Advocacy groups go after Palin

Although I generally agree with the anti-Palin message expressed by several of these groups, I have doubts about the wisdom of attack ads. The left needs to take a higher road than the right has done over the past several elections.

Agreed Mark. I blame McCain though for his extremely poor decision in picking Palin. He's shown erratic behavior and poor decision making throughout his campaign so far. I actually feel bad for Palin, as I feel she is being used by McCain.

I also agree Mark. I'd like to ask Foon to show evidence of where Obama has endorsed these ads or sought their assistance? I believe they have a right to air these ads on their own and there is no proof that Obama has sanctioned them. Please don't imply something if its not true.

I don't really feel bad for Palin. She is a political climber and I'm sure she knew what she was getting into. Anyone who rises higher than town council in politics has to have extraordinarily thick skin. It's also hard to feel bad for someone who I'm this afraid of. From the desire to teach my kids Creationism in school, to her desire to ban books and push feminism back 100 years, I think whatever needs to be done to keep this ticket out of power - it's distasteful, but it's a necessary evil. The only way to beat the Rove machine is to get down in the dirt with them. It's a terrible fact of American politics. Negativity trumps issues every single time.

No surprise that the Globe ran this story about issues taken totally out of context. How's Revend Wright anf Bill Ayers these days????

Mark you are correct, but the "Politics of Change" mean the same thing every cycle.

Blah blah blah to Sandy, and krystyn is correct too.

The election is not about the VPs, it's about the Ps. And really... does the president do everything or is it his cabinet?

Sorry, Mark (and Sandy and krystyn), but the higher road doesn't get you anywhere with the vast majority of the electorate. The "left" needs to fight fire with fire until the "right" ceases to employ their borish slash and burn tactics. A one-sided truce is for losers, as the Dems have learned over and over again. It's time they finally grew a pair...

Mark said: "The left needs to take a higher road than the right has done over the past several elections." How'd that work out for them? I have the opposite view. They need to get down in the mud with the Republicans, and return swiftboat for swiftboat, illegitimate black baby for illegitimate black baby.

Al Davis said it best. Just win, baby. It's a lesson Karl Rove understood. It's one the Democrats had better learn. And if the Democrats can't win this time, with the head of the opposition party at 80% disapproval, with 80% of the country believing we are on the wrong track, in the middle of a bloody and unpopular war and historic financial meltdown, with a telegenic, smart, and articulate nominee, they should just fold up their tents and join the Whig party on the dustbin of history.

It is important that voters understand the full ramification of putting the Republican ticket in the WH. The past 8 years have proved a disaster and hoping that policies will change once a ticket gets into office is unrealistic. One hopes that those who find Palin feisty and hot, will think very carefully upon viewing these ads.

Palin has denied approving the 'rape kit' policy and there is no evidence at all supporting this disgusting charge. Planned Parenthood and the Boston Globe owe her and all of us an apology.

I hope that Obama and his campaign will continue to take the high road as much as possible. That's what's been so beautiful about his campaign so far, though I think considering how fear seems to appeal to so many (it must be a human weakness) and how the McCain/Palin camp has exploited that weakness so expertly and expressly, maybe a little fire-with-fire is ok here and there and in the areas that seem to absorb those sorts of tactics best. But I am very pleased that Obama's camp has stayed out of the WWF wrestling ring for the most part.

"The left needs to take a higher road than the right has done over the past several elections."

The results of the past several elections, bar one, argue pointedly against that statement. The right has taken the lowest road available at every opportunity, and it worked fantastically well, right up until their own lack of vision combined with the worst executive tandem in history undid them in 2006.

The left needs to fight back, hit below the belt, cheat, lie, steal, slander, smear, divide, ridicule, belittle, defame, libel... whatever it takes to WIN. Veto-proof majorities in both houses should be the only acceptable goal.

The right has one thing absolutely correct: this is a class war and a culture war. We are at a tipping point, and to forever bury the strident fundamentalism and plutocracy of the current incarnation of the right is much more important than fighting fair. This is not a game of playground kickball.

Mark, I whole heartedly agree with your statement. Attack ads which improperly portray a candidate's record and values is wrong. As an Independent it is a turn-off. But what about ads that properly portray a candidate based in truth but are still perceived as negative. Doesn't the truth sometime hurt. Pertinent facts interest me about where a candidate stands on important issues.
Personally, I'd always rather listen to a candidate talk about a plan of action to solve or govern a problem. I expect my leaders to be smarter than I about these subjects, not because their more intelligent but rather as, it's their Job.
Sandy's right too. Another poor example of his judgement and decision making capacity in such monumental situations and circumstances.

