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Scholars question Palin credentials

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Anonymous

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She is the least experienced, least credentialed member of any major ticket in the modern era, say Presidential Scholars.


Scholars question Palin credentials
Politico . com
By FRED BARBASH & DAVID MARK | 8/30/08 11:24 AM EST


John McCain was aiming to make history with his pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and historians say he succeeded.

Presidential scholars say she appears to be the least experienced, least credentialed person to join a major-party ticket in the modern era.

So unconventional was McCain’s choice that it left students of the presidency literally “stunned,” in the words of Joel Goldstein, a St. Louis University law professor and scholar of the vice presidency. “Being governor of a small state for less than two years is not consistent with the normal criteria for determining who’s of presidential caliber,” said Goldstein.

“I think she is the most inexperienced person on a major party ticket in modern history,” said presidential historian Matthew Dallek.

That includes Spiro T. Agnew, Richard Nixon’s first vice president, who was governor of a medium-sized state, Maryland, for two years, and before that, executive of suburban Baltimore County, the expansive jurisdiction that borders and exceeds in population the city of Baltimore.

It also includes George H.W. Bush’s vice president, Indiana Sen. Dan Quayle, who had served in the House and Senate for 12 years before taking office. And it also includes New York Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, who served three terms in the House before Walter Mondale chose her in 1984 as the first woman candidate on a major party ticket.

“It would be one thing if she had only been governor for a year and a half, but prior to that she had not had major experience in public life,” said Dallek of Palin. “The fact that he would have to go to somebody who is clearly unqualified to be president makes Obama look like an elder statesman.”

And Alaska is a much smaller state than Illinois, the political base of Barack Obama, whom Republicans have repeatedly criticized for being inexperienced, having served nearly four years in the U.S. Senate after eight in the Illinois state Senate.

“Not to belittle Alaska, but it’s different than the basket of issues you deal with in big, dynamic states.” Dallek said.

Palin has no experience in national office. Before becoming governor in December 2006, she served as a council member and mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, which had a population of slightly more than 5,000 during her time in office.

In choosing Palin as his running mate, McCain has reached back to a time when few actually seriously contended that the vice president should be demonstrably prepared to assume the presidency from day one.

If elected vice president, Palin would appear to have the least amount of experience in federal office or as a governor since John W. Kern, Democrat William Jennings Bryan’s 1908 running mate, who had served for four years in the Indiana state Senate and then four more as city solicitor of Indianapolis. The Democratic ticket lost to Republican standard bearer William Howard Taft and running mate James S. Sherman by an Electoral College spread of 321-162.

Another excerpt:

“If she had been around for two terms as governor — or been a senator — it would have been an incredible choice,” said historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. “Who else could he have found who appealed to the conservative base … and as someone who was a reformer?”

That’s not to say Palin will be a dud on the campaign trail.

But out-of-the-box picks in recent years have not usually worked out too well for the top of the ticket. Consider independent candidate Ross Perot’s 1992 running mate, former Navy Adm. James Stockdale, who famously asked at the vice presidential debate with Gore and Quayle, “Who am I, why am I here?”

“He took the wind out of Perot’s sails, and Perot could have done even better” than the 19 percent he garnered, Dallek said.

A bad running mate pick can even put a successful presidential ticket in question. The 1988 Bush-Quayle victory over Dukakis and Bentsen came in spite of Quayle’s frequent campaign trail gaffes and questions about his military service in the Vietnam era and other controversies. Bush handlers largely relegated Quayle to small town audiences that would attract little media attention.

“Quayle — it threw off the momentum for some weeks,” said Goodwin. “One has to hope for McCain’s sake that [Palin] has been fully vetted.”

“The first thing that hits me,” said Stephen Hess of the Brookings Institution," is that it suggests that John McCain is a gambler. This is a high roller decision.”

“The next thing you have to ask yourself: Is it worrisome to have a gambler in the Oval Office? That’s an important question," he said, “perhaps more important than anything else today.”
 

Larrry

Well-known member
If Palin was such a bad pick the OBOTS would be jumping up and down with joy rather than pi$$in themselves like they are.
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
And I'll ask again, for the 837th time and still waiting for an answer; What are Obama's qualifications? What are Obama's accomplishments?
 

