As One Hockey Mom to Another

Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite,
I am a Jewish believer in Jesus. Before you start hurling around terms like “anti-Semitic” to describe Jews for Jesus, read or listen to David Brickner's entire message at Palin's church at www.jewsforjesus.org/blog/20080817, so that you can see his remarks in context. While you're at it, take a look at Brickner's explanation of his remarks, both in his article and in the interviews he did with Christianity Today and NBC, at www.jewsforjesus.org.

Chicago writes
To Marc-Edward:

"Every post you have on any article is biased left."

I have a leftie perspective, but I am not biased. I always, always leave myself open to persuasion.

"I am Obama/Biden 08 supporter from Chicago and your leaning is drawing support away from my party. You are playing into a McCain/Palin sweep."

Not really sure about that, but I'll keep it in mind.

"I am not attacking the article writer. You need to convienece people in PA to write articles like this and not Chicago."

Not sure what the difference is, really. I am from North Carolina and I don't take a writer more or less seriously if they are from North Carolina.

To Marc-Edward:

Every post you have on any article is biased left. I am Obama/Biden 08 supporter from Chicago and your leaning is drawing support away from my party. You are playing into a McCain/Palin sweep. I am not attacking the article writer. You need to convienece people in PA to write articles like this and not Chicago. WOW, I'm from Chicago, boy that's going to convince people that I am not biased for Obama 08. Lol. You're a fool for any party.

Here in Georgia I have several "friends" who
will not vote for Obama because he is black. I tell them to vote for the white half.

I'm an independent voter and a non-believer, two positions that draw some difference between you and I, Susan. But I am thankful for the reminder that there are people like you who hold liberal religious values. And I know that people like you and I must work together to preserve our secular government from the assaults of right-wing theocrats.

You hit the nail on the head, Thistlethwaite. Palin is a combination dog-whistle to America's Religious Extremists and attempt by the GOP to court a part of the electorate they've made no attempt to reach or understand. Good luck with that, but it's so clumsy and transparent that only the predisposed or stunningly credulous are taken in.

Pete Kasper writes
"So really, you just disagree with her, right? Isn't the truth here that all of these candidates are flawed in major ways, but you agree more with the Dems so you criticize the GOP?"

So Pete, your point is that you can't refute anything the author says?

Chicago writes
"Wow the author of this article is from Chicago. I am totally surprised about what I am reading."

Another poster who can't refute what the writer says, so he attacks the writer. Pretty weak!

Tony V writes
"Oh my goodness, can you hear yourself? Why don't you go all the way and accuse Sarah Palin of being behind the MLK assassination?"

If you think posters are saying anything inaccurate about Ms. Palin, why not point out how they are wrong? Or perhaps you can't?

Whether Sarah Palin is a religious hypocrite or not is beside the point. Palin's wacky right-wing religious opinions would be largely irrelevant except for the fact that she and the GOP don't respect our Constitutional freedoms. They would use the force of law to enforce their nutty religious opinions on everybody else.

They would:
-Deny equal rights to gays and lesbians
-Severely limit access to contraceptives
-Deny early-term abortions to victims of rape and incest
-Prohibit stem cell research for incurable diseases
-Deny sex education to teens
-Teach Creationism in public school science classes
-Tax us to support their favorite religious organizations
-Send our soldiers off to die for "God's plan" ...

and the list goes on ... it's truely frightening.

Hockey Mom or not, she is obviously a theocratic dominionist intent on substituting her narrow-minded version of biblical law for our enlightened Constitutional liberties.

Can anyone here say Sarah Huckabee because they are two peas in a pod!

Could someone, of republican persuasion preferably, explain the few people of any color but white at the republican convention? As one commentator said; "I thought I was white, but these people have taken it to a new level". I mean, 2,380 delegates and 36 (1.5%) were black?

That's not change!

If republicans want to represent the people of America, they need to represent the people of 2008 America, not 1808 America. I do not care what they offer in the form of policy, if they are not representative of America, they cannot fully represent America. Its that simple.

