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Cavala: McCain Has Got To Be Kidding

towashington 089.gif By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

Let’s see if I’ve got this right. She’s the former mayor of a town of a few thousand and has been Governor of Alaska – a state with a population significantly smaller than San Francisco – for about 20 months. But she believes being “commander-in-chief of the Alaskan National Guard makes her ready to take over if something happens to cancer-stricken, 73 year old John McCain.

Did I get it right?

The other thing we know about her is her lack of self-restraint. Sometimes that’s a good thing, as when she garnered publicity favorable to herself at her party’s expense by blasting Alaska’s corrupt Congressional delegation.

Other times, it hasn’t been so good. Take, for example, the government vendetta she ordered on her sister’s estranged husband – a state law enforcement employee. She or her aides had some 24 conversations with the head of Alaska’s law enforcement agency demanding that her ex brother-in-law be fired as a poor recruiting example (!).
(Then claimed that her aides were acting “on their own”).

That’s a classic example of political immaturity – being unable to distinguish personal things from public things. She might, of course, get over that fault with experience. But do we really want her a “heartbeat” away from a 73 year old president with a history of skin cancer?

What if the Director of the FBI didn’t do what she demanded?

Now what was McCain thinking when he anointed Sarah Palin to be Vice-President of the United States? Is she an example of the inexperienced and mercurial people with whom McCain would people his administration?

Dark days, indeed, for the Republican Party.

Bill Cavala was Deputy Director of the Assembly Speaker’s Office of Member Services where he worked for over 30 years. He attended undergraduate and graduate school in the 1960’s and received a doctorate in political science at UC Berkeley. He taught political science at UC Berkeley during the 1970's while he worked part-time for the State Assembly.

Cavala left teaching at UC Berkeley for Assembly Speaker Willie Brown in 1981 until his tenure as Speaker ended in 1995, and he has worked for his five successors as Speaker. He now manages election campaigns for Democratic candidates.

Posted on August 30, 2008

Comments

Comrade,

I look forward to your experience comparison of Palin to Obama with great expectation...

But I won't hold my breath waiting for it!

How old is Joe Biden again? Or our potential Governor Feinstein?

Comrade Bill, as a member of the Berkeley "trenches" in the 1960's, you must be pushing 70 years of age yourself...

Should we discount your views or ability to do anything due to YOUR AGE as you suggest we do to others? Don't older Americans, regardless of party, have valuable contributions to make?

Posted by: Jay Gould at August 30, 2008 04:57 PM

By the way Comrade...

McCain just turned 72 yesterday. You added a year to him. Perhaps your age doesn't allow as much attention to details as it used to?

Also you said here: "What if the Director of the FBI didn’t do what she demanded?" in trying to potray Palin as irresponsible or easy to anger...

PLEASE RECALL, that recent Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton, when an unelected First Lady mind you, had Craig Livingstone (a former bouncer) as a "security man" in the White House and a "custodian" of sensitive FBI files of the Clinton's political "enemies"! Files the Clinton's wanted to "look at" as they were there at the Clinton's request!

Hillary "didn't recall" who hired Livingstone. But he said she did. Funny how that happens...

Once again, you PORTRAY your political opponents with bad scenarios that members of your party REALLY DID DO!!!

(Remember your alluding Bush to pardon criminal Cunnignham would be bad...IF he did it. Yet Bill Clinton DID PARDON Marc Rich, some Puerto Rican terrrists, etc., etc.)

You are sure a treasure Comrade!

Posted by: Jay Gould at August 30, 2008 05:10 PM

Both McCain and I are too old to be President.
I retained the good sense to retire. Approaching senility, McCain chose to run for President. Lacking judgment, Republican voters acquiesed in this decision.

The sins of the Clintons are no more relevant to this election than are the sins of Nixon.

Posted by: cavala at August 31, 2008 08:38 AM

Comrade Bill,

You didn't retire from expressing your opinions as you approach that majical age of "senility" yourself.

Thats cool, but please consider if one is "too old" to be president and is "approaching senility", could someone of the same approximate age also be "too old" to express relevant or quality opinions as they are also "approaching senility"?

Just trying to use your yardstick to measure things by via an equal application of said yardstick.

As for your, "The sins of the Clintons are no more relevant to this election than are the sins of Nixon."...

True, to a degree. But consider Hillary got 18 million democrats to vote for her in the very recent primaries, and gave a major speech at the just finished democratic convention. She will still be on the Senate floor too getting as many earmarks for her state as she can get to posture for the next political oppertunity for herself.

Were those 18 MILLION democratic voters "lacking judgement" when they considered her for the top job just recently in such large numbers? Obviously, they didn't think much of the Clinton's "sins" in doing so.

Hillary, with her tumultuous past, is still a player, still a power to be reckoned with in your party.

Nixon, on the other hand, is long dead.

Still awaiting your comparison of Palin's experience to Obama's!

Had democrat voters "acquiesed" in the decision of Obama to run for president as he has less experience than the #2 on the republican ticket being only a first term junior senator?

Seriously, congrats on your retirement.

Posted by: Jay Gould at August 31, 2008 09:05 AM

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