Steve

Well-known member
Sandhusker said:
And I'll ask again, for the 837th time and still waiting for an answer; What are Obama's qualifications? What are Obama's accomplishments?

Obama had a paid community organizer gig, in which he accomplished nothing.. except getting his buddy a fat contract. a contract that screwed the poor people in a housing project.. the same buddy who bought his yard for him..
 

Cal

Well-known member
So we've been subjected to all of this bellyaching about candidates being in Washington too long, owing too many favors, being corrupt and having too much baggage.....so McCain finds one that doesn't, and what do we get? More bellyaching....no surprise.

.....if she'd only been cheated on, maybe had an abortion, looked like Helen Thomas, had a radical preacher, hung with people that had bombed the Pentagon.....had a D in front of her name....
 

loomixguy

Well-known member
Just who the hell are these "scholars", and what are their credentials?

Old Komrade could attempt to pass his cut and pastes off as "scholarly work", and some dimwit somewhere would believe OK actually WAS a scholar!

Sounds like the old saying that "figures lie and liars figure" works in this instance, too.
 

Soapweed

Well-known member
loomixguy said:
Just who the hell are these "scholars", and what are their credentials?

Old Komrade could attempt to pass his cut and pastes off as "scholarly work", and some dimwit somewhere would believe OK actually WAS a scholar!

Sounds like the old saying that "figures lie and liars figure" works in this instance, too.

One bitter disappointment the past few years has been watching Old Timer transcend from a respected conservative thinking man into a crumbling obsessive compulsive Obamanut. It's a sad situation, sorry to say. :cry:
 

Ben H

Well-known member
At least Palin has executive experience. Before the choice was made I was saying durring one of breaks at work that we need to stop electing senators in the first place. Now we have a choice between two liberal senators or one fairly liberal senator with a very conservative running mate who worked her way up from the bottom and has the real world executive experience. Sounds like a better balance to me. I am very impressed with her willingness to take on corruption. When did the libs start carring about qualifications? It's kind of funny that the person on the Republican side running for VP is more qualified then the person running on the Democrat side for President.

If there was a democratic president right now with a republican house and senate, would the president still get blamed for everything?
 

loomixguy

Well-known member
Good article at www.michellemalkin today about the classy leftists scrambling to find pics of Sara Palin in a bikini to create something "scandalous".

Further proof that the left has lost all semblance of intelligence and have not one scintilla of gray matter between their ears.
 

kolanuraven

Well-known member
Sandhusker said:
And I'll ask again, for the 837th time and still waiting for an answer; What are Obama's qualifications? What are Obama's accomplishments?


His qualifications are that he is an American citizen and of the correct age.

His accomplishments....he was nominated by his party to run for the office of President.

In the true spirit and interpretation of our ' democracy'....that's all he needs.


Next question......................................................
 

Larrry

Well-known member
His qualifications are that he is an American citizen and of the correct age.

His accomplishments....he was nominated by his party to run for the office of President.

In the true spirit and interpretation of our ' democracy'....that's all he needs.


Next question......................................................

Looks like kola just capitulated. Why not, that is one of the libs landmark traits
 

VanC

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
She is the least experienced, least credentialed member of any major ticket in the modern era, say Presidential Scholars.

Thought it might be a good idea to examine these "presidential scholars." Took me about 15 seconds to find this:

Critics of Sarah Palin (Who Just Happen to be Liberals)


Liberals reveal their hypocrisy. Again.

Politico: Scholars question Palin credentials by David Mark, Fred Barbash

Presidential scholars say [Sarah Palin] appears to be the least experienced, least credentialed person to join a major-party ticket in the modern era.

So unconventional was McCain’s choice that it left students of the presidency literally “stunned,” in the words of Joel Goldstein, a St. Louis University law professor and scholar of the vice presidency.

“I think she is the most inexperienced person on a major party ticket in modern history,” said presidential historian Matthew Dallek.

“If she had been around for two terms as governor — or been a senator — it would have been an incredible choice,” said historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. “Who else could he have found who appealed to the conservative base … and as someone who was a reformer?”

Palin . . . is a total “wild card,” said Stanford historian David Kennedy.

Of course, it is not personal ideology that is behind the concern of these “historians,” right?

