Is Palin Ready to Be VP?

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Click above to watch a clip from Linda Killian’s and Bob Zelnick’s discussion. 

The moment she was selected as the Republican vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin became one of the most talked-about running mates of recent decades. A former beauty queen, a big game hunter, and the first-time governor of the state with the third smallest population in the country, Palin brought to the Republican ticket exactly what she was supposed to bring: attention. Everybody’s talking about her, and tonight many people will be watching and listening to her in a televised debate between the two vice presidential candidates.

To find out what some of the best-informed political observers are saying about Sarah Palin, BU Today asked Linda Killian (CAS’80, COM’80), a College of Communication professor of journalism and director of Boston University’s Washington Center, and Bob Zelnick, a COM professor of journalism and national security affairs, to talk about the pros and cons of Palin’s candidacy.

Got an issue to debate? E-mail today@bu.edu with “Op-Heads” in the subject line.

Edward Brown can be reached at ebrown@bu.edu.

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Is Palin Ready to Be VP?

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Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.

There are 28 comments on Is Palin Ready to Be VP?

  1. Where is the similar analysis about Barak Obama? Palin is running for VP, Obama is running for President, but it seems that she wins even that comparison based on experience.

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  2. There is nothing wrong with having a headline that asks this question. There most certainly IS something wrong when the same question is not asked about BOTH sides of the ticket.

    Aside from “he speaks well” and “he can think on his feet”, I have yet to hear why Obama is qualified to be president. Yet there seems to be no problem with discussions about how Palin is not qualified to be VP.

    Ask the same questions of both sides.

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  3. Overall good video discussion, thanks.

    Sen Obama has 145 or so days of actually showing up at work in the Senate with essentially ZERO major legislative initiatives and ZERO track record of working across the aisle. Is he charismatic? Yes. Does his potential Presidency promise more gridlock in DC, absolutely. I think the assertion made that Palin’s “small-town”, vice “national” perspective somehow disqualifies her borders on arrogance. One can argue Bill Clinton had the same “handicap” in 1992 and he did just fine.

    While I think one of the speakers in this video discussion questioned McCain’s decision to pick Palin, what about Obama’s decision to NOT pick Hillary Clinton? I think 18 million voters were disenfranchised and while rapid “bridge reconstruction” has been going on, even losing just a few hundred thousand votes could make the difference. Sen Biden collected approximately 9000 votes in his bid for the Democratic nominee, essentially the same size constituency that Gov. Palin had as mayor…she is a proven Governor and leader…can I say the same about Sen. Obama? I think the jury is still out on that, at least in my mind….it’s all about leadership and not necessarily some exercise in academia and memorizing talking points. I think Palin would do fine as the VP. Thank you.

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  4. Its wonderful that Senator McCain chose Governor Palin for his running mate. Just Wonderful.
    “Ready” or not, what matters is their policie’s and belief’s.
    If you believe that your employer paid health insurance premiums should be taxed as income – Vote for McCain & Palin. Yes, this proposal from the political team that says (with a straight face) we won’t raise your taxes.
    If you truly believe that McCain’s proposed $2500 tax credit is enough to offset the cost of your annual health insurance premiums (not to mention your co-pays for office visits & perscriptions), then by all means vote for McCain & Palin.
    If you believe that arguing about the value of “The Surge” is somehow more important talking honestly about the faulty and reckless judgement that started an unneccesary and un-winnable war in the first place – Vote for McCain & Palin.
    If you still believe that the judgement and policies that led to tax-breaks for the richest 1% of US citizens and those taxbreaks and that thinking has nothing to do with the current economic mess we now face – Vote for McCain & Palin.
    If you still believe that we should abandon the Social Security system and hand it over to Wall Street instead of fix it – Vote for McCain & Palin.
    These are their stated policies; not some reckless, phony charges by their opposition.
    You truly want four more years of cowboy diplomacy and further attacks on working people? Vote for McCain & Palin.
    What they believe really is more important than their personality. We just had 8 years of personality, poor judgement and incompetant decisions. You want more of that? Then, by all means, vote for McCain & Palin.

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  5. Compared to who?? The bigger question should be are all the candidates running for VP and/or President the best the country has to offer. If the answer is yes to that question, then yes Palin is Ready to Be VP?

