Saturday, September 13, 2008

McCain/Palin

I am tired of Gov. Sarah Palin already, and she was introduced to us only two weeks ago. But I have done much reading and listening, to learn everything I can about her, and so she is my topic today. I have learned that she is pro-life, anti-choice and would overturn Roe v wade. She supports abstinence only sex education exclusively. She hunts and can gut a moose. She also hunts predators from airplanes and set bounty on wolves until it was overturned. She rejects man-made causes for global warming and opposes further protections for polar bears. This apparently has more to do with her "energy policy"than anti-environmentalism. She doesn't want any restrictions on drilling and pipeline construction. She has a high popularity rating in her state. She "took on big oil", not to regulate them, but to force them to pay higher taxes to Alaska, money which was dispersed to the citizens to the tune of an additional $1200 per person. That may explain her popularity. She applied for earmarks from the federal government as mayor and as governor. I guess even though Alaska has money to give away, the rest of us should be tapped to pay for their infrastructure. She stands by her foreign policy experience derived from being a neighbor of Russia. After all, in some parts of Alaska, you can see Russia. Her economic policy can be reflected in her actions in Wasilla. She changed the tax structure to lower property taxes and institute a sales tax which includes tax on food. The result was lower taxes for the big box stores and higher taxes for the residents. She cut public services as governor. She seems to have burned bridges in her rise to power, firing two police chiefs, and other city and state officials who held views different from hers. There is the appearance that she demands loyalty of others while showing none for those who helped her along the way. She has exposed some fraud, but has used this action to promote herself. I'm not sure how the title "maverick" fits, because it's not clear if the stands she's taken are for the people of her state or for self promotion. From what I have learned so far, Gov. Palin reminds me of a couple of women I have known. One was an elected school board member, who's conservative, fundamentalist religiosity gave her righteous certitude. She managed to pick fights with the other board members and much of the community, and slow down the business of the school board during her several terms. The other was an elementary school principal I worked with. She did not operate from righteous certitude. In fact she described herself and shallow and materialistic. I enjoyed her honesty and actually liked her. But I spent five years acting as conciliator between her and the staff. She asked me what the staff thought of her. I told her they thought she didn't listen to them. I said, "I have watched you, and I know you hear them. But you don't acknowledge them". Her reply was "I don't think I know how to do that." It's hard to acknowledge the ideas and feelings of others when you're wrapped up in yourself and your own certitude. But after all of this, we are really not voting for Sarah Palin. I continue to believe her nomination was a Republican political stunt, one they will now try to dress up with lipstick. The real choice is John McCain or Barrack Obama. For me the choice is simple. Obama believes in government and all it can offer to its citizens. He understands what it means to be a citizen of the USA and also of the world community. But I know there are many who support John McCain. Why? I am honestly asking. Tell me if you can.

11 comments:

  1. You know I'm with you, Linda. My worry is that John McCain has had health problems and is one of the oldest presidential candidates we've had. Palin is a heartbeat way from his office. THAT is scary.

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  2. Linda, I posed a question on another message board - I asked people to state why they were FOR their candidate, but they were not allowed to say anything negative about the other candidate. ONE person answered from the McCain camp. Everyone else was an Obama supporter telling why they thought he would be a good leader. I know there are McCain supporters out there. They spend a lot of time throwing cyber rocks at Obama. But they cannot for the life of them articulate why they are FOR McCain. That is very sad.

    Sarah Palin is boring. I am sick of hearing about her. She is simply a less than smart, small town political hack who got lucky. I'm done discussing her. We have important issues to discuss and the election is near.

    I vote we ignore the VP candidate who doesn't want to be bothered by the press and just concentrate on the Pres. candidates.

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  3. I am a McCain supporter because I am a conserative republican and DONOT want Obama! I have yet to find anyone that can tell me what Obama stands for and what he plans to do to bring about this change that the democrats keep spouting about. Change doesn't necessarily mean it is a good thing. I feel that McCain and Palin together have enough experience to lead this country. I have yet to see anything Obama has done. I am not entirely pleased with everything that has gone on in recent years, but I don't want this country to become a place where liberalism and godlessness abound. And that is where I fear we will go if Obama wins.

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  4. politics is such a game...frustrating and infuriating. I'd vote for a mccain/biden ticket but don't want sarah for vice president or president. we need a third choice.