As for Palin, the internet is already doing a fine job of showing who she really is, calling the Iraq war something God wants, asking people to "pray" for a pipeline, hreatening to fire librarians for not censoring books on *her* list, firing people so she could keep a dairy that was loosing money running and eventually sticking the bill to the tax payers after the dairy went belly up anyway, and then there's the whole troopergate thing.

Repubicans have always run away from their records. The internet is sure making that hard to do. For example, check out this Daily Show clip where republicans are shown saying one thing about democrats and then the exact opposite about republicans. Its hallarious but very sad at the same time, though par for the republicans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1A0ts88LXE&NR=1

Not one vote for any republican anywhere. They need a time-out for what they have done to America and maybe some time to evolve into a party of all Americans (oh wait, they don't believe in evolution, nevermind).

Perhaps the 30 pct of Americans who still support G.W. Bush also think that Iraq is to blame for 9/11, that our invasion serves a divine purpose, that "sinister elements" (not the market) cause high oil prices or inflation, and that Alaskans on food stamps and SS disability aren't "on welfare" because they occasionally shoot for moose, have a cousin in the NG, and stay current on their SUV lease. The Holy Land is important as the site of the Second Coming, and the J for J people are merely the first fruits. They see the rest of the world as "unsaved." They fear and resent being "elitist liberals" who eschew flag pins, and make fun of cattle college grads, bass boats, home fries, or living rooms decorated with NFL or NASACAR posters. Rush and Sean are on the air precisely during that part of the afternoon when they are driving between sales calls or leaving the store. They hear works that stoke their resentment of liberals or deviants and soothe their beliefs in "folks like us." Better to die sick than be put in "guvmint clinics" or let "those people" get free care.

30% is not a bad quotient to start with when running for national office. Add the other 20%+ of libertarian or purely economic conservatives, most of them highly secular or devoted "mamonites," whose cultural tastes are anything but cheap or down-home, and you've got a possible winning ticket.

Very good analysis. Also, what about her views on race relations and diversity? State tuned...

Wow the author of this article is from Chicago. I am totally surprised about what I am reading. Now I know exactly how Sarah Palin avoided these issues the article talks about. She did it the same way this article tries to hide its bias and probably will delete this message. Bravo at being against the same thing you are for.

A hockey mom with a penchant for reaching out from her official government position to have PRIVATE CITIZENS FIRED! (Like the librarian who wouldn't ban books and Alaska's top cop who wouldn't ILLEGALLY fire a trooper inacustody battle with Palin's sister...

A hockey mom who keeps an OFFICIAL ENEMIES LIST!

A hockey mom who's husband is a member of the US HATING, SECESSIONIST ALASKA FIRST PARTY (AKIP)

A hockey mom who speaks at her WING NUT APOCOLYPSE CHURCH and who has fully embraced her wing-nut apocolypse pastor (The man who says you'll go to hell if you criticize him or the president)

A science-hating hockey mom who insists upon forcing creationism into schools and on abstinence only education even when it FAILED in her own family.

PALIN NEEDS TO BE VETTED BY THE PRESS SINCE MCCAIN REFUSED TO DO THE JOB WISELY THE FIRST TIME!

The politics of divisiveness is the mothers milk of the republican party. And they are welcome to it. Thanks for your courageous jousting with Palin's efforts to divide the nation. I dont yet consider her the author of her speech, assuming that it was written by the hacks of Karl Rove's office. They havent got a leg to stand on but when it comes to destructive politics they are past masters.

Keep up the good work. Perhaps, we'll get a president we deserve this time, rather than one who steals two elections with the help of his borther and the supreme court. And this continue shrill and desparate call for us as 'the greatest country in the world' is getting a bit ironical. Greatest at what? Can you tell me in what serious category we are simply the greatest? Not in deaths at birth, not in education, not in infrastructure development, not in cell phone technology.

Perhaps, they mean we are the greatest country in the world at housing foreclosures, greediest financial experts, highest premiums for healthcare, highest number of people uninsured for healthcare, highests number of highway deaths per year, highest number of gun owners, highest number of incarcerated black men, highest number credit card debt, greatest number of flag wearing people in the world, greatest number of obese people in the world, and greatest number of patriots who have no idea why their country has gotten off track.

