Does being a hockey mom and PTA member really qualify someone to be vice president?

Question

Sarah Palin bragged that she was a hockey mom and PTA member. Doesn't being a heart beat away from the presidency entail a little more expreience. Gee, my mom was in the PTA so I guess she is also qualified to be vice president.

Answer 1

no being a hockey mom and PTA member does not qualifier a person to be Veep, however Being the GOVERNOR of a state does make you more qualified that a junior senator  

Answer 2

There are ONLY 2 criteria to "qualify" a person to run for Vice President:  you must be born in the US and you must be over the age of 35.  You may be wondering if she has enough EXPERIENCE as a leader to command the entire nation.  Maybe you can't appreciate the organizational skills it takes to run your kids around town to hockey games.  Or how about how much diplomacy it takes to get along with EVERYone on the PTA while still figuring out a way to help the school and kids?  So, yeah, your Mom IS qualified to be Vice President.  What's her name...I'll look for her in 2012!

Answer 3

Technically, she is qualified.  The things that bother me are two:

1.  Her politics and conservative positions all around.

2.  The fact that she has a 5-month old disabled child.  I just cannot fathom the fact that she would be willing to pull her attention away from this Down Syndrome baby to be VP.  I am so turned off by that very concept that I cannot imagine how any mother could accept her decision.  She is young enough that maybe she could run later, but she just had this baby.  I just don't get it -- DS kids need extra attention.

Answer 4

"... and plays the flute." I am willing to bet that McPain (no, NOT a typo) heard that and said "YES !!!" Hoping, of course, since he cheated on his 1st wife with $indy, that maybe --just maybe-- Palin plays the "skin-flute" !!!

Nice list, aber but what about psoriasis, sciatica, fallen arches, bunions and a hernia?

oh ... John: HOW MANY houses do you own, Mr. Straight Talk, regular Guy, Average Joe hypocritical s****. ill-tempered bad-mouthed PAC-loving liar.

Answer 5

Probably a better qualification than being a senator.

Answer 6

You're forgetting that she was voted Miss Congeniality in the Miss Alaska Pageant, and that she also plays the flute!

Answer 7

Let's not forget that she was a beauty show contestant as well.

Answer 8

Um, the only qualifications you have to be Vice President are:  be 35 or older, have held an elected office, and be a natural born citizen of the United States.  Same as the President.

Answer 9

does being a community organizer and 144 days in the senate qualify you for PRESIDENT ???????? NOOOOOOOOO

Answer 10

NO! It is all of her other things she has done which qualifies her.  though being a hockey mom, on the PTA, and being involved in her children's and husbands life make her all the more desirable.  It shows she can handle both, and still raise great kids and help the country.

Answer 11

If thats the case, I could be VP, im in the PTA.

That woman is being used...Palin is being used by McCain, whether she realizes it or not, which i doubt she does. He thinks her position will make the women of America vote for HIM.

So it must suck to be Palin, being used.

She is not qualified, McCain just thinks she is Hot, and thinks that all the women in america, will just love her! HA.....what a joke.

Scary to think, If mccain is elected, that she will be our president, if he dies, and his health is not good...and we all know that she is not ready to be president.

Just vote Obama! Take the safe road.

Answer 12

forgetting ALL her other experience, i'm glad to have someone who is very close to ordinary life most of us live.  isn't that an issue for most of us?  that our government servants are too far and too long removed from the regular joe?

i'm sorry, no matter which way anyone tries to slice it, the pick of Mrs. Palin satisfies the entire spectrum on qualified candidacy.

Answer 13

She was describing her personal life so that we would know a little more about her. She was NOT citing these things as qualifications.

Give your bias a rest and get a life.

Answer 14

You seem to have forgotten that she is also a state governor.

Why do you have a problem with PTA members and mothers who participate in their childrens' sports? I don't see anything wrong with it.

Answer 15

Being a housewife, a hockey mom, and a PTA member qualifies Gov Palin to understands the concerns of the working class and middle class Americans. Being a city council member, a mayor, chair of the state ethics committee, and governor qualifies her for the VP. Hey, Obama's pitching to be pres with way fewer qualifications. Why can't the repub VP be more qualified than the dem candidate?

Answer 16

I wouldn't feel comfortable having one who lacks education be leader of the free world, potentially.

We need to remember that Alaska has a combined population of 660,000, which is about equal to the City of Fresno, California.

Alaska on its worst day, doesn't even come close to having the problems of the rest of states, let alone, the rest of the world. Being versed in Alaska's problems does not make one qualified to address worldly problems... let alone a person who did not qualify for higher education and could only attend a tier 3 college... AND didn't even major in any of the majors relevant to government.

Palin's Cinderella story was made possible by the fact that she resides in Alaska, a state where the bell curve is low. Let's face it - not many Harvard graduates reside in Alaska. She didn't have much competition. Who did she run against? Her cousin Billy Bob Joe and the night manager at the local Walmart?

Let's be real. I want the best of the best to be president and she doesn't cut it. She lacks education and experience.

On the other hand, Obama attended Columbia University, a tier 1 school, majoring in political science, then went on to Harvard where he was elected president of the law review. After becoming a lawyer, he served as Director and as a member of the board to many, many important organizations.

He also taught CONSTITUTIONAL LAW for 12 years at University of Chicago Law School, yet another top tier school.

His tenure in certain organizations and his education/teaching experience alone make him more qualified than she.

