News Palin pick an insult to our intelligence

[quadraphonics]

Those are the ones I recall right away. And for 2 of the nearly 4 years that Obama's been in the Senate, the Republicans controlled it and blocked virtually every Democrat-sponsored bill from even making it to the floor.

The best part is how, after stonewalling and filibustering every bill that came in the door, they have the gall to complain about the "do-nothing Congress." Also ironic that the party that runs on the "stick it to those arrogant elitists" plank displays such clear contempt for the intellects of its own members. I patiently await the day that betting on the obtuseness of the average American no longer pays such rich dividends...

 

[ramsey2879]

If by "right" you mean "being a nutjob crackpot", then yes ,you're right.

Obama accomplishments at the National level:

1. He wrote the portion on private jet usage in the 2007 lobbying practices and disclosures bill that was signed into law despite opposition from folks like Ted Stevens. While this is virtually unknown, everyone seems to have heard about Palin selling off the jet purchased by Murkowski.

2. With Republican Senator Tom Coburn, Obama wrote the federal accountability and transparency bill that was signed into law last year.

3. He was lead sponsor of a bill to provide relief and promote democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which was signed into law in December 2006 (this during a Republican controlled Congress).

4. With Republican Sen. Richard Lugar, Obama co-wrote the anti-proliferation law that enhances U.S. ability to take down conventional weapons stockpiles and to intercept WMD material.

5. Obama's Dignity for Wounded Warriors bill was absorbed into the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act that was passed last year.

Those are the ones I recall right away. And for 2 of the nearly 4 years that Obama's been in the Senate, the Republicans controlled it and blocked virtually every Democrat-sponsored bill from even making it to the floor.

Despite the spelling, I think I get the sexist reference.

As for the "how things are done here" bit, I wonder if McCain will repeat his "$3 million earmark to study the DNA of bears in Montana" outrage when it becomes known that Palin requested a $3.2 million earmark to study the DNA of seals in Alaska.

Well finally someone has seen fit to put into print something constructive that Obama has done. Makes me rest more easily. Cant wait for the national debates of the candidates face to face. Have not made up my mind yet.

 

[ramsey2879]

If censorship is your thing - it's apparently Palin's as witnessed by the firing of the Wasilla Librarian - then by all means. I'm not invested in that observation. It's merely my opinion, and it's not my intention or interest to debate the point, except I would note that religion has become a central issue of the campaign, and it will become increasingly difficult to avoid its mention with the kind of polarizations that the McCain-Rove Cadres are promoting in order to distract from the disastrous Republican stewardship of the economy and foreign policy.

I heard of that censorship argument, but then I heard from glen beck that it might not be accurate, like the books "censored" were not even in print at the time. I will try to get the source but first I would like to find out what your source of the original charge was.

 

[turbo]

Well finally someone has see to put into print something constructive that Obama has done. Makes me rest more easily. Cant wait for the national debates of the candidates face to face. Have not made up my mind yet.

Wait until you see Obama and McCain head-to-head on economic and foreign policy, and just pray for a VP debate that is heavy on foreign policy, as it should be. Palin is a light-weight, and proved herself to be so today with her first interview with Charles Gibson. She tried to dance her way out of saying that the Iraq war is God's will, by claiming that she was quoting Lincoln and saying that she never would presume to know God's will - except in that same speech in which she claimed that it was God's will that there be a natural-gas pipeline from Alaska to the lower 48 and urged the students to pray for that, too. What a loon!

McCain is old and has a bad track-record with cancer, and Obama has a bull's eye painted on him in the mind of every racist and white-supremacist. The VP picks are more important in this election than in any in my memory.

 

[Evo]

Holy Moly! Has anyone seen this clip of Palin trying to justify her statements about God and the Iraq war? Watch as out of nowhere she suddenly brings up her son! WTH? I'm sorry, listening to this just reminds me of that poor Miss USA contestant, I was waiting for Palin to suggest we give other countries maps.

