Politics'R'US

[KAndre]

It feels sort of weird because I didn't find Palin a dynamic speaker at all. One of her strong points for me is that she seems to be a regular person who at one point in her life had a regular ole job - one of her weak points for me is that she seems to be a regular person I don't like. Hell, I was a "hockey mom" and am quite sure I'm not the demographic she's trying to appeal to. "Bulldog with lipstick"? I don't think so.

I would like to see Obama get really crazy mad about something - just to see how he deals with it. I do think he has more experience than Palin - but still think he's a little short in the experience department. He does seem to want it all - right now. I do give him credit for being on the national scene - because everything I've read about Palin seems to strike as someone with only local interests at heart - her town first, then Alaska, then rural. I don't see her as having any compassion for or interest in say a poor working class mother from the heart of L.A. or a single guy in Miami with a condo due for foreclosure or an investment banker in New York who's getting ready to lose his job.

McCain? I like 2000 McCain. 2008 McCain, not so much. A little too desperate, like this is his last chance.

[playbiller]

I foundthe praise for Palin's speech amusing. I don't think she had any input in writing it, it was just handed to her and she is an excellent reader. I ill be more interested in hearing her give an interview without a head set on.

This is an allusion to the pack seen in the back of GWB's jacket during the debates and that interesting "hearing aid" he has never worn since.

[keepingfaith]

Quickly reading through, I don't get the rumor that Clinton was stiff-arming Pelosi to keep impeachment off the table because Hillary didn't want to have to run against the Bush/Cheney replacement. I didn't hear that rumor, but it makes no sense because the Bush/Cheney replacement would be the Speaker of the House, who is .... Pelosi. So, my opinion is that Pelosi took it off the table because she didn't want to look like she was trying to grab the presidency -- you sure couldn't impeach and convict Bush without having Cheney go with him. However, after the election is over, I wouldn't be surprised at a post-election censure vote.

I hear that Hillary is mobilizing against Palin, and will be campaigning for Barack in Florida soon. Somehow, I'll be surprised if Palin is still on the ticket in November. I've read some things that freaked me out about her. Religion should be part of one's personal life but since she belongs to a church that doesn't believe in separation of church and state, that makes it not personal anymore, IMO. Her daughter's pregnancy should be completely off-limits, but will be an issue because Palin used the line item veto to cut the funding for a center to shelter pregnant teenagers in need. That will make it an issue. And there's so much more to come.

Funny thing about politicians, so many of them just lie and assume nobody will care enough to check it out. The true believers will always believe, and the opponents who jump up and down about the lies are demonized. It's a lose-lose situation. There are problems with her story about cutting taxes (not true), about turning down the money for the Bridge to Nowhere (which she didn't), even about the plane she sold on e-Bay (actually, she sold it for less than it was worth to a campaign contributor). Nothing is as it seems on the face of it. That little town of Wasilla, population 8,000 or so, she left those people with a $20 million dollar debt for a sports complex. Ooooo, that is so similar to GW Bush leaving the huge financial burden on Arlington, TX for the Rangers' ballpark.

ETA: To finish because I was so rudely interrupted by my JOB, I get depressed not by politicians, but by apathetic citizens who have the power and don't lift a hand to participate in democracy. That's the reason the country is totally screwed, because we ALLOW the crooked politicians to get elected. And we ALLOW them to do all manner of evil in our name while looking the other way. And this isn't partisan, because some of my bestest friends have different opinions about things, but we do stipulate to the facts and discount the propoganda. Once you've settled on the facts of the matter, disagreements about how to proceed are clearer and the distinctions between arguments are more reasoned and respectful. Maybe we've never had that in this country. Maybe it's time.

[Jaycee]

I don't usually pay much attention to politics but I will be watching any and all debates. I hope that most of this country will and really listens. It will be hard for one side to stretch the truth with someone from the other side sitting there and listening.

I have nothing against John McCain but I don't feel that we can have another 4 years of Rep. leadership. I would really like for a Rep. to tell me how they feel this country is better off now then it was 8 years ago.

On a board I was reading someone said that they were very afraid for this country if a Dem. is elected and I wanted to ask why but I wasn't a member. When someone says that, I don't understand what they are looking at, to get this feeling, because I feel the same way at the thought of a Rep being elected.

