Remarks of the DNC and VP Choices

Well, the presidential campaign has almost officially begun. Barack Obama, Senator from Illinois, is officially the Democratic nominee for President, with Senator Joe Biden of Delaware as the nominee for Vice President. On the GOP's side, Senator John McCain of Arizona will oficially become the nominee for President in St. Paul, MN next week, with Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his presumptive running mate.

However, the true interest, beyond the choices of Vice President by the two major parties, is the jabbering of analysts about the choices. So, without further ado, my jabberings:

Democrats pick Joe Biden: I think that, while not the best choice, is a good one. Biden agrees with Obama on almost every issue(exceptions include nuclear energy-Obama is open to it, Biden is not-and NAFTA-Obama against, Biden for), he has almost 35 years of experience in the Senate, brings oodles of foreign-policy experience to the table, can speak to blue-collar workers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, considering his blue-collar upbringing, and, since the DNC, really shows a teamwork component in the Obama-Biden campaign. However, one has to wonder: will Biden be able to win over the disgruntled Clinton supporters come November?

A quick bio of Sen. Biden:

*Born in 1942 in Scranton, PA
*Moved to Delaware at age 10
*Went to University of Delaware, majoring in history and political science
*Passed the bar in 1969 after studying at Syracuse University Law School
*Married his first wife, Neilia Hunter, in 1966
*Spent two years in the New Castle County Council(1970-2)
*After being elected to the Senate in 1972, his wife and infant daughter Amy were killed in a tragic car accident while shopping for a Christmas tree-his two sons, Beau and Hunter, survived.
*Did not want to take the oath of office(keeping his priority as a father over being a senator), but eventually did at the hospital bedside of his sons
*Since his first days as senator, takes the train every day to return to his family in Delaware.

Ratings of choice(all out of a possible 10 points):
Leadership & Experience: 10
Cohesiveness between candidates: 7
Efficiency to win voters: 7
Overall rating: 8

Republicans choose Sarah Palin: Days before this choice was made, even the most accurate of radars did not have Gov. Palin, the freshman governor of Alaska, on it. Sen. McCain could have picked Sen. Joe Lieberman(CT) or former Gov. Tom Ridge(PA), and the Republicans would have the White House(Lieberman probably wins over Jews in Florida and wins Connecticut, and Tom Ridge would probably help win Pennsylvania-a 42point swing!)) or he could have picked former Gov. Mitt Romney(MA), or Gov. Tim Pawlenty(MN-who wins you Minnesota, a 20-point swing). Or Gov. Bobby Jindal(LA), who despite being a freshman governor was a popular 2-term congressman, or Gov. Jodi Rell of Connecticut(also helps you win CT, a governor who cut through the corruption left by her predecessor), or Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas. But, instead, Sen. McCain picked Palin, governor for only 18 months and before that, a self-described "hockey mom" mayor of Wasilla(pop. 8471). I've been saying this week, that Brooklyn Cyclones GM Steve Cohen has more experience than Palin, as 'mayor' of a 'town' of over 8500 'residents'(fans at KeySpan Park) for 8 years. And the idea that Palin will help win over independents and disgruntled Clintonites? Give me a break! Palin is pro-life, pro-gun(she has a lifetime membership in the NRA and one of her hobbies is hunting), pro-drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve, anti-polar bear(she's been noted for desiring to take the polar bear off the Threatened Species List), anti-same-sex marriage(even supporting a Constitutional amendment banning it), and doesn't believe that global warming is man-made. She was also for the "bridge to nowhere", although now she's against it(flip-flop, anyone?) Also, there is the discussion that, being in state politics for only 30 months, and not knowing much about foreign policy, that she is not ready to be "one heartbeat away" from the presidency, especially behind 72-year-old McCain. She's also only met with McCain once before becoming the nominee, showing possible lack of cohesion. Finally, can Palin provide the clout to win voters over, especially in the swing states, as good as or better than the potential VP's aforementioned?

Ratings:
Leadership & Experience: 4
Cohesiveness: 6
Efficiency to win voters: 6
Total: 5.5

And now, a quick bio of Gov. Palin:
*Born in 1964 in Sandpoint, ID
*Moved to Alaska as an infant(refuting the claim that she's a "lifelong Alaskan")
*Was a star athlete in high school, both on the track(the namesake for her first son, Track), and in basketball(where she earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" as she brought her high school the state championship)
*Came in second in the 1984 Miss Alaska beauty pageant
*Holds a degree from the University of Idaho in broadcasting journalism, and aspired to be an anchor on ESPN(possibly the namesake of her first daughter, Bristol?)
*Spent four years in the Wasilla City Council after being in the PTA, then became mayor for two terms
*Held a position for two years as Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission before winning the gubernatorial election in 2005
*Currently holds an approval rating of 76% in Alaska; however, she is also under investigation by a bipartisan board in the Alaska legislature due to the controversial firing of the Alaska public safety commissioner
*Has 5 children-Track, Bristol, Piper, Willow, and 7-month old Trig

Next week, remarks of the RNC and Senate Horseraces-I finally complete writing about the senatorial campaigns in 2008.

But, to close, a few quotes from the Democratic National Convention at the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado:

"John McCain may pay hundred of dollars for his shoes, but we're the ones who will pay for his flip-flops." --New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson

"We can't simply drill our way to energy independence if you drilled everywhere, if you drilled in all of John McCain's backyards, even the ones he doesn't know he has." –Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer

"If he's the answer, then the question must be ridiculous." --New York Gov. David Patterson, on John McCain

"To my supporters, my champions — my sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits – from the bottom of my heart: Thank you." –Sen. Hillary Clinton

"John McCain calls himself a maverick, but he votes with George Bush over 90 percent of the time. That's not a maverick that's a sidekick." –Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA)

"You know, folks, that's the America that George Bush has left us. And that's the America we'll continue to get if George -- excuse me, if John McCain is elected president of the United States of America. Freudian slip. Freudian slip." –Joe Biden

"John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell, but he won't even go to the cave where he lives." --Barack Obama

"For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy — give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps — even if you don't have boots. You're on your own. Well, it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America." --Barack Obama

"John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than 90 percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change." --Barack Obama