Decius wrote:
I've repeatedly argued on this blog that Palin is not qualified to be Vice President. I have not, however, mocked her accomplishments. In fact I've complemented her career several times. I can admire your achievements without thinking you prepared for the highest office in the land.

The Republican party, apparently, does not get this. Last night speakers repeatedly mocked "community organizers." Not Obama. Not his experience. They actually directly mocked "community organizers." I, personally, have nothing but respect for smart people who are willing to forgo a good salary in order to roll up their sleeves and help the poor.

You guys look like assholes.

All other things being equal between two hypothetical candidates, with the only differences being: candidate A was a mayor and governor, but never a community organizer; and candidate B was a community organizer, but never a mayor and governor; I'll vote for candidate A. Palin did not belittle community organizers. She went after those who've belittled her experience, while incorrectly claiming that Obama is more experienced. As expected, Palin was very effective in doing so.

All things aren't equal, though. Palin is a conservative and a capitalist, while Obama is a liberal and a socialist, and those factors overshadow the experience issue (on which we can't avoid disagreeing). Even if I thought Palin were less experienced than Obama, Obama is certainly less experienced than McCain, and that's the more valid comparison for anyone who's focused on experience.

Obama might be a nice guy (I've never met the man), but his political views are about as far from mine as one's can get. There's nothing Obama could have on his resume that would convince me to ignore that. I can't imagine swinging all the way from the right to the left (or vice versa) in a given election based on which candidates have slight edges in their job histories... especially when they aren't even running for the same offices. Nor can I conclude that Democrats generally disrespect mayors and governors because of their criticism of Palin, or that Republicans generally disrespect community organizers because of their criticism of Obama. That's just spin.

Stefanie wrote:
All other things being equal between two hypothetical candidates, with the only differences being: candidate A was a mayor and governor, but never a community organizer; and candidate B was a community organizer, but never a mayor and governor; I'll vote for candidate A.

All other things being equal between two hypothetical candidates, with the only difference being: candidate A likes hockey, but is not a lawyer, and candidate B does not like hockey, but is one of the most respected legal minds in the country as evidenced by the fact that he taught constitutional law for over a decade at one of our most exclusive law schools; I'll vote for candidate B. You can think whatever you want about the experience issue but oversimplifications of it are not compelling.

Palin did not belittle community organizers....

In fact, she said that, unlike mayors, community organizers do not have "actual responsibilities..." Thats not spin. Thats what she said.

Nor can I conclude that Republicans generally disrespect community organizers because of their criticism of Obama.

Guliani laughed about Obama's experience as a community organizer. Thats not spin. Thats what he did.

Decius wrote:
...oversimplifications of it are not compelling.

So, downplaying Palin's experience as a mayor and governor isn't oversimplification?

Stefanie wrote:
Palin did not belittle community organizers....

Decius wrote:
In fact, she said that, unlike mayors, community organizers do not have "actual responsibilities..." Thats not spin. Thats what she said.

And that's not an insult, it's just reality. The two jobs don't compare.

Decius wrote:
Guliani laughed about Obama's experience as a community organizer. Thats not spin. Thats what he did.

He laughed at the comparison. Being a community organizer is certainly a worthwhile endeavor, as are many other things; but in the context of running for President and Vice President, few things compare to the responsibilities associated with being a mayor and/or governor (in Palin's case, it's "and," which Roger Catlin omitted). I think you're reading way too much into this.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see how the voters eventually interpret the comparisons.

Stefanie wrote:
Obama might be a nice guy (I've never met the man), but his political views are about as far from mine as one's can get. There's nothing Obama could have on his resume that would convince me to ignore that. I can't imagine swinging all the way from the right to the left (or vice versa) in a given election based on which candidates have slight edges in their job histories...

I don't expect such large swings to happen from people who have strong political views.

My perception of American politics is that most people here are moderates. They want to get along with their lives. They want lower taxes and government services. They want security and civil liberties. Their actual preferred policy is a mix of some laissez faire capitalism over here, some safety nets over there, some more police presence over here, some judicial review over there.

The parties on the other hand are run by radicals. Evangelicals who want to impose their religious values by force through the use of law enforcement. Anarcho-Capitalists who want to drastically cut government services. Socialists who think they are engaged in an epic class war and seek to redistribute the nation's wealth.

These people tend to nominate candidates that are on the edges of mainstream thought. Obama and Bush are both examples. The people are forced to select between extremes that they don't really accept.

I don't expect you to swing. But the general populace has swung. All the football spiking by Republicans after their clear victory in 2004 was completely reversed by 2006. The general population swings. Why?

Because they don't really care about politics. They want competent people who will run the government well, whether that means cutting taxes or raising them. The Republicans are loosing because they are thought incompetent. An inexperienced VP nominee won't serve them in that regard. I expect it to cause people to swing toward Obama, and so far polling has been fairly consistent with that expectation, but it won't be clear for another week.

Decius wrote:
They want competent people who will run the government well, whether that means cutting taxes or raising them.

Even among moderates, I think tax rates matter, and what constitutes a well-run government is a subjective call. Like you, I think that voters should expect competence, and experience is certainly one of the factors to consider when determining a candidate's competence.

I don't think that the majority of Americans are strict centrists, and those independents who actually vote are probably in the minority. I agree that most citizens probably aren't into politics 24/7, and they just want to live their lives; but the role that government plays in our lives is an ever-present issue, and I think most Americans tend to be right-wingers or left-wingers, to varying degrees. Simply identifying oneself as being on the left or right (with or without party affiliation) doesn't make one an extremist. One can be a liberal Democrat without being radical, just as one can be a conservative Republican without being reactionary.

Decius wrote:
An inexperienced VP nominee won't serve them in that regard. I expect it to cause people to swing toward Obama, and so far polling has been fairly consistent with that expectation, but it won't be clear for another week.

If you're correct in your analysis, Obama should win by a healthy margin (possibly even a landslide, had Obama chosen Clinton). In a Republican vacuum (meaning McCain + just about anyone else), I think that's exactly what would've happened. I would've settled for Bob Barr, and I'd be thinking about tonight's Washington Redskins vs. N.Y. Giants game instead of politics; but Palin has changed the landscape. Now, I think we have a contest on our hands. For political junkies, the next two months should be fun.