Has there ever in the history of the USA been an instance when a running mate was picked and then for whatever reason was scrapped/dropped out and a new one named?

If there hasn't with the way things are going I think we could have a historic first!

I dont think so. But, Democrats are the only ones unhappy with Palin.

Lieberman is speaking at the RNC right now. (He's funny)

I hear all of this stuff at the RNC, but congress will remain in the control of democrats, and democrats will only increase their hold on the senate (I don't know about the house). So if McCain wins, good luck to him in getting anything done.

McCain has a long history of bi-partisanship. Lieberman is talking about it right now.

Does Joe think any of those people care about Bill Clinton or welfare reform? LOL.

McCain has a long history of bi-partisanship. Lieberman is talking about it right now.

And being bi-partisan usually means you are NOT extremely liberal or conservative. Democrats may work with McCain, but I doubt Palin would have any influence, who is the reason that ultra-conservatives are voting for McCain.

Edited September 3, 200817 yr by bandbfan

I'll talk to you guys tomorrow. I'm going to go finish watching the RNC.

Seriously, who is this women? McCain is an idoit!! Out of all the people he chooses this woman who nobody knows nothing about. The people at my work were laughing today. They cant believe what an idiot move McCain made. When I was told who he had choosen...I was like WTF?

Edited September 3, 200817 yr by Soapsuds

This show what a hypocritical bitch Sarah Palin is.

Mulder! Pimpin'! Calm down dude.

Edited September 3, 200817 yr by Roman

McCain's pick of Palin says a lot about judgment, a President needs to have good judgment. Sarah Palin admitted that she hadn't thought much about Iraq, she doesn't know what a VP does all day and she is under investigation for abuse of power, plus there is the secessionist issue. Clearly, selecting someone with these issues does not show good judgment and that's not someone we need as President. The choice came so far out of the blue, I was shocked when I heard it.

Edited September 3, 200817 yr by ReddFoxx

I hear all of this stuff at the RNC, but congress will remain in the control of democrats, and democrats will only increase their hold on the senate (I don't know about the house). So if McCain wins, good luck to him in getting anything done.

IF McCain wins, and the Democrats get a veto-proof majority.....

Nothing will get done.

By Paul Kane

ST. PAUL -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee who revealed Monday that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, earlier this year used her line-item veto to slash funding for a state program benefiting teen mothers in need of a place to live.

After the legislature passed a spending bill in April, Palin went through the measure reducing and eliminating funds for programs she opposed. Inking her initials on the legislation -- "SP" -- Palin reduced funding for Covenant House Alaska by more than 20 percent, cutting funds from $5 million to $3.9 million. Covenant House is a mix of programs and shelters for troubled youths, including Passage House, which is a transitional home for teenage mothers.

According to Passage House's web site, its purpose is to provide "young mothers a place to live with their babies for up to eighteen months while they gain the necessary skills and resources to change their lives" and help teen moms "become productive, successful, independent adults who create and provide a stable environment for themselves and their families."

Palin's own daughter, Bristol, is five months pregnant and has plans to wed.

"Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family," Palin said in a statement released by the McCain campaign. "We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi's privacy, as has always been the tradition of children of candidates."

Earlier today the Associated Press reported that Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, opposed funding to prevent teen pregnancies, a position that Palin also took as governor. "The explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support," she wrote in a 2006 questionnaire distributed among gubernatorial candidates.

Reporters asked McCain in November 2007 whether he supported grants for sex education in the United States, whether such programs should include directions for using contraceptives and whether he supports President Bush's policy of promoting abstinence.

"Ahhh, I think I support the president's policy," McCain said.

This article is exactly why I have a problem with the Republicans when it comes to social issues. It seems as though they just want to get the vote of pro-lifers. They don't actually care what happens to the babies born to poor and/or uneducated teen/single mothers once they're in the world. The moment the child is born, the mom is on her own. That disgusts me. What about the pregnant teens who don't have family support? WTH are they supposed to do? Palin and McCain don't want them to have any programs to improve their lives and to better provide for their babies--even though they look down on welfare cases.

