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Member of Senate GOP Leadership: Palin Isn't Experienced Enough to be President

October 31, 2008 7:31 PM

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, sat for an interview on Nevada One's “NewsONE at 9."

Reporter Jeff Gillan asked Ensign about the fact that "if you look at the polling, the people who are voting against John McCain say the primary reason they're voting against him is because of Sarah Palin. They don't believe that she's ready to be vice president.

"You've heard some grumblings within the Republican party," he continued, "that circular firing squad already kind of setting up, people blaming each other for John McCain's fortunes right now. Do you think in retrospect, she was the best choice, and do you think your party would have been better served had he gone with a Joe Lieberman or had he gone with a Tom Ridge..."

"Or a Mitt Romney?" Ensign interjected. "There were some very, very talented people that he was considering. You remember, at the time, the Republican party was not fired up at all and she fired up the Republican party; and look at the crowds..."

Ensign continued, saying, "she was an initial great start and the campaign just completely mishandled her. What they tried to do is in traditional campaigns before 24-hour cable news, you had a situation where they always told you, 'when you do your campaign speech, don't get tired of hearing it yourself. Keep giving it, because you're going to be in Pennsylvania one day, to Nevada the next, they've never heard your speech.'

"Well, they kept having Sarah Palin, for the first two weeks after the convention, give the same speech and people were saying, 'She's just an empty suit -- all she does is give this little scripted speech, we’ve heard it all before,'" Ensign said.

"What they should have been doing at that time is briefing her on some of the international issues which she was absolutely inexperienced on -- everybody knew that; she's the governor of a state -- a tremendous governor, a very popular governor, did a great job as the chief executive, but then they should have let her go a little bit, because she's a great speaker, she's great off the cuff, she’s doing a lot better this last week or so that they let her have a little more freedom, and she’s getting a little more comfortable with the issues..."

Pondered the member of GOP Senate Leadership, "Has she been a net negative? You could maybe make that argument, but I would blame some of the campaign handlers for her being that net negative because they did not handle her correctly."

Asked Gillan: "Do you think she's qualified to be president?"

Ensign said, "I do not think that Barack Obama or her are experienced enough to be president of the United States -- neither one of them, and Hillary Clinton was much more qualified to be president than Barack Obama was, but that's who the nominee is.

"John McCain is much more qualified than Barack Obama and certainly, Joe Biden is much more qualified than Sarah Palin is," Ensign said. "I'd rather have the most qualified person at the top of the ticket, not number two."

- jpt

October 31, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (119)

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buzziea

Palin's IQ is 130, the same as Obama's. Maybe it is time for him to march his puny little butt off the stage also.

Posted by: Diehard | Nov 2, 2008 1:40:48 AM

In it, I pointed out that the headline only mentions Ensign questioning Palin's readiness for President, but left out him also questioning Obama's, which is not balanced. My post also said something similar happened when Karl Rove said both campaigns had been less than honest, but Obama's campaign and the media afterward portrayed it as Rove had only criticized McCain, which was itself dishonest even as the topic was honesty and McCain was being falsely singled out. Then it mentioned that Pew Research had found in a poll that 70% of Americans feel the press wants Obama to win, and that I thought they believed that with good reason. Mr Tapper himself has written: "I want this to be a place where people of all political stripes can engage in lively, civil debates." Is there something I'm missing here?

Posted by: Erika | Nov 2, 2008 1:08:02 AM

All these Republican leaders are telling the truth about Palin. She should have left the stage long ago with her low IQ tail stuck between her legs. How embarrassing for her to hear fellow GOPS diss her. McCain too.

Posted by: buzziea | Nov 1, 2008 5:29:21 PM

Sen. Ensign: "I do not think that Barack Obama or her are experienced enough to be president of the United States."

And that equals:

"Member of Senate GOP Leadership: Palin Isn't Experienced Enough to be President"

It reminds me of "Karl Rove says both campaigns have been less than honest," which equaled, "John McCain has been dishonest." The Obama campaign seized on it in statements to the press (the irony and the hypocrisy - they're criticizing McCain for lack of honesty while being dishonest about what Karl Rove said. And if I'm not mistaken, the Democrats even made a commercial about it.

Both of these are bald-faced smears from the self-proclaimed "honest" side about the "dishonest."

No wonder Pew Research says 70% of Americans believe most reporters want to see Obama elected (“Most Voters Say News Media Wants Obama to Win”)

Posted by: Erika | Nov 1, 2008 5:06:10 PM

AMEN TO THAT!

