Why do you hate Sarah Palin?

[jockdom]

Morality has nothing to do with religion, as it is used on the national stage. Not in the U.S., or Iran, or Gaza. In the hands of political figures, organized religion is a tool to coerce the masses. That's what it is today, and what it has always been.

As for the UK, stories such as this one seem to highlight a religious influence that plays out differently, perhaps, but is powerful nevertheless.


HAHAHA! Great analogy, JD.

True enough there is a certain degree of religion in british politics but no where near the puritanical fervour which isthe case in the U.S. Interviiews and cermons of the candidates pastors. I find it scary that the man/woman in charge of a huge neucular aresanal is also a firm beliver in the book of revelations. Actualy the thought of a political leader actualy implementing some of this doctorine of love, peace and goodwill to mankind sounds quite radical almost socialist! Blessed are the cheesemakers!

 

[SierraMoon]

"The McCain campaign, tacitly acknowledging how out of her depth she'll be no matter how many all-nighters she pulls, demanded--and, shockingly, got--special modifications to the veep debate format so that there would be no follow-up questions. After all, it wouldn't be right to expect Palin to compete on normal terms with Joe Biden....."

This is a joke, right?

If it's not, I'd like to know how many more concessions do we have to make until they admit she was a bad choice?

 

[JMohegan]

True enough there is a certain degree of religion in british politics but no where near the puritanical fervour which isthe case in the U.S. Interviiews and cermons of the candidates pastors. I find it scary that the man/woman in charge of a huge neucular aresanal is also a firm beliver in the book of revelations. Actualy the thought of a political leader actualy implementing some of this doctorine of love, peace and goodwill to mankind sounds quite radical almost socialist! Blessed are the cheesemakers!

Haha!

I absolutely agree about the book of Revelations. Not to mention the fact that this woman turns her nose up at Science - saying global warming isn't man-made, and Genesis should be taught alongside Evolution in the public schools.

I'm not trying to slam the UK, but I do think it's unfortunate that a Catholic has to keep his religion in the closet if he wants to be PM. It's like: you either pretend to belong to the Queen's Church, or you won't be credible on the national stage. That's not saying: secular beats religious. That's saying: Anglicans are more capable of acting in the best secular interest of the country than Roman Catholics.

 

[ammre]

i chose the stupid one... i don't think she's stupid but i don't agree with her, and I don't think she's fit to be be near the white house.

Then again, in nearly everything but guns i'm significantly more left then liberal ;\

 

[ammre]

Bible Spice is kinda hot, but more in the way that I'd like her bent over:

"Tell the truth" *whack*
"Now lie for me" *whack*

I could get into that.

when i read "Bible Spice" my first though was,
Tell me what you pray what you really really pray!

 

[JMohegan]

This is a joke, right?

If it's not, I'd like to know how many more concessions do we have to make until they admit she was a bad choice?

According to the NYT, the McCain crew asked for quite a few concessions in the VP debate, and got them.



"At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.

McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive.

The wrangling was chiefly between the McCain-Palin camp and the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which is sponsoring the forums.

Commission members wanted a relaxed format that included time for unpredictable questioning and challenges between the two vice-presidential candidates. On Wednesday, the commission unanimously rejected a proposal sought by advisers to Ms. Palin and Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee, to have the moderator ask questions and the candidates answer, with no time for unfettered exchanges. Advisers to Mr. Biden say they were comfortable with either format.

A commission member said that the new agreement on the vice-presidential debate was reached late Saturday morning. It calls for shorter blocks of candidate statements and open discussion than at the presidential debates.

McCain advisers said they were only somewhat concerned about Ms. Palin’s debating skills compared with those of Mr. Biden, who has served six terms in the Senate, or about his chances of tripping her up. Instead, they say, they wanted Ms. Palin to have opportunities to present Mr. McCain’s positions, rather than spending time talking about her experience or playing defense."

 

[Netzach]

They got them?

I thought Biden said no dice and no dice.

It's still going to be ugly. I mean look at the Couric tape. OMG.

 

[JMohegan]

They got them?

I thought Biden said no dice and no dice.

It's still going to be ugly. I mean look at the Couric tape. OMG.

All I know (or think I know!) is what's in that quote from the NYT. I guess we'll see on Thursday.



