Well, I was wrong on the Republican pick for Vice President. John McCain apparently is going for Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. I'll have to give credit to the earlier comment, that guy called it.
That being said, this is an interesting pick by McCain. The most glaring part of this choice is Gov. Palin's lack of experience. Obama was hammered on this issue from the beginning, and it seemed to be one of McCain's main strategies for the general election. But, that's not an option anymore. Palin has been the governor of Alaska for less than 2 years. Before that, she was on the city council and mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of approximately 8,000 people. She was also Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission for 2 years.
Highlights from her personal life include being married to man who works for BP, a beauty pageant winner, has a son bound for Iraq (as does Dem VP Joe Biden), and won the Alaska small school state championship in high school.
The question on my mind is why her?
The most likely theory to be floated is the thunder it steals from Obama/Biden by having a woman on the ticket. This makes no sense. First, a woman running for Vice President is not new, it happened 24 years ago (No surprise, the GOP thinking an idea over 20 years old is new). Also, surely she cannot be the most qualified woman in the Republican Party. But, after Condi Rice and Elizabeth Dole, there are few well-known established women in the Republican party.
The Republican talking point is likely to include references to Hillary Clinton. Personally, I think this decision will help swing those undecided Clinton supporters to Obama. Palin, while she may be able to swing undecided female voters, has little in common with Clinton supporters. Palin does not have her experience, has a pro-life record, has no record on health care, and is a lifetime member of the NRA.
If this is an attempt to bring Hillary Clinton's supporters to McCain, it is a cheap one. It showcases the lack of women in the Republican Party. Major female players in the Democratic Party include: Clinton; Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Ca); Sen. Barbara Boxer (Ca); Sen. Claire McCaskill (Mo); Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (Kn). All of these women could have been seriously considered for Vice President, and some were. But, choosing an unknown, first term Governor, shows how little Republicans really care about women.
I cannot stress that point any stronger. Republicans do not care about women. Republicans put up the glass ceiling, Republicans stop equal pay, Republicans do not respect women. If you do not believe me, talk to some Republicans and you will learn.
So will Sarah Palin help John McCain? She has no connection to any battleground state and the only major constituency she could possibly affect would be women and it is debatable that she will be able to do that. She has no foreign policy credentials (Obama/Biden have tons). She has no economic credentials. She has energy credentials but one may wonder how her husband's job at BP and her own experience in the industry will play into the debate.
But, an interesting move is that while many think Biden will be Obama's "attack dog," Palin will not need to do the same because McCain has talk radio and 527s available for that.
Bottom Line? Its a weak pick. And for the women? Women will have a better voice in an Obama Administration than a McCain Administration regardless of the VP.
Rabbit
Friday, August 29, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
United Wrong Way
Big news out of Charlotte. Well, besides the rain. The United Way of Central Carolinas called for the resignation of CEO Gloria Pace King. Ms. King apparently makes $1.2 million annually.
Calling all hypocrites.
I won't be calling Ms. King because she is the victim of public relations nightmare. The hypocrites are on the board of the United Way. These people are executives at Wachovia, Bank of America, Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch and many other companies. What do they make? Now, before you start barking, I understand that being an executive at a large company is a difficult job and their decisions affect what happens to millions of dollars. Guess who fits that description? Gloria Pace King.
While it is perfectly acceptable to be outraged that a CEO of a non-profit makes that much money, understand why they do. You must be a skilled and savvy business-person to hold such a title. To attract top level people to run your organization, you have to pay them accordingly.
Of course, in a perfect world, the right person would take this job out of the kindness of their heart. But, in a perfect world, those on the board would pay attention to the board they serve on. But, this is the real world. Board members are serving their own public relations self-interest. An executive from a major company serves on the Board of Directors of the United Way to make their company and their self look good.
What makes this story particularly interesting is the public backlash. Apparently, many are none to happy with the tactics of the United Way and this gives them the opportunity to pounce.
Bottom Line? If the CEO goes, so should the rest of the Board of Directors. Also, if you want to help? Pay attention to where your money and time goes.
Rabbit
Calling all hypocrites.
I won't be calling Ms. King because she is the victim of public relations nightmare. The hypocrites are on the board of the United Way. These people are executives at Wachovia, Bank of America, Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch and many other companies. What do they make? Now, before you start barking, I understand that being an executive at a large company is a difficult job and their decisions affect what happens to millions of dollars. Guess who fits that description? Gloria Pace King.
