Sarah Palin is NOT the presidential candidate!

[Sylvia727]

I'm getting seriously irritated with everyone who treats the GOP candidacy as if Palin was their ticket. She's the vice-presidential candidate, not the presidential. And yet too many people act as if they're choosing between Obama and Palin. They're not! John McCain will be president if the Republicans win, not Sarah Palin! Her opinions are no more important than Joe Biden's, but when was the last time you saw any concern about him? Hell, just read the thread titles here in Politics and count how many have "Palin" in the title.

It doesn't help that she's atypical for a politician (read: not old white dude), and quite photogenic. Nor does it help that the media puts her and Bristol on the front of at least half the covers of the supermarket tabloids. It's the cult of celebrity rearing its ugly head. Who cares about the boring dudes discussing our future? Let's gossip about the younger black man and the pretty hockey mom!

Some people justify themselves by saying that McCain's veep choice is more important than Obama's veep choice. Personally, I think Obama's just as likely to get assassinated by a racist as McCain is to have a heart attack. He's not that old, people! Early seventies? Does that really sound like a feeble old man to you? The average life expectancy of an American man is around 77. McCain's a lot healthier than that. He's good for at least one term.

[Greenday]

Life expectancy for males in the US is currently 75.29 years. McCain is 72. That puts him right near the average age. Everyone knows the older you get, the more likely something will happen. Let's take my grandfather for example. He was perfectly fine for the most part. Then, in his last year, year and a half, things went downhill pretty quickly. At McCain's age, that wouldn't surprise me if it happened to him sometime in the next four years. And a lot of people are thinking that way too. A lot of people don't believe he will make it four years. And if you think that way, voting for McCain is basically voting for Palin for president because if McCain doesn't make it through his 4 years, Palin will become president.

[Amethyst Hunter]

Problem is, not just McCain's age and questionable health history - it's the people backing him that make the difference. Dominionists are actively *praying* for McCain not only to win, but to drop dead - literally - the second he sets foot in the White House so that Palin can move right in. That's why the hardcore right is now so excited whereas before the VP announcement they were only lukewarm about McCain (whom they didn't consider "conservative" enough!). They had a buddy in Bush; now they have a chance at getting one of their own in to do some real damage. And given that certain dominionist groups like Joel's Army are so violent-minded, I honestly would *not* put the possibility of assassination beyond them (two words: Jesus Camp. Chilling stuff); they'd be looking for any way to get McCain out and Palin in, and when Palin served whatever sick purposes they had in mind, I'm sure they'd find a way to get rid of her as well (because dominionists can't stand the thought of any woman, even one of theirs, having any sort of power).

So yes, I do think that people are very right to be concerned over this. And I'd be just as worried if it was Biden who had dominionist ties instead of Palin. Dominionism threatens *everyone*.

[Giggle Goose]

Kinda OT; but my grandfather died at age 72 and had health conditions for the rest of his life. After serving in a POW camp in....you guessed it, Vietnam.

But he was still a Democrat. :P

It sounds cruel; but if someone is so close to death why would they even care if they screw up? They're going to die anyway! And then Palin would come in and fuck things up even MORE.

[Rapscallion]

The average life expectancy figure is somewhat skewed for people who have access to the best healthcare, which McCain undoubtedly has. I don't particularly support either side in this, but the expectancy figure produced by statistics is generally a mean average.

Mind you, I happen to think that Sarah Palin is in the MILF territory. Can anyone else agree with this? Let's get to the important issues here!

Rapscallion

[Greenday]

The average life expectancy figure is somewhat skewed for people who have access to the best healthcare, which McCain undoubtedly has. I don't particularly support either side in this, but the expectancy figure produced by statistics is generally a mean average.

Mind you, I happen to think that Sarah Palin is in the MILF territory. Can anyone else agree with this? Let's get to the important issues here!

Rapscallion

No healthcare or amazing health care, no one can stop the problems with getting older. They happen no matter what.

As for the most important issue, her being a MILF, I honestly don't think she's a MILF...at all. Definitely not hot. And I can't find any photos that'd make me think otherwise.

