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McCain's VP, what do you think?

Monday, October 06, 2008

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By DAN ROSS
Register Online Staff

Obama's VP, what do you think?

Reader Forum

(Editor's note: The comments on this crashed about 9:30 a.m Friday, right after McCain's announcement. We were able to rebuild most but not all of the comments)

John McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, what do you think of the choice?

Remember when you look at the comments that this initially posted before Palin was chosen.

-- A couple notes here, if you try to make this an attack on any person, your comment is going to be deleted.

-- Barack Obama supporters have a reader forum for their candidate also, so post the McCain comments there. The link is on this Web page.

-- Once the VP choice is named, this will remain as a place to comment about what you think of the choice and the tandem's chances in November.

--Dan

738 comment(s)

Common Sense wrote on Aug 19, 2008 11:51 AM:

" Sarah Palin. Hands down. "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 19, 2008 4:00 PM:

" Hillary Clinton, and I bet she'd accept in a heartbeat (pun)... "

kevin wrote on Aug 19, 2008 4:28 PM:

" It better NOT be Liberman... "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 19, 2008 8:11 PM:

" Thompson would solidify the conservative base.... "

DinoSilver wrote on Aug 19, 2008 8:54 PM:

" I vote for Sarah Palin as well. What an amazing lady. Not only is she an excellent Gov. - she recently gave birth to her 5th child while in office!!! She is the shining example for all working women everywhere. "

hear ye wrote on Aug 20, 2008 1:16 AM:

" Palin would be a very intriguing choice. Despite not knowing a whole lot about her she seems like a respectable person I just happen to disagree with on most issues. "

Leah wrote on Aug 20, 2008 8:12 AM:

" Sarah Palin hands down the best choice. Her addition to the ticket would make a big difference. "

kevin wrote on Aug 20, 2008 1:15 PM:

" Sarah would add WHAT to the ticket? 2 electoral votes for Alaska?

The Florida governer, Crisp? could add something... "

cab e-girl wrote on Aug 20, 2008 5:07 PM:

" I could go with Romney (since he seems to have a handle on economics), I also like Palin but I'm not sure she wants to be tainted by McCain.

Latest poll numbers from fairly reliable polling: (I did not include CNN (Communist News Network) or Fox News (Faux News for you Lefties) so spare me the left wing, right wing rhetoric.

1. Reuters/Zogby 08/14 - 08/16 41% Obama, 46% McCain
2. Gallup Tracking 08/17 - 08/19 Obama 45% McCain 43%
3 Rasmussen Tracking 08/17 - 08/19 Obama 47% McCain 46% "

Leah wrote on Aug 20, 2008 6:58 PM:

" Kevin:

Are any of us really sure what any candidate for VP would bring to the table? The only obvious difference between Sara Palin and the other cadidates is she's a woman and she's young. I like her because she seems to be level headed, she's had executive experience and I'm pretty sure she'd be in favor of Drill here, Drill now, Pay less. "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 20, 2008 8:01 PM:

" I don't know anyone who has ever changed their vote for President based on the VP choice..... Would you...??? "

plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Aug 20, 2008 10:28 PM:

" Yeah, I thought Dan Quayle was a nice bright young feller . . . "

Christabelle wrote on Aug 21, 2008 6:24 PM:

" Romney is his best bet. The others are not known by the majority of those who go to the polls. He's smart and well qualified and I really wished he had beat ouf McCain anyway. If not Romney, McCain does not have prayer. As Paris said, "Wrinkly white haired dude" and I can only add: "with a nasty temper." "

kevin wrote on Aug 21, 2008 8:01 PM:

" McCain made noises today like he WON'T pick a pro abortion VP, and that's a good start. Have to laugh at how desparate the Liberal media has been pushing for McCain to pick Lieberman! That's "proof" that that would be the WRONG choice! "

Common Sense wrote on Aug 22, 2008 10:29 AM:

" Kevin says: "Sarah would add WHAT to the ticket? 2 electoral votes for Alaska?"

-Sarah Palin's biggest advantage is that she appeals to conservatives, moderates, and independents...all at the same time. No other candidate, with the exception of Bobby Jindal, does. The libertarian and evangelical wings of the Republican party both like her. McCain can expand his voting block in both directions.

Other advantages:
1. She is a hard core reformer, willing to take on her own party to fight corruption.
2. She is the top government executive is a state that borders a key ally (Canada) and a key foe (Russia), requiring international skills way beyond the average state governor.
3. Her oldest son is serving in Iraq.
4. She lived by her pro-life principles by not aborting her fifth child, who she knew would have Down's Syndrome.
5. She provides a great opportunity for McCain to change his mind about ANWR.
6. For what it is worth, she led her high school basketball team to the state championship and was a beauty queen. This does not appeal to elitist liberals, but does appeal to middle America.

The list goes on. Google "Draft Sarah Palin" for a great website.

I would be very disappointed with a "safe" pick such as Pawlenty, or a "typical politician" pick like Romney. "

Selim wrote on Aug 22, 2008 1:48 PM:

" Dwayne - Actually, the selection of a VP *does* help the candidate. Bush43's selection of Cheney "validated" him in the eyes of a lot of Reagan-era Republicans. It was saying to to voters "Look, I may not know who the president of Pakistan is, but THESE fellas do." Really, without him and Powell on board, the voters would have seen Bush43 as he really is and quite possibly could have changed the delicate balance in that election.

And let's be frank; it's in McCain's interest to nominate someone who is YOUNG, but not wholly incompetent (like Quayle). The age factor looms large over the McCain camp. "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 22, 2008 3:51 PM:

" Good point, Selim, but I hesitate to think it changed any votes from Democrat to Republican...

If Obama picked a conservative Republican for VP I still wouldn't vote for him... "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Aug 22, 2008 7:05 PM:

" Dwayne - I compliment you on your honesty!

Nobody with a brain not in a 'persistent vegetative state' really believes that dyed-in-the-wool 'conservatives' are going to vote for Obama -- and all this guff about picking a 'centrist' VP running mate to get Republican votes is as dumb as...

McBush picking Joe Lieberman to get Democratic votes.

AIN'T A GONNA WORK !!!

Cheers! ~Ruff "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 23, 2008 5:21 PM:

" Hey, I'm open for VP but I just don't have the time for a part time job since I'm retired... 'Honey-do's' are eating me alive, ya know.... "

Napanee wrote on Aug 24, 2008 8:26 AM:

" Romney, he has a strong stand on illegal immigration. "

Bill wrote on Aug 24, 2008 8:06 PM:

" Remember you heard it here...... Colin Powell "

Leah wrote on Aug 25, 2008 8:21 AM:

" Senator McCain would prove himself a "Maverick", if he selected Sarah Palin; however, I strongly believe Mitt Romney will be the Senator's choice. I mean how would it look after his ad about Hillary receiving millions of votes, but not chosen? It'll be Mitt Romney. "

steve_hall12 wrote on Aug 25, 2008 8:56 AM:

" Hey, Romney is obviously his best bet.

He could lock up all of the lds (mormon) votes in the west. That way, Obama would struggle with those states, especially Colorado and Utah.

Romney will also easily win every debate against Biden. Did any of you ever see Romney in the Republican Debates? He was always clearly the smartest one.

He also has a strong stand on illegal immigration, and lots of experience with the economy.

Hey also, don't you think that McCainRomney sounds better than Mccainpawlenty? "

msinformd wrote on Aug 25, 2008 1:33 PM:

" Kevin is right! "

hear ye wrote on Aug 25, 2008 2:21 PM:

" It would be quite funny if he picks Romney. These guys blasted each other during the primaries and the Dems could answer right back to the McCain ads using quotes from Biden and Hillary. "

Paul wrote on Aug 25, 2008 7:34 PM:

" Mit Romney is Sen. McCain's best option. Based on his achievments and successes he is the most qualified to be President among the three already in the race. It's a little early for Sarah Palin or Bobby Jindal. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Aug 26, 2008 2:59 PM:

" I expect the Republican VP choice to be Mitt Romney.

And I expect a fiery VP debate.

It is really too bad there are so many speeches and advertisements instead of debates.

Of course, I expect all the debates to be enlighteing, but I am not expecting the Republicans to get away with teenage beauty contest questions like 'Why Do You Love America?' instead of, shall we say slightly tougher ones like 'Do you endorse torturing prisoners?'

Another fruitful line of questioning might be 'Do you support taking away the US Bill of Rights on ONLY the President's Say-So?'

Or "Would You support a Supreme Court Justice nominee who thinks Americans have too many civil rights in a 'time of war'?"

~Ruff "

kevin wrote on Aug 26, 2008 8:38 PM:

" hear ye, the difference is that in the Republican Primary NO ONE said that Obama had the qualifications to be President.

Hillary HAD to know when she praised McCain and dissed B.O. that her words would come back as a campaign ad.

Of course the Dems will use Romney's words against him, but they won't have much impact. It is the contrast of Hillary's words that make the ad so devastating... "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Aug 27, 2008 12:03 PM:

" It's pretty obvious that it is going to be Mitt Romney.

Mitt is already out there telling us why McCain, who can't even remember how many houses he has and has a major economic advisor who calls all the folks losing their jobs and houses 'whiners' is right when McCain tells us the economy is sound.

Good luck with that, Mitt!

The debates are going to be fun, fun, fun!

~Ruff "

russ wrote on Aug 27, 2008 8:54 PM:

" Mitt would slice and dice Biden and outclass him as well.

I don't think McCain is smart enough to pick Romney. "

kevin wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:32 AM:

" I have to admit, I like the idea of McCain running ads in the middle of B.O.'s acceptance speech. If he announces his V.P. tonight, all the better.

I like the "in your face" attitude! In years past, the Republicans always went on vacation during the Dem's convention.

When McCain is President, I hope he keeps the 'tude! "

leah wrote on Aug 28, 2008 4:51 PM:

" Wait. Obama/Biden is only 6 points up in today's poll? Normally doesn't the candidate get a fairly large bump up, 10 to 12 points, during their respective convention? Oh my gosh. This is going to be much closer than I thought. I guess we'll get a better idea and be able to compare on Thursday of next week. "

kevin wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:58 PM:

" leah, this election is not going to be close at all, given the lame speech B.O. gave tonight.

McCain by a landslide... "

Sarahophile wrote on Aug 29, 2008 4:02 AM:

" If McCain wants to win he will select Sarah Palin! "

leah wrote on Aug 29, 2008 7:59 AM:

" Looks like McCain is serious. Sarah Palin is a great pick. Talk about change, no Washington insider Biden kind of VP for McCain. Wife, mom, business woman, Governor.... she's been my choice for a long time. I'm happy. "

cab e-girl wrote on Aug 29, 2008 8:12 AM:

" It's official, he has selected Sarah Palin. One of the few choices that allows me to vote for that ticket. "

TrickleDown wrote on Aug 29, 2008 8:19 AM:

" Too funny....

McCain says "Obama lacks the experience to be president"

McCain is 72 years old today

McCain is to announce Sarah Palin today, who before her 2006 election to Governor of Alaska was a city councilperson?

Too funny "

plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Aug 29, 2008 8:25 AM:

" If McCain really picks Sarah Palin, I may have found a good reason to support and vote for McCain. He is likely to be a one term president, she is a conservative/libertarian blend, and if she proves out, even Hillary won't be able to beat her in 2012. Obama will be left in the dust as the Hillary supporters will vote for Palin.

By the way, great timing on the part of the McCain campaign. No one is talking about Obama's speech last night. Finally the Republicans seem to have learned something about the media, instead of getting whacked all the time by the Democrat media cheerleaders. "

Normbc9 wrote on Aug 29, 2008 8:35 AM:

" The new McCain VP pick is probably a talented person but is a realtively unknown quantity to most of us. I sure am disappointed in the lackluster McCain campaign. It almost reminds me a an organization on tranquilizers. "

freeport56 wrote on Aug 29, 2008 9:11 AM:

" Barak who

GO John & Sarah! "

kevin wrote on Aug 29, 2008 9:26 AM:

" You called it Sarah!

This REALLY puts Hillary in a bind. She has been working to undercut B.O.'s election so she can run again in 2012. Now she faces the prospect of running against another woman in 2012!

"It just isn't FAIR"....+ "

kevin wrote on Aug 29, 2008 9:41 AM:

" Oh. So now the McCain VP blog is down? I didn't see the B.O. VP blog ever go down.

Bias! Discrimination! "

Rich wrote on Aug 29, 2008 9:51 AM:

" Perfect choice "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 29, 2008 9:57 AM:

" Palin is a brilliant choice..... "

NVR-Dan Ross wrote on Aug 29, 2008 10:12 AM:

" Whoa, not sure what happened here, but when I go to teh comments it shows "DB error: unknown error. If others are seeing this, we are trying to fix it to bring back the comments. If you're not seeing it, then it is my computer acting weird.
--Dan "

DinoSilver wrote on Aug 29, 2008 10:14 AM:

" Sarah Palin - WOW! As she just said during her speech this morning - there were 18 million women who put cracks in the glass ceiling - she will push through those cracks to become the first female VP of the United States! The Republican party has just welcomed women back. "

3rdGenNapan wrote on Aug 29, 2008 11:17 AM:

" I am surprised that McCain was this smart, and very excited. Sarah the Barracuda lives the life feminists promote. Sarah hunts, fishes, is a float plane pilot in a territory that is very dangerous for pilots, plays hockey and yet has been a beauty contestant, PTA mom, hockey Mom and feminine. Her rugged commercial fisherman husband also doubles as a house husband! She lives the life we were told in '60's and '70's women should be 'allowed to lead'. Meanwhile, she has attacked cronisim in both parties and prevailed, she refused that idiot bridge to nowhere Congress approved, As govenor she has given Alaskans an additional $ 1, 400 over their annual checks to compensate for their increased energy costs. She is realistic, fiscally conservative, she is the girl next door and a guy's 'buddy'........... and she has a proven track record of prevailing over that which is wrong in todays politics - in both parties. Go Sarah. "

Common Sense wrote on Aug 29, 2008 11:19 AM:

" Told ya so. "

NVR-Dan Ross wrote on Aug 29, 2008 12:32 PM:

" Most of the comments appear to be back up, we are working to rebuild the rest of them.
Thanks for your patience. "

luv1mom wrote on Aug 29, 2008 12:56 PM:

" McCain is running scared. He wants to win the presidency at any cost, with little thought as to a qualified running mate. He picked Palin for all the wrong reasons -wanting the female vote, a ticket that reflects the Obama ticket (younger/older). This isn’t a game of chess. She is probably the most inexperienced candidate I can think of. Let’s not be reminded that he is 72 years old, and if he should die in office, we would be left with a VERY inexperienced VP to fill his shoes. His choice is yet another Republican fumble. He seems even less credible now –almost laughable. We need a change, but not that change. Obama all the way!! "

plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Aug 29, 2008 1:12 PM:

" luv1mom:
I would rather have a smart Palin than an empty suit Obama in the Oval Office any day.

Obama has proved that he is more interested in getting elected than making 'change', as evidenced by his selection of JB. He's was a Washington insider before McCain got there. "

NVR-Dan Ross wrote on Aug 29, 2008 1:25 PM:

" I have to manually re-enter the comments from today. Problem with that is it will look as though the comments came from Me. I'll try to make it as clear as possible and re-post all the missing comments by 3 today
thanks for your understanding.
--Dan "

luv1mom wrote on Aug 29, 2008 2:01 PM:

" plasticpinkflamingo: I do not disagree that Palin is smart. But the sheer tactic to select a woman just to get the female vote just confirms that fact that McCain should never be elected. He is a tired old politician practicing tired ol' politics. period. "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 29, 2008 2:03 PM:

" Hear Ye wrote on Aug 29, 2008 12:41 PM:
" When did she call secret service trained dogs? I want to read about it "

Gary Aldrich reported that as America’s First Lady, “[Hillary] had a clear dislike for the agents (U.S. Secret Service), bordering on hatred… Two Secret Service agents heard Hillary’s daughter Chelsea refer to them as ‘personal, trained pigs’ … The agent on the detail tried to scold Chelsea for such disrespect. He told her … he believed that her father, the president, would be shocked if he heard what she had just said to her friends. Chelsea’s response? ‘I don’t think so. That’s what my parents call you’ ” (Unlimited Access, p. 90). "

Sandra wrote on Aug 29, 2008 2:14 PM:

" Trickledown....I think you need to add a foot note to your comment:
Obama Campain is NOW critizing Sarah Palin as being inexperienced and from a small town.... oh the irony
Who is Palin? wikpedia:
"Palin served two terms on the Wasilla City Council from 1992 to 1996. In 1996, she challenged and defeated the incumbent mayor, criticizing wasteful spending and high taxes.[6] The ex-mayor and sheriff tried to organize a recall campaign, but failed. Palin followed through on her campaign promises to reduce her own salary, and to reduce property taxes by 60%. She ran for reelection against the former mayor in 1999, winning by an even larger margin.Palin was also elected president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.
Governor Murkowski appointed Palin Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, where she served from 2003 to 2004 until resigning in protest over what she called the "lack of ethics" of fellow Alaskan Republican leaders, who ignored her whistleblowing complaints of legal violations and conflicts of interest. After she resigned, she exposed the state Republican Party's chairman, Randy Ruedrich, one of her fellow Oil & Gas commissioners, who was accused of doing work for the party on public time, and supplying a lobbyist with a sensitive e-mail. Palin filed formal complaints against both Ruedrich and former Alaska Attorney General Gregg Renkes, who both resigned; Ruedrich paid a record $12,000 fine.
In 2006, Palin, running on a clean-government campaign, upset then-Governor Murkowski in the Republican gubernatorial primary. In August, she declared that that education, public safety, and transportation would be three cornerstones of her administration. Despite the lack of support from party leaders and being outspent by her Democratic opponent, she won the general election in November, defeating former Governor Tony Knowles.
cont. : "

Sandra wrote on Aug 29, 2008 2:20 PM:

" "Highlights of Governor Palin's tenure include a successful push for an ethics bill, and also shelving pork-barrel projects supported by fellow Republicans. After federal funding for the Gravina Island Bridge project that had become a nationwide symbol of wasteful earmark spending was lost, Palin decided against filling the over $200 million gap with state money. "Alaska needs to be self-sufficient, she says, instead of relying heavily on 'federal dollars,' as the state does today."

She has challenged the state's Republican leaders, helping to launch a campaign by Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell to unseat U.S. Congressman Don Young and publicly challenging Senator Ted Stevens to come clean about the federal investigation into his financial dealings.

In 2007, Palin had an approval rating often above 90%. A poll published by Hays Research on July 28, 2008 showed Palin's approval rating at 80%,while another Ivan Moore poll showed it at 76%, a drop which the pollsters attributed to the controversial firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan."

While I do not agree with all of her views, I do have to say the woman has a set of cojones, appears to have ethics and honesty. She has demonstrated her willingness to stand against the "good 'ol boys", and do what is right. I think a moosehunting runner up beuty queen is a great choice as McCains V.P.
Let teh games begin! "

Sandra wrote on Aug 29, 2008 2:27 PM:

" "Obama all the way!!"....HUH? Because he has soooooo much more experience than Palin, who is only the VP candidate, as opposed to a 2 year tow the line democratic senator for PRESIDENT? Come on now....you cannot have it both ways.
I think it quite remarkable that McCain chose this person, who well certainly shake things up in Washinton if given the opportunity. McCain had to know what he was getting with Palin. I say it is a very pleasant surprise. I thought for sure he would go with Romney.
This race is getting more interesting all the time..... "

savanna wrote on Aug 29, 2008 2:38 PM:

" Sarah Palin is the "right choice", I've been waiting for an outsider instead of more of the same Washington corruption. She returned money for a bridge they didn't need, can you believe it? What a strong, articulate person. Yes,,, I think this is the "change I'm lookin for" "

ADark1 wrote on Aug 29, 2008 2:47 PM:

" Good choice, However I think the Repubs are still toast! "

ADark1 wrote on Aug 29, 2008 3:29 PM:

" ADark1 wrote on Jun 21, 2008 5:43 AM:
" Common Sense wrote on Jun 20, 2008 8:47 AM

"TrickleDown, even though I'm not particularly religious, thanks for highlighting the liberal anger toward Christianity. McCain can use all the help he can get. "

From what we've seen of the RR, he'd be MUCH better off w /out them! I think McCain needs someone who seems reasonable..then again, who's seen a reasonable Republican? That being said,Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, would be possibly his near best choice. Even if they have a bridge that goes nowhere! :) "

its an obvious counter to not having HRC on the Dem Ticket...I doubt it will work!

let the games begin! "

luv1mom wrote on Aug 29, 2008 3:38 PM:

" Remarkable that McCain chose this person . . . HUH? Pleasant surprise . . .? double HUH? Try an obvious last minute desperate move. Now what is McCain going to use since he obviously cannot use the "young and inexperienced" assault on Obama??? "

Sandra wrote on Aug 29, 2008 5:06 PM:

" luv1mom sats:"Try an obvious last minute desperate move."
Haha, you are funny. If you really think the republican party is that stupid, and did not consider exactly what they were doing, then I wonder about you.
I gotta ask, if the young and unexperienced thing is a bad ploy being used by the republicans against Obama, then why, oh why, are the democrats playing copycat with this tactic, using it agains Palin? You do not see the irony in this?
Personallly, I do not buy the inexperienced in government argument when applied to either side. I say hurrah for new blood. I am sick to death with politics as usual. Give me someone with substance who is willing to stir things up. Sarah Palin has certainly shown she is willing to do that with her successes in the areas of reform of her own pary, and her willingness to be bipartisan.
My opinion is still out on Obama....but looking at his 2 year record.....well he certainly seems to go along with what the democratic party wants, and I've yet to see any evidence of bipartisanship. "

cab e-girl wrote on Aug 29, 2008 5:59 PM:

" luv1mom- It's clear you were only going to vote for Obama, which is your right. But for people like me who are tired of the same old politics and empty suits on both sides of the aisle, it did make a difference putting adding Sarah Palin to the ticket. First and foremost, she has done her jobs well at all levels. Mom, wife, fisherwoman, councilwoman, mayor and governor. She is smart, articulate and she doesn't just accept the good ol boy's political regurgitation. She is not afraid to do the right thing, like returning money the state didn't need. She is a card-toting member of the NRA and manages to hunt and fly airplanes. To top it off she sets an excellent example for young girls and women everywhere. When faced with the reality of having a Down’s syndrome child, she made the right choice. This is someone I can relate to. Not only is she is the right choice; she is a very smart choice for McCain. "

kevin wrote on Aug 29, 2008 6:07 PM:

" luv1mom said about McCains VP pick: "He is a tired old politician practicing tired ol' politics"

LOL. And B.O. (the "change" candidate) wasn't doing that when he picked a 30 year Washington insider as a running mate??

We see who is the REAL candidate of change! "

bob wrote on Aug 29, 2008 6:08 PM:

" Hillery must be fit to be tied, she might need that shot with a 6 pack chaser tonight.
Someone get the prozac and a straight jacket, she just might go off the deep end and chock the @#$% out of Obama. So much for being first.

Adark1 forgot the ing

" Good choice, However I think the Repubs are still toastING! " "

Raven wrote on Aug 29, 2008 6:16 PM:

" hmmmm...as everyone is patting McCain on the back.....I just want to point out that the first female VP candidate was a democrat..... "

Sandra wrote on Aug 29, 2008 6:30 PM:

" Gee Raven, I guess you didn't see Sarah Palin's introductory speech? She beat you to it, thanking both Geraldine and Hillary for paving the way. Seems a pretty class act to me. "

freeport56 wrote on Aug 29, 2008 6:37 PM:

" and when BHO's hatchet boys denegrated Palin, they did an about- face an hour later.

Later that day BHO called her to congratulate her.

We all know where the class will come from in this campaign. "

kevin wrote on Aug 29, 2008 6:44 PM:

" Yeah Raven, but the first woman VP WILL be a Republican... "

kevin wrote on Aug 29, 2008 6:49 PM:

" The Dem's are running down Alaska for being too "small" to produce a qualified VP.

How small is Wyoming??

That worked out pretty darn well... "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 29, 2008 8:12 PM:

" bob wrote on Aug 29, 2008 6:08 PM:
" Hillery must be fit to be tied, she might need that shot with a 6 pack chaser tonight.
Someone get the prozac and a straight jacket......"

Well, Bill Clinton, the convicted perjurer, Did his normal thing by looking right at the camera and doing what he was told to do to make sure that Hillary was still in reserve for the next election. He's had lotsa practice with his lies.

I'm sure that Bill and Hillary are both self-medicated about now, switching from crying in their beer to anger, and back again. It'd be fun to be a fly on the wall when they're alone to see what they really think about being dethroned.... Pure karma in action.... "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 29, 2008 8:13 PM:

" Dan Ross:

Thanks for putting the database back together. Have a great holiday weekend... (applause) "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 29, 2008 8:52 PM:

" Raven wrote on Aug 29, 2008 6:16 PM:
" hmmmm...as everyone is patting McCain on the back.....I just want to point out that the first female VP candidate was a democrat..... "

Yeah, but she broke down in tears, and so did girlie-man Biden... We don't need someone in that position who cries when they get a mood swing.. Geeeezzzz.... "

hawkins707 wrote on Aug 29, 2008 9:15 PM:

" How is that this story has already been bumped down from the recent news section on the website? "Discount days" at Mervyn's remains (which apparently seems to be a farce), but something of this magnitude gets bumped. Hmmm...what's goin' on NVR? "

Madison Jay Hamilton wrote on Aug 29, 2008 9:21 PM:

" Karl Rove thought that Gov. Kaine of Virginia was not qualified for VP because he had only been governor for three years and had been a mayor of a small city. What must Rove think about the even less qualified Governor of Alaska? "

Raven wrote on Aug 30, 2008 3:25 AM:

" having fun watching people comes up with new explanations as to why Palin's vast experience doesnt matter....oh, she doesnt have vast experience....

who was it that said this wasn't the job for on the job training? "

a teacher wrote on Aug 30, 2008 7:18 AM:

" Gee, I hope no one else said this, but...

Now both tickets can claim to be beauty and the beast. "

jwk wrote on Aug 30, 2008 7:31 AM:

" The lefties are already going nuts trying to dis Sarah. Bottom line, It was a Great choice. She is far more qualified than Osamabama, Hunts, Has Governed, is a Member of NRA and frankly is far tougher than the milk toast candidate!! WIsh the ticket was turned around. Talk about change, compare her to the 30+ year Liberal Old School Politician Obama picked and there is a distinct chance of a New Era in the Govenrment with a fresh new Conservative woman. Bet Hillary is boiling about now!! If American's are willing to put their thinking caps on, The Fat Lady should be warming up her voice as we speak!! Right ON! Right on "Fly Boy".. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Aug 30, 2008 8:09 AM:

" Actually, jwk, I don't think Sarah Palin needs any 'dissing' at all. She's just... irrelevant.

I've hunted, and owned guns, but I don't think that is relevant to being VP or President. It's interesting that she eats moose, but irrelevant.

I don't consider membership the NRA (or MoveOn) as relevant to being the VP or President. There are a lot more Americans than membership in both those groups combined.

Don't the Republicans have anything better to offer the American people than yet more 'talk tough with a bad strategy'?

I already know Obama can be rhymed with Osama... but I haven't forgotten that the Bushites haven't captured or killed Osama Bin Laden with SEVEN YEARS to get the job done.

I thought Jon Stewart had an interesting take on Republican self-styled 'patriots' who 'love America... but hate most of the people who live in it'.

This year it is more blatant than ever that McBushite-Republicans try to win votes by ranting about how terribly lacking in courage and moral fiber the majority of Americans are.

Millions of folks are tired of hearing how morally supperior 'conservatives' think they are than the rest of us.

I'll admit like Abe Lincoln did that you 'can fool some of the people ALL the time', but most Americans have caught on to the Republican playbook now.

And, as Barack Obama says "NOT this time!"

Yes, we can... throw the Bushites out!

~Ruff "

kevin wrote on Aug 30, 2008 8:19 AM:

" The Dem spin today seems to be "women are not going to vote for a woman just because she is a woman".

So why are so many blacks voting for B.O. just because he is black? (And we have all heard them on interviews saying this over and over...) "

a teacher wrote on Aug 30, 2008 9:01 AM:

" On the plus side:

She is one of these young conservative republicans, more willing to talk compromise, more willing to listen,more realistic

Her son is going to Iraq, so at least she understands that our little "adventure" in the middle east has consequences tah affect her.

She's a mom.

She seems to be her own woman.

She seems to "walk the walk".

On the negative.

The scandal where she tried to get her brother in law fired has to give one pause. The executive branch is in charge of law enforcement and should be above personal vendettas.

18 months of being Gov. of Alaska is not much of a resume. Say what you want about Obama's experience, but at least he has been giving years of thought about being president and what he would do if elected. What's Ms. Palin been thinking about for the last four years? Does anyone know?

She doesn't have much gravitas. She hasn't really established herself as a person to be respected.

In the long run I don't know if Ms. Palin will prove to be a good choice for McCain's VP. If he picked her with the hope of picking off some of Ms. Clinton's supporters, it shows he is truly out of touch. Clinton's core supporters may be bitter, but the prospect of more Scalias on the Supreme Court will ultimately keep them from voting for him. "

fourmaplesoutback wrote on Aug 30, 2008 9:04 AM:

" For the first time in my 25 years as a voter, I am switching tickets based on VP's. I voted Obama in the primary but am switching to McCain. While Obama makes great speeches on change, he and Biden propose no real change (other than the end of GWB-which the Constitution gets the credit for changing). I want change, and think McCain/Palin have the greatest chance to effectuate change in the cesspool of Washington politics. "

Napasnapper wrote on Aug 30, 2008 9:06 AM:

" Reason number two why the Republican ticket will win. She alone, is a better choice than either Obama or Biden. I betcha Hilliary has steam coming out of her ears. "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 30, 2008 9:06 AM:

" Raven wrote on Aug 30, 2008 3:25 AM: ".....who was it that said this wasn't the job for on the job training? "

Bill Clinton said that about Obama during the primary.... "

common sense wrote on Aug 30, 2008 10:01 AM:

" Sarah Palin and Barack Obama are about the same age, but Governor Palin has run a state and a town and a commercial fishing operation, whereas Senator Obama ain't run nothin' but his mouth. "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 30, 2008 1:58 PM:

" Raven wrote on Aug 30, 2008 3:25 AM: ".....who was it that said this wasn't the job for on the job training? "

I had it wrong... Joe Biden said that about Obama during the primary.... "

kevin wrote on Aug 30, 2008 2:07 PM:

" I STILL haven't figured out just what a "community activist" does. Who signs the paychecks?

Sounds like one of those things you put on a resume when you haven't been working and need to "fill in the blanks"... "

upvalleygal wrote on Aug 30, 2008 2:15 PM:

" Has America fallen asleep or are we stuck in mass denial?

What kind of mother would leave a baby after 3 days of giving birth and her additional 4 childern in the care of anyone else - family member or not. I just cannot reconile how the party that attempts to make a case for their strong family values would not see the conflict here.

I thought her nomination was a 'joke' that the media was pulling. She has no credentials that offer much experience no matter how you might want to 'spin it'.

Plus, I do believe that the VP position is important as this person can be an important confidnnt to the President while he serves our country. "

Hear Ye wrote on Aug 30, 2008 3:11 PM:

" If I were to believe some of the "logic" being thrown around in here I would have no choice but to believe Palin is more qualified and experienced to be President than Jon McCain. It's hilarious "

misfit wrote on Aug 30, 2008 3:41 PM:

" She might make a great vice president...who knows. But, there is NO WAY she can make a good president if something should happen to Grampy. "

Raven wrote on Aug 30, 2008 4:01 PM:

" no dwayne, you had it right....McSame said it in an interview in July "

ADark1 wrote on Aug 30, 2008 5:53 PM:

" kevin wrote on Aug 20, 2008 1:15 PM:
" Sarah would add WHAT to the ticket? 2 electoral votes for Alaska?

The Florida governer, Crisp? could add something... "
.....

Hmmmmmm could it be I'm seeing more flip flops then McCain? And BTW kevin, if you'd notice, I'd picked Sarah back in June...guess us Dems don't have a clue! "

wyngyrl wrote on Aug 30, 2008 6:18 PM:

" The selection of Mrs. Palin concerns me for several reasons. First, I think she was chosen simply because she is female, not because she is qualified. That is an insult to women's intelligence and a blatant political manuever. Second, the V.P. is, as has been said in the media, "one heartbeat away from the presidency." John McCain is 72. A robust 72 yes, but he will be facing the most stressful and demanding job on the planet. The reality is, he should have picked someone who could step into the Oval office at a moments notice. I do not believe Sarah Palin is qualified to do that.

Yes, she has been a governor for the past 18 months. But the population of the state of AK is 670,000. The SF Metro Bay Area has 7,200,000. AK is also 70% white, has few non-English speakers, is not troubled by illegal immigration, and is geographically & culturally separated from the lower 48. AK has no personal income tax and no sales tax. State revenue is almost solely provided from the petroleum industry, which is so lucrative that rebates are often provided to the residents. In other words,she may be a good governor there but the situations cannot translate to running the entire country.

There are simply too many drawbacks and it makes me question McCains judgment and decision making. Even tho I'm a middle aged female, I will not be voting the McCain/Palin ticket and can only hope that intelligent caring citizens will prevail in Nov. "

common sense wrote on Aug 30, 2008 6:49 PM:

" I love the way liberals are falling right in to the McCain trap. You can tell the libs are in a tizzy by the completely different responses coming out of the Obama camp (compare the initial Obama response with the subsequent back-pedaling by Obama and Biden later in the day).

Go after her for experience, it only highlights Obama's lack thereof (and Palin has much more executive experience as Governor of Alaska...Obama was only a "community organizer", which apparently means "Rezko Money-Laundering Coordinator").

Go after her for foreign policy, and again, it only highlights Obama's non-existent foreign policy record. At least Palin has dealt with next-door neighbor Russia.

It's about time we had a woman as Vice President of the greatest nation on Earth! "

kevin wrote on Aug 30, 2008 7:18 PM:

" What makes me think that wyngryl wasn't voting for McCain regardless??

Wyoming has LESS population than Alaska (522,000) and is 96% white. That didn't seem to slow down D*CK (stupid filter!!!) Cheney from being a great VP! "

Raven wrote on Aug 30, 2008 7:32 PM:

" well in any poker game I would play for our nation, I would take 7 years in a state legislature and 3.5 years in the senate over about 6 years as a councilwoman and mayor of a town of less than 9,000 and 18 months as governor of a state of less than a million people.

her ballyhooed natural gas pipeline has me wondering why she decided upon a Canadian company for it....and the reports she tried to have a state trooper fired because he was in the middle of a messy divorce with her sister are troublesome...but I will admit to like one thing she did as governor, getting a windfall profits tax passed on oil companies operating in Alaska..

and I wouldn't use Disk Cheney as an example of what comes from small states for anything, much less as a future VP....Cheney has done damage to this country that will take decades to repair..... "

Hear Ye wrote on Aug 30, 2008 8:17 PM:

" Ha ha if Cheney is the indication of what we can expect from her than the Dems are looking even better than I thought. "

wyngyrl wrote on Aug 30, 2008 8:32 PM:

" Kevin, whether or not I was considering voting for McCain is irrelevant to this discussion. The point I am trying to make is that he has selected a running mate who is spectacularly unprepared to assume leadership of the worlds largest super power. She seems like a very nice person, but the fact that she would even accept the nomination, given her background, seems either extreme hubris or naivete. Neither of those is positive.

She holds a bachelors degree from Idaho - not what you'd expect for a world leader. She has lived in small towns her entire life, which is pleasant but not mind expanding. She has five children, 4 of whom still need a great deal of parenting. She has a disabled infant who will need a great deal of parenting!

I feel like this taking a co-worker or co-PTA member and offering her the White House. It's bizarre and I can't believe McCains advisors actually let this happen. As for November - bring it on! "

TrickleDown wrote on Aug 30, 2008 9:46 PM:

" My favorite Sarah Palin number of the day: 909

This is the number of votes Sarah Palin got in her mayoral victory for the city of Wasilla trouncing runner up John Stein's 292 votes. "

TrickleDown wrote on Aug 30, 2008 9:52 PM:

" From Sarah Palin's speech on Friday morning:

''If you want change in Washington, if you hope for a better America, then we’re asking for your vote on the 4th of November.''

Wait, isn't it your party who has the office of president right now? Is Sarah Palin saying that Bush isn't doing a great job? If she is, then is voting into office someone that has voted with Bush almost across the board change? Perhaps one of McCain/Palin's vocal supporters here could explain what this line means. "

Sickothis wrote on Aug 30, 2008 10:05 PM:

" Consider this perspective: approximately the same number of people that live in Napa County voted to make her governor of Alaska. More than 10 times more people live in the Bay Area than in all of Alaska. Palin said this a month ago, "But as for that VP talk all the time, I’ll tell you, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day? I’m used to being very productive and working real hard in an administration. We want to make sure that that VP slot would be a fruitful type of position, especially for Alaskans and for the things that we’re trying to accomplish up here for the rest of the U.S., before I can even start addressing that question." State Senate President Lyda Green, a Republican who has often feuded with Palin, remarked, "She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president? Look at what she's done to this state. What would she do to the nation?" She opposes abortion for rape and incest victims, supporting it only in cases where the mother's life is in danger. Alone among the candidates in the 2006 gubernatorial election, Palin said in a televised debate that she supported teaching creationism alongside evolution in public schools. Another Palin quote: "When I look every day, the big oil company's building is right out there next to me, and it's quite a reminder that we should have mutually beneficial relationships with the oil industry" "

TrickleDown wrote on Aug 30, 2008 10:27 PM:

" Here is a great, direct quote from Palin’s speech with McCain on Friday: And I’ve championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress, thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge, I said, we’d build it ourselves.

This “bridge to nowhere” and Palin’s efforts to halt funding gets no less than three mentions here in this forum:

3rdGenNapan: she refused that idiot bridge to nowhere Congress approved,

Sandra (quoting wikipedia, which she has before derided…see June 3, 2008 Obama/McCain discussion): After federal funding for the Gravina Island Bridge project that had become a nationwide symbol of wasteful earmark spending was lost, Palin decided against filling the over $200 million gap with state money.

savanna: She returned money for a bridge they didn't need, can you believe it?

Hmmmm….let’s see what the facts say. CNN reported on 09/22/2007: Under mounting political pressure over pork projects, Congress stripped the earmark -- or stipulation -- that the money be used for the airport, but still sent the money to the state for any use it deemed appropriate.

So, the facts clearly state that Congress stripped the earmark and it wasn’t Palin’s doing. Does this make Palin a liar? And, no, she did not return the money, as much as savannah would like to celebrate Palin for doing…an easy mistake to make with Palin’s own speech implying that she said no to the funding (her saying no meant that they gave her the money anyway that she could use however she saw fit).

Darn those pesky facts!!! "

zinjanthropus wrote on Aug 30, 2008 10:37 PM:

" Hey, stop looking at that silly celebrity guy in his silly football stadium full of admirers and look at me! See, I'm standing next to a beautiful woman. She's a former beauty queen you know. She's not a celebrity though, like that guy. Hey wait, don't look at him, keep looking at me! "

ADark1 wrote on Aug 30, 2008 10:46 PM:

" I'd like to welcome wyngyrl and luv1mom to the fray..You GO GURLS! :)

Keep fighting the fight, Raven, SickoThis, Hear ye, Ruff,Trickeldown,misfit and the rest of you...I'll be preparing one rather long list of awards and trying to get a few more surprises for BM2 so I'll poke my head in once in a while..

When Dan puts up the new thread I'll respond basically there...

Lets get ready to rumbleeeeeeeeee! "

ADark1 wrote on Aug 30, 2008 10:51 PM:

" I'd be remiss NOT to mention A Teacher! Teach! The Awards committee is working on a lifetime achievement award for you as its GOT to seem to be a lifetime here in the trenches! Hang in there we're gonna get you more help...and a ruler for some knuckles! :) BTW welcome to zinjanthropus .... "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 30, 2008 11:11 PM:

" (Theme from Jaws playing in the background)
Y'all are gettin' skeeered, ain't ya, by a girley....

Me thinks you protesteth too much... (snicker)... Yer giving yerselves away... "

noblindershere wrote on Aug 31, 2008 6:35 AM:

" yes upvalleygril, what new mom would take on the role as VP? She is clearly very full of herself to have a baby and then let someone else raise it. I'm a proffessional mom with two young children and I'm taking time off so I can actually raise my own children. She goes against everything the conservative party preaches about family, how is she a good pick? I feel sorry for her children. Great that a woman was given this opportunity, but would have been a better pick in a couple years...give her some more experience in an executive office and some time with her little one and come back in a couple years. Nice try McCain, but a little raw. Her eagerness to take on the big boys is admirable, but were talking the world MIss, not Alaska companies. "

a teacher wrote on Aug 31, 2008 7:44 AM:

" Scared of a girl, nah, she's just what the doctor ordered.

You know why magicians usually have pretty assistants? To distract the audience while the master pulls an Ace from up his sleeve. "

Joe B wrote on Aug 31, 2008 8:46 AM:

" Shows how far you have to go to separate yourself from Bush & Co, I like her. But this is just a maneuver by the old guard. The wolf needs to attract some sheep. "

jwk wrote on Aug 31, 2008 9:30 AM:

" Osama Bin Laden was in custody on two occassions and offered up another time. Slick Willy did NOTHING as usual that he might need to make a decision on and risk his legacy. Oh he has a fine Legacy though doesn't he? Just like Clintoon, Osamabama will not take any action on anything unless the pollings numbers look good for them!! Again, 9/11 should of never happened!! You think anybody on The Milktoast Leftie side would go after Osama?? Sodamn Insane would still be terroizing the world had a Demo been in Office. But at least the Dem's did TALK about getting him for a year or two prior to "W" taking action. Talk is real cheap. Just Words???What happened to the party of Change-Change-Change?? Looks like the Same old worn out crap "Demo Boilerplate" as usual this year... "

freeport56 wrote on Aug 31, 2008 9:31 AM:

" a teacher-

that scandal you are talking involved her former brother in-law making death threats against her father while an Alaskan State Trooper. making death threats is a crime and she wanted him gone. When the Head of the State Troopers refused, she fired him.

Go Sarah, do not tolerate criminal behavior from the ranks of law enforcement. I love the fact that all you libbies are underestimating her. She is 3 times the man any of you are! "

14obama wrote on Aug 31, 2008 10:26 AM:

" Dan,
Isn't that what they do during a political campaign is attack their opponent ? It would be unreal Not to do so.
Lest I get deleted I won't go there. I will say that Palin is the best choice if one wants to be defeated. Bad,bad choice ! "

Sandra wrote on Aug 31, 2008 10:40 AM:

" Trickle down...I have absolutely derided wickepedia as not to be used for the "only" source of info....but that does not mean it only has lies....my point on wikpedia is that research should not END with wikpedia. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to clear that up for you. If you can disprove anything in my post...please go for it.
Now about the bridge to nowhere... see next post... "

Sandra wrote on Aug 31, 2008 10:43 AM:

" From Transportation watch:

"Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and it's clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island," Palin said in her statement. "Much of the public's attitude toward Alaska bridges is based on inaccurate portrayals of the projects here. But we need to focus on what we can do, rather than fight over what has happened."
The governor made the decision "simply because the project wasn't a prudent use of state funds," said Palin spokeswoman Sharon Leighow.
Canceling work on the bridge will free up about $36 million in federal funds that may be used on other Alaska transportation projects, the governor said.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R), the daughter of the former governor, criticized Palin's decision.
"The community of Ketchikan has made safe and reliable access to the airport a priority for over 30 years. When the State of Alaska requested resources to build a bridge, the Congressional Delegation worked hard to secure funding," the senator said in a statement issued Sept. 21. "It is unfortunate for the people of Ketchikan that the state has chosen to reprioritize its support of this project."
But Lois Epstein, director of the environmentally oriented Alaska Transportation Priorities Project, was pleased with Palin's move. "We think it's a good, fiscally responsible decision to look at this project, which is a mega-project. But there are also other mega-projects in the state that need some additional evaluation," Epstein said. "

Seems to me another smart decision from the moose hunting, beauty contestant, Governor of Alaska.