[djs111]

Quickly reading through, I don't get the rumor that Clinton was stiff-arming Pelosi to keep impeachment off the table because Hillary didn't want to have to run against the Bush/Cheney replacement. I didn't hear that rumor, but it makes no sense because the Bush/Cheney replacement would be the Speaker of the House, who is .... Pelosi. So, my opinion is that Pelosi took it off the table because she didn't want to look like she was trying to grab the presidency -- you sure couldn't impeach and convict Bush without having Cheney go with him. However, after the election is over, I wouldn't be surprised at a post-election censure vote.

KF, I brought that rumour over because I thought it was ridiculous. Cool that Hillary is supposed to have that much power, tho!

I get depressed not by politicians, but by apathetic citizens who have the power and don't lift a hand to participate in democracy. That's the reason the country is totally screwed, because we ALLOW the crooked politicians to get elected. And we ALLOW them to do all manner of evil in our name while looking the other way. And this isn't partisan, because some of my bestest friends have different opinions about things, but we do stipulate to the facts and discount the propoganda. Once you've settled on the facts of the matter, disagreements about how to proceed are clearer and the distinctions between arguments are more reasoned and respectful. Maybe we've never had that in this country. Maybe it's time.

I know what you mean, but I feel that in this country the politicians - all of them - are kind of removed from the people, past a certain level, and are more about winning the next election. The people, right now, have no actual power to do much, at least not more than once every four years or two years or whatever. There is no mechanism in place for impeachment by the people, for instance, or for a vote of confidence, like in England.

Granted, I am a wee bit cynical, but we did elect a Dem congress, and they accomplished - not much just basically got ready for this year's election. Has anyone come up with any sort of procedure to do something about "evil"? Seriously, this election thing is very unwieldy and removes issues from the people. Unless there is anarchy, we need a new way to do things.

Keep in mind that I consider all campaign crap is, well, crap - none of it ever happens, it just sounds good.

It gets dropped or torpedoed by specal interests, like hillary's health care (vastly superior to the current one being touted, IMO) got smashed by the insurance companies. Who then turned around, jacked up prices, and gave us the same lack of choice they said Hillary would.

[KAndre]

My thing is, in the long run, progress does get made. In a society as diverse as ours, with differing priorities, lurching along slowly is about what I expect.

[justclay12]

Palin being added to the ticket really scares me because although the personal choices that I tend to make are somewhat conservative, they are still my choices and I want to have the right to make personal choices for myself, not have the government make them for me. I actually liked McCain, Clinton, and Obama in the beginning, but I was really turned off by the negative campaigning by Hillary's team and now by McCain's team. All I've heard from them is vote for McCain because he's not Obama. And if I have to hear one more time about him being a POW, or using the horror of 9/11 as a political tool, I may scream.

I have been really impressed by how Obama has run his campaign and I read his 2nd book and a book about him (not the smear one) and he has really impressed me. And I thought the Democratic convention was awesome and his speech was amazing. Seeing all those people there and all the lights, then hearing his speech, it was like the opening ceremonies of the Olympics or something.

[claytonic]

I found the praise for Palin's speech amusing.

I don't think she had any input in writing it, it was just handed to her and she is an excellent reader.

I ill be more interested in hearing her give an interview without a head set on.

This is an allusion to the pack seen in the back of GWB's jacket during the debates and that interesting "hearing aid" he has never worn since.

I've been listening to the radio more (than watching TV) these days because it is interesting to hear what everyone is saying about Palin and the US campaign generally, and the bolded part quoted above is what is being said - amongst other things. One Oz radio host said that the American elections are like a world entertainment marathon. The world does have to pay attention because whoever is in charge of the USA controls much more than just the USA. It certainly did control some major and devasting decisions made by my country.

