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NEA Reacts to McCain’s Running Mate Choice

August 29th, 2008 · 11 Comments

Sarah Palin

Saying Sarah Palin differs with John McCain on most public education issues, an official with the always-too-far-to-the-left National Education Association offered some surprisingly-gracious comments about the first woman to appear on a Republican presidential ticket.

“The 3.2 million members of the National Education Association are pleasantly surprised by Senator John McCain’s selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to join his ticket as the Republican nominee for vice president,” said NEA President Reg Weaver.

“While she is only in her second year as Alaska’s Governor, she has thus far shown herself to be a supporter of children and public education. She comes from a family of educators. Her father was a teacher, her brother is a teacher, and her mother was an education support professional.

“In her less than two years as the state’s chief executive officer, she was able to increase per-pupil education spending,” Weaver added, “and she is opposed to sending public money to support private schools through political schemes like vouchers.

“Her selection, however, has certainly taken the issue of experience off the table for political debate.”

In a news release this afternoon, NEA officials noted that Governor Palin participated in NEA Alaska’s candidate recommendation process when she ran for the post.  You can view her candidate interview with NEA-Alaska and her formal candidate questionnaire on the NEA-Alaska website.

Wow!

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11 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Maggie Thornton // Aug 29, 2008 at 6:44 pm

    RCP

    This is excellent news. Really, kind of hard to believe – but just excellent.

    I disagree about the experience-level. It’s Obama with with little experience, and what he has is pitiful.

    This is a good choice and I’m glad to see the NEA step-up.

    Maggie

  • 2 Slade // Aug 29, 2008 at 7:46 pm

    I dunno about this. Seems like a posturing move and it’s uncertain if it will work. Her lack of experience basically nulls any chance of continued attacks on Obama and her being a virtual unkown is not about to win over independents. Hard to see if this is enough to win over the Hillary crowd.

    Also with McCain at 7 and at fluctuating health it may make folks nervous that he would place someone with so little experience and reputation just a heartbeat away from the presidency.

    Needless to say a lot is now going to come out about her as the press vets her but we’ll really know if it was wise for McCain or not. Perhaps it will be a non-issue at all.

  • 3 hotoffthepress2 // Aug 29, 2008 at 7:49 pm

    Slade — Experience is not an issue. Read up on it and, if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll agree. Report back in a couple of days. Thanks.

  • 4 Slade // Aug 29, 2008 at 9:00 pm

    I have read up on it and if you really ask yourself how can you say she is “Experienced” and Obama is not. Obama has been in government for as much time if not more than her especially considering his political activities and legal experience prior to his Senate seat.

    she’s been Govenor for months and was a Mayor of a town of 6300 for a couple of terms. That is hardly dwarfing Obama’s record so forgive me if I am not convinced.

  • 5 hotoffthepress2 // Aug 29, 2008 at 9:21 pm

    Slade — Fact is, Palin also had several years of experience as an ethics commissioner on the state’s oil and gas commission (a big deal in Alaska). But I’m not basing my decision solely on experience; instead, I’m basing it on values and beliefs. Obama’s are off the chart in the wrong direction as far as I’m concerned.

  • 6 Slade // Aug 29, 2008 at 9:27 pm

    I can respect that but the point I was making is that from the “attack” standpoint McCain has been on he just nulled it with regards to his choice. I am talking about hypocrisy not “values”. If McCain wishes to attack Obama on his experience it does not serve him well to choose a running mate with just as little experience. If he wants to debate values then great. I would love for these candidates to honestly debate the issues and values they represent. Sadly they aren’t doing it. They are just going back and fourth with the same attacks showing just what big hypocrites they both are.

  • 7 Ryan // Aug 29, 2008 at 10:06 pm

    Palin has absolutely nothing to add to this ticket. She’s not Hillary, not even close. All of Hillary’s voters were pro-choice! Palin is pro-life! They’ll look at her as concession, and resent her for it. Besides, if something happens to McCain- god-for-bid he passes, there is no way that any American would feel confident with her as our president. He should have picked Huckabee. That would be our version of Joe Biden — A working class guy, that everyone could relate to, to counter McCain’s old school, old money systematic lifestyle. As a conservative, I’m appalled that McCain played into this Hillary game. This election has just ended. See you in 2012.

  • 8 hotoffthepress2 // Aug 30, 2008 at 6:31 am

    Ryan — Palin is a great choice! 2012? Yes, a second GOP term looks good to me, too!

  • 9 Slade // Aug 30, 2008 at 8:00 am

    Ryan- Good observations. McCain had far better public choices at his disposal like Huckabee or Romney but for whatever reason he went the unkown route which I think will only hurt him.

    But there are downsides to the obvious choices which he felt were too restrictive to make the choice. It also appears as a pandering move designed just to get sympathy votes but I don’t believe it. Palin is Pro Life as you pointed out and is Evangelical which will scare off a lot of Pro Hillary voters and even independents. Also she has some contradictions that, like Biden and Obama, seem interesting most notably her claim to be pro environment but also big time pro drilling among others.

    McCain at times though has seem week from the far Right and over the past couple years he has worked hard to move to that extreme, notably aligning himself with far right Evangelical organizations which he previously claimed he would never pander too. Yet still many were skeptical of his commitment so it is possible the nomination of Palin is designed to somehow confirm himself to the Evangelical crowd.

    Much like for Obama where Biden was chosen to add an attack dog but more likely in hopes he could deliver Pennsylvania to Obama, which is expected to be the hot state, McCains move seems to have motive for votes.

  • 10 scotty417 // Aug 31, 2008 at 7:09 am

    Sarah Palin has executive experience and had to make decisions every day. The buck stopped with her. She had to govern an entire state and be fiscally responsble.

    Barrack Obama, on the other hand, voted “present” numerous times, which means that he passed the buck and was unwililng to make the tough decision. He took up one of the 100 seats and voted when it was expedient.

    Now you ask me which of these two has more experience?

  • 11 hotoffthepress2 // Aug 31, 2008 at 7:16 am

    Scotty — Answer: Palin!

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