Sarah Palin and a Baseball Metaphor

I just don't see how she's the right direction. She's got to be one of the most right-wing people in US politics. As right-wing as right-wing can be. She's just another Tom DeLay. I just can't see how someone so right-wing can change the electoral dynamics in any fundamental ways.

She might re-energise her base, but it's a shrinking base, and she has no new issues.

Though I have to say it will be "down to her performances" to use a sports metaphor. For her to be a "game-changer", she has to make a real and not a symbolic impact.

hey Adam... Welcome to Minnesota!

I like the sports metaphor. If it works, use it! I hadn't really thiught if it in that way, but I think you may be on to something. I actually hadn't given it much thought and looked at the choice as just an effort to grab Hillary's supporters, but that didn't really make sense cosidering her pro-life stance, this does...

Mary

Sarah Palin is really arch-conservative former Sen. Rick Santorum ... with Breasts.

Look for the hot young fireballer to come up strong at first, with pitches no one on the Dem's team has seen (oddly enough, EXCEPT for Obama--batting against Hillary he got to see a lot of the rookie's stuff...he's already looped a double off her by basically ignoring her presence)....

You'll see lots of strikeouts early...but when she faces them a second time, however....she, like all rookies...is gonna get lit up and taken yard.

She'll throw her arm out trying to compensate...and while quite possibly a prospect for the future...she'll be on the 15 day DL come mid-October...with major offseason surgery awaiting her.

My worry is the rallying of the entire organization--from the Bigs in the Show through the grapefruit leagues--fundamentalist evangelical Christians who will vote God and hard-line religious doctrine before voting country--reveals that the whole "American League" to be a little more LIKE our enemies than anyone cares to discuss.

Regardless, It's gonna be a great ballgame...pray that the best team wins this one.

Oops sorry, I didn't realize this was just for the Hating Dems.
You go..... but you will loose.

Goreporter reincarnated! Those who fail to remember will be sorry. A prime example of why no publication should be deleted once exposed to public view.

Adam - Liked the article, and look forward to more!

Palin represents the fundie end of the Party that has the most extreme views out of step with America. Abortion being outlawed in cases of rape, incest, or a dying mother are extremist views. She has already lied to the public claiming that she always rejected the bridge to nowhere when the record shows she favored it. She is under an ethics cloud right now and apparently used strong arm tactic as mayor as well.

Yesterday on MTP, David Gregory thought it was very cool that she was feisty enough to get on a plane for a long flight after her water broke. It was dangerous, selfish and showed very poor judgement, and also showed that David Gregory is an immature idiot. His gaffes and performance on MSNBC baffle me why this guy gets so much air time.

Adam, I'm trying to use Cal Ripken metaphorically but I haven't found the connection yet. I do think there's something lame about being remembered simply for not being injured and always being around, as opposed to having a good ERA, for example. John McCain? Joe Biden?

The Yankees is a good metaphor for the GOP - either you've loved them forever, or you despise them. Or now that they're losing you may not root for them so much anymore.

Pittsburgh Dan's comment about Palin being Santorum with breasts would normally be considered tasteless but it could not be more obvious that that is why she is the VP candidate - it is McCain that created this image. Most of the Hillary supposters are smart enough to know this and are insulted that just because she is a woman doesn't mean she will support traditional women's issues, kind of in the same way Clarence Thomas bunts on black issues (unless you count, in his critics' words, uppity black issues).

And let's not forget the unwilling team member that started the GOP downfall - when they drafted Terry Schivo as their patron saint of trying to ram their pseudo-morality down our throats.

Add more flowery language, a few more metaphors, and a more conservative tone and we might think you're George Will. :)

Thanks for not trashing the "Santorum" comment--you saw it for what it was meant to convey. (And I live in the senatorial district that told Santorum to hit the showers...I know a lot about the guy..it was an easy comparison-GO TEAM PITTSBURGH!).

George Will, eh? I stand complimented...and subtly disturbed.

I'm glad that McCain picked Palin and that she seems to have the willingness to stand up for the rights for those she represents. That's a characteristic that I look for in a candidate and it is important one. Obama gives great speech but I've always felt that he was trying too hard to portray himself as someone who actually cares about the American people as a whole.

I'm glad to finally have an exciting election year..and it's looking like it's getting better all the time!

Women do not vote on a single issue. Roe vs. Wade has been a mantra that the DNC has used to scare women to stay with them. That is why they stated after HRC lost, "Where else are they going to go?" Roe vs Wade is safe because it will just be thrown back to the states. Therefore, Palin stands an excellent chance of getting support from the Reagon Democrats and Catholics in all those swing states. Remember her extreme pro-life stance is better than Obama's extreme pro-choice stance that calls a baby born alive from a botched late term abortion "medical waste."

My oh my....The Dem's can have a lady run for pres. but the repubs can't have a lady for VP.
and the Dem's yell pandering?????
The Dem's are hip, hip, hurray for a man with 146 days in office, then announced his candidacy for president and then stole the nomination from Hillary.
Didn't Hillary have the popular vote until the "newses" reported the "super delegates" (who trump the popular vote in the Dem party) reneged their pledge and went to Obama.
Please...leave "teats" have NO place in this conversation....

hey...Behind my screen

It was Obamas bill per clinton news network..
A "present' is a I don't care vote...neither yes or no..
and it was the second time the bill came up...

