Wednesday, September 03, 2008

What's the big deal about Palin? Obama doesn't have experience either and he's at the top of the ticket.

I swear this isn't going to turn into a politics only blog. ha.

GOP talking heads are saying Dems can't attack Palin on experience since Obama has none. Never mind that they were slamming Obama for the same things before they picked her. If the best line of attack you have against your opponent (since they can't run on economic, foreign affairs or education issues) is that they are too young and don't have enough experience why would you pick someone younger with less?

Obama has had over a year to prove himself to the American people, as did Hillary, Romney, McCain, Giuliani, and others that ran. We won't get the opportunity to know Palin that well. We have to trust in McCain's pick.

Palin's depth of experience is more shallow than Obama's no matter how you slice it. He has been on the national radar since the 2004 convention. Some officials in her own party have never heard of Palin.

When I hear people say Obama has no experience, I don't get it. He doesn't have decades of sitting on Capitol Hill but neither did JKF or John Edwards.

What do people mean by NO experience? He is a sitting United States Senator. He served for years in the State Senate of Illinois which has a much bigger population, a greater diversity and variety of issues to deal with than being the Gov. of Alaska and the mayor of a town of 8,000.

He was a community organizer, wrote two books, is well traveled, is managing a multi-million dollar campaign with over 2000 employees and thousands of volunteers who are spread out across the country.

He TAUGHT constitutional law at one of the top schools in the country. Palin believes in creationism. He graduated with Honors from Harvard Law school and was the editor of the Law Review. Palin majored in communications and had a C avg.

She is not ready to lead the country.

Obama is not perfect but his pick of Biden shows he took the decision seriously. McCain's decision shows a complete lack of judgement. How do you pick a VP without vetting them? The number two for a man who is 72 and has major health problems is just as important as the top of the ticket. Do you see Palin meeting with Putin?

We already have suffered for eight years with an ill informed president who revels in his ignorance. I'm not the smartest person in the world but I'm not running for higher office. I want the brightest running the country. Not mediocrity.

Bill Clinton may of have a bunch of personal issues but the man is brilliant and curious about the world. He was respected by other world leaders even when they disagreed with him.

These are complicated times. What does Palin think about Russia invading Georgia? How does she feel about China owing pretty much all our debt (god help us if they ever dump our currency)? What about Pakistan? North Korea? Iran? The U.S. being only 6 percent of the world's population but using 26 percent of it's natural resources? That was cool before I guess but with China and India's demands skyrocketing how will that change? How does she feel about the increasing high school drop out rates? What about the few good manufacturing jobs left going overseas? How does she feel about the high price of gas vs. oil companies' record profits (her husband works for British Petroleum)? What about illegal immigration? Our high incarceration rate...the highest in the industrialized world?

I'm worried because McCain/Palin could win. I have plenty of friends who are either Independents or Republicans. They are concerned about this pick as well. Just because someone is a Republican doesn't mean they're an Evangelical. Palin has been described as being a "teflon candidate".

A friend told me she was watching "The View" and Sherri Sherpard said she's excited about Palin. Sherri believes the world is flat. I just hope people do not get distracted by gender, the pregnancies, her hair style and really look at what Palin wants to do as Vice President or President.

29 comments:

fail_safe said...

Excellent post. I must say, I don't want your blog to turn political either. But I'm afraid we must discuss this stuff from time to time. I agree with you wholeheartedly. I'm worried that McCain/Palin will win too. I always wonder how we as a country are viewed by the rest of the world. I worry about our place in the world. McCain's VP pick screams to me that he has questionable judgment. I'm scared, y'all.

Ugh, don't even get me started on Sherri Shepard. I don't think Barbara Walters took much time to investigate her pick either. Well, at least Palin isn't the village idiot.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the title of your post, but not the content i.e. when you say that no matter how you slice it Palin's experience is more shallow than Obama's. She is the governor of a state. That is not shallow.
As for how she thinks on issues. both Global and national....wait. As I remember when Obama first came on the scene nobody knew his ideas on issues either and that didn't stop them from voting for him.

Anonymous said...

Besides the lack of experience this is what takes her OFF the table for me.