I don't know enough about Palin except that she was chosen by McCain apparently because of her Christian "values"; that his first(original) pick for a running-mate was someome who was pro-choice, and so he decided against that person and decided on Palin in order to reach the Christian (pro-life) vote. They used her down-syndrome baby as proof that she is "pro-life". Oh please... I know lots of pro-choice people who would have also chosen to have their down-syndrome baby, and I would too as I've rarely met a down-syndrome child or adult that didn't enrich my life in some way. What I want to know is how she would have dealt with a baby that would be grossly malformed, would need a team of medical specialists and 24 hour care and not expected to live beyond a few days. What would she do then? And if that were the situation for a single mother on welfare, who pays for the round-the-clock specialist care? Who? WHO? The health care system can't even cope with the needs of those who are living and desperately want to continue living, yet many of them have died from totally preventable situations because they did not have the means for medical procedures, and their government didn't seem to care. Do the people on the pro-life team not see the irony? Nothing is black and white, and any politician who operates with blinkers firmly in place cannot possibly be equipped to deal with vastly complex social issues.

As Joni Mitchel says in her song "Both Sides Now"...

I’ve looked at life from both sides now

From up and down, and still somehow

It’s life’s illusions I recall

I really don’t know life at all

Nothing is ever black or white. I just couldn't believe my ears when GW Bush said "You're either with us, or against us". Personally, I wasn't at all "with" the USA on the decision to attack Iraq, but I most definitely was NOT "against" the USA either. But my country's leader paid a heavy price for saying "Yess Sir, Yesss Sir, 3 bags full Sir", to GW Bush. He was humiliated at the next elections here, which was earlier this year.

[playbiller]

It is sad to say that goverment politics is cleaner and less convoluted than message board politics. I think there are enough people from enough different boards, including star trek, x file, baseball. Maybe politics could be better if we removed the people, they seem to be the weak link in everything.

Gotta pack and miss/make the big downpour today.

[justclay12]

I found the praise for Palin's speech amusing.

I don't think she had any input in writing it, it was just handed to her and she is an excellent reader.

I ill be more interested in hearing her give an interview without a head set on.

This is an allusion to the pack seen in the back of GWB's jacket during the debates and that interesting "hearing aid" he has never worn since.

I've been listening to the radio more (than watching TV) these days because it is interesting to hear what everyone is saying about Palin and the US campaign generally, and the bolded part quoted above is what is being said - amongst other things. One Oz radio host said that the American elections are like a world entertainment marathon. The world does have to pay attention because whoever is in charge of the USA controls much more than just the USA. It certainly did control some major and devasting decisions made by my country.

I don't know enough about Palin except that she was chosen by McCain apparently because of her Christian "values"; that his first(original) pick for a running-mate was someome who was pro-choice, and so he decided against that person and decided on Palin in order to reach the Christian (pro-life) vote. They used her down-syndrome baby as proof that she is "pro-life". Oh please... I know lots of pro-choice people who would have also chosen to have their down-syndrome baby, and I would too as I've rarely met a down-syndrome child or adult that didn't enrich my life in some way. What I want to know is how she would have dealt with a baby that would be grossly malformed, would need a team of medical specialists and 24 hour care and not expected to live beyond a few days. What would she do then? And if that were the situation for a single mother on welfare, who pays for the round-the-clock specialist care? Who? WHO? The health care system can't even cope with the needs of those who are living and desperately want to continue living, yet many of them have died from totally preventable situations because they did not have the means for medical procedures, and their government didn't seem to care. Do the people on the pro-life team not see the irony? Nothing is black and white, and any politician who operates with blinkers firmly in place cannot possibly be equipped to deal with vastly complex social issues.

As Joni Mitchel says in her song "Both Sides Now"...

I've looked at life from both sides now

From up and down, and still somehow

It's life's illusions I recall

I really don't know life at all

Nothing is ever black or white. I just couldn't believe my ears when GW Bush said "You're either with us, or against us". Personally, I wasn't at all "with" the USA on the decision to attack Iraq, but I most definitely was NOT "against" the USA either. But my country's leader paid a heavy price for saying "Yess Sir, Yesss Sir, 3 bags full Sir", to GW Bush. He was humiliated at the next elections here, which was earlier this year.

I don't listen to the radio so haven't heard things that way but I do read some of the comments at different places. Plus reading lots of articles and watching the Democratic convention. Couldn't stomach watching the Republican one although I did see bits and pieces elsewhere.

I agree with you on your whole post. With regards to people with Down's, I work with a woman who has Down's and she was the sweetest, happiest person anyone could know and she usually made people around her laugh and feel happy too. Unfortunately, she isn't doing so well now so it is really hard to watch, but I would never have wanted to miss out on the time that she was her old self.