Darn those pesky facts! "

Sandra wrote on Aug 31, 2008 10:57 AM:

" Noblinders here...what a tirade with no proof to back it up. How do you have any idea what her plans are for the care of her children? My husband and I both worked full time and were eqaul caregivers to our children. I know other families who are traditional, in that the mom provides most of the care, and others where it's the dad. AND still others where it is daycare or nannies. If you criticize Sarah Palin in this way, you are also criticizing most of America.

What strikes me is the venomous attacks coming from the democratic party...what a panic they must be in. "Pretty assistants....distract the audience ....no experience....sorry for her children...What kind of mother would leave a baby after 3 days of giving birth" ( not 3 days...check again)...What a bunch of nonsense....
It's a really good thing that the democratic party is above dirty politics, isn't it? "

Sandra wrote on Aug 31, 2008 11:04 AM:

" Hey Freeport...The more I find out about MHB (short for moose hunting beauty)...the more I like. It is especially interesting to se the desperation in the attacks coming out against her. It is even more enlightening that when you look at the real story behind the shallow attacks that they dissipate like the hot air they are. "

MyWrites wrote on Aug 31, 2008 11:20 AM:

" For all his lack of experience Obama put together one of the finest election teams we have ever seen. While McCain and Hillary were giving $1,000 to $10,000/person elitist fundraisers and going broke, Obama was soliciting $50 checks from the rest of America and has $100's of millions to work with.

How did he do it? He's smart, people! Of course our conservatives here will never allow him any other title than "SLICK...".

Conservatives always seem to support wealthy candidates, they like to equate wealth with success (Dems are pretty good at it too) but if the proof is in the wallet, seems like you Cons should be supporting Obama!

And I wish Governor Palin good luck with her bipartisan ethics investigation back in Alaska. It will be interesting to find out if there is any interference with the committee's attempts to gather information. Quite frankly it sounds like she is even less qualified to lead than our current prez was in 2000.

Does it bother anyone that now the only way McCain can come up with enough cash will be to accept it from the hands of the same powerful individuals, lobbyists and corporations that he claims to be immune to? "

Joe wrote on Aug 31, 2008 1:26 PM:

" She's hot!! She has that sexy librarian look to her. "

common sense wrote on Aug 31, 2008 1:31 PM:

" Sarah Palin was not flown to Ohio in a charter jet for the big announcement...she ran as part of her morning workout. "

elb wrote on Aug 31, 2008 2:01 PM:

" Kevin, You asked; "So why are so many blacks voting for B.O. just because he is black? (And we have all heard them on interviews saying this over and over...) "

I would like to remind the America people that Obama is not "just black". He is, rather, very much 'black AND white', but the media and his own campaign supporters seem to be very much downplaying the white part.

As a white woman, I am offended that he seems to speak so little of this aspect of his life and seems to place, instead, more of an emphasis on his 'blackness' as though this is somehow 'better'?

If a white candidate was to place such an emphasis on their being white... well, now that certainly wouldn't sit well with people, now would it? So why is it that so many are getting away with promoting Obama's blackness? "

musikluvr wrote on Aug 31, 2008 2:40 PM:

" I have never seen the liberals so worried! The dems selected someone for VP who dissed Obama in the primaries. Now he likes him? Sorry folks, this country ain't that dumb. "

winemd wrote on Aug 31, 2008 4:56 PM:

" I don't know enough about Sarah Palin to know whether she will be an asset in the campaign, but she seems very ethical, even when it comes to her own party. This is a good sign. I find it interesting that the two presidential candidates chose someone who has a lot in common with their opponent. Obama chose an older white man with lots of experience and is an "insider", and McCain chose a newcomer who is part of a group underepresented in politics. LOL about "beauty and the beast."

I would like to welcome everyone to this message board who is getting involved, and not just those who agree with me ;-). The boards are very enlightening, especially when it comes to local political issues. This is a great way to learn more to make an informed decision. "

freeport56 wrote on Aug 31, 2008 5:07 PM:

" It was a good strategic move. Everyone is worried about taking the Hilary supporters and poopoos Governor Palin's Executive experience. He would rather take twenty years to become uber-bureaucrat, unlike his candidate for President.

They will attack her, use the experience thing, and fall flat on their faces. They will be arguing against their own candidate and his real lack of executive experience. Her small town , I have been to the farmers market there, is like any other small American town. It has issues that require leadership to solve. As Governor, she is the head of the Alaskan National Guard and has been to Germany to visit her wounded troops. Sen. Obama has never visited wounded troops. He cancelled his trip to shoot hoops in his hotel.

You want to adjust your agruements after she hits the circut, she will floor you. "

Raven wrote on Aug 31, 2008 5:08 PM:

" okay...let me see if I understand this, so now he isn't worthy because he doesn't mention his race?... I am scot-irish, does it make me less Irish because I identify with my Scot ancestry more? "

common sense wrote on Aug 31, 2008 5:19 PM:

" Sarah Palin once carved a perfect likeness of the Mona Lisa in a block of ice using only her teeth. And she will cheerfully pry your Klondike bar from your cold dead fingers. "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 31, 2008 5:26 PM:

" Hillary (the Clinton's) got thier butts kicked by a black man and 'another woman', again. Hillary should be used to that by now.

Personally, I'm tired of hearing of their convicted perjurer nonsense. You can't believe a thing that they say.

It's time to go for honesty and straight-talk, instead of the BS from a convicted liar and philanderer. Let's go for integrity for a change, instead of the slimy false notions of the Democrats....

You want "change"...???...!!! Be prepared for a huge and devastating surprise, and it won't be a good thing... "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 31, 2008 5:31 PM:

" Raven wrote on Aug 31, 2008 5:08 PM:
" okay...let me see if I understand this, so now he isn't worthy because he doesn't mention his race?...

The entire Democratic party has been afraid to say 'no' to a black man, and that's the only reason Obama has gotten as far as he has... He's an empty suit that only speaks in generalities, and avoids specifics, for good reason....He has none...

God save us if the Bush-haters vote for this idiot in 'change' clothing.......... "

elb wrote on Aug 31, 2008 5:31 PM:

" Raven,

Now, now... that is not what I said, and if you look again, carefully, you will know that.

I did not say he wasn't mentioning his race. On the contrary, he and his wife and his campaign seem to be placing quite a bit of emphasis on the fact that he is a "black man," which is interesting to me when he is in fact, very much a "black AND white" man.

Why the emphasis on the black, while neglecting the white? If Obama is truly about the word "UNITE" then why has he segregated his own race within himself, even?

If McCain were talking about his "whiteness" the way Obama and his campaign talk about his blackness... Well, there would be trouble in political paradise, for sure! "

common sense wrote on Aug 31, 2008 6:02 PM:

" Queen Elizabeth II curtsied when she was introduced to Sarah Palin, and when the French heard she was coming to Europe, they immediately surrendered. "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 31, 2008 6:05 PM:

" common sense wrote on Aug 31, 2008 5:19 PM:
" Sarah Palin once carved a perfect likeness of the Mona Lisa in a block of ice using only her teeth. And she will cheerfully pry your Klondike bar from your cold dead fingers. "

I cannot wait for the VP debate.......

Biden has got to be shaking in his boots, because he already knows that Palin is armed...!!! Haaaaaaa........ "

Hear Ye wrote on Aug 31, 2008 6:33 PM:

" I've been following his campaign fairly close and I'm not a aware of this emphasis on him being black. I see it in the media, though. He talks about his mother and grandma quite a bit "

a teacher wrote on Aug 31, 2008 7:15 PM:

" FreePort: Perhaps you are right, perhaps not. There are two sides and an investigation.

Joke: Bringing in Clinton8 years after he left office. I see you're living up to your name.

ELB: Obama doesn't down play his roots. He constantly talks about his mother and grandparents, all white. The media won't leave it alone though. It seems to me that if one parent is black and one is white that you have equal claim to either race. Not in America, however. To me that is the ludicrousness of racism. He can claim to be African American since his father was actually an African.

As for all the "liberals in a tizzy" we are hearing from some of you. All I've heard from people is "HUH!", what is McCain thinking? That and the sound of hands rubbing together in glee. "

common sense wrote on Aug 31, 2008 8:08 PM:

" McCain's VP trumps Obama, the head of the ticket.

-City Mayor trumps "Community Organizer".

-Alaska Governor for a couple years trumps Illinois senator for a couple years.

-Sarah Palin got a natural gas pipeline approved, something nobody else in Alaska was able to do in the previous 3 decades. Obama has accomplished NOTHING.

-Sarah Palin led the crusade for reform in Alaska, crushing corruption in her own party. Obama got his house thanks to convicted felon Tony Rezko.

Bottom line...even McCain's VP is more qualified to run the country than Obama.

Sarah Palin could even take Obama on the basketball court...I'd love to see that! Go get 'em, Sarah! "

Dwayne wrote on Aug 31, 2008 8:15 PM:

" Barack Obama threw his ailing grandmother who raised him under the bus today.
Obama equated her with the racist anti-Semitic "G-Damning America" preacher he chose for himself and his family- Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, a bank vice president, and grandfather, Stanley Dunham, a salesman, lived in a two-bedroom apartment in downtown Honolulu and helped raise their grandson along with his white mother until he graduated from high school. (Washington Post)

Both Dunhams were upset when their daughter Ann married Barack Obama Senior, particularly after receiving a long, angry letter from the graduate student's father in Kenya who "didn't want the Obama blood sullied by a white woman."

On March 18, 2008, in his speech on race and the controversy surrounding comments from his former pastor Jeremiah Wright, Obama stated that his grandmother confessed to him about "her fear of black men who passed by her on the street," and he would cringe at her use of "racial or ethnic stereotypes."

In over a year of speeches, I don't recall Obama talking about his grandmother who raised him and that she was ill- not once. I don't recall any special trips over to Hawaii to see her.
That doesn't say much about the young senator. "

TrickleDown wrote on Aug 31, 2008 8:16 PM:

" Sandra: You, unfortunately, left out a few choice lines from the article you quote. In fact, a paragraph just previous to the lines you quoted was this:

'''A national outcry prompted Congress to remove the earmark designation for the bridges--which came to be known as "bridges to nowhere," a nickname coined by Keith Ashdown, vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based Taxpayers for Common Sense. However, Congress did provide the equivalent funding to Alaska to be used for transportation projects of the state's choosing.'''

So, again, Palin's "thanks but no thanks" line is misleading at best as is very clear by reading the posts in this forum about her dealing with the money, sending it back, etc.

And.. wikipedia is a dynamic forum. It has improved its accuracy since you quoted it now stating with respect to the bridge:

'''In 2006, Ketchikan's Gravina Island Bridge, known outside the state as the "Bridge to Nowhere", became an issue in the gubernatorial campaign. Palin initially expressed support for the bridge and ran on a "build-the-bridge" platform, but later decided to use the bridge funds for other projects. Palin directed state transportation officials to find the most "fiscally responsible" alternative for access to Ketchikan's airport. Although Alaska kept the federal money, Palin stated that Alaska should rely less on federal funding. Palin now claims that, "I told Congress, thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere."'''

Definitely much more accurate now, so though your post was not "disproven", and it was the most accurate mention of the bridge on this forum to that point, however it was not entirely accurate and the wikipedia entry's accuracy has increased since. "

MyWrites wrote on Aug 31, 2008 8:43 PM:

" elb wrote:

"I would like to remind the America people that Obama is not "just black". He is, rather, very much 'black AND white', but the media and his own campaign supporters seem to be very much downplaying the white part."

Elb, How does he appear to you, 50/50? Top half or bottom? Maybe left side or right? Based on his appearance, what part of a bus do you think he would have been forced to sit in during the 1950's in the South? You seem more obsessed with his color than he apparently is.

And musikluvr I haven't noticed that liberals are so worried. Actually they seem rather energized and confident. You should quit watching FOX News where they have been predicting that the "Democrat" Party unity was going to explode like a grenade during their convention - didn't happen - they unified just like Howard Dean said they would months ago!

I don't think we will see many female Democratic voters going over to McCain but I do predict there will be a significant reversal within the Republican Party who will vote for Obama, just like all those Demos who went over to Reagan in 1980. I have listened to an astonishing number of conservatives I personally know who are so fed up with politics as usual and the Bush administration, they are committing to Obama.

I have to agree with you musikluvr, apparently "this country ain't that dumb." "

MyWrites wrote on Aug 31, 2008 9:12 PM:

" Dwayne wrote: "He's an empty suit that only speaks in generalities, and avoids specifics, for good reason....He has none..."

Go to his website, Dwayne and educate yourself. Lots and lots of specifics.

Dwayne also wrote: "God save us if the Bush-haters vote for this idiot in 'change' clothing.......... "

Hmmm...idiot huh? That's why he graduated numero uno at Harvard Law School. And McCain graduated where in his class at the Naval Academy? #394 of 397 - brilliant! And W's stellar performance at Yale - oh, brother...

Say Dwayne, how did you do in school? "

elb wrote on Aug 31, 2008 9:13 PM:

" Mywrites,

Nice spin there. As clever as your response was, you know well and good that is not the point I was making and or asking others to consider.

And for the sake of the thread I am not going to keep repeating myself, either simply because someone chooses to distort my point(s) already made. "

orangeplow wrote on Aug 31, 2008 11:27 PM:

" Has anyone asked how she is going to veep with a 5 month old down syndrome infant? Sorry, but a baby, especially with downs, needs 24 hour care and nurturing in order to thrive and overcome some of the maladays of that condition. Either way, she will neglect either her job as vp, or her kid...so much for being the party of "Family Values" "

Raven wrote on Aug 31, 2008 11:36 PM:

" and how did he distort it elb....you are complaining that Obama isn't saying he is white often enough for you?...or that the media isn't saying he is white enough for you....what are you saying? "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 1, 2008 1:05 AM:

" Elb-

Actually I think he nailed your point perfectly. Most people identify with the way they are perceived by others. Not to mention you were wrong to begin with. "

jwk wrote on Sep 1, 2008 3:21 AM:

" I Think Sarah finally put the Demo's over the edge! What a breath of NEW fresh air with substance and character. She is also a Hottie and I know she could woop Osamabama at The Bowling Lanes too!! She's more of a Man than BO... "

XMAN wrote on Sep 1, 2008 3:31 AM:

" Sounds like Sarah Palin may be the lefties worst nightmare. What I see the Obama supporter postings saying here is, "I don't know much about her so she must not be very good." By the time November 4 gets here, you'll all know plenty about gutsy Sarah Palin. That I promise. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 1, 2008 8:07 AM:

" Ooooh, the Republican-enablers make a mighty wind for Sarah Palin, saying the choice is a game changer.

However, the polling says NOPE!

And actual common sense (vs the ersatz pen name) says NOPE!

Let's face the facts for a moment, hsall we?

Every one still on the Republican Pep Squad was going to vote for McCain anyway in spite of all their protestations of 'independence', yadda-yadda. Even, 'kevin', who openly professes to dislike McCain, but would vote for him anyway, hasn't changed position because of Sarah Palin. I'll allow as how 'kevin' might be happier about voting for McCain that he was before, but his vote is NOT changing.

And on the other side???

And, as far as I can tell, no one who was going to vote for Barack Obama has changed their mind because of Sarah Palin.

For all of the wind energy released - Sarah Palin is NOT going to be relevant to winning the election about 60 days away.

Just as the 'Democratic Disunity' PUMA binkie was passed from one Republican-enabler to another for weeks and positively worn out by the media during the Dem Convention, the Sarah Palin 'Game Changer' binkie is the new Republican comfort appliance to replace the old one.

I am actually far more interested in how many seats the Democrats are going to pick up in the House and Senate.

And... Sarah Palin isn't going to make a measurable difference there either.

~Ruff "

kevin wrote on Sep 1, 2008 9:11 AM:

" This is from John Dickerson at Slate:

"In the two and a half months since Barack Obama won the nomination, he's been trying to convince Hillary's supporters—but his standing with them has gotten only worse. Roughly 30 percent of Clinton voters say they won't vote for him, and this is not a one-poll anomaly. The number is the same in the Pew, ABC, and CNN polls. That's as bad as it was during the heat of the Democratic primary."

It will be very interesting to see how that number has changed in the new polls.

And does anybody know what a "binkie" is? It's not in my dictionary... "

Sandra wrote on Sep 1, 2008 9:25 AM:

" Trickledown...you now criticize because I did not quote the article in it's entirety? This is a blog...limited to 300 words. I am too wordy as it is. I sighted the sources so people could look for themselves. Your post inferred things from a very slanted perspective. I think people should have a more complete picture. Once thay have the "total" picture then the points you bring up are just not as valid as you would wish them to be. There is more to the story than meets your eye. I have found that most of the oppsition raised to Sarah Palin is pretty much taken from moveon.org....now there's a reliable source of info. My research is to more direct sources. Wickepedia had some accurate info all in one place. But if you go to earlier sources on this info. you get a more complete picture, untainted by personal opinion. There is a reason the woman has a 70% to 90% approval rating as govenor of her state. The bridge funds were not "Usable" by the state without putting HUGE amounts of state money into the project. A project full of over runs and passed deadlines. Once federal funding did not come through to totally pay for the bridge, Palin did return the Bridge funds, and used other federal funds to do other needed projects. This makes good sense to me. "

TrickleDown wrote on Sep 1, 2008 10:04 AM:

" Sandra: Where, please tell me, did you find that Palin returned the Bridge funds. That statement is definitely not true.

Unfortunately your analysis of Wikipedia is completely wrong. The first person that enters information is not the most correct. The most correct information tends to arise as more editors have touched it as slanted statements tend to work their way out. The wikipedia post, as it exists today with additional references, is much more accurate than the "truth" you would like to believe from your first post taken from wikipedia.

My point about the paragraph you left out is that even your source agrees that she did not return the money (as you incorrectly believe and state). Even your source of facts disagrees with you.

None of my information comes from moveon.org. CNN is not moveon.org. Looking at your link and quoting it back is not moveon.org. The fact is that Palin supported the bridge during her run, changed her position when it was labeled "bridge to nowhere" and got bad press (where is the republican chant of flip-flopper in this case?), then kept the money that was still given to Alaska to use at the state's discretion...and that is exactly what she did, contrary to the picture that you and other republicans would like to paint. Facts are facts. "

Raven wrote on Sep 1, 2008 10:23 AM:

" so.....certain that wikipedia is such an undiased source....both NPR and the NY Times have a story with the following lil tidbits about how unbiased wikipedia can be regarding Palin......

Beginning at 2 a.m Eastern time on Thursday, a Wikipedia user with the name YoungTrigg began an overhaul of the article, adding compelling stories about her upbringing, including that “she earned the nickname ‘Sarah Barracuda’ because of her intense play” as point guard for her high school basketball team and that she and her father “would sometimes wake at 3 a.m. to hunt moose before school.” and it goes on with how political details were added...and regarding the famous bridge...see how some of her Repub allies in alaska feel about the story of her support or lack of it for the bridge ...seems they have issues with her version of the story

go to the NYtimes site and check it out....makes for very interesting reading "

common sense wrote on Sep 1, 2008 10:25 AM:

" Don't sweat TricleDown, Sandra...her only line of attack is to accuse people of either cherry-picking or plagiarism. Standard Daily KOS tactics. I guess that is what you have to do when you can't win on the issues.

I tried to point out the "Comment guidelines" to her (TrickleDown) previously, but she could not find them. Does everyone else see them next to the "Join the conversation" text entry box at the bottom of the screen? "

Raven wrote on Sep 1, 2008 10:27 AM:

" kevin...take a look at polls for LBJ supporters after JFK got the nomination...Reagan supports after Ford was nominated...kennedy supporters after carter was nominated....romney and huckabee supporters......this happen with every campaign season....when their are challengers...and it changes as the election day looms near.....nothing new, nothing to get excitedabout...esp when the most vocal of the PUMA group was a repub who donated 500 to Mccain in 2000... "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 1, 2008 10:35 AM:

" "kevin" - your vote isn't going to McCain just because of Sarah Palin as McBoosh's VP choice, even if you now feel better about it.

Your vote has not changed, and unless lightning strikes you down, or the scales fall from your eyes, (miracles can happen - see Saul of Tarsus in the New Testament) you will vote 'conservative' Republican in November.

I openly admit that my vote is unchanged by the Sarah Palin VP choice. My vote was also unchanged by Obama choosing Biden although I'd have preferred several other others.

I'll be voting for Obama as sure as I drive a hybrid car and enjoy an occasional latte.

If you want to 'catapult the propaganda' that millions of pro-choice women are going to suddenly vote for the die-hard forced-birth McPalin ticket... please be my guest... I can always use another Republican Laughing Point.

Even if so very many Republican enablers can't remember what last week's McBoosh catechism was... we do.

So how about this new McBoosh idea that there are no uninsured people in America? Yep... there's a McBoosh campaign mercenary who will say just about anything to get another McFour more years of McBush corporate welfare.

Too bad McBoosh/McPalin is losing by 11 points in the NVR 'unscientific' poll as I write this.

Nowadays, there just simply NOT enough people "dumb enough to believe Republicans" in America anymore.

Thank God for Small Favors!

~Ruff "

Sandra wrote on Sep 1, 2008 11:21 AM:

" Kevin, a "binkie" is a brand name of a pacifier used to soothe crying babies.
And I would like to say to all of the male Sarah supporters who keep saying she is "more of a man than ...", You should know she is more woman too..... "

Sandra wrote on Sep 1, 2008 11:29 AM:

" I am getting a little tired of this type of question..."Has anyone asked how she is going to veep with a 5 month old down syndrome infant?"...It seems to me democrats are speaking out of both sides of their mouths when they infer she is a bad mother, and cannot handle the job because she is a mother. There are "MOTHERS"all over this country doing fine jobs with their families and working too. How do they manage this?...well aside from being women, which in and of itself answers the question ;) ....they also have the support of their familes, which includes their husbands if they are married. Last time I looked men are very capable of nurturing their children. I would expect that her husband will step up and do his part, if he isn't already. I guess it only takes a village if you are not a republican nominee? "

winemd wrote on Sep 1, 2008 12:43 PM:

" binkie=pacifier "

wyngyrl wrote on Sep 1, 2008 1:41 PM:

" Oh my goodness! Beauty pageants, trashy in-law problems, and a pregnant unwed teen... was McCain having some kind of weird premonition when he compared Obama to Britney Spears? "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 1, 2008 2:12 PM:

" I have no interest in tearing Sara Palin apart. I don't really care that she was for the bridge before she was against the bridge. I don't care that she has 5 children (anymore than I care that anyone has 5 children and contributes to overpopulation which the earth can ill support), or that she is a working mom (who can probably afford effective childcare for her children if she needs), or that she's a woman, or that her 17 yr-old daughter is pregnant (although as a representative for the party of abstinence, I hope it's been a reality check for her). I would care if I knew that she takes the same position as Bush on protecting blastocysts(which has prevented effective stem cell research). I care that she sounds like she puts Alaska, not Country, first (drill away!) I care that she opposes abortion in the case of rape and incest, and that she thinks creationism should be taught in science classes (because that's just an absurd position, no matter what anyone says). I think if she were to become default president, we would be at risk of a Supreme Court that puts religious tenets ahead of personal rights and freedoms. And that's just plain scary. But in those respects, she's really no different than most other conservative Republicans. As a VP pick, she has stuff to say, whether I agree with it or not, and she's as engaging as Seinfeld's girlfriend. I do think Obama & Biden have more substance (and more specific proposals for running the country) than McCain/Palin. Anyway, it'll be an interesting watch. And she was close to becoming Miss Congeniality after she was Sara Barracuda, so what's not to like? "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 1, 2008 2:21 PM:

" Sorry - I did not expect to have to explain to anybody what a 'binkie' was.

A 'binkie' is a baby pacifier used to quiet a baby when she/he has colic or other upsets.

What with the Republicans being the party of 'Family Values', 'forced-birth' and 'stay-at-home-moms' and all, I confess to thinking knowlege of 'binkie' was a given.

My mistake... evidently, you can never make assumptions about what Republicans (especially self-styled Republican he-men) know about raising a family.

My wife sent me on many emergency runs for diapers, wipes, baby formula and food, binkies, teething rings and crackers.

It looks like all the ideal Republican woman needs now a days is a rifle and a nearby moose.

;0)

~McRuff "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 1, 2008 2:21 PM:

" It only takes a village if you can't afford childcare. And my guess is Palin will join the mainstream Republicans to continue to ensure that most American moms who really need it (because they work more than one job, or inflexible hours, in order to feed their children) will not be able to afford it. "

Winewoman wrote on Sep 1, 2008 2:24 PM:

" For clarification to the people clucking and tsking about Sarah leaving her children - Sarah's husband is a house-husband. He is a fisherman and, as such, works just a few weeks out of the year. The father is taking care of his children while Sarah is working and campaigning. Shame on you for -again - making assumptions and dogging someone without knowing the facts. (kind of a theme in these blogs I've noticed). I think the nomination is great. Not just because I am a woman and I'm from Alaska. I am NOT supporting the nomination simply because Sarah is a woman - its ridiculous to even make the corrolation that women will vote for a women simply because they are the same gender. Sarah is a reformist. She kicked those corrupt old boys right where it hurts. She's got cajones - (most of us Alaska women do). For the first time in a long time, I'm excited to see how this plays out. "

noblindershere wrote on Sep 1, 2008 3:59 PM:

" where was the stay at home dad when the teenage daughter was in the sac with her boyfriend that got her pregnant. Oh, taking care of the other three children while mom was out stopping those bid bully businesses.How is the conservative party going to explain this one away. She may be a strong, educated outgoing woman, but it sounds as though the family life isn't being attended to. Pregnant daughter, undergoing investigation and a new born son that is going to need some special attention from both parents. Liberal or not, I don't want this family one heart beat away from leading America. Drama for that family reflects what is going on in America, which is very sad. You can not even begin to compare Obama and Palin, not even begin. I can not stand when conservatives preach abstinence, anti-abortion, family first etc... when this is obviously not the case in the selected VP's family. So, Sandra and Commen Sense how is she a good representative for women of our future? Not any future I want to be a part of or my childrens for that matter.I'm ready for the ole, "that is a private issue" response. "

common sense wrote on Sep 1, 2008 4:10 PM:

" dellasumbrella says: "I care that she opposes abortion in the case of rape and incest, and that she thinks creationism should be taught in science classes (because that's just an absurd position, no matter what anyone says)."

-Actually, I have no problem with creationism being discusses in a theology or philosophy course (and I'm not religious). I have no interest in excluding points of view, even those I disagree with. I do NOT want creationism included in a science class, since it is not science...and from what I can tell, this is Sarah Palin's position as well.

I think she is right on with what most of America wants. Sarah Palin all the way, baby! "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 1, 2008 5:30 PM:

" Thanks, common sense, I might have misunderstood her position. I agree it is appropriate for theology class. Do they even have those in high school? "

musikluvr wrote on Sep 1, 2008 6:18 PM:

" 161 comments about a GOP vice presidential candidate! The libs are so worried they can't stop talking. Look, we understand it, you're stuck with Biden and Obama and well, you have to live with them. McCain hit another home run outa the park with Sarah Palin and the dems are jealous. The dems have self destructed in this election - Admit it, maybe you'll have your Hillary in 2012 - if she doesn't ruin it for the dems again then. "

elb wrote on Sep 1, 2008 6:52 PM:

" Libs are cracking me up here.

Libs are the ones who don't discourage sex before marriage, just push condoms in high school, yet now that Palin's daughter is pregnant this is somehow an issue?

Libs are the ones who tout a woman's right to choose, yet when Palin's daughter chooses at seventeen to keep her baby, somehow she is horrible?

Libs are the ones who demand time and time again that a woman can be career driven and raise a family, both if she is so inclined and that women shouldn't have to be stuck at home wearing an apron, yet when Palin manages to pull this scenario off all the way to the second seat of the nation, now its a problem and she should "get home and raise her kids!"

McCain new what he was doing by picking Palin and what he did was pretty much cause every lib out there who wants to slam the McCain/Palin ticket to become a self refuting fool. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 1, 2008 7:19 PM:

" noblindershere: Is hate part of the Democratic platform...???

Good grief, you are seething.... Your family must reflect perfection, in order to throw stones like that....

According to Obama, that child should be aborted and killed.....

I am happy to see that we have you on the run with a great candidate for VP.... "

noblindershere wrote on Sep 1, 2008 7:56 PM:

" I'm a Lib that in no such way is jealous of the Rep ticket. A professional(taking time off to raise my own children), well educated, 36 year old, married, mother of two, Napan, concerned environmentalist, anti-gun rights in the high income bracket who in no such way sees anything in the Rep ticket that I can relate to or ever want to. Having a child with some developmental delays myself...there is no way any job would keep me away from this very important time in my child’s developmental years. I didn't know libs discourage sex before marriage, how is pushing condoms and no sex before marriage related? She is not horrible to keep the child, she should have listened to what her mom says and don't have sex before marriage like all good conservatives. I'm not stuck at home wearing an apron, I have the opportunity to do so and think that my career can take a back seat to my time with my children. Obviously there are some issues in the family life of the Palin's and maybe she should take some time off to address those concerns, not try to run a country that is in dire straits after 8 years of bad judgment calls on behalf of our Republican leadership. No "self refuting fool here", happy he chose her, because it pretty much secured an Obama/Biden triumph! It proves to me that McCain's judgment isn't so good after all. DRILL and KILL isn't what I'm looking for, there are other souces out there, I happen to like Polar Bears. Commen Sense, I'm surprised your such a Palin fan, shocking that a man of your knowledge would support that choice. "

noblindershere wrote on Sep 1, 2008 8:02 PM:

" Dwayne, I happen to have been raised by one hell of a mom who was single and a well educated woman who didn't start work until we were all in school. I would consider my brothers and I to be model citizens that made great choices throughout our lives so far. Perfect, well if you're comparing us to the Palin family, yes. Not on the run here, happy to see that we will be in power in January. Obama stated that the child should be aborted? Whatever! "

freeport56 wrote on Sep 1, 2008 8:08 PM:

" a tewacher-

it seems the Trooper in question besides makling death threats, tazered his own son, and illegally killed a Moose. DFoes not seem like the kind of officer we would want in Napa.

GO GOV. PALIN! "

a teacher wrote on Sep 1, 2008 8:31 PM:

" I love this. I guess, Dwayne that you must figure that if you say "the dems are afraid of Sara" it will come true. Keep dreaming.

Then there is ELB.

Maybe in the cartoon character world you live in liberals promote sex before marriage. Actually, we know abstinence doesn't work (Ms. Palin's daughter, case in point). Sex education prevents unwed mothers.

Then there is: "Libs are the ones who tout a woman's right to choose, yet when Palin's daughter chooses at seventeen to keep her baby, somehow she is horrible?"

Who has said this? NO ONE!

I think the only people who have a problem with Ms. Palin will be the social conservatives, who are probably going:"huh?" "

TrickleDown wrote on Sep 1, 2008 8:43 PM:

" From the Anchorage Daily News on 10/27/2006:

'''The volatile issue of teaching creation science in public schools popped up in the Alaska governor's race this week when Republican Sarah Palin said she thinks creationism should be taught alongside evolution in the state's public classrooms.

Palin was answering a question from the moderator near the conclusion of Wednesday night's televised debate on KAKM Channel 7 when she said, "Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both."'''

She tried to explain away these comments the next day by stating (quote from same article): "I don't think there should be a prohibition against debate if it comes up in class. It doesn't have to be part of the curriculum." Hmmm...would the real Sarah Palin please stand up?

Best yet, as governor of Alaska she is the head of the Alaskan Republican party whose stance on creation and evolution stands as (quote from same article above): "We support giving Creation Science equal representation with other theories of the origin of life. If evolution is taught, it should be presented as only a theory."

Hmmm...where does Sarah Palin stand on this? We know where her party stands: 'Creation Science [sic]' equal representation with real science. Let's hear it for republicans working to increase our country's scientific illiteracy. "

a teacher wrote on Sep 1, 2008 8:44 PM:

" Well, Freeport, you could be right, but child custody cases are frequently full of angst and otherwise reasonable people say and do crazy things.

BUT, it is irrelevant. It is not the governor's job to interfere in personnel matters pertaining to the state police, PARTICULARLY when it is personal. It shows bad judgment on Ms. Palin's part and that she is vindictive - she forced the Commissioner of Public safety out of office allegedly for not firing the officer. Troubling stuff. "

wyngyrl wrote on Sep 1, 2008 8:52 PM:

" I need to apologize for my early comment about Gov. Palin and her daughters' pregnancy. It was rude and insensitive. Shame on me. But if Senator McCain and Gov. Palin, the girls' own mother, already knew of the situation, how on earth could they have made the VP decision - knowing that the vulnerable young woman would be instantly judged, ridiculed, and discussed by the vicious media and smart aleck observers like me? That's either cruel and selfish, or stupid and clueless. Shame on me and shame on them. "

MarkMiwords wrote on Sep 1, 2008 9:15 PM:

" Choosing someone that he has only met once makes McCain look hasty and irresponsible. How can he endorse her as VP if he doesn't know her? "

kevin wrote on Sep 1, 2008 9:24 PM:

" Actually freeport56, the trooper in question would fit in here in Napa quite well... "

Winewoman wrote on Sep 1, 2008 9:53 PM:

" OMG, noblindershere, you crack me up - and not in a good way. From an Alaskan here (me)- Palin stated that, while she herself did not believe in abortion, the government had no business in another persons home, bedroom or body. So I am wondering - does the president really have the ability to reverse Roe vs. Wade? Really? Because I remember hearing that when Bush was elected - and that didn't happen. "

elb wrote on Sep 1, 2008 9:54 PM:

" ATeacher,

There you guys go again, spinning the facts to the point of making some of us puke.

I never said "libs promote sex before marriage," but I did more than suggest that they "don't discourage sex before marriage." There is indeed a difference. "

kevin wrote on Sep 1, 2008 9:56 PM:

" How well do we really know ANYONE? How well does B.O. know Biden? Biden who said he "didn't want the VP job?" Biden who has been a Washington insider for 30 YEARS.

Whole lotta "change" going on there... "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 1, 2008 11:01 PM:

" Thank you, wyngyrl -- placing the poor girl into the limelight was a setup for ridicule, and was indeed poor judgment.
What I don't get is how come the republicans here have such a hard time understanding the irony of the situation....Republicans preach abstinence only....it doesn't work! Get it? No, probably not. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 2, 2008 6:59 AM:

" MarkMiwords wrote on Sep 1, 2008 9:15 PM:
" Choosing someone that he has only met once makes McCain look hasty and irresponsible. How can he endorse her as VP if he doesn't know her? "

The same way that you can endorse/vote for someone that you have never met...Their track record and reputation....

It's 'business', not personal... "

kevin wrote on Sep 2, 2008 8:03 AM:

" If Dems believe you can only nominate people you "know" it kind of limits the "pool" of applicants.

I guess thats why B.O. nominated another 30 year Washington insider... "

freeport56 wrote on Sep 2, 2008 8:27 AM:

" a teacher-

According to KTVA, a news station in Alaska, Governor Palin did not make any phone calls. Recordings have been turned over to trhe legislative proving it was an aid that was making the calls. her voicew was never on the phone.

They had all the documnets and transcripts posted on the site. "

freeport56 wrote on Sep 2, 2008 8:33 AM:

" elb-

At the Napa Fair this year Planned Parenthood was handing out stickers to very very young girls with a silouette of a condem on it that said "Just Wear It".

Talk about promoting underage sex from the libs. But, this is a wasted conversation. It is brought to you by the same people who believe a 13 year has the mental capacity to make her own abortion call without parental notification. I wonder when they are going to gather the genetically superior 13 years together to start breeding the "Uber-Liberal"? "

jersey guy wrote on Sep 2, 2008 8:44 AM:

" Sarah Palin believes that abstinence is the only birth control that should be taught. Her daughter's pregnancy shows how well that works.

freeport56-do you think that the aid just made the calls on his/her own without being asked to by Gov Palin? Do you think that it was just a coincidence that the state policeman that was requested to be fired was her ex-brother-in-law who was in a custody battle with her sister? How does it help her sister's children if their father is out of a job and can't pay child support? "

JustMy$.02 wrote on Sep 2, 2008 8:51 AM:

" dellasumbrella said 'Republicans preach abstinence only....it doesn't work! Get it? No, probably not. '

Because of 1 example you claim it doesnt work? You should go to any number of christian youth gatherings around the country, there are millions of teens abstaining and it is working!

And as for the Palin family and thier values, how does the mistake of 1 of thier childeren invalidate those values?

I 'dont get' your position dellasumbrella "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 2, 2008 9:17 AM:

" a teacher: Actually, it IS the job of the Governor to step in when an official (the chief) won't do his job and terminate a rogue officer who has violated the law (death threats)...

It makes it especially difficult when the offender is a family member. Doing the right thing trumps everything else. If only all out elected officials had that much integrity.... "

Sandra wrote on Sep 2, 2008 9:23 AM:

" Trickledown...what you claim is my anaysis of wikpedia is NOT my analysis of wikpedia. Unfortunately I cannot help what you misunderstand when you read my posts. I said wikpedia had some accurate infromation about Palin, and I copied and posted it to round out your one sided remarks.
OK, you are nitpicking over the word "return"....So Let me draw this out as simply as I can....The state had monies earmarked for this bridge that came from the federal government. The bridge project had turned into a boondoggle and it was patently ridiculas to throw good money after bad. The federal monies could be used as Alaska saw fit. They returned the earmarked bridge money, and took it back to use on other projects.....To nitpick over the word returned is pretty silly don't you think? The results of all of this was that Alaska now had monies to be used where more good could be acomplished. Again, a good decision from Palin. So what exactly is your complaint? That she did not use precise enough language to explain how states are funded by the federal government? Well my goodness that is certainly a reason not to like her, isn't it? "

Sandra wrote on Sep 2, 2008 9:37 AM:

" "Republicans preach abstinence only" WHAT???? I am flabbergasted...
"Republicans preach abstinence only"... had to repeat it...one of the sillier things I have read on this blog.
I am democrat...but I gotta tell ya, I know some dems who believe in abstinance only, and I know some republicans that believe that its a womans right to choose. I know of no one who can be lumped into the "abstinance only" box based on party affiliation.
Why do people insist on spreading misinformation?
Granted this is a blog of opinions...but gosh some of you look awfully silly.... "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 2, 2008 9:42 AM:

" As one of the McCain operatives said (source, N.Y. Times), "You either get freshness and you have to live with what you get in your vetting or you lose the freshness."
As my husband used to say as a child (of finding the prize in a box of Crackerjacks), "Peanut get a prize!" (Sorry, it's an in joke, but it seems so relevant in its absurdity.)
Why ruin the fun by making an informed decision? Just reach in and see what you pull out. "

common sense wrote on Sep 2, 2008 9:45 AM:

" It is shameful to include a pregnant 17-year-old girl in your political discussions. Nobody knows if Sarah Palin's daughter was using birth control or not, and frankly, it's nobody's business.

Leave kids alone. What's wrong with you liberals? "

Sandra wrote on Sep 2, 2008 9:46 AM:

" I am not a christian....but I wonder at people that want to limit what is taught in our schools to evolution only. Why are you so afraid of all the more common points of view being represented in teaching about questions that every human being thinks about at some point in their lives? Is it that only your view is the "Right and Correct" one? Are you really that threatened by people being given choices? Do we not want people to be given different ideas to think about so that they can develop critical thinking skills? Are we turning into BIG BROTHER? Only my views get to be taught, and no one elses, cause I am right and correct? It really makes me wonder about exactly how liberal the "liberal" left is.... "

TrickleDown wrote on Sep 2, 2008 10:08 AM:

" Sandra: By your definition of 'return', I have decided that I will now volunteer at my job, returning every one of my paychecks, and then will use the money that they give me to live on. Also, I think that a president should run on your definition of return for an income tax policy: "My government will return everyone's income tax and then I will keep the money and use it to pay for government programs". Return has be redefined and you heard it here first! "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 2, 2008 10:16 AM:

" Lots of Palin palaver here...

But NOT ONE person has honestly:

1) Stated that Sarah Palin alone actually changed their vote from Obama to McCain.

2) Showed any respectiable polling that demonstrated Sarah Palin is going to have any measurable effect on the 2008 election.

All of the discussion of Sarah Palin's pluses or shortcomings, her kids, Brit's babydaddy is... beyond gossip and media-fueled vampirism...

IS COMPLETELY IRREVELANT !!!

Nobody's voting for Obama because of Biden.

Nobody's voting for McCain because of Palin.

Heck, the Republican National Convention looks like a mortician convention. Basically, none of the Republican Senate candidates are showing up. The advice from the Republican national campaign organizations is that Bush has damaged the Republican 'brand'.

LIBRULZ don't need to worry about or even discuss Sarah Palin.

But if everybody wants to gossip...

Well, OK, the... the RNC in the Twin Cities looked like a mortician convention --- except for that hideous outfit that 'Miss Buffalo Chip' wore.

Aaarrggghhh! That ugly woman gives me the creepy goosebumps, and so I call on all Republicans to vote for the other guy's really pretty wife.

Now battening down the hatches for lots of FAUX outrage... and, of course... expecting 105% of the vote for Obama now...

Ridiculous... all of this.

~Ruff "

TrickleDown wrote on Sep 2, 2008 10:17 AM:

" Sandra: I believe that the cookie monster from Sesame Street is an exact replica of the being that created the Earth in a cosmic game of "pull my finger". This belief has the exact same amount of science as "Intelligent Design" [sic], and therefore according to your ideas should be taught in science as well because it is a theory.

We should stop electing officials that believe that Intelligent Design [sic] is science. Period. Sure, you can teach Creationism along with Greek Mythology and other similar mythologies in arts courses, but they have no place in science. Alternative scientific theories of where the Earth came from that are testable and have real science basis have a place in the science classroom, and I personally welcome their being there. However, superstition does not belong in the science classroom, and if Palin is going to support superstition being given equal footing with science she should not be so near the presidency....unless we are happy watching our country's science illiteracy continue to rise "

someguyinnapa wrote on Sep 2, 2008 10:27 AM:

" common sense wrote on Sep 2, 2008 9:45 AM:

" It is shameful to include a pregnant 17-year-old girl in your political discussions. Nobody knows if Sarah Palin's daughter was using birth control or not, and frankly, it's nobody's business.

Leave kids alone. What's wrong with you liberals? "

What IS SHAMEFUL IS... Not teaching your child about sexual education because you will not be with your child 24/7... and after the pep rally, or at Dairy Queen, or "cruisin' the J" on a Friday night. Kids/Teens are curious. They want to know what the BIG DEAL is with sex. So they try it. Now VP Palin is in an awkward position. I think the whole thing is funny. McCain did not even meet her but once... How could he possibly carry her with him.

After all sex sells... inadvertising, TV, media and print. Just look at the Dove commercials. Soft, supple skin, the elegant curvres of a woman in the tub; where BTW you know she IS NAKED... if that is not sex selling... I want ot take a bath with my wife right now!

How do kids abstain without the education and the compelling facts that go with abstinance?

And condems SHOUDL BE MADE AVAILABLE IN THE NURSE'S OFFICE IN EVERY HIGH SCHOOL IN AMERICA! PERIOD!

ps can we leave the 1 and the lower case l out of the image verifications; PLEASE! "

TrickleDown wrote on Sep 2, 2008 10:29 AM:

" Sarah Palin has taken a stand that sex education for teens should be abstinence only. Teen pregnancy is a very serious problem in this country. Assuming Ms. Palin is of the practice-what-you-preach ilk, an unwed child raised under this philosophy near to her now faces a wedding and a child before she can even vote. Ms. Palin should, and hopefully will, be questioned about the efficacy of her abstinence-only approach to the avoidance of teen pregnancy. Her daughter should not be questioned by the media and I see no calls for this to happen. "

kevin wrote on Sep 2, 2008 10:33 AM:

" Actually, Palin's nomination has solidified the Conservative base towards McCain, according to the poll numbers.