She really does not do well in unrehearsed interviews. She hunched over and watch her hands. Perhaps I should not tip them off, eh?

Click on the third video clip down titled "Palin clarifies God and War Remarks" for the gist of her remarks.

http://abcnews.go.com/wn

 

[turbo]

Holy Moly! Has anyone seen this clip of Palin trying to justify her statements about God and the Iraq war? Watch as out of nowhere she suddenly brings up her son! WTH? I'm sorry, listening to this just reminds me of that poor Miss USA contestant, I was waiting for Palin to suggest we give other countries maps.

She really does not do well in unrehearsed interviews. She hunched over and watch her hands. Perhaps I should not tip them off, eh?

Click on the third video clip down titled "Palin clarifies God and War Remarks" for the gist of her remarks.

http://abcnews.go.com/wn

Oh and "world peace" ala Miss Congeniality. She is a dud.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Huh. Quite different to the UK then; here most members of parliament just decide on Acts put before them by the cabinet.

Here's how I remember it from my 7th grade social studies teacher. There are three branches of the US gov't. The Legislative branch makes the laws. The Executive branch carries out the laws. The Judicial branch interprets the laws. The legislature is Congress, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate (therefor, as a Senator, Obama participates in the making of laws). The Executive branch includes the President, Vice President, and the Cabinet. The Judicial branch is the Supreme Court and the other lower federal courts.

I don't know much about gov't in the UK. I was under the impression that there was no executive branch, but rather certain members of the legislative branch carried out those duties. Can you explain the system in a few words?

 

[LowlyPion]

I heard of that censorship argument, but then I heard from glen beck that it might not be accurate, like the books "censored" were not even in print at the time. I will try to get the source but first I would like to find out what your source of the original charge was.

There is nothing to look up. The story was widely reported in Alaska. I posted a link to the situation from the NY News fact checking. She interviewed the Town Librarian and asked if she would remove certain books, and the Librarian's response was that those books were on a recommended list appropriate for the size of the Wasilla Library and size of community it serviced. Palin subsequently fired her, and under heavy local pressure apparently figured the direction the wind was blowing on her fascist attempt to restrict access to information, based on her own personal beliefs, relented and rehired her.

If you want to hunt up some trumped up dates of publications and titles feel free. But the real moral of the story for me is that that the Town Librarian apparently understood more about the US Constitution than the Town Mayor. You know the one that unblinkingly presumes that she is on a mission of reform and ready to serve as President Day 1. Now that's real humor right there.

 

[LowlyPion]

The Executive branch includes the President, Vice President, and the Cabinet.

Odd that you would know that and our own current VP conjures a different picture when it suits his convenience to avoid deposition.

 

[LowlyPion]

I'm sorry, listening to this just reminds me of that poor Miss USA contestant, I was waiting for Palin to suggest we give other countries maps.

It really is like watching those painful beauty pageant Q&A's.

Invoking Lincoln's references to God? It was Lincoln that held the Nation together, something her husband would seek to undermine with his involvement with the AIP. Bet that won't be covered in the interview.

I did notice an editing jump in one of the videos. Was that ABC editing it down or Palin editing a miscue out?

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Odd that you would know that and our own current VP conjures a different picture when it suits his convenience to avoid deposition.

You're ahead of me on this one. Did Cheney display ignorance of the constituents of the executive branch?

 

[deckart]

Wow, I just watched the interview and I'm impressed. Her answers were intelligent and detailed. She is a solid conservative, unlike McCain.

McCain did good by choosing her. Now the right has someone to vote for.

 

[LowlyPion]

You're ahead of me on this one. Did Cheney display ignorance of the constituents of the executive branch?

For your reading pleasure.
http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jun/22/nation/na-cheney22

His understanding of the privilege is situational.

 

[Cyrus]

Holy Moly! Has anyone seen this clip of Palin trying to justify her statements about God and the Iraq war? Watch as out of nowhere she suddenly brings up her son! WTH? I'm sorry, listening to this just reminds me of that poor Miss USA contestant, I was waiting for Palin to suggest we give other countries maps.

