For Chanel (and, no, Stacy, I didn't forget about the in-law post. I'm getting my pictures together girlfriend!)
seeing as how NOBODY shares their poiltical opinion (and that yours aligns with mine) I'd love to hear your take on Palin, on if you think Obama can pull this off, and any other political feeelings you'd like to share.
*Let me premise this blog with this disclaimer.*
THIS IS MY BLOG WHERE I CAN SHARE MY OPINIONS AND FEELINGS WITHOUT THINKING THROUGH THEM ALL TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THEY WILL CAUSE OFFENSE. IT IS MY PLEASURE TO BE OPINIONATED, BUT NOT TO TICK YOU OFF OR HURT YOUR FEELINGS (ESPECIALLY IF IT'S JUST BECAUSE WE DISAGREE!)
SO, at church on Sunday one of my favorite staunch Republicans came up to me and asked me what I thought about Palin. I told him I thought she was nice and inexperienced. I also told him that I thought it was nicer that she was picked to be the Republican VP because surely it would behoove the Democrats position in the polls. Last night I was surprised (i.e. a little disturbed, frankly) to hear that the candidates are now neck and neck and that, I believe, Palin's nomination ploy ACTUALLY was working to the Republicans position. OH why, why, why?
Honestly, there's part of me that is really impressed with Sarah Palin. Seemingly she has it ALL together and is fully capable of "being a heartbeat away" from running our country. I'm all for a woman who can "do it all," and heaven's knows my parents and husband can attest I am a firm believer in the "do it all" mentality, but the problem is I KNOW there is a lot of sacrificing that comes when you try to hold onto "doing it all." And that pretty much debunks the "doing it all" mystique.
Okay. I have typed and retyped these thoughts about Sarah Palin over and over. So I'm just gonna give them straight up:
First, I'll give her some props.
*Yes, I think she's smart and capable enough to be the vice-president.
*I believe the experience issue can be thrown out the window because if you're smart and capable enough, in politics, you surround yourself with BRILLIANT people who help you make smart and capable decisions.
*She's from Idaho, is married with 5 kids, is a Christian, a strong woman . . . I guess I can relate to her.
*She's pretty.
And then my issues:
*She's a mom of 5 kids who could clearly use some more of her attention. I'm not casting judgement that she hasn't paid attention or that her supportive husband isn't doing enough or anything like that, but c'mon! Who in their right mind (get the pun?) thinks this woman should be focusing on being the vice-president when she has a baby and a pregnant teenage daughter? I give her credit for standing up so adamantly for the right-to-life, but who's taking her daughter to her prenatal doctor's appointments and/or birthing classes. I don't care what you say, the dad may be great, the boyfriend is now a stand-up (17 year old) guy, maybe there's involved grandparents, and/or the nannies are proficient in "What to Expect when your Expecting" but NOBODY could replace Sarah Palin being that person in her daughter's life right now. And it disappoints me that she is campaigning at this time.
*And if (heaven forbid) McCain/Palin wins, how hard is it going to be to be tuned in to her son's needs AND be able to be an integral part of the administration. I kinda see it as an either/or situation probably because when I was teaching EITHER my lesson plans and grading were caught up OR my house was clean and there was food in the fridge. Back to the "do it all" thing, I guess.
*I am frustrated that immediately after she came out of the Alaskan woods her speech at the RNC was laden with jibes at Obama, but she was sweet and funny about it, so somehow it's not dirty politics.
*I think it's too bad she's running with McCain. Period. I don't think much is going to change in this country if he's getting elected, policy-wise. And I really worry that mentally the country needs a shift with a new party in the white house (which I know doesn't sound like THE strongest argument, but it's late and I can't get into all my thoughts on that).
*I think she was chosen as a pawn. I would hate to see them get elected and she not get the chance to show what a woman could do in upper-management of the U.S.ofA. I think it would suck to have January 2009 hit, and after the inauguration of the two is over the closed-door meeting where she's told they just needed her pretty face, uber-conservative views, and appeal for the Hillary vote up to that point, but won't really be considering her from that point on . . . I just think that would stink, but could totally see it happening.
