Obama: I've Got More Experience Than She Does

[Brainster]

According to the loonies, that's pretty faint self-praise. Note as well this ridiculous comparison (http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/01/obama-defends-natural-disaster-experience/):

In an interview on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 Monday night, Obama was asked about whether his experience in the U.S. Senate dealing with weather-related situations compares to Palin’s executive experience running the state of Alaska and as the small town mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.

“My understanding is that Gov. Palin’s town, Wassilla, has I think 50 employees. We've got 2500 in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe 12 million dollars a year – we have a budget of about three times that just for the month,” Obama responded.

Gee, Wassilla (sic) has a governor? Or did Obama forget that for as long as he's been running "this campaign", Sarah Palin's been running the state of Alaska?

For the record, the State of Alaska has a budget of about $12 billion a year, or about 333 times what Obama budgeted for the month. The State employs approximately 15,000 people (http://dop.state.ak.us/employeeOrientation/introduction), or about six times as many people as Obama's campaign.

[boloboffin]

UYYiw_y2qDI

[leftysergeant]

But is she doing it right?

[Upchurch]

Gee, Wassilla (sic) has a governor?
I believe he is referring to her previous position as mayor, which comprises the vast majority of her experience, at this point.

[IchabodPlain]

I believe he is referring to her previous position as mayor, which comprises the vast majority of her experience, at this point.


Six of fourteen years of her experience is the vast majority? Come now...

[boloboffin]

Um, six of twelve, right? Four as city councilwoman (1992-1996), six as mayor (1996-2002), two as governor (2006-present).

[IchabodPlain]

Um, six of twelve, right? Four as city councilwoman (1992-1996), six as mayor (1996-2002), two as governor (2006-present).

She was also chairperson of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Oil_and_Gas_Conservation_Commission)from 2003-2004.

[Brainster]

I believe he is referring to her previous position as mayor, which comprises the vast majority of her experience, at this point.

And the vast majority of Obama's experience is running a state senate office, right? What was his budget and number of employees in that position?

[Upchurch]

Um, six of twelve, right? Four as city councilwoman (1992-1996), six as mayor (1996-2002), two as governor (2006-present).

Your right, IchabodPlain. I should have said "her previous position as mayor and councilwoman, which comprises the vast majority of her experience, at this point."

My apologies.

[boloboffin]

Oh, it does have a .gov on the official website, doesn't it?

"Vast majority" would be incorrect either way, though there's another term that would fit and is perhaps meant. The six years as mayor is the largest section by far, and her Wasilla experience is indeed the vast majority of her government service experience.

However, her city council work would count in the same bracket as Obama's state senate work, wouldn't it? Of her executive experience, six out of ten years would be the majority of her executive experience.

[Cleon]

UYYiw_y2qDI

I...wow. I mean, wow.

Though I gotta say, I'm impressed at the way the reporter stuck with it and wouldn't let him blow off the question. I wish journalists did that more often.

[Pookster]

I...wow. I mean, wow.

Though I gotta say, I'm impressed at the way the reporter stuck with it and wouldn't let him blow off the question. I wish journalists did that more often.


Agreed. It really caught Bounds off-guard.

[IchabodPlain]

For myself, the bottom line is two-fold:

1) She has more experience quantitatively, than Obama (though I'm sure there are people who would argue that Obama's experience was more meaningful, important, etc).

2) Obama is not running against Palin. Criticizing the VP pick for something which Obama lacks is in poor form, and has a whiff of desperation. To attack McCain for being a Washington insider, and then say his Veep doesn't have the proper experience is rich coming from an Obama/Biden ticket, which highlights one of my main criticisms with Obama: his inability to recognize when he is talking from both sides of his mouth.

[Pookster]

2) Obama is not running against Palin. Criticizing the VP pick for something which Obama lacks is in poor form, and has a whiff of desperation. To attack McCain for being a Washington insider, and then say his Veep doesn't have the proper experience is rich coming from an Obama/Biden ticket, which highlights one of my main criticisms with Obama: his inability to recognize when he is talking from both sides of his mouth.


My criticism isn't her lack of experience, it's McCain's judgment in picking her after making experience such a high priority. Just look at how Tucker Bounds ducked and dodged explaining that very thing in the video Boloboffin linked to.

[David Wong]

2) Obama is not running against Palin. Criticizing the VP pick for something which Obama lacks is in poor form, and has a whiff of desperation.

You've got it backwards. McCain was the one who made experience an issue in the campaign. That he started off by criticizing Obama's experience, and then turned around and picked someone with even less as his VP, indicates he was outright lying when he said experience mattered. He clearly doesn't believe it's of primary importance, because there are several hundred (or thousand) candidates he could have chosen who have more than Palin.