While it is perfectly acceptable to be outraged that a CEO of a non-profit makes that much money, understand why they do. You must be a skilled and savvy business-person to hold such a title. To attract top level people to run your organization, you have to pay them accordingly.
Of course, in a perfect world, the right person would take this job out of the kindness of their heart. But, in a perfect world, those on the board would pay attention to the board they serve on. But, this is the real world. Board members are serving their own public relations self-interest. An executive from a major company serves on the Board of Directors of the United Way to make their company and their self look good.
What makes this story particularly interesting is the public backlash. Apparently, many are none to happy with the tactics of the United Way and this gives them the opportunity to pounce.
Bottom Line? If the CEO goes, so should the rest of the Board of Directors. Also, if you want to help? Pay attention to where your money and time goes.
Rabbit
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Why They May Just be Right
Many Republicans think that Democrats are stupid. They just may be right. Sometimes, I think Democrats need to hear that. The Hillary/Obama controversy showcases this perceived stupidity more than most.
With the help of many conservatives, Hillary supporters have turned a proud time to be an American, into what could be one of the worst spectacles in United States political history. That is, if Hillary and/or her supporters do something spectacular during the campaign that helps lead to the defeat of Barack Obama.
Every political scientist knows it is a great year to be a Democrat (notice the difference between political scientist and political commentator, Rush Limbaugh is a commentator, he has no formal education or knowledge of political trends). If new polls are accurate, Barack Obama will win in a landslide if one simple thing occurs. That is, if those who voted for a Democrat during the primary season, vote for a Democrat in the general election.
Here are the numbers:
In 2004, over 122 million people voted in the Presidential election. George W. Bush received 62 million and John Kerry received 59 million. The latest RCP average of polls has Barack Obama slightly ahead of John McCain 45 percent to 44 percent. If the same amount of people vote in 2008 that voted in 2004 (which most believe it will be higher) then those percents translate to close to 55 million for Obama and close to 54 million for McCain. Polls have 30 percent of Hillary Clinton voters choosing to vote for John McCain over Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton received about 18 million votes so 30 percent of that is about 5.4 million.
That amount of people makes up about 4 percent of the voting population. If they throw their support behind Barack Obama, that gives him a lead of 49 to 40 in the polls. In other words, if Democratic voted Democratic, they'd control the country for the next 4 years, at least.
My only question is what did Barack Obama do? Maybe he took unfair shots at Hillary Clinton but, she did the same to him. Maybe he lacks experience as an elected official, but he has more than her. Maybe he doesn't speak specifically about how his policies, but he writes about them. Maybe there was sexism in the coverage, but so did racism (A note about that: Sexism and racism are still major problems in this country but related to this election think about how they came up. Which would you prefer, being the butt of a lame joke by Tucker Carlson or being the target of many white supremacists).
Bottom Line? Republicans know some Democrats are stupid. Karl Rove is dripping all over this story and if its the deciding factor, then we have stupid Hillary Democrats to blame for the problems in our country. Hillary Clinton almost won the nomination but, she didn't.
Rabbit
With the help of many conservatives, Hillary supporters have turned a proud time to be an American, into what could be one of the worst spectacles in United States political history. That is, if Hillary and/or her supporters do something spectacular during the campaign that helps lead to the defeat of Barack Obama.
Every political scientist knows it is a great year to be a Democrat (notice the difference between political scientist and political commentator, Rush Limbaugh is a commentator, he has no formal education or knowledge of political trends). If new polls are accurate, Barack Obama will win in a landslide if one simple thing occurs. That is, if those who voted for a Democrat during the primary season, vote for a Democrat in the general election.
Here are the numbers:
In 2004, over 122 million people voted in the Presidential election. George W. Bush received 62 million and John Kerry received 59 million. The latest RCP average of polls has Barack Obama slightly ahead of John McCain 45 percent to 44 percent. If the same amount of people vote in 2008 that voted in 2004 (which most believe it will be higher) then those percents translate to close to 55 million for Obama and close to 54 million for McCain. Polls have 30 percent of Hillary Clinton voters choosing to vote for John McCain over Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton received about 18 million votes so 30 percent of that is about 5.4 million.
That amount of people makes up about 4 percent of the voting population. If they throw their support behind Barack Obama, that gives him a lead of 49 to 40 in the polls. In other words, if Democratic voted Democratic, they'd control the country for the next 4 years, at least.
