Female voters not thrilled with Palin, poll says

Hi, Sarah Palin, I'd like to introduce you to Thomas Eagleton. You two have a lot to talk about.

The Truth About Sarah Palin:

Dear friends,

So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the
last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .

Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in
common: their gender and their good looks. :)

You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts
with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on
any websites, as there are too many kooks out there . . .

Thanks,
Anne

ABOUT SARAH PALIN

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
father was my child's favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she's like the most popular
girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and
won't vote for her can't quit smiling when talking about her because
she is a "babe".

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She
kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents
for seven months.

She is "pro-life". She recently gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby.
There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn't take positions; she just "puts things out
there" and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a
champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin's kind of job is highly
sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his
work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or
so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their
major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything
like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

She's smart.

Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000
(at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about
670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a "fiscal conservative". During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren't enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn't even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later--to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.

These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus
in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will
make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she
proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she
recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while
she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today's
surplus, borrow for needs.

She's not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren't generated by
her or her staff. Ideas weren't evaluated on their merits, but on the
basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the "old boy's club" when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of "old boys". Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal--loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State's top cop (see below).

As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla's Police Chief because he "intimidated"
her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska's top
cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
and she had every legal right to fire him, but it's pretty clear that
an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn't
fire her sister's ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn't
like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything
publicly about her.

When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got
the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one
of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no
background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great
job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the
high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this
Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)
engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some
undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all
her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and
garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
gutsy fighter against the "old boys' club" when she dramatically quit,
exposing this man's ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel
politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the "bridge to
nowhere" after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget
guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing
projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative
action restored most of these projects--which had been vetoed simply
because she was not aware of their importance--but with the unobservant
she had gained a reputation as "anti-pork".

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party
leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated
them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a
fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
They call her "Sarah Barracuda" because of her unbridled ambition and
predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly
stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made
point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah's
mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and
experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package
of legislation known as "AGIA" that forced the oil companies to march
to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
global warming. She campaigned "as a private citizen" against a state
initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from
pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the
state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State's
lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior's decision to list polar
bears as threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a
heartbeat away from being President.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more
knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there's a lot of people who have underestimated her and are
regretting it.

CLAIM VS FACT
*"Hockey mom": true for a few years
*"PTA mom": true years ago when her first-born was in elementary
school, not since
*"NRA supporter": absolutely true
*social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships
(said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
*pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to
promote it.
*"Pro-life": mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby
BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life
legislation
*"Experienced": Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has
residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.
No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on
supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city
administrator to run town of about 5,000.
*political maverick: not at all
*gutsy: absolutely!
*open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
explaining actions.
*has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
*"a Greenie": no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
*fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
*pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city
without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built
streets to early 20th century standards.
*pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
residents
*pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
government in Wasilla's history.
*pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union
doesn't make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim
that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed
voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting
programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne, last name redacted

Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local
government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I've always operated in the belief that "Bad things happen
when good people stay silent". Few people know as much as I do because
few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don't have a job she can bump me out
of. I don't belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no
fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will
cost me somehow in the future: that's life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100
or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah's
attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to
say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in
spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor)
from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of
Wasilla, and I can't recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust
for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible
for a private person to get any info out of City Hall--they are
swamped. So I can't verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the
population of Wasilla, ranging from my "about 5,000", up to 9,000. The
day Palin's selection was announced a city official told me that the
current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was
5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to
2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90's.

so what ..... an abortions right site conducted a poll, and palin is not the choice. It's a 50/50 country when it comes to election day ..... and no one knows what will happen. There are plenty of women who will support Palin

This choice is just another example of John McCains judgement. Ask yourself the question....Does she have the qualifications and experience to become the commander in chief ?

The answer is a resounding NO.

And as far as Hillary supporters voting for her? She has opposite positions on just about every major issue. Does John McCain really think women are that ignorant that they would cast there vote solely based on gender?

The republican party cant be happy with this choice. The question is..Will she withdraw. Vegas already has odds!!!!

Women are not stupid - they aren't just going to support ANY woman and its an insult that the McCain campaign would think they can pull something like this.

McCain barely knows Palin himself, meeting with her only the day before he chose her. At that, with such little experience, why would I want her so close to the presidency? Why would anyone? There were a variety of qualified candidates out there to choose from and McCain picked Palin PURELY as a political tactic to garner disgruntled Hillary supporters - sorry McPain, it wont work.

She cant even control her own daughter - how will she manage a country?

Don't you understand? Those female voters are sexists!

I think she is great. What bothers me is the sexist coverage of her by the media.

CNN is sexist.
The NYTimes is sexist.
MSNBC is sexist.
The democrats are sexist.
Obama is sexist (got "sweetie"?)

Every liberal I meet is a sexist moron these days. Kennedy and hip hoppers should be proud.

Didn't need to read any further than your opening sentance...to realize the rest would be diatribe. Would you like the results of my own poll?

If you are allowed to "praise" your daughter for making the CHOICE to have her baby, why would you want to deny my child the opportunity to make that choice as well?

Hypocritical Ms. Palin, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Well if I were Johnny I would pick the beauty queen over willard, but I do not know many women who think that will make us all secure if she has to take over for Johnny.

If she (Palin) really wanted her party to have a chance she'd withdraw. We'll see if her ego will let her do that.

I'm sure a poll done by a pro-choice group is very unbiased and speaks for the population of women as a whole. Please... Shoddy journalism.

Wow! Did McSame (aka McBush) shoot himself in the foot with this selection! He is not going to win over any "on the fence" votes with this VP selection. I know a couple of registered Independent voters who typically lean Republican who have said to me in no uncertain terms they are "definitely not going to vote for McCain now" after they got to learn a little more about Palin. I think that is going to be the sentiment in most places with most people who were still deciding.

That is good for the all of us becaue a McSame/Palin White House would have caused chaos in the country....

Wow, a poll conducted by a highly partisan, Leftist, pro-abortion women's group concludes that Sarah Palin won't help McCain? What a shocker!

I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks from now, when two things will start to happens: 1) the dems and their pals in the media who have been bashing Sarah Palin face a wel-deserved backlash, and 2) Barack Hussein's record actually starts to undergo media scrutiny and is exposed for its stunning lack of experience.

In high stakes political campaigns like these, the way a party reacts to the maneuvers of its opponent says a lot about how that party feels about the maneuvers in question. In this case, it's pretty clear judging from the undue vitriol and pure venom we're seeing in response to the Palin pick that the Dems feel at least somewhat threatened by it. In the end, Presidential campaigns are like big-name football games: you can engage in pre-game analysis all day until you're blue in the face, but the fact is that only the game itself will determine who wins.

All this talk about Palin's daughter getting pregnant out of wedlock. What is interesting is that Obama's mother, Shirley Ann Dunham b. 11/29/42 in Kansas, got married 2/2/61 in Hawaii, and gave birth to Obama on 8/4/61. That is a 6 month and 2 day pregnancy for Obama. I guess that he was already ahead of his time when he was born, or maybe his mother was just like Gov. Palin's daughter, preganant out of wed lock.
There are some other things about Obama's bio that just don't add up, and we are just wondering about his eligibility to run for U.S. President.
BTW It was his grandfather on the white side that is buried in Punchbowl Cemetary as a veteran, not his father, like he said in a recent speech.

Does it surprise anyone that a poll done for Emilys list indicates that women don't like Palin? That would be a lot like polling athiests on their favorability on the Catholic Church. I think a good indicator that Palin does appeal to women voters is the simple fact that so many of the liberal talking heads are saying that Palin was a bad choice and she would not bring any Hillary voters into the fold for the GOP. I do agree that Palin's family issues are relavent to the campaign and should be discussed, but to all the liberals that were trying to quickly sweep under the rug Rev. Wright and Michelle Obama and their wonderful penchant for showing their true feelings in front of a microphone, that is all relavent too.