So if that was the objective, it has succeeded.

It remains to be see if women will vote for Palin only on the basis of her sex, but given all the voters that have stated they are voting for B.O. simply because of his race, I don't see that it is out of the question... "

Raven wrote on Sep 2, 2008 10:40 AM:

" doing the right thing Dwayne would have been staying out of it......any government official should recuse themselves from a personal matter involving their family...I know the uproar we would hear had a democratic politician done something similar...

Sandra, wikipedia is not a reliable sole source for anything...colleges won't accept them as a citation on papers because the entries can be easily edited by just about anyone....

and if you want to teach creationism then teach it, along with all the other creation stories other cultures use....but in science classes we need to stick to science "

Sandra wrote on Sep 2, 2008 10:53 AM:

" Trickledown, Again, I cannot help you with your comprehension, except to repeat in different words what I already said. You really jump, and I mean leap with both feet, right into it. you said, "" Sandra: I believe that the cookie monster from Sesame Street is an exact replica of the being that created the Earth in a cosmic game of "pull my finger". This belief has the exact same amount of science as "Intelligent Design" [sic], and therefore according to your ideas should be taught in science as well because it is a theory. "
Where in my statement did I say it should be taught as science? My statement went along wth what Palin said, which is that it should be taught. Period. Nothing on "as Science". That is you own errounious conclusion based on your mind set. There are many areas where creationism could be presented...science is not one of them. Palin did not say it should be taught in science class either. Maybe that IS the problem here?...too many do not understand basic english and have trouble with comprehension? I really hope it is not that. What a sad state our country would be in then. Maybe it's too many with preconcieved ideas about the "other" side?.... They are reading their "own" predjudices into things? Where is the freedom of thought? Where is the openess to different ideas? Is it tunnel vision? Is it a new form of leftist fascism? I really wonder sometimes...Are they so far to the left, they have become the right? Where is the openess to hear many views on an issue? Why is there a need to smear someone before they really have any true knowledge? Why is there such a need to spread romors and innuendo? "

greysack wrote on Sep 2, 2008 11:52 AM:

" Who is the father of Bristal's baby? I sure hope it's not John Edwards, I hear he gets around. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 2, 2008 11:59 AM:

" Sandra – Oh yes I see the irony, but McCain obviously didn’t.

Cab e-girl – I am leaning toward Obama, but it’s not a definite. I don’t dislike Palin, actually I really admire her. It just seems a little careless given McCain’s age that he would choose someone with little experience. I also can’t agree with the overwhelming pro-life stance this ticket pushes --I want to decide that issue myself.

Kevin – you tell me who the real candidate of change is? Obama – new blood, McCain – old blood.

Zinjanthropus – I loved your comment. I get it.

And thank you ADark1 "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 2, 2008 12:17 PM:

" kevin - "Solidifying the Republican 'base' around McCain" is NOT nearly the same as winning the 2008 election.

See, the base votes for the party candidate ANYWAY... even Log Cabin Republicans voted for Dubya while they were reviled by both other gays AND the Christian Right.

A Republican 'base' strategery only wins if Dems are divided.

The Republican 'base' is not a majority of voters in America. There are more registered Democrats than registered Republican registration is dropping. The Democrats are registering and turning out more voters than they have in decades.

And worse news for Republicans, young voters reject the Republican agenda by large and growing margins.

'kevin' said he was going to vote for McCain but he feels happier to have Sarah Palin on the ticket... because she is more conservative... shoots guns, eats moose!, and hates Polar Bears... I guess.

BUT... Republican attacks on veterans benfits, mistreatment of new disabled vets, military and civilian retirees, workers, Latinos, non-fundamentalist religions, and the enormous 'just leave me alone, you pharisees' demographics have backfired as a bid for votes.

Sarah Palin is not budging the Democratic 'base' and the PUMAs are yet another Republican imaginary 'binkie'.

The RNC mortician's convention will be over this week... and when it is... I predict that McCain will poll behind Obama (just like he is right now).

Further, that will be McCain's best poll before he loses in a landslide in November.

And... Sarah Palin will end up irrelevant... even if she does look kinda like Tina Fey on 'Thirty Rock'.

~Ruff "

Raven wrote on Sep 2, 2008 1:03 PM:

" There is no problem with the discussion of new ideas....but there is a problem with ideas with no scientific basis being passed off as science....creationism is an attempt to rationalize a religious belief no matter how much it is disguised....and as such, has no place in a science curriculum and a vetted scientifically accepted premise.....which is where Palin wants it "

musikluvr wrote on Sep 2, 2008 1:10 PM:

" 200 comments about a GOP VP? The dems are hysterical. They want to transfer the reason for their impending loss from Obama and the democrat party implosion - to Palin? Sorry, but thanks because the dems have handed the election to the Republicans without a fight. "

someguyinnapa wrote on Sep 2, 2008 1:12 PM:

" Raven~

BIG BANG THEORY...

How do "Christians" KNOW THAT WAS NOT GOD'S PLAN?

Are we soooo arrogant that we cannot truely see that our 24 hour day IS NOT GOD's day? What if 1 million years is a day to GOD?

'nuff said! "

Sandra wrote on Sep 2, 2008 1:18 PM:

" Direct quote of Sarah Palins stance on creationism in schools:
"Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information....Healthy debate is so important and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both. And you know, I say this too as the daughter of a science teacher. Growing up with being so privileged and blessed to be given a lot of information on, on both sides of the subject -- creationism and evolution. It's been a healthy foundation for me. But don't be afraid of information and let kids debate both sides."
Now Raven, how does thie reflect what you claim? :
"....and as such, has no place in a science curriculum and a vetted scientifically accepted premise.....which is where Palin wants it "
Lots of hot air being blown here.... "

plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Sep 2, 2008 1:21 PM:

" It is easy to see from the huge outpouring of smear and accusations that the left is truly upset about Sarah. If they weren't afraid that she energizes the Republican ticket, they would be ignoring her. All the 'soaring' that HearYe talks about is not Obama in the polls, but the amount of big lie rhetoric coming from the left. Nobody's even talking about ObamaBiden anymore, not even the lefty news media cheerleaders. Maybe they realize that ObamaBiden intends to bring back the Clinton/Carter failed policies.

I hope Ruff Raven and the others continue with their over-the-top attacks, complete with their little cutesy name calling, just like when they were out in the schoolyard. It is difficult to take them seriously when they can't craft a post without using a silly name to describe the object of their hair-on-fire hatred.

By the way Ruff, I'm a voter who decided to vote for McCain based on Sarah. You don't seem to think it happens, but I ask then why did JFK pick LBJ for VP? He needed someone to balance out the ticket and try to get votes from the South. They mutually loathed each other, but Kennedy knew that his ultra liberal ideas by themselves would not get him into the White House.

I'm looking forward to my White House luncheon invitation for a mooseburger cookout with Sarah Barracuda. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 2, 2008 1:24 PM:

" Raven wrote on Sep 2, 2008 1:03 PM:
" There is no problem with the discussion of new ideas....but there is a problem with ideas with no scientific basis being passed off as science...."

Now I'm cracking up... You fell for all of Al Gore's phony global warming crap, then you come up with that statement...

I'm starting to like you more every day, Raven.. ;-) (snicker-snicker-snicker) "

cab e-girl wrote on Sep 2, 2008 1:37 PM:

" Luv1mom- Sarah Palin is the only candidate on either side with executive experience. Granted she has not run a huge population base, but she is a doing an excellent job running Alaska's resources and her job approval rating is 90%. Not to mention, she has gone after corruption on both sides of the aisle.

The pro-life issue is a non event with Sarah Palin. She "chose" to keep her down syndrome child and her 17 year old daughter "chose" to carry her child to term. She is not talking about changing any abortion legislation and as VP she has no say in abortion or appointing judges that could have a say. How many times are we women supposed to vote on abortion? There are so many other important issues currently at stake. The most important to me are the security of my children, implementing a viable energy policy and keeping our economy strong. "

cab e-girl wrote on Sep 2, 2008 1:40 PM:

" Ruff- I was not going to vote for Obama or McCain. The addition of Palin to the ticket will allow me to vote for McCain. I have changed my mind ;P Does that not count? "

musikluvr wrote on Sep 2, 2008 2:13 PM:

" The attacks on Governor Palin are mysogyny and sexist. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 2, 2008 2:38 PM:

" cab e-girl - Now it may be rumor or speculation, but I have read and heard in the news that her and McCain plan to try and overturn Roe v. Wade decision if elected to office. Republicans for the most part are pro-life. To offer some background, I was an Alaskan resident for 6 years in the 1980's. I loved Alaska, the hearty lifestyle, the fishing and great outdoors. On that alone you would think I might support her just because she is a woman and from a state which I loved, but I am still not swayed that she is the BEST choice for VP, again, a heartbeat away from Presidency. I am also a mother and want a viable energy policy, strong economy and security for my child. I just don't feel the change we need with the Republican ticket this time around, nor last election, nor the one before . . . "

Raven wrote on Sep 2, 2008 2:49 PM:

" so...tell me ppf, do you want a governor to call an agency head and tell them to fire someone who is going thru a divorce with a relative?

the failed clinton/carter policies?.... I would agree with you about carter....i voted for ford...by the clinton policies lead to a balanced budget and a surplus...so yeah...i would like a return to those policies "

kevin wrote on Sep 2, 2008 3:18 PM:

" greysack - Good one! LMAO

cab e girl - Ruff will just say you were going to vote for McCain anyway.

According to the poliing data I've seen, 20% of Hillary supporters STILL won't vote for B.O. even after the convention. You can't tell me that some of those disinfranchised voters won't swing over to Sarah... "

Raven wrote on Sep 2, 2008 3:51 PM:

" wouldnt even try.....but the number you hope will....that i will predict ain't gonna happen. "

valleylocal wrote on Sep 2, 2008 3:53 PM:

" Yeah Sarah Palin - that's who I want answering the phone at 3:00AM. In her own words she doesn't even know what the Vice President does!!! Are you kidding? That was the best choice McCain could have made - for Obama. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 2, 2008 3:55 PM:

" I think McCain is really sweating now with the news of Palin's daughter's pregnancy. Yes she is a child and should not be caught up in this campaign. If Palin becomes more risky than brilliant, his campaign will spiral downward. It is like the judge who overrules testimony . . . you aren't supposed to consider it, but if affects the outcome anyway . . . "

Winewoman wrote on Sep 2, 2008 4:08 PM:

" luv1mom - where did you live in Alaska? I lived in Juneau for 10 years - from 1981 to 1991. Absolutely loved it - would go back in a heartbeat. My friends in Alaska say they are glad Sarah is out of the state - she rattled lots of cages, pulled lots of chains and made a lot of enemies. The state needed the shake-up in my opinion. Regarding Roe v.Wade - we heard the same fear tactics when Bush was elected - that he would overturn Roe v Wade. That didn't happen - after 2 terms. And to Ruff Limpblog (pun intended) - I personally know several women who used to be Hillary supporters who are now voting for McCain because of Palin. So, now you've heard it. "

db76 wrote on Sep 2, 2008 6:37 PM:

" There are nude pictures of Palin on the internet, her teenage daughter is pregnant, and her husband had problems with the law a few years ago. And she is the best VP choice the Republicans can come up with? "

Sandra wrote on Sep 2, 2008 6:37 PM:

" It's funny, I didn't know very much about Palin when she was first nominated. I was ambivilant on both Obama and McCain. But I was curious and did a bit of research on Palin, and thought...hmmmm, pretty interesting. Then all the attacks on her character, her ability to mother, her inexperience started happening. And with each attack, I dug to the heart of the story. And found each and every attack to be groundless, mean spirited, and silly. AND, also found out through my research that this is a pretty impressive woman who I can find much to identify with. Her life has been like most women I know today. Personal tragedies, tryiing to what she feels is right in the face of adversity, and juggling family and carreer. Someone I find pretty admirable. Do I believe as she does on each individual issue? No way. Am I impressed by her moral fortitude, her honesty, her renegade spirit, her willingness to stand for what she believes is right and just? Am I impressed that she will not be bullied by the good ol boys? ABSOLUTELY. Is this the type of person I would want to step in for McCain should the need arise?...well YEP AGAIN.
Am I going to vote for McCain because of Palin...most likely.
So I want to thank all of you spreaders of misinformation and vitriol. Without you I would not have found out what a great candidate Palin is. "

someguyinnapa wrote on Sep 2, 2008 7:42 PM:

" a vote based on gender is a lame vote. why even bother going to the polss if you're going to act like a cry baby about it.

Billary will be back in 8 years...

When O'Biden is done saving the environment, bringing the troops home and squashing all McBush hopes and supporters... ;o>~ "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 2, 2008 8:47 PM:

" Sandra -- Silly perhaps, but straight from the GOP platform website: “We renew our call for replacing 'family planning' programs for teens with increased funding for abstinence education, which teaches abstinence until marriage as the responsible and expected standard of behavior. Abstinence from sexual activity is the only protection that is 100 percent effective against out-ofwedlock pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS when transmitted sexually.”
What they leave out is abstinence is 100 percent effective ONLY if it is really practiced. The Republicans have waged a campaign to hijack effective sex education, including info on birth control and protection from SDTs. Sure, there are people in both parties who do or don't advocate for abstinence-only education. But it is the Republican party that includes it in its platform as the exclusive approach to sex education and pregnancy prevention among teens.
Effective? From the Society of Adolescent Medicine (2006):
"Although abstinence from sexual intercourse represents a healthy behavioral choice for adolescents, policies or programs offering “abstinence only” or “abstinence until marriage” as a single option for adolescents are scientifically and ethically flawed.”

"Based on our review of the evaluations of specific abstinence-only curricula and research on virginity pledges, user failure with abstinence appears to be very high. Thus, although theoretically completely effective in preventing pregnancy, in actual practice the efficacy of abstinence-only interventions may approach zero."

"Schools and health care providers should encourage abstinence as an important option for adolescents. ‘Abstinence-only’ as a basis for health policy and programs should be abandoned.” "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 2, 2008 9:16 PM:

" Sandra - I knew I could depend on you!

You're a 'Democrat'... like Joe Lieberman is a 'Democrat'. I don't know why C-SPAN puts (I) after Joe's name even as he called himself a 'Democrat' right there on the RNC stage, but why... I just can't even guess, can you?

And you 'were ambivalent', but Sarah Palin has shown you the light, eh?

You know, the rest of us are not suffering from 'Republican Memory Disorder' so we can remember back further than the latest post here.

You have been a consistent voice in favor of every single one of Bush's policies and you have expressed support for John McCain... but doubts about Barack Obama for far longer than today's 'miraculous Palin conversion'.

I'm still waiting for somebody who honestly would vote for Obama and said so consistently for say, a month or so, to come out and describe how the VP nominee ALONE won them over and why.

However, you are the closest so far!

I know we LIBERULZ are just such horrible cynics when Republicans just want to tell us godless commie saddamite LIBRUL America-haters about how much they love America, the troops and all, but then...

You came through for us miserable LIBRUL snooks!

~Ruff "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 2, 2008 9:25 PM:

" JM$.02 wrote: "Because of 1 example you claim it doesnt work? You should go to any number of christian youth gatherings around the country, there are millions of teens abstaining and it is working!"
Sure, it works as long as they really abstain. The issue is not about Palin's values except as they relate to her policy-making potential. The government (read taxpayers) has poured 1.5 billion into abstinence-only programs that have not been shown to be effective. Not based on just one case:

The government's long-term research by USDHHS on abstinence-only programs found no significant, long-term reduction of teen sexual activity, and no decrease in numbers of pregnancies or STDs, over more comprehensive programs.
From Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: A CDC initiative called “Programs That Work” identified effective (based on scientific studies), comprehensive sex education programs and provided the info on their website. This info was no longer available a couple of years after Bush's election.
The republicans will continue to preach an incomplete, ineffective approach, even when its ineffectiveness is staring them in the face from across their dining table; will restrict aid to developing countries if it includes a more comprehensive approach to family planning; and they hope to deprive teenagers the accurate information and viable options they ought to have in order to prevent pregnancy and avoid STDs, whether those teens choose abstinence or not. "

elb wrote on Sep 2, 2008 9:31 PM:

" It's ironic how so many Libs are suddenly sprouting a moral compass when it comes to Mrs. Sarah Palin's personal life. It's very clear that Mrs. Palin's presence on the ticket has more than ruffled a few feathers and this can only mean one thing, that John McCain is doing something right!

Now, suddenly teen sex before marriage looks like a nasty thing, even though the (teen) mother has "CHOSEN to do with her body as she wishes."

Now parents who CHOOSE to love their daughter and future son-in-law through an unexpected pregnancy are crazy and foolish because they aren't pressuring their children to have an abortion. I thought the fight was about being "pro-choice" not "Pro-abortion". They've CHOSEN, people!

Liberal women have fought for women's rights for decades, trying to show the world that we aren't just baby making machines, designed to "keep the home fires burnin'". Well, here we have Sarah Palin who is doing it all, and doing it well! --A beautiful family, 5 children, and a dynamic career! Yet there are libs who would just as soon see her back at home sporting that ruffly apron, "where she belongs!"

4. Now nude photos (However they happened to end up on the internet, if they're even of Sarah) are suddenly horrible, but good ol' Billy-boy could make a world-wide mockery of our Oval Office, costing tax payers millions of dollars with his lies, and conservatives were told to "stop being so uptight".

You know, with Sarah's proven track record of clearly exercising her "right to choose" in so many different situations, controversial and otherwise, I would think she'd be right up any liberal female's ally, except that libs seem to be assigning a whole new meaning to the term "Pro-choice". "

Raven wrote on Sep 2, 2008 11:14 PM:

" no elb, what has all us 'Libs' bothered is the hypocrisy of her public positions versus her private reality ... she wants the abstinence program to be the standard when it obviously didn't work for her own family......and no one has said anything about forcing anyone to have an abortion ... "

Rich wrote on Sep 3, 2008 6:55 AM:

" Ruff, Ruff, Ruff, ...
You seem to be the new outlet for the rather amusing Dem hysteria.
Your side once again lost the "slam dunk" by choosing the wrong candidate and now you have to deal with another loss. Five bucks says that obama is kicking himself for not choosing Billery. "

elb wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:40 AM:

" abstinence is still a choice, and you are "pro-choice", right, Raven? What's so wrong now with the fact that this young woman has clearly CHOSEN?

Even Obama reminded the press, yesterday that his mother had him at eighteen. My mother had me at sixteen, married my father two weeks after I was born and they are about to celebrate their fortieth wedding anniversary.

Here's the deal, I've been to the planned parenthood presentations at our local high schools. Trust me, they promote sex, they do not discourage it! I was disgusted when I heard the "educator" (If you want to call her that) not only discussing the sort of condoms on the market, but sharing with teen boys which ones she, herself actually prefers while in various sexual positions, even! ---Yet you, a proponent of planned parenthood, now speak down about the fact that this young lady CHOSE to have sex and (For what ever reason, because we don't really know all the facts---Because it's really none of our business what happened in the girls bedroom) she ended up pregnant.

As a woman and the mother of a teenage daughter, I am offended that Palin's daughter is being raked through the coals by other liberal women who have fought for decades to promote the freedom for women to "choose" and pave their own way in the world. ---Talk about hypocrisy! "

mykdgirl54 wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:35 AM:

" I know this sounds crazy but I really do feel sorry for the repub's! It could have been ANYONE except her! McCain's golden ticket over Obama this whole time has been his experience - so WHY does he go and shoot himself in the foot by choosing someone who has NONE?! Does anyone REALLY think if McCain falls ill while in office, Paulin will be able to be the head of national security, run the country, and get bills passed??!?! - DONT think so.

Besides - by choosing her he's already split the republican voters in half - which is already a loss for the party.

What strikes me as odd however, is Laura Bush's comment "I'm so glad to be able to vote for a female on the republican ticket" - sounds to me like all the party was trying to do was still some of the glitz and drama that is oozing from the Obama campagin and it backfired - like most everything they try to accomplish (pun).

My vote has always been with Obama. Even as a sen. many, many years ago. If nothing else he's charismatic and will choose diplomacy FIRST over war - EVERYDAY. "

plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:41 AM:

" Raven - again - Clinton lucked out and had nothing whatsoever to do with the dot com boom that fueled the economics during his presidency. He did exactly nothing. Capital gains taxes poured a mighty stream of $$ into the treasury of the US and California. As a result, with all that money available (no one thought ahead that it would ever end) California passed all kinds of socialist nanny programs, and that's one of the reasons we are in the fiscal troubles in California today.

Today, we are paying the price for Clinton's failed policies, and are still paying the price for Carter's too. "

Sandra wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:53 AM:

" "You have been a consistent voice in favor of every single one of Bush's policies and you have expressed support for John McCain." HUH? Could you document this claim of yours? I have been against many of Bush's policies. And while I find many things in McCains character to be honorable, I also do not care for many of his policies.
This is a tactic of someone who is a victim of group think Ruff. To make unfounded claims to attack someone when they do not like what that person has said. You have it down to fine art Ruff.
Now as for Palin and the ugly "Rumors" , I never said untruths. They are running rampent on this and other blogs in this paper.
Such as firing her brother in law, in bed with the oil comapnies, involved with a senator who is under investigation, a bad mother who has aboandoned her children for politics, wants creationsim taught as science, etc, etc.
The best rumors have a small grain of truth to them. That is why they tittilate. BUT, every one of these rumors turns into so much hot air, if you dig to the bottom of the story. The only thing that digging to the bottom did, in my case, aside from revealing how unfounded these rumors were, was to reveal what a gutsy, honest, and admirable person this woman is.
I do not agree with all of her stands. I strongly disagree with some. But I do like her character. I like her renegade spirit, and her willingness to stand against what she sees as wrong. These are qualities I want in a vice president. She will not be setting policies on abortion. She will be doing what a vice president does. "

Sandra wrote on Sep 3, 2008 9:24 AM:

" Dellasumbrella, Just thought you needed to know, No Vice president sets policy on birth control or reproductive rights....so what does Palins views on this matter have to do with her duties as Vice President? "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 3, 2008 9:58 AM:

" Sandra--The Palin quote you provided, "Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information....Healthy debate is so important and it's so valuable in our schools....And you know, I say this too as the daughter of a science teacher...blessed to be given a lot of information on, on both sides of the subject -- creationism and evolution. It's been a healthy foundation for me. But don't be afraid of information and let kids debate both sides," clearly implies that Palin is talking about teaching evolution and creationism side by side, open to debate, and in the context of science (as a daugter of a science teacher). She is not talking about teaching one in a science class and another in a theology class. I think it's pretty clear that she sees the two as equivalent, or at least in competition with each other. Evolution isn't in competition with creationism any more than Mondavi is in competition with Christ turning water into wine. I agree with you that Palin has a renegade spirit and will stand against what she believes is wrong. (And I do respect that in her.) I object to her because I do not believe that many of the things she believes are wrong are really wrong.
BTW, I had responded regarding that silly claim I made about the Republican party supporting abstinence-only approach to teen pregnancy and STD prevention. I quoted from the GOP Platform website, but it didn't get through the censors (!) The official GOP position adheres to an abstinence-only approach to reproductive education, & is carried out by the current republican administration through restrictions on funding. The truth may be silly, but what can I do....? "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:13 AM:

" To Mykdgirl54: I also feel sorry for the Republicans, and seeing McCain talk last night on some little interview he did, I realized I like his soft-spoken, not-quite-self-effacing style, and I have a little warm feeling in my heart for his visible vulnerability. I would certainly prefer him as president to what we have now; I have a little more trust in his sincerity and more respect for his character. But he has been hooked-lined-and-sunk deep into the Republican faux values vortex, and I fear he would not survive it as he has so many other perils. So better for him he just loses the election, I think. Also, if anything were to happen to him, not only would we have Palin to run a massive, unwieldy, belligerent nation based on her small-town experience, but we'd also have her to appoint judges based on her particluar perspective on "values". That means she could be influencing policy on abortion, civil rights, the constitution, etc. But that's why I vote democratic, I suppose, Because that party reflects my own particular perspective on "values". "

Sandra wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:37 AM:

" dellasumbrella, the Palin qoute does not say what you claim it says at all. YOU add that. Palins qoute says no more, or less than what is stated. "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:52 AM:

" Sandra -- see my last post (to mykdgirl54). I kind of was writing that last part on my concerns about Palin's part in the administration should something happen to McCain, in response to the question you hadn't asked me yet. (Because I think you had asked it somewhere earlier.)

Please understand. I wouldn't have voted for McCain no matter who he chose as VP. My decision has already been made, based on what I already know. I don't know if Palin will hurt or help him. But for me, she just adds fuel to my anti-Republican policy fire. Note I said "policy". I'm not anti-Republican people. One of my best friends is a Republican. No kidding. Only one. I am, as I'm sure you might imagine, well-insulated, if not isolated, and pretty darn set in my political, social and moral beliefs. Not much different from staunch Republicans, I suppose. Anyway, I digress.... "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:58 AM:

" I didn't add anything to her quote. I merely inferred meaning from the way she presented it, as anyone would. Can you explain her juxtaposition of "creationism" and "evolution" in her quote in any other way? How are we to debate them if not in the same class? If one is taught in a science class because it is science, and another in a theology class because it is a religious belief, where is the debate going to happen? At lunch? Well, maybe, but I think students end up talking about other, more pressing matters. Or maybe we'd have an assembly where the two classes would come together and have a debate about what they've separately been learning? I dunno. I think I interpreted her statement correctly, in or out of context. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 3, 2008 11:31 AM:

" Winewoman - I lived in Anchorage 80-86. I would too go back in a heartbeat, as long as I could get a nice few weeks in midwinter someplace warm. You know that “cabin fever” escape. Palin seems truly a result of the opportunity women have in Alaska, and I like her, however, she is just too conservative for me, and a too inexperienced.

Sandra – “No Vice president sets policy on birth control or reproductive rights . . so what does Palins views on this matter have to do with her duties as Vice President? Well Sandra, if she has to step into the president’s shoes, need I say more? "

Sandra wrote on Sep 3, 2008 12:24 PM:

" Dellasumbrella, I would expect the debate between creationism and evolution could take place in a theology class just as easily as in a science class. I would expect in the newer trend teaching has been taking that many subjects are intertwined. Look at how River School curriculim is presented, or New Tech High. My objection is to what others add to her words and then repeat them as if that IS what she said.
Also you admit to being "pretty darn set in my political, social and moral beliefs". Does this not worry you that you have possibly closed your mind off to new, or different ideas? Do you not think this could be dangerous? Do you not think that if this is how you look at the world, that anyone who comes along and says things that fit your mind set could just drag you along without question? The only thing that I am pretty set in is my moral compass. I question everything else.

luv1mom, I would expect if she filled McCains shoes as president, that she would have as much impact on these things as Bush, who holds similar views, has had, which is...zilch, nada, zip. It is the legislature that makes these changes, not the president. Do you really believe a bill banning abortion would make it through the house and senate? "

freeport56 wrote on Sep 3, 2008 12:41 PM:

" dan-

Really, you have to stop handing out Kool-Aid to all the libbies on this page.

The playing field has been levelled. Sarah has her speech tonight and you will get a better sense of who she is. It will be a lot better than reading all the sanctamoby from the right on this page.

I have never seen so many perfect people in one spot. Most of you should be ashamed of yourselves for the way you speak about people. Your Prince Joe Biden critizes immmigrants in his own state, on camera no less. He is a Plagerist and tired old political hack whoi gave it one more shot before retiring.

The 3:00 am call will probably be put on hold by Obama. A man that would play basketball than visit wounded soldiers while in Germany. What a freakin loser! "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 3, 2008 1:06 PM:

" Sandra -- Yes, sometimes my rigid thinking concerns me. But with some issues it doesn't. Creationism isn't really a new idea. It's an old, freeze-dried and reconstituted idea. It is not a scientific theory; it's a belief. It's inappropriate to juxtapose it with evolution when it's taught. And if it is taught and debated, it should be in the context of religious belief. Then it's appropriate to compare it to other religious beliefs. I took a class in Baptist Biblical Belief when I was in college (at a Baptist school). See? I'm not all that closed minded.
But when it comes to nuclear vs. solar power, conservation vs. more drilling, you're right -- I'm kinda lockstep. I think for me it comes down to, if I had to do it myself (make the decisions, build the infrastructure, take the risk, create the karma), what would I be willing to do? Kind of like, if I eat meat, I have to believe I'd be able to kill that particular animal all by myself if it came to that. Otherwise, it just doesn't seem fair. Or maybe it seems hypocritical. Same with war. If I don't have it in me to declare war on someone, how can I ask my country to do it? "

TrickleDown wrote on Sep 3, 2008 1:10 PM:

" Sandra, I cannot believe that you think that (a) President Bush has had little impact on reproductive rights and that (b) a president in general doesn't as it is the legislature. You do understand that the president nominates Supreme Court justices, right? You do understand that his nomination of and approval of Alito is for sure a justice that would like to see Roe v. Wade overturned and that Roberts may as well (unclear so far). I am so surprised that you, who actually seems to be up on how government works, do not understand the important role that justices play in this country and that the power to nominate is in the president's hands!! That you would make an argument to the contrary is incredible. "

plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Sep 3, 2008 1:31 PM:

" dellasumbrella sez: (McCain) has been hooked-lined-and-sunk deep into the Republican faux values vortex, and I fear he would not survive it as he has so many other perils. So better for him he just loses the election, I think. Also, if anything were to happen to him, not only would we have Palin to run a massive, unwieldy, belligerent nation based on her small-town experience

My, what a mouthful! Remarkable big brush painting, but typical lefty stuff. And you really are isolated, you need to get out more and make more friends.

I will let stand your faux values remark because it is so obviously wrong it does not need a rebuttal. Reality bending is a lefty trademark.

McCain is a proven survivor and an independent person who follows his own counsel. Nothing more needs to be said.

He has as good or better a chance to win this election as does Obama bin Biden, and Palin will help him win it.

And should Palin have to run a massive, unwieldy, belligerent nation (brought upon us by leftist aggressiveness for more and bigger entitlements and the "I'll make money available to you" Obama attitude), Palin's small-town experience might be exactly what's needed and not the Washington DC cocktail party circuit crowd who can't do anything unless the government gives it to them. Coastal leftist elitists pretend middle America doesn't exist, and that's why they keep setting up people like Kerry and Obama, and can't figure out why middle America doesn't rush out to greet them with open arms. Maybe they should take more seriously the uproar over Obama's religion and guns remarks, but the lefties just don't get it. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 3, 2008 1:33 PM:

" Sandra - still, a P or VP who is not a pro-choice advocate is someone I never ever want as my leader.

freeport56 - you say we should be ashamed of ourselves for the way we speak about people, you then continue on to call Obama "a freakin' loser " "Prince Joe Biden", "plagerist" "tired old political hack". Shame on who? "

rogers wrote on Sep 3, 2008 4:51 PM:

" I agree with sandra here, way too much speculation. We do not necessarily know where Palin stands on many issues, she's an unknown at this point. It will require much deeper examination of her past. Even so, that may not reveal a useful foundation of evidence from which to draw conclusions. I recall an interview with Colin Powell and Barbara Walters after Operation Desert Storm when he was beginning to consider the possibility of running for president. Both my wife and I looked at each other and said "This is a guy I could vote for!" Within a couple of months the Republican spin machine had reworked and spit-shined the good general. He was now about 180 degrees off his original positions and statements and sadly most uncomfortable with his new persona. Ultimately actions speak louder than words and sometimes we just have to wait and see.

I don'y buy the arguments about experience or inexperience. Obama is a Senator and that thrusts one into a high level of decision making. So does being a governor. Obama is very smart and will surround himself with smart capable people. Joe Biden has 30 years of DC insider experience as does McCain. One may see the latter as a plus or a minus. Palin aside, I don't feel McCain makes very good decisions. His campaign has already gone bust and he has had to fire quite a number of key people.

And so far one of the first people to tell the press to leave Palin's daughter out of this has been Barrack Obama. He doesn't believe in attacking or dragging the children of politicians into the fray. For me that speaks volumes about character; far better character than that shown by McCain toward Chelsea Clinton! "

plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Sep 3, 2008 5:09 PM:

" The Dems were complaining bitterly about Obama being 'swift-boated' and claiming how unfair it was, are now in full cry, knees jerking, mouths foaming as they fall over each other to plant stories with their media lapdogs pushing and magnifying any little flaw (real or manufactured) about Sarah Palin. Just goes to show they sure like to complain about swift-boating their rockstar - it's OK if they (or Michael Moore) do it to others though.

Fact is, they are worried that Sarah can help McCain win the election and will do anything to discredit her before that can happen. They pulled out every trick in the party trickbag, every version of the big lie propaganda machine, every media howling talking head they have on their payroll. Folks, this is a major all out attempt to discredit Sarah because she is a woman (making Obama look bad for not picking Hillary) and because she makes Obama bin Biden look like yesterday's news. Reminds me of the scene in Blazing Saddles where Mel Brooks tells his assembled lackeys "Gentlemen, we have to protect our phony-baloney jobs! Harrumpf Harrumpf. I didn't get a Harrumpf out of that man . . . "

There is only one explanation and that is that they are really worried about her. No they have not suddenly sprouted "morals" and are outraged about this or that. Their morals are all relative to what their reality needs to be at any given moment.

Nobody is perfect, not Sarah Palin, not Obama. But the Dems aren't taking any chances. They don't want to do what their deity Bill advised them back when Hillary was getting pressure - "just wait and see what happens, folks". "

Raven wrote on Sep 3, 2008 5:13 PM:

" PPF, so Clinton did nothing when the results were positive and everything when the results were not...just want to get that straight...why stop at carter?...aren't we paying the price for woodrow wilson's policies?..or andrew jackson's?

elb...I have nothing but pity for the 17-year old going thru this traumatic event in her life....but I was addressing her mother's stance...and her hypocrisy......since her daughter choose to have sex, then a thorough education in human sexuality and birth control might have changed the outcome for her...and one big difference between Obama's mother and Palin's daughter is his mother was legally an adult... "

rogers wrote on Sep 3, 2008 5:40 PM:

" elb be careful with your blanket condemnation of "Liberals". They are as diverse in their points of view as are conservatives.

I am uncomfortable with abortion in general as many liberals are. I am strongly against late term abortion. I don't like women using abortion as a convenient form of birth control. Yet If my wife's life was on the line and the doctor says, "I can save your wife or the baby but not both" there would be no hesitation in choosing my wife's life over the fetus and particularly so if there were other children at home. Perhaps for you there are very clear answers, that's not the case for me. I'm quite sure that in a rape situation I would want my daughter or wife to have an abortion. But I can't answer for them.

It is true that abstinence vs sexual experimentation are choices, but they are not the only choices. The majority of young people will experiment. Sorry, but it's a given. Abstnence only works in a perfect world. We don't have 7 billion people on this planet because humans subscribe to your belief. Given this well-known REALITY, we need to attempt to encourage the use of various contraceptives to ensure that children are created by choice when conditions are best for a stable family unit.

But if you refuse to acknowledge that reality and you see contraceptives as some "liberal" attempt to spread hedonism throughout our culture, then I must view you as part of the problem. In other words, I think a successful approach to life, sex and family emphasizes many options for many situations. That doesn't make me a liberal, it makes me a concerned human being just like you. "

Raven wrote on Sep 3, 2008 5:45 PM:

" You mean McCain isnt perfect?...Or Bush?..or Cheney? "

kkkkaty wrote on Sep 3, 2008 5:56 PM:

" Define statutory rape? Is that sex? Does her mother care?

Sarah Palin is an Alaskan Republican where animals are for slaughter and oil brings in the bucks. I'm not really sure why anyone thinks she would clean up any dirty politiical deal but her involvement is so convaluted it makes Eischer easy to follow. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 3, 2008 6:26 PM:

" Rogers......

Obama said "hands off" because he doesn't want his own background checked... It was a clever way to inoculate himself from the lawsuit swirling about his birth certificate and his citizenship....

Don't forget for a moment that he came from Chicago, and is well versed in self-serving politics where he can eliminate the competition...

Truthfully, does that empty suit make you feel safe...??? "

cab e-girl wrote on Sep 3, 2008 6:27 PM:

" Luv1mom- If your only criteria for the presidency is whether a candidate is pro-choice (which is an oxymoron) or pro-life, then I would seriously question your decision-making abilities.

Raven- if Palin was a hypocrite, she would have advocated abortion. Like it or not, teenage pregnancy is an issue in the United States today. Mrs. Palin has chosen to stand by her values, not have her grandchild su*ked into a sink and support her daughter to make a choice based on their family values. Just because she advocates that sex ed should be taught in the home not in schools, doesn't make her a hypocrite. As parents, they could have given their daughter all the facts. Their daughter could have done like many teenagers and simply ignored her parents. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:00 PM:

" Ratcheting down... ratcheting down...

Sarah Palin has not created a bounce for McCain and if there is no detectable bounce by next week, then the truth will be out.

Sarah Palin did not save the McCain campaign and for all the foo-fa-rah the Republicans are going to take yet another electoral beating.

And then as we clean up the wreckage of EIGHT YEARS of Republican ideology and misgoverance... we can look forward to prosecuting or extraditing the war criminals.

Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!

~Ruff "

Raven wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:23 PM:

" In an address last June, Palin urged ministry students to pray for a plan to build a $30 billion natural gas pipeline in Alaska, calling it "God's will." So says the AP. "

Raven wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:27 PM:

" McCain campaign canceled the Arizona senator's planned Tuesday appearance on "Larry King Live" because it felt CNN host Campbell Brown was being unfair to McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds during an interview Monday. Campbell's question to Bounds: "Can you just tell me one decision that she made as commander-in-chief of the Alaskan National Guard, just one?"...Associated Press "

Raven wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:29 PM:

" Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan has her doubts about Palin. During a Wednesday appearance on MSNBC, Nooonan apparently thought the microphone was off when she began ridiculing Palin. "The most qualified? No," Noonan said. "I think they went for this - excuse me - political bull- about narratives." ..SF Chronicle "

antipc wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:34 PM:

" Tonight you are going to watch Sarah Palin defeat the Dems. With a little help from Rudy & others she will move blue collar & lower level white collar male centrists to the vision of their futures & betterment of their families. All the Bible hugging, gun toting family heads will embrace Sarah like a long lost relative.

After tonight good luck progressives, your policies are your own demise. Change & hope are in the review mirror. A strong America is in the future. Terrorists, socialists, & communists are no longer cosmopolitan in the U.S.A.

BTW, the Dem controlled houses are in jeopardy.... 9% approval... what a laugh.

God bless America!! "

kevin wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:20 PM:

" Well, Sarah can definitely give a good speech! According to the new "B.O. standard" that qualifies her to be President.

Gotta love the digs she made at B.O. in response to his campaign's continuing efforts to defame her family.

McCain better be careful, I think the delegates are close to putting HER on top of the ticket! "

Hear ye wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:24 PM:

" What has Obamas campaign said to defame her family? "

cab e-girl wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:35 PM:

" Sarah you go girl. Finally a candidate I can relate to. She is concerned about our nations security, she is concerned about our nations energy policy, she goes after corrupt politicians, she returns tax surpluses to the people who paid them, she sends money back to Washington for a Bridge to Nowhere, she discards the governors private jet and the governors private chef (sorry chef, but I am sure you are skilled enough to get a job at a great restaurant), she has been in the parents club, she hunts and fishes and she is not afraid to tell you want she believes and she stands behind her beliefs. I think I should even send Mac a check for selecting the MOST qualified candidate for VP. Should she end up in the white house, I hope she's the one picking up the phone at 3:00 am. "

kevin wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:37 PM:

" Oh please, hear ye. You haven't heard all the crap out there?

Sarah really didn't have a baby, it was her daughter's.

Endless stories of the daughter's pregnancy and all the details of who, what, when, where and why.

And who can forget that the husband, gasp, had a DUI 20 years ago! OMG.

And what exactly did she do to produce a baby with Down's syndrome?

I was REALLY glad to see Palin go on the offense! "

elb wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:47 PM:

" Sarah Palin, God bless you and your beautiful family and our great nation! McCain sure new what he was doing when he selected you as his running mate. "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:54 PM:

" You said Obama Campaign not random liberal bloggers and what not. I just want it to be known that it is not his campaign attempting to "defame" her family "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:59 PM:

" Sarah's hawt, in more ways than one....

GO SARAH.....!!!

McCain's gotta be feeling pretty good about now.... "

musikluvr wrote on Sep 3, 2008 9:03 PM:

" As I write this there are 257 comments about Governor Palin's candidacy. She has everyone entralled or disturbed. She is a monument to good in our country and an object of fear and hate to the racists, bigots, sexists and misogynist democrats. Truly, she is the new America - the beginning of a youthful power that will run our country on traditional values. "

XMAN wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:11 PM:

" For those of you who missed it, "the only difference between a hockey Mom and a pit bull -is lipstick." - Sarah Palin "

plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:18 PM:

" Raven said: "PPF, so Clinton did nothing when the results were positive and everything when the results were not...just want to get that straight...why stop at carter?...aren't we paying the price for woodrow wilson's policies?..or andrew jackson's?"

PPF Answer: Yes. Did you have a point? "

suze wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:35 PM:

" No doubt about it, whether you like shooting wolves or drilling/spilling in ANWAR, Mrs Palin has a lot going for her - a great gal. BUT she is pro life which is not bad of course, but why would McCain want a brood mare for a VP? No birth control means pregnancy. Are we going to have a VP or even a President incapacitated when in 'confinement?' I think women are outstanding in the workforce and absolutely the equal of men in most capacities, but pregnant in this kind of office with the responsibilities attending it? Bottom line of any job, you have to be able to do it if you are going to step up to the plate. I am also amongst the group of thinkers who feel sorry for her children. They will hardly see her. "

TrickleDown wrote on Sep 3, 2008 11:08 PM:

" suze: I don't think that Sarah Palin is right for the job, but I have to say that the idea that her children will suffer for not seeing her is ridiculous and sexist. Sarah Palin has a stay-at-home husband, as I understand it (who would most likely be moreso in D.C.), so the children are not going to be without a parent around. To argue that Palin's parents would suffer but not Obama's young children is definitely sexist.

One can make many good arguments for why Palin would not make a good V.P., and possible president, but her children suffering while she is attending to duties is not one of them. "

Raven wrote on Sep 4, 2008 4:00 AM:

" my point ppf, is your lack of even an attempt at objectivity when it comes to democratic presidents...just wanted to be sure "

kevin wrote on Sep 4, 2008 6:08 AM:

" hear ye, when the 527's attacked John Kerry with the "swiftboat" information, the media had a constant mantra of "President Bush can stop this if he wants to". I am just trying to make the point that you can't have it both ways! Either the presidential candidate gets blamed for indepentent campaign activities or they don't... "

jwk wrote on Sep 4, 2008 7:45 AM:

" Not only did Sarah hit a raw spot in the Lib's after watching her speak last night, She poured some major Sea Salt in those open soft heads wounds!! Right on Girl. Go get all of the Crooked Old & Do Nothing Politicians.. "

elb wrote on Sep 4, 2008 7:58 AM:

" I can’t stand it. It was so exciting. Lingle, Huckabee and Guiliani… I was all alone at the house, watching. The only thing that could have made it all the more fantastic was if I could have had someone with me to cheer along! I can’t wait to get home from work today so I can watch the clips all over again and or read the transcripts.

As for Sarah Palin, she’s amazing and I absolutely adore her scrunchy nose when she’s about to lay into an issue, or even someone! She’s REAL and that’s her APPEAL!