*It's be a mess if McCain died. It really would.
I wish I were more eloquent when it came to politics. I want Obama to win. I really do.
I also really want people to look into both candidates for themselves and quit listening to the political pundits as much as they do. I thought today as I drove past this graffiti that said something about "turning off the TV" how much better the nation would be if they'd invest time in both candidates platforms and deciding for themselves which one would work better for their own interests. (Of course, I say that confident that y'all will then be converted to Obama.)
Oh, I could keep going, but I'll stop there. Maybe I'll get some feedback back and we can continue on the comment section :)
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31 comments:
Thank you for this post. I share your opinions on the whole Palin issue. As soon as she was announced as the VP candidate, I looked into some of the things that were said about her record and what she actually had done and found out they're not being completely honest with the facts. I too, have reservations about how she can be the mother that her children need and a political candidate. Too many things going on in that family to be putting "America First" right now.
I'm sure she's a very nice, cpaable woman, but I'd respect her more if she'd said "Thanks, but no thanks, my family needs me" GO OBAMA!!!
Oh, and I guess I should have said that I wouldn't have voted for McCain, no matter who he picked for VP.
I wasn't voting for McCain before he picked his running mate, and him picking Palin solidified that. It kind of drives me crazy how gung-ho McCain has been for the last couple of years supporting Bush in all his policies and decisions, yet now that he's the nominee he's trying hard in a not-so-subtle way to 'distance' himself from any poor decision that has been made in the last 8 years. And Palin...well, I'll just add Here, Here! to everything you said.
here's my little opinion...I think this election is getting way too intense. I was sitting in the ortho office and had to listen to Obama's abortion commercial twice and was getting so irritated. Then it occured to me those who are far right are going to believe all the crap about Obama and those who are far left are going to believe all the crap about Palin. While those in the middle are taking the negativity and running from it. So Obama just needs to wait until the far right start talking trash and he'll get some points back.
(As for Palin I have to say I'm kinda surprised with your opinion. When I read that she would have conference calls while nursing her baby I thought I could see an other Sarah I know doing that. Politically speaking I see why you don't like her)
You have all lost your minds!! I realize that all four comments are more on your side but I just don't get it AT ALL! My two cents
What's not to get? And why have we all lost our minds?
Its too bad we couldn't get Obama in office two years ago. Then I wouldn't have had to been a part of this ridiculous surge and we could still be loosing 100+ soldiers in Iraq every month cause that genius has no idea how to get us out of there. I would love to vote my pocket book and see some change in this country. You know, shake it up a bit. The only things holding me back are the deployed soldiers and the unborn babies. Ah, but who cares about them.
Aside from the moral issues, I'd still vote for McCain. He has the record for getting things done and Obama has no record.
This is a rather stinky can of worms by the way!
And BTW, if you hadn't dumped me way back in high school, I'd sooooooo be dumping you right now! :)
For Troy's job security, McCain is my pick. Although not my favorite person in the world, he will prevent me from paying higher taxes, he will protect Troy's job, he will make sure that I can afford gas in four more years and, as much as I hate the Iraq war and all the bad that has gone on there, he will protect my freedoms better than Obama.
Well I really don't need to give my 2 cents because you already know them as I'm the daughter of the "staunch Republican" that you are talking about! I just can not understand why someone would want ot vote for a person who is going to make them PAY more taxes! It just doesn't make sense that anyone would want to pay more money out of their own pocket! I guess it won't matter if we have money anyway because if Obama gets in we won't be able to spend money because we'll be blown up by terrorists.
And on the whole economy thing...The reason the economy is in trouble is not because of the person in the white house it is becuase of the majority in the Senate! HMMMMM who would they be?
On another not Obama just makes me sick to my stomach. It's all about him being the first "black" (if you can call him that) president! Whatever. I don't care if the president is going to be black, white, asian, male or female. I want the person who is going to do the best job. And because of that Oprah just bugs!