Of course she's not popular with women! She may very well have earned the award for worst mother of the year!
Not only did she make an 11-hour flight to Texas six weeks before her due date, knowing that she was carrying an at-risk child with Down's Syndrome, but after her water broke in Texas, the woman finished her speech and boarded a commercial plane (you know, the kind without doctors on board) for the 11-hour trip back to Alaska!
Three days later, she left her precious fifth child and went back to work.
Now, with a four-month-old Down Syndrome baby at home, and a seventeen-year old daughter faced with the biggest challenge of her life, Sarah has decided that it will be okay for her to jump on the campaign trail for over two months, and possibly into the White House for years thereafter. Has it occurred to this woman that this may not be the best time to be placing her career ahead of her family?
I keep hearing how her daughter’s pregnancy is a family matter and we should all leave the poor teenagers alone -- but her mother knew this was coming and voluntarily subjected her daughter to this! She seems to throw out the term "Down's Syndrome" every chance she gets, taking advantage of the implication that she so admirably proceeded with the pregnancy after learning about the disability, but her actions towards this child have been anything but admirable! It is only by the grace of God that that baby wasn’t born 30,000 feet above the nearest doctor.
This is not the woman I want to be holding up as a role model for my daughter. Not the type of woman I want to be the first into the White House... Please don't let it be!

I would love to see a woman in the White House who has the chops for the job. As a single mother of three (now grown) sons, I was a career woman out of necessity. I could write volumes about the "glass ceiling" of the 80s and 90s. For a woman in management it was always give more and get less. There were so many times I had to miss important moments in their lives and I still regret this.

It inconceivable to me that Palin's family, given a new baby and along with four others, should not take precedence over her political ambitions. There is no better evidence of this than a teenage daughter pregnancy. This says more of her "leadership" than her public life. Am I the only one who feels sorry for the kids?

What was McCain thinking?

Well, as a supporter of Hillary, I find McCain's tactic DISGUSTING and CONNIVING. I do not trust the judgment and policies of either McCain or Palin. And the manner in which McCain made his VP decision in such haste, only to get votes, is appalling and makes me scared. So I urge all Hillary supporters, please consider what happens to this country if you choose to betray her and vote for McCain.

But here's the clincher. My 85-year-old mother, a staunch Republican, also does not trust McCain or Palin, and for the first time will vote for a Democrat. Now she and I can finally agree to talk politics. Thank you John McCain. You really are a uniter (but maybe not the outcome you wanted.)

So the Globe is running with a press release supplied by Emily's List? What a joke. What, doesn't MoveOn have a poll you could fall back on?

please tell us nitwits who the heck thomas eagleton is!

Funny how fast the "in the Barack Obama tank" the news media is to smear a legimate female candidate because she doesn't express the same views as the liberal news media.

Why don't you ask what Barack was doing 20 years ago when Todd Palin was getting a DUI? I think he was a bit SNOW BLIND wasn't he?

Children are off limits. Case closed.

I didn't realize that the highest glass ceiling was that of the office of the vice presidency. I would have guessed it was being President.

Former Senator Eagleton passed away last year. At least he won't have to rehash the old stuff and relate it to the present mess that appears to be taking shape.
McCain could have done better and should have.

A few points. This poll was done by a group who is most likely going to poll their followers, not women in general. Second, women are not stupid. We are not that shallow that we will immediately jump on the bandwagon and support a woman just because she is a woman. Many of us are waiting to learn more about Sarah Palin before we decide who gets our vote. Third, as far as Hillary Clinton supporters go, many are so mad that they will not vote for any woman who is not Hillary. As the days roll on, many are changing their minds, many will vote Obama, and many will sit it out.

Once the debates start I suspect things will change one way or the other. Until then, polls are meaningless and are just being used as propaganda to sway voters.

I was very concerned about Governor Palin's lack of experience when I first heard of her. However, after researching her accomplishments I soon realized that she has far more relevant experience than Barak Obama!

I'm shocked ... .shocked ....

I am always heartened when voters aren't fooled by political pandering from the Right Wing Zealots of the GOP's Dobson wing ... I am happily surprised ...

I am not sure if Eagleton is still alive, but yes; there are some historical parallels with the Eagleton debacle. Not that the McCain team is concerned, though; the media is playing up Palin like she is a Saint who should not be challenged ....

No way .. no how ... NO Palin ....

Abstinence-Only: It works... until it doesn't.

70: The percentage of high school age kids who take who are likely to get pregnant if they do have sex.

So all you republicals out there... Please tell me again why you're totally against funding for any sex education that makes any mention of contraception?

db, let me introduce Obama to George McGovern. They are clones, except one so happens to be black.

Governor Palin has a lot of political courage. She took on a corrupt party head, a corrupt Attorney General, and a corrupt Governor, exposed their corruption and won.
Senator Obama refused to exercise political courage by refusing to disavow the overt racism spewed by Pastor Wright. Obama only disavowed Wright after Wright made damaging and disparaging remarking about Obama himself at the Washington Press Club.
Which of these examples would JFK include in his book "Profiles In Courage"?
I remember JFK, and I can tell you this: Senator Obama is NO JFK!

I didn't realize that the highest glass ceiling was that of the office of the vice presidency. I would have guessed it was being President.

Too bad Tom's no longer with us. I'm sure he'd have quite a bit to say on the matter.

I was contacted by this polling group. After identifying themselves as "Emily's List", their first question to me was "are you a registered Democrat?". Their second question was "what is the liklihood that you will vote for Senator Barack Obama for president?". Their third question was "do you support a woman's choice in regards to abortions?". After my affirmative answers they proceeded to ask me about Governor Palin.

This is what they call a "set up" poll.

So is the the same John McCain who was saying a few weeks ago that he would never put political considerations above the best interest of the country? "Small Town Mayor Goes to Washington" could be a funny sitcom if the stakes in the real world weren't so high....

My female friends and family who backed Sen. Clinton in the primaries have expressed disgust with the Palin pick. They see it as a crass calculation on Sen. McCain's part who apparently doesn't realize that Clinton's supporters also agreed with Clinton's views on reproductive rights, equal pay for equal work, the environment, etc. Though not scientific, the many female Hillary backers I know, without exception, are now firmly in support of Sen. Obama. Gov. Palin obviously is a good choice for the Republican base because she is staunchly against abortion even in cases of incest and rape. But she is not playing well with pro-choice Hillary suppoters regardless of gender. Not shocking.

I get a headache trying to fathom the extreme irrationality of any defense I've heard thus far regarding Sarah Palin's pick as VP. Rachel Maddow might be right: Who picked Palin, cause McCain sure didn't?!

Statistically, these polls do not represent how the nation feels about Palin!

Come on....you only asked 800 women! This isn't even news worthy.

Below is a copy of a posting I made on a Blog that was entertaining a discussion about Sarah Palin. I share it with you so you can see where I am at. Jack and Taylor already know...trust me...they hear more about my concerns on this then they can even pretend to be enthused about =) Would love to hear your thoughts as well!! Hope each of you is having a wonderful day!

I have found my reaction to Sarah Palin to be incredibly mixed. As a 50 year old college educated woman - I am thrilled to see (and certainly believe) that women have much to offer in the highest offices of the land.

As a mom of two (three if you count my son-in-law =)) (1 college & 2 post college young married) something just makes my insides turn about this whole situation. Any family can have things that do not go as planned and we certainly all do. NO judgment on that at all. However, so much seems to be going apparently wrong in that family that I just do not feel right about it all.

The oldest son is gone (out of state) for six months his senior year in order to get the best possible chance for college hockey recruiting - but never goes to college?? What happened??

Then second child is pregnant and according to the boys Mom they were planning to get married prior to the baby and this is just an "extra" blessing. I understand the half-full concept but this is not a "wonderful" thing..it is an ok thing - something that can be worked through and loved through but it is not an "extra" blessing to be a child having a child. So child number two is apparently not going to have a "traditional" college experience either. How emphasized is education in this family? The big deal is that they are getting married...ok..fine..I have no problem with that and as a conservative Christian I think that is great (as long as they are truly wanting to and have premarital counseling to make sure they understand the commitment)..The premarital sex is already out of the bag...lets not compound it with a divorce years from now...but where is the plans for the educational future of their daughter? and how about the future son in law??? He appears to be aimless as well.