Personally I think Biden's in a tough spot. The really glaring double standard here looks like this:

It's perfectly fine to rudely mock & condescendingly sneer at an "uppity" African American (or intellectual elitist - take your pick). People may not appreciate the distraction from the issues, and they may think your criticism is baseless. But hardly anyone objects on the grounds that you've committed an unacceptable social sin by behaving disrespectfully toward your opponent.

but

If you give even a hint of condescension or disrespect toward a female candidate - even if she's CLEARLY over her head and unprepared - that makes you a neanderthal and a giant sexist prick. Nobody cares about the relative value in *what* you're saying, because this perceived sin colors their reaction overall.

Al Gore got skewered for coming off as condescending toward Bush in the debates. Why? Because Bush had the C-student, come have a beer with me relatability thing going on. Palin's got relatibility AND she's female.

Biden does well with the folksy stuff, but he is still male. I don't envy him going into that contest, I really don't.

 

[BeachGurl2]

If you give even a hint of condescension or disrespect toward a female candidate - even if she's CLEARLY over her head and unprepared - that makes you a neanderthal and a giant sexist prick. Nobody cares about the relative value in *what* you're saying, because this perceived sin colors their reaction overall.

Al Gore got skewered for coming off as condescending toward Bush in the debates. Why? Because Bush had the C-student, come have a beer with me relatability thing going on. Palin's got relatibility AND she's female.

Biden does well with the folksy stuff, but he is still male. I don't envy him going into that contest, I really don't.

It will be very interesting to see how they play it. This will be one of the biggest problems in the debate. He's going to have to think about everything he says - not just the content but how it will come across since she's the helpless female and he's the big bad wolf. They've already shown that she's not capable of holding her own. And so no matter how he handles himself, they will paint it this way. I don't envy his position either. Which is really a sad thing to say since I'm female. But it is what it is.

 

[BeachGurl2]

It's still going to be ugly. I mean look at the Couric tape. OMG.

No matter how he handles himself, it will be a nightmare for him, I'm sure. And he'll take the brunt of the criticism. This can't end well for anyone, can it?

 

[Homburg]

when i read "Bible Spice" my first though was,
Tell me what you pray what you really really pray!

*snort* I could really imagine all sorts of things along with this now.

 

[Netzach]

No matter how he handles himself, it will be a nightmare for him, I'm sure. And he'll take the brunt of the criticism. This can't end well for anyone, can it?

He doesn't have to do a damn thing. Just let her go. Politely allow her to just hang herself. Which she will. She cannot possibly make it through this one. I still think her speech was merely *competent* - this affirmative action token is being treated like a great orator for it.

I almost feel bad for her, I actually do, lately.

 

[SweetErika]

He doesn't have to do a damn thing. Just let her go. Politely allow her to just hang herself. Which she will. She cannot possibly make it through this one. I still think her speech was merely *competent* - this affirmative action token is being treated like a great orator for it.

I almost feel bad for her, I actually do, lately.

I don't feel bad for her. I can't. It's not like she was forced into this position. She chose to put herself in it, and there's no way she's stupid enough to actually think running mates don't have to answer questions, debate or come under the scrutiny of the public and press. She could have politely declined this time around and asked for support in the future or something.

And if she's been delusional up until this point, this at least gives her the opportunity to learn some valuable lessons. Hopefully Alaskans will benefit from that. Actually, it seems like this whole debacle is bringing a lot of valuable info to light and they're coming around to see her for who she is. Her AK approval ratings have dropped like 20 points in the last few weeks and are continuing to fall, IIRC.

 

[Netzach]

I don't feel bad for her. I can't. It's not like she was forced into this position. She chose to put herself in it, and there's no way she's stupid enough to actually think running mates don't have to answer questions, debate or come under the scrutiny of the public and press. She could have politely declined this time around and asked for support in the future or something.

And if she's been delusional up until this point, this at least gives her the opportunity to learn some valuable lessons. Hopefully Alaskans will benefit from that. Actually, it seems like this whole debacle is bringing a lot of valuable info to light and they're coming around to see her for who she is. Her AK approval ratings have dropped like 20 points in the last few weeks and are continuing to fall, IIRC.

I'm conflicted. Like someone who got way more mortgage than they could chew and they're gonna lose their McMansion in Eden Prairie. That kinda "well that's sucky" feel bad.

 

[midwestyankee]

I wonder what it feels like to be Sarah Palin right now. She's clearly an ambitious woman who didn't comprehend the leap she was going to have to make in order to succeed in the big leagues. No doubt the McCain camp had little idea just how much work she needed on her curve and her slider and so they probably reassured her that with a little debate prep and some help from her handlers she'd be a shining success.

