Column by Steven Sisson
It’s becoming clear as mud after last night’s debate that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is worst running mate since Thomas Eagleton in 1972. McCain’s political strategy ensuring women will vote for the Republican ticket because Palin’s sexuality is condescending to say the least.
To quote Charlie Chan, the “mud of bewilderment becoming a clear pool of thought.”
The New York Times alleges the McCain campaign Googled his VP selection Sarah Palin on the Internet to doublecheck her credentials because the Republican presidential nominee John McCain had only met Sarah Palin once, in February at the National Governors Association meeting in Washington, D.C. Later McCain spoke for the second time with Palin five days before the official vice-presidential announcement in August!
Truth be told, GOP presidential-nominee McCain had prior knowledge of the ethics investigation for Palin firing a state employee for not doing her bidding to fire an Alaskan state trooper who was divorcing Palin’s sister.
In July of this year, the Republican-dominated state legislature voted to hire an independent investigator to probe the firing of the state employee.
McCain also knew Palin’s 17-year old daughter was five-months along with an illegitimate pregnancy.
Hmm … let’s examine those doggone facts.
Palin the GOP VP nominee has pledged to clean-up Washington’s ethical issues.
Is Sarah Palin running to reform Washington, or become the female Spiro Agnew, investigated and sentenced for abuse of power while serving as vice president?
As a campaigning governor, Palin promoted an abstinence program as an alternative to sexual education.
Palin opposed programs to teach girls how not to get pregnant.
Do as I say, not as I do?
Debate pros and cons
On Wednesday of last week and with much-to-do-about -nothing fanfare, Republican operatives decided to play the race card by raising concerns about PBS newswoman Gwen Ifill moderating the vice-presidential debate.
Shame on them! I blame the Bush operatives working for McCain for this attack.
Questioning her integrity is insulting and condescending. Ms. Infill is African-American and is working on a book about Obama scheduled for release Jan. 20, 2009.
What truly amazes the Blue Dog is that an inexperienced female Republican with designer glasses, lipstick, eyeliner and taped-up breast and Vaseline spread on her teeth are now qualifications for vice president of the United States.
It’s obvious Republican men are mesmerized by Palin’s beauty-queen logic.
In the latest CNN/Time polling, Palin’s approval rating is higher with likely voting men than women. Forty-five percent of women have a negative opinion of Palin, whereas 53 percent of the men poll favorability in opinion.
Oh, shucks! Do you suppose it’s Palin’s alluring femme fatale that has their testosterone running amuck? Inquiring minds want to know is there brains with the beauty.
Ooh-la-la! It’s debate time!
The Blue Dog was tuned into the debate with his laser beam wit ready for the word processor along with CNN video stream and the TV a-blaring. There was plenty of Diet Coke and salty pretzels by my side as well.
Biden wow! Palin yawn.
Palin kept her focus on being mayor of Wasilla, but with too much political rhetoric and not enough substance. Biden kept his focus on being a statesman in the U.S. Senate and provided fact after fact about foreign and national policy.
Overall I thought both the vice-presidential candidates did well-to-respectable with no major gaffes. Palin did better than expected, and proved not to be an embarrassment to her party. Biden exceeded expectation to win the debate.
However, the question of the day is, Who could assume the presidency? I still have absolutely no confidence in Sarah Palin. When she wouldn’t answer some of the more pointed questions, she failed to give a plan, a vision and a resounding thought.
Palin was a snoozapoloza of maverick this, maverick that.
On the other hand, Biden was locked and loaded! He really impressed the Blue Dog, and I believe most Americans now realize his grasp of the issues and his focus on the solutions to the problems we face as a nation in crisis.
No doubt the war in Iraq and economy are the pivotal issues in this election. President Bush and his neoconservative policies have failed American and to continue this reckless path is detrimental to our country and our economy and our future.
The biggest surprise of the night was Palin’s admission of tolerance to gays and lesbians in reference to same-sex nondiscrimination policies concerning medical benefits and rights along with contractual agreements and civil unions.
If she is telling the truth, Palin’s words are counter to her political opposition to these measures as the governor of Alaska.
Do as I say, not as I do?
No matter. A vote for Republican McCain-Palin is a vote for the status quo.