What a sterling list, one to be proud of when I think of the greatest country in the world label.

Tony Gillotte

Thought you guys might like this. Just follow the link:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086&title=sarah-palin-gender-card

So really, you just disagree with her, right? Isn't the truth here that all of these candidates are flawed in major ways, but you agree more with the Dems so you criticize the GOP?

Palin was baptized a Roman Catholic and apparently her parents were of that faith They converted to the Assembly of God denomination in Alaska and she was rebaptized in that denomination. The record appears blank whether she received first communion or did her first confession in the Catholic church (usually at seven or eight) but at around age 12 or so she was rebaptized in the Assemblies of God denomination. The national denomination web page for that denomination has a 16 point statement of belief which includes speaking in tongues and a belief in the Rapture. John Ashcroft is a member of the Assemblies of God and his father was an official of that denomination which is headquartered in Springfield, Missouri.

When Pentacostals "pray for pipelines," you know they are speaking in tongues of money, nothing less.

And what "qualifies" her as "hockey mom?"

are to believe she shuttles her kids to after-school play while dispersing the natural resources of her state is second tier business?

don't let her define herself.

just check her own deeds, life and words:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/03/AR2008090303102.html?hpid=sec-religion

saying that the Iraq war is "a task from God" implies that bush cheney and their cohorts are her god, as they unilaterally chose to bring illegal warfare upon the mideast.

I finally figured out what a hockey mom is. She is actually not universal at all (unlike a soccer mom), but a woman from one of the small number of states where hockey is almost exclusively played by white descendents of Europeans. In short, she is the perfect Republican woman who is not likely to accept diversity.

Oh my goodness, can you hear yourself? Why don't you go all the way and accuse Sarah Palin of being behind the MLK assassination? You media people are ridiculous. So she's faking the Hockeymom thing to win votes. Her whole goal in life is to make everyone aware that Barack Obama is black because she's not just a neocon, she's a neo nazi with a red pickup truck and shotgun somewhere.

This isn't some deep, conspiracy laden ploy to beat Barack Obama by racism, (this blogger smacks of "vast right wing conspiracy paranoia" syndrome.

Sarah Palin and her team tore a page out of the Oprah Winfrey playbook. It's ALL identity politics and trying to relate to your target audience. Mother. Woman. Small Town. Hockey. That's not insidious, that's TAKING ADVANTAGE OF WHO SHE ACTUALLY IS, is that such a crime??? You do it every day.

Jesus was a community organizer, no doubt about it. It is what the greatest man in the history of the world chose to do with his brief time on earth. So let's not run down community organizers, shall we?

"...just as no one is claiming that Obama is qualified because of his life story that we have hear so much about."

RMorrow,

We haven't heard nearly so much about Obama's life as we have about John McCain's experience as a POW. Every single prime-time speaker at the Republican convention described his ordeal in detail -- up to and including McCain himself. Even the video focused on it.

It's as if they can't find anything else to say about him that merits praise. To hear them talk, you'd think his only accomplishment was surviving five years as a POW.

Yes, it's an inspiring story. But we really need to hear it only once. Maybe twice. Not a dozen times. And it's a story that, while stirring, is old news. Really old news.

Republicans need to find a new way to sell this guy, because, right now, he's a one-note Charlie, and most voters aren't going to care about what happened more than 35 years ago.

I watched a morning talk show today during which a Republican spokesman snarled at the hosts for daring to ask questions about Palin and ranted about bloggers attacking her. Somehow I doubt he was upset when Barack Obama, also a Christian, was attacked for being a Muslim. I am sorry to see the Republican party resuming the culture war to disguise their complete lack of ideas to help ordinary Americans. Sarah Palin enjoys chasing wild animals to exhaustion with a heliocopter and then killing them. She would not allow an 11 year-old raped by her step-father to have an abortion. She has abused the power of her office to solve a family domestic mess. She is a member of a church whose pastor says Jews are killed by terrorists because they have not "come to Jesus". I am a suburban wife and mother who loves the Lord. Sarah Palin is as far from my view of what Christ's message really is as it is possible to get and still be inside the tent.