1. She is pro-life-even in rape and incest, doesn't believe in sex education and believes in abstinence

2. Flip-flopped her position on bridge to nowhere, but kept the Fed money

3. Left her position as Mayor with the town being $20 million in debt- they has ZERO when she started.

4. She wants to drill oil in the ANWR.

5. She SUED the Fed Gov to remove Polar Bears from the endangered list b/c she wants to hunt them and they *interfere* with oil drilling.

6. She voted for aerial killings of wolves.

7. She doesn't think global warming is man-made at all.

8. And though this has not been thoroughly researched yet it is now being reported that she was part of an independent party in Alaska that was for removing Alaska from the US Union.

That is enough to scare the hell out of me!!

We will explore moving to Canada if this ticket gets into the White House!!

And on a side note- the RNC last night looked like a sea of old, angry, it's-my-way-or-the-highway- geezers. No diversity in the crowd at all!!

It is time for a change. The country is changing, the Dems are changing- the Repugs are the same ole' thing!!

Unknown said...

Hi nyc/caribbean ragazza... thanks for your comment on my blog site! I'll be reading yours now too. I envy you! You did it! You upped and moved to Italy! I hope one day to do the same.. All the best to you...

Dana

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

ninety9 - I just don't understand the rush to pick her without vetting her.

j.doe - But we had a chance to hear Obama's views before making a decision. His views were on his website, all the debates, editorial boards. etc. When I said shallow, maybe that wasn't the best word to use. Shallow has a negative connotation. I mean she is Gov. of a very small state and has been for only 18 months. I just find it interesting that the GOP would make this pick given what they have said about Obama. It takes their biggest line of attack off the table.

my melange - see this is why I don't think she was vetted at all. There are a lot of policy negatives. The fiscal conservatives in the party are livid with Bush for running up our debt. Why would they be happy about Palin. It's like the Neocons and Evangelicals have completely taken over the party. Then again many people are focusing on her personal stuff so maybe McCain did know about Bristol thinking it would distract from the things you listed.

dana - grazie!!

Anonymous said...

As a Canadian I can only say to you disgruntled voters: come on over!! And while Italian politics may not be perfect, at least there's a separation between a politician's personal and public life.
But I must say I am most fascinated by Palin's bouffant do. And just what is she hiding under there? Hmmm...

glamah16 said...

You nailed it again!We can be a political for just as bit as this rides out. I love reading fellow expats and other nationalies commnets in response to this.My Melanges commnent points out the sacriest facts. I saw some videos of her on Huffington Post in which she talks at her church about this war as Messianic and the US is carrying out Gods will.

gibber said...

See, the issue for me is the American people had almost 2 years to vet Obama. Not to mention he's been on the national scene since 2004, wrote 2 books, has had his record searched and scoured by hundreds of researchers and reporters for months. And over 18 million people cast their votes for him. This woman had at most 150,000 people vote for her if turnout was HIGH, and she has NO STATED RECORD OR OPINION on the most pressing matters of our time. I'm sorry, 60 FREAKING days isn't long enough to learn about Russia, China...what does she think about the PM of Pakistan having an attempt on his life today? I know ALL OF THAT about Obama. and I know ALL OF THAT about Biden. We know NOTHING about Palin other than her views on abortion and abstinence only programs (oops, those don't work, DO THEY SARAH?)

I think she's a great woman, with a great personal story. I bet in a few years, she'd be a star in the GOP party. But ready to lead on Day one? Are you shitting me? Have you guys met anyone from Alaska? I have. A lot of them could give two craps about the contiguous 48, and i'm sure that has a lot to do with their geography. And that's fine, but it doesn't mean I want them being my Vice President. Someone who hasn't traveled overseas until last year. We already had that with our last president, and we all see how the last 8 years have been.

I'm just so shocked that McCain would be so reckless. Oh wait, I'm not.

OK, back to posts about Italy! :)

Faith at Acts of Faith Blog said...

