I keep thinking I am going to come down from the emotional high that I have been riding since late yesterday morning -- nope, not yet. I woke up this morning and Sarah Palin really IS the GOP nominee for Vice President of the United States. Finally..... someone got "it" and realized that is far past time for a woman to be considered as a valid candidate to hold the highest office in the land. The Democrats can scream and whine until they're blue in the face that Governor Palin isn't "experienced" enough for the job? What experience does the TOP of their ticket have? With all due respect to Senator Biden (and I mean that very sincerely since I believe Joe Biden to be a good man), Senator McCain hasn't lost the "Experience Argument" by picking a sitting governor.
For months and months, I have been a truly undecided voter. Somewhere back in February, I realized that Hillary Clinton (a woman I admire tremendously despite disagreeing with her on almost every important issue) was going to be eviscerated by her own party and by the media long before my own GOP ever got a chance to do it. Senator Obama is new and "sexy" and all about CHANGE (whatever THAT means; he's never defined it) and Hillary was going to get thrown out on her face. I watched over and over as new barriers were erected before the first qualified woman to ever run for the presidency: "She has to win Ohio and Texas." She did. "She has to win Pennsylvania by 10%." She did. "She has to win Indiana and Kentucky and West Virginia." She did. None of it mattered -- Hillary Clinton won the NJ primary on my birthday by approximately 20% of the vote; at the "roll call" (or the Demise of Democracy which is the better name for it) this past Wednesday night, New Jersey "casts all 127 of its delegates for Barack Obama." No... they did no such thing. What a farce. I was quite literally devastated watching a qualified woman get raped on national television by a bunch of people who claim to support women's rights.
And then came Sarah Palin. I had heard her name buzzed several weeks ago but after watching what happens to women in politics, I wasn't really thinking McCain would look twice. My only concern, after watching Obama and his people publically crucify Hillary, was that so long as Mitt Romney wasn't on the ballot, and assuming PA was going to be close, I would vote for Senator McCain because I supported him in 2000 as an honorable man -- he was NOT my first choice as all of you know. Had Mitt Romney been on the ticket, I would have written in Hillary or voted for Bob Barr from Georgia. That's what made me undecided -- there was never a question after the DNC convention and Obama's disrespect of Senator Clinton that Obama would get my vote; that wasn't happening.
And then came Sarah Palin again... yesterday morning very early, I knew the VP was not Romney. WHEW!!!! I don't like that guy at all. I guess I'll vote for McCain. Hmmmm... they're buzzing Tom Ridge's name. Puts PA in play. I guess I'll vote for McCain. Governor Palin is still in Alaska (this was about 10:30 yesterday morning) so it CAN'T be her. That's ok... Romney isn't the VP. I guess I'll vote for McCain.
And then it WAS Sarah Palin for VP!!!!! I watched her introduction with tears streaming down my face and my hands clapping together like a little girl. As each new detail came out, I became more excited to the point of sheer joy. Look... she's 44 like me -- ok, I'm six days older than she is. She's got five kids like me. She's been married to her husband for 20 years like me (almost... October 1st for us). She's a teacher's daughter and her husband is in a union. She is JUST like me!!!!!
I do not agree with Governor Palin's views on every topic but I have always known that I would never wholly agree with any one person -- how boring that would be! She is a marvel though; a force of nature. I have no doubt that Sarah gets "it." I am so on board that my McCain sign is actually up in my front yard and I gave money (and with our tuition bills, money is hard to come by!).
The last few weeks have been brutal for me and it feels wonderful to feel good again. My knee is healing, my knitting projects are flying off the needles (because I still can't walk all that comfortably yet), my over-active 7 year old goes back to school on Tuesday and the Eagles open their 2008 season one week from tomorrow -- my fabulous Eagles socks from my hand-dyed yarn that I colored will be done tonight. Life is stabilizing as it always does.
But perhaps it takes a working mother of five to understand that.
I wonder if she's a knitter??? I bet she is. It's COLD in Alaska!!
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Why Palin, though? She is the epitome of inexperienced and is making even more of a mockery of the Republican party than Bush II. Christine Todd Whitman, Condoleeza Rice, even the CEO Republicans (Meg Whitman, etc.) would be better as VP to a president that very likely could die in office within minutes of being elected, and then we're stuck with someone who has other priorities, very little experience and very little life experience and education (she's never left the country and barely graduated from college). You'd think someone who at least considered education important enough to go to law school would support someone even minutely better for this country than Sarah Palin.
Highlighting the inexperience at the BOTTOM of the Republican ticket only highlights the glaring inadequacies of the TOP of the Democratic ticket. We are not voting for vice president, we are voting for president. If Palin is unqualified, than Obama, who is running for the top seat, is unqualified. At least Palin has been in the executive position as both mayor and governor. She has balanced a budget and improved her community.
Travel to other countries is a requirement for the top job now? Is that how far the Democrats have had to lower the bar to make Obama qualified to be president?
I loved reading this!
Why am I as excited as you are?
I was an avid Hillary supporter. We were ridiculed and treated like garbage. People called her Mrs. Clinton, and him Senator Obama. We were called racists for supporting her and told that they are the same, so we need to support him. But they aren’t the same.