Who would have thought… It seems that the Democrats were mistaken; You see, a woman doesn’t have to give up her femininity while seeking a seat in the white house! "

cab e-girl wrote on Sep 4, 2008 8:21 AM:

" Suze. Who said anything about Mrs. Palin doesn't believe in birth control? Just because you don't believe in abortion? They are two VERY different issues. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 4, 2008 8:45 AM:

" Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin gave the kind of speech last night just like we could expect.

And the small crowd partially filling the venue really lapped it up, just like we could expect.

Once again the national TV audience was smaller than the one generated just a week earlier for Democratic nominee Joe Biden's speech just like we could expect.

So far... no bounce for McCain/Palin whatever your view of Sarah Palin's life, food choices, moral judgements, or her record as small town mayor, or small state governor, just like we could expect.

If there is no bounce in next week's polls and Dems stay unified and energized... as Peggy Noonan said, "It's over".

Just like I expect.

~Ruff "

Sandra wrote on Sep 4, 2008 8:47 AM:

" Trickledown, last time I looked my reproductive rights were the same as before Bush took office, so yes, I believe he has had NO PRACTICAL IMPACT on them. As for Supreme court Justices...well yes I do know a president gets to appoint them....so let's pretend, McCain gets elected, and heaven forbid dies in office...Only then would Palin get to appoint a justice, BUT, only if one retired at the convenient time, and only after a long period of questioning from the legislature. Do you really think any EXTREME justce would make it through the process? What are the odds of this scenario taking place?
Have you not been paying any attention to the process in the past? Come on now...I have faith in our system, so far its worked pretty darn well. "

finewine wrote on Sep 4, 2008 8:52 AM:

" I think Sarah Palin is "down to earth" and realistic. I think she is a great choice, and what our country can use!

Cheri Fels
Yountville "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:03 AM:

" NO MORE PANTS SUITS...!!!

HOOORAY...!!! "

plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:10 AM:

" Dems unified and energized? Running scared is more like it, looking at the level of attacks they have their media lapdogs aiming at Sarah. "

plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:36 AM:

" Facts, ruff, please. Where are your facts about the size of the audience? And yes it was a speech that could be expected - what did you expect, a ringing endorsement of Obama's empty promises? What's your point?

Convention bounce cannot be measured until after the convention. And ruff conveniently ignores the fact that Obama got a bounce so small it was within the pollsters' margin of error, and even that faded fast. You can feel the annoyance in ruff's posts that Sarah is getting so much attention and (Joe who?) nobody remembers what Obama's VP said in his speech. "

grape wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:41 AM:

" elb, I too watched alone but I went ahead and cheered out loud...I'm sure my neighbors wondered what in the world was going on.

McCain-Palin 2008 for me. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:42 AM:

" Hey Ruff....

Looks like you've switched to defense from offense.... Good move, 'cause you're gonna have to do some scrambling here...

If you're running out of dirt to dig up about Sarah, just make stuff up...

Just what I expected... :) "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:45 AM:

" cab e-girl: don't put words in my mouth. The pro-life issue is not my only criteria for choosing a president. I could probably live with either Obama or McCain since they both are promising change for our nation. HOWEVER, McCain is pro-life, and I believe in making that decision for myself. So Ms. Meriam-Webster, don't question my decision making abilities, I am not the one running for president. "

Sanity wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:48 AM:

" Cheap attacks will not get MY VOTE!!
People are asking about content on issues and values.
The CAIN-apPALIN attack team know not to throw ISSUE and FAMILY boomerangs.

The logical Veep picks MUST have turned him down. What a Sham!
Imagine what the rest of our world thinks!
What kind of power must the burning BUSH have on these people?
I DO NOT GET IT!

GO RON PAUL! I love you! You Really care, Like OBAMA! I think Ron Paul would too if he could.

The majority of us CAN NOT BE SO FOOLISH,
as to be WRONG AND STRONG while allowing the nation to go any further into the PITTS.
This is no time for FALSE PRIDE. I am no Carol Shepp McCain (God Bless Her and CindyDoll)
nor Vicious, temperamental female dog with lipstick! Insulting!
Thank God we have such a wonderful choice. What if we did not :o).
Why is there such a tight race, can the polls be legit???
Someone please explain. This should be a no brainer!

THANK YOU CAIN and apPALIN! "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:50 AM:

" Now that the title of "Community Organizer" has become a national joke, perhaps the Napa trolley is the result of a Community Organizer's folly... "

Rich wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:55 AM:

" Give it up Ruff, the more you type the worse you make yourself look.
~Rich "

plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:55 AM:

" raven, I have plenty to say about republican presidents too, including finding great fault with some of Lincoln's actions in taking away constitutional rights. But we were talking about Clinton and Carter. Just because most of their policies were failures and they take credit for events that they had nothing to do with, and I point these things out, does not mean I lack objectivity. Face it, you just don't like it, but these are the facts. "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:57 AM:

" Look what the liberals have been up to (according to Politico):

- Democrat Joe Biden, in what he intended as self-deprecating remark, observed, “There's a gigantic difference between John McCain and Barack Obama and between me and I suspect my vice presidential opponent. ... She's good looking."

- A spokeswoman for the National Organization for Women, noting Palin’s opposition to abortion rights and support of other parts of the social conservative agenda, told Politico, “She's more a conservative man than she is a woman on women's issues. Very disappointing."

- Liberal radio host Ed Schultz used the words “bimbo alert” to refer to Palin, and the Huffington Post featured a photo montage of Palin with the headline, “Former Beauty Queen, Future VP?”

- CNN’s John Roberts recently pondered on air: “Children with Down’s syndrome require an awful lot of attention. The role of vice president, it seems to me, would take up an awful lot of her time, and it raises the issue of how much time will she have to dedicate to her newborn child?”

- Sally Quinn, who in her “On Faith” column for washingtonpost.com agreed that Palin is a “bright, attractive, impressive person,” but also asked, “is she prepared for the all-consuming nature of the job? Her first priority has to be her children,” Quinn wrote. “When the phone rings at 3 in the morning and one of her children is really sick what choice will she make?”

Clearly, obnoxious and sexist. Even Hillary Clinton's aides said so. What I really like about Sarah Palin is that she doesn't play the disenfranchised victim...she counters these low blows with sheer political skill and small-town Americana grit.

Pitbull with lipstick indeed. "

wyngyrl wrote on Sep 4, 2008 11:08 AM:

" Oh my gosh. Please everyone, take a deep breath and look closely. Governor Palin has been mayor of a town the size of St. Helena. She is governor of a state with a population approx. 5 times the size of Napa County. She has a college degree, but no post-graduate education. She delivered a good speech to an adoring audience. She holds beliefs which are not shared by a majority of the American people and she belittled and dismissed those of us who are searching for more depth and understanding in our leaders. I'm trying very hard to remain objective about this election but, truthfully, it IS starting to scare me. And not for the reasons that some of you may think. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 4, 2008 11:47 AM:

" You go wyngyrl! "

plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Sep 4, 2008 12:13 PM:

" wyngyrl - Obama can't even claim to being a mayor of a town the size of St. Helena. He has managed . . . nothing!

A post-graduate degree also means nothing in terms of capability to make important decisions. Plenty of post-graduates can't decide their way out of a wet paper bag. But they are important - just ask them.

Obama was a 'community organizer' in Chicago. Community organizers in Chicago are a dime a dozen, did nothing but still collected a paycheck. We called them 'feces stirrers' (but with the colloquial name instead of the word that hopefully passes the censor). All they did was stir the stuff and then go away. They never followed through to make sure anything got done. What were they? Just a reliable source of people to get out the vote for the Mayors Daley. That's what their job boiled down to, driving old and infirm people to the polls and telling them how to vote if they wanted a ride home. Don't chime in that voting is by secret ballot - in Chicago they had their way of knowing.

The thought of a community organizer running our country should be a scary thought for you. "

XMAN wrote on Sep 4, 2008 12:30 PM:

" Yup! Sarah is the lib's worst nightmare alright. And she comes to us with lipstick. Pretty scary! "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 4, 2008 1:01 PM:

" Google - Acorn Obama Chicago

That'll tell you what Obama learned about politics as a "community organizer"...

Acorn is the outfit that was registering illegals and dead people, and more... "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 4, 2008 1:03 PM:

" Common Sense wrote on Aug 19, 2008 11:51 AM:
" Sarah Palin. Hands down. "

Congratulations dude, you called it weeks ago...!!! "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 4, 2008 1:53 PM:

" I'm sure republicans loved her speech but what did it do for people on the fence? Nothing

She didn't say anything about the issues facing this country. It was just your run of the mill republican attack speech. Talk about elitists, it was a bunch of old rich people making fun of a guy who could have had a job at any law firm in the country making big bucks but instead went back to serve his community. How is that going to resonate with everyday americans? Not only were the vast majority of the attacks simply untrue but they don't relate to middle and lower class americans. While I certainly found some of the speeches actually offensive, especially Gulianis, I was pleased to see them only talk to their own kind and not the people on the fence. "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 4, 2008 2:04 PM:

" I think it's great that Obama got $8 million dollars in donations in the hours following the Palin speech. It looks like her speech energized more than just the Republican base. "

AmCan Mom wrote on Sep 4, 2008 2:18 PM:

" Ok, I came to this one a little late...I browsed topics, but I just couldn't see reading through 200+ political comments without causing my eyes to bleed, so here is my thought.

I like the idea of someone who at least *appears* to be a no-nonsense mom in Washington. How many times do we mom's find ourselves thinking 'Why am I the only one in this house who can find anything?' How often do we find ourselves helping clean up everyone else's messes? I could go on and on here....

Now don't get me wrong, I love my husband and appreciate how hard he works for his family, but we all know that there are some things that only Mom seems to be able to fix. I would still rather see Ron Paul in office than McCain, but with Palin at his side I feel a little bit better about having not changed my *R* to an *I* yet. "

wyngyrl wrote on Sep 4, 2008 2:41 PM:

" OK, I'll take another deep breath and then let it go. Personally, I believe an extensive strong education is a good start for a world leader. Sorry, but I'm more impressed with Occidental, Princeton, and Harvard than I am with Univer. of Idaho.

I was initially intrigued by Senator Obama because of his statements that "we are not blue states or red states, we are the United States." It seemed that he might actually have a chance at getting two sides to work with, not against, each other. I was opposed to Hillary for the same reason - too much animosity and turmoil. We've survived 8 years of bitter division and I'm worried about another 4. Rudy Guiliani and Sarah Palin's statements last night did nothing to heal old wounds. They are dividers, not uniters, just like some of the comments here.

I don't know why Republicans are taking pride in being mean. A pit bull is a pit bull - even when wearing lipstick. You'll still get bitten.

Oh, and the AK tax rebates? AK residents don't pay state income tax - those are rebates from the petroleum profits and they happen all the time up there, not just under Gov. Palin. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 4, 2008 2:54 PM:

" Ruff on the defensive!?!

Oh, Really??? ;o)

The lying Republican Swiftboat and 'Purple Heart Bandaid' attacks of 2004 demonstrated that defense against Republican attacks is an even better truthful offense.

My view of the crowd was from personally watching the RNC convention, much to my wife's disgust. Fancy camera angles and lighting management did not completely hide the empty seats.

I got my TV audience numbers from the Neilsen ratings. Drudge is now out with higher numbers, but I will honestly report the Neilsons if they change enough to matter.

Honesty is the best policy here, don't you think?

And Sarah Palin gave a 'good speech' to the Republican 'base'... but it's not enough. The bounce hasn't appeared. Peggy Noonan said, "It's all over..." and I agree.

Hillary Clinton's denial for months after it became mathematically impossible for her to win the Dem nomination didn't change the plain trend.

Obama beat her and now he's winning again.

I say Republicans are in denial now.

The Sarah Palin speech raised 8.5 million dollars for the Obama ticket overnight... imagine that... the sharper Republican attacks get... the more money floods into the Obama campaign from the 2 million+ American people who donate their "widow's mite".

Every analyst knows that Sarah Palin was brought on board to energize the Republican base... and her speech was a good speech for the purpose... but the Republican base just isn't enough to win.

The aging cheerleader was pretty good, and had some sharp-edged material, but the Republican team is still going to lose this one.

Tick-tock... time is running out.

~Ruff "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 4, 2008 3:47 PM:

" Governor Jay Sterner Hammond is responsible for the creation of the Alaska Permanent Fund (74-82) which began issuing the dividends annually to residents of Alaska in the early 1980's. "

cab e-girl wrote on Sep 4, 2008 4:00 PM:

" luv1mom wrote on Sep 3, 2008 1:33 PM:
" Sandra - still, a P or VP who is not a pro-choice advocate is someone I never ever want as my leader."

Okay, should I say the abortion issue is a litmus test for you then? Does that really make sense? The whole world can be falling apart and your primary concern is abortion. How sad for you. "

plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Sep 4, 2008 4:10 PM:

" The problem is that Obama is going to give us more socialism, higher taxes, bloated government, deference to obsolete organizations such as the UN, and more government intrusion (if that's possible) at a time when we least need it. His empty promises of change need to be exposed. I'm sorry if that sounds divisive (actually, no, I'm not that sorry), but it is the American way (back in the days of the colonies before the American Revolution) to point out the flaws in your opponent's plans and ideas.

And how would you have responded after being slimed and smeared by the supposed "uniters" just because you are a woman, just because your family isn't exactly perfect, just because you speak your beliefs plainly and respect those in middle America that the "uniters" have publicly disdained? These "uniters" you speak of put on a full tilt smear job through their media lapdogs.

A Harvard education does not guarantee that you know more than a graduate from Idaho, or Kansas. You are promoting the same divisiveness in exalting schools like Harvard (where you will get the best socialist education that capitalist-earned money can buy) and put down good state universities.

I find your divisive accusations to be divisive and intolerant. "

cab e-girl wrote on Sep 4, 2008 4:11 PM:

" wyngyrl- AK residents don't pay income tax. That doesn't mean they don't pay fuel taxes and property taxes. The rebate was honorable on the governors part. I wish CA's lawmakers had the same integrity. "

cab e-girl wrote on Sep 4, 2008 4:14 PM:

" Hear ye: As of August 30th McCain has gotten a $7 million dollar bounce because of Palin, and that was before her speech. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 4, 2008 4:37 PM:

" Sigh...... "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 4, 2008 5:55 PM:

" Cab-e-girl-

Good for McCain I'm talking about the HOURS following the Palin speech Obama had 8 million in donations from 130,000 people. That's an incredible amount of money in such a short amount of time.

PPF- I keep hearing yourself and other Republicans say "higher taxes" but everytime I read about Obamas plan from himself or "experts" I see more money coming my way. "

common sense wrote on Sep 4, 2008 6:10 PM:

" Dwayne says: "Congratulations dude, you called it weeks ago...!!!"

Thanks...she seemed like the only logical choice. The question I had was whether or not McCain would recognize it. He came through for me. I'm now looking to buy a set of John McCain and Sarah Palin action figures.

I just found that Joe Biden, on Good Morning America, said "I just think some of the stuff said has been over the top, totally unfair, and has been sexist and I think the way the governor has handled it has been admirable."

Good. I suspect he's trying to compensate for saying "There's a gigantic difference between John McCain and Barack Obama and between me and I suspect my vice presidential opponent. ... She's good looking." "

antipc wrote on Sep 4, 2008 7:31 PM:

" You know what I love????? The liberals posting here cannot stand the fact that Sarah Palin is a self made family woman. Meanwhile Obama & Hillary call upon the rights of minorities to gain status are heroes/heroins. So the progressives are actually regressives. A woman that actually achieves the goal of three decades has of achievement is now beneath the holier than thou because of her beliefs. The mirror must be a very ugly place. Talk about hypocricy. "

antipc wrote on Sep 4, 2008 7:47 PM:

" Sooo.... Hear Ye, you see more money coming your way?

Guess what???? That money belongs to the producers like me, Kevin, PPF, cab e-girl, sandra, glenroy, freeport56, Dwayne, common sense, funnyme, & all the others that get it. "

John Richards wrote on Sep 4, 2008 8:29 PM:

" Teacher, recent research results indicate that neither the teaching of abstinence nor sex ed in schools has any effect on the teen pregnancy rate. So, it matters little which approach is used. "

suze wrote on Sep 4, 2008 8:36 PM:

" Now who is a 'rock star!!' She didn't ask for that title either. What do I think of Sara Palin? I admire strong, hard working women with plenty of savvy and get up and go, but I will not vote for her, and I doubt that anyone else will who opposes incessant wars, assaults on the environment and the religious right running lawmaking. I am not a LIBRUL, I have some pretty conservative views, but vote Republican because of her - no way. In fact, my old Mom in her eighties who has been a Republican all her life will be voting for Obama this year, that is how bad it has been, and she is not alone. "

John Richards wrote on Sep 4, 2008 8:44 PM:

" Ruff, it is too early to say that the vice presidential nominees are irrelevant. I'd like to wait and see what the next Field Poll says, thank you. Although I take those numbers with a grain of salt, the relative trend is what's significant. "

John Richards wrote on Sep 4, 2008 8:51 PM:

" someguyinnapa, how can you state as a fact that Palin's daughter received no sex education? You have no way of knowing that. The (almost) funny thing is that teenagers who received sex ed in school have about the same pregnancy rate as those taught abstinence. "

John Richards wrote on Sep 4, 2008 8:55 PM:

" TrickleDown, nothing is 100% effective, not sex ed, not abstinence teaching, not even condoms! It is ridiculous to attempt to make an object lesson out of a sample size of one. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:01 PM:

" antipc - So a tax cut for folks working for a living is somehow ripping off the Republican-enablers somehow?

How's that?

Unless all the folks you named are elitists making more than $250,000 a year you are getting a tax cut along with the rest of the working class...

But maybe y'all have been 'funning wth us' for all these years from your corporate HQ in the Bahamas, maybe?

Republican Elitists - Right here on the NVR!?! Who KNEW?

~Ruff "

John Richards wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:12 PM:

" Ruff wrote: 'Too bad McBoosh/McPalin is losing by 11 points in the NVR 'unscientific' poll as I write this."
I can't believe you even wasted your time stating this factoid. I'm surprised that the lopsidedness isn't even greater in Napa, which always goes massively Democratic. Too bad for you that the nationwide Field Poll shows McCain pulling ahead of Obama. "

cab e-girl wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:15 PM:

" Bluff Lumplog- We don't make 250K a year and we don't have off shore accounts, and we don't have trusts set up so we don't have to pay any taxes. We leave that for folks like John Kerry, ALGORE, and all the tax dodging rich elitists that you insist on voting for. Yet we are getting raked over the coals when it comes to taxes between income, property, gas, sales, SSI, Medicare, SDI taxes there is not a whole lot left. "

TrickleDown wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:20 PM:

" John Richards: Read my post again and you will find that I wasn't referring to her child as the failure of abstinence-only education, but the recent studies that have been published that have shown that abstinence-only education does nothing to change teen pregnancy rates. Yet, the republican administration has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into abstinence-only programs. Sarah Palin supports these programs and she should be questioned why she does given the results. "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:26 PM:

" Antipc-

I don't have the first clue what you're talking about! The money I save with Obama will be my own hard earned money. If you were trying to imply I'm on some government assistance you are dead wrong. I have never recieved a dime from government assistance of any kind. You can scream higher taxes all you want but it's simply not true. Look at the candidates plans and get back to me. "

John Richards wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:26 PM:

" noblindershere wrote "where was the stay at home dad when the teenage daughter was in the sac [sic] with her boyfriend..."

The plain fact is that no parent can watch their daughter 24/7. Your implied suggestion that Palin is a bad parent is unwarranted and abhorrent. "

Raven wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:31 PM:

" Actually JR, I found at least 6 studies showing comprehensive sex education reducing teen pregnancy rates as well as reducing STD's among teens...try advocates for youth and do a search for sex ed......it includes their footnotes to their original studies..and in 2005 the american pyshoclogical association found comprehensive sex ed significantly reduced the HIV rate among teens... "

Raven wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:34 PM:

" so I missed something...when did either Obama or Hillary call upon their rights as minorities to achieve their success....millions of New Yorkers of both parties took pity on Hillary because she was a woman...?...And you're saying the Illinois voters..did the the same to Obama....how nice they must be "

a teacher wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:35 PM:

" JR, I've read differently, but even if you're correct, that means it's time to find something that does. To me it's not about morality, it's about what works. Abstinence doesn't and what's worse is that abstinence only leaves kids without the knowledge to prevent a poor decision from being a worse decision. "

TrickleDown wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:37 PM:

" Mike J.: Bush called Obama attractive in 2007. Does that make Bush sexist? "

plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Sep 4, 2008 10:39 PM:

" I'm not rich. In fact, I would benefit greatly from Obama's wealth transfer schemes. But I know that Obama's socialist wealth transfer schemes and government nanny programs will not solve our nation's problems. It's just the opposite - the root of the problem is current government spending, which must be brought under control.

Also consider that Obama wants to create larger groups of people paying little or no tax. If you don't have a stake in something, your attitude is likely to be "so what? I'm getting money. Obama is promising more. Why worry about government spending? Why should I work?"

For me, I would see this other guy staying home all day and living on money direct from my paycheck to his government check? Why should I work?

As we learn more about Obama, it becomes clear that it is all about him, from community organizer to celebrity senator and now emperor, complete with props and Coliseum backdrops.

Hardcore lefties sing his praises and there is nothing to be done for them. He tells them what they want to hear. But a lot of people out there are starting to learn what an Obama presidency will do to their families.

We now see the wisdom of selecting Sarah Palin as VP and regardless of the lefty singers and their media cheerleaders, she will communicate with the middle America that Obama & Co. disdains. Let the lefties chant and work themselves up into a frenzy if they want. Ignore them, they won't listen anyway. The rest of us should get to work and get the word out so we don't end up on a slippery slope to nowhere. That's what I'm going to do. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 4, 2008 11:24 PM:

" cab e-girl -

Unless you make over $250,000 a year then the Obama TAX CUT plan is good for your and your family.

I don't know where you got your information, but some one has been lying to you about Obama's tax cut plan.

It's about time that working people got a real tax break, and that absolutely will not be coming from the Republicans. They give tax cuts to millionaires not working people.

Stated plainly, people that tell you that Obama is going to raise working people's taxes are LYING.

I speak plainly. They are LIARS... who hope you won't find out about Obama's tax cut plan for yourself.

Because if you do...

You will know better, and won't trust them anymore.

Don't take my word for it... check it out for yourself.

~Ruff "

John Richards wrote on Sep 5, 2008 12:01 AM:

" Like Dwayne mentioned, one small blessing is that neither Sarah Palin nor Cindy McCain wears those ugly pants suits! Weren't they popularized by Mao Tse Tung or some similar left winger? "

antipc wrote on Sep 5, 2008 6:36 AM:

" Hear Ye & Ruff, unless my ears are broken, Obama would have to raise taxes to pay for all of his pet programs. McCain has said he will work to lower taxes. How will you be saving money with Obama? "

jwk wrote on Sep 5, 2008 7:47 AM:

" Osamabama and Tax Cuts are an oxymoron!! He will ONLY raise Taxes on every possible means available, Income, Payroll, Corporate, Capital Gains, Dividends, Estate and Gasoline just to name a few.. "

cab e-girl wrote on Sep 5, 2008 8:03 AM:

" Bluff: Here's the thing and I know a little about taxes. Obama will raise the inheritance tax which is already 55%. He will raise capital gains taxes which are currently 15%, this will destroy capital investing. He will raise the limit on FICA tax collection (limit is currently around $100K). I am not just looking at MY current situation, but the economy and the country. Look past your myopic vision. "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 5, 2008 8:35 AM:

" Damon, come over to the dark side.

John McCain and Sarah Palin are modern day Teddy Roosevelts. This only happens about once in a lifetime. (Although Michael Reagan said yesterday that Sarah Palin was his dad reincarnated).

Obama is a modern day Jimmy Carter...thank God we've already got that once-in-a-lifetime event over with. Biden, well, there are so many of him that Washington DC is packed full of that variety. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 5, 2008 9:50 AM:

" okay cab e-girl, that is the second comment you made about my stance on abortion. Let me be clear -under the republican's last 8 years in office, the economy is horrible, gas and oil prices are the highest ever, we are spending outrageous amounts of money occupying other countries, healthcare policies need major overhaul, most tax cuts are for the ultra rich, and on top of all that, this ticket believes in abortion, even when pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. How sad for you if you support this republican ticket which you obviously you are. So basically the whole world IS falling apart which is exactly why I am supporting Obama! Wake up! "

XMAN wrote on Sep 5, 2008 9:59 AM:

" Having chosen Palin for a running mate could not have come at a better time.
She will underscore and define the core issues in this campaign. If the Republicans prevail in this race and win the White House, Palin will end up being a true tempest in the Teapot. She will not have patience with seedy politicians who are there to line their own pockets and will try to stop them from wasteful spending. She has a strong moral compass and will use it to serve the nation for the good of all people. As far as some of the postings I've read on this board, I'm sure that two honorable men like Barack Obama and Joe Biden would disapprove of the sexist and personal attacks I've seen here. The campaign is really about the issues and the issues are the economy, energy solutions, illegal immigration, the war in Iraq, viable health care, having a congress that can get the nation moving again and much more. "

dmom wrote on Sep 5, 2008 10:12 AM:

" The most degrading thing I've seen so far regarding Sarah Palin is the slogan on campaign buttons worn by thousands of Republican supporters:

"Hoosiers for the Hot Chick"

How is that not sexist? As the Republicans cry sexism, that seems like a double standard.

I really don't care about Palin's eclectic background, the antics of her children or the bad judgment of one, the reports of her husband's past DUI problem and his paycheck from BP, their AIP association, the fact that she attended five colleges in six years, the ongoing ethics investigation in Alaska, her shifting positions on spending and taxation, wildlife and the environment. Whatever. It's her life.

I do care about the Republican Platform that she and McCain represent. The issues and proposed solutions outlined in the Republican Platform are in direct contrast to my positions and beliefs. Personalites, rumors, and smears aside, if anyone is truly undecided (and I doubt it), it's not very difficult to read both the Republican and Democratic Platforms to understand the positions and make an informed decision. Voting purely on emotion is reckless. "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 5, 2008 10:12 AM:

" Sept. 1, Ruff says: "Ooooh, the Republican-enablers make a mighty wind for Sarah Palin, saying the choice is a game changer. However, the polling says NOPE!"

Well, Ruff, you'd better check Rasmussen (the most accurate of the 2004 election pollsters) today...the headline reads:

"Palin Power: Fresh Face Now More Popular Than Obama, McCain"

Also, according to David Bauder, "After days of intense media coverage about Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's qualifications, more than 40 million Americans tuned in Wednesday..." Obama only had 38 million viewers! Sarah Palin beat 'The One'!

Moral of the story: Don't confuse poodles and pit bulls. "

jane grace wrote on Sep 5, 2008 10:25 AM:

" I think the Republican convention was like watching a reality show. It is frightening that the the Republican ticket is a man who supports his vision mostly on a military background and his running mate has no international polictical experience. It is a time in our country when intellect and and international experience are crucial. Obama and Biden will give our country global respect.
Obama might be a man of reserve but has great intellect not showmanship.

I think it is safe to say most of these commnets were written by Republicans who watch Fox News and not CNN or listen to NPR. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 5, 2008 10:49 AM:

" jwk wrote on Sep 5, 2008 7:47 AM:
" Osamabama and Tax Cuts are an oxymoron!! He will ONLY raise Taxes on every possible means available, Income, Payroll, Corporate, Capital Gains, Dividends, Estate and Gasoline just to name a few.. "

The messiah has stated that he's going to reverse global warming... That alone would be the biggest tax scam ever foisted on this country... It would turn us into a third world country... "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 5, 2008 11:09 AM:

" No, 'common sense', the Rasmussen Poll is ONLY one poll.

And no real 'numbers person' pins their analysis on one polling organization since some polls are not transparent with their methodology.

And in the overall mix of polling... McCain has not gotten much of a bounce if anything beyond the 'margin of error' so far.

However, the best time to look at the polling data will be next week... one week after the Rep Convention and two weeks after the Dem Convention.

For McCain to win the bounce has to be beyond the 'noise level' and so far... it is just NOT THERE YET.

Some snap polling done using focus groups of Democrats and far more importantly Independents hints that the Republicans have pulled another 'Culture War' convention like 1992 in which the folks inside the convention liked the message just fine -- but the folks outside the 'true believers' were turned off.

I kind of expected some of the Republican faithful to come out with whatever talking points they could find.

McCain's campaign was not saved by Palin as VP pick which is what I have been saying all along.

No, 'Common Sense', I wouldn't lie to anybody about polling data anymore than I would like about... Palin being investigated for abuse of office in her short tenure as Governor of Alaska!

Keeping it real!

~Ruff "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 5, 2008 11:33 AM:

" jane grace says: "It is a time in our country when intellect and and international experience are crucial."

I don't buy the argument that we should vote for Obama because he is smart. There are plenty of people more intelligent than Obama that I do not want to see as president.

Besides, if Obama is so smart, why did he take three different positions on the Russian invasion of Georgia, only ending up at McCain's position?

Perhaps it is because of the "international experience" you mention, jane...Obama has NONE (unless you count a couple hundred thousand fanatical Germans...not exactly a great litmus test for determining leaders.). "

kevin wrote on Sep 5, 2008 12:42 PM:

" Jane, you may have a point there about B.O.'s intellect. Jimmy Carter was ALSO one of the Nation's most intelligent presidents, and one of the worst! (High inflation, high unemployment, gas lines, high interest rates, world wide US distain...)

B.O. would represent Jimmy's third term... "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 5, 2008 12:51 PM:

" jane grace wrote on Sep 5, 2008 10:25 AM:"....Obama might be a man of reserve but has great intellect not showmanship...."

You mean like the Styrofoam Greek columns in the football stadium, and the well advertised rock concert in Germany with free beer...??? A few hundred thousand people showed for that, and it just happened that Obama was gonna give a speech...

That's all Obama is just a big show... Get the stars out of your eye and look at the man, and the type of people who support him... "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 5, 2008 1:17 PM:

" Ruff says: "And no real 'numbers person' pins their analysis on one polling organization since some polls are not transparent with their methodology."

-Rasmussen is one of the best. If yo need another poll, how about the CBS one from yesterday...shows McCain and Obama in a 42%-42% tie.

Don't fight it...denial is the first stage to recovery, Ruff. "

Sandra wrote on Sep 5, 2008 2:03 PM:

" LOL..."Obama might be a man of reserve but has great intellect not showmanship."
This has to be one of the funniest things I've seen posted all day. The whole Obama Campaign has been about showmanship and symbolism. It is almost as funny as Obama writing all his own speeches.... It seems there is nothing the Great Obama cannot do.
Where do you guys get this stuff? Comedy central? "

cab e-girl wrote on Sep 5, 2008 3:02 PM:

" luv1mom: Do you remember the Jimmy Carter years and do you really want to relive that? The change Bambam and his crew are talking about is surprisingly similar to what Jimmy Carter had in store for this country. I prefer to skip that. As far as high gas prices, maybe you should wake up. The global economy has changed. Two countries, maybe you have heard of them-China and India are using much more oil than they used to. Econ 101 tells us about supply and demand. Blame the current administration all you want, but McCain at least has a plan to transition us from our dependency or foreign oil which includes drilling, nuke power, solar, wind, bio-fuels and new technology. The other camp just thinks we can encourage research. In the mean time you bill paying at least $5 per gallon and Obama is okay with that. "

finewine wrote on Sep 5, 2008 3:14 PM:

" With everything going on around us with potential threats from countries like Russia and Korea, I think having a strong military and strong Homeland Security should be a top priority when deciding who to vote for. Without this, nothing else is going to matter if we get bombed... I think McCain and Palin have our protection on the TOP of their list! I think Obama thinks he's "GOD" and "talks" too much! People like him are dangerous and will do MORE harm to us than good!!

McCain and Palin have my vote!
Cheri Fels
Yountville "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 5, 2008 3:46 PM:

" Correction to my last comment:

. . . this ticket DOES NOT BELIEVE in abortion . . . "

sotolux wrote on Sep 5, 2008 4:58 PM:

" Since politics is a game to be won and the rules are vague at best, one must assume that each side, in order to gain power will look for a strategy to play one citizen against another. To have all of you playing this game means that most of you have accepted these vague rules for the prize of power. Perhaps it may be best to write down at least ten hopes you have for the world of your children, then read platforms for the candidate and then compare them with the party. You may be truly surprised who gets your vote. However, if you are into the theatrical nature of this political play then you will vote with your emotions, not your vision of the future. "

jane grace wrote on Sep 5, 2008 4:59 PM:

" I realize I was in the company of mostly Republicans but that made all the responses to my blog more interesting.

Some of you might not see Obama as a brilliant man but he is very kind and smart enough to know he needed someone like Senator Biden with many accomplished years in the senate to compliment his intellect and Democratic ticket.

I can't imagine Palin screaming out to foreign prime ministers ''And I am a soccer Mom too"

Obama is not like Carter but give Carter credit post his presidency for tirelessly working for good causes such as Habit for Humanity.

This is a blog list filled with attacks just like the Republican convention.
At the Democratic covention Senator Biden said "John McCain is my friend"

Look at world we live in today and reallly ask ''Are we better off than 8 years ago?"

I think if you want people to really listen to what you are saying you have to listen to yourself first before speaking in an aggressive manner.

I think in the end we all want the same things for our country which is world peace, a better economy and basic human kindness in our every day lives.

At the end of this election, we will all have to pull together regardless of party and live in respect. "

jane grace wrote on Sep 5, 2008 5:15 PM:

" Sandra,

I have not watched comedy central but Sat night live where the comparisons to Palin are often to Tina Fey formally of Sat. night live.
I strongly disagree with your statement ''The whole Obama campaign has been about showmanship and symbolism"

Obama cares deeply about this country and what the future holds for future generations.
When the news wanted to attack Palin's family Obama said ''Family is off limits and especially children"

Obama does have reserve and intellect but I don't think you have really read or cared about his background.

Again, in the end as a nation post the elections we will have to pull together as a country and I hope we can do this in the most civil, kind way. "

Sandra wrote on Sep 5, 2008 7:57 PM:

" Jane Grace,
Here's some examples for you of symbology in Obama's campaign:
1. Changing the presidential seal to reflect HIS name.
2. Giving speeches on anniversaries of, or locations of famous inspirational people from our past.
3. The columns reminiscent of the white house behind him at the democratic convention.
4.Changing the logo on his airplane.

Just because I disagree with you is no reason for you to make the assumption I did not care to find out about this candidate. I did find out about him, and have found him lacking. I think he is probably a great guy in many ways. I also think he is a demagog, as evidenced by his actions and words during this campaign. He certainly is an astute politician who has never had to win one election to reach the position he is in.
I agree we will need to pull together as a country, which is why I think Obama is the wrong choice. In all his time in the senate, he has never once worked across the isle on any bipartisan issue, and has the record as the most liberal senator, and always voting the democratic line.
McCain has worked on bipartisan issues many, many times. He has voted against his party and spoken out when he disagrees with the republican stance.
I think he is the best candidate to effect the change that is needed in our country and in Washington, as he has demonstrated time and time again that he will work with any person willing to get the job done, no matter what party they belong to. "

kevin wrote on Sep 5, 2008 8:24 PM:

" Jane, ABSOLUTELY the world is BETTER than 8 years ago! Saddam is gone! Iraq has an elected constitutional government and is not a threat to the region or to Israel. We even now have diplomatic relations with Libya! The Islamofascists are still a threat, but they definitely have learned that America is NOT a "paper tiger" and they will think twice before attacking the US again.

Thank you President Bush and God Bless our wonderful troops! "

Hear YE wrote on Sep 5, 2008 10:07 PM:

" Kevin-

I have to give you credit. No one could ever confuse who you support. Just like McCain you think the country is going well right now. "

Raven wrote on Sep 5, 2008 11:57 PM:

" so the world is better, is it?......some of the people who lost their jobs last week might disagree with you...we have a jobless rate now that is the highest in 4 years according to Forbes magazine web site..

yeah boy, the Taliban fighters in Afghanistan are sure afraid of the US and its allies right now....glad they are cuzotherwise they might begin attacking the coalition and NATO forces again...no wait, duh! They are attacking us once again...silly me...

so its not okay for Obama to use symbology but it is okay for McCain to give his speech with a video of the American flag flying in the background? "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 6, 2008 6:33 AM:

" So far the McCain Republicans are below the Obama ticket on the Gallup Three Day Tracking Poll.

As I read the polling data the state polling which is used to generate 'Electoral Map' views (estimates of the Electoral Vote) shows McCain/Palin in far worse shape than the national polling.

The Rasmussen Poll is pretty good, but only 'the best' because Republicans like what it says this week.

I expect the Republican spin to be that 'polls don't matter' by the end of next week. Watch for it, folks!

Palin is hiding from the press, while the media is slowly uncovering more details of Palin's abuse of power as Alaska governor.

And it turns out that the whole 'Sold the last governor's jet on E-Bay and made a profit' schtick was just another pack of Republican lies pimped to the ignorant.

The jet was sold through a broker to a Palin supporter (who got a sweetheart deal on the plane since the 'profit' turns out to be a $600,000 loss) after several attempts were made to sell it on E-Bay.

You'd think Republicans would have a higher estimate of voters who are not in 'their base' than to pimp stories that Republicans fall for, but anybody with 'The Google' can easily prove are lies.

We all see the RNC in Minnesota as a successful 'Energize the Republican Base' convention. However, easily debunked lies are not going to split the Democrats who now hold the voter registration/turnout lead over the Republicans.

And transparent lies are not going to win over independents unhappy with the economic failures of eight years of Republican looting.

~Ruff "

Sandra wrote on Sep 6, 2008 11:04 AM:

" Raven, the American flag is a symbol of the Unied states...Obama with whitehouse columns behind him is a symbol of_________? The new version of the presidential seal with Obamas name in it is a symbol of ____________? Well, are you getting the drift yet Raven? (The answers Raven, if you are having a hard time figuring them out are Obama in the whitehouse, and Obama as President) Personally I find this to be manipulative and to be something a demagog would do. The American Flag is a symbol Of America...I have to wonder why Obama did not think this was good enough, and why he felt the need to resort to manipulation ? I find it to be an insult to my intelligence. "

Reader wrote on Sep 6, 2008 1:31 PM:

" To Sandra: Obama was exercising the power of positive thinking with the display of the columns and the presidential seal, not manipulation. Since you feel so strongly about it they clearly hold some power over you, as well. Turn that power into positive thinking about Oboma and you won't feel so negative, nor so defensive. Obama supporters feel very positive and secure with our candidate and we can't wait until he takes the oath of office. "

Reader wrote on Sep 6, 2008 1:37 PM:

" P.S. . . .

NO Mc Bush / Palin

YES OBAMA / Biden!! "

rogers wrote on Sep 6, 2008 1:38 PM:

" Personally I think Sarah Palin has given a huge bump to the Republicans and the enthusiasm I read here underscores that. Too bad John McCain’s message has been so weak that he now rides the coat tails of Sarah Palin whose credentials are not as stellar as many of you attempt to inflate.

I don’t think McCain is capable, experience or otherwise, of providing the change you people think he will. His voting record speaks volumes about being basically mainstream Republican not the “maverick” persona he is attempting to sell.

The Republican view of change (at least the wind during election campaigns) is to reduce spending and the size of government. Yet history shows us that just the opposite occurs when they are in power. One need look no further than the current administration.

Reagan’s trickle down economics did exactly that - fed the corporate machine and the wealthy while damned little trickled down to the rest of us. Bush I, after campaigning on “NO NEW TAXES”, raised taxes to dig out from under all the Reagan debt (unbridled military spending and the bank/savings & loan meltdown) much to his chagrin. McCain is at the door of a repeat scenario only worse.

After 8 years of unilateral international action, what perception do you think the rest of the world will have of Sarah Palin’s cute definition of herself as a pitbull? I’m guessing about as much respect as they have for Condi Rice, actually probably a good deal less.

Dream on.... "

a teacher wrote on Sep 6, 2008 3:06 PM:

" Sandra, I don't really get your problem with Obama's use of symbolism to sell his message. Leaders have been using symbolism of one sort or another probably since there have been people. It's part of their schtick. You might as well be baffled by why a bluejay is blue. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 6, 2008 3:12 PM:

" Oh, Sandra... Sandra... Sandra...

Demogogery is when somebody makes charges without evidence that somebody's campaign is 'smearing' a VicePresidential nominee -- when the subject of those charges is actually telling people to stop discussing family matters and that he will fire anybody he catches taking part.

When Bush promised to fire anybody caught outing undercover WMD proliferation expert Valerie Plame, it turned out Bush was actually part of the coverup! But instead of keeping his 'Republican Promise' and firing the bums involved, he commuted the sentence of the convicted criminal.

Now that's demagogery for ya!!!

Gosh, every candidate does 'opticals' these days... especially Republican candidates, who rely on 'opticals' to cover for the lack of substance in what they are actually saying.

What Democrats are wondering about is just what is the purpose of a McCain optical with McCain standing in front of Walter Reed school?

Big waving flags... not hard to understand...

But fake military funerals... now that's truly obnoxious!

And Republican-enablers want to whine about a few pillars on a temporary stage?

Sorry, but Democrats do not have to get permission from Republican concern trolls for which stage props to use in their own convention.

Republicans aren't going to vote for Obama, if Jesus himself came down from heaven and baptized Obama in the Jordan River, so pardon Democrats for doing things without your 'help'.

~Ruff "

Raven wrote on Sep 6, 2008 4:25 PM:

" Sandra, it the use of symbols is bad for Obama then it is bad for McCain, be consistent ..... and you will very upset by the time the campaign end if you dislike the symbols being used by bhoth sides....
and the symbols they used for his speech seems like they were going for were the columns in the Lincoln Memorial since it was the anniversary of the I have a dream speech.....but it it reminds you of Obama being in the white house, all the better "

common sense wrote on Sep 6, 2008 5:25 PM:

" Oh goodie...now Dan Rather (who was canned for shoddy, biased reporting) is writing articles saying "polls don't matter".

Looks like Monday's poll data showing the Palin Surge will be good for McCain! "

garrickh wrote on Sep 6, 2008 5:37 PM:

" Reader, get out of the 60's. The power of positive thinking doesn't prevent terrorism... it doesn't stop international conflicts... and it surely doesn't run a country. Hope may be audacious, but I would rather have a leader who's plan is something other than "let's CHANGE things and HOPE that they get better". Change isn't always for the better... Things can also get worse... no matter how much you hope that they don't. "

reader wrote on Sep 6, 2008 6:33 PM:

" Garrickh, Ha! I was mocking Sandra for her silly obsession of the colomns and seal. Take a deep breath . . . relax . . . take a . . . . "

russ wrote on Sep 6, 2008 7:18 PM:

" Ruff,

Was Obama's speech, with the Hollywood Greek columns and Superbowl halftime show before 85,000, an "optical" as you call it?

