shutupandfish:
Very well REASONED thought. Obviously McCain did better with his pick. It's pretty much a no brainer, and if you can't see that you are simply blinded by your political beliefs. Whether or not you agree with Palin, and her stances/philosophies on issues and government is an entirely different question.
My earlier post was a great post mocking the lefties who did not get the question, and the ones who spent there day voting over and over. It's just a goofy poll anyway. Not like it's going to tell you anything more then there are some ....well, I won't start again.

Enough you must be getting your information from moveon.org. It's totally misleading. To bring up the pregnancy issue as an issue in this election is so far off base. It just shows you that you can preach your children about certain things and they will act and make their own choices. We preach to children about drinking and they still drink is that consider me a bad parent? It's just a very shallow argument and it shows that they are a normal family which has their own problems. To see the daughter their with the father was refreshing also. It shows they are in love and are going to work together to raise this child. She could have taken the easy road and aborted the pregnancy but, she didn't and she will be a better person for it.

The age of consent is defined as 16 years old, according to Alaska statutory rape laws. If a person who is at least 18 years old engages in sexual activity with a person who is 16 years old or younger, he or she will be charged with sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree. This charge is a felony in Alaska. And remember, it does not matter if you did not force or threaten the other person into performing this sexual act with you. It is still a crime under Alaska statutory rape laws.

Palin only energized the the zealots of the right wing base. She says Gods speaks to her. She belongs to a Pentecostal Zealot Church. Holy Cow haven't we had enough of the right wing in the past eight years? She believes in abstinence as sex education, didn't seem to work in her family. She believes in Creationism ,but believes education on evolution should not be taught. When she was elected Mayor she wanted to ban certain books from the Library. When the head of the Library refused Palin tried to get her fired, but the people fought for the Librarian and she maintained her office. After she was elected Mayor she asked the people who didn't vote or support her to resign. She wanted to put her cronies in their offices. She does not believe in global warming, and is fighting to take the Polar bear off the extinction list, because it will hurt the Oil industry. Troppergate Investigation about her ex brother in law is on going. She recently filed an ethics complaint against herself so the investigation would be taken out of the hands of the Investigator and into the hands of three committee members that support her. McCain is doing everything he can to prevent this investigation from going forward. She too is trying to twist the law just like Bush. This gal is just like Bush, that's why the Base of the Party loves her and will now vote for McCain. The Republican Party is now controlled by single issue voters, they want a Constitutional amendment to get rid of Roe vs Wade. McCain was a Republican in 2000, today he is a puppet of the right wing. McCain still supports a War based on LIES. Bushes LIES that have over 4000 thousand Americans dead for his greed of Oil.

Was the boyfriend 18 at the time the daughter conceived? In WI, if an 18 yr old has sex with a 17 yr old, he can be arrested and tagged a sex offender for life. I know two young men who at 18 had sex with their almost 18 yr old girlfriends and now they get to be on the offender list for life.

Speaking of Freudian slips...was that intentional? It's funny either way. :-)

Which presidential candidate best boosted his party’s ticket with his vice presidential pick?
If you actually read the question that is asked in this poll it's clear that Macain's pick helped him boost his party's ticket. Palin energized the conservative base that Macain was lacking on. Picking Joe Biden an inside Washington guy was a vanilla pick. It helped somewhat with Obama's lack of experience on foreign policy. But, it wasn't a pick of change like he has been telling us. It seems some people voting on this poll are just voting for who they like as President. And of course Wisconsin being a blue state Obama is leading this poll (which means nothing). I made my choice in this poll and the numbers were fairly close at the time I voted and about five minutes later Obama's numbers were up 200 votes. Someone was messing with this poll. The gazette should look into this to make this some what accurate poll. I'm sure it was some pimple faced computer geek with nothing more to do than play on the computer. Just my thoughts on this.

She can stay a hockey mom if that is what she is with her lipstick on! 8 years enough of this so called leadership. I won't be drinking the grape juice to the promise land

On the Internet, you can't believe everything you read, just as at the Republican National Convention, you can't believe everything you hear.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_o...

