The movie, Game Change, which chronicles Sarah Palin’s role in the 2008 election is getting rave reviews from liberals and conservatives alike.   Many pundits who have been rough on Sarah Palin like Joe Scarborough could be seen this past week softening on the former governor.  Apparently the film shows some sides of the situation we did not know. 

The movie can be seen on HBO  at 9 pm on Saturday night.  People I had never thought would have a nice thing to say about the woman say it is an oscar-winning film and one that should not be missed.   Chris Matthews says to see it more than once. 

 

47 Thoughts to “Game Change gets rave reviews”

  1. If I were Bristol I would be pissed. She is a very pretty girl. Her character is drab.

  2. John McCain was a statesman and a gentleman. I have acquired more respect for him.

    He never tried to blame anyone else. Perhaps it just wasn’t his time.

    Palin wasn’t qualified. However, I am going to venture to say she might just be where she should be politically. She certainly has her fan club.

  3. Bear

    I appreciate they needed someone to appeal to the Conservatives. The thought of her being a heartbeat away from the Presidency scares the hell out of me.

  4. I still see it as a deal breaker. As much as the Palin people loved Palin, The Palin people were a small percent of the voters.

    She terrified the Independents and moderates and made McCain an untouchable, where before that, McCain was a viable alternative for those who had Obama issues.

    What we didn’t know what how woefully unprepared Palin was for the job of VP. We thought we knew but we didn’t know the half of it. What were any of them thinking!

  5. SlowpokeRodriguez

    What everyone forgets is that Biden being VP is even scarier.

  6. kelly_3406

    I still maintain that Obama was … and is …no more qualified than Palin. He gives good … oratory, but his remarks are always content-free unless he has his trusty teleprompter.

    1. @Kelly, I guess you will be spending an unhappy next 5 years then.

      Did you watch the film? There were a few surprises.

  7. Censored bybvbl

    @kelly_3406

    Oh, pleeease…. Why not pick Joe Shmoe off the street? He’d have about the same amount of brain power as Palin. She’s found her niche – spokesperson for those who don’t want to think too deeply about any subject but who love sound bites. She can give a good speech to the like-minded masses. Obama can give a good speech as well but only the die-hard haters think he’s as stupid as Palin. (They also think he’s a foreigner and a Muslim.) One of them has the ability to analyze data; the other doesn’t.

    I think the movie probably was an accurate reflection of what went on behind the scenes. She appeared overwhelmed by the situation in which she was placed. And it showed gross negligence on the part of McCain’s staff when it came to the vetting process. McCain may have won the election had Palin’s inadequacies been caught.

  8. kelly_3406

    @MH. You are probably right. He will automatically get over 90% of the black vote and probably 60% of the Hispanic and Big Labor vote. So he starts out with 40-45% of the popular vote without doing anything or spending any money at all. Whoever runs against him has a steep hill to climb just to be competitive …..

    I have not seen it yet, but will do so. Was busy with other things last night.

  9. Morris Davis

    Best line in Game Change was by McCain campaign staffer Mark Salter: “When you lose the moral high ground to Dick Cheney you have to rethink your entire life.”

    Heard McCain this morning say he sticks by selecting Palin because she was the “best qualified” of the choices. That’s a real insult to Repub men and women of substance who were passed over to put Ellie Mae on the ticket.

    1. I liked that one also Moe. What was that about the Darth Vader mask?

      I wonder what Tim Pawlenty and Joe Libermann think of being second best to Palin. Which head was McCain really thinking with on this one?

  10. kelly_3406

    @Censored bybvbl

    I do not think Obama is stupid, nor do I think Palin is stupid. But Obama is just as ignorant in his own way as Palin.

    His record is a clear indication of just how unprepared he was to lead. Take Obamacare for example. This was his signature accomplishment, but he played no role in crafting the legislation. He was relegated to making backroom deals to get votes, which is sort of what he did as a community organizer. Come to think of it, a Chicago Joe Schmoe is not too far off the mark.

    You will have to back up that statement about his ability to analyze data. I have seen no evidence of that.

    1. Did Palin run against Obama? I could have sworn McCain ran against him. He might have won also if he hadn’t had her on the ticket.

