Anyone else think that Sarah Palin resembles....

[hiitdogs]

p.s. As far as always seeing Sarah with her husband and kids with her - I don't really see a problem with that. She is always going to be a mother first, but that doesn't mean that's all she has to be. And if they want to introduce her as the mother of 5, I really think that's the least of our worries. I think you guys have mentioned plenty of other more valid concerns. Obama had his family with him too at the Democratic Convention and his two little girls were front and center on that stage talking to their dad via a video conference. A very well staged sympathetic moment - don't tell me he didn't "use" them just a little there.

Liann, I may have not said this right, I don't see a problem with her having her kids and DH with her all time. That's her choice, it doesn't bother me one bit.

I would like to know about her other qualifications, aside from being a mother and I sure as heck would like to hear from HER in her own words and not just a stump speech that was written for her. What I have heard from her so far has really turned me off.

All candidates who run for political office have to bring their kids and family in front of the public to some extent. It humanizes the person and it is expected by the general public. Let's face it, America would never vote for a divorcee, an unmarried man or woman, or a homosexual.

I didn't see anything wrong with Michelle Obama bringing the two girls to the convention and Obama talking to their girls. I would say Michelle Obama's big speech would warrant her kids to be there, I would want my kids there if I was her. So if everyone gives Sarah Palin so much credit for being a mother, why aren't we giving Obama credit, he and Michelle Obama seem to be pretty good parents. They seem to be pretty well adjusted kids and the younger one just cracks me up

 

[SirenSongWoman]

Why aren't we giving Obama credit, he and Michelle Obama seem to be pretty good parents. They seem to be pretty well adjusted kids and the younger one just cracks me up

Hey, Corolla. Did you see the news interview where Obama's wife and kids were all sitting around and his oldest daughter, Malia asked her dad "How come whenever you come home you always leave your big black bag laying in the middle of the hall?" and, just like that, Michelle jumped in and said "Yea... It's heavy... you leave it in the middle of the hall and everyone trips over it..." It was hysterical. Obama just looked like 'I can't believe we're having this discussion on national t.v....' I got the feeling he had no clue his own family was going to jump all over him and he looked so embarrassed. Everyone loves little Sasha but Malia's the one who cracks me up with her directness.

BTW, in Obama's speech at the DNC I was especially pleased when he talked about how he knew for a fact that there are entire departments in the federal government that serve no purpose and that he wants to go "line-by-line" and get rid of all those meaningless departments and purposeless jobs. I keep wondering how easy it would be to avoid raising taxes if all the fat that's already there were cut out.

 

[Liann]

So if everyone gives Sarah Palin so much credit for being a mother, why aren't we giving Obama credit, he and Michelle Obama seem to be pretty good parents.

I don't think she's getting any more credit than Obama does. If anything she gets a lot of criticism. His camp has been using his "I'm just like you being a father to my two kids" theme for a while now. And like you said, there's nothing wrong with that. They are just humanizing them to help us relate. If they've overdone that on Sarah's part, chalk it up to a bad campaign manager and a bad marketing strategy. In the end this election is not about who is parent of the year. This kind of stuff just keeps us all from looking at the real issues. Which I agree, I would like to hear them addressed. It's understandable though that her first few speeches are going to be introducing her as a person and pointing out what she has done as governor. And she wouldn't be a politician if she didn't point out why she thinks people shouldn't vote for the other side. But now it's time to hear what she's going to do.

 

[Gayle]

Anyone see the Anne Kilkenny letter about Palin?

http://www.andrys.com/palin-kilkenny.html

Anne Kilkenny is a resident of Wasilla. She originally sent this letter to a number of her friends who started asking her about Sarah Palin when she got the nomination. It's kind of a "Sara Palin Primer" of her record in public service. It become viral pretty quickly.

NPR also interviewed Anne Kilkenny herself. Here's a link to that:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94332543

 

[candi]

O.K...let me get this straight. Palin is a mother first...or would she put her country first. Well, it already seems to me she's putting her ambitions first. I may be wrong, but I don't think the whole Palin family, excluding the son going to Iraq is on the McCain bus. I don't think that is feasible. Also, who is going to be raising these children if she (Palin and the DH) are together politicing all the time. That's who I have been seeing lately...just she and the husband. Where are the children?

Also, let me answer to the 5 children. I believe she is raising 4 children and a grandchild on the way. If anyone here thinks that the pregnant daughter and her redneck boyfriend (or soon to be husband) are going to just go off and be independent...they are kidding themselves. I needed Mom's help after I had my child and so did my daughter!!! This kid's 17 years old.

Double standard and can the Dad be a Mom. It will stop being sexist and double standard when the Dad carries the baby for nine months, births the baby and breast feeds. That's my opinion on that!!! A child needs both parents.

On GMA this morning they talked about how Palin has been sequestered by McCain's coaches for her interview with Charlie Gibson. I wonder who's taking care of all these children while this is going on. This is just the tip of the iceburg ladies.