I also agree about the GW comment. He, along with McCain now, appear to think that we are acting in some superhero movie where its the good guys against the bad guys. Heaven help us if we have to go through another 4 years of this. If that happens maybe I could move in with some Clay fans in Canada or NZ or Australia for the next four.

[Lotus]

I am a Canadian and as our former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once said being next to the USA is like being a mouse lying next to an elephant. The politics and economics of the USA have such an impact on us so this election is creating a huge amount of interest here.

When I heard Sarah Palin's speech at the convention, I was very disturbed and then later when I heard comments like "Oh yes, I'd vote for her, she's just like us." Huh? That's what is important in a person who is just a heart attack away from being the President?

For those of you who may not have read this. Here is a blog from a resident of Wasilla Alaska on the Sarah Palin she knows.

http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/www.alternet.org/98077/

[claytonic]

I am a Canadian and as our former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once said being next to the USA is like being a mouse lying next to an elephant. The politics and economics of the USA have such an impact on us so this election is creating a huge amount of interest here.

When I heard Sarah Palin's speech at the convention, I was very disturbed and then later when I heard comments like "Oh yes, I'd vote for her, she's just like us." Huh? That's what is important in a person who is just a heart attack away from being the President?

For those of you who may not have read this. Here is a blog from a resident of Wasilla Alaska on the Sarah Palin she knows.

http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/www.alternet.org/98077/

Lotus, thanks for that blog!

OMG, that list of the books Palin wanted banned from the City Library is somethin' else! It is just inconceivable that she could "a heartbeat" away from the most powerful position in the world!

Her extreme beliefs are scary and dangerous.

[ldyjocelyn]

OMG, that list of the books Palin wanted banned from the City Library is somethin' else!

As a librarian, I've been following this story closely. From good old snopes.com, they debunk the "list of books." From what I understand, there was never a list. However...

This link from American Libraries gives a pretty good summary of what Sarah Palin did.

I'm still fuming about it.

[claytonic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXvbwiXqQm8

OMG did anyone else think that was Sarah Palin for one very long moment??? I DID!!

ETA: If the above link does not work, try this one:

(It's about that amazing spoof)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ral-zByaSU4

[Lotus]

I just received this e-mail and the person who sent it didn't include the name of the person who wrote the e-mail.

She may be the person I heard interviewed on CBC radio whose idea it was to have a demonstration to show that not all women in Alaska support Palin. According to the interview it was the biggest political rally ever held in Alaska!

I'd like to know why there hasn't been any coverage of this demonstration on television news.

W o w! Look at these pictures of a great bunch of people, carrying home-made signs…

ASK YOUR TV STATIONS WHY WE DIDN’T GET TO SEE THE BIGGEST RALLY IN ALASKA! Enjoy….pass it on!

[The] Alaska Women Reject Palin rally was to be held outside on the lawn in front of the Loussac Library in midtown Anchorage. Home made signs were encouraged, and the idea was to make a statement that Sarah Palin does not speak for all Alaska women, or men. I had no idea what to expect.

The rally was organized by a small group of women, talking over coffee. It made me wonder what other things have started with small groups of women talking over coffee. It's probably an impressive list. These women hatched the plan, printed up flyers, posted them around town, and sent notices to local media outlets. One of those media outlets was KBYR radio, home of Eddie Burke, a long-time uber-conservative Anchorage talk show host. Turns out that Eddie Burke not only announced the rally, but called the people who planned to attend the rally "a bunch of socialist baby-killing maggots," and read the home phone numbers of the organizers aloud over the air, urging listeners to call and tell them what they thought. The women, of course, received some nasty, harassing and threatening messages.

I felt a bit apprehensive. I'd been disappointed before by the turnout at other rallies. Basically, in Anchorage, if you can get 25 people to show up at an event, it's a success. So, I thought to myself, if we can actually get 100 people there that aren't sent by Eddie Burke, we'll be doing good. A real statement will have been made. I confess, I still had a mental image of 15 demonstrators surrounded by hundreds of menacing "socialist baby-killing maggot" haters.