Her biggest weakness is she is a hypocrite. She said she cleaned up Alaska, but is under investigation for an unethical firing of an ex brother in law. Her views on sex eds seem to have failed with her daughter being a glaring example to her and she wants to take Polar Bears off the endangered species list and uglify (if thats a word) her beautiful state in which she personally hikes, hunts, and explores by giving it to Oil Barons (including her husband,who ironcially, works for an oil company).

If republicans realy want to win, they need the old John McCain. Bush has pretty much messed it up for the conservative movement.

No offense, but there is nothing more trite than threadbare sports analogies. Such sports related riffs seem to be, primarily, the domain of Republicans. I am truly not trying to be snarky, but please try to inject something fresh into your commentary, then maybe you can hit a home run, a touchdown, a strike or a... well, you get the idea.

Continuing your baseball metaphor, Sarah Palin is not ready for the Big Leagues. This relative rookie needs to spend more time in the minors. With only a BA in journalism and her slim credentials in political office, this is not the person you want one heartbeat away from the presidency. In fact, I think that's irresponsible of McCain and the Republican Party to put our nation at risk this way. In Palin's selection, I think Maverick McCain thought he was shooting from the hip, but instead he shot himself in the foot.

I find your baseball extended conceptual metaphor to be incredibly troubling.

When teams are entering "rebuilding" that implies they are expecting to lose for a while, in order to have a better shot at winning later. "Rebuilding", is a word used to prepare a fan base for a losing season. After a "losing season", the national record doesn't magically reset itself to 0 - 0, those defeats and their effects linger.

The country needs fixin' now, I haven't seen a platform which disagrees with that assessment yet. (Except for on xkcd.) So if the Republicans are content with using 2008 to "rebuild", then they are 1) letting down the vast majority of their members, who expect them to be competitive in this race (look at the attacks on Obama and just try to argue that they aren't heartfelt as evidence), and gave them time and money to that effect; 2) accepting that even though they argue a Democratic win would be disastrous, by failing to field the best possible candidates now they are willing to risk the best interests of the country today to preserve the long term viability of their brand; and 3) preemptively admitting defeat---no team "rebuilds" that is already competitive!.

I doubt you'll hear a single GOPer ever utter the word "rebuilding". Certainly not anybody trained by Rove. Definitely not the way to conceptually frame it.

Its hilarious that both sides have picked running mates which essentially neuter their best avenues of attack on their opponent. (Although I don't expect it to actually stop them from shooting.) Does keep the race interesting reading, though.

I believe that john McCain definitely made the wrong choice in choosing Sarah Palin as his presumptive vice president. He doesn't believe that she was the best candidate for the job. He had other motives besides choosing someone with experience and qualifications who can do the job right. First of all, since Obama didn't choose Hilary Clinton as his vice president, I believe that McCain wanted to manipulate the women of America into voting for him because he had a woman on his team. What he didn't take into consideration is that many women were not supporting Hilary because she was a woman; they were supporting her because she was the woman. She was the woman with strong, ideas, opinions and ways to improve the country. They supported Hilary because they supported her views and believed that she would be a good president and lead the country in the right direction. They supported her not just because she has the same gender but because they agreed with her views on subject matters dealing with the welfare and leadership of the United States. Personally, I find it truly insulting that McCain chose this woman to become our possible vice president just because of her gender. We know nothing about this lady except that she is a relatively young woman who is a senator in Alaska. She basically came out of no where. No one knew her then......BAM....she could possibly be our new vice president for at least four years. Four years is a long time for someone to lead the country being voted in solely on the basis of gender? She has no experience and with all the problems the United States is enduring lately especially the war in Iraq, I hardly think this is the time for her to learn to take charge of our country. I still don't even no much about her except that she has a husband and children. Sadly enough her youngest child was born with Down syndrome. These types of children need as well as deserve lots of love, care and attention. She knew that her child would be mentally disabled when he was first conceived and she still wanted to have the baby. Although I don't think anything is wrong with her decision to keep the baby because all children are a blessing from god and should be loved and cherished, the child could have potential detrimental and maybe fatal health problems which will require most if not all of her attention. Our country can't afford for our vice president to take frequent time off. This is the secondary chief of command in our country. If McCain becomes president and god forbid something happens to him, she will become first in command and if her child is sick of course her motherly instincts will kick in and the child will become first priority. What will happen to the United States? Who will lead us then? Secondly, McCain knew that although she wasn't the best for the job, his decision would definitely make national headlines and attract much more media attention for himself which therefore would increase his chances of winning the election. This decision certainly made everyone inquisitive as to who this woman is? Where did she come from? What are her ideals? What can she contribute to the future of the United States? And of course the media was all over this story. I think that McCain is extremely wise but also very manipulative and conniving but I guess he figures as well as others....I gotta do what I gotta do to get ahead and ultimately achieve my goal.

Let's hope that Palin is like many hot prospects who find that they are unable to hit the curveball from major league pitchers and quickly disappear.