The other 800lb Gorilla in the campaign is SAD

[Pete (Mr. Marcia)]

I asked you not to call me a racist, and you continued to do so, Pete.

To me, being called a racist is the worst form of insult.

Okay, fine. You can call me repete.

[David- n Hampton, VA]

Now that was funny.

[bayer40601]

most popular governor in the country..

I keep hearing this repeated and then right after it there is something about 80-85% approval rating.

If that's the case why is it McCain-Palin are only pulling 55% in the polls in Alaska?

[David- n Hampton, VA]

Must be the McCain part of the ticket

[loria]

Is this topic based in AGE Discrimination?

Re-Pete???

now now, soxfan--even you can admit that race has no legitmate place in questioning someone's fitnesss to serve, however, age and health history may very well--
McCain is old--and he has an unfortunate health history to boot. I think that the question of McCain's age and health is very important.
I am sure you do too and just don't want to admit it ! (that's my palin impression for ya--donchya think it's swell?)

Let me ask again loria...You said 21% of all presidents don't serve out their term...Who was the last one who had to leave mid-term due to health or death (other than of course, assassination)?

crap you can look that up as easy as i can, but here is a brief list
fillmore (Taylor)
Tyler( harrison)
coolidge (Harding)
Truman(Roosevelt)
Ford (nixon)--ok, he didn't die....

others were replaced due to being shot. (lincoln, kennedy, garfield, mckinley....)

ps,
you called me out for not responding to you--
don't you think that is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black?

[flip-flop]

most popular governor in the country..

I keep hearing this repeated and then right after it there is something about 80-85% approval rating.

If that's the case why is it McCain-Palin are only pulling 55% in the polls in Alaska?

That's a good question. My guess would be her popularity is taking a bit of a hit from all of the exposure in the media.

It is fairly easy to be a popular governor in a state with a relatively tiny population and vast natural resources. Being popular in Alaska doesn't necessarily translate to being popular in the rest of the country. That would be like saying because a governor of an extremely blue state is extremely popular he should run for president. Funny thing about being president, you have to have to appeal to the middle.

She actually has the lowest national favorability rating of the the 4. (This data is from a poll conducted before the $150000 wardrobe issue was in the news).

McCain 55%
Obama 63%
Biden 59%
Palin 46%

Because I'll be asked for the source:
http://abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUni ... cking5.pdf

[Lulu76]

The biggest newspaper in Alaska endorsed Obama. I didn't read the endorsement, just saw that it made big headlines. I don't know anything about this media outlet, so it might be part of the "liberal media."

Maybe they just like her so much they want to keep her there in Alaska.

[jmq]

I might not be smart enough to figure out if Palin is qualified, but when Kathleen Parker, George F. Will, David Frum, Peggy Noonan, Colin Powell, and Christopher Buckley confirm what my gut tells me, then I’m good with that.

[toes in the sand]

If I remember, the original question was the importance of age is in the election of a president. The poster then goes on to question the qualifications of Governor Palin. What I see missing here is the same question of Senator Obama who is at the TOP of the democratic ticket.

Can you give me a list of bills he has authored in the US senate?

Can you narrow that list to bills authored by the senator that were passed in the US senate?

Can you give examples of executive experience?

Can you tell me how many days the esteemed senator from Illinois has actually spent in the chair he was elected to?

Can you enumerate the absent or no votes from Mr Obama?

Can you relate to me the how his resume' is somehow better or equal than either John McCains or Sarah Palins?

Lest you forget, the democratic candidate for PRESIDENT has about the same time in government office as the VICE presidential candidate for the republicans. Do you really want discuss experience?

By the way, calling her Gov Barbie is akin to suggesting that Mr. Obama's skin color is pertinent to this discussion. Neither "point" is pertinent.

Perhaps the quoted drop in Gov Palins polling numbers has a bit to do with the likes of SNL who does not seem to feel that character assasination is OK when it is targeted at someone who has different political leanings than they.

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[California Girl]

Perhaps the quoted drop in Gov Palins polling numbers has a bit to do with the likes of SNL who does not seem to feel that character assasination is OK when it is targeted at someone who has different political leanings than they.