Who is mentoring these children? Additionally it really bothers me that she has three kids still at home (at this point I am not counting Bristol) that need family to be first. How can Sarah do that now? The VP has to put "Country First". As a Mom, I feel sad that she is not willing to delay her "political" day in the sun until her children are older. And YES I would not be saying the same if she were a Man. I DO believe in women - so much that I believe they often make or break their families. Things seem to be breaking down in Sarah Palin's. Does this make her "bad" or to "blame" NO WAY. However, it does make her need to step up to the plate as a MOM and focus on the new "special" needs of an infant with issues and a pregnant teen daughter (in addition to her other two at home).

I have learned a lot about myself in the last couple of days and I thank Sarah Palin for that. I do believe women have a place in politics and I do believe a woman can be a Mom & work. I do think however that there is a constant need for balance...high-powered job - fewer kids maybe? High-powered job - delayed until kids are older maybe? Problems begin in the family - down scale job pressures immediately!! You only get one shot at being the best Mom you can be. No one that I know of has ever gone to their grave saying - my only regret is that I was not VP of America! However, many have regretted on missing out or misusing their time with/influence on their children.

Let's also not make our compassion (and we should have heaps of compassion and there but for the grace go I) for Bristol create an environment where we celebrate the unwed child mom pregnancy as a "feel good" thing with the cute girl and handsome guy and how great they are for not killing the child that they should have not created in the first place. This is a most unfortunate and undesirable circumstance. But one that no fingers should be pointed at and one that can with proper involved parental guidance become a positive defining moment in Bristol’s life.

Let's hope that Sarah Palin makes the courageous choice to put aside personal professional gain in favor of putting "Family First".

Am I the only crazy woman who feels this way???

McCain obviously thinks women are stupid, thinking the Hillary supporters will shift support to the Republican ticket simply because Palin is a woman. I suppose McCain will also demand Palin make 30% less in wages, IF those two win the White House.

Frankly, women and men would rather hear about issues such as the economy, ending the war, heathcare, ending budget deficits and digging ourselves out of 8 years of misery than listen to the dog and pony show going on in Minneapolis.

Of couse most women aren't thrilled, they're smarter than that. McCain's choice of Palin is simply to pander to the Christian voters, who before Friday, couldn't stand the sight of McCain.

db - Thomas Eagleton is dead and had spread false rumors about his (soon to be and than later ex) running mate. Sarah has done no such thing.

It makes me very angry that Obama had to explain everything from the time he was born up until today and the media is giving Sarah Palin a free ride. They are afraid to have her explain anything because it would be sexist. The media is so very pro McCain/Palin. If I hear one more time that she is the governor of the largest state in the U.S. I may scream. Lastest landmass state yes but let the media talk about how many people actually live in Alaska. There are cities in the U.S. that have more people than Alaska. She is getting the "kid glove" treatment and it has to be stopped. I hope Joe Biden chews her up and spits her out!!

No matter how good, or experienced or excellent a VP she may or may not make, her children need her full attention. She has a special needs infant at home and a teenaged daughter who needs her mother to help her through this difficult time and should not be on the campaign trail. As a single mom of two, I find it hard to believe in a mother who will put a high demanding public office before her young children. I think she's contradictory in her opionions and her actions. Since she is a champion for pro-choice, she also needs to be a champion for direct and in your face parenting.....Palin is strong in wanting women to give birth to unwanted children, does she or any pro-choice champion care about what happens to these unwanted children? If so, why are so many abused and neglected?

I would hope that most-if-not-all of Senator Clinton's supporters would see through the haze of the Right wing machine and know better than to fall for this phony choice. Palin has no business going in front of America tonight to preach to us the values of family, when you take into consideration the obvious failings within her own family. I suppose that you can look at it as she will apparently put country before family should her ticket win in November, as she has done a poor job with her family since becoming governor, & we don't even know the full history yet. It's just a matter of time before the press finds more skeletons in the closet. It's obvious McCain & his team pulled this surprise at the last minute in order to avoid the vetting that would have been done by the press had her name been mentioned earlier. McCain must have been leaning quite strongly toward her for some time.
Furthermore, Family Values means that parents, especially mothers have the right to make choices regarding abortion as a private & very personal matter concerning their family. Anyone that believes that a woman does not have the right to abort a fetus from Rape or incest must not think that Rape or incest should actually be illegal. It is one of the most abhorrent crimes in America, right up there with Child kidnapping/Rape/etc... Someone with her beliefs probably thinks that it is OK for a man to beat a woman or child. Absolutely disgusting!!!!

I understand they just polled 800 KKK members showing 55 percent of their group do NOT believe Obama is qualified to be President.

To Chrisc and Anne in Alaska. You shall be included in my prayers, for to speak the truth takes real courage and I thank you for the information.

My god is the same god as the evangelicals but their god is not the same as mine.

No, Mary you are not the only woman that feels the way you do. I agree with what you posted especially the part about education being discussed in the Palin household. The eldest son will be landing in Iraq soon. Was college an option for him? Was he guided toward completing a college education and then perhaps enlist to serve his country? Why is Palin celebrating her daughter's upcoming wedding? Is getting married at 17 a good thing? Is there no talk about Bristol furthering her education so that she will be able to provide for her child? Palin says she and her husband will be there for her daughter. Ok, when and how will that happen? Palin's current plan is to campaign until November. Isn't her daughter in Alaska completing her senior year of highschool? Doesn't add up to me but sure sounds good to say "we support our daughter". The best solution for Sarah Palin is to withdraw from this campaign, thank McCain for the honor, go home and get her household in order. Perhaps the Republican party can knock on her door 10 years from now. America doesn't need Palin - the Palin children need her more.

Just playing devil's advocate here...what if Palin had always been career minded and opted not to have children at all? Would that make it more acceptable to follow her own dreams or would we belittle her for that too saying "what kind of woman doesn't want to be a mother".

I happen to not agree with her viewpoints so she hasn't swayed my vote but I still feel for her in that its tough for a woman to be accepted if she wants anything other than the old-fashioned norm.

Watching the coverage, and the panning shots of the crowd, I did not see one black person (except for John and Cindy's stepdaughter), one hispanics or any asians. Was this intentional? What happened to good 'Ol fashion Stagecraft and does GOP stand for GOOD OLD (WHITE) People?

There is nothing Palin can say or do to get my vote

I am liberal and a democrat but you can't use a poll conducted by a pro-choice group to accurately size up Palin's impact on the election. It is a non-starter, the group has a declared bias.

Mary....well said! I too feel the same way. There seems to be a disconnect between many parents towards their children now days. Parent's ambition take 1st seat and their children come in last. Children need loads of love, attention, and support, and if they don't get it, they will look for it elsewhere. Palin's desires to place her children last is nothing short of sad. She has a lot on her plate...5 children, one of which is a baby with down syndrome, a daughter who is pregnant and is going to need her mother's support and attention in the coming months. Palin seems to make poor choices..from her job as mayor, to her position as governor, to running for VP. What do her children need to do to get her attention? I won't vote for McCain/Palin, that is a disaster in the making. Research her?

So, she opposes abortion but shoots animals for sport?

If the poll was done scientifically, it bodes poorly for the Republicans. Darn, I thought someone with a limited education, who enjoys shooting animals from a plane, who wants some books banned from libraries, who has just received her passport for international travel, who has been a governor of a state where the primary employer is the government, whose mother-in-law is not sure if she will vote for her, and who believes that Creationism is on equal footing with Evolution, and was pregnant before her marriage and whose daughter is a teen who is pregnant, but insists on abstinence-only education, will be president.

Why not have the lowest common denominator be a heartbeat away from the reigns of the most powerful country in the world. She would bring back old values and the 19th century. We could be just like the arab countries and not only look backward, but be backward.

@23: yes, children are off limits, EXCEPT when they are being paraded around as these kids are. If Sarah Palin really wanted her children off limits, she wouldn't be feeding her daughter and the boyfriend to this media circus. Instead, she is parading them around like paragons of family values. She is not asking for their privacy, she's trampling all over it. As voters, we have a right to respond to that.

