It's Palin ...

[spike]

Do you think that Lyle and Erik Menendez were in control when they killed their parents; and that Jose and Kitty Menendez were responsible for their own deaths? Now THAT'S letting your kids get out of control!

I would certainly call into question the Menendez parenting skills.

IF SHE DIDN'T DO IT SHE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE!

How is it that Palin is responsible for what her husband did before they were even married

What are you talking about? What did her husband do?

 

[JJR512]

That's not what I said. I will stipulate that that's what you understood.

I would just like to point out for once, it was not I who made this statement.

 

[jimpeel]

Even the Brits are taking a shine to Sarah.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/the_real_american_idol/article1640770.ece

Why Sarah has the X appeal

By OLIVER HARVEY
Chief Feature Writer

Published: Today

SHE is the moose-hunting mum-of-five who could soon be the second most powerful person on the planet.

Ex-beauty queen Sarah Palin has arrived out of the political — and geographical — wilderness to send shockwaves through the US Presidential race.

The gun-toting Alaskan Governor’s appointment as John McCain’s running mate has been met with glee by many conservative Republicans.

She is fiercely anti-abortion and went ahead with her pregnancy with son Trig, now five months, after learning at an early stage that he would have Down’s syndrome.

The former Miss Alaska runner-up is deeply religious and supports the teaching of creationism alongside evolution in schools.

The 44-year-old Vice Presidential candidate is also a “supermom” who has managed to run the state of Alaska while bringing up five kids.

Despite news that her unmarried daughter Bristol is pregnant at 17, Republican strategists believe her guns and God ethos will chime with Middle America.

Influential US conservative talkshow host Rush Limbaugh called Palin’s selection a “home f***ing run”.

He added in an email: “Palin = Guns, Babies, Jesus.”

Death

But Democrats point out McCain met Palin just once before deciding to appoint her. He is 72 and a cancer survivor, and the cliché about vice-presidents being a heartbeat away from the presidency remains as true as ever.

The Vice President becomes the new President of the US upon the death, resignation, or removal of the president and serves out the remainder of that presidential term.

Paul Begala, the architect of Bill Clinton’s victory in 1992, said: “It’s irresponsible.

“McCain is 72 years old and has had cancer four times and he wants to put a woman he met once a heartbeat away from the presidency.

“Eight of our 43 presidents have died in office.”

But Democrat candidate Barack Obama congratulated Palin, calling her “a compelling person with a terrific personal story”.

Few in Palin’s Alaskan backwater home town Wasilla — population 7,000 — doubt that she could step into McCain’s shoes if needed.

Born Sarah Louise Heath in Sandpoint, Idaho, in February 1964, Palin was the third of four children. The family moved to Wasilla when she was a child. Her dad, Chuck, was a teacher and loved Alaska’s hunting and fishing lifestyle.

Today Chuck’s pick-up truck has a bumper sticker reading “Vegetarian — Old Indian Word For Bad Hunter”.

At ten Sarah bagged her first rabbit and she would join Chuck on 3am moose hunts before school.

Sarah was originally a Roman Catholic, but her parents switched to the Wasilla Assembly of God, a Pentecostal church, that believes God created the world at every step.

A fierce high school basketball player — she was nicknamed “Sarah Barracuda” — and led team prayers before games.

She helped the side win the Alaska small-school championship in 1982, scoring in the game’s final seconds despite having an ankle stress fracture at the time.

In 1984 she won the Wasilla Beauty Contest and was also named Miss Congeniality. But later that year her experience in the Miss Alaska contest put her off beauty pageants.

She said recently: “They made us line up in bathing suits and turn our backs so the male judges could look at our butts. I couldn’t believe it.”

Palin may be conservative but she doesn’t seem prudish.

Studying journalism at the University of Idaho, a photo has emerged of her in a T-shirt with a slogan across her chest reading: “I may be broke but I’m not flat busted.” Now the glamorous mum criticises the media for commenting on her looks, saying: “I wish they’d stick to the issues instead of discussing my black go-go boots.”

She eloped with husband and high school sweetheart Todd Palin — known as the First Dude — to spare the families the cost of a wedding.

Grizzly

Todd, who is part Native American Inuit, is a commercial fisherman and is the four-time winner of the Iron Dog snow- mobile race — the world’s longest.

After a short-lived career as a TV sportscaster Palin was elected Mayor of Wasilla aged 32.

She immediately started taking on the Republican establishment, revealing: “It was a sleepy town, run by good old boys.” Her daughter Piper was born when she was mayor. Palin said: “She was born on Monday and I went back to work on Tuesday.”

In 2006 she was voted state Governor. After taking office she followed through on a campaign promise to sell the Governor’s private jet bought on state credit. She sold it for £1.3million after putting it on eBay. In a recent poll among Alaskans she had an approval rating of 76 per cent.