I'm glad Palin did not discuss her faith. Unfortunately, religion (read - Protestant) has played a way too important role in politics for way too long. I don't care what she believes. I want to hear something of substance about national issues.

"B-man:
It hurts to think how stupid the average Republican voter is in this country.

That anyone in this country can countenance McCain's pick for VP for even a micro-second shows how full this country is of dumbsh*ts.

A red-neck, young-earth-believer, rapture-ready hockey-mom with virtually no experience and the GOP is going gah-gah over her?"

I wish I could be as tolerant and open-minded as this liberal.

Tell us more about smears and hatred, oh liberal hypocrites.

"Sarah Palin introduced herself to the country last night as "just your average hockey Mom." I'm a hockey Mom too. When my husband and I lived in Boston, our boys played hockey. I even played ice hockey on the parents' team at the end of the year parents versus the kids and coaches game. For years I got up at 4:00 am to take one or the other of our sons to the hockey rink to practice, because that's the only time the littler kids can get rink time. I was there at dawn with all the other hockey Moms, holding on to our insulated cups of coffee, and nobody was wearing lipstick, trust me.

None of that qualifies me to be president."

What a moronic statement. No one is claiming that Palin's status as a hockey mom qualifies her to be President, just as no one is claiming that Obama is qualified because of his life story that we have hear so much about.

And spare us the crap about the GOP pushing the culture war. When Democrats talk about two Americas or villify a woman for daring to diverge from pro-abortion dogma, it is clear that no one holds any high ground in inflaming cultural hatred. If you need more proof, check out the Post's Eugene Robinson flat out calling a Republican a racist.

What does that partisan diatribe have to do with faith anyway? If you were a conservative, you would be accused of using faith to push your political views and vice versa.

It's OK though. We've come to expect gross hypocrisy from liberals and you never fail to disappoint.

Please. As Cindy McCain called her, Palin is a "pistol packing" mom.

This is just what American girls and young women need to hear, isn't it?

I mean a rifle for hunting is one thing, but "PISTOL PACKING"?? Where is their morality? To me the use of this term alone turns me completely and utterly off the Republicans. This is shocking and terrible. At 65 I am shuddering over this still this day after hearing it. Wow.

Sarah Palin is truly a gift from God that the Republicans never stop talking about: except a gift to the hard-working 90% of Americans that the right-wing, war-mongering, all-for-the rich Republican gang has been able to fool to win two Presidential elections in 2000 and 2004. She is a wake-up call to all of us who should finally see through he hypocrisy of their propaganda: Ms Pailn claims that she is pro-life and that's why she had her 5th child, and her teenage daughter is having her child. She supports teenage sex and sex before marriage but has no qualms about lecturing the rest of us to follow the Bible. She is against big-govt, but has no problem in hiring lobbyists to get hundreds of million dollars in pork-barrel ear-marks for Alaska; she stood-up to big-oil who runs Alaska before gladly using the wind-fall dollars from taxing the inflated oil-revenue that the big-oil generated from the oil-fields of Alaska (cost of drilling a barrel of oil

All I can say is that we will hold the Republicans accountable for the mess they have created under the Bush-Cheney regime: invasion and occupation of Iraq which has cost $700 billion and rising; a resurgent al Queda and Taliban in Afganistan and Pakistan plotting to attack us again; massive debts (increased from $5.5 trillion to more than 9 trillion dollars); predatory capitalism that led to the sub-prime crisis and a housing bubble; stagnant economic growth and increasing unemployment; decreased retirement security for most Americans. No hockey mom from a state with more spawning salmon than people can sell us the recycled lies one more time!

"To love a person as a Christian is to want them to know Jesus and to be saved from their sins by his sacrifice on the cross."

Jerry Hall,

Maybe to you, pal, but not to a majority of the world's population. If you want to pray for people and love them and "save them," fine. But do it from a distance. You DON'T have the right to approach people and talk at them after they've asked you to go away.

Your brand of religion is akin to the military strategy of any petty dictator: "We are right, so we are divinely instructed to beat up on those who don't agree...until they do. It's for their own good, and God wants us to do this."

Yet another example of humans using God to justify their atrocities and "bless" their missions.