    That was simple

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  6. The article is about Palin being ready for VP. Not Obama vs. Palin?? Besides, after seeing all the live interviews with Sarah fumbling answers, she’s much more entertaining than any of the other three. She’s a great source of entertainment, candidate for VP…not so much.

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  8. Whether someone is qualified is an essential question to ask of any candidate for any office, Sarah Palin and Barack Obama, included. After 30 years in office, it’s logical that few are asking the same about Sen. Biden.

    Scrutiny of Gov. Palin has increased dramatically because of her recent interviews in which she showed a lack of knowledge about issues that she will be faced with very soon, if elected.

    Sen. Obama has less experience than most presidential candidates but was vetted by millions of voters in the primaries and has been on the national scene since giving the well-received keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. His electoral success demonstrates that many voters are satisfied that he has what it takes.
    In contrast, Gov. Palin was selected by one person, Sen. McCain. At this moment, according to polls, voters do not ratify this choice.

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  9. The vice presidential debate is tonight, so this is an excellent time to ask this question. Zelnick makes a great point about Condoleeza Rice. That would have been a brilliant pick on McCain’s part. If she was the VP candidate, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. As it is, however, Sarah Palin is on the ticket, and in none of her appearances (outside of her scripted attack sermon-to-the-choir at the RNC) has she erased serious doubts about her ability to lead the nation should, God forbid, she be called upon to do so. Have you read the transcripts of any of her interviews with Katie Couric? Here is Palin explaining her earlier remark suggesting that Alaska’s proximity to Russia equals foreign policy experience:

    “It’s very important when you consider even national-security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the United States of America. Where—where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to—to our state.”

    Here she is answering a question about the bailout:

    “That’s why I say I, like every American I’m speaking with, were ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the—it’s got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we’ve got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we’ve got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that.”

    And here she is trying, twice, to name a Supreme Court case, other than Roe v. Wade, that she disagrees with:

    “Hmmm…Well, let’s see. There’s — of course in the great history of America there have been rulings that there’s never going to be absolute consensus by every American. And there are those issues, again, like Roe v. Wade, where I believe are best held on a state level and addressed there. So you know, going through the history of America, there would be others but — — .”

    “Well, I would think of any, again, that could be best dealt with on a more local level, maybe I would take issue with…But, you know, as a mayor, and then as a governor and even as a vice president, if I’m so privileged to serve, wouldn’t be in a position of changing those things but in supporting the law of the land as it reads today.”

    This makes my brain hurt. On second thought, after the last eight years, she could be on the *top* half of the ticket and get elected. The transition would be as smooth as ever.

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  10. The world has become more global. We need strong diplomats (e.g., Obama/Biden). We don’t need “Mavericks” or someone who slammers over the most basic questions. (Do we recommend our students cram the night before an exam?)

    Since this is posted on BU today, I think it is very important to look at their academic records:

    Obama: Columbia University – B.A. political science with a specialization in international relations.
    Harvard – Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

    Biden: University of Delaware – B.A. in history and B.A. in political science.
    Syracuse University College of Law – Juris Doctor (J.D.)

    McCain:
    United States Naval Academy – Class rank 894 of 899

    Palin: BA – five schools in six years.

    Since when did “elite” become a bad thing? I want a president who is smarter than I am!!

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  11. If you believe that you should be penalized for success by taxing you even more, then vote for Obama. If you believe that your money should be handed out as one-time “tax rebates” to 47% who don’t pay taxes in the first place and promote a culture of dependence instead of hard work, then vote for Obama. If you believe that you can be talk to these rogue nations from a position of weakness and get something back, then you don’t understand the rest of the world and its culture and you should vote for Obama. If you like leaders who vote “present” and can’t lead, then vote for Obama. If you like leaders who don’t have the record to reach across the isle and get it done to fight waste and incompetence, then vote for Obama. Still hope you don’t!

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  13. I am distressed to see so many people defending a person who is obviously the wrong choice to be VP. The republicans had a great number of better choices (including Rice), but went with the WOW/surprise factor. The fact that McCain had to go on stage with Palin for the second Curic interview and act as her protector was ludicrous.