Sherri Sheppard is a freaking idiot! And she represents a cross section of voters. THAT is very scary. I tried watching the View but I couldn't resist the urge to throw things at my tv so I've stopped. The USA is full of idiots who are easily distracted. If McCain wins it's a sure sign of the coming apocalypse. I'm doing my best with volunteering and blogging. We just have to keep working and not give up. Evil never takes a break.

M.Dot. said...

I wondered over here from Mat's site.

Your "about me" section is hilarious.

Anonymous said...

NOW a lot is known about Obama's positions on things, but back in the days when he was running in the primary in Iowa nobody knew a thing about him. He's had time to voice his opinions. Palin should be allowed to do the same before everyone slams her for being ignorant of every event in the world today. The presidential elections aren't to be held tomorrow.

gibber said...

But you can't compare 60 days to 2 years. And when Obama announced, people may not have known him (tho many did because of the 2004 convention), but he had a record on FOREIGN POLICY that went back YEARS, both as a state legislator and a senator who sits on the foreign relations committee. I'm sorry, you just simply can not compare the two. I'm still waiting for someone to tell me what her views on a whole host of issues are. She HAS none! And I don't blame her per se. She's the governor of Alaska.

If McCain wanted Palin, he should have at least picked her in June, giving the American people SOME time to get to know her. Obama didn't need to do that with Biden. He has a record as long as a city block. 60 days ain't cutting it for me.

Anonymous said...

god help us if McCain is voted in...Are people so blind to see what a big mistake Palin is?

Even though I cannot vote ( I reside in Canada) I have been keeping my eye on it all as decisions made in America affect us Canucks. It is a big topic of conversation at work and we are dumbstruck by how guilible and ill-informed most voters seem to be there.
However, I have lived in the United States in the early 90's
Sadly, I remember how openly racist it was there. (Southern Utah/Arizona)area My fear is that Obama will never become President or worse yet, he will become assasinated. He wasn't my pick but I think he would do a far better job than McCain.

Anonymous said...

Found this on the web and found it very interesting. What scares me is the fact that if McCain were to win (GOD help us all) and something happens to the old fart, Palin becomes President...OH.MY.GOD, now that is scary. I'm thinking I will tell my Italian that maybe we should consider living under Berlusconi cuz things are gonna get ugly here. We gotta rally and hit the street to get people to vote Obama. It's our only hope.
Anyhow, here is what I found:


From: http://www.washingtonindependent.com/3671/the-reform-candidate
Submitted by Michael Wrightson on Sept 1, 2008

A note to all by Anne Kilkenny

Dear friends,

So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the
last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .

Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in
common: their gender and their good looks. :)

You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts
with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on
any websites, as there are too many kooks out there . . .

[ This was already posted on Washington Independent comments area,
with a controllable hotmail account, and was obviously meant by the
author to be read. ]

Thanks,
Anne


ABOUT SARAH PALIN

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
father was my child's favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she�s like the most popular
girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and
won't vote for her can't quit smiling when talking about her because
she is a "babe".

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She
kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents
for seven months.

She is "pro-life". She recently gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby.
There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn't take positions; she just "puts things out
there" and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a
champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin�s kind of job is highly
sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his
work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or
so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their
major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything
like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

She's smart.

Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000
(at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about
670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a �fiscal conservative�. During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren�t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn�t even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later--to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.

These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus
in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will
make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she
proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she
recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while
she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today's
surplus, borrow for needs.

She�s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren�t generated by
her or her staff. Ideas weren�t evaluated on their merits, but on the
basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the �old boy�s club� when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of "old boys". Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal--loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State�s top cop (see below).

As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla�s Police Chief because he �intimidated�
her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska's top
cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
and she had every legal right to fire him, but it's pretty clear that
an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn't
fire her sister's ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn�t
like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything
publicly about her.

When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got
the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one
of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no
background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great
job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the
high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this
Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)
engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some
undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all
her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and
garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
gutsy fighter against the �old boys� club� when she dramatically quit,
exposing this man�s ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel
politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the �bridge to
nowhere� after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget
guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing
projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative
action restored most of these projects--which had been vetoed simply
because she was not aware of their importance--but with the unobservant
she had gained a reputation as �anti-pork�.