Just look at the disgusting photo of John McCain greeting Bristol and Levi on the boston.com homepage right now! Doesn't sound like Palin thinks the kids are off limits at all.

Re: the second first posting: What library books did Palin want removed from the Wasilla library? What was the subject matter and what were the titles? Please call the Boston Globe or another large paper so that a story can be done. Thanks.

Re: The "About Sarah Palin" letter from the resident of Alaska:
(ABOUT SARAH PALIN

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
father was my child's favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
residents of the city...).

This letter was put up, anonymously, on Obama's website a few days ago and has been making the internet rounds ever since, usually presented as if it were written by someone the sender knows.

To me, this sounds like a little too perfect in it's Palin slamming to be anything but
professionally written anti-Palin propoganda.

Why can't she just believe in killing unborn babies? I would possibly vote for her then. C'mon Sarah, these babies don't have a right to be born. It's the mother's right to kill them because they are their mother's child, not yours. A mother should be the one to decide if her baby should be killed, not the government. What a creep.

I was undecided after Hillary dropped....I love HIllary..I am so proud to say I am voting for Sara and John. I know in my heart that Hillary is quietly saying go Sara go! True Alaska Kelly

Holy Cow!!! Many of these comments wouldn't fly if they were addressed to a man running for office, you liberals just love to throw stones but are quick to put the blinders on for your candidate, Barack Obama has plenty of issues of his own but isn't it much more fun to deflect from them by attacking a successful woman? Anyone involved in politics these days has done things that will not appeal to all, that includes all the candidates, there is no perfect one in the bunch but your attacks are scary, what is this world coming to? Obama/Biden is no dream ticket so don't kid yourselves. I would much rather have McCain at the helm of this country than Obama. On the job training is not an option. As for the media mentions in earliers posts I don't know what media you are watching but the media for the most part is so pro Obama it is sickening.

I don't know what all the fuss is about regarding McCain's and Palin's credentials. They are first rate.
McCain being the son of an Admiral and the Grandson of an Admiral went to the Naval Academy. Due to the fact that his father and grandfather were both active Admirals I'm sure he was under extreme pressure to do well and that's the reason he finished 894th out of a class of 899.
He only wrecked 4 airplanes while in Navy Flight School. Isn't that about average?
And Palin. C'mon people, she's definitely ready to be president. I don't know how she managed it but she was able to get into the University of Idaho Journalism School. It's a known fact you can't get into the Univ of Idaho unless your dad is a Congressman or donates enough money to build a new dormitory.
I can tell you one thing for sure it's a heck of a lot harder for a White Girl with Connections to get into the University of Idaho than it would be for some Poor Black Kid to get into Columbia and Harvard Law School. That's a no brainer....
And then she was the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. How could that not prepare you to be Vice President and one heart beat away from President? Why Wasilla is bigger than most high schools in this country! So what if she ran a budget deficit every year she was mayor. Its the American way.......heck, between 1980 and 2008 there have only been 5 years that this country has had a budget surplus....1996 thru 2001. So, no big deal there.
But if you want experience lets talk about her heading the Alaska Oil Conservation Commission. There she headed up the entire department of 22 people. WOW!!!!! I wasn't sure how she managed such a powerful and stressful position so I went to their website and found the 22 people listed and 10 of them had the title of administrative assistant. See, she knows how to spread around authority. That's very presidential.
And can you believe those crazy democrats? Trotting out Obama's Law Degrees from Columbia and Harvard. And bragging how he was the President of the Harvard Law Review, his 10 years teaching constitutional law at the Univ of Chicago Law School, his 8 years in the Illinois State Senate and his 4 years and a United States Senator. Bah! Just because this nation was built on a constitution of laws doesn't mean squat.
And Biden. C'mon! His resume is a joke. A degree in Political Science from the University of Delaware, a Doctorate of Law from Syracuse University, 36 years as a United States Senator of which 12 years were as Chairman of the United States House Judiciary Committee. He then took over as Chairman of the United States Foreign Affairs Committee for the past 11 years.
Isn't it obvious that OBAMA AND BIDEN no credentials to be president or vice-president. You'd have to be an idiot to think otherwise........
I mean the only thing worse would be if they had a pregnant un-wed underage teenage little girl or a spouse that belonged to a party that wants Alaska to succeed from the United States. If that were the case you would have to be a complete idiot to vote for them.

I have a hard time accepting the idea that if my daughter was raped and impregnated she would have no other option but have the baby.

Is that what Sarah Palin wants to make law?

This young man who was not prepared to complete high school is all of a sudden being airlifted to St. Paul to become a father, during the convention?!! Can't they let the lady give birth first. The Republicans are really in damage control right now. Give the young man a break!!!!!

I wonder if this is the way to run a state, let alone a nation. Are we prepared for surprises all over again. George W was full of surprising events. If McCain and Palin are going the way they do, things may not be good for the country. They should start showing some order and judgment in doing things.

Children may be off limits, but I don't think their parents are. A seventeen year old taking LaMaz classes as opposed to applying to college must reflect poorly upon her parents.

With five children, including a Downs child, Ms. Palin's plate is full enough already. My guess is that her neglected older daughter went out and got herself knocked up as a way of getting some attention for herself.

Before we parade the kids before the nation, why don't we just sew a couple of scarlet A's on their shirts?.

I wish the first female president/VP will be an inspiration to my teenage daughters, to appreciate the value of education and responsibility. From what we have know about Palin so far, it is a big disappointment.

I am absolutely thrilled that Palin was chosen. Now I have someone I can vote for... and I didn't think I could vote before. The more the media goes after her and her daughter, the more I want to vote for her... and any one with common sense knows that a police officer that threatens the safety of children and family should lose his gun and his job. The one who doesn't remove such a person in a position of authority needs to be removed for the safety of the community! I am amazed at the number of woman who are so jealous of her success as a mother, wife, and career woman - never mind her beauty! Teenagers have a mind of their own. How many newswomen put that their children are pregnant or did drugs on their resume? As one woman to another, congratulations! You are a woman to be admired for all the courage it takes to do what you are doing and have done.

It's disheartening that in the year 2008 so many people think women are stupid. We may be swayed by gender-related issues, but we vote for issues not for gender. Gov. Palin is against a woman's right to choose, one might also assume that she is against sex-education. Women care about these issues as well as the war, the economy, the environment. Palin in not a candidate for woman or for humanity in general.

I started to get a little concerned as I read the huge post about what Anne knows about Sarah Palin, and then I read this...

*"Pro-life": mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby
BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life
legislation

anyone who would say something so completely absolutely IGNORANT can't be considered anyone that anyone else should take voting advice from.

How on God's green earth could you possibly write something like that...KNOWINGLY gave birth to a Down's Syndrome baby...and look at yourself in the mirror? Should we abort every baby that is determined to have Down's Syndrome, or some other difficult birth defect? I can't even find the right words to describe the outrage I experienced upon reading that, it's just horrifying. I'm hoping that I should give you the benefit of hte doubt and consider the possibility that you meant to express something different than to say that Sarah Palin made a mistake in bringing to term a child that will undoubtedly bring her and her entire family joy like most of us have never known with our own "perfect" children. Pray you never know the horror of having to make the choice that Ms. Palin made, and thank whoever it is you pray to that your mother wasn't faced with the same decision.

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!

The KKK conducted a poll of its membership and found that "over 60%" are not voting for Barack Hussein Obama because he's black.

The Boston media really must think we're a bunch of maroons.....

A poll out already and "women" don't like Palin? C'mon, the ink isn't even dired yet on the GOP veep nomination form! How many women did you call? Did all the calls go to Weslyian College? Why don't we just all set back and turn on the tube tonight and hear what she has to say? Then you can see if you like her vision for our country for the next 4 (8) years....

Fact is that Palin is not more qualified than Joe Biden, but even as a two year governor she is more qualified than the first term Senator Barrack Obama. All he has ever run is a campaign.

If this race were being decided on experience alone, then it would be McCain, Biden, Palin and Obama in that order. But Palin isn't running for president. Obama is. Governor beats Senator in the experience category.