  11. Censored bybvbl

    @kelly_3406

    I don’t think Obama would have gotten through law school without analytical ability. He’s also apparently willing to listen to advisors and consider the consequences of his choices – whether that advice regards drone attacks, health care, financial decisions. Just because something hasn’t worked, the blame can’t necessarily be his. He’s had a Republican Congress that has fought him on health care despite their having originated many of its ideas (in opposition to single payer). He’s finished some of Bush’s military messes. But, this thread isn’t about Obama. It’s about the disaster that almost happened.

    I’m assuming Palin’s people who have been quick to dismiss this film are still drawing salaries from SarahPAC. I doubt too that McCain would endorse the film – it reflects that his staff didn’t do their homework. Palin would obviously not like this portrayal. It’s funny how she says she hasn’t seen it but that she accepts the film’s portrayal of her as caring very much about her family. She’s picking which parts she likes. If the film is to be believed, she’s certain to view it – though she probably won’t admit it.

  12. Need to Know

    Neither Obama nor Palin is stupid. Obama never released his academic transcripts but his LSAT score was high enough to qualify for Mensa membership. That tells me that we have a highly intelligent person who did not care enough about his academic work to put enough effort into study to earn grades high enough to publish now. That means that his knowledge of some key areas of which a president should have a firm grasp was lacking, as was Palin’s. In this sense, Obama was no more qualified to be president than Palin.

    I was not comfortable with the notion of Palin as president but felt likewise about Obama. Palin v. Biden is at best a toss-up intellectually. Biden was at best a C-student and has said far more stupid things than Dan Quayle ever did. If you average Obama and Biden you get two people with average intelligence. Obama’s IQ is at least 130, and average IQ is about 100. I have a much higher opinion of Obama than of Biden. I think Palin would score a significantly higher IQ than Biden.

    McCain should have picked Hutchison of Texas as his running-mate and Obama should have made a more intelligent choice.

    Overall the movie was good and did not bash Palin. It showed her as a decent person who was in over her head.

    1. Or it could mean that Obama didn’t feel it was any of our business. That, I salute.

      Who really cares how smart someone else is? Give me a C student and some practical sense any day of the week. All sorts of things influence a person’s grades. Some people like to party. Others work to put themselves through school. Still others play sports.

      Did the Clinton’s release their transcripts? I don’t recall. Clinton was a Rhodes Scholar. That doesn’t happen if you slack. Hillary, like Obama, got into law school and did well. John McCain was near the bottom of his class. I don’t care what Sarah Palin’s GPA was either.

  13. Censored bybvbl

    @Need to Know

    Do you think each of the four Republican candidates should release their college transcripts?

  14. Need to Know

    @Censored bybvbl

    Yes. Obama, all Republican candidates and anyone else who wants to be president or vice-president should release their transcripts. I would also like to see an intelligence test or other test of intellectual ability from them. On that count, Obama’s LSAT convinces me of his intelligence. Candidates could also sit for the Mensa admissions test if they have no other scores to make public to demonstrate their intelligence.

  15. Need to Know

    @Censored bybvbl

    The election is really just a job interview process in which the candidates (applicants) are asking us to hire them for the most senior jobs (pres and vp) in the government. If someone were applying for a job with my firm and refused to provide their transcripts or take a pre-employment qualification test, their application would go directly into the shredder.

  16. Censored bybvbl

    @Need to Know

    Do you think many employers care about college grades (other than class standing at elite colleges upon graduation) ? By the time someone is old enough to qualify for higher office he or she should have some sort of track record of employment or achievements that would be of more importance than what they made in calculus as an eighteen-year-old. I’ve always thought that the demand for Obama’s records was initiated by people who wanted to say,”see…he’s an affirmative action candidate”. It appeared to be just another dig at an African-American (or bi-racial) man. If there had been an equal clamor for Biden’s, McCain’s and Palin’s transcripts at the same time, this wouldn’t be the appearance.

  17. Need to Know

    @Censored bybvbl

    Perhaps some felt that way but it’s generally a phoney attack on Republicans. Accusing someone with whom you disagree of being a rascist is the current equivalent of labeling them a communist in the 50s if you’ve run out of intelligent arguments.

