Ideology aside, is Sarah Palin competent to serve as President?

[Torie]

It is time. Please don't vote no simply because you disagree with her political positions. This is a poll about competence, you know, like Schumer and McConnell and Gregg are competent Senators, and Jim Bunning isn't.

[Daniel Adams]

Yes, she is.

[Ronnie]

Torie, you know that Democrats (which have a good majority of membership on this website) will vote in droves that Palin isn't, so what's the point of making this topic?

I say yes, but what does that mean?

[Lunar]

That Couric interview was quite revealing of how she performs under pressure and her intellectual curiousity.

[Franzl]

No.

Although I strongly diagree with her politics and ideology...that isn't the main factor behind this.

Through many of her answers she has shown herself to be hopelessly incompetent.

"I can see Russia from my home", for example.

Or not even being able to name Supreme Court cases....

These are all signs that she doesn't know what she is talking about, for me.

[TomC]

Yes, so long as she picks advisors for their competence and not their ideology.

[Politico]

She doesn't know what she's talking about and that hasn't changed much the past seven weeks. She makes George Bush in 2000 look like Thomas Jefferson compared to her.

[Alcon]

Hmm.

I don't think she's dumb, and I don't think she's inept.  She was a competent Governor.  But I don't think she has much interest in actually understanding national issues, more keeping afloat.  She's intellectually superficial.  Moreover, I think she's a lot more comfortable with her prescribed role of cultural attack dog than with that of possible presidential successor.

I'm not yet convinced that she isn't competent to be President, but I'm also not convinced she is.  So, I voted "no."

[TeePee4Prez]

No,

And I'd give the same answer for Al Franken.

[GMantis]

She's both dumb and inept, the least competent VP candidate in the last 50 years.

[Torie]

Torie, you know that Democrats (which have a good majority of membership on this website) will vote in droves that Palin isn't, so what's the point of making this topic?

I say yes, but what does that mean?

Because I stripped out ideology, and because there is a separate line for our team to weigh in. It will be interesting to see if a majority of Republicans on this site think Palin is competent aside from ideology.

By the way, are you turning out to vote for me for Atlasia Senate, or is this after I went undecided the final straw? 

[Iosif]

Yes, so long as she picks advisors for their competence and not their ideology.

The "she'll have advisors!" argument really worked for George W. Bush.

The answer is no. John McCain is, Joe Biden is, Barack Obama probably is although an argument can be made that he isn't, but Sarah Palin definitely isn't.

[Nutmeg]

Of course not.

[Daniel Adams]

She's both dumb and inept, the least competent VP candidate in the last 50 years.

Dan Quayle must be relieved the Dems have found a new target.

[Eleanor Martins]

A qualified no: only if America has no regard whatsoever for its international standing.

[Ronnie]

Torie, you know that Democrats (which have a good majority of membership on this website) will vote in droves that Palin isn't, so what's the point of making this topic?

I say yes, but what does that mean?

Because I stripped out ideology, and because there is a separate line for our team to weigh in. It will be interesting to see if a majority of Republicans on this site think Palin is competent aside from ideology.

It doesn't matter.  Democrats and Independents (Democrats) will generally vote for no, and Republicans will generally vote for yes.

[Sam Spade]

The fact that she's essentially telling the Bush advisers to f-off means a likely yes from me.

[Alcon]

It doesn't matter.  Democrats and Independents (Democrats) will generally vote for no, and Republicans will generally vote for yes.

Well, if we're looking to avoid any subjectivity in topics that purport to be objective, we might as well just give up on this talking-about-politics crap already.

The fact that she's essentially telling the Bush advisers to f-off means a likely yes from me.

Telling handlers to f-off is a little difference than telling policy advisers (who probably can run her around the moon seven times) to do the same.  Although I guess the former is still maverick-y?

[Torie]

The fact that she's essentially telling the Bush advisers to f-off means a likely yes from me.

 Are you trying to take on Opebo as the "mostest" curmudgeon of them all?

I don't see a yes vote next to (I) yet by the way. You are not one of those folks who just drops by with a bon mot, and splits without voting are you?

[Ronnie]

It doesn't matter.  Democrats and Independents (Democrats) will generally vote for no, and Republicans will generally vote for yes.

Well, if we're looking to avoid any subjectivity in topics that purport to be objective, we might as well just give up on this talking-about-politics crap already.

I understand that Torie put an 'ideology-aside' label in the title of the poll, but the people on this forum are so hyper-partisan, that it doesn't really matter.

[Politico]

She's both dumb and inept, the least competent VP candidate in the last 50 years.

Dan Quayle must be relieved the Dems have found a new target.

Palin makes Quayle look like JFK.

She's definitely the worst running mate since Eagleton.

[Alcon]

I understand that Torie put an 'ideology-aside' label in the title of the poll, but the people on this poll are so hyper-partisan, that it doesn't really matter.

Are we all really that bad? 

Looking at the polls, it seems the Republicans are splitting semi-close.  Unless those are Dems voting as Republicans, which I guess is possible.  Still, optimism!

[Sam Spade]

The fact that she's essentially telling the Bush advisers to f-off means a likely yes from me.

 Are you trying to take on Opebo as the "mostest" curmudgeon of them all?

I thought that was Al.    Anyway, there's a lot of truth in the above statement, should anyone else care to read it.

[Torie]

The fact that she's essentially telling the Bush advisers to f-off means a likely yes from me.

Who are her "Bush advisers" by the way, whom she is telling to take a hike?

[opebo]

No less so than Obama.

So intellectual capacity counts for nothing with you?

Well, as for me I cannot separate ideology from 'competence' (in other words evaluation of competence is subjective - though I can certainly admit that GW Bush was extremely competent, for those whose interests he served).