Larry Lin - have you heard of affirmative action? I suspect OBAMA could have benefited from that along way....wouldn't you think? Although, is he really "African American"? His mother is white. Also, is this statment "only thing worse would be if they had a pregnant un-wed underage teenage little girl" about Sarah's daughter or Obama's mother? Give me a break! Leave the family aspect of this alone and look at what they have accomplished....that may be a better measuring stick. While your brain racks with that....see if you can name one bill that went before (or passed for that matter) the Senate with Obama's name? Name one! I know, I must be a racist becuase I expect my president to have a position and conviction....you are correct! Although, I have more respect for Obama if he showed some conviction and explained his position...as opposed to saying that he will "change" Washington,,,,but never tells us how!

I have to laugh at some of these polls, this one in particular was conducted and paid for by the Obama group. Does it take a rocket scientist to figure out why the results were so against Mrs. Palin. I am thrilled with Mr. Mc Cains choice for VP. I do not agree with everything she stands for however I think as citizens it is our responsibility to vote for the team we feel will do the best job. I will vote for the Mc Cain/Palin ticket.

Wow -- is Larry Lin right about Palin's husband? She's even a better choice than I first thought. She's certainly the change candidate if she returns us to 49 states. What in the world is McCain thinking?

Democratic females, those self-proclaimed feminists, are so pissed that a female Republican will become the first female VP (and future Pres.). The Demo-feminists think it their entitlement that only a Democrate can be the legitimate elected first female-this or first-female that. Their idol Hillary is about to be trumped by a Republican with better executive position quals, and it just pisses the Democrats off to no end. What will have felt worse to the Demo-feminists: George W. Bush getting re-elected, or a female Republican becoming the first woman VP?

As a mom Sarah Palin wants to put her 'Country First' before putting her 'Family First'. My wife and I were discussing Sarah Palin on our kitchen table last night. We couldn't not understand how Palin can put her new born baby with medical problems and another 17yr old girl who is pregnanant and will need her mom for many months and possible years support can do so much injustice to her children. Palin's selfishness is ruining so many of her children's lives. Its one thing if children are grown up and moved on like in case of Hillary Clinton's Chelsea but for Palin her children needs her right now more then Country needs her.

My beliefe is all of you are so jealous of this beautiful lady who is intelligent, beautiful, and not afraid of you or any Pol...she has conducted herself as an assertive dynamic woman...
So what so she has a daughter who is pregnant....who cares! such a triviality compared to being a Muslim!
Obviously her parents are supporting her as she goes through the next few months...
Does this or will this effect her candidicy for VP? No...all of you small minded people can only choose your topic as "DAUGHTER IS PREGNANT" have no common sense or knowledge of an Election Republicans VS; Dems...so lets pick on the most near and dear to her heart....a daughter she loves as much as all her children....Hopefully you will be as well informed on all other candidates on Election Day....study up my small minded people

It seems that Palin is a interesting person. BUT.......just being close to Russia as her foreign affairs experience according to Cindy McCain, being a Mom, etc doesn't make me want her to be a heart beat away from being my president. She was chosen to be in this spot, she didn't run for it. We, Americans, know nothing about her. She has no experience in running a government, other than being Mayor of a small town of about 5 or 6 thousand, and 18 months as governor of a state with the population the size of Fort Worth and about 500,000 registered voters. I certainly don't think the mayor of Fort Worth is ready to lead the US either! Palin is someone who isn't afraid to bend the rules, and doesn't like being told she can't do something. Do we need someone like that as a president? If McCain wanted to choose a woman, there were plenty excellent Republican women he could have chosen that would have complimented him and given him a chance to win. Now he has virtually no chance at all. So what that she took on the oil companies.......they aren't governments that have nuclear weapons they could use on us, Israel, Europe etc, etc. Negotiating with a 5 year old as to what time they go to bed doesn't qualify her to negotiate with leaders of foregin governments. This is way above her expertise. I don't think McCain did any thinking about this choice other than thinking I have to try something. McCain didn't have a chance to win, based on polls taken using the top contenders as VP, and he was threatened with a floor revolt if he chose Liberman who was his first choice, so he had to do something else. He did. Now he has no argument what so ever to use against Obama. Lack of experience, won't fly anymore, not that it did much anyway because Obama won the right to be where he is by campaigning for the last 18 months, and winning! He has been vetted by the American people and earned the right to run as the Democratic nominee for President. She was given the top spot, she didn't win it. McCain didn't even vet her. McCain's people never even contacted the local paper in her home town, people that should have been contacted before she was chosen, are just now being contacted by McCain. He is just now sending lawyers to Alaska to check her out. That is scary. He said she told him the truth......that is vetting???? This is the most reckless act McCain has ever done, or any presidential canadate for that matter. In closing, I finally found out what her education level is by doing a Google search. Couldn't find it on their web site, although it may be there now. That is another reason to not support her, she only has a BS degree in journalism. No further education what so ever! Sorry,.... for me to feel comfortable with the leader of our country, they need a graduate degree to go with greater experience than Palin has.

Way to go Globe, publishing an obviously biased poll!! And the comments, truly astounding in the amount of venom and sexism. This would never have been directed towards a male candidate. The US, particularly Democrats, have sunk to an incredible new low in misogyny. And women are their own worst enemies, spewing the most vicious comments. Palin should stay at home? Under what rock did you crawl out from? Women should be rejecting the Democratic party because it has betrayed them.

Duh, folks.

Any one else get the feeling they saw this family on the Springer show?

Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!

Amen robroy! Go Sarah don't let them deter you! Get Stronger!

Mary, You're not insane and there are many people who see things the way you do. Thank you for putting it so eloquently.

One point that seems to be missed is that careers women may choose, in addition to having a family, don't have a fraction of the responsibility or time constraints that being VP and possibly President have. Even high powered positions in the public sector have frequent change overs. However, once you are elected, it's

pretty hard to suddenly decide it's not for you.

would

Well Anne, looks like you finally got to grind that axe. I would suggest that you see in Gov. Palin what you want to see. Tonight, the rest of us will be able to view for ourselves. Even though I am a life long republican, I watched the entire DNC with an open mind and was impressed by Sen Obama. I don't think it is too much to ask that we watch Gov. Palin before we decide she should go back to being bare foot, pregnant, and chained to the sink.

#49 (solvera )

A good question to ask “Just playing devil's advocate here...what if Palin had always been career minded and opted not to have children at all? Would that make it more acceptable to follow her own dreams or would we belittle her for that too saying, "what kind of woman doesn't want to be a mother"”

I assume it was in response to my comment #39 along with others. My answer would be this - if she had decided NOT to have children, had grown children, had children that seemed to be thriving currently and appeared to be able to handle the transition to Washington - this would not be an issue at all. It is not about “female” obligation as much as best for “family” in my eyes. A similar situation with a male was John Edwards early on…many pondered if he should not step down from running with a wife with cancer and two small children.

Sarah made the choice to have these children and while I would respect her equally if she had decided not to have children….I hope she will follow through on the obligations of the choices she has made to the very best of her personal and situational ability.

My feeling is that every choice we make in life changes our life - adding new options and eliminating others. The facts are that she is a 44 year old woman who has a special needs breast feeding infant and a minor child who is pregnant… there are wonderful new options arising from that situation and realistically there are limitations as well.

We are not responsible for her choices...only ours if we do not feel in good conscious that we can look our self in the eye if we send her to the white house.

Putin-Palin cage fight. Who wins?

The biased and inappropriate reporting by the Press (In this case Foon Rhea) of the Globe continues. There is no message in this story to anyone who takes the time to read it, unfortunantely you have thousands of people who do nothing but scan headlines. So a headline that states "Female Voters Not Thrilled Palin With Palin, Poll Says," is very misleading in that the headline scanners will almost surely associate polling results with the giants in the field like Gallup and Zogsby. Read one paragraph and you find out the poll was conducted by "Emilies List" a Pro choice, Militant Femenist Organization and the credibility of goes out the window. Headlines that are misleading are done so on purpose, with full knowledge that the headline will speak for itself and not be followed further by some readers. Shame on Ms. Rhee for a poorly presented story. The proper and accurate header would have been "Feminist Group Emilies List Not Pleased With Palin Selection" The drive by media is a significant danger to this country, they are biased to a fault and 70% of what they write is sheer propaganda.