    I am a 49 year old former republican and former 2000 supported of McCain who is now very disillusioned with the behavior of my party and McCain. While in the majority in congress, the republicans spent like drunken sailors, removed critical protective regulations, and failed to act to avoid unbridled consolidation, made it more difficult for the ‘average’ American to protect and defend themselves (bankruptcy law changes).

    In 2006, when the majority changed to the democrats, the republicans have leveraged the lack of a 60 seat majority of the democrats to prevent action and are now blaming the democrats for the failures of the past – because of a numerical, yet non-functional majority.

    Enough, as Obama says. As president – who can inspire us, who can help change the direction of the country, who has shown better foresight regarding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – not McCain and certainly not a ideology former mayor of a town of 6,000.

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  14. Obama, like him or not, has been vetted by the American people. He has had to sell himself to democrats and all Americans who have been able, to date, to make a decision about his qualifications. The VP position does not allow that same process as it is a choice of the nominee. Because Governor Palin is virtually unknown outside of Alaska, and has more recently been “sheltered” from Americans wanting to learn more about her, we are left to focus on her “lack” of experience. She has not had to sell herself to the American people through a rigorous process. The real question is: had she begun the presidential election process as an actual, fully vetted candidate for president (as Obama, McCain, Biden, and Clinton did) would she still have been chosen for VP? If so, would the public response to her be the same?

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  15. The fact that Palin is continuously grilled is really unfair. Consider this, despite the fact that Barack Obama has already been ‘vetted’ for approximately two years, has he been really asked about his associations to Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers. Sure, he says he broke his membership with Trinity United Church of Christ, but why haven’t people questioned his 20 years with the church? Was simply putting the church down onto his resume or was he asleep during church? Why did he leave the church so conveniently after he threw his hat into the ring? It seems like it is old news that the campaign is happy to have buried with time, but it’s something that is worth noting. Another point, okay, we shouldn’t be comparing VP to President, then why aren’t we talking about the verbal gaffes that Joe Biden has made? It seems that every week he makes one mistake after another. Isn’t it fair to lampoon Biden as much as we lampoon Palin? The media has done a good job of driving news stories. After realizing that Obama and Biden supported the ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ TWICE, people have been very wary about mentioning Palin’s involvement – it’s scary how the media can use soundbites to influence its agenda.

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  16. It’s funny how people seem to remember what they want to remember. Obama’s rediness to serve as President has been questioned from the time that he announced his candidancy. However, as some one stated above, he has apparently proven to millions of voters that he is ready because he was voted for by millions. Palin’s rediness, on the other hand, is in question, not so much because of her lack of experience, but because she keeps publicly making statements causing people to doubt her abilities. It’s time to stop making excuses for her… She’s simply not ready and her Mayorship of the Meth capital and her Governorship of one of the smallest states in the US, does not mean that she is ready to lead a nation. No, Obama has not been a Governor, but he has had more NATIONAL experience than Palin, but no one seems to want to address that. And let’s face it. If Obama has had half the controversy or made a third of the stupid uninformed statements that Palin has, he would have been laughed out of the running. Stop making excuses and admit that McCain made a mistake in picking Palin as his “soul mate”

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  17. Ask me tomorrow and I’ll give you a better educated response. Let me throw in that I don’t see it as a fair question given the short time to know her. If the democrat process didn’t take so long to choose a presidential candidate this would not be a topic for discussion. We would have a much better Idea on who’s who and what’s what. I do know that Hope and Change fit’s all, not just the hopeless and those who refuse to change eating habits.

    PS:
    The moderator of the debate is not helping the issue in my view of Governor Palin’s readiness, with a book deal and all.

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  18. I believe the Constitution identifies two qualifications for President and Vice President — at least 35 years of age and a US citizen. Let’s stop the misogyny.

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  20. You said – “If you believe that you should be penalized for success by taxing you even more, then vote for Obama.” – Sorry, did not realize you make over $ 250,000; the only people Obama wants to increase taxes on. I just want them to pay their fair share, plus, isn’t it one of the Judeo-Christian ethics: “To whom much is given, much is expected.”? Compare the richest 1% tax breaks against yours & mine – not even close. And Senator McCain wants to tax my employer paid health benefits. Why? For what purpose? In this policy, I’m voting for my pocketbook.