Posted by: TRUE AMERICAN FOR OBAMA/BIDEN | Nov 1, 2008 12:52:53 PM

My nose must be broken because this doesn't pass the smell test... I wonder what he's worried about turning up when Palin starts doing one of her soon-to-be assigned duties...

CC

Posted by: CapedConservative | Nov 1, 2008 10:50:54 AM

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.. "if you look at the polling, the people who are voting against John McCain say the primary reason they're voting against him is because of Sarah Palin. They don't believe that she's ready to be vice president.

Well, DUH

Posted by: AudreyA | Nov 1, 2008 9:10:31 AM

Jeanie -

Enough with the "facts" cherry picking. When Obama bumbs someone from his plane, it presages a Hugo Chavez regime. You're either ignoring the fact that McCain's done the same thing or you don't know that he has.

He literally left Maureen Dowd of the NY Times stranded at the Pittsburgh airport and more recently banned Joe Klein of Time from his press plane. He also refused to appear on CNN because of the grilling that one of his hacks took from a CNN reporter.

By the way, the Orlando talking head who asked Biden if Obama was a "Marxist" was the station's "health reporter" whose husband is a Republican consultant. No wonder her questions sounded like wingnut talking points.

Posted by: Brooklyn Democrat | Nov 1, 2008 8:15:33 AM

With an IQ of 130 Obama is not exactly the brightest bulb in the room and then add ignorance on top of that.

Posted by: Diehard | Nov 1, 2008 3:03:15 AM

Let's see...a president should also have integrity and sound judgement, both of which, John McCain has shown he does not possess.

Posted by: ziadora | Nov 1, 2008 2:59:59 AM

Palin is running for Vice President, not President. If the reporter were not so biased the headline would have read: Member of Senate GOP Leadership: Obama Isn't Experienced Enough to be President.

Posted by: Diehard | Nov 1, 2008 2:58:08 AM

Democrats are not running on their policies, they are running on the past administration. They are not campaigning against McCain, they are campaining against Bush.
Bush's time is up folks and McCain IS NOT Bush no matter what you might think.

Obama has already said that he will not be able to fulfill his promises to you in 100 days but instead it probably will take more like 1,000 days. I guess he figures it will take his millions of advisers that long to tell him what to do since he does not know how to fix what he has saidneeded fixing.

He is a lame excuse for President. He has no experience at all when it comes to doing anything but raising taxes. He voted to raise taxes on anyone making 42,000.00. Now you believe his hot air about not raising your taxes unless first he said 250,000 then 200,000 then 150,000 and now the Gov. of New Mexico says he means 120,000. By the time he get ready to tax everyone it will be back to the 42,000 income bracket.

Wake up before it is too late.

Remember Rev. Wright. Obama sat in his church for 20 years holloring AMEN to his anti white, anti American (God Damn America comments. He did not even denounce him until he was caught up with and then he really did not want to but HAD to get a few more votes.

Heavens help us if this goon is elected.

Posted by: Tom | Nov 1, 2008 2:10:19 AM

Posted by: A Veteran | Oct 31, 2008 9:40:01 PM


Anyhow, it's going to be a Democratic landslide so I hope the Republicans have the decency to go with some democratic dignity, instead of scratching and crying and whining and blaming.

Grow up.

Posted by: A Veteran | Oct 31, 2008 9:40:01 PM
To the poster who posted this:

Anyhow, it's going to be a Democratic landslide so I hope the Republicans have the decency to go with some democratic dignity, instead of scratching and crying and whining and blaming.

Grow up.
________________________________________
Surely you have not forgotten the whining and fussing and lack of dignity aafter the 2004 election when you liberal Democrats kept holloring sayijng Bush stole the election. I call that whining, crying etc.

Posted by: Tom | Nov 1, 2008 1:54:11 AM

If I've done my math correctly, I'm giving Obama 369 electoral votes.
I am lamenting the short, could-have-been-brilliant career of Sarah Palin.

Over the past eight years, the Republican Party has imploded. In this election cycle, the conservative intelligentsia has effectively split from the "base," that portion of the party that is seemingly "excited" or "energized" not by issues of war or oil or the economy but by those that forge a social wedge. Add to that the shifting demographics of America and the Republican Party's woeful inability to attract people of color, and there is a very real possibility that for the foreseeable future the Republicans will be reduced to a nonentity within politics.

The Republicans desperately need their Barack Obama.