Did anyone see the numbers of how many people watched her speech last night? 37 million and we have only known her nationally for a few days. WOW!!!

Awww, the gestapo removed my comment. sniffle, sniffle.
To bad, the left would have been going WILD had the read it!
NO GUTS, NO GLORY!

Politics make strange bedfellows as the old saying goes.

What I'd like to know is why in 2008, "John McCain is the one who's ready to lead our country"? In the 2000 Republican primary, Bush and his henchmen destroyed McCain on his Senate record and his service record, claiming he was unpatriotic and betrayed his country. Now he's O.K.?

What's with all the CHEAP SHOTS? Everyone has the right to an opinion but good grief can't we keep it a mature level for awhile? This is a great forum to speak out but why must it be ruined by a few remarks that are submitted just for meaness?

spanky--as we know now, Reagan was already developing Alzheimer's Disaease while still in office, and McCain's "success" was in marrying an (inherited) multimillionaire after divorcing his first, sick wife.

In 2008, when introduced as McCain's running mate, Palin told the crowd, "I told Congress, thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere" — a line that garnered big applause but upset political leaders in Ketchikan. Palin's campaign coordinator in the city, Republican Mike Elerding, remarked, "She said 'thanks but no thanks,' but they kept the money."

Apparently the Republican party is ecstatic that they have mortgaged our children's future to no end. Here is 9 trillion reasons not to believe their rhetoric. It just seems funny they talk about America's security, but think that it's fine we are in debt to China, a Communist Government. Thank you George Bush and the Republican party!

http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

Happy Camper so you think Macain will die soon? Not sure why all these lefties are really concerned about this man's age. Ronald Reagan was old and he was one of the best Presidents in recent history. With age comes wisdom. Palin has more experience than Obama she has executive experience none of the other candidates have any. She's had to balance budgets. It's the same thing when lefties attack Macain for having seven houses. When John Kerry was running that wasn't ab issue. Double standards? Who's place is it to say how successful a person can be? The governments? This is America we should embrace success and not punish it like the democrats seem to want to do.

spanky, all she talked about was Mccains experience because he was a POW and veteran. There was no substance to her speech and then they paraded the handicapped child for show. How sad. But it hit on the heart strings of many.

If old man Mccain dies in office we are left with a vice prez with NO experienc. Oh, she was the president of her schools PTA, the same school where her 17 year old daughter got knocked up by an 18 year old.

After that speech she gave last night I would have to say Macain made the best choice. He shored up the conservative base which was a bit leary of him as their candidate. Biden was a very safe pick. Palin showed she has what it takes to take on Biden and the democrats and the sexism comments made about her by the media. This chick is tough. Can't wait for the Biden/Palin debates!!

Since there seems to be so many comments regarding what we should and shouldn't teach our children regarding birth control, I will put in my opinion. First of all, leave it to the Dems to want to cover up and hide doing what is wrong. Did any of you consider that by teaching children to use condoms and other forms of contraceptive, we are telling our children it's ok to do something that is wrong, as long as you don't get caught and have to own up to what you have done. Isn't it about time we teach our children that there are consequences to behaviors and being a responsible person is taking responsibility when erring? What is with this country? Everyone wants to make excuses for themselves, always blaming someone or something else rather than taking ownership of the thing. Maybe the best thing for Bristol, the one thing that will make her see herself as a human with the ability to make mistakes is to have to take responsibility for it. She made the grown up decision to have sex, so it's time to act like a grown up and have a baby. My daughter wears a promise ring and she made a promise to her father and I. I pray every day that she stands strong and stays true to herself and her future husband. She knows that if she makes the mistake that so many girls do, she will have to own the thing. No excuses, no hiding behind contraceptives, just plain time to grow up! We will love her no matter what decision she has to make. She is 16 and after dating for a couple of weeks broke it off with the boy because she just felt she wasn't ready to date. I would say that is pretty responsible so far.

Palin's private life should be off-limits. I don't care about her daughter, her pregnancy, her boyfriend, etc. Nor do I want to hear all these stories about whether she is or isn't a good mom. Barack doesn't get accused of being a bad father, even though he's always away from his kids these days. Come on what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Seems the Obama supporters are true to the democratic party in this poll vote early and often!!!

