan2003 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The ability of a VP to become President has to be considered. 9 VP's took over for the president. Out of 43 presidents, that is 20%.

  15. Re:Hahahah by BobMcD · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Somehow you're COMPLETELY overlooking the Hillary/Obama race, and I'm honestly shocked you don't see it.

    Hillary/Obama race was often summed up as: First woman or First black man?

    You don't remember that?? Because, at least in my neck of the woods, there are still many who wish it had gone the other way. Many who would rather give the woman thing a go first...

    Now McCain gets to tap into that vibe, and probably shore up at least a few of those voters that would have preferred Hillary over Obama. They didn't really WANT to vote McCain before, but they would have just for the woman factor, and because they have some kind of irrational hatred for Obama. Now they've been handed a reason to want to vote for him, too.

    In short, my grandmother who has voted Democrat for the last 50 or 60 years will now almost certainly vote Republican.

    Genius, really.

  16. Re:Sure shes pretty and all but.... by LWATCDR · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Hey my teacher taught use the theory of spontaneous generation and how it was proven to be not correct.
    The problem is that the many creationist know just enough science that unless you know a lot of science you must take it on "faith" that they are wrong.
    The majority of pro-evolution zealots on slashdot don't have enough science background to disprove a good creationist. Way to often they "believe" what they learned in school.
    Since I do attend church and I am actually pretty good at science I was once invited to a creationist talk.
    They had some very interesting facts but they really didn't understand them.
    One of my favorite was that they found Carbon-14 in diamonds so they couldn't as old as the evolutionist said they where. They really didn't enjoy my lesson on radio active decay and quantum physics.
    But I can tell you this. If you don't know a lot of science then they are totally believable.
    I would bet that a lot of people on Slashdot only believe in evolution because they distrust religious people and not because they actually understand what is wrong with creationism.

    --
    See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
  17. Re:Obama is not "African American" by redKrane · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is the type of shit that pisses me off. Very, very few of us "blacks" are 100% African anymore. Being black in America is not a position to which one ascends, it is a position to which we have been assigned due to not being white. If you removed all the blacks who have any Anglo heritage from the US you would be left with immigrants fresh from some African country. I can't even find the words to express how sad ignorant statements like these make me.

    --
    that's my word, holla...
  18. Re:Hahahah by Surt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You don't remember that?? Because, at least in my neck of the woods, there are still many who wish it had gone the other way. Many who would rather give the woman thing a go first...

    Because they've outgrown misogyny but not racism?

    --
    "Who is the Journal of Quantum Physics going to believe?" --Stephen Hawking
  19. Re:Pandering to the Vagina Vote by frank_adrian314159 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That's because it is? How concerned have you ever seen the Republican party over women's rights? Hell, they have a hard time caring about anything other than wealthy, property owner rights.

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    That is all.
  20. Age by 222 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Not that this is the basis for my vote, but I'd like to point out that Palin was the Gov. of Alaska, one of the states that McCain is older than. Made me smile, at least ; - )

  21. Re:Can we put the experience factor to rest? by jjohnson · · Score: 5, Informative

    McCain very effectively put the experience issue to rest by picking Palin, which makes you wonder what the last month of crap from him and his surrogates was about. Obama as celebrity? Palin has actually won beauty contests. Obama passes legislation with his name on it in the U.S. Senate; Palin governs a state with less population than Austin, TX. Palin is also a creationist, arguing for equal time in science class.

    Magoo very effectively hijacked the media cycle with this choice, but one wonders why he didn't choose from a legion of much more qualified, experienced, effective female Republicans.

    --
    Anyone who loves or hates any language, platform, or manufacturer, doesn't know what they're talking about.
  22. Re:Sure shes pretty and all but.... by dpilot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    >Both sides of the abortion debate are wrong.

    One of the most sensible things ever said about the whole matter. (especially on /.) I said one of the other most sensible things about abortion, when talking to a pro-life friend:"

    "Do you want to forbid abortion, or do you want to stop it?"

    Abortion isn't a hobby, people don't do it for fun. I don't even think people do it lightly - I think most people feel that they are forced into it by circumstances. (Whether or not those feelings are "valid" or not is a different matter.)

    But I think things can be done to address the underlying circumstances that cause people to feel that they need an abortion, and perhaps one of the foremost is to instill in girls the self-esteem that can help in postponing sexual activity. I once heard, "The most important give a father can give his daughter is to love her mother." Model a healthy relationship. We're talking *real* family values, not the fake tripe generally peddled by politicians.

    My biggest fear about overturning Roe v Wade is that people will feel that the job is done, and even start dismantling the things that are in place now, like counseling, adoption assistance, etc. Oh boy, we've written a rule! That'll stop it! Then self-righteous heads will plop back down into the sand.

    --
    The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
  23. Re:Can we put the experience factor to rest? by indros13 · · Score: 5, Informative

    We dont know what Obama stands for except that he for the most socialist policy that i have ever read...coming just shy to that of marxism.

    Yeah, Obama was totally promoting all sorts of government and worker ownership of the means of production last night. Right after he did the crowd surfing.

    Read a book before you rant. And perhaps a reference on Obama's economic policy, too.

    *sigh*

    --
    Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
  24. Re:Good choice by Atriqus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And lets face reality, McCain's age + skin cancer concerns raises that figure for this round.

    --
    Hey, look! It's Bono's brother.
  25. Re:Good choice by spud603 · · Score: 5, Informative
    Alright, I'll bite.
    Palin's elected office:
    • 4 years in city council
    • 3 years as mayor
    • a little under 2 years as governor

    Obama's elected office:

    • 7 years state senate
    • a little under 4 years in US senate

    Rounding down, that gives Palin 8 years, most of which was at the city level, and Obama 11 years, all of which is at state level or above.

  26. My Girlfriend will actually vote republican now by killkillkill · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wait. I'm a conservative... I have a girlfriend... What the hell am I doing here?

  27. Re:nice pick by javamann · · Score: 5, Funny

    Call her 'North Shores' and I'd drill her.

  28. Exactly. by SanityInAnarchy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You see, you can argue about Creationism. You can make very good philosophical arguments for and against Creationism in all its forms -- Intelligent Design being one of them. And you can make very good philosophical and scientific arguments for and against Evolution.

    What is clear, however, is that Evolution is a scientific theory. Creationism isn't.

    In other words: Right or wrong, Evolution is science. Creationism isn't. That's not an opinion, it's a fact -- by definition, "I think the Earth is six thousand years old because an old book told me so" is not science.

    The only place Creationism has in a science classroom is as an object lesson of something that is not science.

    --
    Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
  29. Re:More Quotes from the Future by Wonko+the+Sane · · Score: 5, Insightful

    None of this means a bit to people who believe in immortal souls granted by God upon conception. I think that's where the real argument lies.

    Too bad these people can't see that they'd eliminate a lot more abortions by supporting sex education and contraception then by pushing for absolute prohibition.