Today a grizzly bear skin — shot by dad Chuck — hangs over her office sofa and she still enjoys moose stew after “a day snow machining”.

Much-viewed recent YouTube footage shows Palin loosening off a few rounds from an automatic rifle while visiting troops in Kuwait.

An impressed US army instructor is heard telling her: “You’re pretty much hitting it dead centre.”

She seems to enjoy the role of strung-out supermom, “What’s the difference between a pit bull and a hockey mum,” she asks. “It’s lipstick.”

Her children have already attracted a Facebook group called: “What’s your favourite Palin child name?”

Redneck

Baby son Trig Paxon Van Palin is a frontrunner, followed by eldest son Track and three daughters Bristol, Willow and Piper.

Track, 19, is named after Sarah’s love of track and field. He has enlisted in the US army and is about to head to Iraq.

News that her 17-year-old daughter Bristol is five months pregnant outside of marriage left many anti-abortion Republicans delighted that she had decided to keep the baby.

In a written statement the Palin family said: “Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that, as parents, we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned.”

The family stressed that Bristol would be keeping the baby and marrying the father.

He is said to be Levi Johnston, also a 18-year-old high school student. On his MySpace profile, before it was made private, he reportedly boasted that he was a redneck who liked to snowboard and ride dirt bikes.

Teen pregnancy in the US — with Britney Spears’ 17-year-old sister Jamie Lynn being a prime example — is one of the highest in the industrialised world.

It is estimated that one-third of US girls get pregnant before the age of 20, with 80 per cent of those “unintended”.

But Bristol’s decision to keep the baby has played well with delegates at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis.

Texan Donna Crocker, 69, said: “I think the fact that Palin’s out in front with it is really a very good thing. The fact that her daughter is keeping the baby and marrying the father is wonderful. It is a human life and she is respecting that.”

Palin has certainly added colour and character to an already intriguing US political scene.

Many pundits believe her addition to the Republican ticket will make the race with Obama’s Democrats go to the wire.

What is certain is that the sharp-shooting mom from the wilds of Alaska won’t go down without a fight.

[email protected]

 

[Gato_Solo]

Of course you realize that Brits can't vote in our elections. Its nice thay have an interest, but, in a phrase, who cares?

 

[spike]

Of course you realize that Brits can't vote in our elections. Its nice thay have an interest, but, in a phrase, who cares?

He found a conservative that wrote a british opinion piece that was favorable so he generalized it as all Brits everywhere. I suppose it makes him feel better.

Here's an interesting poll of Americans:

There is also wide uncertainty about whether she's qualified to be president. In the poll, taken Friday, 39% say she is ready to serve as president if needed, 33% say she isn't, and 29% have no opinion.


That's the lowest vote of confidence in a running mate since the elder George Bush chose then-Indiana senator Dan Quayle to join his ticket in 1988. In comparison, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden was seen as qualified by 57%-18% after Democrat Barack Obama chose him as a running mate last week.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-08-30-palin-poll_N.htm

 

[2minkey]

jeesus jim at this point are you looking to have a baby with her? somebody is in love. did you put pictures of her up your locker? mrs. peel's gonna be jealous.

now, when the dirt comes out and she's revealed as a politician as scum-covered as any, try not to take it too hard.

 

[JJR512]

They referred to a town with a population of 7,000 as "backwater"? My impression of the UK is that there are a lot of little towns and villages.

 

[Cerise]

He found a conservative that wrote a british opinion piece that was favorable.....

But if the Europeans like Bammers then that shows that he can boost America's image abroad?

 

[Cerise]

According to guttmacher,

Each year, almost 750,000 women aged 15-19 become pregnant. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_ATSRH.html

 

[Cerise]

http://townhall.com/columnists/BenS...hypocritical,_woman-hating_left_targets_palin

"There is a special place in hell for women who do not help other women," former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright once remarked.

Where, then, are the liberal women when it comes to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin?

There is no question that the left's attachment to both the Trig Palin non-story and the Bristol Palin story are dramatic examples of sexism.

Liberal women should feel free to oppose Palin's candidacy on policy grounds -- but they have the moral obligation to defend Palin from such sexist attacks.

The Democrats' support of women's rights, it seems, is restricted only to the most convenient political situation: liberal women versus white males. When it's liberal women versus black males -- see Clinton vs. Obama -- the left dumps women's rights in favor of racial gains. When it's conservative women versus anybody, the left ignores women's rights completely.

 

[spike]

But if the Europeans like Bammers then that shows that he can boost America's image abroad?

It would take more than one opinion piece to show that Europeans like Obama.