But that's just as well, it takes the experience issue completely off the table for the rest of the campaign. But for the hard core Republicans to act like Obama introduced experience as an issue in the campaign is laugh-out-loud ridiculous. You guys were the ones harping on experience, and it's kind of funny to watch you suddenly have to shut up about it.

[NotJesus]

Whether Palin ultimately helps or hurts McCain isn't going to be decided by partisan bickering about whose experience counts for what. The test will be what she does on the stump and, most of all, in the VP debate. The big question will be "Does she look like someone who could credibly step in as President of the United States at a moment's notice?" If I were a McCain supporter, I'd be very nervous about the answer.

[gdnp]

For myself, the bottom line is two-fold:

1) She has more experience quantitatively, than Obama (though I'm sure there are people who would argue that Obama's experience was more meaningful, important, etc).
My town has a Republican mayor who has been in office for 18 years. Sure, we have only 6,000 people instead of 8500, but by your standard he is more prepared than either candidate.

10 years as councilman and mayor of a town with less than 10,000 people? Vs. 8 years in the state senate of Illinois? Chicago has more people than Alaska by a BIG margin, and you want to compare her experience running a town of 8500? Please.

2) Obama is not running against Palin. Criticizing the VP pick for something which Obama lacks is in poor form, and has a whiff of desperation. To attack McCain for being a Washington insider, and then say his Veep doesn't have the proper experience is rich coming from an Obama/Biden ticket, which highlights one of my main criticisms with Obama: his inability to recognize when he is talking from both sides of his mouth.

Obama, Biden, and McCain have national experience. Palin does not. Palin has less than 2 years of state experience, running our 47th most populous state. Everything else is at the local level.

There are plenty of Washington insiders that are qualified for the job. Lieberman and Hutchison, for example. There are plenty of Washington outsiders that are qualified for the job. Romney, Pawlenty, and Ridge, for example. To call the Democrats desperate for pointing this out is laughable.

[FaisonMars]

For myself, the bottom line is two-fold:

1) She has more experience quantitatively, than Obama (though I'm sure there are people who would argue that Obama's experience was more meaningful, important, etc).

2) Obama is not running against Palin. Criticizing the VP pick for something which Obama lacks is in poor form, and has a whiff of desperation. To attack McCain for being a Washington insider, and then say his Veep doesn't have the proper experience is rich coming from an Obama/Biden ticket, which highlights one of my main criticisms with Obama: his inability to recognize when he is talking from both sides of his mouth.

There is a difference between being inexperienced and being unqualified.

JFK lacked executive experience, but given his background, he was qualified to be president.

Sarah Palin lacks any national experience, has a smidgen of executive experience, but based on her apparent lack of knowledge about both domestic and foreign affairs (and her lack of judgement) she is not qualified to become president.

Obama lacks experience, but he is qualified to be president.

But this is what we are voting on in November.

[IchabodPlain]

My criticism isn't her lack of experience, it's McCain's judgment in picking her after making experience such a high priority. Just look at how Tucker Bounds ducked and dodged explaining that very thing in the video Boloboffin linked to.

The experience argument between McCain and Obama is that. They are the ones running for POTUS. I understand your point, but as I said before, Obama is running against McCain, and in that forum, McCain still has the experience edge.

------

gdnp

My town has a Republican mayor who has been in office for 18 years. Sure, we have only 6,000 people instead of 8500, but by your standard he is more prepared than either candidate.

10 years as councilman and mayor of a town with less than 10,000 people? Vs. 8 years in the state senate of Illinois? Chicago has more people than Alaska by a BIG margin, and you want to compare her experience running a town of 8500? Please.

It isn't my standard, it's just the facts. She has served in government longer than he has.

I am not sure how "comparable" the two positions are, with one being a executive position and the other a legislative one.


There are plenty of Washington insiders that are qualified for the job. Lieberman and Hutchison, for example. There are plenty of Washington outsiders that are qualified for the job. Romney, Pawlenty, and Ridge, for example. To call the Democrats desperate for pointing this out is laughable.

Nowhere in my post do I say or imply that "Washington insiders" are or are not qualified for the job of POTUS. The comment that McCain is a Washington insider and she hasn't the experience to be CiC is a joke, in that the same could be said of the Obama/Biden ticket. The key difference being that the person who may be under-qualified to be POTUS is at the top of the ticket in the Dem party.

[IchabodPlain]

You've got it backwards. McCain was the one who made experience an issue in the campaign.

And rightfully so, but I never asserted that McCain nor Obama "started it".

That he started off by criticizing Obama's experience, and then turned around and picked someone with even less as his VP, indicates he was outright lying when he said experience mattered.

You are mistaken. Palin has served longer in government than Obama has.