She really does not do well in unrehearsed interviews. She hunched over and watch her hands. Perhaps I should not tip them off, eh?

Click on the third video clip down titled "Palin clarifies God and War Remarks" for the gist of her remarks.

http://abcnews.go.com/wn

Wow how pathetic. Using your own son as political points.

 

[LowlyPion]

Wow, I just watched the interview and I'm impressed. Her answers were intelligent and detailed. She is a solid conservative, unlike McCain.

McCain did good by choosing her. Now the right has someone to vote for.

Since you claim to own assault weapons I'd suspect you came to the interview with your rosy glasses already.

My personal opinion is that she is a shallow thinker easily swayed by religious dogma and not someone who could ever be trusted to make important policy. Her stands on such extreme belief as creationism and conception and stem cell research put her at odds with science and logic. The idea that such an extreme person could ever have command decision for nuclear weaponry is chilling.

 

[Evo]

Wow, I just watched the interview and I'm impressed. Her answers were intelligent and detailed.

Intelligent and detailed? Please quote those here, I'm serious. I've read the transcript and apparently missed them.

PALIN: I believe that there is a plan for this world and that plan for this world is for good. I believe that there is great hope and great potential for every country to be able to live and be protected with inalienable rights that I believe are God-given, Charlie, and I believe that those are the rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That, in my world view, is a grand -- the grand plan.

And the, the Iraq, the South Africa, they don't have maps.

Transcript

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theworldnewser/2008/09/the-palin-inter.html

 

[LowlyPion]

Intelligent and detailed? Please quote those here, I'm serious. I've read the transcript and apparently missed them.

If feels a bit like time warp to me and this Palin person feels more like she is running for High School Class Vice President or Cheerleader or something.

It's got that Romy and Michele's High School Reunion kind of surreal feel papiermâchéd on top of what should be actual serious policy discussions.

 

[Gokul43201]

You're ahead of me on this one. Did Cheney display ignorance of the constituents of the executive branch?

Here you go:

Civics Quiz: Is Cheney Part of the Executive Branch?

A quick civics quiz: Is the vice president part of the executive branch? You might think the answer is obvious, but apparently not to Vice President Dick Cheney.

The man a heartbeat away from the Oval Office asserts that some rules that apply to everyone else in the executive branch do not apply to him.

Cheney has refused to comply with a request from the National Archives to hand over classified documents. The vice president's office insists that, unlike every other employee of the executive branch, that rule does not include him and his staff.

At a White House briefing, deputy press secretary Dana Perino was asked if the president believes Cheney is part of the executive branch.

"I think that's an interesting constitutional question, and I think that lots of people can debate it," Perino said.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3316434&page=1

 

[LowlyPion]

Here are more complete excerpts of the transcript:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=5782924&page=1

GIBSON: But this is not just reforming a government. This is also running a government on the huge international stage in a very dangerous world. When I asked John McCain about your national security credentials, he cited the fact that you have commanded the Alaskan National Guard and that Alaska is close to Russia. Are those sufficient credentials?

PALIN: But it is about reform of government and it's about putting government back on the side of the people, and that has much to do with foreign policy and national security issues Let me speak specifically about a credential that I do bring to this table, Charlie, and that's with the energy independence that I've been working on for these years as the governor of this state that produces nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of energy, that I worked on as chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, overseeing the oil and gas development in our state to produce more for the United States.

She completely didn't address the question. She wants to talk about energy independence in a state that she claims produces %20 of the energy consumed by the US, but has just about .2% of the population? This she offers up as experience suitable to run the country? Such answers not related to the questions asked?

I think her response is a bit bizarre, and demonstrates that she still doesn't know what the job is about.

 

[deckart]

She obviously is NOT A LIBERAL. To expect her to speak along liberal values is ludicrous. She speaks directly to the conservative base. It's very entertaining to see liberals act as if everything she says is "out there". It's typical conservative dogma. If you haven't heard it before, you need to get out more. What do you expect?