McCain has shown time and again that he has a hard time being honest, in his twisted behavior, he thinks is capable of insulting the American people's intelligence, and get away with it. Sarah Palin is just another example. As a swing voter, I will swing my vote to Obama. He is not perfect but; I think he shows better respect towards us, and has showed more class and intelligence in how he runs his campain.

Mark, I disagree. As a country, we need Obama to win this election more than we need him to win it while taking any "higher roads". Kerry took the high road regarding the Swift Boat lies, and it took him straight to an election loss.

As much as I hate negative politics, the democrats need to play as dirty as necessary in order to win the election. Four more years of the republican corruption and rape of our Constitution is not worth a moral victory in the "campaign niceness" category.

I guess my comments are being censored by the Globe. Good thing I am doing screen prints.

Why is it the same day the Globe has this story "Advocacy Groups go After Palin" which focuses on a smear story about rape kits (same practice was done in Massachusetts) that the Globe has an editorial with the same talking points?

Coincidence, I think not. Getting talking points from the Obama campaign, sure looks like it. Advocacy Group? Yea right. Let's see if the Globe prints this comment?

"Negativity trumps issues every single time." Sounds like the Alinsky philosophy being practiced by one of his acolytes, Barack Obama. Is this the 'hope' and 'change' you want? Still waiting for the media to cover Obama's ties to ACORN and Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae.

I agree with J.P. and would add that Politics is not for sissies .... it is down and dirty if need be - anyone thinking or wishing otherwise lives in La La Land. And as for the Rove Machine ... you bet they know the name of the game .... and have played it well for years now - successfully .... so, yes, now is the time for Obama and crew to play the negative trump, or else come november 4th .... it will be McSame and his flunky, Sarah, running things for the next four years ...

There's no hiding the truth. Keep bringing up Ayers and Wright, they bare no relevence to the issues at hand. They're not the ones running for the Vice Presidency. McCain dug his own grave with this selection.

The outrageous attacks on Palin will be responded by even more viscious ads by the RNC and they're are good at it. The DNC and friends has upped the ante with the latest out of context attacks on Palin and it will backfire. Obama may be up now but two weeks from now when everyone understands the bail-out was bi-partisan and the it prevented a bi-prtisan created problem.

If the DNC thinks that they have found their "Willie Horton" ad against Palin, just wait until the montage of Obama's associates ads, hit the airwaves in about 1 week.

We'll have the Rev Wight, not pledging allegiance, Michelle's never proud of US, Obama's best friend Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko, the fist bump, where is Obama's birth certificate and the list goes on.

This BS is outrageous and the DNC has crossed the line.

Let's see...
"From the desire to teach my kids Creationism in school" - Palin said that if the subject comes up in a school classroom students should be able to debate the topic. That's a far cry better than the mandatory teaching of passages in the Koran in US school classrooms so children can have a better understanding of Islam. Sorry to inform you, but teaching passages of the Koran is the same thing as teaching religion in school.
"Her desire to ban books" - Sorry, didn't ever happen that way. She asked a question about book banning, but never said anything about wanting to ban books in libraries.
"Push feminism back 100 years" - She's everything N.O.W. espouses in a professional woman, but she's not a Liberal Democrat. If she was a Democrat every left-wing liberal airhead would be in her corner.

Sarah is wrong for the US. Mccain made a huge mistake, and he should ask Palin to withdraw.
As an independent I am ticked-off that he picked an ex-beauty queen, far right loonatic.

Johnny Mac, you lost my vote!

'Fact check' has it wrong, by quoting those who are wrong-- any biologist worth his or her salt will tell you that the loss of an apex predator-- such as the American wolf-- has far-reaching and devastating effects on the entire ecosystem.

Efforts to turn Alaska into one big canned hurt arena are both disgustingly inhumane and ecologically disastrous. And offering a $150 bounty for the severed leg of an animal-- as Palin has-- is barbaric. Most hunters agree that aerial hunting is savagery at worst and utterly unsportsmanlike at best.

For the last two elections the Democrats have stood by as the Republicans and their media machines have pumped out damaging half-truth or untrue sound bites which were latched onto by enough people to swing the election in Bush's Favor. We are nearing the end of the most damaging 8 year period in our nations history in regard to the economy, the environment, and our standing in the world to name only a few areas. While taking the high road is a good idea in most situations we have to play the Republican's game and throw mud just like they do or risk another 4 years of disaster.