    You said – “If you believe that you can be talk to these rogue nations from a position of weakness and get something back, then you don’t understand the rest of the world and its culture and you should vote for Obama.” – Gosh, you are right, that Bush policy of bluster and big talk has been so darn effective these past 8 years, that we have almost remade the world into a safer place, right? And, if you understand what has happened to our military, we have significantly weakened, not enhanced, our military capability in very real terms to respond to any additional and real threats. The school-yard bully posturing of McCain will not make us any safer. In this policy, I am voting for someone who really “gets it”.

    You Said – “If you like leaders who don’t have the record to reach across the isle and get it done to fight waste and incompetence, then vote for Obama.” – Gosh, here again, Senator McCain has just been so gosh darn effective at building coalitions in congress and in getting meaningful legislation passed these past 26 years…can you (or anyone) name three bills he has sponsored that have been enacted into law and have actually improved your quality of life? Senator McCain’s record is not one of a coalition builder. In this policy, I vote for the former community organizer who succeeded by building coalitions and geting things done.

    Policies Do Indeed Count – not sound bites and knee-jerk reactions to the opposition.

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  21. IF you want trillions in debt that benefited the rich and that the working classes will have to pay for either directly or indirectly through inflation, vote McCain/Palin , if you want senseless wars for oil that ignored capturing Osama Bin Laden, vote McCain/Palin , if you want CEO’s making millions off the backs of the working class , vote McCain/Palin , the republicans claim they dont raise taxes while they create massive debts that have to be repaid by the working classes often through republican deliberate policy of causing inflation which is a severe tax on the working classes – Republicans are the party of those who live off others peoples money through debt, live beyond their means , assist those who are rich to get richer, leave the working classes with massive bills – and are the most flagrant abusers of pork barrel spending in history – Bridge to Nowhere was a Palin supported pork project – Palin the liar whose abused her power to get a state police officer fired pathetic -I am voting Ron Paul

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  22. Mr. Zelnick, Condolleeza Rice has publicly stated that she is not interested in the job of Vice President. This “chat” did not live up to expectations.

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  24. The fact that Gwen Ifill was writing the book has been public knowledge since June. The McCain campaign agreed to have Ifill moderate in August. The burden of vetting was on the McCain campaign. Perhaps they should have taken more time to vet Ifill. But taking time to vet someone isn’t their strong suit apparently.

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  25. Why isn’t there an article titled “Is Obama Ready to Be President?” lack of experience as president is way more dangerous than lack of experience as VP, besides the fact that Palin has more experience than Obama.

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  26. I am soooo afraid that our great country could even consider for President a smooth talker who can’t leave home without his telepromter but question Gov. Palin for Vice-President. God help our homeland under the kumbaya candidate who thinks we have more than 57 states! Enough said for a “Harvard” grad. Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

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  27. Why anyone would criticize Gov. Palin, who found out she was the slated as a VP candidate less than 6 weeks ago, for needing to “cram” for a major political debate is beyond me. The real question here should be how well did she do given the short amount of time she had to prepare and the obvious answer is outstanding. If her performance in the debate was an example of her ability to focus her energy on a topic and get the job done I think we have found the most qualified person for the job. I seriously doubt any of the other candidates including Obama could have done as good of a job last night if they too were coming from the same disadvantageous position.

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  28. I definetely agree that we need to take into consideration the experience of Obama. Palin has gotten a lot of negative feedback due to her “lack of experience” in Washington. But, isn’t that what we should want? Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have LESS THAN 10% approval rating! That means that all of the candidates, Obama, McCain, and Biden aren’t performing their jobs! If a CEO of a mega-corporation had that low of an approval rating he/she would’ve been fired yesterday. Palin is the only candidate with experience in an executive position as a mayor and governor. I think that she brings something to the table that this country needs. Not to mention the fact that she performed pretty well during the debates considering Biden has been known for his public speaking abilities for 35 years! McCain had it right, Obama is a celebrity because he’s different, young, and enthusiastic. That can’t be taken seriously as a presidention candidate.

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