143 Days
As your doctor starts to perform open heart surgery he tells you
he has been doing this for 143 days.
As your plane pulls away from the terminal the pilot comes on the public
address system and announces he has been flying 747s for 143 days.
Would you hire a lawyer to defend you 143 days out of law school?
Interesting when it's put into perspective, isn't it? Just think how
great a professional of any kind you could be with only 143 days of
experience!
People want change so badly . . . . Maybe we should lower the experience
requirement for doctors, lawyers, airline pilots, etc.
This would cause some change!
Obama's 143 Days of Senate Experience - Just how much Senate experience
does Barack Obama have in terms of actual work days? Not much. From the
time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United States Senator, to the time he
announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory Committee, he logged 143 days
of experience in the Senate. That's how many days the Senate was actually
in session and working.
The one single Senate committee that he headed never even met once.
After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed he was ready to be Commander In Chief, Leader of the Free World.
I don't think so.
Our children spend more time in pre-school getting ready for
kindergarten.
I thought the same thing you did Sarah. What was McCain thinking? Then I was able to listen to her speech, and I went from being appauled to being impressed. No she is not your typical politician. McCain is not your typical politician either. Thank goodness we have finally found a team that I believe can make sure we don't have both a Democratic run Congress and a Democrat in the Oval Office.
McCain's ads make me nauseous, too. Apparetly he can lie and still expect people to think he's so honorable. When considering what I think is important, I don't only consider the time Obama has spent in the Senate. I like his entire resume. He taught Constitutional Law and knows the Constitution inside and out and thinks it's an important document. Unlike the current resident of the oval office, who McCain has supported for so long.
I will start by saying that McCain was not on my fav. list from the get go. I was hating that I was going to have to go with the old I just dislike McCain less vote, but I think Palin helps me feel better about voting for him in the since that she seems to fill in some of his gaps (balances the ticket, oh so original I know). I will openly admit I do not have the knowledge base of the Candidates that I should. But I would like to hear the response from the Mormon(I’m all for going against the grain but there is sort of a large moral issue that can’t be denied) liberal crowd on some of the main issues (such as Abortion, Obama's lack of experience, all of Obama's super shady relatively high profile associates, Obama has no ability to help us out militarily, the fact that in his lengthy political career he has yet to write one piece of legislation and yet cranked out two books about himself, and change??? name the time he has voted out side his party line, change again??? his running mate is a real new face in Washington!)Okay that went a little longer then I meant it to, things just kept coming. I know McCain is not perfect and I am sure there are things you would want to understand from my side of the fence, so have at it. This is why discussions like this are good you don't have to be interrupted and loose your train of thought and have to change subjects just when you’re going to make a good point!!! Thanks for the lead in!!!
amen, sarah and bravo, grandpa/dad!
being that she is a "heartbeat away" from being leader of the free world, is a hockey mom really who we want to have face off with putin, kim jong il, ahmadinejad, chavez, and other world leaders this current administration has pissed off?
remember when the pundits bashed hillary relentlessly for being a woman?
remember when we were respected around the world instead of feared?
remember when we had a trillion dollar plus surplus instead of a deficit?
just as sarah said, turn off the idiot box and find truth for yourself instead of being swayed by the hype.
vote with your brain not your wallet.
peace
You can google "John McCain infidelities" and find out some intersting info about his character. Real nice guy. Rick, you forgot to mention that the first Mrs. McCain had been crippled in a bad car accident. And I found some interesting stuff about Palin and the whole "Troopergate" thing yesterday. Seems a judge told the whole family to stop bad-mouthing the brother in law as far back as three years ago because they were harrassing him so much. And when is she going to answer questions about all this crap? That Bridge to Nowhere that she was for before she was against?
When I found myself pregnant rather late in life, I declined amniocentesis because I knew I would never terminate the pregnancy. I've also had a pregnant, unmarried daughter...can I be VP?
