A Huge Guffaw, Thanks to Paul Begala

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If you can keep a straight face while reading what Paul Begala says in this article, you’re a better person than me:

Is McCain Out of His Mind?

OK, real slow here…Begala thinks that McCain is crazy because he picked a lady with somewhat limited executive experience to be Vice-President…while at the same time, he backs a man with no executive experience, and limited legislative experience, to be President.

Your career in comedy beckons, Paul…

16 Comments

  1. Dave on August 29, 2008 at 4:59 pm

    Mr. Begala is, plain and simple, an idiot.
    A Clinton flunky who now must back Obama who has NO EXPERIENCE at all.

  2. Gerald on August 29, 2008 at 5:08 pm

    Dumb decision by Mc Cain. simply Dump. this a gift for the Democrat!

  3. Byron on August 29, 2008 at 5:32 pm

    Hey, Gerald, if’n ya think so, more power to ya, friend! I think it’s nothing short of a stroke of genius. Funny how two folks can look at the same event and see it so differently, isn’t it?

    And whether McCain’s a genius or an idiot with this pick, you’ve got to admit that it’s funny that Begala would harp on Sarah Palin’s lack of experience while backing a less-experienced man for President.

  4. Derlin on August 30, 2008 at 1:11 am

    I was thinking the same thing on my ride home today. Regardless of whether Palin is sufficiently experienced, she has more executive experience than Obama, and the presidency just happens to be in the executive branch of US government.

  5. Laurie on August 30, 2008 at 3:41 am

    Paul admits her personal story is impressive – I don’t know if he was just being sarcastic, but the woman balances her marriage, five – well, let’s say four because one is an adult, children – one of which has Down’s syndrome, and a career in politics. She’s had more on her plate than Obama. Yes, Obama’s lack of experience has been noted – so now his supporters are turning it around and saying she doesn’t have a lot of experience either. The fact is – she’s been running a state – he never has, not even one that has a lot of reindeer. How is it that she is “so completely unqualified” but Obama isn’t? He needs to explain in what way Obama is more qualified than she is.

    “Suddenly” McCain’s age and health become central issues in the campaign – in the last 24 hours? Can anyone guarantee they’ll be alive for the next four years? McCain’s judgment in choosing her is “shockingly irresponsible”? Funny, I had a similar thought about Hillary Clinton when I listened to her speech at the Democratic convention asking her supporters to vote for Obama. Here’s what she previously said about him:

    “So you decide which makes more sense: Entrust our country to someone who is ready on day one … or to put America in the hands of someone with little national or international experience, who started running for president the day he arrived in the U.S. Senate.” — Dec. 3, 2007 speech

    “I know Sen. McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to the White House. And Sen. Obama has a speech he gave in 2002.” — March 2008 campaign commercial

    If she really believed that – why is she now using her influence to get him elected?

  6. Jane on September 2, 2008 at 7:43 pm

    I heard on the way home from work that Obama says his campaign experience qualifies him for president because he has more employees than she had staff when she was mayor. I tend to take the word of a man, Mike Huckabee, a governor, who said if you’ve sat in the governor’s chair for any length of time, you’ve made the kind of fast and life altering decision that do indeed qualify you for president.

    By the way, is there a course of study called President of the United States that I can sign up for? No? You mean there is no preparatory classroom experience? I guess, then, governing a state, maybe the most important energy producing state we have, just might qualify.

  7. Byron on September 2, 2008 at 10:54 pm

    @Jane: But…but…he was a “community organizer”!

    Whatever that is…

  8. Graham on September 3, 2008 at 3:04 pm

    Isn’t the course of study Jane mentions supposed to be mainly practical work rather than classroom?

  9. Misfit on September 4, 2008 at 2:34 pm

    What strikes me funny in the choices of VPs is that Obama has been all about change, change – YES WE CAN! Then he picks Biden – one of DCs longest insiders!! How does that equate with change?? But, wait! He needed Biden’s experience because he clearly lacks any himself. However, McCain’s choice of Palin speaks more to me of change. She’s NOT a Washington insider. In reviewing her info, she’s a tough cookie who is not afraid to fight for right even if it’s against her own party! I LOVE the fact that she sold thet jet on e-bay. Shows she’s creative AND has a sense of humor!

    I’ve said this before, but there’s something about Obama that just makes the hairs on my neck stand up. I can’t pinpoint it though. He’s charismatic alright, I’ll give him that much. But there’s just something about him…. Now, McCain… I wasn’t too keen on that choice either, but I certainly feel much better about McCain since he chose Palin as his running mate.

  10. Ricky on September 4, 2008 at 3:10 pm

    Misfit,

    I know what you mean about the hairs standing up on you neck. Obama scares the heck out of me. But what is worse is I have a daughter who has said openly that she would bow and worship him if she was in his presence. Now that really scares the daylights out of me! I personally have launched an e-mail campaign to try to shed light on this guy for other people who are either to lazy or to mesmerized to do so themselves.

    Somehow the people of this country have to be shook awake before the biggest mistake in our history is made. A mistake that could see the un-doing, of all that this country is about.

    Ricky

  11. Misfit on September 4, 2008 at 3:19 pm

    Thanks, Ricky. Best of luck with your e-mail campaign. I have to admit that I’m worred about this election – it scares me.

    I’ll say a prayer for your daughter. Peace be with you.]

    Francie

  12. Laurie on September 5, 2008 at 12:53 pm

    McCain certainly shook things up by choosing Palin – she really is a breath of fresh air. The other side has got to be worried about how she’s impacting not only the Republican party, but undecideds. She showed plenty of spunk, the media and Dems think they will rattle her by harping on her “lack of experience”, but she’s a big girl and it looks like she can handle herself; she’s a strong woman who has held her own in the “Boys Club” of politics so far – like the Hawaiian governor said “Gov. Palin and I are doing alright”.