    Obama had virtually no accomplishments. He spent about two years in the Senate, but while there did nothing but campaign for president. For someone of such minimal achievement having the academic and any other background information was especially relevant to request from him.

    Accomplishment and achievement are increasingly important relative to academic records as one goes through life and gains experience. However, they never become irrelevant. For someone who wants to be president or vp, I want to know the whole package.

  18. Censored bybvbl

    @Need to Know

    I don’t think racism can be discounted. The Republican Party still has a very Southern base and some of its members made the jump from Dixiecrats to Republicans because of Johnson’s civil rights initiatives. The base is also more evangelical than in other parts of the country. One only has to look at how the recent sales pitches of the four candidates play to that base. One can’t wave away racism by saying it doesn’t exist. (A bi-racial Republican Prez might get the same treatment by these same people.)

    I don’t remember Palin releasing her transcripts. I believe the media found that she had attended several colleges – might have been a predictor of her quitting her governorship when the going got tough. If she had been revealed to be a “C” student, do you think that would have made any difference?

    Having watched Game Change, I can see that the message is tightly scripted and controlled. Whether a glimpse at someone’s youthful grades would reveal much is iffy. Perhaps the college attended would reveal more. But people can attend Ivy League schools, get gentleman’s “C’s” yet have many important contacts and more life experience and travel than grades alone would tell. (A police check and psychiatric exam might reveal more! Ha ha!)

  19. Need to Know

    @Censored bybvbl

    The press pretty much takes care of the police check. A psychiatric exam might have kept a paranoid like Nixon out of office. I’d support that.

  20. @Censored bybvbl

    I don’t think either Clinton released theirs. Why should they? Obviously both were smart enough to get them where they wanted to go.

  21. Censored bybvbl

    Neither DH nor I have ever been asked for a college transcript – just the college attended and the year that we graduated. Is a transcript request a common one now? I would think any professional credentials would be important in particular fields but not a transcript. A transcript might show that one majored or minored in a field some thought to be an easy major, but some of those fields can be tough regardless of what John Q. Public thinks.

  22. Cato the Elder

    The film was entertaining and well done, but it’s more like a political porno for lefties. Nice touch suggesting she’s mentally ill and perpetuating the hysterical woman meme. Gee, I wonder what the reaction would be if they did that to Hillary?

    1. @Cato, just out of curiosity, why do you think there are parts that are false? I think it is perfectly understandable for someone to have a nervous breakdown with all she had on her. Sometimes we don’t understand our own limitations.

      Rather than blaming Lefties or liberals or whatever other names you have for non conservatives, remember the line from the doctor in Sedona? She had a special needs baby, she had just shipped a son to Iraq, she had a pregnant teenage daughter and she ambitiously had accepted a job she really didn’t have background to do. Actually, she didn’t realize how different her skill set would be from what was needed in national politics.

      When I was coming along a lot was made about the Superwoman Syndrome. There is a side of me that thinks she really was doing remarkably well for someone in her shoes. She just couldn’t sustain. She couldn’t do it all. NO one realized it in time, most of all, her.

    2. @Cato, did you happen to see Primary Colors? Did you think that film was flattering to Hillary? I sure didn’t.

  23. kelly_3406

    Censored bybvbl :
    Neither DH nor I have ever been asked for a college transcript – just the college attended and the year that we graduated. Is a transcript request a common one now?

    In high-tech career fields, education level can be a big discriminator in terms of position and pay. With all the opportunities for continuing education these days, employers often require proof that a graduate degree in a given field was actually earned from a reputable university (i.e. not mail order). It is not at all unusual for an employer to require a transcript, even for mid- and high-level positions.

    1. Academic jobs require proof of degree with official seal. They can require proof of course completion. I guess it all depends on what job you are doing.

      @Kelly

  24. Scout

    Julianne Moore is clearly one of the great American actresses of any time. She is brilliant in almost anything she does. I thought the portrayal and the script reflected a strong attempt at accuracy and fairness. I also liked the casting and portrayal of McCain (a great hero of mine) and his campaign team.