But that's just as well, it takes the experience issue completely off the table for the rest of the campaign. But for the hard core Republicans to act like Obama introduced experience as an issue in the campaign is laugh-out-loud ridiculous. You guys were the ones harping on experience, and it's kind of funny to watch you suddenly have to shut up about it.

No, it doesn't. Obama is running against McCain for the Presidency, not Palin. For him to attempt to make a comparison between himself, the Democratic Nominee for POTUS, and the opponent's VP pick is desperate. It demonstrates that Obama knows he is behind on this issue, and must try to claw his way back in by comparing himself to no. 2 instead of the person he will be debating.

[ProbeX]

Obama is running against McCain for the Presidency, not Palin.

McCain's age, medical and psychological history make him a liability. Therefore it was short-sighted and impulsive for McCain to risk the welfare of the country by choosing someone w such limited experience (not that he'll win or anything). One should always view a VP as a potential president, and make a wise choice accordingly.

And as others have said, it was also a hypocritical move since McCain had been running on a platform of "experience".

It's silly season in politics.

[leftysergeant]

My problem is that both McCain and Palin are botrh most experienced in dismantling programs that have worked for decades. That's not experience we can believe in.

[ZouPrime]

You are mistaken. Palin has served longer in government than Obama has.

Being councilwoman or mayor of town that is barely bigger than a village isn't "serving in the government". This is completely ridiculous to think this make her qualified to run a country. This would be like saying that me managing a grocery store makes me qualified to run a multinational.

Governor experience? Now you're talking. But she didn't even made a complete term. That's not terribly convincing.

In term of experience, people like her are a dime a dozen. Nothing she did is of note whatsoever compared to dozen and dozen of other candidates. To paint her as having "experience" just reeks of desperation.

[leftysergeant]

Have we, then, counted Obama's experience in community activism and anti-poverty work, in a context in which he got a view of the problems that most of the country face?

Palin is experienced in the needs of a very small portion of the population of this country and stands against things, like Social Security and environmental protection laws that influence the rest of us.

[jryan1776]

My problem is that both McCain and Palin are botrh most experienced in dismantling programs that have worked for decades. That's not experience we can believe in.

But what if it works for the next few decades? There is always hope.. no?

[kallsop]

According to the loonies, that's pretty faint self-praise.

Obama is concerned he looks less effective than the other tickets VP?

First rule of campaigning is not to get into a tit for tat rush to the bottom. I have no idea why Obama feels it necessary to compare his executive experience to Palin's. That's acknowledging that you have a weakness. Not that that's a secret, but it's not an issue where you want to have the guy at the top of the ticket comparing himself to the other teams "beginner".

[BeAChooser]

But is she doing it right?

Well, my understanding is that she's the most popular Governor in the United States. She must be doing something right. :D

[leftysergeant]

But what if it works for the next few decades? There is always hope.. no?Social Security and the graduated income tax have always worked unless there is a Republican didling the codes and raiding the Social Security have always worked well unless we have a Republican president shifting the cost of the infrastructure down the food chain and the benefits upward, then raiding the SS funds to cover up the train wreck of the budget.

[BeAChooser]

Have we, then, counted Obama's experience in community activism and anti-poverty work, in a context in which he got a view of the problems that most of the country face?

That experience is NOT representative of the problems MOST of the country faces. And if the recently released Annenberg documents are a guide, Obama wasn't all that effective in changing the Chicago education system ... despite the $150 million dollars that was spent in the attempt. I wonder if his other efforts were anymore effective. We certainly haven't seen any proof that they were. Maybe Obama just wasted a lot of money? :D

[leftysergeant]

UYYiw_y2qDI

Where does that Republican twit get Palin's having command experience? For that matter, how much "command" exprerience does your average Navy airplane driver have? Don't forget, either, that he was pretty near the dimmest bulb in the array in his class at the academy.

The fact that McCain still thinks that Bush made any proper military decisions leaves me to wonder what he learned in any of his military history classes.

Generally speaking, the Adjutant General of most states actually handles the training and disciplining of the National Guard. What good would Paliun have been in that capacity? And, once they are activated for overseas duty, they are out of her hands anyway.

Republicans just aren't that good at running an army. Too few of them have the experience to know that they don't know what they are doing.

[Regnad Kcin]

...The test will be what she does on the stump and, most of all, in the VP debate. The big question will be "Does she look like someone who could credibly step in as President of the United States at a moment's notice?" If I were a McCain supporter, I'd be very nervous about the answer.Apparently you missed the three presidential debates between Mr. Bush and Mr. Gore.

[Regnad Kcin]

And a reminder: George W. Bush now has 8 years of experience as chief executive. Would that compel you to vote for him again, if it were possible?

[MattusMaximus]

UYYiw_y2qDI


That's one of the best clips I've seen on this topic to date - I will send it to everyone I know. Tucker Bounds is such a tool... he just got pwned by Campbell Brown, hardcore.