    The other issue they’re really dramatizing is her daughter’s situation. One journalist said the R’s can’t have it both ways – first they say back off of her family, then Palin has her up on the stage at the RNC. Would they have been happier if Palin sent her off to live with a relative until after the baby comes?

    Another said that when an unmarried girl gets pregnant on the south side of Chicago (you can guess where this is coming from), the R’s don’t paint it as a beautiful thing, often blaming the parent(s) and maybe now they’ll have more compassion. Hmmm. I don’t think anyone believes Palin didn’t teach her daughter good values, and there are 2 parents in the home who have a religious background so I’m guessing they had rules in effect.

    I have a son who’s now 27 (he’s married now)and has been a Christian since his early teens. I taught him how a Christian young man should behave; when we had “the talk”, it was about abstinence – and that there’s no such thing as “safe” sex, they really should call it “safer” sex. We also explained that if something were to happen, we wanted him to know he could come to us for help and there would be no condemnation – we were telling him ahead of time what the consequences would be so there would be no need to rehash it later. We told him that an unplanned pregnancy was unfair to the child, the mother, and would affect other people; but once it’s on the way, all that would be set aside and we would welcome the baby, who is not at fault, and do everything we could to help.

    The fact is, you can teach your kids good values, but you can’t make their decisions for them. Much is being made of Palin “subjecting” her daughter to public scrutiny, but I don’t see her glamorizing this situation, nor is she trying to hide it. The boyfriend’s mother says her son chose to join the Palin’s at the RNC, and they say the two are not living together and have been talking about marriage. We live in a society that has made living together and having children out of wedlock an everyday thing, just stand in line at the grocery store and check out all the magazines that show celebrities doing these things with no apologies.

    What the journalist who made the comment about the so-called “lack of compassion” for unwed pregnant girls from the south side of Chicago fails to acknowledge is that there’s a reason why so many of those girls end up in this situation, and that it falls on society to take care of them because their parents can’t/won’t. Gov. Palin has already proved, by keeping her son Trig after finding out he would have Down’s symdrome, that she believes every human life is beautiful.

  13. Derlin on September 8, 2008 at 12:39 am

    I was looking around and found this article saying that more British births (just over 50%, I’m assuming this is mothers of all ages) are to unwed mothers than married mothers for the first time:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1034254/Most-British-babies-born-wedlock-migrants-tiny-minority.html

    Then I found this article about American mothers.

    http://www.truthout.org/article/more-than-half-young-mothers-give-birth-out-wedlock

    More mothers (just over 50%) under 30 years of age are giving birth out of wedlock in the US, but in total, its just under 37% out of wedlock.

    Sarah Palin’s responsibility for her daughter’s choices just about ends with educating her properly. Beyond that, unless she locks up her children, they have to make their own decisions. Then S. Palin can choose how to respond to those decisions, as they may be good or bad. All I see here is choosing to love her child, regardless of whether she approves. I haven’t heard whether she approves or not, and while it’s an important question, it’s hardly as important as anyone seems to be claiming it to be right now.

  14. Laurie on September 8, 2008 at 1:16 am

    It would be oddly inconsistent to be pro-life and a Christian, and not have a problem with minors having sex – particularly your own child.

    I wonder why the media doesn’t make a bigger deal out of the comments Obama made during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania:

    “When it comes specifically to HIV/AIDS, the most important prevention is education, which should include — which should include abstinence education and teaching the children — teaching children, you know, that sex is not something casual,” he said.

    “But it should also include — it should also include other, you know, information about contraception because, look, I’ve got two daughters. 9 years old and 6 years old,” he added.

    “I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby,” Obama said.

    His next comment was that he also wouldn’t want them punished with an STD – so apparently an unplanned baby and an STD are equally undesirable – and these are the values and morals he’s going to teach them?

  15. Derlin on September 8, 2008 at 2:20 am

    I’m confused. Should one of an unplanned baby or an STD be desirable, or should one of them simply be less desirable than the other?

    Since a sexual union can have an outcome of nothing, an STD, or a baby. Each of these outcomes, or consequences, could be desired or undesired, depending on which partner you ask. Why shouldn’t an unplanned baby be a punishment, just as any other undesired consequence to an action? There’s no excuse here for the new parents to not love and nurture that child (and the child certainly bears no guilt for the act that formed it), but I don’t see why they should immediately bounce up and down with joy as if they wanted things this way.

    Had Obama mentioned here whether abortion was a contraception “option” would have been very telling here.

  16. Laurie on September 8, 2008 at 3:47 am

    The difference, I think, is in a person’s world view. He was talking about prevention by education on contraception, saying if his daughters made a mistake, he wouldn’t want them punished by having to suffer the consequences of their actions. This, in my opinion, is the mindset of the person who is pro-choice – let’s face it, abortion IS a contraception option – that is the primary reason, by far, that women have them. When a woman goes in to have an abortion, they don’t really care why she wants one – they go thru the motions of asking her if she’s considered the options, but in reality abortion is the option she’s chosen. The pregnancy is inconvenient.

    The problem I had with his statement is the implication that contraceptives are a way to get around having to suffer the potential consequences of having sex outside of marriage; that seems to me a self-centered, self-serving idea – and it sounded to me like he was presenting an unplanned pregnancy and an STD not only as “punishments”, but as something you’d want to get rid of. Something inconvenient.

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