"You have to keep right-wing theology and its insistence on "women's submission" separate from the conservatives as defenders of women's opportunity, but stranger things have happened in politics."

Yes, this is interesting. If Palin follows the religious tenets of the evangelicals, she is obligated to submit to her husband's will. So, does this mean that, as vice-president -- or, God forbid, president -- Todd "First Dude" Palin will have the ultimate authority over the U.S.?

Some clarifications:
"Jews for Jesus" is anti-semitic because it tries to change Jews into Christians. The inquisition used torture to do this, JFJ uses more subtle, but no less insidious, means.

The Republicans have controlled both houses of Congress and the presidency for six of the nearly eight years of the Bush regency, and without a supermajority for the past nearly two years, Congress was unable to move Bush from his path of destruction. In addition, does anyone recall who drafted energy policy for the administration, behind closed doors about eight years ago? The oil and coal industries did - is it any wonder we are in the position we are today with regard to energy prices and dependence on Saudi and Venezuelan oil? And more drilling or use of coal will only lead to more greenhouse gases and a worsening of global warming - I'd plan on selling any beachfront property soon!

If you are making more than $800,000 per year then you should vote for McCain/Palin, as you will have reduced taxes. If you make less than that, then the choice for Obama/Biden is obvious. Don't believe the Republicans, they lie about these and other things to get votes from the middle-class - just look at their record over the past almost eight years.

Things will be so much better when we have President Obama signing bills into law from a Democratically-controlled house and senate. I am now convinced more than ever that this will be the case!

It's "YouTube" not "U-Tube"

I find it a bit ironic that so much attention is being paid to Governor Palin's family structure when she and her backers have no problem destroying the family structure of thousands of gay Americans.

Sarah Palin is a metaphor for the GOP. A host of imagery bundled up in a pretty package. She is a "huntress." She represents the notion that there need be no limit to America's desire for wealth at the expense of everything. She also represents denial of reality. One might imagine her thinking there are vast herds of buffalo to be shot for fun still existing on the High Plains of North America. She represents the decadence of America -- the notion there are no limits to our desires, that we are entitled, that magically there are still things to plunder, that there is moral value to waste, and that our profligacy can and should go on for ever. Let's all go hunting. --- What vanity! Where is the reverence?

Fin de siecle America.

Palin scares me. Anyone that indoctrinated in ANy religion scares me.

She has no business being VP.

My solution:

http://www.missionmeeting.org/spandau/

And does anyone know which books Palin wanted banned from the library when she was mayor? That will tell us much about her thinking...

Reasonable not hateful writes
"I am speechless. That two people could make such asinine posts . Marc- I doubt you have any problems in your life that anyone could point to, what is your exact beef with Palin?"

Palin's public policies are mostly bad and far outside tbe mainstream. As a mayor and governor Palin has been irrseponsible. If you speak of her "leadership" there is little to nothing to recomment her. If you want specifics I'll be happy to go there.
However as a peron, I think she's a phoney. Lots of details about her life don't add up. The more I learn about her the less I like her. Her performance at the convention was at best nasty, like a feale version of Ann Coulter. Hardly what my country needs.

Rebeccawrites
"Her religion was shown by the baby, who really should have been paid a salary (shouldn't he have been asleep in a crib somewhere at 10 pm)?"

BINGO! I've been the primary caregiver to all three of our kids, and a 10 year old ought to be asleep by that time, let alone a 4 month old baby.

This girl loves the Lord: "What and feed into your agenda as though she needs one more thing for you media frenzied people to throw stones at. She doesn't need to talk about her faith because it is in her walk and her way of life."

Excuse me but somebody who uses religions as a political prop needs to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Palin's speech was as nasty as Obama's speech was uplifting. Palin, to me, comes across like one more self proclaimed "good Christian" who does whatever will help her career or family regardless the consequences to others, using her faith as an excuse or shield.

vhhn writes
"It's interesting how you conveniently glossed over Gov. Palin achievements as Mayor and now Gov. of Alaska."