Without further education, she has hit her ceiling while Obama has only begun. Obama, at the very least, possesses a solid foundation on which to build. Even as a U.S. Senator of Illinois, Chicago alone has a population of 2.8 million with complexities beyond the capabilities of Palin.. and troubles that Palin would find unfathomable... Palin, who has made it by the seat of her pants and political stunts, (whistleblowing, luck, and unworthy opponents) would need to go back to school before even thinking about tackling the world's problems. She has no substantial education in history, law, nor international law to speak of. How could she possibly be qualified to make any negotiations with other countries when she has no knowledge of foreign affairs or international laws?

Could she ever author a bill as most up and coming lawmakers do? NO! Could she even read through proposed laws adequately without law experience? NOOO!! If she could, then WE could and there wuld be no need for lawyers..... participation in Alaskan government is as significant in the world as Greenland - not at all... instead of furthering her education relevant to any public office, she was too busy with beauty pageants and fishing.

Sure, it's possible that the regional manager of Burger King could make the best CEO Google has ever had (and pigs could fly) but do you think the thousands of stockholders at Google would make that bet with their millions of dollars?

Of course not. Would you? Thousands of lives are at stake with this war. Do you want to bet on someone who lacks even the most basic and fundamental knowledge about her own country to decide OUR future? The stakes are high-- we cannot gamble on a two-bit, LUCKY, politician who never had to make a decision more important than what kind of snow boots to wear that day. (or whether a bridge to the airport should be built) PLEASE!!

Like I said, this is a high stakes game -- I'm not comparing apples to oranges. The analogy fits. Palin runs a state whose everyday troubles don't match the rest of the country... she has never seen REAL trouble that the mainland faces day to day. She never had real competition. She never would have made it past the school board if she were competing on the mainland.

Even though I am well educated in my field, I am not well versed in all things government and neither is Palin. I would never be so irresponsible and vain to run for an office of which I am not qualified nor do I ever apply for any position of responsibility fr which I am not qualified. How reckless of Palin. She makes me angry because she knows she is not qualified while the future of the world hangs in the balance, especially now. (insert melodramatic music here)

Sorry.... I wouldn't want her to be in a position to affect the rest of my life. There was plenty of other qualified candidates. She was only picked as a publicity stunt and to satisfy the Evangelical Christians where McCain felt he lacked.

Answer 17

Well, I guess that her husband is a multiple champion of some Alaskan snow race thing and a full time fisher makes her qualified...

AND...how is she going to raise her children, not to mention her newborn 4 month old child?  5 kids!!! You don't belong in D.C.! you belong at home!

And about the whole governor thing..this is only the FIRST time serving as a governor, so she doesn't even have much experience in that level of politics.  She is only on the state level serving in the executive branch..no experience working at the national level with all the national issues of not only Alaska, but all 50 states and u.s. territories.  

they don't know anything about suppression like Barack and Michelle!  She should come live in the south side of Chicago and find out.  BARACK THE VOTE!

Answer 18

she's had more executive experience than both Obama and Biden so she's at least better than them.

Answer 19

What a tired topic.

The fact is she has done a lot in a very short time. I wish the Gov of Indiana was able to accomplish what she has!

The postings on this is like an episode of Mad Men.  

Answer 20

I think the more appropriate question would be if it qualifies her to be president.  McBush could keel over anyday of a heart attack or a stroke or alzheimers, or copd, or hemmroids, or cancer, or a broken hip, or dehydration, ect,ect, ect

Answer 21

McCain must be out of his mind?!? What is he thinking.... being a hockey mom and a PTA Member are now the new qualifications for being Commander in Chief... and leader of the armed forces and leader of the free world. Gov. of Alaska?!? What's in Alaska?!? Moose?! haha -- It makes no sense whatsoever!! haha  

Answer 22

How about a Governor?  That is full executive authority.  In fact little baby senators like Odumber would be lucky to work for her.  

Answer 23

@ Jason M, shouldn't you be saying that Palin also has more executive experience that McCain? He's never been governor either

By the way, 2 years of governor in a small state like Alaska is not that much experience not to mention being mayor of a small town

I can't believe Republicans have the nerve to talk about Obama's inexperience and boast Palin's experience

Neither of them have that much experience. Obama has very little legislative experience while Palin has very little executive experience.

If McCain wanted someone with a lot of executive experience,he could've picked Tim Pawlenty or Mitt Romney. Instead,he chose an inexperienced woman to get the female votes.He's using her to win an election,and it's funny because he accuses Obama of doing the same thing. It's insulting to women that McCain thinks that he can just get female votes based on the gender of his VP.

Answer 24

So what happened to your ears? You didn't hear she was a mayor, a Governor, and an executive? I think I know where your hear was when that was all being related, theres some brown stuff on your nose.

Answer 25

For Republicans, being a failed pilot and oil businessman qualifies for being President.  That sounds about right for them to consider her as VP.

Answer 26

If you look at her overall life and what she has gone through, I would say yes, It's not just experience but its her values and beliefs that makes her a great pick for VP.  

Answer 27

One could ask the same about a community organizer, really qualified to be the leader of the free world?

Answer 28

She was aLso the governor for the state of Alaska.  She may have been only a governor for 2 years but her approval rating was always at least 80%.  The point is that she was in control of a state unlike OBama.  He spent half his time in congress running for president.  That is like me wanting to be CEO of a corporation immediately after college.

Answer 29

Does being the Governor of Alaska qualify her? Reagan was a governor, but then again so was Carter and Clinton.  

Answer 30

Natural born U.S. citizen at least 35 years of age.  That's the criteria.  She meets the criteria.  Joe Biden meets that criteria.  John McCain meets that criteria.  Barak Obama meets that criteria.  They are all qualified to be the president of the U.S.

Answer 31

i guess governor doesn't hurt either

at least obama has experience patrolling with his neighborhood watch group