[Sylvia727]

I don't find it likely that McCain dies in office. Possible, plausible, sure, but not likely. Many, many people live past the average life expectancy. About half of the population, actually. And when you consider that McCain has no serious health risks, his personal life expectancy shoots way up. According to wikipedia, 25 us senators are 70 or older, as well as 5 of the 9 supreme court justices.

Sure, it's a possibility that McCain will die in office. It's also a possibility that Obama will die in office. Given the radicals and racists and the previous attempts, Obama could very well be assassinated, and Joe Biden the next president. So why isn't an equal fury being made over him?

And no matter what, McCain would take office before Palin, so his policies are just as, if not more, important than hers. So why her face plastered all over the news, but not his?

[AFPheonix]

He has had a recurring cancer though. It would not be out of the spectrum of possibility that it would come back with a vengeance during his term and put him out of commission.
Also, most US Senators have not had to go through physically what he did in the war. We can't be sure that that won't lower his life expectancy to some degree.

[Arcade Man D]

Umm.... Sylvia. I really hope those were typos.

[Seshat]

Based on what little I know, Biden's a fairly typical Democrat. Nothing essentially newsworthy.

Palin is an extremist Republican.


Extremists who are one bad accident away from major global power are definitely newsworthy.

[IDrinkaRum]

As some staunch Republicans like to say:

"Biden is either going to gaffe his way out of the V.P. position or he's just going to up and leave because of unsubstantiated health problems."

But then again, if that happens, Obama would definitely have to then have Hillary on his ticket.

And for everyone's information, Adam West (of Batman fame) is 80 years old today. So he's lived past the 75.29 years men are supposed to live in the United States.

[DesignFox]

Mind you, I happen to think that Sarah Palin is in the MILF territory. Can anyone else agree with this? Let's get to the important issues here!

Rapscallion

Maybe it's just because I'm a woman, but I think Palin is damn creepy...Look at her face in the photos....creeeeeepy.

And on topic...from what I'm reading, I do think it's a damn scary thing that the possible second in command is so extreme. Shit hits the fan with McCain and we're all in trouble.

[AFPheonix]

As some staunch Republicans like to say:

"Biden is either going to gaffe his way out of the V.P. position or he's just going to up and leave because of unsubstantiated health problems."

But then again, if that happens, Obama would definitely have to then have Hillary on his ticket.

And for everyone's information, Adam West (of Batman fame) is 80 years old today. So he's lived past the 75.29 years men are supposed to live in the United States.

There's quite a few men who died younger than 75 today to even out that average, too.

Yay for statistics.

[Greenday]

Umm.... Sylvia. I really hope those were typos.

The mis-spellings brings up something that really irritates me. Calling Obama "Osama" is just plain ridiculous. It's not witty. There is no comparing the two. Obama is a good man. Osama is a freaking nutcase who wants to destroy America. They are polar opposites. Palin has a name similar to Stalin. Does that make them the same person? Cause if having a name that rhymes with someone else makes you the same, there's no way anyone should vote for someone who commits genocide.

[AdminAssistant]

Simple, there isn't anything anyone can do (beyond preventive health care) to keep McCain from having a cancer relapse or a heart attack. But the Secret Service can damn well protect Obama. Also, we are not in the Civil War, folks, and the South was desegregated 50 years ago. Yes there are a handful of racist nut jobs out there. But to think that hordes of people are going to be aiming sniper rifles at Obama, should he be elected, is a little ridiculous.

However, if the unthinkable happens to Obama, then he has an extremely competent and experienced replacement. Joe Biden isn't in the news - because what can they slam him with? A few verbal gaffes? Joe Biden was an extremely smart choice made by a candidate who needed to beef up his foreign policy credentials. Palin was a ridiculous choice, probably forced on McCain to draw in those oh-so-important Christian Conservatives and far righters that were afraid of McCain's moderate-ness. I used to have a lot of respect for McCain, but he has allowed himself to be pushed so far right in the past year, combined with his "bulldog" of a VP...yeesh.