For everyone concerned about Palin's capacity to take over for McCain. The phrase "a heartbeat away" though applicable in the past is no longer appropriate or likely.
Dwight Eisenhower, Ariel Sharon... what do they have in common? Stroke in office. Debilitating. In fact, because of Eisenhower a protocol was set up for the vice president in case of incapacitaton.
Woodrow WIlson's stroke is likewise too far back in history and medical science to be relevant today. But Sharon was stricken, what 1 year, 2 years ago?
And McCain is famous for his temper.

My friends, that is the root of the problem with Palin. John blows up, and gets stricken, Palin is called in to run the country and Putin is on the hot line.

You tell me.

I was momentarily heartened to see this pick by McCain, but as the truth about her comes out, it becomes apparent that she is not about to change Washington - she was born for it. Ethics problems, using the machinery of government to exact personal retribution on those who might not share her prejudices, family scandals (and why DID she veto the line-item that would support young women with unplanned pregnancies?! )...she was made for this job and that town.

At least now we can have a name to add to the list of those who paved the way for the first woman elected president of the USA. May she be a great one, too, when she comes along. First we had Geraldine Ferraro off on the far left and now we have Sarah Palin on the fruitcake right. One can only hope they share the same fate.

Hey Wainwright, I think Palin would handle it fine. I'm sure she won't tell her chief of staff that she can't answer the hot line because it's above her pay grade.

AS an 85 year old feminist, one who grew up reading library books, I can not see Sarah in the White House. If she were as good a Mother as she claims to be, she would at this point be thinking of how to help both of her children. Not be using them to garner votes. I am frightened at the thought of her being in any sort of position of power. She does not seem to be able to make wise decisions.

Sarah Palin is an absolute horrible choice. As a women, I am offended that she would suggest that I would vote for her based solely on gender. She is the wolf in sheep's clothing. I don't agree with her views, and I am not going to change my mind just because she has a pretty face. She's like the popular cheerleader in high school--- great for pep rallies, but maybe not the best choice for the student body government.

Wow! She is awesome! I absolutely LOVE her, and as a WOMAN who was lukewarm about McCain, I am so excited now! McCain is a true hero and leader, and he made an awesome, awesome choice for V.P. She is courageous, confident, competent, committed, and she is not an arrogant, greedy Washington politician or celebrity. She is truly FOR the people!! I feel more excited about our country than I have in a long time, and even if Obama wins, I will forever be inspired and changed by Sarah Palin because she has inspired me in so many ways. I do not recall ever seeing a speech quite like the one she gave tonight- it was mesmerizing! Thank you Sarah for taking on this challenge and for not being intimidated or bullied by the media!! You are in my prayers!!

The poll was conducted by a group backing Obama. That means that the questions were probably slanted in a way that gives Obama an advantage in the poll. At least the Boston Globe actually disclosed that information. I'm proud of them.

I think Palin is a smart, strong, American woman who is competent to lead this country. She is the American dream. She is our forefathers idea of what we are all about. I am proud of her and I stand behind her and McCain. For all those woman who think she is out there and asking for their vote strictly because she is a woman then I say you need to think again and listen carefully because this woman is not there because she is a woman, she is there because she believes in what she is doing and she believes in standing up for the American people. How refreshing to hear a good Ol' American standing up for all us Americans, that American has my vote every time!!!!!!!!

Palin just knocked the ball out of the park in her acceptance speech at the convention tonight...makes some of the comments here seem petty and off the mark.

She is as experienced as Obama, and her background will resonate with the majority of voters on election day.

I supported Hillary Clinton, and I was very upset when she lost the primary. However, it makes no difference to me that McSame has a woman on his ticket or who that woman may be, or if she is "qualified". I am concerned about the issues facing our country--the economy and jobs, energy, the war in Iraq. On these issues, I trust Democrats. And, that is why I am NOT voting for John McCain no matter who his VP is. She has an "R" behind her name, doesn't she?

Dems: A Harvard Law grad & a Syracuse Law grad

Reps: A Naval Academy grad ranked 894th out of 899 & a North Idaho Community College Transfer Student

I'm very mad of just what I've been reading here, who do you people think you are putting your nose in a private family affair. Palin's daughter (God bless her) made the right choice - To Let a LIFE to grow within her to be born. Has it ever crossed your thick heads that for some would be mothers just might bear a child that would have the answers that we desperately need solved? So What if McCain asked Palin to join the ticket! You Women have been doing a lot of complaining or should I say - been saying - what ever boys can do girls can do better crap, well in a way - Palin - ( God Bless her) got it, it may not be the jackpot but it's close enough. I'm for Sarah Palin - Her family affairs is none of yours nor mine business,
So - Drop IT! GO McCain - GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Abortion needs to changed to adoption - Say yes to life - say no to abortion.
PERIOD!

I wasn't too excited about the 08 election until this past week. McCain was just oh-hum to me. The excitement people felt and feel in the Democratic party with Obama, I now feel with Sarah Palin. A woman I can look up to and have some sense of hope that she will fire things up and make real change. She has leadership quality.

I'm a 37 year old wife, a step mom to a teenage daughter and the owner of a small struggling business. I have been a registered Republican since I turned 18. I'm a middle class American making ends meet and I do what I can to be successful. I would like to think there are alot like me and my family.

I can't remember a time when I felt such excitment about politics and looked forward to watching the Republican Convention. I waited on the edge of my couch listening to each word and expression Gov. Palin had to make. I loved each and every minute Sarah was on the stage.

Thank you Sarah, for giving me some fire. Thank you for prooving to the world a woman can be intelligent , powerful, compassionate,and feminine at the same time. I will cast my vote for you on McCain's ticket in Novemeber.

Palin:
She has next to no experience in government. When ask about national security back ground or knowledge regarding foreign affairs the best Ms. McCain could come up with was “she lives right by Russia.” She has only traveled outside the country twice in her life. She belonged (as did her husband “Mr. first Dude”) to a 3rd party which among other things supports allowing Alaska to secede from the United States and feels the only thing wrong with the John Birch Society was it was to liberal! She tried to have a local Librarian fired for not banning books. Used her political office to try to have fired and smear a state trooper who is in a custody battle with her sister. Is being investigated for this and is worried enough about the outcome to have recently “lawyered up.” Currently has pretty messy family issues, recently gave birth to a son with Downs Syndrome and has a 17 year old daughter who is pregnant. Ironically she has fought sex education in the schools and availability of contraception for minors. Believes that for 9 months a woman has no right to control what is happening to her own body and is basically nothing more than a baby container. She does not believe in a women’s right to choose to end a pregnancy, even if she has been raped. Does not believe human pollution has anything to do with global warming (even Bush has had to back down on this one). Is so in bed with big oil she is willing to watch as the polar bear and beluga whales become extinct, rather than slow the possibility of drilling. She would open up one of the last great wilderness on earth to exploitation by oil interests. Laughs when hearing a fellow Republican woman being called a bitch in public (she and the woman had disagreed on several issues) I guess this does make her on par with McCain who thinks it is alright to call your wife a cunt in public. Has an undergraduate degree in Journalism for a small obscure university. She has been repeatedly described as stubborn with a vicious streak – even by family and friends. (nick name Sarah Barracuda) Did fund raising and accepted money from the same sources as Sen. Ted Stevens. Pushed for the “bridge to no where – the flipped when convenient to do so. She has been named Sen. John McCain’s VP selection for the Republican ticket. Sen. McCain is 72 years old and has reoccurring cancer as part of his health history. One can not help but question Mr. McCain’s judgment regarding her selection.

I think it's troublesome when someone can be so swayed by one canned speech written by a professional speech writer. Don't you want to do some real honest research of your own before making such an important, life changing decision? Anne does raise some interesting questions about the political career of Ms Palin. All of which can be fact checked if you really want to know the truth.

I'm not sure why so many have chosen to go on and on about the biased poll about abortion issues. I dismissed it immediately and moved on.