I belong to several groups, large groups, who will be voting McCain, BEFORE Palin was even on the ticket. So the claim that we are voting for a woman just for the sake of voting for a woman is false. Some Obama supporters are just trying to bully us into second guessing our vote, they have done this the entire primary season. I chose McCain because I believe Obama is in with too many extremists and radicals, and terrorists and racists... He lacks judgment. So issues aside, I would vote for judgment in the white house and experience.
Now they argue, well Palin has no ‘experience’. My choice is made for the top of the ticket when I made it, where if ‘experience’ was so important to them, they should have voted for McCain or Hillary.
Then they argue McCain is Bush, well ya know what? He would have been the same if he picked Rice or anyone who was part of Old Washington. I am excited, if it were any of the others mentioned above, I wouldn't have been. I also made the most money in my life while Bush was in office. I have my own company and do just fine. Obama's tax plan would destroy my company and that is not OK with me. His capital gains tax increases are insane. I am questioning his redistribution of wealth plan also. So NO to Obama for me.
I have looked at the issues and abortion matters NOT to me. A LOT of Hillary supporters are past child bearing age, so they may not buy into that whole women’s issue (yes, one issue) argument. This woman cares about taxes and finances right now. I also seem to like John McCain more than Obama and I trust him more. So no, I am not voting with my private parts.
Last I checked, it’s not the law where you lose your vote if it doesn’t measure up to what Obama supporters want. If they feel so strongly about voting for Obama, then they should vote for him, but to challenge everyone who doesn’t want to vote for him and ask them to debate and prove why they won’t vote for him is really stiupid. Really, really stupid.
They are going to have to face it, they can scream all they want, but I/we can vote for whomever I/we please for whatever reason I/we choose (astrological sign, shoe size, home town) and I/we don’t have to explain myself/ourselves to strangers on the internet every day.
Here is a little of the sexism WE endured in this campaign. They shoved Obama, an inadequate candidate compared to Hillary, down our throats. Complained she was OLD Washington, and didn’t even vet her for VP to pop OLD Washington on the ticket anyway….
Thanks a pantload DNC!
Oh and also my FLORIDA vote, well we won’t go into that either…..
Wow that isn't very nice....
Anyway, I am very excited. I was voting for McCain anyway and this just makes me more excited.
Abortion is NOT an issue I really care about at this stage in my life and since that's really the only woman's issue out there....
I think she's so "real" I have children and I work a crazy busy schedule, sometimes 100 hours a week or more. I manage it and my family is strong and they are so thankful and respectful for all they have. It's wonderful to see a woman with family. I feel she represents me in a way.
I think if McCain chose OLD Washington the excitement wouldn't be as HIG as it is now and if it was about "experience" for the Obama supporters, they should have gone with Biden or Hillary in the first place.
This election isn't about experience since Obama entered, it's been about star power. Wrong or not, it's rather true.
Anyway, I am so happy to have stumbled across your post and while I admire Hillary for all she did, I am very excited one party's stupid games that eliminated her have brought another party to see how important this is to women.
Go McCain/ Palin '08!
Well thank you very much my dear Beth ... I find your education and life experience remarks incredibly narrow and showing a lack of "knowledge" and thought. More of a grasping at straws. Perhaps it's something you heard somewhere. As to life experience, just living in Alaska is a trial that most of us have not experienced even in these modern times. Never been out of the country? That's a qualification in your mind? Alaska is not exactly the midwest, it is one of 2 states that have actually been invaded or bombed by foriegn countries during times of war (HA being the other) Because of the local, as governor, she's had to deal with and be aware of the politics and occurances of the countries bordering her state, Russia and Canada being the 2 immediate and others by sea and shipping. With a commercial fishing business she's also had dealings with outside enities as well. Barely graduating college? How elitist can you possibly get? I received an associates degree and dropped out of college to get married and support my family. I suppose that makes me too uneducated to be worthy of enough intellegence in your eyes however, I feel the need to point out that, I've worked 29 years in Engineering doing construction drawings and plans for a power utility (not as a secretary dear ... though I know very intellegent secretaries). I raised one child as a single mom ... supporting and raising her was quite an educational experience in economics, social and educational systems etc ... but I suppose that doesn't count. Palin has 5? My minor in college was actually Political Science. Believe me, I look at accomplishments such as the tax and spending reform that she has accomplished in her "mere" 1 1/2 years vs the lack of accomplishments Obama has achieved in all of his time as a legislator in Illinois (the home of the Chicago machine ... I suggest you study the Chicago political machine, history and present) as well as time as a senator in the US Senate. As legislator in Ill, his housing "reforms" and welfare reforms that he backed, (when he actually made a vocal decision) were not just failures, they were DRASTIC life and FINANCIAL failures that did more harm to the "people" he was supposedly helping .... hmmm but do some checking ... see who did benefit. Not to mention his communist/socialist poetry writing best friend and mentor (court proven). Biden is part of a 30 year failure of a democratic congress and is part of the old boy network that has helped to cause our current problems, republican and democrat. That's not change. I could indeed go on however I leave it to you to do a little more research on your own ... if that's not too much trouble.
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