It is sad that negative does win and the democrats have never mastered it like Lee Attwater and Carl Rove had. As a previously undecided voter in an important swing state, I must say that the I have decided to vote for Obama. In picking a person who is so unqualified (and just plain unintelligent) to potentially hold any important government position (sorry, Alaska is an easy state to govern with few people and big oil revenues), McCain has proven that he has poor judgment. Additionally, his behavior during the financial crisis should have even the most fervent republican scratching their head.
Obama, you don't have to be negative, just let McCain and Palin keep up their bizarre show!

"Palin has denied approving the 'rape kit' policy and there is no evidence at all supporting this disgusting charge."

The police chief she appointed - - after firing the previous chief for political reasons - - approved the policy. And what is disgusting is that the policy was in place at all. She is responsible for the policy. The buck stops with her.

"Keep bringing up Ayers and Wright, they bare no relevence to the issues at hand. "

I'd remind them that John McCain bombed more people than Ayers ever dreamed of.

We need to do whatever it takes to win.....lie, cheat , steal !!!

Communism MUST win!!!

What a sicko. It took a state law to stop Wasilla from charging the rape victims, the only town in Alaska to do so.

Palin signed off on the budget that included the changes to the rape policy; now she says she never supported it. She's either a liar or her "executive experience" claim is a sham.

While I agree that the democrats should be on the higher road, whenever they do, they get destroyed because the negative hatred seems to work. As an example, I look at the Swift Boaters and what their lies did to Kerry. If you are passive and don't go after them, the Rove led GOP attacks with lies and eventually wins out because of it. If you put them on the defensive, they can't get their lies out.

I agree with most, but I also see that the reason he put her in that position to start with was not just for the base repub's. But to try to put someone who is on the same level that many Americans are. I think that we need to face the fact that a majority of Americans can relate to her because she is as stupid, unread, without any regard for societies future as they are...... Quoting her "she a 6 pack kinda gal" that my friend says it all........ She is a product of Americana !! face it ! embrace it! so maybe we can fix it..

For some eye-opening truths about John McCain, give a read to the new article in this month's Rolling Stone magazine - not on the stands yet, but you can read the article online. Talk about scary!
LearningLater

I would really like to see the left take the high road. Unfortunately that simply hasn't worked against the tirades of the right and the ignorance of many voters. Meanwhile the Republicans have bankrupted the country, destroyed our reputation around the world, trashed our environment, and neglected our infrastructure. Enough is enough. We need to fight with whatever it takes to put the country back on track..

I am sorry but Sarah palin was a Mayor of 5000 people, she sighned off on the budget and hasd to have seen the charge for the rape kits. If she didnt see it she again wasnt doing her job. I am also a mayor of a small town (9500) I my job require that I look over every single item on the budget THREE TIMES and sign each copy and approve and new changes. There is no excuse.
The people that support shooting the American Grey Wolves from Helicopters and Airplanes were the same group that supported shooting Wild Mustangs for grazing on BLM land owned by the taxpayers. NO EXCUSE!

Not only does Sarah Palin support aerial hunting of wolves and bears.

Sarah Palin also supports shooting bears habituated to humans (such as at the Katmai Preserve) even though the vast majority of Alaskans (even sport hunters) are opposed to this.

Additionally, under Palin, for the first time since Alaska’s statehood in 1958, it’s legal to do land-and-shoot killing of bears & their cubs.

Add to this, her inexperience and right wing extremist views (such as opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest and her views on creationism), and Sarah Palin is the last person that you would want in the White House. We need someone with experience, intelligence, modern day viewpoints and compassion in the White House not a cruel, inexperienced, unintelligent right wing extremist!!

It's pretty easy to take the high rode when the Main Stream Media continue to fight your battles for you. Both sides have fought viciously - the high road (if there is such a thing in politics) was abandoned long ago by both sides. Exploiting inaccuracies and sometimes downright lies hurts both the target and his/her opponent. Most of all it hurts the credibility of all politicians in the eyes of the American people.

In fact, as 'Very Concerned Citizen' astutely points out, some people on this very comment board clearly believe and are apt to spread those inaccuracies and lies. So, it's the open-minded elite whose opinions are gospel and anyone who disagrees is a lunatic and an airhead? And, Palin's a climber? Tell that to the Freshman Senator from Illinois...apparently, experience only matters when you're the Vice Presidential candidate.

"Palin said that if [creationsim] comes up in a school classroom students should be able to debate the topic."

There is nothing to debate. Creationism is not science. Why not debate the relative merits of bleeding the sick, or how various humours cause disease? As for your remarks about the Koran, I agree it should not be taught outside of an advanced comparative religion class or some such thing.

"I'd remind them that John McCain bombed more people than Ayers ever dreamed of."
do not forget that he was called by his superiors to do his duty to protect the US!!!