Obama memoir: Palin VP pick took GOP in direction McCain 'abhorred'

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Former President Barack Obama wrote in his memoir that the selection of then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) as Sen. John McCain's (R-Az.) 2008 running mate began a rightward shift in the party that McCain himself "abhorred."

"Through Palin, it seemed as if the dark spirits that had long been lurking on the edges of the modern Republican Party - xenophobia, anti intellectualism, paranoid conspiracy theories, an antipathy toward Black and brown folks - were finding their way to center stage," Obama wrote in his memoir, "A Promised Land," a copy of which was obtained by CNN.

"I'd like to think that given the chance to do it over again, [McCain] might have chosen differently," Obama added. "I believe he really did put his country first."

Obama also addresses the period in 2011 when now-President Trump became an influential figure in conservative media by promoting the false conspiracy theory that Obama was not born in the United States. This period, he said, cemented Trump's conviction that he would be rewarded with media attention for behavior that was perceived as crossing a line.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/obama-memoir-palin-vp-pick-took-gop-in-direction-mccain-abhorred/ar-BB1aXx0s?li=BBnbfcQ&ocid=DELLDHP

[Cha]

1. I gathered McCain was Pissed when

he found out what palin was all about.

He wouldn't let her give a concession speech after his.

Flash Forward.. Cindy McCain Endorsed Joe Biden for President!

[Mike 03]

3. It's still so strange to me that McCain didn't vet her better.

He must have been more impulsive than was generally believed.

[Cha]

5. Things were moving fast.. they wanted

to win.. thinking a female vp would help.

I remember being bummed when I heard the news.. turned out to be the worst thing for McCain & Society at large.

[Freddie]

7. They insulted all women

By thinking we were so angry about HRC being denied the nomination that we’d vote for any candidate with XX chromosomes. Um, no. I’ve read that McCain really wanted Tom Ridge but he wasn’t an extremist nut about abortion enough for the Party.

[My Pet Orangutan]

9. There was a belief that if she was the Governor of Alaska

she could not be a complete dingbat. These were the days before dingbat became a GOP badge of honor.

[Cha]

10. Yes, there was definitely that.. well

said!

[elleng]

2. 'the dark spirits that had long been lurking on the edges of the modern Republican Party'

[msongs]

8. sorry Mr. ex-president, it's the sprits that have ruled the repub party since at least the 60s nt

[BannonsLiver]

16. Which is exactly what he said.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

4. "I believe he really did put his country first."..... Yeah, I'ma have

to disgree.

[BeyondGeography]

6. That would make him a fool

[Grins]

11. I hope Steve Schmidt gets to review that book.

Palin was not McCain’s choice. There was a committee that had that task. Surprised a whole lotta’ R’s! And gave Rick Lowry “starbursts!”

A month later they regretted the choice.

[Caliman73]

12. Part of our problem as Democrats is that we tend to give people the benefit of the doubt...

when they likely don't deserve it. McCain has been as we Catholics like to call it, Beatified. While he was not as extreme as many Republicans today or even in the shift which began in the mid 90's, he was certainly not an example of what is good about government. His career has been "uneven", like when he was part of the Keating 5, when he actively supported war with everyone, etc...

I do think that McCain was certainly not prone to colluding with adversary nations the way that many of his colleagues do today, Ron Johnson, Rand Paul, Devin Nunes, to name a very few.

Here is what I think about the Sarah Palin situation. One of two possible things happened. 1. McCain was too detached or not strong enough to reject Palin. I mean the vetting on that idiot had to be minimal at best to even allow her ANYWHERE near the levers of power beyond (and apologies in advance to Blue brethren in Alaska) a state where the population is smaller than the CITY of San Jose, CA and people are buoyed by payoffs from fossil fuel companies, where an actual criminal (not uncommon for Red states) was just elected to the Senate. 2. McCain knew she was trash, and went with it anyway because he was so desperate to win and cynical enough to think that he could get votes by putting a woman (any woman, and arguably one of the dumbest women in modern political history) on the ticket.

So, while I respect President Obama's vast intellect and his service to our country, I disagree with his assessment. McCain does not get a pass on his contribution that brought us Donald Trump.

I will say, that the rightward march of the Repubican party toward fascism WAY predated Palin. She was just an attempt to swing toward a right wing populism, that McCain was certainly incapable of himself. He was too much part of the established political class, even with his "Maverick" reputation to go populist like Trump tried to.

Regarding Trump and media attention, the problem is that once media was established as no longer a "public benefit" and any semblance of regulation was dropped, first with the dropping of the Fairness Doctrine, then with the 1996 Telecommunications Act, and then with the growth of right wing radio and ushering in of Fox News and right wing internet; it was a matter of time before some right wing populist came along. Look, they did it in 1980. They had a B-list actor, who was a pitch man for cigarettes and other products who came in and played a role. They called him "The Great Communicator" FFS. Again, I can't accept that President Obama would think that it started in 2011. 2011 was the beginning of the "terminal phase".

Perhaps I will pick up a copy of the memoir, but from the snippets, it sounds like "things were missed".

[theaocp]

13. No, fuck McCain.

He unleashed Palin on us. How many times do I have to say “fuck Republicans” on DU? I guess there’s more work to be done.

[mtnsnake]

14. Sorry, but I couldn't disagree more with that sentiment. nt

[tanyev]

15. Ooh, Sarah's gonna have some smartass tweet or Instagram reply to that!