According to his website he only supports it if the Mother is in danger (Which i don't agree)

I think that's the case. I don't think the voting specifies reasons legislation was supported and I think there is a huge problem with the way legislation is written in far too many instances. Especially when they tack on things that have nothing to do with the primary bill but that's another topic altogether.

I wholeheartedly agree that it makes no sense to cut all these programs that give a baby a fighting chance if one is strong pro life advocate.

I want to add that I thought Huckabee would have been the choice as well.

I think its sadly funny (if that makes sense) that the father of Bristol Palin's child has on his Facebook that "don't want no kids". And that a plane has been dispatched to Alaska to bring him to the convention. It's quite obvious where she stands on sex education. She doesn't want any. She would rather see teenagers out on the street than have any kind of healthcare, food and education and clothing. She's a mother and grandmother. Would she want that for her kids?

The Fix by Chris Cillizza

washingtonpost.com's Politics Blog

McCain Manager: 'This Election is Not About Issues'

UPDATE, 6:18 pm: In reaction to Rick Davis' comments about the election not being about issues, Barack Obama campaign manager David Plouffe released the following statement: "We appreciate Senator McCain's campaign manager finally admitting that his campaign is not in fact about the issues the American people care about, which is exactly the kind of cynical old politics people are ready to change."

ORIGINAL POST

Rick Davis, campaign manager for John McCain's presidential bid, insisted that the presidential race will be decided more over personalities than issues during an interview with Post editors this morning.

"This election is not about issues," said Davis. "This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."

Davis added that issues will no doubt play a major role in the decisions undecided voters will make but that they won't ultimately be conclusive. He added that the campaign has "ultimate faith" in the idea that the more voters get to know McCain and Barack Obama, the better the Republican nominee will do.

Davis generally dismissed the controversies surrounding McCain's vice presidential pick -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin -- as a media creation but did acknowledge that her acceptance speech, which seems likely to come tomorrow, is critically important to defining who she is to the American public.

As for the speech itself, Davis said a generic, "masculine" speech was being prepared before the pick was made and, now that Palin is the choice, she is adapting the speech to her own needs and personality.

Davis demurred when asked when Palin will sit for interviews with major news organizations, pointing out that now would not be the right time given the "combative" attitude the media has seemingly adopted toward Palin. Pressed on the issue, Davis insisted that "we allot a lot more access in our campaign than any campaign in modern political history....we'll get around to it."

On the general election playing field, Davis alleged that Obama had tried -- and failed -- to expand the political map, and that 11 or 12 states (and maybe as many as 13) would be truly competitive. He added that campaign operatives are feeling better than they did a month ago about Iowa and Minnesota and believe their prospects have not dimmed in any competitive state during that time.

Davis did admit, however, the challenges of running for president as a Republican in this political atmosphere.

"We are in the worst Republican environment since Nixon in 1972," said Davis. "We take that seriously. We get the joke."

I guess they don't want people to talk about issues.

I want to add that I thought Huckabee would have been the choice as well.

I think its sadly funny (if that makes sense) that the father of Bristol Palin's child has on his Facebook that "don't want no kids". And that a plane has been dispatched to Alaska to bring him to the convention. It's quite obvious where she stands on sex education. She doesn't want any. She would rather see teenagers out on the street than have any kind of healthcare, food and education and clothing. She's a mother and grandmother. Would she want that for her kids?

Maybe she thinks that will never happen to anyone in her family so it's a non issue but she should be able to empathize.

So they're bringing him to the convention? Maybe they're moving the wedding date up since part of that pregnancy announcement was that they she was going to get married.

Being someone who has dealt with Huckabee for 10 years.........*shudder*

I want to add that I thought Huckabee would have been the choice as well.

