All My Children Discussion Group
Topic: Just Thinking About Sarah Palin
Topic Posted by: Peace
Date Posted: Sat Aug 30 14:19:46 2008
Additional Comments: I've just been thinking about Sarah Palin and her sudden bursting onto the national political scene.
According to McCain, he and his advisors did not make up their minds about SP until sometime Tuesday. Now, when he made the call to her, how long did she have to make up her mind to take on this awesome responsibility? It would have to be less than 48 hours. That is not much time to decide if she really feels she is qualified to perhaps become president of the United States.
Also, how much time did she spend considering the needs of her family? Suposedly she is a wonderful mother, but even wonderful mothers find 5 children a challenge. She has just given birth to a special needs child who will need much loving hands-on care and attention. And what will her husband do? He is a fisherman, will he ply his craft in the Potomac?
But, in my mind, the most important thing is the awful possiblility of having something happen to McCain. I do not support him, but if he became president I do think he has some experience, good or bad. This running mate he has chosen has very little experience outside of being a small town mayor and two years as the Governor of a sparsley populated state. Somehow I cannot picture her going toe to toe with Putin.
Just thinking ..........what do you think?
Posted by: manonthestreet Date posted: Mon Sep 1 12:41:32 2008
Message: There is a rumor going around that her 'special needs' child is actually her 16 yr. old daughters child. Here's the site to the story:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/30/121350/137
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Since it was just announced that this same daughter is 5 months pregnant, that link is obviously wrong......... tomorrow
Posted by: Jamie Date posted: Sun Aug 31 22:39:03 2008
Message: Just a thought.....What if her husband was running for VP? Would it be ok for him to do the job with five children at home, one of them being a child with special needs?
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This issue is not even close to the top of my list. There are far more important ways in which she is simply not qualified. However, it would have been considered understandable for any man or woman to turn down this job because of *family considerations* in similar circumstances. // Shea
My problem with her is she is ANTI WOMAN, it also doesn't say much for her character leaving a 4 month old special needs or not. BUT Like I said my problem with her is she doesn't stand for ANYTHING I believe. /PJ
Posted by: DixuhsBaybuh Date posted: Sun Aug 31 20:52:40 2008
Message:
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Obama's been running for a year and a half now. He's been vetted, although I'm sure the absence of some deal-killing smoking gun must really disappoint you. There's less than three months until the election and Palin's just now been named as McCain's running mate. Doncha think THIS might be the appropriate time to vet her, too? ~i&b
The mainstream media investigate a Republican candidate...surely you jest. The mainstream media has given a pass to all of McCains bloopers, mistakes, forgetfulness, while showing, ad nauseum, the Rev. Wright and all of his antics. Just listen, really listen to the tone of CBS, ABC and NBC and you can hear the negative jabs at Obama. One evening ABC was saying...'obama gives a good speech when he has a teleprompter, but when he's tired, he makes mistake after mistake.'. Never a word about how McCain thinks Iraq and Pakistan share a border, the Czchoslovkia is still in existance and his inabiltiy to remember the difference between Shia and Sunni. Liberal media is one big joke and a tag that unthinking American Sheeple still believe. Elaine
I actually saw a non-partisan media poll showing that while Obama gets a bigger share of the press attention (because his story is considered *sexier* - what a stupid word for the media to use but it's theirs not mine), a greater percentage of their coverage has actually been negative than the percentage of McCain coverage. The whole *liberal* media fantasy was something dreamed up and perpetrated by Rove and Murdoch. It does not exist. If anything, mainstream media is controlled by the Republican Party and as such care more about corporate profits and executive pay than they do about actually *vetting* anyone. // Shea
ITA about the ''liberal media.'' That is an absolute joke considering how large a percentage of the media is controlled by Republicans. What a con job. ~i&b
Posted by: Miss Harold Date posted: Sat Aug 30 20:30:30 2008
Message: I had never heard of her until yesterday, but I am getting more alarmed with everything I learn. She wants to ban all abortions, even in cases of rape and incest. I imagine that includes the morning-after pill for rape victims too. If she defines life as beginning at the moment of conception, that would make IUDs and birth control pills technically abortions too (since they may prevent implantation of a fertilized egg).
I do think abortion is a serious moral dilemma, but I think women have to be trusted to make the best decision for whatever their circumstance happens to be.