While I never claimed McCain to be honorable devoice and having a hard time keeping track of your investments pail in comparison to the questionable morals of Obma’s cohorts. I am pretty sure I never inferred in the slightest that people did not have the right to their own opinion in fact I asked to hear your opinion (as did Sarah). Yes we all have free will and there are always consequences to our will weather we choose right or wrong. I (me my opinion) happen to feel that life starts at conception and I feel that we will be held accountable to that standard. We happen to have many laws that hold us accountable when we do something wrong. Now don’t make me out to be unreasonable, “led by the nose”, any reasonable person knows that every circumstance is different and we will all be judged accordingly. And lighten up every one has a crowd I meant no offence with the Liberal Mormon crowd thing. By all means go after McCain I truly want to here where people of my same faith stand on some of the major issues that define the two parties. I have family and many dear friends that tend to lean left. I promise I am far form your perception that all conservative Mormons are being “led around by the nose” or the “idiot box”!!!
Seems to me that Gov. Palin has associated with some pretty shady characters.
And I have another question...What's the big bugaboo about universal healthcare? How much cheaper would it be to give every woman a yearly mammogram than to pay for years of breast cancer treatment? My family is lucky enough to have good health insurance so my illness 11 years ago wasn't a complete catastrophe. But with bills that were well over $120,000 we would be paying that off forever. The US is the only industrialized nation that does not provide it's citizens with wome kind of basic healthcare. I happen to think that's pretty pathetic.
Sorry I start this and don't comment until 20 later...
Agree and LOVE everything you said, I think you were very fair. I also am so glad someone else put out there the question I had too, which is will she really be taken seriously IF they make it to the WH? Or will she be pushed aside to do the "PR Lady Stuff"- she'll be a glorified first lady in that administration for sure! Mostly because I don't think she does bring much to the table.
ANYWAY- I only briefly read the other comments and some that caught my eye I have to say-
ONE- Obama is THE LAST person playing the black card. His message is so much more powerful than a racial movement. He will be a fabulous leader.
TWO- The taxes argument drive me crazy. Taxes will HAVE to go up no matter who wins. DUH people! We're spending 10 billion a MONTH in Iraq and "we" just aquired two FAILING CORRUPTED finacial companies. HOW DO YOU THINK THAT'S ALL GETTING FUNDED????? DUH DUH DUH!!!
The difference in the tax issue is Obama will be repealing tax breaks given to the ultra rich and huge companies, and McCain will screw us like Bush has been doing. If we don't feel it in our paychecks (which we so will) we'll feel it at the pump and grocery store.
Three- yeah if he'd been in office two years ago there wouldn't have been a surge- THERE ALSO WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A FABRICATED WAR!!!!
I saw him speak last night on Letterman and I am always so impresed by what he says and how he sees the world, this country, and our place in it.
He is a brillant man and I think deserves an opportunity to show this nation what it can be AGAIN.
I am also so proud and uplifted by the comments I read for Obama, there are people who are listening and understanding, and it is a WONDERFUL thing.
Turning off tv is good, but turning off radio is even better!
How can McCain lead a nation if he doesn't know how many houses he owns?
Well, me dear Mormon friends, how can you send missionaries to an impoverished nation if you can't tell us at any given time how many loafs of bread, fresh vegetables, pounds of meat, or the exact quantity of any food you have in your kitchen? Wealth is pretty relative and if you have a house and two cars guess what. You are in the top 3% of the worlds income level. The view is good from the top ain't it? So...how may cans of food are in your pantry right this second?
So to say that he can't lead because he didn't know how many houses he owns...well that's either the dumbest or most hypocritical comment of this entire post.
Sarah, are you even reading all this? what a mess.
Oh man, okay, so I'm only commenting because Sarah asked me to. I usually try and stay out of these political poop-storms if I can, mainly because you can't have a discussion via comments sections, so consequently people squawk their two cents and tune out anything contradictory.