The last few weeks she has been allowed to speak before the press only three times and she once leapt out of her cage to take a question on her own. All four events were unmitigated disasters and thus, for good reason, McCain has her muzzled like a dog with a frothing mouth.

They ruined her political career. They've shut her up like a mob witness. Every comedian in the country has been using her name for cheap laughs for a month. Her daughter's life has been scrutinized within an inch of her dignity (if not beyond it).

I wonder what it feels like to be Sarah Palin right now.

 

[Homburg]

I'm starting to wonder if it's 1919 and McCain is batting for the Sox.

Somebody I respect made a comment along these lines, and I'm starting to agree.

 

[BeachGurl2]

I don't feel bad for her. I can't. It's not like she was forced into this position. She chose to put herself in it, and there's no way she's stupid enough to actually think running mates don't have to answer questions, debate or come under the scrutiny of the public and press. She could have politely declined this time around and asked for support in the future or something.

And if she's been delusional up until this point, this at least gives her the opportunity to learn some valuable lessons. Hopefully Alaskans will benefit from that. Actually, it seems like this whole debacle is bringing a lot of valuable info to light and they're coming around to see her for who she is. Her AK approval ratings have dropped like 20 points in the last few weeks and are continuing to fall, IIRC.

I don't feel bad for her, either. People like her make choices for all the wrong reasons and they have to suffer the consequences. I feel bad for her kids, because they didn't choose this. And they'll live with it for the rest of their lives. But I don't feel bad for her.

The thing that is so frightening to me at this point is that there are still an awful lot of Americans who think she's just peachy. People who are truly behind McCain/Palin and believe they will save us. That's a very frightening thought.

 

[WriterDom]

From reading this thread you'd think her approval rating was around 20%. Actually is was 54% last week. Higher than Biden. I'm glad it is Biden. One of the biggest assholes in all of politics. It's going to be hard for him to not be himself.

 

[midwestyankee]

From reading this thread you'd think her approval rating was around 20%. Actually is was 54% last week. Higher than Biden. I'm glad it is Biden. One of the biggest assholes in all of politics. It's going to be hard for him to not be himself.

Not sure where you're getting your numbers as you did not cite a source. Here are the most recent favorable/unfavorable numbers from Research 2000:

Favorable/Unfavorable
CANDIDATE FAV UNFAV NO OPINION
MCCAIN 46 45 9
OBAMA 59 32 9
BIDEN 51 34 15
PALIN 40 50 10

Looks like that 54% favorable rating may be as old as the idea that she could speak coherently.

 

[EmpressFi]

McCain retracts Palin's Pakistan comments

I'd like to know how a student from Temple asking a question equates to, "sticking a microphone while conversations are being held."

 

[00Syd]

Tina Fey is good at this:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/27/tina-fey-as-sarah-palin-k_n_129956.html

 

[WriterDom]

Not sure where you're getting your numbers as you did not cite a source. Here are the most recent favorable/unfavorable numbers from Research 2000:

Favorable/Unfavorable
CANDIDATE FAV UNFAV NO OPINION
MCCAIN 46 45 9
OBAMA 59 32 9
BIDEN 51 34 15
PALIN 40 50 10

Looks like that 54% favorable rating may be as old as the idea that she could speak coherently.

Ah, the official pollsters of the Daily Kos. Well, Rasmussen had her 10 points higher on the 24th. That's 10 more than research 2000 had on the same day. The latest Rasmussen has anyway.

 

[midwestyankee]

Ah, the official pollsters of the Daily Kos. Well, Rasmussen had her 10 points higher on the 24th. That's 10 more than research 2000 had on the same day. The latest Rasmussen has anyway.

And Rasmussen polls for Fox News so what's your point?

Let's ask it a different way: what were her numbers the day before the Couric interview aired and what have they been since that date, which I believe was the 25th?

 

[midwestyankee]

A little video fun regarding our favorite hockey mom:

Preview video for "Head of Skate"

 

[midwestyankee]

I'm starting to wonder if it's 1919 and McCain is batting for the Sox.

Somebody I respect made a comment along these lines, and I'm starting to agree.

Say it ain't so, Mac, say it ain't so!

I've seen the same thing proposed in a couple of places. My latest reading though is that if McCain is tanking this one, it's all on a level that he's not aware of yet.