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Well, guess what. The Bush administration is trying to redefine abortion to include birth control. Just this month I signed an emergency message urging Mike Leavitt, of Health and Human Services, that the proposal must be stopped. 325,000 signatures were delivered to him. But we have to keep the pressure up. / Vivian
Most importantly, we've got to prevent a Republican Prez and congress. They'll set back the reproductive rights women have achieved over all these years. It's scarey to think the pharmacies can refuse to sell you the pill and doctors will be under pressure to not use IUD's. What other reliable contraceptives are left....condoms? How many men hate to use condoms? I feel it's just the beginning of setting back all rights women have achieved, even equal pay for equal work. Those bible toting conservs. want their women subserverient to men. I lived the time when women were second class citizens. The younger generations is starting to take these benefits for granted. They've got to wake up. Elaine
Elaine, I think you're right that younger people take these rights for granted. I am 47, and I barely remember when Roe v. Wade was passed. To anyone younger than me, it's ancient history. My 80-year-old mother has told me what it was like back when a lot of girls died from illegal abortions. -Miss H
If they deny birth control it will set women back over half a century. But isn’t it ironic that they make sure insurance pays for Viagra? I cannot believe the Neanderthals, running this country. / Vivian
More than half a century! ~i&b
Posted by: Fed Up Date posted: Sat Aug 30 19:28:15 2008
Message: Three days after this woman gave birth she was back on the job. I don't know of any mother who would leave her newborn with others willingly. Especially a special needs baby. One out of 25 babies born to a 45 year old woman is a Down Syndrome child. She was 43 when she gave birth to this child and I figure a 43 years old woman the chances of having a Down Syndrome baby are 1 out of 27. That's an irresponsible selfish act on her part. Now she's turning this ''special'' child over to her older child. You saw who was holding him and she didn't once look their way.
I just read an article on the Yahoo headlines that said she's not as qualified as Dan Quayle was. That's scary.
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Children with Down syndrome can achieve a lot if they are given lots of attention, especially during their developmental years. They are especially sweet children. I do think they need and deserve a parent's full attention. Maybe her husband plans to be the full-time nurturer? I don't know. But it's too much responsibility to put on a teenager. -Miss H
Oh, it certainly is too much to put on a teenager. Today she was telling everyone that the baby was asleep in the bus with his sister. I wonder if they’re going to keep her out of school to care for the baby. / Vivian
My daughter teaches at the Cardinal Cushing School, hhttp://www.coletta.org/....here in Hanover. They do remarkable things with the kids there, but it is very demanding, requires a lot of time, patience and understanding./Peace
UNBELIEVABLE!! How much more judgmental could you possibly be? It was selfish of her to have a baby at 43!?! Who the heck are you to tell her how to live her life? And who the heck are you to say that the existence of someone with Down Syndrome is so awful that having such a child makes the mother selfish? Your comment is downright hateful and bigoted. I suggest you do some volunteer work and go find out how special people with Down Syndrome are.
You don't even know if she got pregnant on purpose and you're calling her selfish. What if she took every precaution and still got pregnant? What if it was an accidental pregnancy, yet you're calling her selfish for having the baby. You're basically telling every woman over 40 that they should stop having sex with their husbands, and if they don't and they do get pregnant, they should have abortions...because anything else would be selfish. Unreal.
I have a friend whose first born grandchild has Down's. Her daughter chose to stay home, but that doesn't mean everyone has to do so. We have no idea what she and her husband plan for this baby's care. Everyone has their own way of dealing with things. I get that some think it goes to her judgment, but it's been only a couple of days. There's still a lot to learn about her, and (heaven knows) there are plenty of other areas where she is less than a terrific choice. Let's see what comes out as time goes on - that's my opinion. //Shea
I agree with everything ! has said and ! has also left out the fact that Fed Up also implied that since Palin's child has special needs that she shouldn't be able to hold a job. You should give her or any mother with a special needs child more respect and credit than your post above. - Jamie
I wasn't saying that Palin shouldn't have had this child. What I'm saying is that with a special needs child she should know this child is going to need its mother most of the time. She had a choice to make. Either it's being a full-time mother or becoming a hardly ever at home VP. Even though she doesn't have more than a hint of what the VP's duties are, she chose that. Sure she could have a part-time job. Everyone needs a break from home duties. I imagine being governor of AK has less of a workload than a well populated state. She chose a 24x7 demanding and stressful job as opposed to on site mothering. Lord help that child and the rest of us if McCain gets elected. Fed Up
But Jamie, this isn't just *a job*, this is VP of the United States! Governing Alaska (or mayor of a town of 9,000 - and really, her duties were minimal) don't even come close to what would be expected of her. Her travel schedule alone will be horrendous unless McCain curtails what her actual duties would be. And let's face it - she's the child's main sustenance and while I'm sure her husband is a good parent, she's the primary caregiver. Fair? No. Reality? Yes. And please do not tell me that conservatives would not be saying the EXACT same thing if Obama's VP pick was a woman with 4 school-age kids, including an infant with Down's Syndrome. eom Kelly Oh!!