 

[spike]

Liberal women should feel free to oppose Palin's candidacy on policy grounds -- but they have the moral obligation to defend Palin from such sexist attacks.

What is sexist about those stories exactly?

 

[MrBishop]

What are you talking about? What did her husband do?

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Sarah Palin can't say she wasn't warned.
Before she was offered the job of GOP running mate on the deck of John McCain's home, the Alaska governor was told that nothing could prepare her for the harsh spotlight of a presidential campaign. The self-styled "hockey mom" told McCain's team she could take it.
And that's what she's had to do.
It turns out her record as an independent-minded government reformer is not free of blemishes, and every one that's found is being magnified for public view. Just since Friday, it's come to light that:


_A private attorney is authorized to spend $95,000 of state money to defend her against accusations of abuse of power.
_Palin sought pork-barrel projects for her city and state, contrary to her reformist image.
_Her husband once belonged to a fringe political group in Alaska, with some members supporting secession from the United States.
_She has acknowledged smoking marijuana in the past.


And of course, her 17-year-old daughter's pregnancy. Bristol Palin's boyfriend, Levi Johnston, 18, plans to join Palin's family at the GOP convention, the boy's mother said. The young couple's presence could set off a media frenzy.


After four days of taking it, Palin dishes it out Wednesday with a televised speech at the Republican National Convention. In addition to accepting the nomination, the first woman to do so for the GOP, Palin will tell her story: small-town mayor with a taste for mooseburgers; the wife of a blue-collar North Slope oil worker; and the mother of five, including one born this spring with Down syndrome.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jrhFOsVwX9jtDyUhy3zKCBVms8tgD92V3UFG0

 

[spike]

Ah, I see...an America-hater.

I thought maybe Jimbo was talking about her husbands DUI.

 

[jimpeel]

jeesus jim at this point are you looking to have a baby with her? somebody is in love. did you put pictures of her up your locker? mrs. peel's gonna be jealous.

now, when the dirt comes out and she's revealed as a politician as scum-covered as any, try not to take it too hard.

We had a discussion about her a year ago on another board and how she could likely beat Hillary if they went head to head. Palin is a conservative, not a "conservative". She has conservative values -- everything that the rest of the field lacks. She is not a bipartisan -- a word that makes me retch every time I hear it -- hack like McCain. He not only "goes across the aisle", he puts on the uniform and marched to their tune.

As the voice over McCain's shoulder, maybe she can bring McCain around on some issues.

I see her as a capable, strong willed woman who will be able to do the job. Yes, there are those who would say "Wow! Dude! She's a babe!" and never see past the facade; but I want to see accomplishments and potential beyond what she looks like naked.

Huckabay, Giulanni, et al were never told "You don't have any foreign policy experience" when they were vying to fly in the number one seat. Any of them would have been a "good choice" for VP according to all of those who say she lacks experience.

As to that experience, this from someone on another board who actually took the time to do the math:

Obama’s political experience consists of his 1997-2004 service in the IL state legislature. That’s 7 years (not 8, as some think, because they are counting when he was elected, but he didn’t start until 1997). He has been a U.S. senator since 2005, but has served only 143 working days in that capacity, having spent the rest of his time running for president. So his political experience consists of 7 years 5 months.

Palin’s political experience consists of her two terms on the city council, from 1992-1996. That’s 4 years. She served as mayor from 1996-2002. That’s 6 years. (Also of note, she was elected president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors during this time.) She took office as governor of Alaska on December 4, 2006. That’s 1 year 8 months. So her total political experience consists of 11 years 8 months.

Obama has zero executive experience. He’s never held any executive-level position in either the private or public sectors. He has NEVER made a single executive-level decision in his life.

Palin was a mayor and is currently a governor. The positions require executive-level decisions.

11 years 8 months is more than 7 years 5 months, plus she has executive experience and he doesn’t. Even if you give Obama full credit for his US senate time, he still has less time in service than Palin does.

Scum covered? When your daughter gets pregnent despite your best efforts to the contrary, will you consider yourself "scum covered"?

If you were governor, and someone serves at the governor's pleasure, and you fire them are you "scum covered"? If she had used her position to allow her brother-in-law to continue as a trooper, despite a growing body of evidence that he was abusive, had made death threats, and had exceeded his power as a sworn officer you would be saying that she was a nepotist.

So here we have two -- count 'em -- two issues, one of which is personal and has nothing to do with her ability to continue to make executive decisions, and she is "unqualified". I believe you would not say the same thing about a man.

The blogs are going nuts about how she was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party but she has NEVER been a member of that party. Her husband, however, was.

As to her neglecting her children while she is in office, her husband will be a stay-at-home dad. No one would say a thing if she were to be a stay-at-home mom while her husband was in office.