It's a good thing I wasn't tailgating when I saw the crowd in front of the library or I would have ended up in somebody's trunk. When I got there, about 20 minutes early, the line of sign wavers stretched the full length of the library grounds, along the edge of the road, 6 or 7 people deep! I could hardly find a place to park. I nabbed one of the last spots in the library lot, and as I got out of the car and started walking, people seemed to join in from every direction, carrying signs.

Never, have I seen anything like it in my 17 and a half years living in Anchorage. The organizers had someone walk the rally with a counter, and they clicked off well over 1400 people (not including the 90 counter-demonstrators). This was the biggest political rally ever, in the history of the state. I was absolutely stunned. The second most amazing thing is how many people honked and gave the thumbs up as they drove by. And even those that didn't honk looked wide-eyed and awe-struck at the huge crowd that was growing by the minute. This just doesn't happen here.

Then, the infamous Eddie Burke showed up. He tried to talk to the media, and was instantly surrounded by a group of 20 people who started shouting O-BA-MA so loud he couldn't be heard. Then passing cars started honking in a rhythmic pattern of 3, like the Obama chant, while the crowd cheered, hooted and waved their signs high.

So, if you've been doing the math… Yes. The Alaska Women Reject Palin rally was significantly bigger than Palin's rally that got all the national media coverage! So take heart, sit back, and enjoy the photo gallery. Feel free to spread the pictures around to anyone who needs to know that Sarah Palin most definitely does not speak for all Alaskans. The citizens of Alaska, who know her best, have things to say.

[Couch Tomato]

President Clinton on Letterman...Enjoyed him as always. His intellect is attractive.

[djs111]

His intellect is attractive.

Yes, it is. I believe that, whatever faults he has, he is brilliant, and that is the most attractive thing a man can be.

To this day, he is the only politician I can watch make a speech, no exceptions. I didn't even care all that much for JFK. My father was a dem committe member when JFK ran for office, and I was disenchanted with the whole shebang early on.

[claytonic]

President Clinton on Letterman...Enjoyed him as always. His intellect is attractive.

Oh goodie!! That means that episode could be screened here tonight.....

I love Bill Clinton, he is charismatic beyond description. By rights, I shouldn't even like politicians but also love Jimmy Carter because I salute anyone who stands up for human rights.

[Desertrose]

I got the same email several days ago. I deleted it. Even though I do not agree with Sarah Palin's political views and will not be voting for her, I refuse to thrash her or circulate these sort of emails. I hate what the media did to Hillary during her campaign. IMO, it was because they are threatened by a strong woman. The media was easy with Obama. IMO a lot of women are also threatened by women such as Hillary. I hope that is not what is happening to Sarah. I just know that I will not participate.

[claytonic]

I got the same email several days ago. I deleted it. Even though I do not agree with Sarah Palin's political views and will not be voting for her, I refuse to thrash her or circulate these sort of emails. I hate what the media did to Hillary during her campaign. IMO, it was because they are threatened by a strong woman. The media was easy with Obama. IMO a lot of women are also threatened by women such as Hillary. I hope that is not what is happening to Sarah. I just know that I will not participate.

Hi Desertrose

While I agree with you on principle, I also feel that everyone needs to be educated so that they can make an informed decision when voting. I have had a lot of anti-Obama emails, mainly from ONE person who is so right-winged I don't think he'd miss his left eye if something happened to it. Unless I research the contents of his emails about Obama, there is no way of knowing how much of it is pure B.S. This same individual has sent me emails about Australia (he doesn't know where I live) and I am often taken aback by the numerous inaccuracies about things I know a lot about because it is common knowledge here.

While I don't forward emails on mass, I do share them with people who I know are intelligent enough to read between the lines and research the information before bringing it up in a social conversation IRL. WHere Palin is concerned, I feel very nervous about idea that the Republicans can actually win, and the possibility of Palin having so much power (when her philosophy on a number of important issues) scares me. Hence, I wouldn't feel like I've compromised my integrity if I pass on information to people I can have an open discussion with, because the more people who can see Palin for what she represents, the better the chances are for Obama.

[Lotus]

Frankly, living here in Canada where what happens south of our border has so much impact on us especially since we now have a party in power that is too much like the Bush Republicans, Sarah Palin scares me.

I'm a little confused, let me see if I have this straight . . . . .