Gee, as mayor she fired a 22 year veteran police chief because he didn't support her run for mayor. She tried to fire the town librarian because she wasn't into book banning. She cut the property tax (which hit the wealthy harder) and replaced with a sales tax (which hits the working class). She took a town with no debt and left them 20million in debt, just to build a hockey ring for her kids. Her performance as governor has been little better.

Jews for Jesus is not anti-semitic. It is an organization that promotes witnessing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Jews. There is no hatred directed towards Jews by telling them about the Son of God. A friend of mine once described a Jew who had accepted Jesus Christ as being a "fulfilled Jew". This is in the context of the person being not only one of God's chosen people but also having accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. To love a person as a Christian is to want them to know Jesus and to be saved from their sins by his sacrifice on the cross. This including loving our Jewish brothers and sisters as well.

When Republican mention faith, you scold them, and when they don't, you scold them? Can't have it both ways. And believing the hype about faked memos with no proof because it fits your political needs, and throwing it in at the end as though it justifies the rest of your post, is just silly.

You ask: "Will the culture wars ploy work?"

Dunno, you're the one bringing it up. It seems that you're complaining that she didn't bring up any culture wars issues while AT THE SAME TIME accusing Palin of using a "culture wars ploy". You can't have it both ways. It seems to me that your real problem is that you are the one who wants to fight a culture war and Palin isn't playing your game. Weird.

Glenn, great link. The hipocracy of the republicans is amazing. But what is more amazing is some Americans, those 25% who think that the republicans MUST lead this nation no matter what. They do not mind the hypocrisy, the lying, the deception. Its not aimed at them after all, its aimed at the other 75%, so its ok.

I mean, how could Sarah Palin bring out her unwed pregnant teen daughter along with the boy who "did it" into a convention of the most righteous self-appointed guardians of family values, and receive a standing ovation, if these people are not total hypocrits?

And Susan, you are correct that the rules of the game are changing. Debate is moving from the Sunday morning talk shows to the internet where regular people exchange ideas and information. But not everyone is on the internet yet, and people filter their information, so it will be many years before the internet's full impact is felt in politics. But we are seeing just how much it can change things in Obama's campaign. Politicians will soon learn to not only avoid open microphones, but also the TV cameras. In 20 years they will all be like Bush, only appearing at staged events with ticketed friendly crowds. In other words, things may get worse, not better.

It's interesting how you conveniently glossed over Gov. Palin achievements as Mayor and now Gov. of Alaska. As to your criticism of what I term “ hard ball politics “, I didn’t read much condemnation from the media and big city liberals, like yourself, when Sen. Biden and Obama were spewing it during the DNC convention. The fact is, Gov Palin was “giving it “to the DNC as hard as the DNC was “giving it “to the RNC during their convention. This is pretty typical of all the national conventions I have watched. As for your complaints of lack of substance in the speech, I strongly disagreed with you. Just because her view on energy is different then yours, it doesn’t mean it should be ignored. As a matter of fact, I would place for credence on her views, since she obviously have more experience as an executive dealing with these issues, and as someone who grew up in Alaska, she would better knows when and how to safely drill for gas and oils. Your editorial and view is exactly why Sen. Obama is having such trouble reaching the small town and blue collar workers of America. You and your ilk keep criticizing the conservatives for being close-minded, but yet, you are just as close minded, always thinking you are smarter and know better, just because you don't have to work with your hands and back.

You are awesome...not sure if you've seen this yet, but its great for some comic relief---plus it's better!
http://www.newyorker.com/images/covers/2008/2008_07_21_p323.jpg

You are awesome...not sure if you've seen this yet, but its great for some comic relief---plus it's better!
http://www.newyorker.com/images/covers/2008/2008_07_21_p323.jpg

Scary...a wolf in sheep's clothing.

But in addition, I expected to hear about her faith and its importance to her and there was nothing. Not a word about her religious beliefs. When she had a chance to introduce herself to the whole country, no faith in sight.

----------

What and feed into your agenda as though she needs one more thing for you media frenzied people to throw stones at. She doesn't need to talk about her faith because it is in her walk and her way of life. She doesn't need to prove any of that to anyone. And if she had done so this article would be chastising her for doing so.