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  5. I was a "star" debate student in school. I never really liked it all that much, but I was GREAT at it. I didn't enjoy it because I'm just not that contentious by nature. BUT... it's always interesting to me during an election year how easily I can make a case for...and against... either party's candidate. This year is no different. I can come up with several reasons to vote for McCain, to like Palin... I can come up with reasons not to. The very same with Obama. I can give you reasons why I would vote for him... and reasons why I wouldn't. I listen to CNN, MSNBC and FOX. I've read about, listened too, and researched both presidential hopefuls. I find that most people's opinions are formed by which news stations and which magazines they elect to listen to and read. But not too many give both sides equal consideration. Bias is rampant in the media... and that can be both a misleading and a dangerous thing.

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  6. Well, I read and watch different points of view as well, and attempted to present what I learned in an unbiased way. Sometimes the truth is hard to take, but it is the best defense against lies.
    Carole, I see what you mean about supporting McCain by attacking Obama.
    I understand the experience argument for McCain, but certainly not for Palin. And then we have to look at the nature of the experience. We can no longer solve world problems with military alone. This is not the time for a warrior.
    As to the implied connection between liberalism and godlessness, back it up or or knock it off. It's OK to have a different philosophy or belief system, but it is not Ok to think your's is the only one that is right or Godly.
    Now I'm done with Sarah Palin.

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  7. Thanks for visiting my site. I suppose what I meant by my comment is, if I were choosing a candidate, it wouldn't be McCain. In fact, until he added Sarah Palin to the ticket, I wasn't very interested in him. But it is like I heard someone say once...He is the lesser of the two evils. I suppose people support candidates that they feel have beliefs closer to their own. We relate to those like us, and those who believe like us. Isn't that why people support Obama, or supported Hillary? Because they felt that they would help make change in the direction they themselves believed in. I am not bashing Obama or his supporters. I just happen to be a religious conserative. I don't apologize for that. I just don't happen to support him as a candidate, but furthur more, I don't have a clue as to what he stands for and have yet to hear from anyone what he believes or how he plans to bring about "Change" in this country. I am all for everyone having the right to believe what they will, I don't want anyone telling me how to believe, so I am not trying to change anyones opinions-live and let live, I say. But I say again, I support a candidate that will come closer to helping bring about the things I believe in, and support. I relate to Sarah Palin because she has strong religious beliefs like I do. I have been persecuted for my beliefs and I feel that people do that out of fear. I support her because she is a strong, conserative woman. Who is out doing what women have fought for for years. But now there is a backlash against her from the very people who fought so women could "do it all". Why? Why is she being condemed for it? When Hillary was praised for it? Could it be because she is a religious conserative?
    I am not for throwning punches, again, I support everyones right to live and believe as they wish. I just wish that those who fight for that right would also allow others to do the same, even when they are saying something they don't want to hear.
    Again, I support John McCain/Sarah Palin because they come closer to what I believe and come closer to supporting the ideals that I hold dear. Isn't that why the Obama supporters support him? Aren't we all just looking for a better world and don't we believe a better world is one that is more like what we believe in? It is all about our perspective and our own beliefs. That is how we view the rest of the world. Sorry I took up so much space. Thanks for reading. I don't claim to have all the answers, these are just my humble thoughts on the whole thing.

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  8. It is just amazing to me that I still come across those who insist that they do not know what Obama stands for or anything about what he proposes to do if he is elected. FYI: http://barackobama.com is the webiste. Click on Issues and just choose one. Want a bio for him or Joe Biden? It is there. I think people who say this just reinforce what "mom/caryn" said about views being formed depending upon what news they watch and choose to read. There is one news channel in particular that repeats the "I don't know what he stands for" mantra in one form or another repeatedly.

    I live in the Bible Belt and am constantly insulted and feel persecuted by "Christians" who feel that giving themselves that title entitles them to tell me I am "godless" or less than they are. It happens all the time. Being a liberal means and has always meant caring about our fellow man in a meaningful way. The phrase "bleeding heart" never fails to make me smile. Isn't that an image of Christ? Why is that a bad thing?

    I do understand that there are conservative Republicans out there for whom a conservative agenda will be helpful to them and will benefit them financially. I get why they vote the way they do.

    As for Palin, I think she'd do or say whatever she felt she should to get where she wanted in the political world. She is the consummate political hack. That's why she was for the Bridge to Nowhere until it became toxic. Then she dropped it like a hot potato.

