Great Moments in the Annals of Polling
| Sat Sep. 6, 2008 9:41 AM PDT
GREAT MOMENTS IN THE ANNALS OF POLLING....From a recent ABC News poll:
Eighty-five percent of Republicans view Palin favorably, and nearly nine in 10 approve of her selection as Sen. John McCain's running mate.
....Partisan lenses also color views of whether Palin has the necessary experience to serve as president if that became necessary and whether the news media have treated her fairly in her first week in the spotlight. Forty-two percent of all Americans think she is sufficiently prepared. Among Republicans, however, 74 percent believe she is, a figure that is more than three times higher than among Democrats.
Italics mine. If I'm reading this right, about 89% of Republicans approve of the Palin pick, but only 74% believe she's prepared to be president. This means that 15% of Republicans approve of their nominee choosing a running mate who's unprepared to succeed him if necessary. Analysis is left as an exercise for the reader.
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Comments
I wish that 15% would have watched Joe Biden's speech yesterday.
There is a number two.
I think Palin will slowly become a cautionary tale in American Politics, either way this election goes. But that is what Republicans manufacture best.
If the "unthinkable" were to occur, Palin could step into the White House almost immediately. Well, once she was really comfy.
Some of us remember LBJ getting comfortable and easing into his new job, as Air Force One flew from Dallas to Washington, DC.
The republicans are, as they have for decades, luring those voters who make an emotional choice, not a logical one. It is a tactic that's worked well for them; they've convinced a generation of blue collar workers to vote against their own best interests.
Having said that, let me say this:
With few exceptions, politicians who reach the national stage are just average people with out sized egos (Barney Frank is a notable exception; there are surely others). The clerk at the local 7-11 has the intelligence to do the job, given the right experience. But that experience is key, and when it comes to the federal government and national (and international) issues, Obama/Biden has it, and McCain/Palin clearly does not.
Now can we move beyond PalinPalooza and get to the real issues?
Submitted by Captain Quirk (not verified) on Sat Sep. 6, 2008 10:10 AM PDT.
Her selection was a political decision. So even John McCain doesn't think she's prepared to lead the country.
In the Republican world, ability to run the government is not an important qualification. What's important is holding the key to the treasury so that Halliburton and other cronies can be let in to do their looting. From this point of view there is no contradiction in these polling numbers.
While what you said is strictly true, more accurate is "at least fifteen percent".
It could be as much as 26%:
63% approve, prepared
26% approve, unprepared
11% disapprove, prepared
0% disapprove, unprepared
Which total to:
89% approve
74% prepared
Which are the same numbers that you're starting from.
It could actually be more than 15%. The 74% who believe she is prepared to be president likely includes some of the 11% who do not approve of her selection as running mate. Therefore, if you want to know what percentage of those who approve her selection even though they don't believe she's prepared to be president, then I would think 15% is a minimum and it could be higher.
But the answer should be obvious: "God would not let McCain die, until Sara was prepared". So there is no need to be concerned that she won't be ready on day one. When god decides she is ready, then the blessed event will transpire.
Submitted by Tom Dibble (not verified) on Sun Sep. 7, 2008 8:47 PM PDT.
Not sure if I should worry about the 15 (or more) % of whackjobs who believe it is okay for the vice president to be wholly unqualified to assume the presidency (which may overlap strongly with the 10-20% who failed basic high school civics and believe the vice presidency is just a helper, not the successor to the President), OR if I should instead worry about the 74% who really in their hearts believe she is "prepared" to assume such a role.
In either case, I think the "whackjob quotient" in the Republican Party has just been measured at 89%.
