Schwarzenegger says Sarah Palin not ready to be President; Obama/Biden up 23 points in California
California Political Desk
October 25, 2008
Earlier in the week it was former Secretary of State Colin Powell who said he is very "concerned at the selection of Governor Palin" as John McCain´s running mate. As Powell said on Meet the Press: "She's a very distinguished woman, and she's to be admired; but at the same time, now that we have had a chance to watch her for some seven weeks, I don't believe she's ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of the vice president."
Now, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, McCain´s California Campaign Chairman, is echoing Powell´s concerns about Palin´s readiness, or lack thereof, to be president.
From Schwarzenegger´s interview with CNN´s Campbell Brown, about Sarah Palin:
BROWN: Do you think she's qualified to be president?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I think that she will get to be qualified.
BROWN: She will get there? What do you mean? She's not ready yet?
SCHWARZENEGGER: By the time that she is sworn in I think she will be ready.
To translate Schwarzenegger´s eloquent non-answer, his response to Brown´s question as to whether or not Palin is qualified to be president is "no." And as General Powell said himself, readiness to be president "is the job of the vice president."
Is Schwarzenegger, whose top priority has always been to first and foremost maintain the "Arnold brand," distancing himself from the McCain/Palin ticket? Or from any Republican candidates in California, for that matter – how many candidates is Schwarzenegger stumping for in California? Distancing himself probably wouldn´t be a bad move for Schwarzenegger, considering the latest PPIC poll finds Obama/Biden winning in California by a jaw-dropping 23 percentage points.
Sure, Schwarzenegger will make his regular election-eve visit to Columbus, Ohio next week, just as he did four years ago when he helped deliver a second term for President Bush. (By the way, Californians still greatly appreciate that!)
But considering that the McCain/Palin ticket is placing once-solidly Republican congressional and legislative seats in jeopardy, it´s no surprise that Schwarzenegger is pooh-poohing his favored ticket publicly and saving his last-minute praise for when he´s more than 2000 miles away from the Golden State next week.
Now, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, McCain´s California Campaign Chairman, is echoing Powell´s concerns about Palin´s readiness, or lack thereof, to be president.
From Schwarzenegger´s interview with CNN´s Campbell Brown, about Sarah Palin:
BROWN: Do you think she's qualified to be president?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I think that she will get to be qualified.
BROWN: She will get there? What do you mean? She's not ready yet?
SCHWARZENEGGER: By the time that she is sworn in I think she will be ready.
To translate Schwarzenegger´s eloquent non-answer, his response to Brown´s question as to whether or not Palin is qualified to be president is "no." And as General Powell said himself, readiness to be president "is the job of the vice president."
Is Schwarzenegger, whose top priority has always been to first and foremost maintain the "Arnold brand," distancing himself from the McCain/Palin ticket? Or from any Republican candidates in California, for that matter – how many candidates is Schwarzenegger stumping for in California? Distancing himself probably wouldn´t be a bad move for Schwarzenegger, considering the latest PPIC poll finds Obama/Biden winning in California by a jaw-dropping 23 percentage points.
Sure, Schwarzenegger will make his regular election-eve visit to Columbus, Ohio next week, just as he did four years ago when he helped deliver a second term for President Bush. (By the way, Californians still greatly appreciate that!)
But considering that the McCain/Palin ticket is placing once-solidly Republican congressional and legislative seats in jeopardy, it´s no surprise that Schwarzenegger is pooh-poohing his favored ticket publicly and saving his last-minute praise for when he´s more than 2000 miles away from the Golden State next week.