The McCain campaign issued the following statement: “The authors quote four scholars attacking Gov. Palin’s fitness for the office of Vice President. Among them, David Kennedy is a maxed out Obama donor, Joel Goldstein is also an Obama donor, and Doris Kearns Goodwin has donated exclusively to Democrats this cycle. Finally, Matthew Dallek is a former speech writer for Dick Gephardt. This is not a story about scholars questioning Governor Palin’s credentials so much as partisan Democrats who would find a reason to disqualify or discount any nominee put forward by Senator McCain.”

I guess it is personal ideology. Stunning indeed.

Did Kennedy, Goldstein, Goodwin, and Dallek show the same concern about Senator Obama’s lack of experience?

Oh right. Obama’s a Democrat.


Couldn't have said it better myself. Just more closed-minded hacks providing fodder for other closed-minded hacks that have trouble coming up with an original thought of their own. Interesting how the Obama campaign is suddenly so concerned with experience. :roll: Anyone who underestimates this woman will be left whining and crying for mama, wondering why the government didn't step in and help them. :lol:
 

Steve

Well-known member
kolanuraven said:
Sandhusker said:
And I'll ask again, for the 837th time and still waiting for an answer; What are Obama's qualifications? What are Obama's accomplishments?


His qualifications are that he is an American citizen and of the correct age.

His accomplishments....he was nominated by his party to run for the office of President.

In the true spirit and interpretation of our ' democracy'....that's all he needs.


Next question......................................................

actually your wrong (again) on the first qualifier.

only a Natural born American is qualified..
 

kolanuraven

Well-known member
Steve said:
kolanuraven said:
Sandhusker said:
And I'll ask again, for the 837th time and still waiting for an answer; What are Obama's qualifications? What are Obama's accomplishments?


His qualifications are that he is an American citizen and of the correct age.

His accomplishments....he was nominated by his party to run for the office of President.

In the true spirit and interpretation of our ' democracy'....that's all he needs.


Next question......................................................

actually your wrong (again) on the first qualifier.

only a Natural born American is qualified..


Welll then what about Mc Cain being born in Panama? Throw out the whole mess????
 

loomixguy

Well-known member
A child born to American military personnel are automatically American citizens, no matter what country they were born in. That is fact, as I have friends who have had children born in the Philippines and Italy while the father was on active duty, OR assigned to a DOD contractor.

Presumably, Johnny Mac COULD have sought and been granted Panamanian citizenship at the age of 18, just as my friends' children could receive Philippine or Italian citizenship at 18.............but why???

I doubt that Hussein's birth certificate SNAFU is truly resolved at this time. There are too many inconsistancies ...... :?
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
kolanuraven said:
Sandhusker said:
And I'll ask again, for the 837th time and still waiting for an answer; What are Obama's qualifications? What are Obama's accomplishments?


His qualifications are that he is an American citizen and of the correct age.

His accomplishments....he was nominated by his party to run for the office of President.

In the true spirit and interpretation of our ' democracy'....that's all he needs.


Next question......................................................

Pathetic attempt, Kolo. If that's the best you can come up with, it should tell you something.....
 

kolanuraven

Well-known member
Sandhusker said:
kolanuraven said:
Sandhusker said:
And I'll ask again, for the 837th time and still waiting for an answer; What are Obama's qualifications? What are Obama's accomplishments?


His qualifications are that he is an American citizen and of the correct age.

His accomplishments....he was nominated by his party to run for the office of President.

In the true spirit and interpretation of our ' democracy'....that's all he needs.


Next question......................................................

Pathetic attempt, Kolo. If that's the best you can come up with, it should tell you something.....


You were crying about being ignored :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: and that no one would answer you.....then when someone does you still want to pizz and moan. :cry2: :cry2: :cry2:

Listen...if you don't want an answer....don't ask a question.
 

Hanta Yo

Well-known member
Soapweed said:
loomixguy said:
Just who the hell are these "scholars", and what are their credentials?

Old Komrade could attempt to pass his cut and pastes off as "scholarly work", and some dimwit somewhere would believe OK actually WAS a scholar!

Sounds like the old saying that "figures lie and liars figure" works in this instance, too.

One bitter disappointment the past few years has been watching Old Timer transcend from a respected conservative thinking man into a crumbling obsessive compulsive Obamanut. It's a sad situation, sorry to say. :cry:

I have to agree with you, Soap. I've been readiing his brain go right down the tubes...
 
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