I don't know if we can truly tell who made the better choice until after Sarah Palin has made her speech. Obama make a very safe pick. Macain true to his form has made a maverick choice.

Deltafox do you know of any birth control that is 100% effective? Accidents do happen and I know a lot of woman that have had pregnancies while using birth control.

Mymaro: Seems there is room for improvement all the way around. McCain can't even remember how many homes he owns, so don't be so quick to judge Obama. The questions get harder the further along they get so sit tight and watch what happens.

SarahB - I agree. Paying attention the candidates voting record speaks volumes. During the 110th and 109th Congress, McCain did not vote or voted against several alternative energy bills and even voted against a bill that would protect consumers from price gouging at the pump.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/ro...

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/ro...

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/ro...

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/ro...

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/ro...

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/ro...

Spanky,
It shows the glaring fact that abstinence only sex education is horribly wrong for our youth. What does this huge hypocrisy have to do with "lefties or righties"? I would think that a person with average intellect could see through the smoke and mirrors. If you want to end unwanted pregnancies and lower abortion rates, educate children to make the right responsible decisions about sex. Yes, abstinence should be included in that discussion, but also educate them in methods of birth control so these "accidents" don't happen.

It shows that she is human and that anyone of us that this could have happened to. It also shows that the lefties will stoop to new lows. Maybe if she lied about it the lefties would be able to accept that since they like liars.

Who cares if a candidate made a goof and said we had 57 states? And I'm not going to judge another candidate solely on the actions of her selfish daughter. I, instead, agree with the man from Indiana who spoke at the Democratic convention: "I need a president who will put Barney Smith before Smith&Barney." Obama has fresh ideas, folks. And, he centers them around something this country very much needs to focus on: renewable sources of energy based right here in the United States. This idea could lead us away from dependency on foreign oil and toward better-educated workers and higher-paying jobs right HERE in the USA.

Don't you think it ironic that an abstinence only advocate has a pregnant daughter at 17? Kinda shows the effectiveness of putting blinders on and not educating our children to make responsible choices.

"and if he meant to say "47",how does change the fact that there are 50 states?"

I guess you didn't watch the video. His statement was that he had one state left to visit, besides Hawaii and Alaska. That's 47.

McCain thinks Vladimir Putin is the President of Germany! If McCain becomes President, I hope he bombs the right country when he starts the next war.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5ENwej0f...

But I guess he can rely on Palin's foreign policy experience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zP8uFPWx...

wow zoom you cant even change up your posts a little bit? my reasoning skills are just fine. yours seem to be a little pathetic though. The guy is running for president he shouldnt be getting the number fo states wrong and not even realizing it. had he said "ive been to 57, sorry i mean 47 states" then it would be different. but he didnt, he didnt even have a clue. But thats ok, I dont blame you. Its obvious you are very easily influenced, incapable of simple reasoning

Funny that that the media has run with all the dirt that the far left bloggers have dug up on Palin. Notice that when Biden was chosen you did not even hear a word that he plagiarized an entire speech during his 1988 Presidential campaign.
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This all stands to backfire big time. Dragging a public servants kids into the heat of the battle, is about as low as you can go.

Come on now the 57 states was just a minor slip up. He was clearly thinking of the 57 states in the OIC (Organization of the Islamic conference) .
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It was a simple Fraudian slip. Give the guy a break.

and if he meant to say "47",how does change the fact that there are 50 states?

Is it possible he meant 47? If that's all it really takes to make up your mind, your reasoning skills leave much to be desired.

"this link is all i need to see to make me damn sure im not voting for obama. The guy says hes been to 57 states with one to go, not counting alaska and hawaii? UMMMMM.................. dont you think our president should know how many states are in our country? i mean that is taught in grade school. my kindergartner knows we have 50 states."