Hi Toes! It's a no brainer to see the political leanings of Sat Nite Live, but Ms. Palin sort of made herself a target when she appeared on the show. She's even the one who uttered the words "Caribou Barbie", a term I had never heard before that. Don't get me wrong, I like her enough, but if you're going to watch or appear on SNL, you need to have your flack jacket on... it's just what they do. They've also jabbed at Hillary, and also had her as a guest on the show, so it seems that they are making an attempt to poke fun at everyone, regardless of party affiliation. They just lean to the left a bit, that's all.

[flip-flop]

Personally, McCain's experience has nothing to do with why I do or don't support him. It is more his pandering to the far right and the air quotes around the so-called "health" of a woman.

If you read my posts I pretty much acknowledge that Obama doesn't have as much experience as McCain. For one he is 24 years younger. The same arguments were made about JFK. My point is McCain took the experience argument off the table --- he can't really talk so much about it and hasn't been lately if you'll notice --- by choosing Palin. And not because she is a woman, there are MANY moderate republican women who are more than qualified to be a VP nom.

He picked her for one simple reason - to pander to the far right and to solidify his base. I would argue he did so also because he wanted to give people a way to vote for him and still make history as they would be voting for the first female VP ever.

I don't hate Palin. I have watched the interviews in both the "liberal" media and the one on Fox. I watched the debate. I have read as much as I can get my hands on about her, hoping to find something that counteracts the public image of her as way, way, way out of her league. I have not found anything. It is unfortunate if I have left anyone with the impression that my opposition to her is anti-woman.

It was afterall McCain who said, on Fox News:

WALLACE: "Hasn't Governor Palin become a drag on your ticket?"

MCCAIN: "As a cold political calculation, I could not be more pleased. She has excited and energized our base. She is a direct counterpoint to the liberal feminist agenda for America. She has a wonderful family. She's a reformer. She's a conservative. She's the best thing that could have happened to my campaign and to America."

Maybe I am a bit far left, but I don't think being a feminist is a dirty bad thing. It seems John McCain disagrees with me.

Edited to add this video. I don't recall any candidate getting thrown under the bus so badly by his own party as McCain has. These are all conservative commentators.

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[soxfan22]

It's a no brainer to see the political leanings of Sat Nite Live, but Ms. Palin sort of made herself a target when she appeared on the show.

Wasn't her first appearance on the show a week or so ago? They've been toolin' on her for 6 weeks, no?

[soxfan22]

And not because she is a woman, there are MANY moderate republican women who are more than qualified to be a VP nom.

If she were pro-life, you might consider her moderate, right?

It's funny that republican women must be "moderate" to pass your sniff test. Would you consider Hillary Clinton "moderate"?

[pjayer]

I might not be smart enough to figure out if Palin is qualified, but when Kathleen Parker, George F. Will, David Frum, Peggy Noonan, Colin Powell, and Christopher Buckley confirm what my gut tells me, then I’m good with that.

I did figure it out right after her interviews with Gibson and Couric when she was unable to answer simple questions, stay on topic, or string together coherent sentences. But it's good to know others in the Republican party recognize it. Deliberate ignorance combined with hubris can be dangerous.

Flip-Flop wrote: "Maybe I am a bit far left, but I don't think being a feminist is a dirty bad thing. It seems John McCain disagrees with me."

Apparently, Sarah Palin disagrees with you, too. Or does she? Guess it just depends on her audience.

Yesterday in her interview with NBC, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) told NBC’s Brian Williams that she rejected the “label” of being called a feminist:

WILLIAMS: Governor, are you a feminist?

PALIN: I’m not going to label myself anything, Brian. And I think that’s what annoys a lot of Americans, especially in a political campaign, is to start trying to label different parts of America, different backgrounds, different — I’m not going to put a label on myself.

But in the past, Palin has been more than willing to tout her feminist credentials. From a Sept. 30 interview with CBS’s Katie Couric:

COURIC: Do you consider yourself a feminist?

PALIN: I do. A feminist who believes in equal rights.

Palin then went on to talk about her upbringing — “I’ve been brought up in a family where gender hasn’t been an issue” — and how her feminist “started with that.”

"Palin Was a Feminist Before She Wasn't" http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/24/palin-feminist/