It's my firm belief that politics is a conversation, not a monologue, but unfortunately, modern political rhetoric - between people as well as politicians - has devolved into people shouting stuff at each other with their fingers in their ears. You can read a little more about my political feelings here if you'd like. Or not. Whatever.
Wow. Talk about a can-o-worms. But, it's great, that in America, both sides are FREE to voice their opinions, feelings, fears & hopes. Bottom line, we all just have to research, study, listen, pray and decide for ourselves. I don't believe any one party stands for what I, personally, believe, entirely. So, very often, it DOES come down to the lesser of two...well,if not evils, then candidates that don't totally tickle me to death. It's true that certain religious faiths have strong moral beliefs regarding certain issues (and those issues can be very polarizing) and some parties' platforms appeal to those beliefs. But, we have to be careful to not lump people together into the "good" or "bad" or "crazy" category, just because of their politics. It sounds so very cheesy to say, but we just need to agree to disagree. And then, VOTE our consciences. And respect the fact that others who don't vote the way we do can and DO have consciences, too.
Now you said your opinion,here is mine...
Obama has less experience than Palin.
Obama took off all american flags from his plane and refuses to say the pledge of allegiance.
He has Muslim ties which is frightening in itself
He also make digs,it a two way street.Also McCain wished Obama well during his democratic week and he did not return the favor.
This war has helped to keep you safe so far ,so if you want to be in more danger then lets bring the guys home.I am proud and thankful for our men fighting for OUR freedom and SAFETY!!!
Palin has a husband and family and I am sure lots of support and she will do an outstanding job as VP and a mother.Her pregnant teen choose her path and is old enough to suffer thru the consequenses,she choose not to listen to her parents and not keep her legs closed and thats not Palins fault.She is not the only prego teen.
Obama will NEVER get my vote .If he does win you will see how our world will be and it wont be good,safe and will be worse off than now...He is way to inexperienced.Experience should override most of the issues
Oh I also see you deleted several comments..what was so bad,they probably had great arguments and dont want people to see.
I feel sad for our country with voters like you who dont see the big picture..In the end God will guide ALL and decide whats best for us ,its his will .
I just have to address shawnysmoonbeam on my own comments section since there is no profile information listed, even though we (and by "we" I mean those who read my blog whose opinions matter to me) have moved on. When, on comments, it says "comment deleted by author" it has been removed by the comment-or, not me. When I post my opinions on my blog, I am definitely happy to get comments from others, even if their points of view are different than ming. It's how I grow as a person, I believe. I don't know what their comments were nor why they deleted them, but chances are it was more intelligent than what you just posted above. Thanks.
K, I'm not a big blog commenter. I'm more of a lurker but my sister, Kathy (who I love dearly), brought up a good health care point. Why do I fear universal healthcare? All I will say is talk to someone from Canada and they will fill you in. Everyone won't get a mammogram every year because that is an "elective" procedure. So instead of my very expensive but very good health insurance paying for it, I'll pay for it out of pocket or just won't have one done. Kurt's back surgery? A Canadian gentleman told me "That would have never happened in Canada. He would have been put on pain killers for three years then MAYBE he'd get the surgery." I agree that something needs to be done but there has to be some middle ground. I should be able to CHOOSE to pay for good healthcare if I can afford it. Don't get me started on the whole taxes thing. Did you know that Kurt and I are some of the wealthiest people in the country? Yeah, I didn't know that either since I pretty much live like everyone else I know, paycheck to paycheck, sometimes not buying all the groceries I really need because I need to wait for payday. I'm not complaining (much) because I feel pretty darn lucky and grateful that I can stay at home and raise my 4 kids, have a house and mortgage, two cars, and live where we do. I am worried about what Obama's tax plans will do to my husbands successful but small, new business. In the end, I totally agree with Aunt Beth. Evaluate YOUR OWN beliefs and concerns, be respectful to others, and vote for the candidate that best represents you. No one is going to change anyone's minds here.
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