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party
leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated
them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a
fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
They call her �Sarah Barracuda� because of her unbridled ambition and
predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly
stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made
point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah's
mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and
experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package
of legislation known as �AGIA� that forced the oil companies to march
to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
global warming. She campaigned �as a private citizen� against a state
initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from
pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the
state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State�s
lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior�s decision to list polar
bears as threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a
heartbeat away from being President.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more
knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there�s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are
regretting it.


CLAIM VS FACT
��Hockey mom�: true for a few years
��PTA mom�: true years ago when her first-born was in elementary
school, not since
��NRA supporter�: absolutely true
�social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships
(said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
�pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to
promote it.
��Pro-life�: mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down�s syndrome baby
BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life
legislation
��Experienced�: Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has
residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.
No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on
supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city
administrator to run town of about 5,000.
�political maverick: not at all
�gutsy: absolutely!
�open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
explaining actions.
�has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
��a Greenie�: no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
�fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
�pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city
without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built
streets to early 20th century standards.
�pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
residents
�pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
government in Wasilla�s history.
�pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union
doesn�t make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim
that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed
voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting
programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny +
Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local
government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I've always operated in the belief that "Bad things happen
when good people stay silent". Few people know as much as I do because
few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don't have a job she can bump me out
of. I don't belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no
fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will
cost me somehow in the future: that�s life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100
or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah's
attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to
say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in
spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor)
from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of
Wasilla, and I can't recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust
for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible
for a private person to get any info out of City Hall--they are
swamped. So I can't verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the
population of Wasilla, ranging from my "about 5,000", up to 9,000. The
day Palin�s selection was announced a city official told me that the
current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was
5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to
2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90�s.

Anne Kilkenny
annekilkenny@hotmail.com
August 31, 2008

Piccola said...

Great post in the issues. I can honestly say that this is the first time I have ever been scared about an election. Obama/Biden or bust.

*Belgian said...

Yesterday there was a special news show about Palin here.
Do I think her daughter's pregnancy matters in judging Palin : no.
What scares the bejeezes out of me about her :
- the fact that she hasn't travelled outside of the US (only since 2007)
- She thinks man didn't do anything to screw up Mother Nature
- She's anti abortion
- She's apparently no big friend of endangered species
- basically against gay people

Help us all is she ever becomes president may something happen to McCain. Not that he would be my first pick either, but for some reason I don't see Obama winning just yet. I never thought Bush would be elected a second time, so maybe now America is still going Republican?

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

milanese - and at least in Europe you don't have to prove your religious "credentials" before running. We have separation of church and state for a reason.

glamah16 - I hope the MSM spend as much talking about her comments at her church as they did on Rev. Wright's.

gibber - Her line about community organizers was deep. I'm done. Let America vote for this ticket. I live in Italy. You already have your French passport...you need to get your husband's situation taking care of. If they can get any of their agenda through, you would want to leave sooner rather than later.

faith dow - Other than drilling in Alaska, I didn't hear any solutions in Palin's speech. I love how she's saying her family is just typical. The level of hypocrisy floors me. If that family had been non-fundamentalist, or latino or black the far-right would be ripping them to shreds. Don't sleep she and Rove inc. know exactly what they are doing. She can easily become our VP. Bush was voted in TWICE 'nuff said.

m. mat - thank you and thanks for stopping by. Usually things are a little more light hearted around here. ha Which Mat?

j. doe - I'm listening and trying to be open but what I know about views makes me very nervous. Plus the lack of vetting says a lot about McCain's thought process.

ms. violetta - there have already been a couple potential assassins arrested. I fear even with all the things that are coming out now...book banning, etc. She could easily be elected because she makes people feel comfortable. "See her family is just like mine". Meanwhile "regular folks" don't notice that the very rich and the oil companies are among the very few doing well during this administration.

anon - I read that letter. I really don't know what to say.

piccola - I hear you. I cannot believe that people would want to vote this ticket in after the last 8 years. Enough. Please.

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

belgian - It's about turnout and the swing voters.

Many swing voters make up their mind at the last minute and don't really pay attention to the issues.