My only question is what did Barack Obama do? Maybe he took unfair shots at Hillary Clinton but, she did the same to him. Maybe he lacks experience as an elected official, but he has more than her. Maybe he doesn't speak specifically about how his policies, but he writes about them. Maybe there was sexism in the coverage, but so did racism (A note about that: Sexism and racism are still major problems in this country but related to this election think about how they came up. Which would you prefer, being the butt of a lame joke by Tucker Carlson or being the target of many white supremacists).
Bottom Line? Republicans know some Democrats are stupid. Karl Rove is dripping all over this story and if its the deciding factor, then we have stupid Hillary Democrats to blame for the problems in our country. Hillary Clinton almost won the nomination but, she didn't.
Rabbit
Monday, August 25, 2008
Can I Make it 2 in a Row?
So I nailed it on Joe Biden (Ok, so maybe I didn't go out on a big limb there). Now its time to make my selection for the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate. In an earlier post, I made my arguments for a variety of choices.
There are still several possibilities, and like with Obama, whoever McCain chooses will help us see the direction he wants to go in for his campaign and possible administration. There are many intriguing potential choices but I believe, once again like Obama, he'll keep it simple. Therefore, my choice is...
Former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney.
Choosing Romney gives the McCain Campaign several tools to work with. First, he is perceived to have strong economic credentials. The Obama/Biden ticket lacks specific experience in economic policy and McCain alone also is on record claiming he knows little about the economy.
Romney also has decent conservative credentials. He was the governor of a liberal state, but to many in the conservative wing of the party, he is better than McCain.
The issue of abortion seems to showcase this. McCain has a pro life record and, while he may have changed on this issue, Romney is also on record for being pro life. This issue is likely to be the "gay marriage" issue of 2008. Many conservatives have been nervous that McCain will choose a pro choice Vice President. I think this is a straw man set up to make this issue a focal point. This is a smart move for Republicans in this election, especially if Romney is the choice. Conservative Christians are not completely on board with McCain and would not be on board with Romney because he is a Mormon. But, put the focus on the pro life policies of the Republicans against the pro choice polices of Democrats, and you have an energized part of your base.
Another factor that points towards Romney is his executive experience. McCain, Obama, and Biden are all career legislators. Romney not only was a governor but, also was a big asset to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah.
Perhaps the most interesting reason could be evident is this new campaign ad from John McCain.
Listening to that ad, how could McCain not pick Romney? If the qualification for Vice President is finishing second in the primary season, then Romney is your only choice.
Bottom Line? If the choice isn't Romney, the Obama campaign has a free shot at McCain for not picking the second choice of the party in the primaries. Sadly, it won't be as effective.
Rabbit
There are still several possibilities, and like with Obama, whoever McCain chooses will help us see the direction he wants to go in for his campaign and possible administration. There are many intriguing potential choices but I believe, once again like Obama, he'll keep it simple. Therefore, my choice is...
Former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney.
Choosing Romney gives the McCain Campaign several tools to work with. First, he is perceived to have strong economic credentials. The Obama/Biden ticket lacks specific experience in economic policy and McCain alone also is on record claiming he knows little about the economy.
Romney also has decent conservative credentials. He was the governor of a liberal state, but to many in the conservative wing of the party, he is better than McCain.
The issue of abortion seems to showcase this. McCain has a pro life record and, while he may have changed on this issue, Romney is also on record for being pro life. This issue is likely to be the "gay marriage" issue of 2008. Many conservatives have been nervous that McCain will choose a pro choice Vice President. I think this is a straw man set up to make this issue a focal point. This is a smart move for Republicans in this election, especially if Romney is the choice. Conservative Christians are not completely on board with McCain and would not be on board with Romney because he is a Mormon. But, put the focus on the pro life policies of the Republicans against the pro choice polices of Democrats, and you have an energized part of your base.
Another factor that points towards Romney is his executive experience. McCain, Obama, and Biden are all career legislators. Romney not only was a governor but, also was a big asset to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah.
Perhaps the most interesting reason could be evident is this new campaign ad from John McCain.
Listening to that ad, how could McCain not pick Romney? If the qualification for Vice President is finishing second in the primary season, then Romney is your only choice.
Bottom Line? If the choice isn't Romney, the Obama campaign has a free shot at McCain for not picking the second choice of the party in the primaries. Sadly, it won't be as effective.
Rabbit
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