The hype is simply crap; and those who knock her are simply scared to death of strong women -- except for those who are democrats of course.

 

[jimpeel]

It would take more than one opinion piece to show that Europeans like Obama.

How about 200,000 Germans attending his rock concert speech?

 

[jimpeel]

_A private attorney is authorized to spend $95,000 of state money to defend her against accusations of abuse of power.

Or she could spend $200,000 of state money using a state attorney and the full staff at the Alaska DoJ taking their attention away from the affairs of the state.

_Palin sought pork-barrel projects for her city and state, contrary to her reformist image.

What projects? If the money is in the budget, and is being returned to the state from where it was taken from the citizenry, what is wrong with that. Should she have returned the money to the citizenry and then taken it back in taxes for local projects?

_Her husband once belonged to a fringe political group in Alaska, with some members supporting secession from the United States.

Actually, several state have strong secessionist movements. Alaska could become its own country and do quuite well. Here is the platform of the party plank by plank.

http://akip.org/platform.html

Among the platform provisions:
=====
To effect full compliance with the constitutions of the United States of America and the State of Alaska. [GASP!]

To reinforce the unalienable rights endowed by our Creator to Alaska law, by eliminating the use of the word "privilege" in the Alaska statutes. [Privilege = The government giveth and the government taketh away.]

To prohibit all bureaucratic regulations and judicial rulings purporting to have the effect of law, except that which shall be approved by the elected legislature. [Wow, the constitutional provisions actually being enforced and law-making power being wrested from the hands of bureaucrats.]

To support the right of the individual to keep and bear arms. [Now codified by the SCotUS in Heller.]

To support the complete abolition of the concept of sovereign or governmental immunity, so as to restore accountability for public servants. [Accountability for public servants? How rude can they get?]

To support the rights of parents to privately or home school their children. [School choice and parental rights. What a concept.]

To support the privatization of government services. [Putting projects out for bid instead of having a public workforce to stand around leaning on their shovels.]

To strengthen the traditional family and support individual accountability without government interference or regulation. [Parental rights and accountability. What cads.]

To support the right of jurors to judge the law as well as the facts, according to their conscience. [Jury nullification of bad law as judged by those most affected by those laws. (See http://fija.org/) ]
=====

The Federal government owns nearly 70% of Alaska. "Forts, magazines, arsenals, dock-yards and other needful buildings?" (That would be 459,496 sq mi of the 656,424 sq mi area.)

The only ones this should concern are the Marxists and Commies who are against state powers for the people of the state and for more central government power.

Unfortunately, she was never in this party as I see this as a positive for her, not a negative.

_She has acknowledged smoking marijuana in the past.

Wrong. She has stated that when the state law was in effect that smoking marijuana was LEGAL she smoked it. This is like saying that she drank an alcoholic beverage on her 21st birthday.

 

[spike]

How about 200,000 Germans attending his rock concert speech?

Certainly, seems like a far better indicator than a single opinion piece.

If you feel the need to make sweeping generalizations based on a single example use one that encompasses 200,000 people.

 

[spike]

Yes, there are those who would say "Wow! Dude! She's a babe!" and never see past the facade; but I want to see accomplishments and potential beyond what she looks like naked.

She's not really a babe.

Huckabay, Giulanni, et al were never told "You don't have any foreign policy experience" when they were vying to fly in the number one seat. Any of them would have been a "good choice" for VP according to all of those who say she lacks experience.

Actually those would be awful choices.

As to that experience, this from someone on another board who actually took the time to do the math:

That a pretty flawed summation. All the experience would have to be equal. City council and mayor of a tiny town really aren't too demanding.

Scum covered? When your daughter gets pregnent despite your best efforts to the contrary, will you consider yourself "scum covered"?

It certainly shows a flaw in her "abstinence -only" education stance.

If you were governor, and someone serves at the governor's pleasure, and you fire them are you "scum covered"?

If you abuse your power to be vindictive you might be.

I believe you would not say the same thing about a man.

I would.

The blogs are going nuts about how she was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party but she has NEVER been a member of that party. Her husband, however, was.

"Officials of the Alaskan Independence Party say that Palin was once so independent, she was once a member of their party"

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/...y-raises-questions-about-vetting-process.aspx

As to her neglecting her children while she is in office

Who said she'd be neglecting her children?

The hype is simply crap; and those who knock her are simply scared to death of strong women -- except for those who are democrats of course.

Nobody is afraid of strong women. We just see her for what she is.

 

[2minkey]

Scum covered? When your daughter gets pregnent despite your best efforts to the contrary, will you consider yourself "scum covered"?

"scum covered" was in specific reference to "politician," not "trailer park," jim.

and i don't have a daughter. one selfish little urchin (me) in my house is enough.