    McCain is Bush is McCain. 8 more years? Not for me.

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  9. Thanks Carole.
    After reading the comments, I am baffled. Why would someone vote for the McCain/Palin ticket only because of Palin? The answer has to be the stand on abortion/pro-life/pro-choice. Either that or persons so inclined are setting themselves up as judges of who is the better Christian??
    We can never really know what is in another persons heart. We can listen to what they profess. We can study their actions.
    Look at how each rose to power. Listen to how consistant their message has been. How have they demonstrated "honor"?
    It's pretty clear to me that if this is done thoroughly, the clear winner is Barack Obama.
    I listen to enough of the Consertive/Libertarian message to understand the fundamental differences between them and "liberals" in what they consider to be the role of government. These are reasons to select a party and a candidate. They are based on knowledge, not beliefs. Faith based voting should always be informed by knowledge based voting on the factual policies and issues. We have separation of church and state for a reason.

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  10. I've enjoyed reading everyones comments here. Carole, like you, I once lived in the South, amongst fundamentalists. If you haven't, there is no way one can understand the fear in extreme beliefs, something we have not had to endure here because rationalists paved the way for democracy.

    Diesm, was the belief of the founding fathers. "In recent decades, the role of deism in the American founding has become highly charged. Evangelical and/or “traditional” Protestants have claimed that Christianity was central to the early history of the United States and that the nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles.

    They point to the use of prayer in Congress, national days of prayer and thanksgiving and the invocation of God as the source of our “unalienable rights” in the Declaration of Independence. Secularists respond that large fractions of the principal founding fathers were not Christians at all but deists and the American founding was established on secular foundations.

    Their principal evidence is the strict separation of church and state they find embedded in the first amendment. They further cite the utter absence of biblical references in our principal founding documents and note that the God of the Declaration of Independence is not described in a scriptural idiom as “God the Father” but instead in deistic terms as a “Creator” and “supreme judge of the world.” Although both sides have some evidence, neither is persuasive. Ultimately, the role of deism in the American founding is just too complex to force into such simplistic formulas....

    For Deists God was a benevolent, if distant, creator whose revelation was nature and human reason. Applying reason to nature taught most deists that God organized the world to promote human happiness and our greatest religious duty was to further that end by the practice of morality.....Given the existence of God, it is our duty to worship him, repent our failings, strive to be virtuous, and expect punishment and reward in the afterlife.

    This creed was based on reason which was shared by all men (unlike revelation), it was hoped it would be acceptable to everyone regardless of their religious background.

    Deism was considered the essential core religious belief of all men throughout history, including Jews, Muslims, and even Pagans."
    http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/puritan.htm

    This view has allowed us to live in American without the blood letting of other time periods, and of other countries fighting over religious dogma and the idea that my God is the right God and your God is wrong. In this way we avoid the extreme fears that once allowed people to be called witches and burnt alive. I think most can agree these extreme ideas don't sound very Christlike.

    Due to the religious right, this election has less to do with issues of real importance, and has taken us back once again to fighting a battle of religious control verses a peaceful form of govenement. It just isn't seen by most that clearly as yet. Reason verses beliefs is the core issue here, and reason is what has made America great, because beliefs in various religious doctrines can lead only to trouble. Many came here to escape religious persecution.
    Now we are once again faced with those who would define for each of us what we must believe.

    We shouldn't be having an election that is about religion, it is not the way Democracy works. This path will lead to no good for anyone. Government deciding religious beliefs simply does not work. Not any better than communism works. Some things cannot be dictated.

    I am hopeful it will be seen that McCain /Palin stand for a party that has been taken over by fundamentalists who don't understand what havoc this way of life would create, even for themselves.
    I hope it is seen by the electorate before the vote, and before it is too late.

    We are seeing a re-emerging of the Puritanical God "a distinctly undemocratic sort of deity, an unfeeling tyrant rather than a loving parent."

    Democracy must allow each man's decisions to choose their beliefs. Respect for each others beliefs is essential for peace to prevail.

    Peace is the way of Christ, he said, Blessed are the peacemakers.

    America and democracy are at risk with this election. This underlying (even hidden) religious agenda is what is making this election seem so strange. There is covert activity going on in this campaign. America, wake up!

    Thanks for allowing me to have my say here.

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  11. I loved the SNL skit with "Sarah Palin" and "Hilary Clinton" being played by others. It's the only time I have laughed since the republican convention...

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