I was surprised to hear that McCain's speech drew more viewers, and the free halftime show was not as good. "

bettye wrote on Sep 6, 2008 8:13 PM:

" Think about this.. after Bush was elected ? we heard that is was the white Fundemental Christians in the South that swung the election .. So what did everyone get from that Adminstration ?? Think about the past 8 years .. Do you more of that ?..If so, vote with your so called " Base ". Again I will say ..laws forbidding gay marriage and abortion will not make people change.. The Base needs to keep out of Politics and the gov. needs to stay out of the personal lives
of Americans. The "Base " needs to band together and pray for people to make the right decisions in their lives and stop trying to mandate to people what to do with their life.. Just a little "footnote" here.. If you dig deep enough , I 'll bet Karl Rove is behind the Palin fiasco...
I feel sorry for her and her family ,as they are being used for McCain's benefit
He was in deep trouble before she was brought in .. Now, they may have a chance of winning ( especially with the CHRISTIAN BASE in the South )If so .. watch for more of the past 8 years .. If so, I feel sorry for the Nation.. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 6, 2008 8:33 PM:

" Hi cab e-girl: China and India's increased use of petro is the reason gas and oil prices are so high? First I've heard . . . "

John Richards wrote on Sep 6, 2008 8:41 PM:

" The front page of today's SF Chronicle quotes a CBS poll which has McCain and Obama tied at 42% each. The significant aspect of this is that the same poll one week earlier showed McCain behind by 8 points! Tell me again, Ruff, who is getting a bump from the convention? "

Raven wrote on Sep 6, 2008 9:20 PM:

" JR, yeah a couple polls do show that...but we dont elect by popular vote...most of the polls for electoral votes show Obama ahead significantly in electoral votes ...

so the polls for each state are that ones to watch.... "

TrickleDown wrote on Sep 6, 2008 10:41 PM:

" I love that Sarah Palin has gone into hiding and still has yet to give an interview since her being announced as McCain's VP one week and two days ago. Yes, she is a real person of integrity and solid values...solid values and integrity that have to be trained and practiced so as to stay on message. She is the real thing. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 7, 2008 2:13 AM:

" russ - It would seem that the folks who do TV audience estimates now say that Obama and McCain tied on audience.

But that is entertainment industry trivia. Many Americans want to hear what is going to be done about falling employment numbers, falling wages, the sick economy, mortgage foreclosures, and the rising costs of food and other basics.

However much fun you wish to make of the Obama stage set in Denver... please note that Republicans have a fondness for 'greek columns' too.

I know that Republicans wish to discuss distractions like 'greek columns' instead of what the American people need, but good luck with that.

If the props matter more than the content, Republicans seem happy. But then Republicans don't care about the middle-class, they care about elitist things like the inheritance tax.

The only thing I got from the McCain speach was that after supporting Bush more than anybody, by McCain's own words, now we are all supposed to forget the eight long years of Republican bungling, mismanagement and looting... because John McCain was a POW and Sarah Palin eats moose.

Greek columns or no... I'll stick with the community organizers! At least somebody gives a fig about the community they live in.

~Ruff "

jwk wrote on Sep 7, 2008 5:05 AM:

" Oh No!!! Is Bettyyehaw another Kool Aid drinking leftist Liberal?? Bet she's related to Hearyehaw, cause She too thinks Bush is running again. In case you hadn't noticed McCain was almost as Anti-Bush as the Kooks.. But a Community Race Insighter?? Please.... "

kevin wrote on Sep 7, 2008 9:20 AM:

" Despite my repeated requests, not one Lib has taken the opportunity to explain what a community orgainizer does and who signed B.O.'s paychecks... "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 7, 2008 9:25 AM:

" It would seem that the nontroversy over 'Greek Columns' is not moving the basic debate away from John Dubya McCain's promise to give America four more years of failed Bush policies.

More tax cuts for the rich instead of the middle class.

More dependence on foreign oil from terrorists.

More bankruptcies, foreclosures, falling wages.

Four more years like the past eight.

John McCain was a POW, but America needs more than the same old Bush failures for four more years.

And even an aging cheerleader who did a very poor job running a town smaller than Napa on the McBush ticket doesn't change that.

~Ruff "

Raven wrote on Sep 7, 2008 9:33 AM:

" anti-bush?...McCain?....show me one Bush policy McCain has not endorsed and said he would continue...he has even changed his position on the Bush tax cuts to continue more of the same...he opposed them when first proposed and now wants them made permanent... "

reader wrote on Sep 7, 2008 10:23 AM:

" Bettye, two things . . .

You stated, "Again I will say ..laws forbidding gay marriage and abortion will not make people change.. The Base needs to keep out of Politics and the gov. needs to stay out of the personal lives."

1. If you did your homework by studying both US and European history and you read the constitution you would know that marriage has always been the responsibility of government. Civil marriage is all there was until the late 1700s/early 1800s, when the government allowed the church to perform marriages.

2. If you truely believe that government should stay out of personal lives then I assume that you are pro-choice. "

common sense wrote on Sep 7, 2008 11:08 AM:

" Uh oh, Ruff...now Gallup is showing McCain ahead by 3 points.

Americans don't like people who are all fluff and no meat. That does not bode well for Obama, despite what his biased-media cheerleaders say.

For the record, I've grown tired of the same boring response from Democrats. I've trained my pet parrot to say "same failed policies" and "more of the same," so now I don't have to wait around for the official response.

How lucky are we...we are actually on the verge of electing modern-day Teddy Roosevelts with John McCain and Sarah Palin. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 7, 2008 11:21 AM:

" Reader......

The whole abortion flare-up started with tax-subsidized abortions for the poor and used for contraception...

From there, it exploded into a moral issue...

Now we have learned that Obama has voted for infanticide, in cases of failed abortions, where the "law" says that a doctor cannot help an infant survive, and must be left to die. When Obama was asked about that he said that he voted that way because he didn't want to diminish Roe vs. Wade....

That is such a giant leap from the main abortion issue that it smacks of a total lack of respect for life itself. It's far beyond immoral, it is reprehensible.... "

common sense wrote on Sep 7, 2008 11:42 AM:

" 'reader' says: "If you did your homework by studying both US and European history and you read the constitution you would know that marriage has always been the responsibility of government."

-Actually, that's not true. It was always tied to the church, and became separated with the rise of civil government and conflicts between competing churches. It has been a back-and-forth struggle ever since.

'reader' says: "If you truly believe that government should stay out of personal lives then I assume that you are pro-choice."

-By that argument, those favoring keeping government out of their lives should also be against murder being illegal. Let's not try to exaggerate our logic, please. The reality of this issue is that we define murder as the killing of a living human, but we do a decent job of legally defining when life begins. Until we do that, there will be constant squabbling.

I'm not particularly religious. I've voted for Democrats before. But above all else, I recognize that America is a truly unique place in the world, whose very existence does in fact improve the human condition both at home and abroad by leaps and bounds. John McCain is the single best embodiment of this principle, no matter how much the far-left or far-right says otherwise. Sarah Palin is the kind of strong, self-made woman that we all know, but until now, have never had on a presidential ticket.

We The People are not stupid. I will gladly cast my vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin. "

a teacher wrote on Sep 7, 2008 2:05 PM:

" Actually, Common Sense, you're wrong. Marriage in Europe was considered a private, civil affair until 1545 when the Council of Trent declared that only marriages sanctified by the Church would be legally recognized. In the Roman and Greek civilizations, marriage was a strictly civil affair. "

a teacher wrote on Sep 7, 2008 2:25 PM:

" CommonSense: I wouldn't count my chickens until they hatch, there are still 60 days for Gov. Palin to actually stop hiding from the press and then she won't look so good.

Perhaps you could teach your parrot to chant: USA USA!, Drill here drill now! and 9-11. That way you'll have the platform f the McCain campaign "

musikluvr wrote on Sep 7, 2008 2:30 PM:

" As I read this there have been 375 comments. The dems and the libs are clearly mortified. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 7, 2008 2:45 PM:

" The post Republican convention picture is becoming more clear. There is a Republican bounce shaping up although Gallup polls use the 'Monday Before' to the 'Monday After' to measure the post convention bounce.

It looks like there will be some happy Republicans if John McCain gets above 50 percent.

See you tomorrow when Gallup goes 'official'.

~Ruff "

reader wrote on Sep 7, 2008 4:07 PM:

" CommonSense: You are wrong on your marriage history.

Regarding the aboration issue, that is a personal matter between a woman and her physician.

We live in a huge society, therefore, there is no one singe solution for everyone. I believe that if sex education and contrceptives were readily available to our millions of wayward youngsters, poor and rich, that we would not be having this discussion on abortion. No woman wants to have an abortion. Women don't use abortion as a contraceptive. At the 11th hour, unfortunately, for some, they see it as their only option. Because they were NOT provided earlier options for prevention.

I support prevention. As long as prevention, above and beyond, abstension, is not available, I will continue to support a woman's right to choose. It is the humane thing to do, in my opinion.

You can disagree but please do it with education, facts, and using your critical thinking skills. Blanket smear statements are boring and stupid; to put it politely. "

Raven wrote on Sep 7, 2008 4:10 PM:

" and how many of the 375 are from dems and liberals?..just curious "

common sense wrote on Sep 7, 2008 4:13 PM:

" dellasumbrella says: "...although as a representative for the party of abstinence, I hope it's been a reality check for her"

jersey guys says: "Sarah Palin believes that abstinence is the only birth control that should be taught."

TrickleDown says: "Sarah Palin has taken a stand that sex education for teens should be abstinence only."

Raven says: "... she wants the abstinence program to be the standard when it obviously didn't work for her own family..."

These statements are all false. Media rumors. Google "Palin appears to disagree with McCain on sex education" to find an article discussing this. Sarah Palin is quoted as saying,

"No, I'm pro-contraception, and I think kids who may not hear about it at home should hear about it in other avenues. So I am not anti-contraception. But, yeah, abstinence is another alternative that should be discussed with kids. I don't have a problem with that. That doesn't scare me, so it's something I would support also." Sounds like common sense, middle America to me.

There are lots of other media smears out there. A good summary can be found by Googling "Palin rumors exploration". "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 7, 2008 5:53 PM:

" Thanks, common sense......

The libs are getting so desperate that they gotta make stuff up... "

common sense wrote on Sep 7, 2008 5:57 PM:

" reader says: "Regarding the abortion issue, that is a personal matter between a woman and her physician."

-By your own logic then, Iraq is a matter between the US military and the Iraqis. Get real...men should have a say too. Certainly not the ONLY say, but it would be nice to be invited to join the discussion once in a while.

Guess it's just "more of the same" from liberal feminists. Glad to see the conservative and libertarian feminists, led by Governor Sarah Palin, finally rising up to take back their gender. "

Raven wrote on Sep 7, 2008 7:30 PM:

" check again common sense, she has said on numerous occasions as governor she would not fund 'explicit' sex ed program that include information on contraception....and wants the abstinence only programs to be the standard for schools in Alaska "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 7, 2008 8:28 PM:

" Raven wrote on Sep 7, 2008 7:30 PM:
" check again common sense, she has said on numerous occasions as governor she would not fund 'explicit' sex ed program that include information on contraception....and wants the abstinence only programs to be the standard for schools in Alaska "

Prove it......

You're making stuff up again.... Sheesh..... "

TrickleDown wrote on Sep 7, 2008 8:50 PM:

" Facts on Sarah Palin’s abstinence-only education stance. As reported in Newsweek, Colorado Springs Gazette, Anchorage Daily News, etc. Sarah Palin filled out a questionnaire for the Eagle Forum which asked the following question:

3. Will you support funding for abstinence-until-marriage education instead of for explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics, and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?

Sarah Palin: Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support.

She may be talking a different story now, or will be when she has been trained enough to know what her stances should be when interviewed, but when answering honestly she is abstinence-only all the way.

Facts is facts! "

Raven wrote on Sep 7, 2008 8:55 PM:

" Palin took a hard line on a question in 2006 from the conservative Eagle Forum Alaska:

Q: Will you support funding for abstinence-until-marriage education instead of for explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics, and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?

more questions dwayne?

SP: Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support.

politico dot com, ben smith's column...any more questions "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 7, 2008 9:04 PM:

" Here is her answer to the eagle forum question during her Governor race in 2006:

"Will you support funding for abstinence-until-marriage education instead of for explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics, and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?"

Palin: "Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support."

Also Musikluvr, You keep commenting on the amount of post in this section but you never took the time to see WHO was commenting. Approx. 65% of the posts are from conservatives and/or Palin supporters. So you can give it a rest cause it doesn't prove the point I think you're going for. "

garrickh wrote on Sep 7, 2008 9:44 PM:

" TrickleDown, do you even have any idea what "explicit sex-education programs" they were talking about? I'm guessing that "explicit" means that they went above and beyond the regular sex-ed curriculum. "

TrickleDown wrote on Sep 8, 2008 12:17 AM:

" garrickh: There are two choices given in the question asked of Palin: abstinence-only or expllicit sex education. The former doesn't describe sex and just says "don't do it and you will magically know how to use contraceptives when you marry." You needn't show any expicit diagrams such as drawings of penises or vaginas as no one will be using these for any sexual behavior.

The latter, termed explicit sex-education programs like the one that I had in my public high school, show diagrams of both the male and female anatomy, describe how procreation works, and describe methods that can be used to stop procreation. Explicit, counter to the abstinence-only assumption that no one needs to know how to prevent pregnancy because no one will have sex, assumes that most people in their adult lives will have sexual relations and therefore should be educated on how the human body looks and works. There is nothing above and beyond the regular sex-ed curriculum. It is explicit in that it explicitly shows how human bodies work and look. "

TrickleDown wrote on Sep 8, 2008 12:27 AM:

" garrickh: It is worth noting that the Eagle Forum, Alaska is a staunchly anti-choice, abstinence-only group that sees sex-education in the classroom as wrong and therefore used the loaded term "explicit" to elicit the response you gave assuming that it must mean that the sex-education that is taking place in schools must go "above and beyond the regular sex-ed curriculum".

Loaded language strikes again "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 8, 2008 10:25 AM:

" I'm amazed the left is still trying to smear Sarah Palin. Again, her exact quote from the LA Times:

"No, I'm pro-contraception, and I think kids who may not hear about it at home should hear about it in other avenues. So I am not anti-contraception. But, yeah, abstinence is another alternative that should be discussed with kids. I don't have a problem with that. That doesn't scare me, so it's something I would support also."

Sounds like contraception-only or abstinence-only are NOT options in her book. Sarah Palin's position sounds very reasonable to me. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 8, 2008 10:41 AM:

" Checked Gallup this morning and the Gallup Daily Presidential Poll now gives an 'official' bounce of 49% to 44% using Gallup's customary methodology.

So the Republicans are seeing some bounce after all.

McCain's polite acknowlegement of Obama's big day deserves the same in return from progressives... so congratulations to the McCain/Palin ticket.

The Democrats still have their work cut out for them if they expect to win in November, especially in light of this Republican convention bounce.

One thing is certain - the selection of Sarah Palin has definitely energized the Christian Right to turn out self-described 'values voters' which is the major swing vote within the Republican coalition. Proposition 8 is the other 'stealth' item in California to bring the Christian Right from the pews to the ballot box.

We will see if the Democrat's huge nation-wide registration advantage and the Democrat's record turnouts during primary season will translate into an effective counter-balance to the Republican 'energize the base' strategy.

~Ruff "

TrickleDown wrote on Sep 8, 2008 11:19 AM:

" Ha ha. Let's see what the LA Times article (September 5, 2008 titled 'Palin appears to disagree with McCain on sex education') actually said:

Palin's running mate, John McCain, and the GOP platform say children should be taught that abstinence until marriage is the only safe way to avoid pregnancy and disease. Palin's position is less clear.

In a widely quoted 2006 survey she answered during her gubernatorial campaign, Palin said she supported abstinence-until-marriage programs. But weeks later, she proclaimed herself "pro-contraception" and said condoms ought to be discussed in schools alongside abstinence.

"I'm pro-contraception, and I think kids who may not hear about it at home should hear about it in other avenues," she said during a debate in Juneau.

So the question is, which Sarah Palin is running for vice president? The one that says she is for abstinence-only education or the one that says "kids who may not hear about it [sex-ed] at home should hear about it in other avenues", whatever that may mean. Other avenues, like the streets from friends or from the cool jock at school? "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 8, 2008 11:21 AM:

" Ruff says: "... so congratulations to the McCain/Palin ticket."

-I think I'm going to have a heart attack. That was very nice, Ruff. "

kevin wrote on Sep 8, 2008 11:38 AM:

" Ruff, I'm impressed. I didn't know you could be so dispassionate and rational.

I do agree, though I don't see how B.O. is going to keep his youth base energized through November, especially with an old, Washington insider, white guy like Biden on the ticket.

Together they just look like your typical Liberal Democrat ticket. The National Journal has Biden's record in 2007 as the THIRD most Liberal voting record. B.O.'s voting record in 2007 came in FIRST as the MOST LIBERAL.

(Bernie Sanders, a card carrying SOCIALIST was FOURTH, even behind Biden.)

No CHANGE going on there.... "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 8, 2008 12:31 PM:

" " Ruff says: "... so congratulations to the McCain/Palin ticket."

Thanks, Ruffie... That must have been quite a moment for you... Developing... "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 8, 2008 12:47 PM:

" When Sarah Palin told reporters that she was pregnant, one of the reporters had the gall to reply, "You're kidding."

Sarah responded:

"To any critics who say a woman can't think and work and carry a baby at the same time," she said, "I'd just like to escort that Neanderthal back to the cave."

Who's yo mama! "

kevin wrote on Sep 8, 2008 1:07 PM:

" this thread is getting so long that my browser is having problems loading it. What do you think, NVR?

Time to start a new thread... "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 8, 2008 2:51 PM:

" kevin - try using the new Google 'Chrome' browser (a free download) or FireFox version 3.

I don't know what kind of machine you use but both of these browsers can handle thousands of comments on a thread.

The 'Chrome' broswer is only available for Windows, which is a drawback if you use a MAC or Linux box.

kevin - you and I cross swords constantly but I would not want to see you 'off the air'...

Cheers!

~Ruff "

mominapa wrote on Sep 8, 2008 3:30 PM:

" I would just like to address one small issue in this election. I am pro-life and pro-choice at the same time. As reprehensible as I think abortion is, and as against it as I am, I don't want laws made which dictate what a woman can do with her body. This is a personal and very private choice a woman must make when she finds herself in a position where the only way out is abortion. Gov. Palin is pro-life, even in cases of rape and incest. Fine, she can have her way in her own pregnancy, but she can stay out of mine. Just as I believe there should be a definite division between church and state, I also believe that Roe v Wade must be maintained. Do not make laws or cause others to make laws that determine my fate. That is up to me, and me,alone. I will vote for the pro-choice ticket every time in order to preserve at least some of our rights. We have had so many taken away - we no longer (if ever) have a free press. Free speech has been compromised along with Habaes Corpus and basic human rights that were denied people during hurricanes. Sarah Palin is a bad choice and it has nothing to do with her family, her pregnant daughter or any other issue in her family. She is just not qualified because she is too close-minded about basic issues. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 8, 2008 3:51 PM:

" mominapa......

I agree with you, mostly...

Remember that the moral issue with abortion is a result of our taxes being used to subsidize (pay for) contraceptive abortions for the poor or indigent...

What they say about "following the money" to the source is true....

Personally, I favor choice except in cases of rape, incest, the life of the mother being in jeopardy, or in any case a late term abortion where the child could survive a cesarean or natural birth....

Damned if I want to pay for people who can't afford an abortion to use as a contraceptive.... "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 8, 2008 3:53 PM:

" kevin......

The size of this thread speaks volumes... ;-) (Pun intended) "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 8, 2008 3:59 PM:

" mominapa - I couldn't have said it better! "

misfit wrote on Sep 8, 2008 4:27 PM:

" Dwayne....Huh??? "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 8, 2008 4:44 PM:

" I really goofed that post up, but I hope y'all know what I really meant (drool).... "

Raven wrote on Sep 8, 2008 5:46 PM:

" so you would rather pay for the unwanted child the rest of its life?...and why should those least able to afford an abortion be forced to carry to term. Or would you make exception for medical reasons, rape or incest and let the govt provide abortions? "

common sense wrote on Sep 8, 2008 5:48 PM:

" Abortion is not one of my top concerns, but I know it is for many.

To me, someone having an abortion at 9 months in to a pregnancy is wrong, and I would consider it murder. I have much less of a problem with someone getting an abortion 1 month in to a pregnancy, and I would not consider it murder. I personally think most Americans could reach consensus with the line drawn at the end of the 1st trimester. This would require compromise on BOTH sides.

I also have a problem with daughters getting abortions without their parents knowledge. The law that was rejected here in California recently was a good law...it even had a judicial bypass for the cases of abuse by parents.

Both of these common sense positions require moving the issue in the conservative direction. You don't get there by voting in the most liberal Senator (Obama) as President, and the third most liberal Senator (Biden) as Vice President.

Even though I don't agree with all of Sarah Palin's positions, I am content with the direction she would turn the conversation. We don't ever get to hear the opinions of conservative women...usually, only liberal feminist viewpoints are discussed by the media. "

misfit wrote on Sep 8, 2008 6:16 PM:

" I just hope then, that taxpayer money isn't being spent to birth that baby and pay for the nanny that will assist in taking care of it 'cause, Bristol and Levi need to get jobs...fast! Is Bristol on her mother's insurance and then, will the baby be also? Does that seem okay? "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 8, 2008 7:14 PM:

" Raven wrote on Sep 8, 2008 5:46 PM:
" so you would rather pay for the unwanted child the rest of its life?"

Can you murder the child, or do you want someone else to do it for you...??? Or does it even matter to you...??? Kill defectives, is that your position...???

That's pretty pathetic ya know.... Pathetic and cold... "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 8, 2008 7:17 PM:

" Raven wrote on Sep 8, 2008 5:46 PM:
" so you would rather pay for the unwanted child the rest of its life?"

In India, they only want sons, not daughters, so infanticide of female baby's is very common there... Maybe you want to kill a child who has the wrong color hair or eyes...??? They were doing that as an experiment in Germany during WWII ya know... Is that where you're coming from raven...??? "

Raven wrote on Sep 8, 2008 8:03 PM:

" Dwayne, so typical, change the subject rather than answer the question....you say you don't want to pay for abortions, so if you don't want abortions are you willing to assume the responsibility for the child if he or she is carried to term...it is a simple question...yes or no, or are you only willing if someone else pays the freight....

if you don't pay for the abortion for a women whose life is threatened then you will be paying in one form or another for that child.... "

garrickh wrote on Sep 8, 2008 9:48 PM:

" I thought this was supposed to be a discussion of McCain's VP pick... We all know the arguments on both sides of the abortion issue, so why not just state where Palin stands, and move on to the next topic?

Does anyone find it interesting that Obama says that he doesn't want to attack Palin one day, and then goes ahead and attacks her the next day? I think the Dems are getting a bit worried. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 9, 2008 9:23 AM:

" No Raven, I stated that the abortion issue started because of a tax issue, and had morphed into a moral issue....

I admitted that I typed that post wrong, yet you use that to come after me...???

Give it a rest... You play my admitted gaff like a typical rabid liberal, barking at the wind and snapping at anything that moves... I don't argue for the sake of arguing, so I won't take the bait...

End of discussion..... "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 9, 2008 10:37 AM:

" I think someone like Palin, with such extreme conservative values with regard to basic issues, who wants to help lead our entire country, should worry everyone . . . "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 9, 2008 11:05 AM:

" luv1mom wrote on Sep 9, 2008 10:37 AM:
" I think someone like Palin, with such extreme conservative values with regard to basic issues, who wants to help lead our entire country, should worry everyone . . . "

Yet you're not "worried" about Momar Gadaffi verifying that Obama is a Muslim brother, who he prays will heal the evil USA...???

Think...... "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 9, 2008 11:29 AM:

" Has anyone read Ann Kilkenny's e-mail about Sara Palin? Type it into your search engine and read away. "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 9, 2008 11:31 AM:

" Palin facts:

Sarah Palin can field dress a community organizer in under 5 minutes.

Sarah Palin's bunny slippers are real bunnies.

Sarah Palin will pry your Klondike bar from your cold dead fingers.

Sarah Palin retroactively makes the theme of DNC08 to be “Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead”

Sarah Palin doesn't cling to her guns, she takes aim and shoots them.

Sarah Palin showed Emeril how to kick it up a notch. (mooseburgers)

Notice Tropical Storm Hanna isn't theatening Alaska? Sarah Palin will keep it that way.

Sarah Palin = Republican Viagra.

Sarah Palin only let 40 million watch her speech as not to hurt Obama's self-esteem "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 9, 2008 12:14 PM:

" Dwayne --What does Momar Gadaffi's opinion have to do with it??? As someone once said, I don't argue for the sake of arguing, so I won't take the bait . . . "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 9, 2008 12:32 PM:

" luv1mom wrote on Sep 9, 2008 11:29 AM:
" Has anyone read Ann Kilkenny's e-mail about Sara Palin? Type it into your search engine and read away. "

Yep, and it's bogus too.... Sarah has the lefties so scared that they are making stuff up...

Sarah's husband got a DUI about 20-years ago, so make a big deal out of that, because it's true.... "

Hear YE wrote on Sep 9, 2008 1:00 PM:

" Dwayne-

Besides the general absurdity of your comment about Gadaffi, exactly what does that have to do with the comment you were responding too and what should she be thinking about? "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 9, 2008 1:18 PM:

" I see your Palin facts and raise you:

Obama Facts-

1. When asked – living or dead – whom he'd like to have dinner with, Abraham Lincoln replied: Barack Obama.

2. Barack Obama's smile can regrow hair – even for Karl Rove.

3. Simon, Paula and Randy have secretly asked Barack Obama to be the next American Idol. He declined because he was asked by the people to be the next American President.

4. The chief export of Barack Obama is love.

5. When Congress is tied, they play Barack, Paper, Scissors. Scissors beats Paper and Barack beats everything.

6. Barack Obama is only inexperienced with old school politics.

7. Barack Obama challenged Chuck Norris to a debate on karate. Chuck Norris declined.

8. Barack Obama's B.O. smells like lavender and crisp linen.

9. When taking the SAT, write "Barack Obama" for every answer. You will score a 1600.

10. The circle of life is the O in Obama.

11. Barack Obama is conversant in 6,000,001 known languages – one more than C3PO.

12. If you studied under Barack Obama at the University of Chicago, you are now a successful lawyer and have never lost a case.

13. When Barack Obama is scanned at the airport, they only see a big heart.

14. If tapped, a Barack Obama roundtable on energy could power America for 8 years. "

258369 wrote on Sep 9, 2008 1:31 PM:

" I think that obama is afraid of what she brings to the ticket. When you look at her and her life she is the girl next door. She is America, a fresh face and voice. I realy think that we need that. Obama is same speach over and over. He is right time for change. I want some one to go in to the office and stop all of my money and yours from going over seas. I like the fact that she is a confadent person and a down to earth person. I dont trust Obama nor Biden for that mater. We are a nation at war with muslums Why would you want to put one in the Oval office? Its stupid. He is what he is. Dont pee down my back and tell me it raining. Sorry folks! Thats how I see him. I wish him well, but I cant trust him. I once read a artical on how the gas prices are the fault of the americans for depending on foran goods. So be it. If we depend so much on it and the dollor is so week than lets stop the inproting of goods and lets see how many countrys beg for the american dollor. I do beleive that this ticket has the courage to do so if we have to. thats what i want in leadership. someone who says you are with us or not. no in between. Time to crap or get off the pot. "

winemd wrote on Sep 9, 2008 1:31 PM:

" PPF - I don't often really LOL at something i read on the computer screen, but this time I did. I am glad to see a note of humor here. "

kevin wrote on Sep 9, 2008 2:29 PM:

" Hope the Kilkenny letter is true. It makes me like Sarah EVEN MORE!

What a woman! "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 9, 2008 2:30 PM:

" Dwayne - Yep, the lefties made up a woman who lives in Wasilla, has known Palin since 1992, their kids go to school together, knows her mom and dad, and attended 99% of the city council meetings during Palin's administration. WOW! "

Thepeople wrote on Sep 9, 2008 2:40 PM:

" Hee hee! I actually laughing vocal and luv. You're kidding right? How can you fall for something like that "letter". For instance, the report that she tried to have a librarian fired because she refused to remove books from the library in 1996, such as Harry Potter books. That's the claim I heard and guess what? Those books weren't even realeased yet! Ha ha. Even CNN said this was a lie last night, and we KNOW how much CNN loves McCain-Palin. Also, I saw a tour of her old offices last night on Gretta. They sure as HECK don't look like they've been remodeled any time in the last decade let alone since they were built. So lets see how much of the rest of this letter I trust now... "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 9, 2008 3:51 PM:

" Hear YE wrote on Sep 9, 2008 1:00 PM:
" Dwayne-

Besides the general absurdity of your comment about Gadaffi, exactly what does that have to do with the comment you were responding too and what should she be thinking about? "

The speech from June 14th is being played repeatedly on the radio with an English translation... It ought to be on YouTube by now....

What's really absurd is to pass on e-mails that are false and defaming about Palin... You liberals are so scared that she makes sense that you are making stuff up... The letter is bogus along with a lot of others.....

Do you really think that spreading lies isn't going to backfire...???

I bet you're afraid to Google the truth, or maybe you don't care... Think.... "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 9, 2008 4:06 PM:

" Well, well, well...Drudge is reporting that Obama had quite a day.

Apparently, Obama stated, "You can put lipstick on a pig," he said as the crowd cheered. "It's still a pig."

That doesn't sound like change I can believe in. I guess Obama can't win on issues, so he's opting for plan B. "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 9, 2008 4:41 PM:

" Palin Facts 2:

Sarah Palin is the reason compasses point North.

Sarah Palin begins every day with a moment of silence for the political enemies buried in her yard.

Sarah Palin always beats the point spread.

When Sarah Palin booked a flight to Europe, the French immediately surrendered.

Sarah Palin’s presence in the lower 48 means the Arctic ice cap can finally return.

Sarah Palin is the “other” whom Yoda spoke about.

Sarah Palin fishes salmon by convincing them it’s in their best interest to jump into the boat.

President Sarah Palin will one day name our 57th state "Obama."

Sarah Palin has increased Depends sales to frightened Democrats

Obama, a fan of pickup basketball, knows he’s on the wrong side of a two-on-one game now. McCain drafted Sarah Palin, star point guard from the Wasilla Warriors to double-team Obama. McCain’s team doesn’t care if nobody covers Biden, who spends most of his time yelling to the media, “I’m open! I’m open!” But when he gets the ball, all he does is talk about what a great player he is while he dribbles in place.

PS from PPF: No I did not make all of these up, but I did think we all could use a good laugh or two or three. The lefties won't be laughing but a couple of weeks ago the Republicans had nothing to laugh about. Yes, the punch line is: Change you can count on! "

Raven wrote on Sep 9, 2008 5:12 PM:

" <<Damned if I want to pay for people who can't afford an abortion to use as a contraceptive.... >.

so where is the typo in this?...and whether you will admit it or not you love arguing for the sake of arguing....read your posts again...nothing wrong with that....

and when did Qaddafi become the authority about who is a muslim and who isn't... "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 9, 2008 5:25 PM:

" Dwayne-

Again what does Gadaffi have to do with that womans opinion about Palin? Also I've seen the gadaffi speech and I'm confused as to how he "verifies" Obama is Muslim?

Lastly, I don't know about the letter you refer to. I agree that fake e-mail smears are absurd which makes me wonder why you so happily spread them about Obama. You have posted misleading information many times insinuating that Obama is a Muslim. It's unfortunate that morality and integrity only matter to some people when it's working in their favor. "

Raven wrote on Sep 9, 2008 5:35 PM:

" thepeople, yep the list of books was a fake....but the actual story, which has not been refuted runs like this

Time reported last week, for example, that Palin asked the Wasilla librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, about the process for banning books. Baker was reportedly "aghast" at the question. Soon after taking office, Palin, according to a New York Times report, fired Baker, and news reports from the time indicate that Palin thought Baker hadn't done enough to give her "full support" to the mayor.

Palin reversed course on Baker's dismissal after a local outcry, and later said the discussions about banning books were "rhetorical." "

Thepeople wrote on Sep 9, 2008 5:53 PM:

" Times didn't report anything the librarian in question actually said. So once again, do you really trust this? I will be more than willing to believe it AFTER there is real evidence from a real source. Thats how I roll. "

antipc wrote on Sep 9, 2008 5:54 PM:

" PPF, between the surrendering French & the melting ice caps, my wife is trying to book a room @ NSH for me. I won't go easily. "

Raven wrote on Sep 9, 2008 5:57 PM:

" and more on the Palin from from the daily Mail, Washington Post, MSNBC and others...Palin billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home, it has been revealed by the Washington Post

The Alaska governor charged the state a 'per diem' allowance that added up to $16,951 or the 312 nights during her first 19 months in office.

The allowance is intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while travelling on state business.......

The accusations came as it was revealed Republican presidential candidate John McCain has enjoyed a boost in the polls in the wake of Palin's electrifying speech to the party's convention last week.......

Palin also charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions, the Washington Post claimed, citing her travel documents as evidence.

Let the fun begin "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 9, 2008 6:39 PM:

" There are no e-mail smears about Obama.....

Why can't we get a certified copy of his birth certificate...??? The one on file in HNL is verified as a forgery... There's even a lawsuit about it... Why doesn't that matter to you...??? Something stinks.... "

Thepeople wrote on Sep 9, 2008 7:10 PM:

" And? I bill my company if I have to spend an unusual amount of gasoline to do work related things, or travel in any way for work related things. Look at how much the previous gov spent, and then tell me what. Here is my deal. I really don't know whether I like or support Palin yet. However I will make my choice based on her policy and facts. BTW I don't think many politicians children travel seperately from their parents like say, on Southwest while mommy or daddy are on the private jet or even Air Force One. Your point again? "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 9, 2008 7:27 PM:

" Darn! I went to snopes.com and the photos of Palin in a stars-and-stripes bikini are fake.

However, Sarah still lies at every campaign stop about being a fiscal reformer and against earmarks.

This 'reformer record' is more fake than those bikini shots.

She lies about the Bridge to Nowhere.

She lies about selling the executive jet on E-Bay.

She lies about making a profit.

She lies about getting rid of her gourmet chef.

And lying is one thing, but lying looking straight into video cameras without a blink... when the truth is in the public record is really quite remarkable!

At least George Dubya Boosh stumbled over the words in his scripted lies!

While Republican lying is not front page news, and the brazen chutzpah is familiar, you have to admire this Republican 'new face' raising lying to an 'art form', don'cha?

The choice of Palin may very well end up sinking the McCain campaign if it turns out that the McCain vetting process missed such moral laxity with state money.

It's pretty obvious that there is going to be this 60-day 'Battle of the Bulge' with Palin Panzers leading attack.

However, I trust the American people to take stock of the Palin-hype and make the right choice.

After all, EVEN my brother, who used to set my car radio to Rush Limbaugh (creating my pen name) is still voting for Obama this time, even though he likes those bikini shots!

~Ruff "

antipc wrote on Sep 9, 2008 7:37 PM:

" Raven, maybe she should have spent those 312 days in the Govenors mansion at quadruple the cost.

Critical thinking is so difficult. "

Raven wrote on Sep 9, 2008 7:40 PM:

" since it was verified by a witness to a second conversation about the same subject, this time in the presence of Anne Kilkinney, a citizen of Wasilla, I would say yes, I believe the story. "

bettye wrote on Sep 9, 2008 8:11 PM:

" To begin.. Yes, I guess I am pro-choice, I believe the gov should out of peoples lpersonal lives.. I have a daughter , grand daughters and grt. grandaughters and if they were a victim of rape and became pregnant , I certainly would want them to have a say in what to do ..so, yes I am pro choice .. and yes, I have read Anne KilKenny's blog .AND it HAS NOT been deemed false . I factchecked it and they are checking closely to make sure it is true .. I like factcheck.org better than Snopes or Google.. Try it if you want the truth..and lastly.. I know Pentecostals and Palin is a far cry from a real Pentecostal.. "

Thepeople wrote on Sep 9, 2008 8:39 PM:

" And since my cousins girlfriends mothers dentists wifes poolboys friend said so I believe it too! Thats how your sources work. I'm still waiting for the proof, and I'm not saying it isn't there. I'm just saying I'm waiting for the truth. "

Raven wrote on Sep 9, 2008 8:56 PM:

" dwayne, how many times do we have to tell you....hawaii has said the birth certificate is legit....check factcheck.org, snopes, any number of non-partisan sites will tell you that "

Raven wrote on Sep 9, 2008 9:12 PM:

" anti, per diem in this case is supposed to be paid when you are on state business and away from your home.....not at your home......

and thepeople, sources are all you will get since you and I will never see the original documentation...but I have a feeling that any documentation provided would be insufficient for you but at risk of libel, the papers have staked themselves to this.... "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 9, 2008 9:45 PM:

" but at risk of libel, the papers have staked themselves to this.... "

Newspapers, worried about libel? When they are defending their master, Obama?

The Kilkenny letter is a fake promoted by the NYTimes (which certainly isn't worried about libel). There will be others, the smear machine isn't done yet.

Obama's birth certificate has not been proven, only pronounced OK by a few bureaucrats who say it "looks" real. That's what snopes et al are counting on. They don't want to be the website that is blamed forever by the Dems for blowing their chances at the election. It could be real interesting if, right before the election, proof that it is a fake comes forward. "

Raven wrote on Sep 9, 2008 10:55 PM:

" and I supposed you think the moon landing was fake as well.... "

a teacher wrote on Sep 10, 2008 6:35 AM:

" Raven, give it up arguing with these guys, your wasting your breath. These are people who put forth a "Manchurian Candidate" like theory that Obama is a secret Muslim double agent, and then accuse YOU of fuzzy thinking. They are unconcerned with charges of unethical behavior from their VEEP candidate. As far as they are concerned it's all baseless, sexist attacks by a liberal biased media. Never mind that it is all public record . Never mind that THEY do the same thing constantly.

The more we talk about Palin, the less we talk about McCain and his promise of 4 more years. "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 10, 2008 8:45 AM:

" Well, with multiple polls now in, McCain appears to have made major headway with independents, blue-collar workers, and women.

The argument that people will change their mind when they get to know Sarah Palin better is also falling flat...Rasmussen reports that a vast majority knows she is conservative, and like her anyway!

Barring a drastic change of events, I would say that it is possible that John McCain and Sarah Palin could win by much bigger margins than what is being reported by the mainstream media.

I can't wait for the debates... "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 10, 2008 9:22 AM:

" Well, it would seem that if Ann Kilkenny doesn't exist and that her e-mail is a total fraud, that Palin's camp would come out and say that she doesn't know an Ann Kilkenny. But that hasn't happened has it? Oh that's right, we haven't heard ANYTHING from Palin lately. They are giving her a crash course in foreign policy, amongst other agenda, training her how to interview, etc. Pretty weird if you ask me. McCain chose her simply because she is female and to get attention. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 10, 2008 10:31 AM:

" Biden tried to perform a miracle when he told a guy in a wheelchair to stand up.... I heard the clip, and it's a riot.... "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 10, 2008 10:39 AM:

" There are photos of Ann Kilkenny on the internet. Her e-mail was also authenticated. Go see for yourself Dwayne. "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 10, 2008 10:45 AM:

" luv1mom says: "McCain chose her simply because she is female and to get attention."

-For whatever reason he chose her, she was clearly a brilliant pick. Once again, McCain showed superb judgment...and turned this race around against all odds.

That's leadership. "

Thepeople wrote on Sep 10, 2008 10:50 AM:

" Who me? I never accused Obama of being a muslim because he said with his own lips that he is christian. Thats what I'm talking about. Thats what I base my decisions on. I leave all that other garbage out. So argue away, but use their ideas on policy and what they have actally said instead of "Mean Girls" type rumors. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 10, 2008 11:01 AM:

" Common Sense wrote: "Once again, McCain showed superb judgment . . . (referring to choosing Palin as VP candidate). He took a risk and now everyone is talking about her, not the issues our nation faces. Look, let's be honest, this will probably be the last go at Pres for McCain considering his age. He wants to get elected at any cost. That is not leadership -that is a gamble. I don't want a leader that will gamble at a time when we have serious issues to deal with like the economy, war, education, healthcare, etc. He is a great patriot, a great guy, but 4 more years of a Republican in office is not what we need. "

vocal-de-local wrote on Sep 10, 2008 11:25 AM:

" Sorry for the change of subject but: umm...out of curiosity, WHEN is the Bloggermania party happening? I really hope it's AFTER the election! I will adore PPF, Kevin, Common Sense, musicluvr, russ, Sandra and others so much more if this is planned after Nov. 4th! "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 10, 2008 12:47 PM:

" luv1mom says: "He took a risk and now everyone is talking about her, not the issues our nation faces."

-So now the Democrats FINALLY want to talk about issues, now that someone has stolen the spotlight from "the One"?

luv1mom says: "Look, let's be honest, this will probably be the last go at Pres for McCain considering his age."

-Besides the obvious age discrimination you are preaching, let's be realistic about Obama...his inexperience (I won't call it youth) is what led him to take 3 different positions on the Russian invasion of Georgia. Only to finally end up at McCain's position.

The liberal left knows it can not win on issues. Obama's vote for sex education for kindergartners is a great example...good luck defending that in the debates. Now that Sarah Palin has stolen the spotlight, Obama's in trouble.

Nothing would make me happier than having this election come down to issues. If that happens, John McCain and Sarah Palin win in a landslide. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 10, 2008 1:11 PM:

" Common Sense -you missed the whole point of my comment . . . "

Raven wrote on Sep 10, 2008 1:37 PM:

" take a look at factcheck, the article is GOP convention spin II...

and about the sex ed...the bill he voted for was to provide age appropriate sex education.....why let a lil thing like facts get in the way... "

common sense wrote on Sep 10, 2008 7:44 PM:

" Raven, I'm familiar with what factcheck says. My problem is with what Obama actually said at the Planned Parenthood gathering.

Regarding the accusation that Obama supports teaching sex education to kindergarteners, he actually said: "But it's the right thing to do, to provide age-appropriate sex ducation, science-based sex education in schools."

What Obama should have said was that there should be NO sex ed in kindergarten! Why does he need to tap dance and beat around the bush? Hmmm....

Even more disturbing, it appears that Obama was on the committee that approved the "age-appropriate" standards that said teaching masterbation to 5-8 year-olds was "appropriate"!

I would like us to get back to reading, writing, and arithmetic...the last time we did that in California, we ended up with the best public schools in the world. Of course, the only way we will get there is by giving parents "free choice" in selecting which schools their kids attend. Here, McCain/Palin are on the right side of the argument...just ask the Democrats in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

For all the liberals preach "pro-choice," it would be nice if they'd apply that philosophy to education. "

kevin wrote on Sep 10, 2008 9:46 PM:

" How "age appropriate" is teaching 5-8 year olds that "homosexuality" is "normal"?? "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 11, 2008 1:49 AM:

" Since Factcheck has become so popular on here, I offer this from their website:

We checked the accuracy of McCain’s speech accepting the Republican nomination and noted the following:

* McCain claimed that Obama’s health care plan would "force small businesses to cut jobs" and would put "a bureaucrat ... between you and your doctor." In fact, the plan exempts small businesses, and those who have insurance now could keep the coverage they have.

* McCain attacked Obama for voting for "corporate welfare" for oil companies. In fact, the bill Obama voted for raised taxes on oil companies by $300 million over 11 years while providing $5.8 billion in subsidies for renewable energy, energy efficiency and alternative fuels.

* McCain said oil imports send "$700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much." But the U.S. is on track to import a total of only $536 billion worth of oil at current prices, and close to a third of that comes from Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

* He promised to increase use of "wind, tide [and] solar" energy, though his actual energy plan contains no new money for renewable energy. He has said elsewhere that renewable sources won’t produce as much as people think.

* He called for "reducing government spending and getting rid of failed programs," but as in the past failed to cite a single program that he would eliminate or reduce.

* He said Obama would "close" markets to trade. In fact, Obama, though he once said he wanted to "renegotiate" the North American Free Trade Agreement, now says he simply wants to try to strengthen environmental and labor provisions in it. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 11, 2008 6:55 AM:

" How "appropriate" is legalizing homosexuality as "normal"?? " "

jwk wrote on Sep 11, 2008 7:24 AM:

" Don't look now But Your Ticket is Losing and dropping rapidly in the polls!! Oh that's right, The polls don't mean anything according to Osamabama & Biden when they are behind. You guys are Hilarious. The Dem's run on and base any decision on POLLS and you know it. There's not a DROP of Leadership or Principal's on the Lefty side.. SO should we believe the liberally biased polls or not??? "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 11, 2008 7:43 AM:

" How apropriate is it at any age to lie to America with a straight face on a daily basis about being a 'reformer' and an 'enemy of earmarks'?