 

[Liann]

O.K...let me get this straight. Palin is a mother first...or would she put her country first. Well, it already seems to me she's putting her ambitions first. I may be wrong, but I don't think the whole Palin family, excluding the son going to Iraq is on the McCain bus. I don't think that is feasible. Also, who is going to be raising these children if she (Palin and the DH) are together politicing all the time. That's who I have been seeing lately...just she and the husband. Where are the children?

Also, let me answer to the 5 children. I believe she is raising 4 children and a grandchild on the way. If anyone here thinks that the pregnant daughter and her redneck boyfriend (or soon to be husband) are going to just go off and be independent...they are kidding themselves. I needed Mom's help after I had my child and so did my daughter!!! This kid's 17 years old.

Double standard and can the Dad be a Mom. It will stop being sexist and double standard when the Dad carries the baby for nine months, births the baby and breast feeds. That's my opinion on that!!! A child needs both parents.

On GMA this morning they talked about how Palin has been sequestered by McCain's coaches for her interview with Charlie Gibson. I wonder who's taking care of all these children while this is going on. This is just the tip of the iceburg ladies.

Are you really more upset about who is baby sitting her children while she is being coached for an interview than you are by the letter Gayle just posted? You are missing the forest for the trees. I am getting leary about her too, but hardly for any of the arguments about her being a mother and how that is different from being a father. I think we are missing the big picture. Thanks for the link Gayle. Very interesting! The only thing that confuses me is how she says at the beginning that everyone loves Sarah and then throughout the whole letter makes it sound like everyone hates Sarah, but then reitterates how much she is loved at the end. Who loves her???

I dislike Palin for many reasons but I must say after reading this article
http://animalrights.about.com/b/2008...to-animals.htm

Thanks for posting that Chastity! It's making it harder and harder for me to like this woman! >:l

 

[Gayle]

The only thing that confuses me is how she says at the beginning that everyone loves Sarah and then throughout the whole letter makes it sound like everyone hates Sarah, but then reitterates how much she is loved at the end. Who loves her???

I think there are a lot of rural small town dynamics involved in the "who loves Sarah" thing.

I grew up in a small red-necky town (about the size of Wasilla), and now live in another small red-necky town. It's very easy to know just about everybody, or their family, in one way or another.

I can recall on more than one occasion cases where there were people running for public office who I liked well enough as a person (for one reason or another) but who I would never ever vote into public office (for one reason or another).

I think that's the "love her/hate her" thing Kilkenny is referring to. Guys who "love her because she's a babe" but would never vote for her.

 

[hiitdogs]

I don't think she's getting any more credit than Obama does. If anything she gets a lot of criticism. His camp has been using his "I'm just like you being a father to my two kids" theme for a while now. And like you said, there's nothing wrong with that. They are just humanizing them to help us relate. If they've overdone that on Sarah's part, chalk it up to a bad campaign manager and a bad marketing strategy. In the end this election is not about who is parent of the year. This kind of stuff just keeps us all from looking at the real issues. Which I agree, I would like to hear them addressed. It's understandable though that her first few speeches are going to be introducing her as a person and pointing out what she has done as governor. And she wouldn't be a politician if she didn't point out why she thinks people shouldn't vote for the other side. But now it's time to hear what she's going to do.

Oh I think she gets a lot more credit than Obama does on the family values front. I don't see where the Obama campaign has run from a I-am- a-father platform.

Quite frankly, Obama is trying to talk about the issue and the McCain campaign comes up with those bogus trumped up charges. But then again what do we expect, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis stated very clearly that this election is not about issues. I am not a Democrat by any stretch of the imagination but I have to say after their convention the Republicans lost me for a long time (not that they would care anyway). That vitriol that was spewed all over the convention, especially by Sarah Palin and Rudy G. really did it for me. I think it lost common decency.

Why don't they let people know what they will do without smearing the other side. It is a campaign that is run extremely divisive, class warfare, kind of us against you. I think it was very telling that several Republicans said at the convention that due to the hurricane they should take their Republican hats off and put their American hats on. For the party who claims the monopoly on patriotism that is interesting, aren't we all first and foremost Americans and THEN republicans or democrats.


And if she points out what she has achieved as a governor why does she not stick to the facts?

• She was FOR the bridge to nowhere until congress killed it, and still kept the money that was allocated for it.
• She didn't sell the plane on Ebay for a profit, she sold the plane allright. not on Ebay but to one of her campaign contributors and it was sold for a $ 600,000 loss
• She did not fire the chef she transferred the chef to the state legislator for their legislative lounge and instead she is taking a $ 60 per diem allowance from the state when she stays at her home in Wasilla

 

[hiitdogs]

Well, it already seems to me she's putting her ambitions first. I may be wrong, but I don't think the whole Palin family, excluding the son going to Iraq is on the McCain bus. I don't think that is feasible. Also, who is going to be raising these children if she (Palin and the DH) are together politicing all the time. That's who I have been seeing lately...just she and the husband. Where are the children?

Whereas I don't like what I have seen of Sarah Palin so far, I don't think her parenting is at issue, it's really none of our business.
And what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Michelle and Barack Obama are traveling the country on the campaign trail. The kids are not with them - and they shouldn't. I don't see why Sarah Palin should be different than that.