As a conservative myself, I think she is right on target.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Wow, I just watched the interview and I'm impressed. Her answers were intelligent and detailed. She is a solid conservative, unlike McCain.

McCain did good by choosing her. Now the right has someone to vote for.

Come one Deckart I'm sure that even you can hear just how terrible that interview went. The local conservative talk show hosts where I live have been tearing her a new one over this interview. They picked apart everything she said, pointed out all of the rehearsed bits, and figure she must have been told to bring up 'reform' and 'change' as much as possible. They even tore apart her belief that she's fully ready for the job, even to be president, and apparently didn't think once (let alone twice) about whether or not she's qualified.

Gibson's comment on 'hubris' was quite perfect and the way that she ignored him when he said it just illustrated the point further.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Here you go:

I think that's an interesting constitutional question, and I think that lots of people can debate it

Thanks Gokul43201. I agree that lots of people can debate it, but I don't agree that it would be interesting.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

For your reading pleasure.

Thanks LowlyPion. Like an amusement park ride, pleasure mixed with fear.

 

[castlegates]

From what I saw of the interview ... it was ugly.
Why she felt she needed to act as if she knew what she was talking about is beyond me. When you don't know the answer to something, just admit it, and move on, or say, I'll get back with you on that one. She set herself up, and got played like a fiddle.

I was waiting for Charlie to ask what the capital of Iowa was. He had an agenda, with a goal to make her come off exactly as she did. The Bush doctrine? How many know what that is? Who cares what Bush has to say. Even republicans don't listen what he has to say, so why would she know what the Bush doctrine is?

Rather than be something she is not, she should just be what she is, and let the cards fall where they may. She is after all ...
BUBBLY!

 

[Evo]

As a conservative myself, I think she is right on target.

This is my second request for you to back yourself up.

Please post these quotes of hers from this interview that were, as you put it, "intelligent and detailed".

 

[Astronuc]

She obviously is NOT A LIBERAL. To expect her to speak along liberal values is ludicrous.

Values like honesty and justice for all? I don't expect that from Palin, or Bush, or Cheney, or the right. So far they have proven me correct.

Contrary to Palin's comment during the interview with Gibson - she did make a presumptuous statement - or she simply utters false statements.

 

[LowlyPion]

She obviously is NOT A LIBERAL. To expect her to speak along liberal values is ludicrous. She speaks directly to the conservative base. It's very entertaining to see liberals act as if everything she says is "out there". It's typical conservative dogma. If you haven't heard it before, you need to get out more. What do you expect?

As a conservative myself, I think she is right on target.

And she is obviously not a clear or deep thinker.

The expectation is not that she would embrace Liberal values, so much as the expectation that she would be capable of intelligent analysis, and able to engage on the issues facing the country. For her to think that she is actually qualified, indicates how little she actually understands of the job, and how much she apparently overvalues her ability to do it.

 

[turbo]

Watching her back-pedal on her remarks on God's will and the Iraq war was painful in the extreme, especially when she invoked Lincoln. As a governor, she should be acutely aware of the existence of video cameras at public events, and should know that her remarks are recorded in context. She should know that when we watch her linking God to the war, then later try to spin the remarks into something they were not, at least some of us are thinking "liar". I have a couple of male relatives who are evangelicals and they believe in the end times preachings. When I think of having someone like them in positions of power, I cringe.

Even more so, when Palin was blithely talking about standing up for our allies. Saber-rattling is not the answer to every problem in the world, and it is disturbing to think that somebody with apocalyptic beliefs might be in a position to take this country into a "just" war. Bush/Cheney are bad. McCain-Palin promises to be much, much worse, continuing the neo-con policies, and putting us at greater risk for more wars and economic trouble.

 

[mheslep]

Watch what Matt Damon has to say on Palin.

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=C6urw_PWHYk

Why?

 

[asdfggfdsa]

After watching the Gibson interview and judging some of McCain's positions, I think my vote is sealed.