Needless to say, a vote for Democrats Obama-Biden is a vote for significant change.
It’s your choice.
Pinocchio-like earmark statements
Are Sarah Palin’s statements against federal earmarks Pinocchio-like remarks?
As mayor of Wasilla, the city secured $27 million in federal earmarks! Sarah Palin needs to explain to American citizens her love affair with pork-barrel spending.
Do as I say, not as I do?
First off, in the United States the state of Alaska ranks No. 1 in spending and No. 1 in taxes. Alaska per-capita has the largest, err … let me repeat, the largest pork funding of all the 50 states – requesting a whopping $198 million, which tallies out to $295 per person, according to the Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Do as I say, not as I do?
Did the Alaska governor oppose the Bridge to Nowhere? I don’t think so. Palin support the bridge and afterward promised residents of Ketchikan they were “nowhere” to her.
If Palin was Pinocchio they could have used her enlarged nose as the bridge.
Fact is the Palin supported a $223 million in federal earmark for the Gravina Island Bridge. Not Gov. Palin, but Congress, killed the earmark after the Bridge to Nowhere became a national issue.
Only last year did Palin withdraw her support of the pork-barrel project, which is conveniently mentioned as McCain’s favorite example of government wasteful spending.
But there’s more. Did you know Alaska residents receive an annual check – around $2000 – for state oil revenues?
This year Palin supported an additional $1,200 check to take advantage of rising oil prices. And yet VP nominee Sarah Palin has claimed on the campaign trail and in TV commercials she’s going to do something about rising fuel prices! She’s going to drill more so that American citizens can be drilled more in the wallet.
Do as I say, not as I do?
As far as earmarks are concerned, a Yellow Dog Democrat told the Blue Dog, “I would be more impressed if the argument focused on the chief source of the imbalance, the war in Iraq, as opposed to the whipping boy de jour.”
“A similar, but less profound misperception occurred in the 1960s when conservative Democrats, most of whom later became Republicans, and their Republican counterparts would blame Great Society programs, or even the Space Race, for the deficit when in reality the real imbalance was caused by the Vietnam War.
“Sadly, not knowing better, the press and public accepted the premise. What is difficult to discern is whether the off focus is cultural prejudice, imbecility or, most likely, a closeted love of war activating society’s small mindedness as a red herring.”
Yes, the Iraq war has been very costly with American solders’ deaths and injuries and taxpayer dollars in the hundreds of millions.
The major casualty of the Iraq war has been the TRUTH behind those weapons of mass destruction and subsequent military invasion of a sovereign country.
That misrepresentation of the truth has cost the United State’s more than our integrity.
Funny thing, you’ll never hear McCain or Palin criticize President Bush for his actions in Iraq or the Middle East.
Do as I say, not as I do?
Uncompassionate conservatives
As mayor of Wasilla, Sarah Palin instituted ordinances where rape victims had to pay for their own forensic-evidence kits. Her actions against her own gender, which are victims of sexual violence, are sickening to say the least.
Please note. Gender-mindbender Palin opposes abortions even in the case of rape and incest regardless if the victims are children. Compassionate conservatism has a whole new meaning … err … should I say mean-spiritedness towards others.
Granted, no individual wants an abortion, but to humiliate and deny a woman or child’s right as a victim to terminate the pregnancy in the case of rape is absolutely horrible.
Needless to say, “Do as I say, not as I do” practicing Sarah Palin is anti-woman, anti-gay and lesbian, anti-science, anti-travel abroad, anti-environment, anti-peace, anti-wildlife, anti-planet and without a doubt, anti-human.
Yellow Dog Democrat express his thoughts on Palin by saying, “I have always felt the position of opposing abortion even upon rape or incest places the human on par with base animal behavior. Being human, that is possessing humanity, means moving beyond the simple instinctual behavior of a dog, cat or chimp who like our vice presidential nominee think nothing of the matter.”
In addition, Palin believes creationism should be taught in public schools. Oh, please! Intelligent design as well? Sarah Palin is nothing more than an Anita Bryant Beauty Queen turned Politician Wannabe promoting her religious beliefs to the masses.
I thought all Beauty Queens really wanted is World Peace. How about the separation of church and state Miss Congeniality?