Because nobody has ever mispoke and not realized it?...twice?
http://mediamatters.org/items/2008031900...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpGH02DtI...

this link is all i need to see to make me damn sure im not voting for obama. The guy says hes been to 57 states with one to go, not counting alaska and hawaii? UMMMMM.................. dont you think our president should know how many states are in our country? i mean that is taught in grade school. my kindergartner knows we have 50 states.

lvbald537 if you would actually read about Sarah Palin you would know that she was for it before she learned what it was all about and then she condemned it and put a stop to it.

momof5---the point is, John McCain is 72 years old, a two time victim of melanoma---known for recurrence and metastesis---as well as other health issues. It has nothing to do with a 17 year old daughter, but with the policies of the mother!! The mother who was FOR the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it and who was part of a party which wants Alaska to seceed from the United States of America.

Sarah Palin isn't at the top of the ticket. She does have executive experience and actually had to balance budgets and run a state and be in charge of her states national guard. And had the nerve to take on the corrupt republican party in Alaska and reformed that state. Obama hasn't done that even though he's from a state that has been politically corrupt for years. He surrounds himself with shady people like Bill Ayers and his religious adviser Rev. Wright. He made a shady deal with a convicted felon to get his house with a favorable mortgage rate. He names his VP Biden who has been caught plagiarizing. A man who lives in a million dollar house on a senators wages. Makes you wonder.

Bristol Palin being 17 and pregnant and unwed shows NOTHING more than she is part of an everyday American family despite the matriach being a staunch conservative. The Palin's have found themselves in a position that ANY one of us could find ourselves in at any point in time if we have children. No one is immune to making a "mistake"--or learning from it for that matter. Sure her mother preaches an abstinence only form of sex education. But, Bristol has free-will just like every other teenager in the United States.
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It may give Sarah Palin a softer image than the one she is currently getting in the media--whether deserved or not. As for family values? She bore a child KNOWING he had down syndrome. How many would have chosen to terminate the pregnancy or their parental rights knowing that?? That's where her family values speak much more clearly than her 17 year old daughter making a mistake--and STANDING by her--despite being in the very public and critical eye.
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What experience did Condoleezza Rice have re: foreign policy? Ronald Reagan? JFK? "Dubya"? Bill Clinton? How about "Ahhnold" in Cauli-forniia or Jesse Ventura in Minnesota? Sometimes lack of experience is the most objective perspective one can bring forth.
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And, sure, it might be hypocritical of the McCain camp to be chastising the Obama camp for lack of experience and then pick a rookie themselves. But, folks, these are politicians we're talking about. They ALL talk out of both sides of their mouths.
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PS--this is the veep we're debating. When did a vice-president REALLY make the news for something OTHER than spelling potato wrong, saying he invented the internet or shooting their hunting buddy in the face? Exactly.
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I don't agree with many of Palin's ultra-conservative views, but that is why we have checks and balances in our government. And, for the first time I will be an elephant come November.

usaret...
The point I was making is that the GOP has run their campaign claiming so much more experience than Barack Obama, but then nominate a VP candidate who has almost no experience in govt. It's a double standard. According to the GOP campaign, experience is an important part of being qualified to lead. Sarah Palin has next to no experience. It doesn't make sense.

So far, no comments on Senator Biden(?) What does he actually bring to the campaign of Obama? We know he can talk. He says plenty but seldom if ever answers the question. Is this kind of experience that we are looking for?
What was Lincoln"s executive experience? Would he be elected today?
What was Washington's?
Kennedy was a senator so what was the experience he had to be President?
Is knowledge experience or is experience knowledge?
Where does one get experience if not given the chance? How many times have you applied for a job only to find out you didn't have enough experience?
Who's to say who has the right amount of experience? How many of us are qualified to be President or Vice President of the United States? What are your experiences that make you anymore qualified then the candidates that are currently running?
So, when you go to vote, vote on your judgement of the potential of the candidate(s) to do the elected job. Don't be swayed by pandering promises that you've heard for years and never seem to get fulfilled. Vote for the person(s) who you honestly believe will learn and grow and listen in the position you have so honored with that vote at the ballot box. This is the one time EXPERIENCE REALLY COUNTS!

I always read this site to help determine mine. I read how they voted in the past. Very informational. Just type in the state that the senator is from:

http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legisla...