I think its sadly funny (if that makes sense) that the father of Bristol Palin's child has on his Facebook that "don't want no kids". And that a plane has been dispatched to Alaska to bring him to the convention. It's quite obvious where she stands on sex education. She doesn't want any. She would rather see teenagers out on the street than have any kind of healthcare, food and education and clothing. She's a mother and grandmother. Would she want that for her kids?

My myspace says doesnt want kids. However if i knocked someone up i would damnw ell take care of my child.

And it isnt that she doesnt want any. Its that she wants abstinence-only. And i dont see how that emans she wants to see teenagers out on the street without heathcare, food, education, or clothing.

Opinion: Palin is a terrific VP pick

By Ruben Navarrette Jr.

Article Launched: 09/03/2008 12:02:02 AM PDT

Never mind the naysayers and inside-the-Beltway snobs who mock John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. This was a brilliant choice.

Sure, it's a risk. But as Palin's defenders point out, it's no less a risk than asking the country to take a chance at the top of the ticket on a first-term senator from Illinois who doesn't have much to show in legislative accomplishments or foreign policy expertise.

I've defended Barack Obama by urging that we think outside the box and ask whether the world with which McCain is so familiar hasn't changed over the last 40 years to the point where it's no longer familiar to the rest of us. Now it's fair to raise the same concern about the individual whom Palin will square off against, Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden, who entered the Senate when Palin was 8.

Still, not all is well in McCainland. The news that Palin's unmarried 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant has raised questions about whether this choice was properly vetted and whether the selection was made in haste. That should be investigated since it reflects on McCain's judgment.

It's not about her

But that has nothing to do with Sarah Palin. So let's stop piling on, especially since all too many pundits and politicos have little to offer but snarky criticisms. And let's give McCain credit for a daring choice that offers more to the Republican Party and the country than many realize at the moment.

This was McCain using his opponent's strength against him. Coming on the heels of a Democratic convention that was all about diversity, change and making history, it offered an alternative to Americans who are ready +to shake up Washington but who don't think that Obama is the one to do the shaking. It also showed that neither party is wedded to the old and tired image of four white males vying to lead the country.

Besides, those who know Palin best — her Alaska constituents — tell reporters they like her, trust her and find her easy to relate to, qualities many Americans say they find lacking in the Democratic nominee. And anyone who thinks those qualities aren't important in a presidential candidate probably doesn't understand why Bill Clinton beat Bob Dole in 1996 and George W. Bush beat John Kerry in 2004.

Lastly, picking Palin gave the McCain campaign a much-needed infusion of excitement, and donors have responded by contributing more than $10 million since the selection was announced. In fact, the McCain campaign reported recently that it raised $47 million in August, the largest monthly fundraising total to date.

But what really gave away that this was a good choice was the reaction from the Democrats and their pals in the media. When they weren't criticizing Palin, they were painting her as inexperienced. These are not folks who worry about the best interests of the Republican Party.

Liberals' fears

Perhaps liberals fear a McCain-Palin ticket might be easy to underestimate but difficult to beat. It's likely Democrats would have preferred to run against a ticket that included a more predictable running mate such as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney or a pro-choice candidate who would have alienated the Republican base such as former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. Or maybe the left is simply bothered by the fact that, with such a bold move, McCain seems to have cheated Barack Obama and Joe Biden out of the traditional post-convention bounce. A CNN/Opinion Research poll taken after both events — the Democratic convention and McCain's choice of Palin — shows the Obama-Biden ticket leading the McCain-Palin ticket by one point, 49 percent to 48 percent. In other words, the contest is still tied.

Republicans have lots of reasons to be enthused about this choice, and Democrats lots of reasons to resent it. But in the end, no matter how this election turns out, it's the country that stands to benefit the most from John McCain's historic decision to launch Sarah Palin onto the national stage.

http://www.mercurynews.com/elections/ci_10369089