Far too much time has been spent on name calling and character bashing by both parties. They are forced to spend their time defending themselves because too many American's are hooked on Jerry Springer's brand of entertainment.

Extremists on both sides are so hateful and spiteful that they reduce themselves to ranting triades that really only project their own personality traits onto their imagined opponents. Meahwhile our great country is going to the dogs.

The truth is that if we don't all succeed together then nobody succeeds. We are more alike than different and we need to remember that. Who among us doesn't want to have a good job, healthy well adjusted children, a strong partnership with someone whe can grow old with?

Do your homework, decide what candidate truly represents your best interests and vote for them. Stop all the childish bickering for God's sake. You vote in private and have no need to justify your choices to anyone.

This is a complete joke, who can even consider pondering the thought of electing the Mccain/Palin ticket? This is a no-brainer for me...

NOTE TO GeraldD who says that Obama is no JFK. You remember JFK? Better than his own brother, Ted Kennedy, and his daughter Caroline Kennedy who says that Obama the politician most like her father?

Sorry, but I think Ted and Caroline Kennedy have a little more credibility than you do when it comes to comparisons with JFK.

As an undecided independent voter, I was energized by Sarah Palin's speech last night - so energized I woke up early and wrote a check to the Obama For President campaign.

Sarah Palin unapologetically supports ignorance-only sex education. It is telling she did not even mention education last night, and it is clear her children are not headed to higher education either. After hearing her speech, it seemed she was proud of her ignorance, and she represents the worst part of the Republican Party. McCain shoyuld have picked a moderate running mate, if he were a real maverick.

Why isn't Hillary Clinton calling press conferences this week to denounce Palin's claim to her legacy & to her 18 million votes? Her too few comments are lukewarm & with Geraldine Ferraro not having even made up her mind as to whom she will vote for . . . Obama is left swinging with assist from these two "Democratic" women leaders. McCain's staff isn't stupid ---- they learned from the Clinton primary campaign that if you say over & over & over again that the "media" & your opponent is demeaning you b/c of sexism whenever any challenge is made to your candidacy, there is a significant percentage of women voters who begin to believe it. The Republicans are hoodwinking those same women to vote for someone who has many of the Bush/Cheney free financial market (don't regulate the banks, mortgage & investment companies, taxation (tax individuals - rich & poor alike - & give incentives to businesses) & foreign policy (America's might is always right, Devil take our opponents) positions which has brought our economy & our world reputation into unmitigated shambles.

Hillary & Bill Clinton have the power to turn this tide - and should be doing so THIS WEEK. I fear that the reason they have not been heard from is that they are both sublimally (or perhaps even consciously) hoping for a McCain victory, so that 2012 will be hers for the taking.

The second post is a fabrication of the Obama machine. McCain listened to what 18 million voters wanted. Odumma chose a man that couldn't get more than a million votes over a woman who had over 18 million. It is an obvious choice-McCain.

If John McCain wanted a good woman he to run for VP, he should have chosen Elizabeth Dole. She has been a cabinet secretary twice under Reagan & Bush I and is now a US Senator. She was also a presidential candidate during the primaries in 2000. With all of her experience and class she certainly would have appealed to the same type of intelligent women that Hillary appealed to. Or he could have chosen Condi Rice, also very experirnced and appealing to intelligent women. Instead he chose a lightweight who happens to be young , pretty and conservative, although Condi and Elizabeth are both certainly attactive enough and Condi has been supported by many to run for President! I think he has sealed his doom - big mistake!! As a former Hillary supporter and an independent, I'm going to vote for Obama/Biden.

Maybe if Sarah had been putting FAMILY FIRST instead of SARAH FIRST, had stayed home, been a mother, and had stopped getting pregnant in her 40s, we wouldn't all be subjected to this embarassing spectacle of teenagers, toddlers, and a severely disabled baby all over the stage.

But Sarah wants it all, she wants it now, and no pesky kids or husbands are going to stop her. Sarah, if you want to be SuperWoman - take note - SuperWoman doesn't have a family to look after.

Most women are Democrats - so this poll is skewed towards Democrats. Just polling "women" does not give you an unbiased sampling with respect to party affiliation. A more interesting and helpful survey would examine ho many Independent or conservative to moderate women support Palin. This is the target group that McCain is going for - not leftist women.

The selection of Sarah Palin is an insult to the intelligence of every thinking person in the United States, both male and female. Palin, McCain and the platform of the Republican Party would take away our right to control our bodies, our lives and our families, according to our own personal values.

Should McCain win the election, Palin being "just a heartbeat away" is downright scary. Although "a heartbeat away" is a meaningless euphemism to most people, for those of us who have lost loved ones in just a "heartbeat," that phrase is deadly serious.

Come on America, think about it and vote with your heads this time. The rights this country was founded on are in grave danger of being diluted into a watered down stew stirred up by the Conservative Right.

I can't believe there are evil people in this world like Bruce (see comment above) that consider children and severely disabled babies embarassing.

Left wing womend don't support Palin?

That's news?

You freaks are in for a bumpy ride over the next two months as Palin does to Obama what he did to Hillary Clinton.

I am going to enjoy every second of it.

Presidents do not make laws much less Vice Presidents. The legislature drafts, debates and makes compromises before presenting the compromises to the president for signature. Sara Palin has the right to her beliefs on abortion and could end up with a pulpit to express them but in no way could she get laws passed to ban them. So stop worrying about abortion and start worrying about redistribution of hard earned wealth that the democrats espouse. As soon as you raise the taxes on the actual contributors and job producers of our society we will fall into hopeless recession until another "Reagan Revolution" takes place. People have such short memories. Remember Jimmy Carter and the decimation of our economy and military. That is what you are going to get with Barack Obama. So please stop worrying about a women's right to choose. That battle has been fought and the pro choice sect has won. A Democrat president with a Democrat congress scares me to death. Checks and balances are what we need and right now I am worried about how much of my check Barack wants to give the non-contributors of our society.

Among registered female voters, 44% are registered as Republican while 55% are registered as Democrat. So, females will obviously trend towards the Democratic candidate. Besides, the Palin pick is proving to be appealing to both men and women, and to both the Republican base and independents. She is a populist pick...not a token female pick.

Maybe alot of people don't see this, but Palin is a dangerous politician. Look at all the people she left squished under her feet who did not want to do it the Palin way. And this was in one of the smallest populated cities/states in the country!

Websters Dictionary has the following definition: "one ruling absolutely and often oppressively".

Sounds like Palin.

What word does it define? Dictator

I changed my vote from Obama to Mccain because of Palin!
Sorry haters, she is appealing to a lot of women democrats,; Elite Media can downplay that however they want, but its a fact.
If you ask me a year ago if I will ever vote for republican in my life, I will think you are out of your mind!
I am proud of Palin; and I will be voting for Mccain/Palin;

Palin is even more qualified to be president than Obama! The naysayers denouncw her experience of mayor/governor as meaningless simply because city size doesn't suit their fancy. That still doesn't change the facts everyone keeps wanting to sweep under the rug. She still has experience making executuve decisions including leadership of the Alaskan National Guard. OBAMA HAS ZERO!!!! Why isn't the media asking Obama the tough questions about his proven ties to (Mr. Ayers--(NYC Police HQ, Pentagon, Capital Bldg bomber), (Spiritual advisor and mentor for 20+ years Rev Jeremiah --US of God Damn KKK Wright), and convicted Chicago slumlord Rezco where Obama funneled milions of tax $ to broker land deals?? The choice here is crystal clear.

Palin is even more qualified to be president than Obama! The naysayers denouncw her experience of mayor/governor as meaningless simply because city size doesn't suit their fancy. That still doesn't change the facts everyone keeps wanting to sweep under the rug. She still has experience making executuve decisions including leadership of the Alaskan National Guard. OBAMA HAS ZERO!!!! Why isn't the media asking Obama the tough questions about his proven ties to (Mr. Ayers--(NYC Police HQ, Pentagon, Capital Bldg bomber), (Spiritual advisor and mentor for 20+ years Rev Jeremiah --US of God Damn KKK Wright), and convicted Chicago slumlord Rezco where Obama funneled milions of tax $ to broker land deals?? The choice here is crystal clear.