 

[Liann]

I don't see where the Obama campaign has run from a I-am- a-father platform.

I didn't say he was running his campaign on that. I do think they have strategically placed stories and family "moments"/situations though to try and make him more human and relateable and point out that he is a father and a husband. I've just noticed more of that lately. And his wife has spoken several times about Obama as a father like describing situations at home and the first car ride with their first daughter, yadda, yadda. Again - NOTHING wrong with that.

I'm not going to keep debating whether one side has been given enough due for their parental duties or not though. Or whether one campaign is being run too much on the fact that the candidate is a mother. There has been enough other reasons given for me to start disliking Sarah Palin. And you don't have to convince me that she needs to start answering for what she plans to do. I've said that in several posts that I want to know WHAT she is going to do. I don't want to hear about her kids, what her DH does on the weekends, etc... I just want to know what Sarah Palin the VP candidate is going to do.

Good luck ever having a political election where one side isn't smearing the other side. Even the democratic nominees were going at each other for a while there. That's just the process. I doubt we'll ever change that. It's not right, but it is politics.

Whereas I don't like what I have seen of Sarah Palin so far, I don't think her parenting is at issue, it's really none of our business.
And what's good for the goose is good for the gantor. Michelle and Barack Obama are traveling the country on the campaign trail. The kids are not with them - and they shouldn't. I don't see why Sarah Palin should be different than that.

AMEN!!! That's all I have been trying to say!

 

[cindi1]

Let's face it, America would never vote for a divorcee, an unmarried man or woman, or a homosexual.

I disagree...

http://www.classroomhelp.com/lessons/Presidents/buchanan.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexuality_of_James_Buchanan

http://www.gayheroes.com/abe.htm

We already have covered two of the four. It's just a matter of time before we have a woman president too (and a divorced president). IMO

 

[Liann]

Carola - Have you read this yet?

http://www.theroot.com/id/48035

Kind of like the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think???

 

[hiitdogs]

I don't want to hear about her kids, what her DH does on the weekends, etc... I just want to know what Sarah Palin the VP candidate is going to do.

Well, that was all I was saying!!! As usual, we are on the same page, Liann

 

[Liann]

LOL! Well, books wouldn't be worth reading if they were only one page!!!

 

[hiitdogs]

Carola - Have you read this yet?

http://www.theroot.com/id/48035

Kind of like the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think???

The pot calling the kettle black? What do you mean? Are you talking about sexist McCain calling Obama a sexist? Not disagreeing with you, I just want to clarify what you mean before I say something.

 

[Liann]

Yeah, I'm actually on your side on this one. I think it's ridiculous for McCain to say that Obama is sexist. I think Obama is as far from sexist as you can get. To me, it really looks bad on the Republicans, not the Democrats. It's totally uncalled for.

 

[hiitdogs]

I agree with a lot that article says. I think more often than not Obama has been taking the high road. I don't know what the right thing to do is though.
I find it interesting than so many people say they don't like negative politics, in the end, sadly enough gutter politics have always worked, at least so far.

I am totally appalled by the McCain campaign and their tactics. Not surprising that we just found out Karl Rove is in fact involved in the campaign.

 

[NY25]

How any female could consider voting for a woman who, when mayor of the thriving metropolis of Wassila, passed a law MAKING RAPE VICTIMS PAY FOR THEIR OWN RAPE KITS (yes, she did!) or who thinks 13 year olds should be forced to bear their molestors children, I'll never understand. Oh, she also used the line-item veto to slash - funding for teenage mothers! How ironic is that? And she's against equal-pay for women. Don't get it. I'm all for women in all places, just not this particular woman.

 

[trixie108]

Personally, being a devout ATHEIST, I cannot stand when politicians bring god or religion into their speeches. I think that believing in god (and I know I am going to offend a LOT of people here, so sorry in advance!) is like believing in the easter bunny or santa claus. And I agree with some earlier posters that so many murders and atrocious things have happened throughout history on the behalf of god. Honestly I don't really care what these people believe in spiritually as long as I don't have to hear about it.

As for Iraq, my fiance was one of the lucky ones to be able to go over to Iraq twice in the Army. Unless you experience it first hand, you will never truly understand what is happenening there. He said that if we pull the troops out now, it will completely implode. Unfortunatly, we started this civil unrest there,and now we have to be there to make sure peace (somewhat) is kept.

 

[jacqued]

As this is a thread intended to allow for personal opinion - I think McCain hit it out of the park when he chose her . . . I myself, think she was absolutely the best candidate. And as you are not alone in your opinion, there are significant numbers that agree with me. However, I believe this forum isn't truly representative of the opinions of the general population in that respect (at least that's my take from reading most of these threads). In a few months, we'll get our answer.

I agree! Here's an interesting video I heard about on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8

Don't get me wrong. I want our troops to come home as much as anyone. However, we cannot just walk away and leave things undone. All of those who have died in this war have died in vain if we do.

Jacque