AMEN to that Kelly oh, if the shoe was on the other foot the Republicans would be raising hell about it/PJ
Oh, hell yeah! They'd be screaming Family Values at the top of their lungs. ~i&b
Maybe he should give her the same duties that were given to Dan Quayle, hosting spelling bees, which by the way, was a mistake. / Vivian
Posted by: Vivian Date posted: Sat Aug 30 18:23:47 2008
Message: Something that’s been bothering me is I think if I had just given birth to a Downs Syndrome child, I wouldn’t want to just pass it off for someone else to care for. Of course she can have him with her some of the time, but most of the time someone else is going to have to care for him. He’s going to need an awful lot of special attention. I hope her husband will be the stay at home caretaker.
She’s another Harriet Miers. Remember that fiasco? McCain has no better judgment of people than Bush has. Remember how the Republicans had a fit when he tried to make her a Supreme Court Justice? Isn’t it strange they aren’t having a fit now? They’re pretending like she’s wonderful because they don’t want to lose the election. She might be a wonderful person but that doesn’t mean she’s right for the VP job, or to take over the presidency.
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She’s giving that exact same speech. I hope she finds something else to talk about, because some of it is exaggerated and I’m sure she’ll eventually be questioned on some of it. Plus, it’s going to get old. / Vivian
The Daily Mirror and the Anchorage Daily News , Alaska's two biggest newspapers have both questioned her ethics problems and her general lack of readiness. She has also made a big mistake when she told a Newsweek interviewer about her feelings for Hillary. She said she felt kind of bad that she couldn't support a woman, but she didn't like Clinton's ''whining''. I don't think that is going to get her any help from the Hillary backers./Peace.
I hope they have a video of her saying that so it can be played to the Hillary crowd. I’ve read that she’s popular with the general public but not with the journalists and the legislators, because the public doesn’t know anything about the nitty gritty of doing government business, and they don’t know of all her mistakes. It sounds kind of like how the public thought so highly of Bush before they realized his incompetence. / Vivian
Vivian, the Republican machine may be touting Palin but many of the rank and file feel the exact opposite and are pissed because they feel McLame just handed the election to the Democrats. ~i&b
Yes, I’m sure they’re privately outraged, but I’m certain they’re still going to vote for him. They’ll do it by hook or by crook, and they’ll pretend she’s the perfect candidate. Look how they didn’t care that Bush wasn’t qualified. You know they knew he wasn’t. / Vivian
I know of exactly zero conservatives who are outraged over Palin as the VP pick. Every conservative I've talked to is thrilled.
Oh, DT, I didn’t know you knew the leaders. They’re the ones who have told some reporters that they’re not thrilled with the choice…not your friends. But even some citizens have been interviewed and said the same thing. I thought you would have realized I wasn’t talking about your friends, and I’m sure I&b wasn’t either. Of course, you and your friends would be thrilled. That's a given. / Vivian
How nice for your friends, DT. But tell that to the thousands of Republicans who clogged CNN's message boards on Friday outraged by McCain's choice and complaining he was handing the election over to Obama. ~i&b
Me personally, Palin running for VP has excited me back into the race. Don't get me wrong, Obama being the democratic nomination is very historic, which is exciting in itself, but I have not been really thrilled with either candidate running for office until Friday's annoucement. Also this weekend we have attended 3 different BBQ's (I am BBQ'd out) and to sum it up the majority of the people that were talking about Palin were either excited or curious, hence sparking more interest in the election. - Jamie
Well, it's certainly going to be an even bigger sideshow now! ~i&b
Posted by: REP Date posted: Sat Aug 30 18:08:05 2008
Message:
Posted by: Bonnie Date posted: Sat Aug 30 16:37:59 2008
Message:
Posted by: ingyandbert Date posted: Sat Aug 30 15:40:09 2008
Message: From what I understand, Palin knew for some period of time that at the very least her name was being discussed in some circles. She gave this interview on the subject: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4gkPXSDtGQ
I've also heard that McCain's advisors and Republican leaders were pushing him hard for either Romney or Pawlenty but in the last two days of the Democratic convention (i.e., when it was obvious the convention was a big success) McCain panicked and latched onto Palin as a ''bold choice.'' At the time he made the decision to select her, he had only met her once. Their second meeting was in connection with their joint appearance after she accepted his invitation as running mate.