◙

If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exoic, 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.

◙

You graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable / you attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well- grounded.

◙

If you spend 3 years as a brilliant 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 weather girl, 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 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 don't represent America's / if your 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 extremely admirable.

. . . . OK, much clearer now.

Now if any of the facts stated in this quote are untrue, please tell me and then maybe I can be a little less scared.

[djs111]

I am not someone who will vote for McCain. I will vote for Obama because he is Democrat and because he is not McCain.

My favorite cousin works for the Obama campaign in her city and send me emails like this, the other one was a "white privilege" email. I also see these in the political thread at the CH, posted by someone who works for the Obama campaign also.

I told my cousin that I was not sure who her audience was, because emails like this just seem sarcastic to me, they have the condescending sarcastic air of a Bill Maher monologue.

And a Maher monologue is not gonna change anybody's vote, he is all about feeling superior, and putting those of the other party down. I hate to be on Maher's side, actually!

I don't think comparing any of the candidates in a scornful manner is going to win anybody over, is all.

Just like calling people racist and homophobic is not going to change them, either, just back them into a corner. As a wise young man has noted elsewhere. :-)

There must be some better way to disseminate the real points in those emails without sounding sarcastic; if I was a republican I would just look at them as campaign rhetoric, because they come off like a Letterman list.

I would have thought they were just for grins, until I got them from my cousin who helped set up campaign headquarters and went through the training or orientation or whatever.

[Desertrose]

I got the same email several days ago. I deleted it. Even though I do not agree with Sarah Palin's political views and will not be voting for her, I refuse to thrash her or circulate these sort of emails. I hate what the media did to Hillary during her campaign. IMO, it was because they are threatened by a strong woman. The media was easy with Obama. IMO a lot of women are also threatened by women such as Hillary. I hope that is not what is happening to Sarah. I just know that I will not participate.

Hi Desertrose

While I agree with you on principle, I also feel that everyone needs to be educated so that they can make an informed decision when voting. I have had a lot of anti-Obama emails, mainly from ONE person who is so right-winged I don't think he'd miss his left eye if something happened to it. Unless I research the contents of his emails about Obama, there is no way of knowing how much of it is pure B.S. This same individual has sent me emails about Australia (he doesn't know where I live) and I am often taken aback by the numerous inaccuracies about things I know a lot about because it is common knowledge here.

While I don't forward emails on mass, I do share them with people who I know are intelligent enough to read between the lines and research the information before bringing it up in a social conversation IRL. WHere Palin is concerned, I feel very nervous about idea that the Republicans can actually win, and the possibility of Palin having so much power (when her philosophy on a number of important issues) scares me. Hence, I wouldn't feel like I've compromised my integrity if I pass on information to people I can have an open discussion with, because the more people who can see Palin for what she represents, the better the chances are for Obama.

Hi Claytonic,

I hear you and can agree with what you say. I also have friends that I can have open political discussions with. In fact the friend who sent me that email has the exact point of view that you have. She is, like me, a feminist, liberal, bleeding heart Democrat. I told her that I was just deleting it, and she basically told me the same thing you said. However, she did tell me that this year she would not be flying all over the country to register voters like she did last presidential election. We did spend a lot of time disseminating and distributing information about GW Shrub. It did not do any good. People still voted for him even though he had spent and wasted all the money that Ann Richards left in the Texas coffers among other things.

I am just not that invested in the election this year. As, I said before, I will not be voting for Palin because she does not represent me and the issues that matter to me. I find it interesting that even though it was expected that Hillary would come out blasting Palin, it has not happened. Hillary says she supports Obama, but has not really attacked Palin.

Saw where W Virginia has Santa Claus as a write-in candidate for those who do not like either of the slates.

[djs111]

I don't think it is a good idea to attack Palin as yet - wait until she makes some national appearances. Right now she is poor wittle Sarah. I think Tina Fey has more air time as Sarah than Sarah does. Certainly more coherent, too.

[claytonic]

The Sarah Palin interview with Katie Couric

(Thank goodness for YouTube .... I was just watching the start of The View (which I taped earlier today) and they mentioned the above interview... and so I did a search on YouTube. Mind boggling, YouTube, technology.... etc etc etc. I just love it!)