Many Americans expect politicians to lie on a daily basis already -- but how corrupt to confirm that low opinion by going out and repeating the same lies day after day when the truth is plain to see?

~Ruff "

kevin wrote on Sep 11, 2008 8:25 AM:

" Sorry Ruff, B.O. ADMITS he voted to for legislation to teach KINDERGARTENERS about homosexuality and AIDS.

Lies are not necessary when criticizing B.O. His limited record speaks volumes... "

Sandra wrote on Sep 11, 2008 8:45 AM:

" This is what the times said happened:
"Time reported last week, for example, that Palin asked the Wasilla librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, about the process for banning books. Baker was reportedly "aghast" at the question. Soon after taking office, Palin, according to a New York Times report, fired Baker, and news reports from the time indicate that Palin thought Baker hadn't done enough to give her "full support" to the mayor.

This is what REALLY happened, (factcheck.org):
She did not demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time. The librarian has said Palin asked a "What if?" question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin's first term. "

Sandra wrote on Sep 11, 2008 8:49 AM:

" Hear Ye, I agree factcheck is popular and should be looked at by anyone who has interest. But I would suggest looking at info. on BOTH SIDES. You might want to try that Hear Ye....look into what Obama's campaign has done too. His list is just as long and just as dirty.... "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 11, 2008 9:15 AM:

" Ruff, thanks for highlighting Obama's record of accepting large and frequent earmarks.

John McCain has accepted none. Zero. Sarah Palin has accepted some, but it is nothing compared to Obama's. At least Sarah has taken the stand that they should be stopped. Obama just wants more. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 11, 2008 9:23 AM:

" jwk wrote on Sep 11, 2008 7:24 AM:
" Don't look now But Your Ticket is Losing and dropping rapidly in the polls!!"

To add insult to injury, even Biden said yesterday that Hilary would have been a better choice...!!! That's right... Ol' motormouth actually said it publicly...

I can't wait for more Bidenisms... He's like the kid in the back of the classroom thrown spitballs... What fun..... "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 11, 2008 10:10 AM:

" Note that the librarian had fully supported and campaigned for the incumbent Mayor that Palin ousted... Likely that there was some bad blood there to begin with.... "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 11, 2008 10:18 AM:

" You all should research Cindy McCain, and comments about John McCain made by people who've know him over the years, i.e., Ted Sampley, Ross Perot. This ticket is like a bad soap opera. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 11, 2008 10:38 AM:

" Oops -I meant Carol McCain "

rage against wrote on Sep 11, 2008 10:41 AM:

" One of the main problems I have with Sarah Palin, other than her being a woman and anti-abortion, is she wants to teach creationism in schools right along with evolution.
There is a very clear difference between the study of evolution, which is scientific theory, and the study of creationsim, which is at best philosophical pondering and at worst religous pandering. If someone can't tell the difference between these two things, they are dellusional.
Also, Sarah Palin is quoted for asking her local librarian about how she could go about banning books because she found some of the language and ideas in them offensive.
This is the kind of blind censorship that turns governments into dictatorships. You'd think somebody who used to smoke marijuana would be a little bit more laid back.
But I guess that's what happens when you decide you are a direct servant to the one and only God, and your ideals are more valid than anyone who disagrees with you.
I was voting for Obama before this, and I'm still voting for Obama after it. The polls show the same trend, even though as some of you have already pointed out polls don't mean anything.
If you bother to talk to anyone outside your own circle of firends today you will find most are still planning to vote Obama/Biden in 2008. "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 11, 2008 10:54 AM:

" luv1mom says: "You all should research Cindy McCain, and comments about John McCain made by people who've know him over the years..."

-Most of us already have. Some of us have researched John McCain for decades. The liberals seem to think that we won't like him once we get to know him. On the contrary...we like him BECAUSE we know him (even if we have minor disagreements once in a while). "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 11, 2008 11:08 AM:

" 'rage against' says: "One of the main problems I have with Sarah Palin, other than her being a woman and anti-abortion, is she wants to teach creationism in schools right along with evolution."

I'm a hard core evolutionist, and not particularly religious. Yet, I agree with Sarah Palin...I want creationism taught in schools. As long as it is taught in a theology or philosophy setting, and NOT in science class.

I suspect mainstream middle America will agree. Most people don't want religion rammed down their throats, but they don't want it banned or eliminated from the discussion either.

In this regard, I think Sarah Palin is right on. "

kevin wrote on Sep 11, 2008 11:21 AM:

" I don't know common sense, if rage can't get her facts straight about the now well documented fraudulent story about the 'book banning' incident, maybe her "fact's" on evolution are not any better?? "

rage against wrote on Sep 11, 2008 12:50 PM:

" Kevin,
it seems to be pretty common knowledge that Sarah Palin indeed asked Wasilla, Alaska Librarian Mary Ellen Baker about how she could go about banning books.

And Palin herself admitted to having discussions about banning books, citing them as "rhetorical".

As for creationism, like I said before Sarah Palin wants creationism taught in public schools. This amounts to the state teaching our children about religion. Do you think Sarah Palin would approve of her children being taught about the many facets of the Islamic faith. This is not about theological study, but evangelical agenda.

All in all it don't matter, the campaign shot itself in the foot well before they decided to bring her on board.

Anybody remember that ridiculous Paris Hilton Ad!!!!

Obama has got it loack, stock, and barrel at this point. "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 11, 2008 2:55 PM:

" Sandra-

The Times story appears to be accurate. If you scroll down on factcheck after that blurb you posted it explains it in more detail and is right on point with the Times article. "

common sense wrote on Sep 11, 2008 5:25 PM:

" 'rage against,' you conveniently leave out the fact that Sarah Palin also wants evolution taught in schools.

If the liberals could win on issues, I suppose they wouldn't have to make stuff up like this. "

jmo wrote on Sep 11, 2008 6:53 PM:

" Well I'm holding out for the debates before I commit. I am leaning towards John and Sarah. Yes, aren't all of us on a first name bases with the candidates? After all we invite them into our homes EVERY night want to or not.

Personal, I think Sarah will cease the moment in the VP when Joe says something way out there. "

a teacher wrote on Sep 11, 2008 7:45 PM:

" Spare me the phony outrage, CommonSense. If McCain's ideas are so much better then that would be all they would be talking about. Instead they hired a lightening rod and made their campaign into into a side show act. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 11, 2008 8:28 PM:

" Spare me the phony outrage, a teacher. If Obama's ideas are so much better than that it would be all they would be talking about. The Democrats selected a lightening rod and made their campaign into into a side show act, with an empty suit......

Why don't you discuss some of the details and the meat of Obama's ideas...??? Hmmmm...???

I Googled, and couldn't find anything except promises and hope... Same kind of stuff a guy lays on a girl when he's trying to get to know her...Biblically....

"I love you baby, and I'll always be here for you..."

Gimme a break.... "

ADark1 wrote on Sep 11, 2008 8:57 PM:

" kevin wrote on Sep 7, 2008 9:20 AM:

" Despite my repeated requests, not one Lib has taken the opportunity to explain what a community orgainizer does and who signed B.O.'s paychecks... "
Here you go Kevin per your request...

Being a former community organizer , we are involved in many things. From assisting the elderly and handicapped obtain the basic necessary items to live...shelter, food, water, electricity to providing a united voice to address those in local , city and federal government who are NOT addressinjg those needs. They also deal with hot button issues such as Napa NOT having a pool open 7 days a week or Chicago not allowing the gas company to turn off the heat so several hundred people do not freeze during a severe winter storm.Locally, molly's angels could be considered a C.O. .

I trust you are getting the picture.

As far as who signed his paycheck?, MOST C.O's are hired by community action agencies . The funding comes from many resources including but not limited to federal and city governments, private business and donors.

It does annoy me to see you demean a C.O., as its a pretty thankless job, but if we went without them in LARGE cities we'd descend into chaos you could not begin to imagine. "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 11, 2008 11:25 PM:

" Dwayne -- First off, what else does a candidate have to offer but promises and hope? Second, if you really tried to find info, and went directly to Obama's website, you would see that he addresses about twice as many issues as McCain does, he addresses the military in more detail, giving the hows and whys as opposed to the "honey I love you, when can I bomb for you?" that McCain gives, and his approach to issues makes sense to many who aren't blinded by the fireworks of war and the platitudes of profitmaking. "

a teacher wrote on Sep 12, 2008 6:29 AM:

" Snappy comeback Dwayne, as usual I am awed by your witty riposte. "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 12, 2008 6:34 AM:

" I mean, really, how hard is it to go to a candidates website to find out where they stand on the issues and their plans as president?

I know Obama has a very detailed website "

Sandra wrote on Sep 12, 2008 8:15 AM:

" Hear Ye, thanks for the info. It was updated from when I first saw it. I looked at it around 8/9/08. But even now fact check says it is all conjecture as to the reasons she asked the libraian about the procedure on banning books. I can think of many scenarios that would lead her to ask this question. But what is the point of this useless exercise? The main thing people should note is that the libraian did not lose her job, and no books were banned. "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 12, 2008 8:36 AM:

" 'teacher' says: "Spare me the phony outrage, CommonSense."

-Outrage? No. But I am rather happy to see the far-left liberal arguments falling apart and self-destructing.

Sarah Palin is the most exciting thing to happen to men, women, Republicans, FDR-Truman-JFK Democrats, independents, moderates, and libertarians in a long time. It appears that only the far-left is now out in the cold. "

grape wrote on Sep 12, 2008 9:50 AM:

" Look up Alinsky Method and Obama...you will see where he learned his "community organizer" trade. Very interesting and telling...and he's using the Alinsky Method on Americans. Not working on me though...McCain-Palin 2008 "

kevin wrote on Sep 12, 2008 10:35 AM:

" ADark1, thank you for finally explaining what a community orgainizer does.

NOW what I can't understand is the recent numerous comparisons by Democrats (including on the House Floor) that JESUS was a community organizer?

I was always taught Jesus was a CARPENTER. And I can't see Jesus fighting to keep ANY swimming pool open. I don't think he would consider it a "hot button" issue.

Why are the Democrats pushing religion into the campaign? I thought they were the Party of "separation of chuch and state"?

We even have Biden acting like an evangelical fundamentalist preacher. He was telling a man in a wheelchair to get up and walk!

I see why Governor Palin made the comparison between a mayor and a community organizer now. And I see why she said the mayor actually has the authority to accomplish those things and I also see why B.O. says in his book that he was so disappointed in his failure as a community organizer... "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 12, 2008 11:20 AM:

" Commonsense says: "Sarah Palin is the most exciting thing to happen to men, women, Republicans...etc."
Wow, CS, you've been missing out on life, it seems.

Sandra says: "The main thing people should note is that the libraian did not lose her job, and no books were banned."
Surly you jest. It's not noteworthy that Palin even approached the librarian to find out if she would maybe be willing to ban a few books for sweet little Sarah Barracuda, and that the librarian's job was in jeopardy when she refused? I think it's especially noteworthy that the people of the little town of Wasilla rose up in outrage against what their mayor was trying to do and rescued the librarian from Palin perdition. "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 12, 2008 11:34 AM:

" I think we should give Sarah accolades for even knowing about the Harry Potter books years before they were printed. We can use that kind of foresight in the Oval Office.

Or did (she whose name shall not be spoken by lefties, except to smear and vilify) Sarah graduate from Hogwarts? "

rage against wrote on Sep 12, 2008 11:53 AM:

" Many of these conversations and arguments could easily be put to an end, if a little more research was done on the issues, but it appears that the republicans don't want this.
This would expose the lack of a platform on which their candidate and their party is attempting to stand. Instead their platform has become criticism and rabble-rousing, deceptive attention-grabbing and constant misinformation. If anything, from the falsifications I read in most of your posts, to the random completely slanderous and misinformed mass emails, to the ever entertaining Fox news, I will say that at least you are united in your efforts to dissuade and blind more and more people.
As to the rest of us (the majority in fact) go campaign for Obama, let your friends, family and co-workers know who you are voting for and why. Don't ever get angry with these people, just get active. "

Sandra wrote on Sep 12, 2008 11:53 AM:

" Della, that is YOUR interpretation of what happened. Just because tou think that is what happened does not make it so. Where you there? All we can truly know is what the actual outcome was, everything else is just conjecture. More of the same 'ol he said, she said. "

Sandra wrote on Sep 12, 2008 12:40 PM:

" PPF...lol, again.
Rage, lol, for a whole other reason....Funny isn't it, how many from the opposing views think the same of people expousing your viewpoint? "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 12, 2008 1:45 PM:

" Uh oh...the Boston Herald is reporting the discover of a new disease...

"It’s America’s newest disease - only diagnosed by some in the media a few days ago - but it is spreading among the nation’s Beautiful People at an alarming rate.

You know it by its initials - PDS. Palin Derangement Syndrome.

You can watch the victims of PDS on TV every night, frothing at the mouth in front of Obama banners, repeating scurrilous lies lifted from left-wing blogs or just making up new whoppers as they go along. It’s an epidemic - Palin Derangement Syndrome swept through MSNBC studios this week and claimed two anchors, who are survived by dozens of viewers.

The bad news is, PDS appears to be incurable. The good news is, it only strikes one demographic group - moonbats."

I hope it doesn't hit Napa... "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 12, 2008 2:07 PM:

" This thread's getting to be hilarious....

BTW - We're up to 500 posts... Wheeee... "

robbys22 wrote on Sep 12, 2008 2:22 PM:

" Let's see..

She's going to fight against earmarks, but she took more capita over the last two years than any other state governor; she wants to teach abstinence education in schools, yet her own 17 year old daughter is pregnant; she understands US energy policy but of the two plans to build a natural gas pipeline, she endorses the one which will see the majority run through Canada and will be built by Canadian companies; she says she wants to reform Washington from the fat-cats who've held office for decades, yet she's the running mate of John McCain who has held office in Washington for 26 years; she believes she's ready to be president, yet she doesn't even know what the Bush doctrine is (the foundation of Bush's foreign policy since 9/11); she does not believe in global warming, but the day after her nomination, a huge piece of ice broke away from a glacier; she supported the brige to nowhere, but then she didn't and when she said she didn't, she still kept the federal earmark funds she had won from Washington for the project.

She's a liar and a double-talker, and I would think, that regardless of party affiliation, we're all sick and tired of being played for fools.

The rest of the world (yes...believe it or not, there are other important countries out there) stand collectively with their jaws dropped amazed that after the last 8 years, there's a decent chance that a McCain-Palin ticket and what they represent would even have a puncher's chance of winning. If the rest of the world can see it, why can't we? Why can't we still be proud of America, yet yearn to fix it's flaws? "

robbys22 wrote on Sep 12, 2008 2:31 PM:

" I love how "Dwayne" and "Commonsense" throw out the word Liberal as a taunt or put down. Of course, what should I expect, they, along with McCain, Palin, Bush, Cheney and so on have been putting the CON in Conservative for the last 8 years. "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 12, 2008 3:15 PM:

" Sandra -- You have a point there. However, I have to point out it's not just MY interpretation of what happened. A few others have had the same take on it. "

dellasumbrella wrote on Sep 12, 2008 3:21 PM:

" robbys22, 2:22 & 2:31 pm --
Amen to all that! "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 12, 2008 4:19 PM:

" robbys22 says: "I love how "Dwayne" and "Commonsense" throw out the word Liberal as a taunt or put down."

-It was intended as "a person with liberal ideas or opinions." Of course, if somebody says something that has some sting in it, the part that stings is usually the part that has some truth to it. Denial is the first stage to recovery.

robbys22 says: "Of course, what should I expect, they, along with McCain, Palin, Bush, Cheney and so on have been putting the CON in Conservative for the last 8 years."

-The only CON is the effort by far-left liberals to tie McCain to Bush. Conservatives, independents, and libertarians see this for what it is...liberals playing political games. The far-left is the only part of the political spectrum that buys this, and they continue to think it is helping them. In reality, though, the polls show very clearly that people are not buying it. Go ahead...check the numbers for yourself. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 12, 2008 4:56 PM:

" 'Snot a taunt or a put down.....

It's a label attached to the posts you make, that indicates how your brain works...

If it makes you feel any better, I understand how liberals think better than I understand women... ;-) "

kevin wrote on Sep 12, 2008 4:57 PM:

" Robbie, that's the DIFFERENCE between us: Conservatives are PROUD to be called that, Liberals are ASHAMED.

It goes to the whole heart of the election campaign: B.O. CAN'T campaign on the issues. He tried campaigning on how he was going to RAISE TAXES, a basic Democrat issue, but he had to BACKTRACK, admitting that it would be a bad idea when the economy is weak (and THAT is a Conservative issue).

He started campaigning by promising to CUT the military, another basic Democrat issue, but he had to reverse himself again when faced with McCain's plan's for a strong military for a dangerous world.

B.O. was wrong about the surge in Iraq succeeding. Eventually even he admitted that it WAS a success. Yet he continues to insist he would STILL vote againt it, even though it succeeded. (Elitists HATE to admit mistakes.)

I won't EVEN go on about Biden's deficiencies. He stated it best himself yesterday when he said that "Hillary was the better choice for VP!" "

common sense wrote on Sep 12, 2008 6:30 PM:

" And while Obama is apologizing to Sarah Palin for the lipstick comment, he can also apologize to McCain for today's ad ridiculing his inability to use a computer. From the Boston Globe (March 4, 2000):

"McCain gets emotional at the mention of military families needing food stamps or veterans lacking health care. The outrage comes from inside: McCain's severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes."

Whoops. Obama should do his homework. "

kevin wrote on Sep 12, 2008 8:01 PM:

" No different than his VP Biden telling the guy in the wheelchair to "stand up!" "

Sandra wrote on Sep 12, 2008 9:08 PM:

" Della, just because a significant number of people believe something does not make it so. Sure it is comforting to be part of the group. You are all able to pat each other on the back, and feel the comradery of all thinking alike....Have you ever heard of eugenics?...It was the big thing back in the 1930's...Carnegy institute supported it. Many scientists swore by it. In fact many, many people believed it to be true. Hitler adopted it and used it to support his effort to wipe Jews off the face of the earth....Funny in hind sight how wrong everyone was. Those who attempted to debunk it were ridiculed by all the others....Moral of the story? Just because a significant number of people believe something does not make it so. "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 13, 2008 12:17 AM:

" Sandra-

You sure are goo-goo-ga-ga over Palin. Come back down. "

bettye wrote on Sep 13, 2008 12:24 AM:

" Some folk's mentality is like cement .. "throughly mixed up and firmly set".. Nothing is going to change them.. "

common sense wrote on Sep 13, 2008 9:23 AM:

" bettye says: "Some folk's mentality is like cement .. "throughly mixed up and firmly set".. Nothing is going to change them..."

Perhaps, bettye, you have things backwards. Judith Warner of the (largely liberally-biased) NY Times reported:

"Jonathan Haidt, an associate professor of moral psychology at the University of Virginia, argues in an essay this month, “What Makes People Vote Republican?”, that it’s liberals, in fact, who are dangerously blind.

Haidt has conducted research in which liberals and conservatives were asked to project themselves into the minds of their opponents and answer questions about their moral reasoning. Conservatives, he said, prove quite adept at thinking like liberals, but liberals are consistently incapable of understanding the conservative point of view. “Liberals feel contempt for the conservative moral view, and that is very, very angering."

So...whose mentality is more like cement, bettye? Given Haidt's research, it is no wonder that people are flocking to John McCain and Sarah Palin. "

kevin wrote on Sep 13, 2008 10:02 AM:

" Welcome to "our world" bettye!

There may be a few "lurkers" around who don't know up from down, but for the most part we here have all made up our minds years ago and are not going to change as a result of a few comments on a blog.

Wow. I just realized that it was almost 20 years ago I bought my first 50 Mhz PC and started "blogging" (as soon as Algore invented the internet of course). Back then they were called bulletin boards. We didn't even use Windows, it was DOS based. Good times.

Actually, from the comments, some of you were probably online back then, or at least they made the same, lame, Lib arguments... "

robbys22 wrote on Sep 13, 2008 12:19 PM:

" Once again, Commonsense uses the device of redirecting the discussion away of questions of issues as in my first post, and instead focus on the 3 sentence comment about the words liberal and conservative; the equivalent of the Republicans focusing on the lipstick comment and not on the fact that the entire statement to that point was about how McCain's economic plan is the mirror image of the current administration.

Also, the Jonathan Haidt article is cited, but of course it's twisted as well. The article is about how liberals fail to understand "conservatism is a partially heritable personality trait that predisposes some people to be cognitively inflexible, fond of hierarchy, and inordinately afraid of uncertainty, change, and death. People vote Republican because Republicans offer "moral clarity"—a simple vision of good and evil that activates deep seated fears in much of the electorate. Democrats, in contrast, appeal to reason with their explorations of policy options for a complex world."

The CON is once again put in Conservative. "

bettye wrote on Sep 13, 2008 12:21 PM:

" My dear old Mom used to say " the first hen that cackles is the one who laid an egg "Some one must have laid an egg !! I did not say the conservatives mentality was like cement .. in fact I didn't mention any political party.. Just made the statement and some one is very defensive ,"me thinks".. "

noblindershere wrote on Sep 13, 2008 12:50 PM:

" Palin doesn't know what the "Bush Doctrine" is, she doesn't know how to comment on how the current issues with Russia will effect the US, she doesn't know that Iraq wasn't responsible for 9/11...what the heck does she know? The reason why there are so many people bloggin about her is because we are in such disbelief that McCain chose such a bad candidate. If I were a Republican I would be ashamed this election year. "

common sense wrote on Sep 13, 2008 12:50 PM:

" robbys22 says: "he believes she's ready to be president, yet she doesn't even know what the Bush doctrine is (the foundation of Bush's foreign policy since 9/11)"

-With all due respect, you apparently haven't researched the Bush Doctrine either. According to Charles Krauthammer, who is credited with inventing the term 'Bush Doctrine':

"I know something about the subject because, as the Wikipedia entry on the Bush doctrine notes, I was the first to use the term. In the cover essay of the June 4, 2001, issue of The Weekly Standard titled, "The Bush Doctrine: ABM, Kyoto, and the New American Unilateralism," I suggested that the Bush administration policies of unilaterally withdrawing from the ABM treaty and rejecting the Kyoto protocol, together with others, amounted to a radical change in foreign policy that should be called the Bush doctrine."

Multiple other definitions of 'Bush Doctrine' followed, ranging from policies of placing pressure on terrorist supporting nations, prosecuting terrorists in military tribunals, and the one that Gibson was referring to, using preemptive strikes.

The 'Bush Doctrine' is an invention of the media. Sarah Palin, in her interview with Gibson, correctly asked Gibson which part he was referring to. Gibson did not have an answer, and snootily looked down upon her...in a way that only the elitist left could do.

When liberals wonder why Sarah Palin has such appeal to mainstream America, this interview says it all...and the left yet again fails to comprehend. "

noblindershere wrote on Sep 13, 2008 2:30 PM:

" nice try common sense...How can you even begin to defend her uneducated comments. She didn't make reference to any one of those desriptions of the Bush Doctrine, she didn't even try to engage in the topic. An article in the New York Times today says all I need to know about Palin...basically she isn't ready to lead. I'm comforting by knowing that several of my conservative Republican friends, women and men, will not be voting for McCain because of his irresponsible choice. I have said it before, thank you McCain for handing the election over. Looking forward to January.
Robbys22-hilarious and hit the nail on the head. "

a teacher wrote on Sep 13, 2008 2:51 PM:

" Whether the "Bush Doctrine" question was a gotcha or not is irrelevant. Gov. Palin had better be prepared for more because that's what the press does. They will try trip all the candidates up. That's what will make headlines.

From what I saw it was a pretty softball interview and she didn't mess up. In the eyes of democrats she didn't seem very knowledgeable. To the republicans she didn't screw up and so it was a success. I kind of agree with them there. If that's her level of performance, however, she'll get clobbered by someone more aggressive. Mr. Gibson was handling her gently, in my opinion (he probably didn't want to be the one accused of savaging her).

As for commonsense's statement that she appeals to mainstream America, I wouldn't go that far. She certainly has energized the republican base. She may have to tone down her rhetoric to get mainstream America. "

Sandra wrote on Sep 13, 2008 2:53 PM:

" Common sense,
I just read the article you quoted from...very enlightening. I think under the circumstances that Palin's response to Gibsons question was EXACTLY as it should have been. It seems "Poor Charlie" is the one who did not know the definition himself, of the question he was asking. In light of what Krauthammer had to say, Sarah shines through displaying very good sense in asking that Charlie clarify what he was asking.
Will the left understand this? I doubt it...they would have to look a little deeper than hearing just what they want to hear. I don't think they have it in them to do so. Too scary to come out of their box.

Hear Ye.
you are sure Ga-ga-goo-goo over your rigid views....
If all you get from my comments is that I am a fan of Palins...well, you are missing most of my point.
Open your mind a bit....open the box, and let some light in.... "

Sandra wrote on Sep 13, 2008 3:02 PM:

" One thing I have noticed is those that claim to be the most open minded, enlightened people, are really so rigidly entrenched in their views that they have lost the ability to think with any logic and the art of rationalization is displayed with zeal. It is interesting to observe. Even when the evidence stares them in the face, they look around it, over it, under it, anywhere but AT it. Heaven forbid that they admit they may have rushed to judge...and the idea of actually changing their mind ...well we won't even go there.... "

Rocco wrote on Sep 13, 2008 3:58 PM:

" """" Palin may very well end up sinking the McCain campaign """"
Oh Really??? … And this from the person that is constantly questioning our President’s intelligence?
Please, everyone, join with me in a moment of silence for those poor souls such as Ruff…tear stained, clothing torn, laying in their desperate bed of ashes, braying to tonight’s full moon as they witness their dreams of the White House crumble before them.
IMHO, it hopefully looks as though Orwell’s pigs may have to walk around on all four feet for quite a while to come. …Palin 2012! "

common sense wrote on Sep 13, 2008 4:45 PM:

" noblindershere says: "nice try common sense...How can you even begin to defend her uneducated comments."

-If I were going to criticize someone for being uneducated, I would try to avoid ending my questions with a period.

noblindershere says: "She didn't make reference to any one of those desriptions of the Bush Doctrine."

-Nor should she have. She was asked a vague question, asked for clarification and did not receive it, so she threw back a vague answer. Sarah Palin is sharp...and she has a degree in journalism. She knows how to deal with these people, and this interview proved it. "

noblindershere wrote on Sep 13, 2008 8:49 PM:

" I'm guessing there were some real challenging classes at Idaho State that offered all kinds of exposure to a variety of ideologies...or not. I don't want a VP that tries to play the "game" of catch me if you can. Last time I played that was in 5th grade, like most Americans,hopefully. The American public deserves to know what she thinks and how she would respond to different situations and ideas...this isn't a game. She should know, that journalist are asking public figures questions that the "public" wants to know...its not a game.Sharp? Like her nose is sharp? This may be a generational gap issue...I consider someone to be sharp if they graduated at the top of their class from one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Idaho State Graduate, not so convincing. Didn't have a passport before last year...not so convincing...not practicing what you preach...not so convincing....stating that Iraq was responsible for 9/11...not so convincing. Sharp? The McCain campaign is trying to convince the average uneducated, middle-class, American that she represents them. THe sad thing is...she does, but that is not what America needs representing us to the rest of the world. I grew up in a state where becoming educated wasn't so popular and still isn't with a large percentage of the population. SHe represents them, scary "

common sense wrote on Sep 13, 2008 11:00 PM:

" noblindershere says: "I'm guessing there were some real challenging classes at Idaho State that offered all kinds of exposure to a variety of ideologies...or not. Idaho State Graduate, not so convincing."

noblindershere says: "consider someone to be sharp if they graduated at the top of their class from one of the most prestigious universities in the world."

-I seem to recall that President Bush had a higher GPA than John Kerry when they both attended Yale...yet somehow I suspect you did not vote for Bush in the last election.

At any rate, I don't think that Americans consider academic elitism as the critical characteristic of their LEADERS. I know plenty of people with graduate degrees who could not lead the garbage to the garbage can (disclaimer: I have a graduate degree, but I can tie my shoes all by myself).

noblindershere, if you want to look down upon universities just because they are in Idaho, that is your business. I respectfully disagree. I hear they bitterly cling to guns and religion there... "

bettye wrote on Sep 13, 2008 11:54 PM:

" Did anyone read the NYT article on Palin ?? It sounds SOOO familar.. She should fit in perfectly the McCain /Bush adminstration... "

common sense wrote on Sep 14, 2008 8:30 AM:

" Hmmm...did some quick checking on the education of our presidents, based on the comments by noblindershere regarding (and I'm paraphrasing) 'academic elitism' being desirable in our leadership.

It is worth noting that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln had no college background. They were without a doubt our two greatest presidents. Meanwhile, Democrat Woodrow Wilson, known for blocking women's right to vote and for being an extreme racist, has a Ph.D. Ronald Reagan earned his degree in economics from a small, isolated, private college that nobody had heard of (Eureka College), and he is considered by everyone but the far-left to have been an outstanding president.

No, I don't think going to college in Idaho disqualifies you from running for vice president or president. Besides, when it comes down to it, Sarah Palin has actually accomplished something (well, actually, many things). Obama has accomplished nothing. "

grape wrote on Sep 14, 2008 8:54 AM:

" I would like to know how all the liberals voting for Obama can elect a man who has for the most part voted present!! He can't even make a decision and you want to put this man in power? You can make fun of Sarah Palin and the question about the Bush Doctrine but look at the reasoning behind Obama's choice of Biden...foreign policy because he himself doesn't get it. I wish Charlie would have looked down his "I'm going to get you" nose at Obama and asked that same question...Obama would have answered um, uh uh, in what, uh uh uh uh uh, reference Charlie? "

kevin wrote on Sep 14, 2008 9:14 AM:

" As opposed to B.O.'s "Second Term" of Jimmy Carter??? "

common sense wrote on Sep 14, 2008 10:53 AM:

" Willie Brown, former Democrat mayor of San Francisco, said in today's Chronicle:

"And forget the comedy, Barack. You are not naturally funny and you do not speak "street." You speak like a professor. And you do not know how to set up a joke. That "lipstick on a pig" line clearly backfired." "

musikluvr wrote on Sep 14, 2008 12:27 PM:

" I love it. As I write this there are 530 comments. The liberal democrats are frazzled at losing the white house again! "

musikluvr wrote on Sep 14, 2008 12:28 PM:

" What we're hearing is that Sarah is having such a positive impact for conservatism nationwide in all the elections that the democrats will lose most of the house and senate elections too. "

common sense wrote on Sep 14, 2008 10:10 PM:

" bettye says: "...She should fit in perfectly the McCain /Bush adminstration..."

-This statement bodes well for for McCain/Palin. Not because they are a continuation of Bush...all but the far-left know they are not.

John McCain and Sarah Palin have captured the "change" and "post-partisan" ground, as evidenced by numerous polls over the last couple of weeks. Each wild-eyed liberal that screams McCain/Palin are Bush clones just adds to the growing consensus that Obama is the partisan politician. The more they scream, expose their shrill anger, and admit their Bush Derangement Syndrome, the more it helps John McCain and Sarah Palin. Obama isn't truly a post partisan politician, and McCain, with a tremendous record of working across the aisle, found a way to expose it.

Keep posting 'more of the same' bettye...some of us greatly appreciate it. "

bettye wrote on Sep 14, 2008 10:51 PM:

" I ask again ..did anyone read the NYT article ?? Is that paper non-partisian ? It was a very good read ,I thought .. I heard Bush say something about the " angry left " ..I have to say ,most of the hateful remarks in these blogs do not come from the "left"..I really have NEVER seen such division in our nation as we have now ..What happened to the promise of uniting the country ( from Bush ) ?? "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 15, 2008 7:17 AM:

" bettye wrote on Sep 14, 2008 10:51 PM:
" I ask again ..did anyone read the NYT article ?? Is that paper non-partisian ?"

The NY Times is an American-hating left wing socialist rag, and some of the people who publish it should be in prison for the stunts they have pulled... The Pentagon papers, is one example...

Consider your sources of "information" carefully..... "

14obama wrote on Sep 15, 2008 9:21 AM:

" Hey Dan,
You say attacks will be deleted. Isn't that what it's all about ? Campaigning is attacking ! That's what politicians do! You make it hard for us not to attack you.You're unreal ! I suppose this is an attack,too. Big baby! "

rage against wrote on Sep 15, 2008 9:27 AM:

" From the looks of it, seems like the only ones here in a defensive, fear induced, fervor are the Republicans.

For every pro-Obama comment there are at least four-five anti-Obama comments.
Looks like you guys are pretty freaked out!

Don't waste all your good stuff now, come November you're gonna need at least four years of material.

Obama/Biden 2008 "

14obama wrote on Sep 15, 2008 9:33 AM:

" I know for a fact that Palin wasn't chosen by McCain. MCain didn't even know her! She's in there because she's a 'born again' Christian and can get votes like Bush did when he said he was a Christian. Nice Christian,huh ? You know who did it! I think she's the last person to ask. Can you see her taking over when old man McCain kicks the bucket ? My God! What happened to America? "

14obama wrote on Sep 15, 2008 9:47 AM:

" It really sounds stupid when ya say Palin is the best choice. You people didn't even know who she was or where she came from. Just shows me how loosely you're put together. Not much thinking went into choosing her. Since I'm a Democrat,it's good for me,though. I can't wait for the debates! "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 15, 2008 9:54 AM:

" It really sounds stupid when ya say Obama is the best choice. You people didn't even know who he was or where he came from. Just shows me how loosely you're put together. Not much thinking went into choosing him..... Heh.... "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 15, 2008 9:58 AM:

" 14obama......

How come you're so angry...??? I hope you're okay... :-) Be happy... "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 15, 2008 10:00 AM:

" 14obama says: "It really sounds stupid when ya say Palin is the best choice. You people didn't even know who she was or where she came from."

-Ummm, check the history of this blog. Several of us liked her well before John McCain's announcement. I have personally been a fan of hers since late 2007.

I find it hilarious that so many liberals A.) are mangling up the Obama counter-response to Sarah Palin and B.) are so out of touch with what mainstream America is thinking. I guess that is the peril of elitism...in isolation, you never hear the voices of reason. "

rage against wrote on Sep 15, 2008 10:21 AM:

" 14 obama,
I really hope even the Republicans here realize how badly there candidates are going to get served during the debates. If you think otherwise please indulge me, it will be very entertaining:) "

cab e-girl wrote on Sep 15, 2008 10:25 AM:

" 14Obama-Are you talking about Obama or Palin? "

bettye wrote on Sep 15, 2008 11:36 AM:

" Dwayne.. are all the newspapers who are reporting the same thing about Palin, ( Boston Globe , Washington Post ,to name 2 ) are all biased ?? That is equal to " If you aren't Republican you aren't patriotic" ..Get real !! ( no anger here , just plain good sense) "

glenroy wrote on Sep 15, 2008 2:05 PM:

" ….I sure hope the Republicans keep doing as badly as the libs here seem to think….NY State Poll today shows a massive movement away from nObama towards McCain….Minnesota is now a toss-up….Ohio is moving solidly towards McCain…Virginia is solid McCain as is Florida, Missouri and North Carolina ….. McCain leads in both likely and registered voters nationwide and in all the major nonpartisan electoral college polls….I just hope they can keep doing this badly until the election…I think all moderates and conservatives should thank the elitist libs for once again nominating the least elect-able candidate of the two they could have…. "

14obama wrote on Sep 15, 2008 8:56 PM:

" Dwayne,I'm angry and disappointed at my fellow Americans who have thrown their common sense to the wind. Most of you are so engrossed in the material world that you wouldn't know the best and honest choice when it's staring you right in the face. You are putting Palin on a pedestal when it should be your higher power. She's your Joan of Arc,huh ? "

common sense wrote on Sep 15, 2008 9:46 PM:

" 14obama says: "You are putting Palin on a pedestal..."

She's KIND of like Obama, only with principles. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 16, 2008 9:47 AM:

" Now that I have stopped laughing . . . Palin is "KIND of like Obama, only with principles." Palin has been caught in several mistruths, almost downright lies, you republicans can't see the forest for the trees. Another interesting fact, Mr. and Mrs. Palin welcomed their first child in just under 8 months after they married. Hmm, like mother like daughter . . . "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 16, 2008 10:20 AM:

" luv1mom says: "...you republicans can't see the forest for the trees."

-I've voted Democrat before, but won't do it again until far-left relinquishes control. At least the Republicans are going the right direction through the forest...though some tend to run in to every tree. Democrats are going the wrong way, and are horribly lost. Sarah Palin clears the forest with her teeth.

luv1mom says: "Another interesting fact, Mr. and Mrs. Palin welcomed their first child in just under 8 months after they married. Hmm, like mother like daughter..."

-Another interesting fact is that Obama was born to a single teen mother. WHO CARES! Life happens. Democrats promote sexuality to young kids, but turn their media attack dogs on a 17-year-old girl who gets pregnant. Too bad the media hasn't bothered to investigate John Edwards affair and suspected illegitimate child...way to look out for a terminally ill spouse.

I respect moms who stand by their daughters in tough times...Sarah Palin has it right. "

grape wrote on Sep 16, 2008 10:41 AM:

" 14obama wrote on Sep 15, 2008 9:33 AM: " I know for a fact that Palin wasn't chosen by McCain. MCain didn't even know her! She's in there because she's a 'born again' Christian and can get votes like Bush did when he said he was a Christian. Nice Christian,huh ? You know who did it! I think she's the last person to ask. Can you see her taking over when old man McCain kicks the bucket ? My God! What happened to America? "

The bigger question is what will happen to America if Obama is chosen. You laugh about her experience when Palin has far more experience than him and he is running for President!

PLEASE read how he was trained by the Alinsky method and is using these tactics to win the election. Everyone that is voting for this empty suit has been fooled into believing he is the one.

He believes in the black theology which is to destroy the white race. PLEASE read up on this man before you vote. "

robbys22 wrote on Sep 16, 2008 11:00 AM:

" PART ONE OF A TWO PART RESPONSE
* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."
* If you grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, you're a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack, you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* If you name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.
* If you graduate from Harvard Law School, you are unstable.
* If you attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.
* If you spend 3 years as a community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local sports reporter, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.
*If, as Mayor, you leave your town $20 million in debt, you are a model of fiscal responsibility
*If you crash five planes with 20 hours of combat flying, you're a "hero" "

robbys22 wrote on Sep 16, 2008 11:05 AM:

" PART TWO OF A TWO PART RESPONSE
* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.
* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system, while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.
* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values are elitist.
* If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is the salt of the earth.
* If you ignore the issues while saturating the media with how alarmed you are at an old American colloquialism, you're a defender of honor.

OK, much clearer now. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 16, 2008 11:15 AM:

" (No) Common Sense - In case you haven't heard, John Edwards is not on either ticket. It also seems you think Palin is the Pres candidate. In case you haven't heard because you are so busy reacting, McCain is the pres candidate. I have yet to hear any original ideas for change from him. "Palin clears the forest with her teeth". Really? Seriously??

Robbys22 - right on!

Obama/Biden 2008! "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 16, 2008 11:18 AM:

" robbys22, I looked carefully at your list and saw NOTHING that Obama has ACCOMPLISHED.

For the record, propagating hateful left-wing blog talking points does not demonstrate that Obama is a "post-partisan" candidate. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do when you can't win on issues. "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 16, 2008 12:13 PM:

" luv1mom says: "In case you haven't heard, John Edwards is not on either ticket...I have yet to hear any original ideas for change from (McCain)."

-Edwards was the VP candidate four years ago, and was in serious contention for the VP spot this time around. He was mysteriously erased from Democrat memory banks just before the convention. You'd think the media would notice.

As for McCain's ideas, off the top of my head, he destroys Obama when it comes to things like energy independence. Drilling offshore coupled with 45 nuclear reactors, solar, wind, natural gas, and clean coal is brilliant. And, in Sarah Palin, he'll have a vice president that is very experienced in this arena.

John McCain and Sarah Palin win hands down if we actually get to talk about issues... "

rage against wrote on Sep 16, 2008 12:26 PM:

" Commom Sense, why do you need to state that Obama's credentials don't show him to be "post partisan" candidate. Do you think that McCain is a "post partisan" candidate? "

Raven wrote on Sep 16, 2008 12:39 PM:

" hmmm...her energy experience is making a deal for a canadian company to plan a gas pipeline that may or may not be built, and getting a 1200 check for alaska citizens by changing the taxation of the oil companies.... "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 16, 2008 12:40 PM:

" Robby22: nevermind CS, she is one of the cemented ones . . . yay for left-wing blogging! "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 16, 2008 12:48 PM:

" Maybe I've been too hard on Obama. I've gone back and reevaluated my opinions. I discovered that I overlooked one significant advantage that Obama brings:

More than any other candidate, he can guarantee improved relations with Kenya, Indonesia, Hawaii, and Illinois.

There, I said it. "

ADark1 wrote on Sep 16, 2008 12:53 PM:

" ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!!!!

Not since the venerable PPF ( Plastic Pink Flamingo for you newbies) Have we had a triple crown winner..

This triple crown winner has won the following Awards:

1. The "Oh NO he dideenn't" Award.

2. The "LMAO...OMG did he REALLY say that ?"Award.

3. The Snoop Doggy Dogg "That grizzle is plain crizzle forshizzle" Award

for the following:

Grape wrote on Sep 16, 2008 10:41 AM: in part".......He believes in the black theology which is to destroy the white race. PLEASE read up on this man before you vote. "

We'd like to give grape another Award it's debateable..., Something having to do with a female dog and a slap.

Grape, you've floored and DAZZLED the Awards committee with your BRILLIANT commentary...I'm sure your friends and family are proud of you!

Congrats!

And now back to our regular deprogramming........

Speaking of Brilliance, NAPABrat and I were thinking ....( stop groaning)

WHAT WAS Palin thinking when she named her kids...

We've decided the following:

Track : something you either run around or a sport. ..HUH?

Trig: Mathematics gone wrong! ( Trust me I KNOW)

Willow: A Wiccan character from Buffy the Vampire slayer..or..a fairy! ( NOT gonna go there)

Piper: Another Wiccan character from the "Charmed Series" (Noticing a theme here..what church did she go to?) Or a plane!

Bristol : As in Myers? Pharmaceuticals badly needed and possibly used in the creation of the above names!

That is all for now....Back to our regular deprogramming.... and welcome to all you new folks posting from the left, right or even the SANE! :)

congrats at hitting 500...It's ALIVE , ITS ALIVEEEEEE! DAN!. "

robbys22 wrote on Sep 16, 2008 1:04 PM:

" Common Sense, under your context of the word "accomplishment", I frankly don't care what Obama has or hasn't accomplished. We've had crappy leadership in this country for the past 8 years. Most working Americans are completely disillusioned with our government, while the leaders you stand for smile at the camera and tell us the fundamentals of our economy are strong.

America needs someone who can inspire us; someone who can bring back the pride; someone whom we can trust to surround himself not with like-minded cronies, but with people who have divergent opinions and offer new perspectives. McCain and Palin won't do that.

McCain and Palin smile at the camera and tell us the fundamentals of our economy are strong. Tell that to the the 592,000 people that lost jobs in August, taking the unemployment rate to a four-year high of 6.1%. The policies of the Bush administration, which McCain continues to espouse, will make us economic slaves to the rest of the world.