McLame made an impulsive decision to go with a Right Wing Norma Rae who obviously is not ready and not qualified for VP. Now he's stuck with her and I couldn't be happier (even though she's no Ann Coulter, lol!).
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She has already given some quotes that show her lack of experience. In an interview just a month ago, she dissed the job of VP, saying it didn't seem very productive. She also said she didn't know what the Vice President does./Peace
It's being reported that a lot of them are very disappointed but there is nothing they can do. / Vivian
No doubt Joe Biden will rip her a new one at the VP debates. He doesn't have to be gentle with her because she's a woman. She volunteered to be the Republican VP. No one forced her. Fed Up
Peace, that's the interview I've linked to above. Fed Up, don't look for Biden to beat up on her too badly. He can't risk being labeled a bully and have people start feeling sorry for her. ~i&b
I think biden should rip her 2 ways to Sunday. From what I've heard, Kerry was advised to 'go easy' on Bush so as not to look like he was beating up on him. Kerry was advised not to give people a chance to 'feel sorry for poor Bush'. Look how that worked out? Maybe if he had shown the American people what a dolt they had as Prez, he might have done better. Elaine
Well, that was just dumb advice that Kerry was foolish enough to take. Bush was an incumbant President, there was absolutely no reason to go light on him. This is completely different, Palin is female and in WAY over her head. Biden could easily look like a bully if he's not careful. ~i&b
~i&b, I watched that interview, ....it wasn't too reassuring, was it?/Peace
He can go after her hard on the issues. In the debates he’ll have to show her up, but he does have to be careful how he treats her. Look how they’ve all yelled that there was gender bias against Hillary. Palin has a get out of jail free card. She’ll keep saying she just gave birth to a Downs Syndrome child and if Biden’s rough on her all the mothers will hate him. One good thing about Biden, he always has a smile on his face, when he attacks. / Vivian
Have they ever gone easy on Clinton? Pelosi? I think Joe ought go after her in the very same way he would if she were male. Anything less would be construed as sexist. And should be. I think he should show her up for the bumpkin she is. And don't anyone start ripping into me for calling her a bumpkin. Some might consider ME a bumpkin, but I'm not running for office. // Shea
She’ll keep saying she just gave birth to a Downs Syndrome child and if Biden’s rough on her all the mothers will hate him. Well I can see that your mind is made up about her even though you barely know anything about the woman. You're personally attacking her character even though she's done nothing to warrant such an attack. So far she's shown herself to be a very strong woman, one who has waged impressive fights against the establishment, and she is not one to play the 'victim card' like you're suggesting she will in the future. Why would you malign her character like that?? Your bias is stunning, and if I didn't know better I'd think you were a chauvinist man, not a feminist woman. Palin hid her most recent pregnancy until the very end so she could get her job done, and then she returned to work 3 days after giving birth. That is NOT the kind of woman who says ‘woe is me, I have a child with Down Syndrome.’ She has clearly shown that she is above that. Excuse me DT, but I had already seen her say that four times in two days. That‘s a little excessive if you ask me. It has nothing to do with thinking she wants people to feel sorry for her. In fact it’s just the opposite. Sorry that you don’t get the point. Also, I always do a lot of research, so I do know some things about her. / Vivian
Vivian's bias is stunning? Some would say that you deliberately misinterpret anything anyone says that doesn't agree with your fairly stunning bias. However, I'm sure you would disagree. Have you posted under my Why topic yet, BTW? Surely you have lots of positive things to say, but I haven't seen much of it here. // Shea Shea, I think the people that keep trying to stir up trouble don’t know how to give an informed answer about candidates. Therefore, they’re only going to attack, not answer your questions. If you notice, that’s the only thing they do. / Vivian
Which is why Shea's topic 'Why?' got one response from someone voting for McCain. It's much easier to attack than to reason, think and explain. Says a lot. eom Kelly Oh!!
Uh, I mean YOUR topic LOL And get this - Palin believes the Founding Fathers wrote the Pledge of Allegiance. When asked if she was offended by the phrase 'under God' being a part of the pledge, she opined that she was fine with it, since that's what the founding fathers intended. Quote: 'Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I'll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance.' Uh, Sarah, ever heard of the Cold War? This phrase was added in 1956. Is she a moron? And there's so much more. Didn't think much about Iraq until late last year...doesn't know what a VP does...good lord, she's Bush in a skirt and peep-toe pumps. eom Kelly Oh!!
LOL Bush in a skirt and peep toe Pumps LOVE IT HAHAHA/PJ