Yellow Dog Democrat said, “The evil alliance which today that wholly comprises the Republican Party is the well discussed and documented marriage of convenience between Evangelical Fundamentalists and big business.”
“Evangelicals today represent an ever increasing percentage of Republican votes and the electorate overall as mainline Protestant, Roman Catholic and Jewish continue often regretfully leave the Republican Party which has abandoned their morals in exchange for that of the aforementioned evangelicals, whom they by and large distain. This shift would have been financial suicide except for the support of big business who to this point in time has been content to let the ‘evangelical’ have their regressive social votes as long as business received their pound of flesh- ample contracts, tax loopholes, bailouts and lax regulations with corporations.
“It will be interesting to observe if the Republicans can continue to sustain ‘mainline’ losses and the recent snubbing of the business community for the goldmine cache of votes that the evangelicals now represent and still win a national election.”
Interestingly enough, I totally agree with the majority of Democrats that conservative Republican operatives and lawmaking obstructionists are good at playing political possum with evangelical issues in lieu of their presidential votes on Election Day, because what exactly have these compassionate conservatives really accomplished in eight-years.
Nada. Zip. Absolutely nothing.
Personally, I cannot support a candidate who opposes embryonic stem-cell research.
In 2007, I was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder – a form of leukemia, which has since stabilized. After being diagnosed, my hematologist told me I needed to vote for candidates who supported stem-cell research in order that scientists could develop a chromosome blocking medication or discover a cure.
Hmm … Palin opposes embryonic stem-cell research while Sen. McCain supports the research.
Do as I say, not as McCain do?
It’s scary to think Miss Congeniality could one day assume the presidency with an early demise of her running mate and begin making life and death decisions for the rest of the nation based on her style of religious family values.
Wholly Moses!
Environ-Mentally insane
Beauty Queen Palin actually believes manmade global warming is a farce perpetuated by liberals and elitists. The state of Alaska has suffered shrinking polar caps and glaciers for the past decade. It’s no wonder she claims to be watchful of Russians with no snow to cloud her view.
Folks, this vice-presidential nominee has no common sense whatsoever. But then again, Palin admittedly has smoked marijuana when it was legal under Alaska law.
Do as I say, not as I do?
Gov. Palin promotes aerial hunting of wolves and bears along with offering a $150 bounty for the front left leg of freshly killed wolves.
First off, that’s just plain nasty and gross!
Second, we might as well throw hand grenades in a Valley pond while fishing and call this sport fishing Palin-style!
Better yet, how about WE go-a-hunting deer on Skyline Drive with spotlights and uzis?
For the record, hunting animals by airplane and high-powered rifles is not a sport.
Doctor Blue Dog believes this is Sarah Palin’s way of compensating.
Russian foreign affairs with binoculars
As the Alaska governor, Sarah Palin, might be close enough to see the Russian coast, but only obtained her first passport in 2007 and knows little about foreign policy.
Oh, duh! VP nominee Palin obtains her first passport in 2007.
The Blue Dog along with thousands of Americans has more foreign-affairs experience than neighborly Palin. Before I turned 21, I had traveled to Europe and North Africa, and the Caribbean. The Blue Dog could go on and on and on.
But I’m not the only shaking his head in disbelief.
Cradle-to-grave, conservative GOP member, and congressional Deep Throat source Dry Throat Dog is “voting for Bob Barr” the Libertarian candidate.
While serving as a congressional operative, Dry Throat often referred to Sen. McCain as the “Manchurian Candidate” and is not pleased with his vote for the Wall Street bailout, either.
“I’m raising the bar for Barr 2008” said Dry Throat.
As for vice-presidential nominee Palin, Dry Throat said, “Sarah Palin listens to her own rhetoric on earmarks but she doesn’t play the same tune everyday, so it’s hard to know what drummer she’s tuned in on, and just like Hillary Clinton’s banjo player, he’s off key as well.”
The New York Times columnist David Brooks called Palin’s candidacy “embarrassing.”
Kathleen Parker, conservative columnist with The National Review Online, based on recent interviews wrote Sarah Palin “is clearly out of her league.” And she has called on Palin to volunteer to step aside as the Republican Party vice-presidential candidate.
“Do it for your country,” Parker wrote.
The Blue Dog says Amen and pass the cornbread!
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