As an Independent and a Moderate, I'm not voting partisan. I'm voting for the team I feel is best prepared to make and implement the policies that will guide our country into the next decade. "

robbys22 wrote on Sep 16, 2008 1:08 PM:

" Common Sense wrote on Sep 16, 2008 12:48 PM:
" Maybe I've been too hard on Obama. I've gone back and reevaluated my opinions. I discovered that I overlooked one significant advantage that Obama brings:

More than any other candidate, he can guarantee improved relations with Kenya, Indonesia, Hawaii, and Illinois. "

If you look over the last 8 years, improved relations with Kenya and Indonesia would be a step forward for the United States.

Thanks for showing your true colors by focusing on ethnicity. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 16, 2008 1:10 PM:

" aDark1: Palin said her and her husband chose "Track" because that was the seasonal sport at her high school at the time he was born. Bristol and Willow: possibly named after the towns of Bristol Bay, and Willow, Alaska; One of Trig's middle names is Paxson, which is also a town in Alaska; Piper: after the Piper aircraft (Sarah owns an airplane -possibly a Piper? ) My guess: these were destinations where her children were conceived. Honestly. "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 16, 2008 1:24 PM:

" ADark1, I hope you are really proud of yourself for making fun of children. That's disgusting. "

rage against wrote on Sep 16, 2008 1:30 PM:

" Common sense,

How does McCain propose to build these 45 new nuclear power plants?

Also, McCain doesn't suggest any change of policy on solar, wind, natural gas, all he says we do is "rationalize the current patchwork of temporary tax credits" Doesn't sound like he has any plan for this.

As for "Clean Coal" estimates have this energy possibility over 15 years away from being available. McCain purposes to spend 2 billion a year on advancing this technology. Where is he going to get that money?

And let's not forget, more burning fossil fuels, and more nuclear energy. Energy that creates refuse which is harmful to our environment and our bodies is energy we don't need.

Let's stick with the issues, I like this. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 16, 2008 2:18 PM:

" For those of you who are interested, you should go to the Anchorage Daily News website and see what some of the Alaskans say about their own governor in their blogs/comments. "

ADark1 wrote on Sep 16, 2008 2:18 PM:

" Common Sense wrote on Sep 16, 2008 1:24 PM:

" ADark1, I hope you are really proud of yourself for making fun of children. That's disgusting. "

Actually I was attempting to inject humour, and making fun of the naming process...

We could get on to more serious things such as present government selling America to the highest bidder, then bailing them out...then borrowing money from China to pay the Saudis...

Or,
We COULD talk about how MaCain /Palin and the present Republican government have been proven to be liars over and over again.

OR!,
We could talk about the inept and treasonous way the government has been run and how MCain can't even keep yet another campaign promise that he would run a decent campaign and focus on the issues.

Should one dare to even question why the vp choice isn't allowed to talk to the press on her own, the media is now sexist and LIBURAL...or even worse.

OR,
We can talk about how initially after being lied to aboutgetting into the iraq war , BIG OIL was given no bid Oil contracts but they even scre*ed that up with Iraq now giving the OIL rights to the SAME country we have to borrow money from...that being CHINA!
OR,
We could talk about how Afghanistan and Pakistan were ALWAYS where al queada trained its folks, and Saddam did NOT allow them to have REAL bases in IRAQ and during 911 we "escorted" the saudi royal family.

Or, we could even talk about how during Katrina Mc Cain celebrated his bday with a cake from bush while Americans were left to die and he ate cake!

So yea I was lightening things up! "

cab e-girl wrote on Sep 16, 2008 2:51 PM:

" Rage- by the year 2030-not a stretch.

Where is Obama going to get the money for his plan? See his plan below, which I can only ask how?

And as for John McCain and Wind,Hydro and Solar from his Lexington Project(only a small part of his plan)

John McCain Will Encourage The Market For Alternative, Low Carbon Fuels Such As Wind, Hydro And Solar Power. According to the Department of Energy, wind could provide as much as one-fifth of electricity by 2030. The U.S. solar energy industry continued its double-digit annual growth rate in 2006. To develop these and other sources of renewable energy will require that we rationalize the current patchwork of temporary tax credits that provide commercial feasibility. John McCain believes in an even-handed system of tax credits that will remain in place until the market transforms sufficiently to the point where renewable energy no longer merits the taxpayers' dollars.

And Obamas ENTIRE PLAN
The Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will:

Provide short-term relief to American families facing pain at the pump

Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.

Within 10 years save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined.

Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars -- cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon -- on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America.

Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.

Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 16, 2008 3:47 PM:

" Obama's plan: And a chicken in every pot...

Ya really gotta like a snake oil salesman to keep him in business... "

robbys22 wrote on Sep 16, 2008 4:10 PM:

" Dwayne wrote on Sep 16, 2008 3:47 PM:
Ya really gotta like a snake oil salesman to keep him in business... "

That's exactly what we've been saying about the Bush era.... "

bettye wrote on Sep 16, 2008 6:02 PM:

" To" common sense." The remark about Edwards is sOOOO hypacritical .. Did you not hear about Mc Cain running around on his first wife ?? What is the difference between the 2 men ?? One is Demo. the other Rep. (adultery is adultery ,period !)Also, does it make it look right to our teenage girls that Palin was pregnant when she married "1st dude " That was stated in her "Palin Revealed" segment
In this case , the apple does'nt fall far from the tree.. Stop throwing stones , it might break someones glass house "

common sense wrote on Sep 16, 2008 10:09 PM:

" bettye says: "The remark about Edwards is sOOOO hypacritical .. Did you not hear about Mc Cain running around on his first wife ?? What is the difference between the 2 men ??"

-The difference is that McCain never lied about the breakup of his first marriage. Period. John Edwards did lie...he only confessed when caught red-handed. No hypocrisy whatsoever. "

common sense wrote on Sep 16, 2008 10:11 PM:

" ADark1 says: "So yea I was lightening things up!"

-Lightening things up by ridiculing children is shameful. "

common sense wrote on Sep 16, 2008 10:24 PM:

" 'rage', if McCain says he'll build 45 nuclear plants, he will build 45 nuclear plants. He has a strong record of achieving his objectives.

The Democrat plan for energy independence is hilarious: Don't allow offshore drilling, so that we have to get our oil far, far away and send it back to the US by ship, risking environmental disaster for thousands of miles. And enabling the largest transfer of wealth in world history to third world countries.

And, like it or not, we need to use our vast resources of coal and natural gas. We can produce it in a way that protects the environment. But no, the Democrats want to keep us chained to third world oil while claiming to be pro-solar and pro-wind. Nancy Pelosi has been in charge of Congress for a while now...what does she have to show for it? Nothing.

Sarah Palin has a strong background and solid experience in energy, with accomplishments as well. She will come in quite handy as Vice President. "

bettye wrote on Sep 16, 2008 11:09 PM:

" I heard McCain state ..(when ask about taking out a marriage liscense before his divorce was final ) that "He could't remember that because it was 30 years ago'.. common sense ,could you remember something as important as that 30 years ago ? I believe I could .. either he wasn't telling the truth OR he is TOO OLD and forgetful to be President .. Even Karl Rove says he is not 100% truthful .. "

ADark1 wrote on Sep 17, 2008 12:27 AM:

" common sense wrote on Sep 16, 2008 10:11 PM:

" ADark1 says: "So yea I was lightening things up!"

-Lightening things up by ridiculing children is shameful. "

Again TYPICAL Right Wing attack As I'd previously stated, I was making FUN of the way the names were selected NOT the children themselves!! DO you get it yet or do I need to S.P.E.L.L. it out for you?

BTW, how's claiming aperson is not a BORN American Citizen,or telling absolute LIES about a candidate doing for ya? Seems you are suffering from selective memory... I trust this will jar your thinking processes to understand what was meant! Even most folks with *common sense* should understand that. I sincerely await YOUR response on the REST of what I posted starting from the AWARD! "

ADark1 wrote on Sep 17, 2008 12:33 AM:

" Announcement!!!!!

THE Awards committee is hereby awarding the ....."How can you argue with that?" Award ,

for the following:

bettye wrote on Sep 16, 2008 11:09 PM: ...." I heard McCain state ..(when ask about taking out a marriage liscense before his divorce was final ) that "He could't remember that because it was 30 years ago'.. common sense ,could you remember something as important as that 30 years ago ? I believe I could .. either he wasn't telling the truth OR he is TOO OLD and forgetful to be President .. Even Karl Rove says he is not 100% truthful .. "

How CAN YOU argue with that?

THE Academy agrees 100% ( thats pretty hard since the Academy is all the people in my head and self Awarding these Awards)Its deserving of an Award!

Congrats are due for Bettye! "

Raven wrote on Sep 17, 2008 4:44 AM:

" so show me McCain's strong record for achieving his objectives....show me a few...

and I believe the house did vote on a drilling bill yesterday didnt they? "

common sense wrote on Sep 17, 2008 7:23 AM:

" bettye, you've got to stay away from let-wing blogs.

There are plenty of important things I don't remember clearly from 30 years ago. And, people often try to forget bad memories as well. John McCain was profoundly open and honest at the Saddleback debate, admitting that his biggest regret was the failure of his first marriage...and that it was his fault. I respect that kind of honesty, and it is something I have yet to see in Obama.

And if I were a liberal, I'd quit slamming people for being old...they are a BIG, RELIABLE voter block....

Perhaps that's why the polls show the elderly going for John McCain and Sarah Palin...they know they'll get a little respect, and maybe someone will actually listen to them. "

robbys22 wrote on Sep 17, 2008 10:04 AM:

" " Common Sense wrote on Sep 16, 2008 12:48 PM:
" Maybe I've been too hard on Obama. I've gone back and reevaluated my opinions. I discovered that I overlooked one significant advantage that Obama brings:
More than any other candidate, he can guarantee improved relations with Kenya, Indonesia, Hawaii, and Illinois. "

CommonSense, you've already proven that race is the determining factor for you in this election.

Stop hiding behind your superficial rebuttals. They mean nothing now that you've clearly stated your position. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 17, 2008 10:14 AM:

" CS - referring to McCain's indescretions: . . . "I respect that kind of honesty, and it something I have yet to see in Obama."

Don't hold your breath . . . You haven't seen it because he probably doesn't live his life that way. He is someone who can talk the talk because he walks the walk.

McCain's future apology list:

1. Gas is at $5.00 a gallon. It is my fault.

2. I have been unable to revamp the healthcare system. It is my fault.

3. Our nation is even further in debt. It is my fault.

4. We are still waging war in Irag, more troops have died doing so, and I am not sure when we will pull out. It is my fault.

Well, you get it . . . I know CS doesn't.
Yep, that is the kind of honesty that will create the change we need . . .

Obama/Biden 2008!

5. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 17, 2008 10:35 AM:

" My mistake -- mea culpa -- The Daily Gallup numbers I found earlier this morning said in the small print that they were for YESTERDAY and I missed them.

The Daily Gallup for Wednesday, 09-17-2008 now shows Obama in the lead Obama - 47% to McCain - 45% now.

It's interesting to note that the Gallup is not an outlier in the polling results now, most other respected polling shows Obama ahead for a few days already.

I guess American voters are catching on faster than I thought.

It is now time for Republicans to start saying that 'polls don't matter' as I predicted much earlier in this thread.

Republicans are going to have a hard time with the 'polls don't matter' line of bullcorn...

;o)

because Hillary Clinton operative and ex-DNC chair Terry McAulliffe is pretty much the world record holder with 8 gold medals in the 'polls don't matter' Olympics!

And... ;o)

Terry McAulliffe is out campaigning for Barack Obama now... the Republicans will have to find their own polling spinster... err, spin-meister!

~Ruff "

bettye wrote on Sep 17, 2008 10:35 AM:

" common sense .. Left wing blogs ?? That came straight from the segment of Mc Cain Revealed ( just like they had an Obama Revealed segment ) and that Karl Rove quote came from .... hold on tight now .... FOX NEWS !!! I heard it myself with my 71 year old ears !!! I still say Mc Cain is TOO OLD ! "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 17, 2008 10:51 AM:

" robbys22 says: "CommonSense, you've already proven that race is the determining factor for you in this election."

-Yawn. Don't be ridiculous. I'm part minority as well. Calling somebody racist because they have a different opinion than you might get you a couple liberal votes, but it certainly doesn't get you anything in middle America. "

kevin wrote on Sep 17, 2008 10:57 AM:

" And the Dem Party STILL can't bring the Hillary camp back into the fold:

"WASHINGTON (CNN) — Lynn Forester de Rothschild, a prominent Hillary Clinton supporter and member of the Democratic National Committee’s Platform Committee, will endorse John McCain for president on Wednesday, her spokesman tells CNN.

“This is a hard decision for me personally because frankly I don't like him,” she said of Obama in an interview with CNN’s Joe Johns. “I feel like he is an elitist. I feel like he has not given me reason to trust him.” "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 17, 2008 10:58 AM:

" bettye says: "...and that Karl Rove quote came from .... hold on tight now .... FOX NEWS !!!"

-Wait, let me get this straight...liberals complain that conservatives are getting their info from Fox News, but liberals are also getting their info from Fox News?

Maybe I should watch Fox News sometime...

Sorry, I don't believe in age discrimination. Just like I don't think Obama is too young. Obama's just inexperienced...and even though he's supposedly a "change" candidate, he sure doesn't seem to deal with the changing political landscape very well. "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 17, 2008 11:06 AM:

" Ruff says: "It is now time for Republicans to start saying that 'polls don't matter' as I predicted much earlier in this thread."

-You will never hear that from me. Both sides of the campaign rely on them. However, McCain would have to slide quite a way to get to where he was before the conventions...remember, he was almost 10 points behind Obama.

Throw in the Bradley effect and the fact that conservatives are far less likely to participate in polls (which we rediscovered after the 2004 election), McCain could actually be much further ahead than the numbers indicate, which is why I suspect McCain will win by a bigger margin than many "experts" predict.

As numbers drop slightly for McCain and Palin, watch for them to change the game again...they know Obama can't adapt fast enough. Perhaps naming a respected money guru to a cabinet position. John McCain and Sarah Palin are simply more capable of maintaining a higher operating tempo. "

grape wrote on Sep 17, 2008 11:15 AM:

" I found it interesting today to read that Obama banned the press from coming to the Hollywood fundraising event last night.

So...he wasn't able to bring himself to ban the media when he visited Iraq long enough for him to visit the wounded troops but he IS able to ban them from his fundraiser?

He didn't want to visit the wounded troops afterall, otherwise he would have banned the media and gone. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 17, 2008 11:55 AM:

" bettye wrote on Sep 17, 2008 10:35 AM:".....I still say Mc Cain is TOO OLD ! "

A rose by any other name is still a rose, so therefore discrimination for any reason is still discrimination, right...???

What if I say "Obama is too black...!!!" How's that...??? Tit-for-tat...

Now get real, and pay attention to what you say..... "

robbys22 wrote on Sep 17, 2008 12:15 PM:

" Common Sense; I never called you a racist; I simply said that by your comments, race is a factor.

If it wasn't, you certainly wouldn't have pointed out his heritage. Besides it's not uncommon for one minority group to treat another with suspicion, so your heritage matters not at all.

Let me just end by quoting you directly from a post of yours earlier:

Of course, if somebody says something that has some sting in it, the part that stings is usually the part that has some truth to it. Denial is the first stage to recovery. "

robbys22 wrote on Sep 17, 2008 12:23 PM:

" Dwayne - My question for you has nothing to do with politics, McCain, Obama, Biden or Palin, and it certainly has nothing to do with liberal vs. conservative; my question for you is do you honestly believe that saying someone is too old to be president because of the likelihood of failing mental capacity is the exact same or "tit for tat" as you called it, of saying someone is "too black" to be president? "

14obama wrote on Sep 17, 2008 12:44 PM:

" Really diggin deep aren't we "elb" ? It's a typical remark from someone who will say she's not prejudice. You have no idea who Barack Obama is and you'll never know with that closeminded attack. "

ADark1 wrote on Sep 17, 2008 1:34 PM:

" I'll probably get slammed for this one! :)

I've been taking notice of all the ways Obamas' name has been corrupted by the politically corrupt hard core right wingers..

THAT being the case, I wanted to ofer MY version of a corruption of the Rights candidates'!

MKcCain....Take out the Mc and guess what that spells? Of course we all know he SLEW Abel!

Palin...Take out the L and guess what that spells? Elect those two and the American public will feel even MORE!....PAIN!

So we have class,.... Cain and Pain!

~Chuckles I know, I know, but its still funny to me and all the other folks running around in my head! Its also a pretty sobering truth.

Hmmmm too black to be President?, too inexperienced?, Too white to be Black? Nice way of raising the bar...Were I him?, I'd come out in the debates and give Cain the dressing down he needed for being such a hypocrite! Then again , I'd guess he;d be smeared for jumping off the high road.

I do HAVE a major thought here for this thread..

A MAJOR concern will be the electronic voting machines that will be used. I seem to remember that in ohio a precint that had 674 registered voters and a high Democratic voter roll ended up having over 4,000 votes for Bush...

With the polls as being close as they are? I predict if Cain and Pain win?, that is where the difference will lie!

I would like to believe Americans on both sides woulod request a true accounting and fix BEFORE this election, however its NOT in the interest of the right to do so..

Your thoughts? "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 17, 2008 1:38 PM:

" robbys22 says: "Common Sense; I never called you a racist; I simply said that by your comments, race is a factor."

-Implying someone is a racist is effectively the same as calling someone a racist.

robbys22 says: "If (race) wasn't (an issue), you certainly wouldn't have pointed out his heritage."

-Do you deny that Illinois, Hawaii, Kenya, and Indonesia are excited about Obama? He's lived in Illinois, Hawaii, and Indonesia, and has lots of family (including at least one brother and a grandmother) currently living in Kenya...what warped liberal logic makes this a racist statement?

robbys22 says: "Besides it's not uncommon for one minority group to treat another with suspicion..."

-I have African ancestry. The only people I'm suspicious of are liberals.

Robbys22, you are deliberately making race a factor. I could make the same case that you are voting against McCain because he is white...but that would be absurd. Isn't it interesting that the only ones making race an issue are the liberals? "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 17, 2008 1:44 PM:

" Dwayne - "tit-for-tat" how mature.

CS - if I said the sky is blue, you would argue it. Nuff said "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 17, 2008 2:12 PM:

" kevin - Imagine that!

A member of the most elite of elitists doesn't like Obama, the very man who Republican-enablers call elitist at every turn?

I can hardly stop weeping for joy!

Since the polls have now turned against McCain/Palin and the slide is just beginning...

I hope you are not counting on that one vote to win New York???

McCain's post convention bounce is gone and Sarah Palin has record-breakingly fast falling 'favorables'.

Republicans can expect more battering since for Palin since they decided to start stonewalling on 'Troopergate'. Too bad that the Republicans forgot the Nixon rule - 'It's not the crime, it's the coverup'.

'Troopergate' was starting to fade until the Repubs decided to give it more energy by refusing to cooperate with the investigation called 14-0 by a Republican dominated legislative committee.

The lobbyists running the Republican campaign are probably ordering maximum strength TUMS in the large jar now.

Of course, I am here to cheer the great unraveling of the Republican coalition. They've been able to win elections pretty well - however Republicans are either too crooked... or just aren't competent... to run the government.

~Ruff "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 17, 2008 2:32 PM:

" 14obama -

In the same way that Martin Luther King had lots of support from white folks with good hearts;

I can testify that there are lots of white folks such as... every voter in my rather large extended family... who are ready to vote for the first black president!

I likely would have voted for Colin Powell, but the Republicans put up an easy-to-reject empty suit like George W. Bush.

It's sad that some, not all, people are not looking at the decent hardworking humble intelligent family man we are presented because of racial prejudice.

That's the 'Bradley Effect'... lying to pollsters about your racial prejudice that the Republicans here are hoping will help them win.

Many of 'our better angels' recognized Martin Luthor King back in the Civil Rights Movement days. Now 'our better angels' are jumping up and down for joy at the opportunity to see Barack Obama become president!

I can hardly wait for my ballot to arrive so I can proudly vote FOR Barack Obama.

~Ruff "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 17, 2008 2:49 PM:

" Kevin - pleeaasse. She is one person, not the "Hilary camp"! "

Sandra wrote on Sep 17, 2008 2:58 PM:

" Robbys22, you have lost me.... Is it your premise that ethnicity in this race is important CommonSense because of the listing of geographical locations? That is not pointing out heritage, that is pointing out locations....Geez, do you think each country or state only has one ethnicity in it?
I was waiting for the "If you do not support Obama, you are racist" view to surface. I hope that is not what you are inferring.... "

russ wrote on Sep 17, 2008 3:00 PM:

" There Ruff goes again, playing the race card. If I vote for McCain, am I a closet racist?

This election is not about black and white, it's about socialism vs. American principles as defined by our founders and the Constitution.

Obama has said quite clearly, he wants to take from the rich and give cash to the middle class. even those who pay no taxes.

If that's not socialism, what is it? "

robbys22 wrote on Sep 17, 2008 3:11 PM:

" Common Sense - You crack me up. I give you credit for your voraciousness though. You have clearly learned from the McCain/Palin campaign that if you latch on to single thoughts rather than address the larger issue, that way you can invoke the politics of victimization.
That way, when someone uses your own argument against you, you can cry foul while avoiding actually addressing the full issue that was raised.

Your most recent posting is the best example...you say I'm deliberately bringing race into it, yet you're the one who brought up Kenya and Indonesia. Again, and I can't stress this enough, I never said you were racist, I merely said you were making race a factor. YOU were the one who interpreted it that way. As YOU have said already on these pages, "Of course, if somebody says something that has some sting in it, the part that stings is usually the part that has some truth to it. Denial is the first stage to recovery. "

Oh by the way, in response to the title of this blog, Sarah Palin was a good choice politically for the GOP, but a horrible one for America. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 17, 2008 3:30 PM:

" Russ: wow how you make BO's intent out to be socialist. His policy is to protect tax cuts for poor and middle class families, reverse most of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers. Further, Bush's irresponsible policies of giving tax breaks for the wealthy will cost the nation over $2.3 trillion by the time they expire in 2009. Just guessing here but I think you are for "American principles". Well those principles have our economy in the toilet. Wake up! "

robbys22 wrote on Sep 17, 2008 3:54 PM:

" Sandra - I'm definitely NOT inferring if you don't vote for Obama then you are a racist. I did my best to avoid inferring anything like that at all, though with race being a sensitive topic, that's a major chore. I was merely responding to a reference to "improved relations with Indonesia and Kenya" in the same manner as others here when they cried foul on the now infamous lipstick comment.

Hey...Common Sense....I think you and I could do very well hosting a radio show together...kind of a point/counterpoint thing!! "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 17, 2008 4:04 PM:

" robbys22, you give me too much credit. I call things as I see it. Contradictions deserve further analysis.

Stating geographic locations is not 'playing the race card'. Even if I was, which race are you referring to for Illinois, Hawaii, and Indonesia? There are many races living there...I know, I've been to all three. (I'll agree that Kenya is mostly black).

You stated "CommonSense, you've already proven that race is the determining factor for you in this election." I feel no sting from that. However, you are clearly calling me a racist when it comes to who I vote for. That is dishonest on your part.

As for "the politics if victimization", perhaps that is why so many people like Sarah Palin...she never plays the victim card. Obama does (and against Bill Clinton, none the less!) "

Common Sense wrote on Sep 17, 2008 4:08 PM:

" robbys22 says: "Hey...Common Sense....I think you and I could do very well hosting a radio show together...kind of a point/counterpoint thing!!"

-Easy for you to say...you're the liberal. I'm the libertarian/conservative...I'll get shot. "

robbys22 wrote on Sep 17, 2008 7:20 PM:

" Tip of the cap to you Common Sense! We'll simply agree to disagree....our votes are going to cancel each other out anyway! "

common sense wrote on Sep 17, 2008 8:24 PM:

" robbys22 says: "..our votes are going to cancel each other out anyway!"

-But you're not counting all the voting I'm going to do in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Colorado! Stealing elections is hard work! "

bettye wrote on Sep 17, 2008 8:25 PM:

" To get back to the beginning of this post.. I would hope that people will see this choice for what is ..not something good for the Nation ,just simply a ploy to help McCain's sagging campaign.. anything to win the election.. and they just might pull it off.. Heaven help us if they do . I am not against old people ,I am one myself , but when you can't remember what you have said a short time ago ,then something is seriously wrong !! Why would you want someone like that leading our Nation in such a time of crisis? And ,yes, Common Sense , I do watch Fox News occasionally, for laughs.. "

common sense wrote on Sep 17, 2008 10:09 PM:

" bettye says: "...but when you can't remember what you have said a short time ago..."

-The incident you referred to happened 30 years ago. That's not a short time ago. I will not criticize someone for not remembering details from decades past, especially when they are probably trying to forget them and move on.

bettye says: "Why would you want someone like that leading our Nation in such a time of crisis?"

-And what evidence do you have that Barack Obama would provide adequate leadership during a time of crisis? I don't see any.

John McCain was right on the Surge (even Obama admitted it finally). John McCain voted against Bush's energy bill in 2005 that gave sweetheart deals to oil companies...Obama voted FOR it! John McCain sponsored legislation in 2005 to reform the financial sector, stating that we would pay a heavy price down the road if we didn't...the legislation did not pass, and here we are in an economic mess 3 years later.

I trust John McCain to go toe-to-toe with Vladimir Putin...Obama spinelessly gave Hillary control of his convention.

For me it is simple...I trust John McCain and Sarah Palin. I certainly don't agree with either of them on everything, but BOTH the logical arguments and my gut tells me that is the right choice. "

bettye wrote on Sep 17, 2008 11:08 PM:

" common sense , I wasn't reffering to the divorce thing this time I have several incidents of him backpedaling on something he stated a few days before ,but we are at opposite ends of the political spectrum and you won't change my view and I won't change yours so I'll just say I hope your "gut "feeling is not just something you ate for dinner and I don't know what the logical arguments are ..... "

ADark1 wrote on Sep 17, 2008 11:23 PM:

" common sense wrote on Sep 17, 2008 8:24 PM:

" robbys22 says: "..our votes are going to cancel each other out anyway!"

-But you're not counting all the voting I'm going to do in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Colorado! Stealing elections is hard work! "

Careful commonsense, you're probably more correct then you could possibly have an idea of..I think however enough people have woken up to watch and monitor that very carefully..Still can be done but won't be just as easy this time. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:21 AM:

" robbys22 wrote on Sep 17, 2008 12:23 PM:
" Dwayne - My question for you has nothing to do with politics, McCain, Obama, Biden or Palin, and it certainly has nothing to do with liberal vs. conservative; my question for you is do you honestly believe that saying someone is too old to be president because of the likelihood of failing mental capacity is the exact same or "tit for tat" as you called it, of saying someone is "too black" to be president? "

Actually, it's worse... The tale is told by Obama's mentor for 20-years, the white/America-hating Reverend Wright... The largest charitable donation Obama ever made was over $20-thousand to that "church"...

Being "too black" is a hateful/victim attitude, not a color.... "

common sense wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:01 AM:

" ADark1 says: "Careful commonsense, you're probably more correct then you could possibly have an idea of..I think however enough people have woken up to watch and monitor that very carefully."

-The only actual evidence of illegal election activities I've seen was the video of the Democrat congresswoman telling illegals how to vote down in San Diego a couple years ago. The whole thing is captured for the world to see. "

common sense wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:06 AM:

" bettye says: "I'll just say I hope your "gut "feeling is not just something you ate for dinner..."

Maybe I'm just tuning in to Obama's negativity. Here's what Obama said during his ABC interview:

"If we're going to ask questions about who has been promulgating negative ads that are completely unrelated to the issues at hand, I think I win that contest pretty handily."

Additionally, the Washington Post says:

"Seventy-seven percent of the Illinois Democrat's commercials were negative during the week after the Republican National Convention, compared with 56 percent of the spots run by McCain."

Generally, the most negative candidate loses the election...people like positive solutions to our problems. "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:25 AM:

" ADark1 - so you are admitting that Obama needs vote fraud to win? Get in touch with Michael Moore - in 2004 he had voter registrations in New York and Michigan - and maybe others. He said it was all right for him to do that because he could be trusted not to vote twice (yeah, sure, as far as I could throw him). "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:42 AM:

" luv1mom - So far, kevin's 'one person' IS the PUMA 'Hillary Camp'!

Even Hillary is in the 'Obama Camp' now. To quote Hillary Clinton herself,

"No How, No Way, No McCain, No Palin!"

When the Republican-enablers trot out one person as the 'Hillary Camp' it just demonstrates how desperate they are to find division in the Democratic ranks.

We can expect lots of this kind of jibber-jabber.

If the Dems stay united, Republicans lose BIG -- so it's been a Standard Operating Procedure to sow division in the Democratic Party with 'wedge issues'. And to try to suppress Democratic voters.

It's not working this time.

For the 'Palin Panic' mongers -- polling shows that the 'white women' demographic is moving and hardening against Sarah Palin on the Republican ticket instead of the Republican dream of drawing more of the 'white women' demographic to the Republican ticket.

It's also HILARIOUS to hear the major NVR peddlers of Republican nativism in regard to Mexicans (Anybody miss the nasty nativism fest about Mexican Independence Day?) calling ME a 'racist' for saying that this 'white guy' is going to PROUDLY vote for Barack Obama.

However, if I am a racist in their view -- it's a BIG compliment!

I'm a LIBRUL pacifist socialist America-hating commie 'racist' now!

Gosh! I hope I didn't miss anything!

So many accolades... if they were medals, my chest would look like a North Korean general...

~Ruff "

rage against wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:38 AM:

" Speaking of Rev. Wright, and being "too black", has anybody in here ever read James Cone's book A Black Theology of Liberation?

I have, it is one of Rev. Wright's and many Christian theologians religous inspirations. If you are indeed a Christian of any color, you would understand the book and the religion of Christianity are supposed to be about mental and spiritual liberation.

If you haven't read the book, and haven't researched any Christian Theology I can see how you wouldn't understand the lanuage of spiritual pedagogy. "

rage against wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:43 AM:

" The other thing to consider when choosing a president/vice president is are you picking who will represent the majority of the people?
Seeing as pretty soon white people will be the minority in this country maybe some of you Republicans should re-think your vote.
Sorry to scare you white America. "

rage against wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:55 AM:

" Common sense,

Is that really your response to my description of John McCain's energy plan? "He says he'll build them (45 nuclear power plants), so he'll build them."
Is that the same kind of "get ir done" attitude he exhibited when he changed his view on opposing domestic oil drilling?

And, you didn't address anything else I asked about, but instead attacked the democratic energy plan (with false information and another quip about nancy pelosi, who ISN'T in this election and/or conversational spotlight).

I hoped you would have more for me than that. But it proves that Republicans can't talk about issues. End of story.

Also, this was mentioned before, but isn't it sad that McCain's campaign advisors are the same people who threw dirt on his name when he ran against Bush?

And isn't it sad that while McCain tries to speak at rallys (maybe about issues, but no one could hear) his voice is drowned out by fans shouting at their new evangelical star PALIN, PALIN, PALIN?????????

Sad and worthy of defeat. "

common sense wrote on Sep 18, 2008 10:56 AM:

" Boy, look at all the liberals on our own Napa blog injecting race into the debate. Good luck with that. I have a sneaky suspicion that will not help Obama with the middle-America votes he needs.

ruff says: "Even Hillary is in the 'Obama Camp' now."

-But many of her backers are not. Just yesterday, Lynn Forester de Rothschild,(a prominent Hillary Clinton supporter and member of the Democratic National Committees Platform Committee) announced her endorsement of McCain/Palin...and she will be campaigning for them! "

grape wrote on Sep 18, 2008 11:02 AM:

" rage against wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:38 AM:

" Speaking of Rev. Wright, and being "too black", has anybody in here ever read James Cone's book A Black Theology of Liberation?
-------------

I've read part of it and it was very enlightening...very much a reason why Obama saying he didn't hear Rev. Wright's remarks is a lie. His church was based on Black Theology, though you can't find the reference to it now on the church site. Black Theology says that they do not believe God is God if he is not for the black race and against the white race. That's enough for me to know Obama is as bad as Wright and not the man for the job.

McCainPalin 2008 "

rage against wrote on Sep 18, 2008 12:36 PM:

" grape,

You say you have read part of A black Theology of Liberation, no doubt the part that explains the words black and white as having little invlolvment with race, but instead being labels for those against oppression and those for oppression.

Your comments show that you clearly haven't read the book, only the parts you chose, or probably someone else chose, to justify an argument.

I think I've said this before to people just like yourself,
"You have to read the whole book not just the cover"

Somehow I think I'll have to say that again, and again, and again. The language of oppression is easy to speak, and much harder to hear.

Obama/Biden 08 "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 18, 2008 12:38 PM:

" Somewhere along the line, Reverend Wright discovered that it was easier and more rewarding to become a black race baiter than to become a pillar of society and a tribute to his race.

Its sad, and it appears as though this man could have been something worthy, instead of Pastor of a racist Church. A rich Pastor mind you, but a man with what motives? What are the motives behind the injuries he is inflicting on race relations in this country, and what part of his act has Obama accepted? Anyone who would listen to that nonsense and hate spech for 20-years has a mindset not worthy of being an American. Listen to Obama's wife. They have her in hiding now because of her slip-ups. She can't help but mirror what she believes... "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 18, 2008 12:49 PM:

" CS writes: ". . . But many of her(Hilary) backers are not. . . (supporting Obama) "

Lynn Forester de Rothschild is one person, not "many of her backers".

CS also wrote: "Generally, the most negative candidate loses the election...people like positive solutions to our problems. "

That is why Obama is the next president. I can't wait! "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 18, 2008 12:52 PM:

" Grape: apparently you didn't hear that Obama severed ties with Rev. Wright and the church . . . keep up. Pretty brave of you to call Obama a liar when your own party continues to lie and stretch the truth on a daily basis.

Obama/Biden 2008! "

common sense wrote on Sep 18, 2008 1:05 PM:

" 'rage' says: "And, you didn't address anything else I asked about, but instead attacked the democratic energy plan..."

-The post you made where you stated you wanted to discuss issues was all about energy (Sep. 16, where you said "Let's stick with the issues, I like this."). I pointed out the problems with YOUR candidate's/party's position. Rather than counter, you just say that "...it proves that Republicans can't talk about issues." If that's your position, there is nothing I can do to help you. You can lead a horse to water...

'rage' says: "with false information and another quip about nancy pelosi, who ISN'T in this election..."

-If I say something false, let me know...I'll admit if I'm wrong. Would you?

I don't like your rule that Nancy Pelosi can't be mentioned because she isn't in this election. Her role in Congress is relevant, and her policies are close to Obama's (except she might be a little more conservative!). I suspect your man Obama would disagree with your position as well, since he loves to bring up Bush...and we know he's not running again. You can't have it both ways.

Obama has not presented a plan and the little record he has is not comforting. He has not earned my trust...John McCain has. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 18, 2008 1:36 PM:

" Hey republicans, just in:

GOP Congressman Wayne Gilchrest, a maverick Republican from Maryland, endorsed Illinois Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for president in an interview Wednesday with WYPR, Baltimore's National Public Radio station . . . Justifying his endorsement of Obama, Gilchrest said that "we can't use four more years of the same kind of policy that's somewhat haphazard, which leads to recklessness." Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), "have the breadth of experience. I think they're prudent. They're knowledgable."

Richard Riordan, the former Republican mayor of Los Angeles said the Illinois senator was by far the best choice for the White House and the only one with the intellect to shepherd the country through troubled economic times. "He's extremely bright and energetic, and he's a guy who gets things done," said Riordan. Riordan criticized GOP presidential nominee John McCain's past support for financial deregulation, saying it helped trigger the mortgage crisis and subsequent economic downturn. "There's nothing in his background that shows he's a person who can understand these complicated economic issues, or shows that he is entrepreneurial enough to bring about change."

Ouch!! "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 18, 2008 2:14 PM:

" Speaking of endorsements, has anyone noticed how Hill and Bill have been conspicuously absent from the Obama campaign? No surprise, they won't help much. They would prefer Obama to lose to make it easier for Hillary to make another run in 2012.

NObama - keep the change. "

grape wrote on Sep 18, 2008 3:42 PM:

" luv1mom wrote on Sep 18, 2008 12:52 PM:

" Grape: apparently you didn't hear that Obama severed ties with Rev. Wright and the church . . . keep up. Pretty brave of you to call Obama a liar when your own party continues to lie and stretch the truth on a daily basis.
---------------------------

So you actually believe that Obama attended that church for 20 years and just suddenly in the middle of the campaign changed his religious views simply by quitting his membership? I am not that naive to believe he is a changed man overnight. He threw his pastor under the bus for political reasons.

And rageagainst...I read very little of the book because I couldn't get past what I was reading. I saw what Obama's church had on their own website and it stated that they would not believe in a God that was not the God that was for the black man and against the white man. So I don't really need a book now do I to understand how the church that Obama attended for 20 years felt. "

common sense wrote on Sep 18, 2008 4:40 PM:

" Drudge is reporting that the son of Democrat Tennessee State Rep. Kernell is being investigated for hacking Sarah Palin's private email.

Is anyone surprised? Anyone? Anyone? "

misfit wrote on Sep 18, 2008 6:15 PM:

" Dewaaayne...Give it up please!!!
Is that all you have, "Reverend Wright"???
This country is crumbling beneath us because of RepubliCON policies over that past 8 years and all you can come up with is, the passe reverend.
Oh, BTW, have you seen the polls today? Looks like the Palin/McCain ticket is losing ground. The Palin bobble head, has popped! "

misfit wrote on Sep 18, 2008 6:32 PM:

" Nice try PPF! Pitiful. "

ADark1 wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:16 PM:

" PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:25 AM:

" ADark1 - so you are admitting that Obama needs vote fraud to win? Get in touch with Michael Moore - in 2004 he had voter registrations in New York and Michigan - and maybe others. He said it was all right for him to do that because he could be trusted not to vote twice (yeah, sure, as far as I could throw him). "

One of the major reasons I like debating against you PPF is your sense of humour...Nice to see you took your beak outta Palin's bathwater long enough to crack me up! :)

As far as religion goes to other commenters..

I finished a lengthy deal of that with Sandra in the Legit Critisn of Palin thread..go there as I'm too lazy to put it here.

I will simply ask this...

1. Take off the rose colored glasses.
2. Keep a bible close by.

I do find it alarming that haggee and Falwell both openly homophobic ( among other things) Billy Graham a racist are ok as Pastors for the right...

Seems like a double standard here..Remember what they've PUBLICALY stated about 911 and Katrina! "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:52 PM:

" ADARK1-

I now know not to read any of your comments with a mouthful of "water". That bathwater comment almost made me choke. Too funny.

Billy Graham certainly said some regrettable things many years ago but I still mostly admire him. I saw him roughly 15 years ago at the Oakland Coliseum and he was incredible. I don't think it's fair to lump him in with those other two. God may very well have a "special" place for them. Hope they bring sunblock. "

ADark1 wrote on Sep 18, 2008 10:57 PM:

" Source, Time magazine...secrect confessions of Billy Graham.....trust me hear ye...what he says about the Jews isn't pretty..

BTW didn;t anyone teach you not to read this blog with liquids in your mouth? These folks are KNOWN keyboard Killers! "

rage against wrote on Sep 19, 2008 9:09 AM:

" So,
I guess the real question is, can we all work together to improve our country no matter who is elected? (Probably Obama!)

Common Sense,
You stated that the democratic position on domestic drilling is to not allow it. That is false information. Information for Obama's domestic oil drilling plans, which include allowing domestic oil drilling, can be found in the "Promote the Domestic Production of Oil and Natural Gas" section of his Energy plan, found on his website.

Also, I have no rules or regulations that restrict you or anyone else from talking about irrelevant aspects of our conversation, and I have never demanded such. But I do reserve the right to object to the sidetracking of our conversation. I was trying to learn more about your understanding of McCain's energy policy, but once again I was lectured on how horrible the democrats are, justified with false information no less.

I have found it almost impossible to actually talk about a candidate's issues with anyone other than a democrat or an independent. I don't think I could draw any other conclusion other than Republicans just can't logically justifiy their political arguments. This would explain why most of them have such a strong commitment to some kind of faith.

Either way, I am optimistic about working with you and others like you towards real communication. Let's try to make that change!

Obama/Biden 2008 "

Sandra wrote on Sep 19, 2008 1:02 PM:

" I finished a lengthy deal of that with Sandra "

ADark1 wrote on Sep 19, 2008 3:18 PM:

" Sandra wrote on Sep 19, 2008 1:02 PM:

" I finished a lengthy deal of that with Sandra " "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 19, 2008 4:30 PM:

" Well, it's dark days again in McCain/Palin (or is it Palin/McCain as Mooseburger herself says) land.

Today's 'Daily Gallup' poll has Obama-49% over McCain-44%.

The Palin VP nomination did 'energize the Republican base' and 'bring home' the self-styled Christian Rightwing, but that is not enough.

So be prepared for the Republican-enablers to start telling us that "Polls don't matter" on que from the McCain Campaign very soon now.

What I find most remarkable about the McCain campaign drop is HOW FAST it is happening.

Sarah Palin's favorables dropped 10% net in one day after she botched the Charlie Gibson interview.

McCain's standings in the polls has DROPPED VERY FAST, not as fast as Sarah's numbers, but a VERY FAST DROP just the same.

It would seem that Americans who are losing their jobs, healthcare, homes, savings, and retirement nesteggs are becoming aware McCain's old buddy-buddy and 'economic advisor' Phil Gramm is the author of the 'deregulation' that made this predatory financial meltdown possible.

And McCain's buddy-buddy Phil Gramm left the Senate to become a lobbyist involved in preventing all efforts to fix this dreadful mess before it got out of hand.

The McCain attempt to convince people that his two-day old 'Regulator' persona is the real John McCain is NOT SELLING to any but the most gullible rubes.

Decent Americans respect John McCain's military service to our country -- but smart people don't really want a John Dubya McBush third term.

By the way... the meltdown is NOT OVER YET... Cash is king!

~Ruff "

ADark1 wrote on Sep 19, 2008 5:02 PM:

" Ruff? You have so GOT to show up @ BM2! Either that or Imma hunt you down and try to convince you to do a radio show ...which of course I'd love to produce...Being bogged down in other things I had not the time to get up to date and espouse that!

OUTSTANDING!

I think you're in for some type of Award!

LOL! "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 19, 2008 6:07 PM:

" I am not so sure that your really want me to attend BloggerMania II... Most folks would find my dietary habits unusual, and if I made enough for ten, my feelings would end up hurt, and I would just end up overeating to compensate.

;o)

You want to talk to me about a radio show?

You mean it? ;o)

Can I speak in my first language, KLINGON, at least part of the time?

I find that it is hard to speak clearly in English alone... that's why I blog! I can use the KLINGON-ENGLISH language converter and the NVR moderator will filter out the worst mistakes.

Finally... ;o)

How dark will the glass be on the limo that picks me up from my 'undisclosed bunker location' in Napa?

And if we drive through a Republican neighborhood and my 'fans' find out who is in the car... you'll have to agree to cover washing the rotten eggs off promptly! They are much harder to clean off if you wait, you know.

;o)

Other than that, I would probably be considered a 'cheap date', as long as you can keep the groupies away from my lovely wife, who would probably wish to invite them over to be... err, for... dinner.

;o)

But if you are serious - Have your people call my people - or email me at: RuffLimblogAtGoogleMailDotCom

I pretty much only get an occasional email 'naughty-boy' from the NVR moderator there.

~Ruff "

ADark1 wrote on Sep 19, 2008 7:43 PM:

" Agreed!

BTW those of you die hard Pain supporters.....I'm wondering how many of you are NOT *witches*..

Now I seem to remember how week after week, after week after MONTH., everyone jumped on Obama's minister...Well WHAT about Pain and Pastor Muthi...(pronounced Mooooo theeeee)..Seems SHE ( Pain) gave testimony in her church about how he prayed for her to win the governership etc.. WAIT! there's more!

Seems he is aslo an *expert* in finding witches and demons...you know the one's that cause traffic accidents and allow bars to be open? Killed a few snake demons as well!