"It is a priviledge to be able to vote for our president..."
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I only hope that a strong majority of people that are voting know WHY they are voting the way the are. So much misinformation is being spewed out from every outlet (these blogs included) that a person needs to spend a month straight trying to verify facts just to figure out where the candidates stand on the issues and just how, exactly, budgets will be met, taxes will be lowered, and troops will be withdrawn, etc.
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It scares me to death when I read some of these blog posts about what people are believing.
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Seriously people, if you ARE going to vote, do your best to get the facts, understand the candidates and the issues, and determine what exactly you care about most. Don't believe the blogs, the media, or the attack ads. It's simply too hard to filter the accurate from the inaccurate from the half-truths. Go to the candidates web sites, see where they stand on the issues that matter the most to you and make an intelligent decision based on that.

whythink: oh, so you then believe that a sample size of ONE justifies your arguement?!? That's scientific!! What about all the schools where full sex-ed is the standard curriculum...are there NO teen pregnancies at these schools?

'family values' also means standing by your kid, even when the kid has made a decision you would not have made.

and do you really want all the crap that could be slung around about the kids of lefties vis-a-vis the postition their parents held on any number of issues? I don't think so...

The kids need to be off-limits, period.

janie

It necessarily about that. One of the abstinence only ideals is that the family can then teach the necessary "safe sex" details.
Obviously it didn't work in this instance.

Plus, those democrats aren't running for VP on an abstinence only, family values platform.

The platform can be criticized without taking cheapshots at the pregnant child.

1. puh-lease!!!...if teaching a full scale sex-ed really worked the way some claim, then the incidence of teen/unwed/unwanted pregenancy should have been declining for years!

2. I seriously doubt Palin--or most other parents whose kids do any number of things the parents wish the kids didn't do--forced her daughter to get pregnant.

3. Leave the all candidate kids out of this!!! Left/Right/Red/Blue

I have nothing against her daughter, but for a party that runs on family values, it's a curious choice because that issue alone is bound to bring criticism.
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As whythink so eloquently stated, this situation shoots a HUGE hole in Palin's beloved abstinence only education system. Maybe if her daughter had been taught proper sex education in high school, she would've known how to protect herself from pregnancy. Abstinence only education not only doesn't work, but in areas where it is taught, teen pregnancy is higher than areas with 'traditional' sex education.
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The "right" continually fixate on Obama's house in Chicago being illegally obtained. He got an interest rate not much less than what I pay for my home, and he got it through the proper channel's. It's already been investigated and cleared. John McCain has how many (7) homes? Obama's one home is fine with me.
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I want to see poll places packed this November. It is a priviledge to be able to vote for our president, whoever wins. I'm tired of hearing people complain about the president, but when asked who they voted for, we find out they didn't even vote. If you don't vote, don't complain.

whythink:
Does any parent know precisely what their children are doing 24/7? I'm willing to bet there are plenty of girls of democrat parents that are currently pregnant also? Do people really want to go there? Leave the children out of this, it could come back to haunt people in the future.

oldtimer, Barack's mom didn't run a state with an abstinence only education plan.
I don't bash the daughter but I find it ironic that a Gov. promoting an abstinence only curriculum regarding sex education has a 17 year old daughter who is pregnant and not married.

jviers77 if you want to bring up the fact that her 17 daughter is pregnant and out of wed lock dont forget Obama's mother was 18 and out of wed lock when she had him. And who paid for his house in Chicago? a man that is up for indictment. Never did she say she hated gays.

John McCain has constantly criticized Barack Obama for lack of experience. Yet, he decides on a running mate who less than 2 years ago was the mayor of a 9,000 person town. This is bizarre and almost screams "stunt". It seems this pick is solely to energize the base, but I think it will also alienate the moderates from the GOP and send them voting for Obama. Gov. Palin is extremely conservative and is not what the GOP needed to appeal to moderate voters. She hates gays, opposes legal abortion regardless of circumstance, and supports guns on a level just shy of the backwoods militias. She has no foreign experience, her daughter, age 17, is pregnant out of wedlock (family values), and she's being investigated in several political scandals. This one's a head-scratcher.