The republicans will spin Obama/Biden as elitist (even thought both men come from humble beginnings) and sexist. Palin will be seen as the salt of the earth reformer. The daughter issue will distract from all of Palin ethic problems.

It's going to be a very stressful two months.

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

Well you know how I feel, and after watching Palin's speech at the RNC, I like her politics even less (who woulda thought *that* was possible?). As J Doe says here, and I agree, Palin hasn't had the chance to tell us her positions on many major issues. Well she had 40 minutes last night, and what did she do? Instead of taking that time to tell us her positions on anything besides energy (which we already knew) and a bit on tax reform (she left out how she left her small town $20 million in debt), she spent the first 1/3 of her time reiterating her family tree and hockey mom status and a sizable chunk of the rest making sarcastic remarks about Obama.

How very presidential.

I saw Rove talking about how Obama spent *so* much time talking about McCain in his speech (even compared it down to the minutes/paragraphs of how much time JFK spent talking about Nixon)...so what should we make of Palin's harping on Obama?

And why didn't she even mention Biden (except to lump him with Obama once)--her *actual* opponent? Hmm......

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

michelle - I thought my head was going to explode.

The tone was wrong, the lack of substance. I don't want to hear about your perfect family, while you insist we respect their privacy.

Her speech was so snarky. I can get snarky myself but like I said I'm not running for office.

I was waiting for her to address the housing crisis, or health care or something other we have a bunch of oil in Alaska so let's drill.

I'm curious to read the analysis of her speech.

Also I want to know how she ran up a debt of 20 million in a town of only 8,000.

Kim B. said...

Hey there -- I totally agree with ninety9
"Excellent post. I must say, I don't want your blog to turn political either. But I'm afraid we must discuss this stuff from time to time. I agree with you wholeheartedly."

the whole thing makes me crazy. While I don't understand how Hillary voters could have even been *contemplating* McCain, my friend Alison, who writes at thisismewriting (link from my blog) made the case as one of those voters that McCain had finally (with his Palin pick) made her decision - to vote for Obama - very easy. Me, I just don't see how the GOP can think that women are so stupid that we can't tell the difference between what Hillary Clinton stands for and what a McCain/Palin presidency would mean in terms of the courts, foreign policy, domestic policy, you name it. Like you said, we can't stand any more of this. Eight years is way too much.

These people who say obama doesn't have experience -- I'd like to see them go try to work on the south side of chicago with real people for a while. not to mention the guy has something SUPREMELY important, which is JUDGMENT and smarts. Good grief.

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

Was talking to my mom about the debt thing last night; our area is full of towns like Palin's (minus the Alaska thing of course). Hard to believe it's even *possible* let alone a vice-presidential qualification.....

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

kimB - thank you. I'm not some "obamaholic" but the community organizing comment made me livid. Really I have to take a break from hearing Palin speak.

michelle - when we moved from NYC to the 'burbs my town had a population of 12,000. Our mayor could have used the position to run for state rep and it still would have been tough. To become Governor of one of the diverse states in the country. Very tough. Not enough experience. I guess Alaska is different.

Also she didn't say a thing about the middle class, the poor, education, nothing.

Jen said...

Again, brilliant post. Your comments to those who commented were right on, too. I'm posting something later today tying up some things I've learned in the past couple of days. I'm very worried for our country right now.

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

jen - It's seems like every hour it's something else. I'm looking forward to reading your post.

Anonymous said...

great post! i couldn't have put it better. joanna

Di Mackey said...

I find the whole deal truly terrifying because, as you said, McCain and Palin could win.

I'm a New Zealander living in Belgium and the American elections are none of my business, and yet they are because this pick will affect the world ... again.

I'm despairing over here ...

Di Mackey said...

Btw ...this site is rather interesting ...http://mudflats.wordpress.com/ if you have the time or inclination.

I was looking for info on Palin and found it.

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

joanna - thank you. I see Gov. Palin has completely dominated the print press. The GOP is keeping her away from actually having to talk to the press however. I wonder how long they will be able to get away with.

di mackey - I had to take a break this weekend from the news. I will see what happens with the debates.