"Straight Talk" my aching ass - McCain's aides can't even answer a simple question, and everyone can see it.

[PixyMisa]

My criticism isn't her lack of experience, it's McCain's judgment in picking her after making experience such a high priority.
So, your argument is that the Democrats need to reverse the order of their ticket? Or... What, exactly?

[PBTree]

There is a difference between being inexperienced and being unqualified.


Sarah Palin lacks any national experience, has a smidgen of executive experience, but based on her apparent lack of knowledge about both domestic and foreign affairs (and her lack of judgement) she is not qualified to become president.




Don't know about that. Was watching The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night and he played a clip from "Fox and Friends" where Steve Doocy was saying (my words);

"She has to have plenty of foreign affairs experience. She lives in Alaska which is right next door to Russia".

Made everyone laugh, just hope he wasn't serious.

:)

[Regnad Kcin]

That's almost exactly what Cindy McCain said in response to a question by George Stephanopoulos. (The clip available on You Tube or wherever toys are sold.)

[MattusMaximus]

Damn, that's pretty sad. McCain is in serious trouble, as evidenced by this news from Gallup (http://www.gallup.com/poll/109975/Obama-Gains-Overall-McCain-Among-GOP-Women.aspx) that he is actually losing ground among Independent and Democratic women since his VP pick.

[Pookster]

So, your argument is that the Democrats need to reverse the order of their ticket? Or... What, exactly?


I've argued that McCain's judgment is sorely lacking in picking her after making experience such a high priority in this campaign. This is a candidate "ready to lead"? Pffft. He's completely taken the strongest point he had against Obama off the table by picking Palin. I've stated this numerous times over the past number of days. I still stand by that argument.

The order of the Democratic ticket is fine. I'd be comfortable with a Obama/Biden or Biden/Obama ticket. I'm comfortable with either of them dealing with national and world issues. I'm comfortable with McCain as well, although I differ on many more issues with him. After putting the emotional and partisan bickering/rhetoric/defending aside, I wonder if Republicans would seriously feel the same if their ticket were flipped. I seriously doubt it, but that's just my opinion.

[Pookster]

Damn, that's pretty sad. McCain is in serious trouble, as evidenced by this news from Gallup (http://www.gallup.com/poll/109975/Obama-Gains-Overall-McCain-Among-GOP-Women.aspx) that he is actually losing ground among Independent and Democratic women since his VP pick.


From looking at the results, he's gained more support from white Republican women, but lost among white independent/Democratic men and women. He's basically solidified the support of women in his own party by picking Palin.

[PixyMisa]

I've argued that McCain's judgment is sorely lacking in picking her after making experience such a high priority in this campaign. This is a candidate "ready to lead"? Pffft. He's completely taken the strongest point he had against Obama off the table by picking Palin. I've stated this numerous times over the past number of days. I still stand by that argument.
Somehow, I don't think so. He's got Obama himself comparing his experience with Palin's. Comparing his biggest achievement yet - which is running his own campaign, not anything he's actually accomplished - with Palin's stint as mayor. Deliberately avoiding mention that Governor Palin is, well, a governor.

He's handed the issue back to McCain on a plate. With a sprig of parsley.

[Pookster]

Somehow, I don't think so. He's got Obama himself comparing his experience with Palin's. Comparing his biggest achievement yet - which is running his own campaign, not anything he's actually accomplished - with Palin's stint as mayor. Deliberately avoiding mention that Governor Palin is, well, a governor.

He's handed the issue back to McCain on a plate. With a sprig of parsley.


I don't see how that negates the issue of McCain's judgment and hypocrisy if he continues to push the same argument against Obama that he has. Obama will likely leave Palin alone now. He got his shot in. He arguably should've not made the comparison. I doubt he will anymore. Now he can take aim at McCain's judgment and hypocrisy if he tries to push the experience issue in the manner that he has so far. McCain has leveled the playing field on the issue.

[ZirconBlue]

Somehow, I don't think so. He's got Obama himself comparing his experience with Palin's.

According to the quote in the OP, the interviewer specifically asked Obama to compare his experience with Palin's. It wasn't Obama's idea to make the comparison.

[NotJesus]

Apparently you missed the three presidential debates between Mr. Bush and Mr. Gore.

I saw them all and thought both candidates were awful in different ways. Bush appeared about as stupid as he actually is and Gore seemed stupider than he actually is. I guess some people preferred Bush's stupidity because it was more authentic.

[Pookster]

According to the quote in the OP, the interviewer specifically asked Obama to compare his experience with Palin's. It wasn't Obama's idea to make the comparison.


Good observation. I think Obama would've been better off turning the question into a question about McCain's judgment about picking Palin. Neither Obama or Palin are going to win in a meaningful way in a "who is more experienced" debate as its being done now.