It could have been Sarah Palin.

Could have been, except for John McCain's gut-check, Hail Mary, game-changing, unvetted decision to take an inexperienced "small town" politician and dump her on the national stage with little more than 60 days to go before votin' time.

Palin instantly struck a chord with the "don't care about nothing except 'values' portion of the party." What Palin brought to the ticket was an ability to blunt the Democrats' message of change -- personified by Obama and Hillary Clinton and even Bill Richardson on a national level -- while being able to speak the language of "values" with the GOP base.

However -- token hire that she was -- Palin 1.0 alienated Republicans who don't support affirmative action that puts the under qualified at the front of the line. (And I give those Republicans credit for at least being consistent on the question of capability.)

Seriously, can you imagine what it might have been like if -- starting at this year's Republican National Convention, much as with Obama in 2004 -- Palin had been given a slow and thoughtful rollout? You don't have to be a Palin supporter to acknowledge -- tested, vetted and brought up to speed -- she would have been positioned to truly lead her party, as opposed to merely appearing as the illegitimate love child of Dan Quayle and Geraldine Ferraro.

That is not to say Palin couldn't be rehabilitated within the next four years. Hey, if Nixon could make a comeback...

But McCain's missteps, the taint of failure following his loss, and questions that will surely linger about the woman herself give much ammunition to those in her own party who would potentially run against her.

Palin's major hurdle in the next cycle will be explaining her "pallin' around" with the AIP, a radical organization that seeks the breakup of the United States.

That is quite a lot, and I haven't even mentioned having to live down the catchphrase "I can see Russia from my house." However, overcoming all of that -- as Reagan overcame the vapid actor tag -- is only going to make the governor all the stronger. If so, Palin 2.0 will be a force to be reckoned with.

Posted by: Nerdy Ned | Nov 1, 2008 12:36:37 AM

That's strange. I read that the guy said neither Obama nor Palin is qualified to be president and he would rather see the most qualified person been on top of the ticket. Which means the McCain/Palin ticket is a stronger ticket, but yet Tapper's headline only talks about Palin. Why?

Posted by: coolrepublica | Nov 1, 2008 12:01:40 AM

come off it, sister smearest,

Obama's records have been sealed! The only reason we know he went to Pakistan after his fling at Occidental, was because he DIDN't use a US Passport. (Isn't That interesting?)

But HIS medical and school and senate records might as well have been flushed down the toilet for all intents and purposes.... because they apparently are hidden in the bowels of a fire breathing dragon....and unavailable to the voters!


WHY IS THAT?

WHAT ARE THEY HIDING?

WE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!

Posted by: E PLURIBUS UNION | Oct 31, 2008 11:58:41 PM

"Too many people were STARVING AND OUT OF WORK!!!!!!"


I believe that was why Roosevelt also set up Poor Houses.... and Potter Fields and other such niceties because as great a president as he was, there was just so much that he could do!

So maybe it's time to bring back the Poor Houses one again.

What do you think, sister d?


Posted by: ENOUGH ALREADY!!! | Oct 31, 2008 11:52:19 PM

If McCain pulls this thing off. Sarah will be the first VP candidate since 1960 to carry the #1 on the ticket to victory. The media wants you to think she is a mistake. But the reality is, she may be the most charismatic most gifted politician of our time. She is amazing.

Posted by: John | Oct 31, 2008 11:46:49 PM

In the old days on the farms and homes it was if you don't work, don't eat. Your choice.

Posted by: A Veteran | Oct 31, 2008 10:09:17 PM

********************

That's the problem, the old days!!!!

Do you see people in other country starving???

The system is not perfect and have many flaws but could you see your fellow man/woman/child hungry????

I believe that is why FDR create the NEW DEAL and WELFARE!!!!!

Too many people were STARVING AND OUT OF WORK!!!!!!


Posted by: sisterdearest09 | Oct 31, 2008 10:29:56 PM

Posted by: A Veteran | Oct 31, 2008 9:57:58 PM

Posted by: e pluribus union | Oct 31, 2008 9:55:56 PM

**********************

Wasn't Obama the editor of the Harvard Review!!!!!!

Not one sided at all!!!!

You and the media just want to scrutinized his INTELLIGENT!!!!!!

But Palin promise to release her medical records this week!!!!

And they are not forth coming!!!

NBC's World Nightly News are waiting!!!

Thank you!!!

Posted by: sisterdearest09 | Oct 31, 2008 10:21:03 PM

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