    1. @Scout: I very much agree. I thought the portrayal of McCain was very decent. I came away liking him a lot more. He stood on principle which is so rare these days.

  25. HBOgo.com is certainly a fine product. smart phone, ipad, laptop, all take HBOgo. I don’t think my Nook takes it and my kindle is too old to take much of anything other than a book.

    How does everyone use their HBOgo?

    I wasn’t sure if Game Change was going to be on at 9 pm. To my delight, it was!

  26. Starryflights

    It is good that John McCain and Sarah Palin lost the election. The country is much better off without them.

  27. Elena

    Mark Halperin is anything but liberal, ergo, the reason “Game Change” was read as a fairly unbiased account. Geez, the man called President Obama a “di#k, pretty sure he is no liberal democrat!

    I am wondering, for those commenting so negatively on the book, did you read it?

    It was actually positive and negative regarding the major players running for office in 2008. No one was left unscathed.

  28. Need to Know

    @Starryflights

    McCain would have spent the first two years of his presidency focusing on the economy and jobs rather than ramming a health care bill down our throats that the majority of Americans didn’t want. He would also have been much better able to foster cooperation among the parties and branches of government. He had a track record of doing so. McCain is a national hero with extensive accomplishments under his belt.

    I’ve written in this blog before that I think that Obama has in some ways handled foreign policy well. However, McCain’s experience and knowledge in foreign affairs would have resulted in even better performance. Also, I hope no one even dares think that McCain would not have authorized the mission to whack bin Laden.

    Regarding Palin and Biden, I’ve commented above already. We could find better candidates and people more prepared to be president than either. However, given that choice I’ll take Palin.

  29. Republicans haven’t gotten over the fact that McCain voted for TARP.

    I don’t believe that the majority of Americans don’t want health care. The majority of Republicans don’t wan’t health care. Big difference.

    This is turning into woulda coulda shoulda. The bottom line is, McCain/Palin didn’t win the election. Obama did. Whatever people want to project onto what would have happened had the election gone the other way is purely speculative.

    The health care plan IS about the economy. That is something Republicans fail to acknowledge. 40 million uninsured Americans makes a huge impact on the economy. Someone is paying. Those someones are all of us. Your premiums ae going up and up and up and hospitals charge more and more to make up for all those who simply walk and don’t pay their bills. That is just the tip of the iceberg.

  30. Elena

    NTK,
    I know many people who are desperate for affordable health care so I respectfully but vehmently disagree with your premise.

    This country will drown in its health care costs without government intervention, it is really that basic. More people in the health care system spreads out the cost of health care more efficiently. More people in the health care system does create more jobs.

    http://www.commonwealthfund.org/News/News-Releases/2011/Apr/72-Percent-of-Americans-Think-Health-Care-System-Needs-Major-Overhaul.aspx

    “New York, NY, April 6, 2011—Seven of 10 adults think the U.S. health care system needs to be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt, according to a Commonwealth Fund survey released today. The concerns reflect widespread experiences with access barriers, poorly coordinated care and growing costs. The survey also reveals strong support for more patient-centered care systems and innovative use of teams and information systems. “

  31. Need to Know

    Moon and Elena – the arguments you cited were among those used often in support of President Obama’s plan. We can agree or disagree on their merits. The point I was making is that poll after poll showed the majority of Americans, not just Republicans, opposed to Obamacare. Polls still show majority opposition. You are correct that the public wants healthcare reform, but not the expensive, jobs-killing, bureaucracy-bloated version the President spent two years getting passed. Moreover, most people wanted the economy and dearth of jobs dealt with first.

  32. Need to Know

    @Moon-howler

    I’ve said here and elsewhere that TARP was bad-tasting but necessary medicine to avoid another Great Depression. It worked to a large degree and for that both Democrats and Republicans, Bush and Obama, deserve credit along with McCain. In fact, TARP money has largely been repaid and I think even made a profit for the taxpayers.

    1. I have pretty much also said the same thing about TARP. However, many Republicans have held it against McCain that he voted for TARP and encouraged others to do so. I thought he did the right thing but I am often at odds with most people who identify themselves as Republicans.