With Sara Palin in power, the American People will have precisely the government they deserve, and the US will continue firmly on its course to becoming a third-world country, where religion trumps science, books are burned, the bible is the ultimate reference, political corruption takes flight, and teen pregnancy soars (this one seem obvious.)

There is a silver lining to all this: The White House Rose garden will get redecorated with an extensive array of pink flamingos.

I think you should change this to "Political Non-intelligence" instead.
Obama 's father is a selfish Muslim , had left his mother while he is very young.
Whats a "role model" of a man!

funny how women are more sexist than men, as minorities are more racist than the "mainstream". feminists who were really using that title to force and belittle women to believe what they believe in, that women have the right to work the same hours as men and not be questioned for their dedication to work instead of a family, are now demolishing Palin for her decision to run for VP. I never believed and still don't believe that a woman's role and need to be close to her children can be the same as a man's. I don't think it's a good "motherly" choice to be a VP with a newborn, but at least i believe the same for myself. I think it's more acceptable for me to stay home and not work than it is for a man to stay home with a child. I don't hold a double standard against Palin just because she doesn't fit my needs and agenda. LADIES!, true believers and strength of our gender, not women who use their gender to only abuse others, let us not judge, but pray that she will make the right choices for her family and her country. We are too smart to vote simply based on anyone's gender or ethnicity. Dont let fools fool you.

Why don't you sell this garbage somewhere else. By and large, Sarah Palin would put women back 50 years. We don't want to go back 50 years---nor do we want our daughters and grand daughters back there either.

It IS time to judge the characters of those aspiring to be leaders to a Country deep in trouble after 8 years of Republican administrations. Why is it fair to put every single other candidate through intense inspection, while with Sarah we're just supposed to take your word for it? She's a very EXTREME candidate who's shown poor judgment as a mother by putting her daughter in the spotlight, while going through an untimely pregnancy, for her own selfish ambitions. Right there, for me, she's out! No---we do get to examine and think about her as a person, too.

So far, I haven't heard any ideas from her on how she'd fix this Country. What about the economy? What about energy---aside from her quick fix using Alaskan oil? What about the War--aside from how she's blithely sending two sons into harm's way and would send our sons too? Give me substance, Sarah. Show me that you've put any real thought at all into what you'd do---and no aping McCain. We want to hear YOUR ideas----especially if you'd dane to stop into Hillary's shoes. Don't harm our Country by stepping into a position you're clearly not qualified for.

When taxpayers pay for air flights and fancy hotel rooms for Bristol Palin's fiancee at the RNC, then it is worth noting that YOU are paying for Palin's daughters' teen pregnancy. But, Palin herself went and cut funding for Pregnant Teens Safe Houses. Source Sep 2, 2008 Washington Post

Perhaps Palin is a female psychopath. Psychopaths are ruthless and consummate liars. No conscious, doesn't bother them and they do attack anyone without qualms who they believe are in their way.

One university professor said something to the effect of "Palin's greatest hypocrisy is her pretense of being a woman." I find that hilarious and absolutely agree with it....I'm female, BTW.

She abuses power, lies, promotes censorship to conform to her restricted bliefs, is decidedly NOT fiscally responsible or conservative, and promotes big business over the people. Dear God, please please please keep MCCain/Palin out of the Whitehouse! This country cannot stand under another bush administration with all the lies and deceptions and secretive conspiracies (remember Plame).

Pray that Diebold has nothing to do with fixing the voting machines again.

Palin is no woman. That squarish face is such a give away for a throwback.

There is a joke going around that says, "What do you get from an Alaska cow?" Answer: "Sarah Palin." It comes from some middle school kids, so you'll have to figure it out. Juvenile humor.

I can't wait for the debate. I hope the dems make her explain at least a few of her actions and her lies.

Take care

We have in Palin a female Dick Cheney, comeplete with bullets with which to blow the guts out of innocent animals who are just trying to live.

Sarah "Dick"less Palin....complete with a bush. Jeezus.

A female psychopath for sure. Her wild eyes remind me of that woman who dumped her fiancee just before the wedding, saying she'd been abducted or some such crap.

If she's such a breeder, then she need to stay home and take care of her last child who has Down's Syndrome. Any professional will tell you that those afflicted need more care than other children.

She could have said, "I appreciate the offer, but I've got my hands full with AK and my family." No, she didn't. She's callous and uncaring. She is without compassion.

She's no Diana or Indigo Child, that's for sure.

She's a "Dick" Cheney and George Bush. Her ignorance is just what the G
OP needs in a female impersonator.

Sarah Palin, the lipstick wearing pit bull, in no way represents me. Because I think compassion is a woman's greatest strength. She needs to find THAT well and drill, drill drill! Oh, and Sarah; where I come from, we muzzle pit bulls.

I am a 35 year old woman and I believe that John McCain had much better choices for a femaile VP choice. She's not presidential in any way. She has poor speach giving abilities, comes across as cocky and immature, and needs to loose the flip up-do. I'm just so unimpressed. Will our White House be endorsing teenage pregnancy? John McCain should have ran for his life when he discovered the teenage pregnancy. Our country has a serious issue trying to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies. I was planning on voting Republican and was eagerly awaiting his selection. I'm so let down. I will be voting Democratic this year.

It's funny that Palin says her daughter made "the Choice". I bet that "the choice" was actually mandated by the government of the Palin household-That is not a choice. That is a household government being in control of a young girls body. I bet that boy didn't have any choice either!

Anne, (comment number 2)
Get over it girl, HS was long ago and Sara made u feel inferior. Grow up!!! Anything u can do, she can do better, so u resent her, If all u can say is jealous , whiney baloney, then please do us a favor and shut up!! Try harder in your next life, u may enjoy it more. SARA RULES

They obviously do not have everyone in this poll. I am a woman and I am very happy with Palin as VP. The polls are not wide enough to get a true vote. This is an outright lie that woman voters are not happy with her!!!

Our Forefathers are turning over in their graves. This whole election is a joke. It would really be nice if ONE politician would tell the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth so help him/her GOD!! Take away all the political PERKS/PORK, make them pay out of their pocket for Health Insurance, put a cap
on their salaries and spending, stop earmarks, etc etc Now we have SAVED social security and a huge chunk of the deficit. Even I could be President. I'm not old, I'm not black, I'm not an idiot. I AM A WOMAN!!! I think everyone is becoming brain damaged, ( like Bill Cosby says), My God people you have a mind USE IT!Our political government has brain washed you. DO SOME RESEARCH, DO NOT BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU SEE ON TV!!!! No wonder the USA is in the trouble it is in Everyone including politicians DONT USE THEIR GOD GIVEN BRAIN!!

Our Forefathers are turning over in their graves. This whole election is a joke. It would really be nice if ONE politician would tell the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth so help him/her GOD!! Take away all the political PERKS/PORK, make them pay out of their pocket for Health Insurance, put a cap
on their salaries and spending, stop earmarks, etc etc Now we have SAVED social security and a huge chunk of the deficit. Even I could be President. I'm not old, I'm not black, I'm not an idiot. I AM A WOMAN!!! I think everyone is becoming brain damaged, ( like Bill Cosby says), My God people you have a mind USE IT!Our political government has brain washed you. DO SOME RESEARCH, DO NOT BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU SEE ON TV!!!! No wonder the USA is in the trouble it is in Everyone including politicians DONT USE THEIR GOD GIVEN BRAIN!!

I am a special education teacher in Fairbanks, Alaska and life in Alaska is all BULL. aND TEACHER SALARIES ARE VERY LOW! The vast discrimination of hispanics, natives, and blacks is very high.
Not to mention the very low standards of the Alaska public education problems...
The Natives in villiges do not have even semi-adequate teachers, nor special ed. teachers, nor other educational services. Moreover, NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE IF MINORITIES ARE CONSTANTLY ABUSED IN ALASKA. AFTER ALL, THE ATTITUDES HERE TOWARD MINORITIES IS LIKE LIVING IN "ALASKA KKK" ....
Donna