He ran Mamma Jane ( a local fortune teller) out of a village in Africa, but yet, found the Lord on his side to get Pain elected governer!

Guess some folks won't find that disturbing even though Pain gives him partial credit for her win...things that make you go hmmmm.....

No neither ADARK1 NOR the Awards committee is making this stuff up! I mean how could ANYONE make this **** up?
Go ahead enablers....defend THAT one!

Naw I was nice and didn't talk about the 12 state employees that are too scared to end up on her *Haters* list by testifying and telling the truth, or her hubbie NOW will not cooperate....or how the Cain campaign is now attempting to stall the investigation made up by 8 pubbie and 4 dems who agreed UNAMIOUISLY to do the troopergate deal...

Nixon tried that too.....

Ermmmm didn't she say something about her wanting to be held *accountable*?

Can we now say Baaaaaaaa , Baaaaaaa, hello sheep!....the grass is greener over here...comeon sheeep Baaaa, Baaaaaa! "

Sandra wrote on Sep 19, 2008 7:54 PM:

" Re: my earlier post...obviously it did not all go through...but I will just remain cryptic.... "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 20, 2008 8:43 AM:

" Some polling today is showing that Sarah Palin's favorables have dropped an astounding 29 points in 9 days.

When someone is introduced to the public, most people don't have any idea who they are, so they form a first opinion based on the person's introduction.

The RNC in Minnesota was Sarah's introduction to millions of non-evangelical Americans.

The newly-introduced person's appearance and dress also matter. This is not sexism - "Does Sarah look like a 'hockey mom' or 'Vampira - Queen of the Dark' is what I mean.

After the snap judgement, people want to find out more, of course.

And, like a well-packaged but bad-tasting food item with a big advertising budget that people buy, taste and reject...

The more people find out, the less they like Sarah Palin.

And for the facts, not smears, about Sarah Palin bunch -- today it has come out in DOCUMENTS from the Alaskan government - that Sarah Palin's lawyer was LYING in the most recent 'explanation' of the firing of Alaska's Chief of Public Safety.

The newly 'inoperative' explanation was that 'the last straw' was that the Chief of Public Safety had gone off on his own to Washington,DC to get a rape kit grant and thus spent money without authorization.

Except he WAS AUTHORIZED in writing.

That means Sarah's hired mouthpiece must come up with something less, factually-challenged.

If you've done nothing wrong -- why do you need fancy lawyers, refuse to testify, and ignore supoenas?

That is just soooo George Dubya. "

a teacher wrote on Sep 20, 2008 4:23 PM:

" I said it before, RUFF, Palin is George Bush in a skirt... "

davidnotgoliath wrote on Sep 20, 2008 5:16 PM:

" "a teacher" is right..but Palin is actually worse than W..she thinks she is smart (with lipstick). "

cab e-girl wrote on Sep 20, 2008 5:20 PM:

" Oh so now Palin is George Bush. I thought McCain was George W Bush? And if Sarah is just like Bush why would she file a lawsuit against the Bush Administration? She obviously sees something differently than GW. You lefties are starting to crack me up! Or maybe your are just starting to crack up. Your witch hunt is all telling. "

a teacher wrote on Sep 20, 2008 7:23 PM:

" Witch Hunt? No, that's a republican thing.y4tgp "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 20, 2008 10:02 PM:

" cab e-girl - I am actually a bit sexist myself like a lot of men who call their wives their 'better half'.

And I actually agree with the saying that "Women are better than men, after all, Ginger Rodgers did everything that Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in high heels!"

However, I still wonder what Sarah Palin is trying to hide, and why she is trying to hide it.

Keith Olberman asked the question the other day... Paraphrasing:

The 'Troopergate' story was about to blow over in Sarah Palin's favor, until the campaign suddenly decided to start doing the Bush stonewall routine. What is Sarah Palin trying to hide? Doesn't she remember that the coverup is worse than the crime?"

Perhaps you can tell us why an innocent person acts so guilty, lawyering up, and all?

I know Republicans are always telling the rest of us that if we are not guilty we don't need civil rights, due process, lawyers and such... sooo... what's up?

What's the latest Republican KoolAide on that, eh?

The McCain campaign is down another point today... the Daily Gallup shows Obama-50% vs McCain-44%.

And the McCain trend has been down for about a week now. Bye-bye, bounce. And McCain crowds are much smaller when Palin is not there... bad news.

~Ruff "

Sandra wrote on Sep 21, 2008 10:18 AM:

" So far Palin is Cheny in a skirt, Rowe in a skirt and now Bush in a skirt...dang...the woman gets around, don't she? "

misfit wrote on Sep 21, 2008 1:14 PM:

" teacher...I would like to take exception to your comment that Palin is George Bush in a skirt. I think you underestimate her a bit. Although she exhibits some of Bush's tendancies, I see that she is more of Dickwad Cheney in drag.

Common sense...Do you wish to see Palin go toe to toe with Putin?

Anyway...we are all wasting valuable air here fellow Dems... McCain's ineptitude on economics and inability to see what is right in front of him and his dependence on the very people who caused this mess to begin with, show that he is incapable of leading this country. Today, "This Week with George Stephanopolis" was a pleasure to watch. Everyone at the round table knocked John McCain for his total ineptitude on the topic this week. It's only a matter of time before those with any intelligence, come over to the Obama side to redeem themselves, just in time for the election. I am enjoying this! "

bettye wrote on Sep 21, 2008 3:48 PM:

" misfit, I wish it were true that they will come over to the "sensible side " but I actually have relatives who are RABID rep. and they WILL NOT VOTE Dem. no matter what you say .. (sorry to say ..they are "rednecks") So I just let them rant against Obama .. Most of it is because he is Black , they believe anything bad that they hear about him .. not even trying to find out if it is true..Very sad. "

a teacher wrote on Sep 21, 2008 4:28 PM:

" " So far Palin is Cheny in a skirt, Rowe in a skirt and now Bush in a skirt...dang...the woman gets around, don't she? "

That's what I hear...;) "

misfit wrote on Sep 21, 2008 5:03 PM:

" I totally understand Bettye. It is very sad that people "Choose" to maintain their ignorance. At least read! I have always believed that keeping an open mind was a sign of intelligence, with curiosity and a quest for more knowledge. These people are proud of their ignorance. The thing is, the RepubliCONS don't ask much of their constituents...just fear and blind faith. "

CharSolo wrote on Sep 22, 2008 11:20 AM:

" Sarah Palin speaks plainly and has accomplished a great deal in Alaska in a short amount of time. What did B. Obama accomplish in Chicago? Did he really fight corruption or was he a part of the machine? I am amazed at the mean-spirited and sexist attacks on Sarah Palin, especially by women. The 2 parties and Congress should work together to find energy and economic solutions, but all they do is manipulate the media to manipulate us as they seem to only care about staying in power and intimidating opposition. No one has McCain/Palin stickers or signs because they fear vandalism, that's how extreme the left has become. I think those who took campaign money from Fannie Mae, etc. as bribe to keep regulators out should go to jail. "

CharSolo wrote on Sep 22, 2008 11:28 AM:

" Bill Clinton, Gov of Arkansas, had little foreign policy experience. His wife, a lawyer, had even less. The only good thing about B.O. is that H.C. may no longer be in the equation (at least for now). S.P. is the antithisis of these opportunists. When you turn on the light the cockroaches scatter wildly. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 22, 2008 2:46 PM:

" Sandra wrote: " I finished a lengthy deal of that with Sandra "

Hmmm. . . . portions mysteriously deleted . . . and mentioning herself in the third person . . . how many names do you blog under? "

kevin wrote on Sep 22, 2008 3:12 PM:

" No comments about Saturday Night Live accusing Todd Palin of being a pedophile? Of course it was "just in fun" and "they didn't mean anything" by it.

I wonder what the Dems would say if it was B.O. being "made fun of"... "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 22, 2008 3:48 PM:

" Kevin-

Did you actually watch the skit or just read from an angry blog? They didn't accuse him of being a pedophile. They made a joke about Alaska being so backwoods that incest probably goes on. It was a JOKE on a sketch comedy show and the joke was on the NY Times. Jokes about Obama don't particularly bother me, it's the disgusting lies and smears and fear mongering about Obama that bug me. "

a teacher wrote on Sep 22, 2008 4:30 PM:

" "Stop them damned pictures. I don't care so much what the papers say about me. My constituents don't know how to read, but they can't help seeing them damned pictures!"

Boss Tweed about the satirical cartoons drawn about him by Harper Weekly cartoonist Thomas Nast.

Shortly before he was arrested and sent to jail... "

Raven wrote on Sep 22, 2008 5:17 PM:

" lol...darn those pesky liberal newspapers "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 23, 2008 1:13 AM:

" Things are still bad in McCain-land. The Daily Gallup is bouncing around with Obama leading McCain by about 4 points. Sometime Obama has lead by 5 points, but the number seems to hovering in the Obama+4 area.

Now that the word is getting out that John Dubya McCain's financial advisor Phil Gramm authored the 'deregulation' bill that enabled Wall Street Weasels to squander all that money... I would not be surprised to see the point gap widening over the next few days.

Sarah Palin's favorables are below 50% so no help there. She drawing crowds of fans, but the Republican base is not enough.

The Obama campaign is rumored to have decided to leave North Dakota to the Republicans and move their campaign people to Wisconsin and Michigan, or so I hear.

However, that still leaves 10 states that went to Bush in 2004 by 20% or more that have Obama ahead in local polling this year.

Which means the Obama campaign is smiling as they look at the electoral college map.

~Ruff "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 23, 2008 1:20 AM:

" Wow, who would have thought that McCain supporters would complain about a Saturday Night Live skit when the McCain campaign runs ads attacking Barack Obma's support for an Illinois bill that would have taught Kindergarden kids how to defend themselves from child molesters, even though it never became law?

There's just no pleasing some people.

~Ruff "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 23, 2008 10:45 AM:

" Ruff, you're not quoting the Daily Gallup correctly. Obie has been dropping a percentage point per day for the last four days while McCain is holding steady. Other days I have noticed that you say something like "a five point lead" when in fact it was four for that day.

Now I don't give a load about polls because they are so easily manipulated but if you're going to spout them you might want to take the time to get the numbers right. "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 23, 2008 10:47 AM:

" So ruff thinks it is OK to support a bad law, as long as it doesn't pass into law?

"Let's Twist Again, like we did last summer . . . " "

a teacher wrote on Sep 23, 2008 11:53 AM:

" Wow! 666 comments, that is an unholy number of items about McCain's Veep. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 23, 2008 12:34 PM:

" Actually, ppf, I am accurately describing the Daily Gallup poll, and you are trying to make a distinction without a difference... like so many empty-headed lawn ornaments I laughingly refer to as Republican-enablers. ;o)

See, to ensure accuracy, I pull up the Daily Gallup site in a browser tab next to the browser tab I am using to write a comment in this thread, and compare the numbers as I write.

The Daily Gallup does indeed show McCain hovering at 44% with Obama+4 or 5 points... currently at +4 points.

JUST LIKE I SAID!

I even gave McCain the benefit of the doubt by not mentioning the day Obama led by 6 points, thinking that to be an 'outlier' uptick when it only appeared for one day.

Any truth-teller will invite the reader to check their work which I now do.

Google "daily gallup" and bookmark the main page. Also notice that there is a link to a trends graph.

Now, ppf, saying that you don't give a load about the Daily Gallup now that McCain has sunk back to his pre-bounce level after all the perfectly-understandable crowing about the Sarah Palin/convention bounce is...

kinda... flirting with... saying...

"Polls don't matter" when they are not going your way... as I predicted would happen!

I may not be the best interpreter of polling data, but I know my lawn ornaments! ;o)

~Ruff "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 23, 2008 1:41 PM:

" Actually, ppf, I do support training children to defend themselves against child molesters... and I am surprised that the self-appointed Morality Police would object.

But you never know...

I mean, imagine 'feminist' Sarah Palin fighting AGAINST an Alaskan state law making a rape victim's evidence kits free instead of charging them for the kit to gather the DNA evidence that would put their rapist away!??!

I have no idea of a rational explanation for that, either, do you?

I am still grateful for an educational program that showed techniques for children to avoid being taken from public places like grocery stores and malls.

Most adults seeing an adult dragging a crying child out of a store would think that the adult is a parent dealing with a tired, cranky or misbehaving child.

It really got my attention when the narrator, an ex-cop said, "If this happens to a child, they have to know to scream 'This is NOT my daddy--or NOT my mommy--HELP ME!' instead of crying."

And for women - "If a car pulls up and people try to force you inside - do not allow them to make you get in! Fight and scream right then and there. Women abducted like that are over 90% likely to be murdered rather than released alive."

Another anti-rape trick (This is one time I approve of lying!!!) is to tell a would-be rapist that you have to warn him you have HIV/AIDS and that you hope he has a condom because you don't.

See, ppf, knowlege is power! Even for little kids!

~Ruff "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 23, 2008 2:18 PM:

" "self appointed morality police" Good one Ruff! Three bloggers immediately come to mind! "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 23, 2008 5:12 PM:

" The gay agenda clearly wants to begin teaching in kindergarten, as part of the curriculum, that the gay lifestyle is not an "alternative" but is entirely normal...

There are those of us who will not allow our children to be politically and morally brainwashed with that kind of vile corruption...

There are basic principles of "right and wrong" that need to be adhered to... An "anything goes" immoral society is simply doomed to failure...

We had it right for so long, and now the perverted minority rears its ugly head once again...

Can't you all see what's happening to this country...??? Obviously many of you don't care or are turning your back on the elephant in the room... "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 23, 2008 9:14 PM:

" ruff you must be on a alternative internet - maybe the one Al Gore invented?

Today is September 23, right? Check. Daily Gallup, right? Check. The little graph, as I write this with the tab next to this posting window shows a 3 point lead, not a '+four or five' - which one is it ruff, four or five? Surprise, it's not either one! And further surprise, it is a lower lead than you are crowing about. Seems to me that you were the one saying the polls don't matter a couple weeks ago. ruff, you're looking a little gray around the edges there, what's the matter, a little reality doesn't go with your digestive system?

Regardless of your little taunts about my physical self, I am unmoved by your comment that I am worried about the polls. I am not. But I am interested in holding your feet to the fire of accuracy.

Today I have been quite happily sending emails to many people pointing to this website to take a look at how lefties 'discuss' things - no facts, just personal attacks. Keep up the good work ruff, your little playground taunts and creative interpretation of facts could cause a few swing votes to fall on the right side. And I'm not talking about unhappy Republicans in California. I know plenty of undecided libertarians all over the country, some in the so-called battleground states.

I'm proud of you ruff, doing something constructive to help ensure McCain/Palin are elected. "

Hear Ye wrote on Sep 24, 2008 1:43 AM:

" Ruff-

Stop posting. PPF can influence the election! I actually hope PPF does direct undecideds to this site. It might make them make the right decision alright. "

ADark1 wrote on Sep 24, 2008 3:33 AM:

" I'm REALLY proud of Rick Davis and Cain....lets see we have CVain lying thru his teeth and Rick getting BIG BUCKS from fannie...Again WHO has the BEST interests of this country at heart? "

Sandra wrote on Sep 24, 2008 8:02 AM:

" Adark1one...seems luv1mom is inferring that I am also blogging under your name, since you copied and posted the cryptic post I made. It seems to have lost most of its content as it was posted.
Hmmmm, perhaps she is right? I am posting under to diametrically opposed views because there are just not enough people to disagree with in the world...so I argue with myself.
Right now I would say the Sandra side of me is the more valid of my to alleged sides.....putting forth the most eloquent of posts.....displaying intellectual fortitude, and waxing poetic...all the while catching balls tossed from bunnies out in left field. How does she do it? ;) "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 24, 2008 10:14 AM:

" HearYe sez: "PPF can influence the election!"

Well thank you for the compliment, but I did not say that. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 24, 2008 12:29 PM:

" Sandra: No, I wasnt inferring that you are blogging under adark1 . . . pay attention.

Your explanation of the cryptic comment:

" Re: my earlier post...obviously it did not all go through...but I will just remain cryptic.... "

seems less than genuine. BTW, I thought you were skipping my posts?? "

Sandra wrote on Sep 24, 2008 1:58 PM:

" luv1mom wrote: " Your explanation of the cryptic comment:
" Re: my earlier post...obviously it did not all go through...but I will just remain cryptic.... "

seems less than genuine. "

Wow, can that bunny throw them balls in from left field or what? I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, and paying attention probably would not help. My initial post that did not make it through was a funny response....it did not post correctly, it was not worth the bother reposting..I wrote a second "Funny" post.... I will admit getting a perverse pleasure at winding you up, and watching you go...cause it just works so darn well...You never fail me. I like that about you. But less than genuine?...man that one came in from farther than left field..... "

Sandra wrote on Sep 24, 2008 2:01 PM:

" Oh, and FYI, I am only passing up your posts where you think you are making sense in the political arena...the others personal ones towards me are just too precious to pass up. "

ADark1 wrote on Sep 24, 2008 4:06 PM:

" I'm confiuuzled...so I'll just flip a coin and say yea...what she said! :)

However....don't any of you in right field have ANYTHING to say about what's been revealed with Rick Davis and the fact they were caught with their pants down....again? "

Raven wrote on Sep 24, 2008 9:31 PM:

" I haven't figured it out and near as I can see, no one has said anything in this thread about davis, though were protestation of Davis not having received any payments since 2005 on another thread.... "

Luv1mom wrote on Sep 25, 2008 9:23 AM:

" Sandra: You are sure giving me a lot of attention. I am almost flattered . . . almost. "

Sandra wrote on Sep 25, 2008 10:18 AM:

" FYI,
From Hot Air:
i(ssued from the McCain campaign)
'In fact, the allegation is demonstrably false. As has been previously reported, Mr. Davis separated from his consulting firm, Davis Manafort, in 2006. As has been previously reported, Mr. Davis has seen no income from Davis Manafort since 2006. Zero. Mr. Davis has received no salary or compensation since 2006. Mr. Davis has received no profit or partner distributions from that firm on any basis — weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual — since 2006. Again, zero. Neither has Mr. Davis received any equity in the firm based on profits derived since his financial separation from Davis Manafort in 2006.
Further, and missing from the Times’ reporting, Mr. Davis has never — never — been a lobbyist for either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Mr. Davis has not served as a registered lobbyist since 2005.
Though these facts are a matter of public record, the New York Times, in what can only be explained as a willful disregard of the truth, failed to research this story or present any semblance of a fairminded treatment of the facts closely at hand. "

So Just for my information....what do you mean exactly when you say caught with his pants down?
I think you need to be a bit more specific, if you expect an intelligent resonse. "

luv1mom wrote on Sep 25, 2008 11:51 AM:

" Wind her up and look at her go! "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 25, 2008 11:40 PM:

" Well Sandra, what can we expect? They can't respond with anything factual, so instead you get a smart-aleck remark. No surprise. "

Raven wrote on Sep 26, 2008 1:32 AM:

" not just the times, Sandra, more papers and media outlets...so they are all throwing caution to the wind and ignoring 'facts' from the McCain campaign.... "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 26, 2008 11:06 AM:

" As the McCain campaign sinks not-so-slowly in the west... where "Tina Fey can see Russia from her house!"

The Republican-enablers get ever more testy and humorless.

~Ruff "

noblindershere wrote on Sep 26, 2008 1:33 PM:

" article in the Washington Post today, "Conservative columnist Kathleen Parker, admitting that until recently she was a vocal supporter of Sarah Palin, now says the vice presidential nominee should bow out: " The conservatives are seeing the light that Sarah will never see. Or atleast not until the election is over and they blame the loss on her. "

Sandra wrote on Sep 26, 2008 1:40 PM:

" PPF,
LOL, you noticed that also?

Raven...yea...makes ya wonder, huh? Seems to me something factual is factual no matter what the source.... "

reader wrote on Sep 26, 2008 2:39 PM:

" The Washington Post article today mentions 3 other prominent conservatives who question her credentials and readiness, David Brooks, George Will, and David Frum. Yup, as they all say, Sarah is clearly out of her league and if she wants to truly support her party, it is time to step down. "

Raven wrote on Sep 26, 2008 8:28 PM:

" well since they havent changed their stories sandra, they must have a different set of facts to work from.... "

Sandra wrote on Sep 26, 2008 10:55 PM:

" Raven, yes I know those kind of facts....if its printed by the media it must be true, huh? "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 27, 2008 8:35 AM:

" Raven-

FACTS don't matter to Republican-enablers, but especially those from sources that are not FAUX NOISE.

However, to the independent voters, who can be reasoned with...

Go to CNN and watch the Cafferty webvid clip of Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric.

Sarah Palin is just plain pathetic as she gives an 'answer' to a serious question about the Wall Street Weasel Bailout.

We don't need to know all the rest of the ugly details of how Sarah Palin ran Wasilla into the ground...

She demonstrates on video in a close-up that she doesn't know jack about the economy.

~Ruff "

Raven wrote on Sep 27, 2008 1:05 PM:

" she is her own worst enemy in those interviews "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 27, 2008 11:22 PM:

" There's a laff - ruff talking about facts.

Speaking of Fox News, I suppose you think MSNBC is "fair and balanced". One network doesn't begin to balance out the fact that all the other networks and major newspapers are Democrat cheerleaders. What passes for truth at MSNBC in particular is written by lowbrow comedy writers, not serious journalists.

So tell me, why do you spend so much time on Sarah if, as you trumpeted so loud for so long, that a VP pick makes no difference? If that is true, you would be wasting your time - but you have spent considerable time and energy bashing Sarah.

I'm still waiting for those Hollywood "stars" who said they would leave the country if Bush was re-elected to actually leave. Or did they lie to us too? "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 28, 2008 9:18 AM:

" ppf- Nice try at changing the subject.

This is a 'Sarah Palin' thread, it would seem like the place to discuss Sarah Palin, I think.

Facts are facts. People who use FAUX NOISE as their primary source of 'news' actually know LESS about what is really going on in the world.

ppf, your favored Republican candidates say things and act in ways that make them the butt of jokes everywhere.

Americans love 'lowbrow' jokes about the 'high and mighty', especially when they 'can see Russia from my house'.

I continue to think that Sarah Palin is not going to save the McCain campaign, for the same reasons I've laid out before. The Republican 'base' is not enough to win. Period.

We've had Republican-enablers telling us all sorts of things about Barack Obama and his running mate for months. None of those things have been complimentary, many completely made up and the remainder mainly distortions of the truth.

To me that makes the Republican candidates eligible for a discussion of the truth about their records and plans.

Sarah Palin's record of leaving Wasilla, AK mired in debt is a fair subject for discussion even if Republican lawn ornaments get angry.

Video of Obama's minister and sermons has been made 'fair game', and so that makes video of Sarah Palin's minister and sermons 'fair game'.

Republicans have been vocal in their efforts to debunk things said about their candidates that can not be proved.

However, like you, they try to change the subject on things that ARE a matter of record.

~Ruff "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 28, 2008 1:20 PM:

" Wasn't trying to change the subject. I asked why you are spending so much time bashing Sarah, if you don't think the VP choice makes any difference? That certainly qualifies for being on topic here.

I also pointed out that you are making false statemtents about poll numbers, which is on the point whether we are on this thread or any other political thread.

The Democrats are also the butt of jokes everywhere, and the current Congress hasn't helped you with their single digit approval rating.

Viewers of MSNBC know more than those who view Fox News? That's a laugh. With people like (I can't use my word for his intelligence since it gets my post deleted, but it begins with m and ends with n and has five letters) Olberman out there dumping his donkey manure (which is written by lowbrow comedy writers) how can people who only watch that know anything about anything?

I never said that Republicans should not be criticized. I have never posted anything about Obama's minister, except to tell you I haven't after you erroneously aimed a tirade at me about it. So if you want the truth about the Republican ticket, how about some truth about the Democrat ticket too? Plenty of warts to go around.

For a change how about a debate on the issues? That will be a short discussion, because Obama wants to pretend he is a Republican to try to win the election. He won't tell us what he really wants to do, which would scare the voters away in huge numbers. Americans do not want to live in a socialist state, and Obama would scare them away if he told the truth. "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 28, 2008 1:23 PM:

" ruff sez: "Republicans have been vocal in their efforts to debunk things said about their candidates that can not be proved."

For once you are right. I will be vocal to debunk things said about my candidates that cannot be proved. Why should I let unfounded, untrue, and unproven comments stand?

And you have never tried to change the subject? Try reading your own recent post. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 28, 2008 5:36 PM:

" No need for insults, ppf, I am never 'right'.

As a progressive, I stick with being correct and honest, rather than just doing empty Republican spin when I can scrounge things up that I think might make my case.

A few days ago, a pink plastic lawn ornament made a big deal of the daily Gallup margin dropping to Obama +3% with McCain holding at 44% as if somehow that made me dishonest.

McCain did hold his 44% while Obama's lead dropped further to 44% over a few days so that Obama and McCain were even at 44% to 44%.

However things have started to deteriorate for McCain and improve for Obama once again.

McCain has started losing his past 'baseline' of 44% and is now down to 42%. This means the gap is widening dramatically as McCain drops and Obama rises.

Today it is: Obama 50% vs McCain 42%, or Obama +8 points.

Now with the first presidential debate past and looking at the VP debate on Thursday, if Sarah Palin is going to have any effect on the numbers worth noting we'll be seeing that next weekend.

And if we don't see a dramatic change of fortune for the Republican ticket, my holding that Sarah Palin has not changed the dynamic beyond bringing the evangelical Christian Right 'home' to vote for McCain would seem to be correct all along.

And that will not be enough.

No amount of pink plastic flameouts or Republican Bluff-n-Guff will change it.

~Ruff "

sandra wrote on Sep 29, 2008 10:55 AM:

" It is not so much an issue of trying to change the subject...in regards to my posts, Ruff many times, misses the subject entirely.....of course I am pretty sure he would say its because of me.... "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 29, 2008 1:04 PM:

" No, Sandra... I was not talking about you, unless you're made of pink plastic!

What percentage of your recent posts have been about the Daily Gallup polls? Have you been trying to call me a liar? I don't think so.

You have made a big stink about some Palin stuff that was indeed debunked, and that's fair enough - but not far enough.

Because you haven't talked much about the Palin stuff that has NOT been debunked.

To some degree... that's to be expected from Republican-enablers.

So I just present video items like Sarah Palin's minister and church services so that people can determine for themselves if all the Republican Rant-n-Rave about Rev. Jeremiah Wright was a distraction from Sarah Palin's 'interesting belief system'.

Via con Dios, Sandra... I mostly go after the folks who lie about things the truth of which people can see and judge for themselves.

~Ruff "

#1patches wrote on Sep 29, 2008 1:08 PM:

" She's a very pretty lady but some how she doesn't come across as a very smart lady. When people write things for her to say she sound like she's in a beauty contest and also makes the faces to go with it. As Republicans my wife and I will NOT vote for her just because she's a woman. A brain would help!!!! "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 29, 2008 1:23 PM:

" Today's Daily Gallup:

FACT: Obama 50% vs McCain 42% for the second day.

Obama has an 8 point lead in the Gallup and that seems to be borne out in the other national polls, but the state polls show an even darker picture for McCain/Palin. It seems that Obama may win somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 states that went to Bush in 2004.

We are starting to see the polling done after the first presidential debate and it doesn't look good for McCain/Palin.

~Ruff "

myword wrote on Sep 30, 2008 10:49 AM:

" Sarah Palin is such a pathetic excuse for a candidate for vice president. We all know she was selected because she wears a skirt and McCain is desperate for any vote so he thought he might slip in and get the female vote by selecting a basically unknown woman and hope the public can't learn the truth about her before election day. Hopefully the voters are smart enough to research this woman and find out more about her. She isn't the goody two shoe that the Republicans want you to believe. Her beliefs will put women back in the dark ages. She tells us now that if you have a disabled child, she will be your friend in the White House. This is the same woman who cut spending to disabled people in her own state! She isn't who she appears to be. So what is my opinion of Sarah Palin? HA HA HA HA HA! "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Sep 30, 2008 1:04 PM:

" ruff, you don't respond to any of my points, but that is the leftist way - no facts just personal attacks. I'll wear my battle scars proudly without making fun of you or your screen name. However, I will make fun and scathing remarks about your, shall we say, 'factual errors' (that some might call lies, such as making up poll numbers).

But since you are determined to compare the Vice-Presidential candidate's minister with the Presidential candidate's minister, I'll oblige you, just this once. First, I make note of the ever present Democrat talking point of comparing Palin to Obama. You're more concerned with Palin than you will admit, and that says a lot about your real concerns

Regarding your comment about 'Rev. Jeremiah Wright was a distraction from Sarah Palin's 'interesting belief system' I make note that the Rev. Wright controversy started months before you even knew who Sarah Palin was. So how could it be positioned as a distraction? Your timing is way off.

Finally, Oprah attended the same church as Obama, but left in less than two years because of Rev. Wright. Obama stayed for 20 years. He must have liked the message at least 10 times more than Oprah did. I think most people respect Oprah (for many different reasons) but I will add that her judgment seems much more sound than Obama's.

At least you've done something no one else has done recently. I do not get involved in religious controversies, and unless something startling comes up, this is the only comment I will post about it.

So go right ahead and open up a personal attack. Your comments have been highly entertaining and informative to those I have sent them to! "

antipc wrote on Sep 30, 2008 1:11 PM:

" Too bad a self-made succesful woman has ruined her political career all because she is a conservative who chose not to have an abortion.

Libs have such high standards. "

a teacher wrote on Sep 30, 2008 4:07 PM:

" If Gov. Palin's career is ruined, it won't be because of her unwillingness to have an abortion or her conservative views or because she is a woman. It will be because she was thrust onto the national stage before she was ready.

I don't agree with most of what she says, but I have to admit that I admire her brazeness and her initiative. I personally think she lacks maturity, it shows in how she interacts with the press and in her dealings with her subordinates (alledged in some cases, but substansiated in others). I think a term or two as governor and she would be a formidable, seasoned opponent. "

antipc wrote on Sep 30, 2008 6:00 PM:

" Obama may never be ready for the public scene but the mainstream media gives him allowances not afforded Palin.

Both have supposedly had to fight for equal rights yet the Dem is hailed while Rep is scorned.

I don't mind Libs lying to me, but lying to themselves & each other does the Dem party a disservice. "

Sandra wrote on Sep 30, 2008 6:01 PM:

" Ruff, Re:
" No, Sandra... I was not talking about you, unless you're made of pink plastic! "
Thank you for illustrating what I was saying to PPF...I was not addressing you. I was commiserating with PPF over the frustration I felt because you misunderstand so many posts and responded accordingly. "

a teacher wrote on Sep 30, 2008 7:39 PM:

" " Obama may never be ready for the public scene but the mainstream media gives him allowances not afforded Palin."

Not true at all. I was reading a study about the media coverage of Gov. Palin the other day. According to the study Gov. Palin is described in positve terms 76% of the time. Words like"crusading", "popular", "energetic", "anti-corruption", "self-made", etc. Obama gets 56% and McCain gets 40%.

I think the press would really like to like her, but everytime she opens her mouth, she puts her foot in it. She is not ready for this. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 30, 2008 10:18 PM:

" Oh, please, 'antipc', lots of LIBRUL women have chosen to have children instead of abortions.

It's called 'Choice'... Freedom of Choice.

It's no big deal with LIBRULZ that Sarah Palin chose to have her baby.

LIBRULZ believe in CHOICE and FREEDOM.

What we don't much care for is that she would do her level darndest to make sure that OTHER WOMEN don't have that CHOICE by making it so that either these women, their doctors or BOTH are criminals.

LIBRULZ are on her butt because she is another 'borrow and squander' Republican who left Wasilla $22 MILLION deeper in debt than when she took over.

In other words, a Bush wannabe.

We are on her butt because she lies every time she repeats that bullcorn "Thanks, but No Thanks...' line. She was in there grubbing for earmarks like every other pig at the trough. With or without lipstick.

In short, LIBRULZ are on her butt because she is just another sorry 'Republican Charlatan'.

As in: "char'la'tan - A person who makes elaborate, fraudulent, and often voluble claims to skill or knowledge; a quack or fraud."

This is only a partial list of 'issues' the 'reality-based' community has with the Republican VP candidate.

Now that Americans are getting to know her, the polling shows a growing majority of us aren't buying the hyped package.

~Ruff "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Oct 1, 2008 8:56 AM:

" Sorry, ppf, I don't believe you can do a personal attack on a lawn ornament. ;o)

The NVR moderator won't let 'personal attacks' past as I read the 'Third Bullet Point' rules.

So I attack Republican-enabling positions using the factual and logical holes in Republican spin so that folks can better judge for themselves if somebody is telling the truth.

Unfortunately for Republican-enablers, they don't have much truth to tell. Lots of spin, opinion, and condemnation, but not many facts.

Saying versions of "DUMB enough to believe a Republican(-enabler)" about some particularly venal Republican lies is not a personal attack... unless you choose to take it personally.

And, ppf, you referred to yourself as a lawn ornament long before I did. Were you mounting a premptive personal attack on yourself? ;o)

If you and some other poster such as decide to commiserate about me in a public 'stage whisper' on this site, I can read it too! So when Republican-enabler personnas talk about me -- I feel just fine about adding my two cents.

Just keeping everything on the table... ;o) even impeachment and extradition!

Now...

Any further complaints about my narration of the Daily Gallup? McCain gained a point to 43% and Obama lost a point to 49% so the gap is back to Obama +6% as of 'yesterday' because I make this morning post before "today's" Daily Gallup is put up.

These little jiggles are not very important unless the Ahead/Behind position changes. Obama is still ahead and the overall trend is not good for McCain.

arah Palin had better get busy if she is going to win the election for McCain, eh?

~Ruff "

ADark1 wrote on Oct 2, 2008 12:33 PM:

" So who's gonna win the debate this evening?

I say Palin will as her expectations are so low....that is of course if she doesn't shoot herself in the foot or stick her feet in her mouth again....Hmmmmmmmmm So if she hasn't anything to say...doesn't make herself look like a bigger ejeet she wins?

I think I need to take two pills and call the shrink in the morning.. "

Madison Jay Hamilton wrote on Oct 2, 2008 5:14 PM:

" Does Sarah Palin believe in Young Earth Creationism? Does she believe that dinosaurs and humans walked the Earth at the same time? Does she agree/disagree with the Supreme Court decision regarding Exxon Valdez? "

Raven wrote on Oct 2, 2008 9:26 PM:

" and I see McCain's campaign is pulling people out of Michigan and sending them to Florida "

Sandra wrote on Oct 2, 2008 10:10 PM:

" ADark1...so, seems to me Palin more than held her own. What a difference no editing makes on how she comes across. She was personable, at ease, articulate, likable, and a bit to nice to Biden...lol, but I like that about her. Did you hear the man she ran against for Govenor singing her praises after the debate? He said that before she cleaned his clock in the govenor race he thought she was too inexperienced to be a govenor. He said he was WRONG! He said he had to admit he was wrong, because she did a great job as govenor. Makes me wonder if there will be a whole line of new people saying WE WERE WRONG...

Madison, re. :wrote on Oct 2, 2008 5:14 PM...who in the heck cares what she thinks about creationism? The woman is not a moron. She was very clear tonight that she had no intention of forcing her religious beliefs on any one...so get off the carousal and join the rest of us in addressing things that matter. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Oct 3, 2008 9:31 AM:

" Sandra wrote:

"... get off the carousal and join the rest of us in addressing things that matter. "

OK, Sandra... please begin for us by discussing how Mayor Palin left Wasilla (a town much smaller than Napa) $22 million deeper in debt than when she took over is a GOOD THING?

Please tell us all how more tax cuts for oil companies will decrease our $10 TRILLION deficit most of which has been acquired under the Bush/Cheney maladministration.

I mean you want us to get SERIOUS... eh?

You first!

~Ruff "

Sandra wrote on Oct 3, 2008 12:47 PM:

" I'll be working on some answers to that Ruff....how about you answer how in the world the federal government will fix health care once they start handling it for us? They do so well in every other area....

Explain to us how Obama plans to pay for his Civilian corp, which will be run by those indoctrinated in the right way to think so they can then instruct our youth the right way to think?

Ruff, When the Mayor of Wasilla left the town it was in some debt. It was also on the road to growth and opportunity for it's citizens. She was not the only one determining a budget. Isn't the city council, also part of that process? Seems to me many, if not most of the citizens of Wasilla are in favor of Palin...so who are you to complain?

Ruff, so you have a degree in economics? Just curious, cause there are many different views on what grows an economy. I am a business owner...when my taxes are less I can afford to spend more on growing my business. Makes practical sense to me. If my business grows, other people also benefit...again, practical sense. I do not have an economic degree. I only have common sense. It has served me pretty well so far. "

sandra wrote on Oct 3, 2008 1:59 PM:

" concerning:
antipc" wrote on Dec 31, 1969 4:00 PM"

WOW, A TIME TRAVELLER!!

ANTIPC is obviously from a more advanced planet who had the ability to Blog in 1969...Look how many years it took the message to reach us...Amazing...
lol the code I'm supposed to type in begins UFO...hahahaheheehha "

NVR-Dan Ross wrote on Oct 3, 2008 2:46 PM:

" Sandra:
That shows the file became corrupted, and I might have to start a new forum to keep more from corrupting. I'm searching for the original to this, but with 720 comments, its gonna take a while!!
--Dan "

antipc wrote on Oct 3, 2008 3:38 PM:

" Sandra,

And all this time you thought Al Gore invented the Internet...guess the cats out of the bag now.

I'm am earthling, but I have to wonder about some of the posters here, the things I see repeated about Sarah must be coming from a galaxy far,far away. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Oct 3, 2008 6:44 PM:

" Sandra - I hope you come up with a better excuse for Palin leaving Wasilla $22 million dollars in debt than what you came up with so far. ;o)

To me, common sense (even found in biblical parables) is the person who does not do well in small things (like Wasilla) can not be entrusted with bigger things, eh?

Alaska gets more evil earmarks per person than any other state in the union.

Sandra, there are several models of government provided healthcare that exist TODAY in the USA.

1) Medicare - in spite of Bush administration predations, for many senior citizens this plan as their only source of medical treatment. Healthcare providers provide care and the government pays the bill. Much like the PPO system that my wife and I pay $1500 a month for, except that I have much more paperwork before my doctor gets paid.

2) The VA healthcare system for veterans. It took care of my 100% disabled veteran father for decades. And it provides for my Pearl Harbor survivor father-in-law right now. The VA system has its weaknesses but neither my father or father-in-law worried that their pre-existing conditions will make them ineligible for care.

3) S-CHIP, the healthcare plan for poor children.

4) The medical coverage plan for Federal employees, retirees, and Congress members. The one that takes care of John McCain, D*ck Cheney and George W. Bush.

Which one would you like to belittle, Sarah?

Obama wants to extend the same healthcare coverage he gets (#4) to ALL of us.

I'd like #4 myself, in spite of spending $1,500 a month our private coverage stinks!

~Ruff "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Oct 3, 2008 7:21 PM:

" Daily Gallup:

If Sarah Palin 'won' the debate what did she win? OK, that's a teaser for tomorrow... ;o)

Tomorrow will be the first day where the Gallup will have polling that must have been after last night's debate.

However, today's Daily Gallup has Obama-49% to McCain-42% for Obama+7%.

The darkest thing about this for McCain is that his base is starting to deteriorate. As ppf said some posts back McCain has held a pretty steady 44% base after the convention/Palin bounce was over.

Now he's sinking.

~Ruff "

Sandra wrote on Oct 3, 2008 7:32 PM:

" Medicare...look at the corruption from fraudulant claims filed by service providers...what a HUGE waste of money. Fraud running amouk...and we want the government to attempt to control what would happen if we turn the whole kit and kaboodle over to them? PLEASE! Not an option in any book I care to read. The other programs work as much as they do, because they are small in comparison to taking care of the whole country.
For someone who has as little faith as you seem to have in our government, you sure seem to want to trust them with an awful lot. "

PlasticPinkFlamingo wrote on Oct 3, 2008 9:51 PM:

" There you go again ruff -

Talking about everything except responding to specific points.

If you want to characterize me as an 'empty headed lawn ornament' I will let others decide if that is a personal attack or not. Plenty of attacks have slid under the door around here.

I also point out that you are mis-stating the poll results again. The Oct. 3 Daily Gallup shows 48 to 44, not your 49 to 42. Get it right ruff. Get on the real internet and off Al Gore's internet. That empty-headed pink lawn ornament is watching you like a hawk. The Big Lie is not going to work here. "

Raven wrote on Oct 4, 2008 1:09 AM:

" hmmmm the Gallup site says 49 to 42 as of friday morning.....you sure you are are the real internet ppf?..... "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Oct 4, 2008 5:03 AM:

" "My Friends", I am going to forgive the little empty-headed lawn ornament.

Everyone makes mistakes, even though in the case of Republican-enablers, they make more than the usual number of easily debunked mistakes!

ppf called me out in his usual ever-so-polite way quite a ways back upthread over reading the LAST Daily Gallup as TODAY'S Daily Gallup.

Now he's doing it! But he does it in that "pink breasted Republican-enabler" warble that birders such as myself have learned to recognize and appreciate.

I am sure that, some way or another, as always: "It's OK if you are a Republican..." because they are just better than those LIBRULZ, TRAITORS and APPEASERS.

The Daily Gallup has turned out to be a good poll to use in foodfights with Republican-enablers because they used it first as an opening to gabble about how "LIBRULZ were terrified of Palin!", remember?

The Gallup poll is also consistently more 'favorable' to Republicans so when things are bad on the Gallup... they are even worse almost everywhere else (sometimes including FAUX NOISE).

~Ruff "

Hear Ye wrote on Oct 4, 2008 7:57 AM:

" 49-42 it was indeed "

pbsm777 wrote on Oct 4, 2008 11:20 AM:

" PPF -as you so aptly state from above -"The Big Lie is not going to work here. "

That's why McSame is sinking fast. Hello Michigan - Cut and Run... "

Raven wrote on Oct 4, 2008 4:56 PM:

" 50 to 42 today... "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Oct 6, 2008 12:53 PM:

" Well, ppf, the Daily Gallup still stinks for McCain/Palin.

If Sarah Palin is 'winning' then it ought to start showing... anytime now, eh?

Today is October 6th, and for the 10th straight day, Obama is ahead of McCain and the 'vibe' is between +7% and +8% for Obama.

Yes indeedy, LIBRULZ are just terrified of 'Aunt Sarah's Mavericky Moose Chunk Stew'!

~Ruff "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Oct 8, 2008 4:34 PM:

" Today is Oct 8th and who knew???

Mrs Bullwinkle must make a good anchor because in today's Daily Gallup Obama holds his largest lead ever.

Obama-51% vs McCain-41% meaning that Obama is +11% now.

~Ruff "

TrickleDown wrote on Oct 8, 2008 11:55 PM:

" I love the fact that McCain keeping Palin on the short leash and not allowing her to take questions or campaign on her own has made it so their ticket can only hit one event at a time while the other ticket is hitting two or more states at a time...more if Michelle Obama is on the road, too. Great plan to win an election.

5 weeks in for Palin and she has done 4 interviews: two with conservative newsies and two with mainstream. What are they so afraid of? Let her speak. Let us know why she is the best person that McCain couls have chosen. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Oct 9, 2008 1:22 PM:

" Palin evidently is not on a short enough leash...

Today's Daily Gallup has Obama-51% vs McCain-41% for the second day that Obama leads by +11% , including one day of interviews after the Second Presidential Debate.

~Ruff "

noblindershere wrote on Oct 10, 2008 7:21 PM:

" uh oh, little miss Sarah abused her power in Alaska, but I'm sure God and her followers will forgive her. Troopergate Report: Palin "Unlawfully Abused Her Authority"
Wow, another big blow to the McSame campiagn. I hear the "fat lady" warming up her vocal cords. "

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