  33. Pat Herve

    NTK – I think you need to recall McCains proposal’s a bit more clearly.

    Both He and Palin stated that they would not go into Pakistan, a sovereign nation to go after the terrorists, unless invited – so, nix the Bin Laden raid.

    He was for a healthcare mandate – and then he was against it. His proposal to remove the corporate tax deduction for healthcare insurance would dramatically change the industry – and cost to the employer and employee. If you ask people about the Healthcare reform – yes, people say they do not want it – but if you ask about the issues that it is trying to address and the benefits (no more pre-existing conditions, greater access, dependents on plans, etc) – they are largely for it.

    The economy – McCain stated that the fundamentals of the US economy was strong – just hours before Lehman filed for bankruptcy – and continued to repeat the line, as the market kept tanking day after day.

    I do believe if McCain had been elected – we would have forces in North Korea, Iran, Egypt, Syria and a few other places – along with reinforcements to Iraq and Afghanistan.

    IMO McCain would have been a disaster.

  34. Need to Know

    @Pat Herve

    Re Pakistan McCain and Palin were referring to military intervention a la Iraq or Afghanistan; not special ops or other covert missions.

    “I am overjoyed that we finally got the world’s top terrorist. The world is a better and more just place now that Osama bin Laden is no longer in it. I hope the families of the victims of the September 11th attacks will sleep easier tonight and every night hence knowing that justice has been done. I commend the President and his team, as well as our men and women in uniform and our intelligence professionals, for this superb achievement.”

    John McCain, shortly after the announcement of the raid that killed bin Laden.

    Re healthcare, many, many people were debating a vast array of different proposals and changing their minds, including President Obama and his supporters.

    Re the economy prior to the collapse, many more people are now claiming that they saw this coming. In fact, the causes of the collapse were so well concealed in the financial statements of AIG, Lehman, Goldman-Sachs, etc. there is no way anyone other than an insider could have anticipated the disaster about to befall us.

    One of my favorite pre-collapse quotes:

    “Although we certainly cannot rule out home price declines, especially in some local markets, these declines, were they to occur, likely would not have substantial macroeconomic implications. Nationwide banking and widespread securitization of mortgages make it less likely that financial intermediation would be impaired than was the case in prior episodes of regional house price corrections.”

    Alan Greenspan, June 9, 2005

    I will concede that the risk of foreign interventionism would have been greater under McCain than under Obama. However, an increasingly non-interventionist Congress would have buffered that impulse. I support Obama’s reluctance to send the US military into areas where we have no business. I fault Obama on Libya only in that he declared we would shoot at anyone but Qadaffi, the one person whose death quickly ended most of the bloodshed of everyone else.

    I oppose McCain’s call last week for US air support to create a no-fly zone in Syria.

    I will fully admit that I like some of the policies and actions of the Obama Administration and have said so on this blog. By the same token, I don’t support everything McCain favors, foreign interventionism and the McCain-Bush amnesty bill among them. However, on the whole, I think we would be better off with McCain-Palin than Obama-Biden.

  35. @Need to Know

    on the whole, I think we would be better off with McCain-Palin than Obama-Biden

    .

    Thank goodness we don’t have that option. Any such suggestion is highly speculative. Did you see the film? No one seems to be questioning its veracity. It makes me really question why anyone would think that would be good for the country.

  36. marinm

    I liked the movie. Didn’t hear all the dialogue because we had a fussy baby last night but overall I was pleased.

    Ms. Moore looked stunning. Wow. If they could’ve put a few clips in from Boogie Nights this movie would’ve had Oscar written all over it.

    As I said to a coworker this morning. The movie only gives me a better impression of Ms. Palin. God Bless her.

    1. I walked away with a better impression and a worse impression, if that makes sense. @marin

      I haven’t heard of one person who didn’t like the film. (unless they were portrayed in it)

      I am not sure anyone is ever prepared for Washington DC politics. I remember how the Clintons spent a while looking like deer in the headlights when they first hit town. Things just weren’t like they thought they would be. The Obamas at least had the Senate experience.

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