You are awesome...not sure if you've seen this yet, but its great for some comic relief. http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086&title=sarah-palin-gender-card

Reasonable not hateful: Have not seen the Dem congress accomplish much? Excuse me? Bush has been in power for 8 years and most of that time he had a Republican congress. We have a trillion dollar debt, over 4000 dead soldiers who get inadequate care when the come back, 1500 dead in New Orleans, hundreds of thousands of dead innocent Iraqis, a broken govt., and you guys want another chance? The right wing is like the dog backed into the corner, snarling, thrusting this mean-spirited beauty queen out there saying, see! We are "pro-life"! Vote for us! McCain voted with Bush 90 percent of the time. Look at the speeches. Obama: Specifics. Positive. Palin/McCain: Barbs, negative, slogans. If you care about your kids and grandkids, you won't further ruin their futures by letting the corporations continue to run our govt., hiding behind the facade of religion. When you're in a hole, stop digging folks.

It's beyond me how educated east coast liberals can buy into a pure socialist like Obama. If you'd put your silly bias aside and really think about the harm that would come to this country if a socialist were to be elected it should scare the heck out of you.

It's beyond me how educated east coast liberals can buy into a pure socialist like Obama. If you'd put your silly bias aside and really think about the harm that would come to this country if a socialist were to be elected it should scare the heck out of you.

Her religion was shown by the baby, who really should have been paid a salary (shouldn't he have been asleep in a crib somewhere at 10 pm)? The religion was the pregnant daughter with the boyfriend, and McCain's ostentatious display at the airport, hugging them the pair over and over. That's all she needed to appeal to that crowd, the anti-choice, pro-Iraq invasion (but don't "murder" innocent babies, unless they are Iraqi children and its by our own troops by accident). The hypocrisy and sheep-like behavior and thinking of these people is stunning. Her religion was in her speech alright, only it was the prop of her newborn baby and her pregnant teenage daughter.

Jews for Jesus" and her home-town church pastor's support for that right-wing, anti-semitic group,

---thats a stretch, I dont think JFJ "hates jews"
where do u get that from ?

I think the strategy is to use code words to convey that she's an Assembly of God member, without delving into what that means: book burning (as in my hometown in Maryland), intolerance (you're all going to hell because you're not saved like we are), and so on.

That speech was meant to elicit a response from Independents, not the base. The base is behind her anyway.

Excellent write up. Very analytical. Missing from typical news readers who go ga-ga and are swayed by pomp and pagentry

McCain first sold out to Cheney for neocon support and then picked Palin (without even knowing her) to pander to evangelical neochrisitans.

We have let neocons and neochristians run the Country for the last eight years. Their legacy is war, torture, executive branch abuse of power and corruption, and economic destruction of the middle class. Palin is Bush in a skirt (albeit much more intelligent)

No more years.

An excellent narrative seeing through the fluff

I am speechless. That two people could make such asinine posts . Marc- I doubt you have any problems in your life that anyone could point to, what is your exact beef with Palin?
And b-Man, does Obama have any experience?

I have not seen the Democratic congress accomplish much with their lower than Bush approval ratings.

You guys take the cake.

It hurts to think how stupid the average Republican voter is in this country.

That anyone in this country can countenance McCain's pick for VP for even a micro-second shows how full this country is of dumbsh*ts.

A red-neck, young-earth-believer, rapture-ready hockey-mom with virtually no experience and the GOP is going gah-gah over her?

Republicans have nearly destroyed this country over the last 8 years, but they won't be happy until they've finished the job with McCain/Palin.

Good God, I'm just speechless.

God help us all.

Thanks for the good points! After listening and reading about Palin's remarks I'd forgotten she was supposed to be a Christian. One can't imagine a peron who follows the Gospals behaving in that manner in public. I don't pretend to be a Christian, but I use the 4 gospals and many of the 10 commandments as the basis for living a good life.
Behavior like Palin's is what I expect from self proclaimed "good Christians" - these are people who "know" they are good, so whatever awful behavior they engage in must also be good. They never examine the morality their own actions. They behave badly 6.9 days a week and for an hour every Sunday they act like good people. People like Palin are why I'd never take my kids to a church.