‘This woman/candidate seems to have many outstanding attributes and accomplishments to her credit. So let’s give credit where it’s due… Brava!’

...unfortunately none of them are in great demand. please read some of the other threads regards this out-standing personage.

now where can i get an elkburger? lol

This woman/candidate seems to have many outstanding attributes and accomplishments to her credit. So let’s give credit where it’s due… Brava!

Then there’s the “creationism” thing. It is completely beyond me how any supposedly intelligent, educated, sophisticated adult is PROUD to announce a firm BELIEF in not only a God but that he/she/it actually CREATED this entire universe.

ONE PERCENT of my senses tell me that there is a wild, outside, one-in-a-hundred billion chance that she’s right. But 99% of my native intelligence, along with EVERYTHING I’ve learned in 70 years on this planet, tells me it’s nonsense - no legitimate evidence whatsoever to support that view.

I simply don’t want to be led by leaders who profess to believe in what are clearly fairy tales and who seem fully prepared, even proud, to base decisions THAT MAY AFFECT ME on nothing but glib opinion and untested assumptions. Good luck to those of you who do.

The question is rather, why did McSame choose that lady.

When Dan Quayle was chosen by Bush’s daddy, It was to appeal to a younger generation of Americans according to McCain, who said, “I can’t believe a guy that handsome wouldn’t have some impact.”

Perhaps that is what McCain had in mind when he chose Alaska Governor Sara Palin as his running mate last Friday, an obscure, in-her-second-year governor of Alaska. She is a white, attractive 44 year-old mother of five with no foreign policy experience, who shares McCain’s conservative views on the big oil agenda, abortion, and advocates the Bush failed economic policies.

Her initial statements standing beside McCain reveal no self-contradictory, illogical statements that were credited to Dan Quayle like “The future will be better tomorrow,” or “I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix.”

But still the abject cynicism is there for John McCain, as well as an in-your-face, people-be-damned attitude. It is the same George W. Bush/Karl Rove trademark: be bold, seem daring, steal headlines, and shock the pundits.

Rolling out of the dunghill of Rove’s (Turd Blossom’s) reactionary cynicism, McCain advisors must believe that because Palin is a woman, most women voters – all starved for a female leader and who were Hillary-jilted—will turn to McCain-Palin. McCain must believe that Palin’s maverick reputation will re-energize a false maverick status he so carefully forged over the years. He must believe that a 44 year old attractive newcomer will make his ticket young again.

Never mind the obscenity of putting the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency of a 72 year old man with a history of cancer, and one who has also been characterized with mood swings. After all, they share the trite and worn-out ideas borrowed from a failed president.

Palin’s credential? She vehemently supports the war, she loves guns, is anti-abortion, supports big oil companies, and favors drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge over saving polar bears. That is Republican and serious John McCain material. Republican is that?

By virtue of not being born into a political family and not allowing corruption from her own party members in Alaska, Palin is considered a maverick. Her issue of prominence in Alaska is ethics.

Ethics is not something she will carry into the McCain camp, for his past ethics battles involving lobbyist advisors, flip-flopping on many issues for conservative appeal, character assassination of Obama and McCain’s dark past role in the S&L;Scandal, the Keating Five.

Probably the biggest ethical question is why McCain chose Sara Palin in the first place.

It has all the ingredients of putting his politics ahead of the people, a Bush-McCain trademark, believing the people fickle and ignorant, and last of all, demeaning, not only the office of Vice President, but also the office of President.

Leefeller,

You are not nitpicking the definition of a war hero.  In fact, you laid the truth bare succinctly.  Thank you.

The beerdoctor brought up the issue of geography to start these posts off, and this is now looming as an issue as more of her stand on the issues come out. She appears to be another of the right wing “social Darwinists” whose theme is survival of the fittest, and Alaska tends to attract those type of people who also have strong libertarian tendencies. Alaska doesn’t have much in common with the lower 48 urbanized part of the country, and that is not a criticism just an observation.
McCain describes Palin as an “outsider” which is true but she is way outside the mainstream of American life and issues. McCain is now making a big deal about reforming Washington as a #1 priority, which is a 180 from what he said last month about terrorism being our number # 1 priority. He real number one priority which came out on Fox News Sunday was the realization after Thursday night that Obama has mobilized the Democratic base to go out and get the votes to get Obama elected just as George W. Bush did in 2004 with the evangelicals who flooded Ohio and swung that state for Bush.
It is also now coming out just how anti-environment Palin is. She believes global warming is a hoax and wants to take polar bears off the endangered species list as that might interfere with her drill, drill, drill mentality. She also sees no problem with hunting wolves via aircraft in the guise of keeping the wolf population under control so they won’t eat up all the caribou and moose. So we now have a VP candidate in cahoots with the Petroleum Institute to sue the Interior Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their polar bear stance. Evidently Governor Palin has more insight than the nation’s scientists. That would also explain how recommendation that creationism be taught in our public schools. She is more and more beginning to sound like a “pistol packin mama”.

thebeerdoctor,

If John McCain is a war hero, then so is every other man and women who placed their life on the line in Vietnam, last I heard he did not jump on a grenade to save his fellow man, maybe I am nitpicking on the hero thing.

“Hero, typically a male who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities.”

If one idealizes, seems anyone could be made a hero? Guess we can call McCain a war hero, while the rest of us who went to Vietnam, were treated like homicidal psychopaths.

Perhaps the beauty queen angle of John McCain’s personality is worth considering. Read comments from his supporters, cheering his VP choice, things like: “she’s hot” and “she’s a babe” or “She can cook up my moose anytime”. The kind of low ball, white sailor boy trash talk that McCain is still comfortable with. And the old boy thinks he is being funny when he calls Senator Clinton a bitch. A misogynist who called his own second trophy wife a trollop (C—t).
But being the genuine war hero, he is given a free pass. Someone needs to call this creep out on this. Having Miss Alaska on his ticket, does not excuse his reprehensible behavior.

re: Fahrenheit 451

Thank you my kind editor. You see the problem here is that error would not be noticed by a spell checker because lessen is a correctly spelled word. I will try to learn my lesson in the future, alas, there is no usage checker. Thank you again. Peace. BD.

Hell, it is late and I just pushed the wrong key. If a comment appears that is rather long, it was not menat to be sent. I will wait until later to see if it appears and correct it. Or, may you will be able to cipher it anyway.

• 
By BobZ, August 30 at 12:26 pm

•  “So now we have two months to make up our minds whether she is fit to hold the second most important job in the U.S. and possibly become CIC if something happens to McCain.”

….And possibly become the CIC is the real kicker. Because, let’s face it. McCain’s ass is old. He could kick the bucket at any moment. He’s also gotta be totally senile, or he wouldn’t have made such an incredibly stupid selection, if he really did want to win the election. A hockey mom, former beauty contestant, caribou shootin’, oil drillin’ creationist believer, mother of 5 still popping out babies in spite of the medical science that increases the chances of things like Down’s syndrome over a certain age. Obviously doesn’t even believe in birth control, and we know she’ll be right on the same wavelength with McCain on overturning Roe v. Wade.
And, she wears glasses, not to see, but because she thinks they make her look ‘smarter’?

Well, her ideology isn’t ‘smart’ so why would the glasses help?

~~~

By RightWing, August 30 at 11:54 am #
•  “Wasn’t Clinton just a Governor from a Po Dunk state? Illinois is just a Po Dunk as Ark.”
No it isn’t rightwing. Ark is a very Po Dunk state, as in the poorest in the nation, with the highest percentage of illiterate. Bill Clinton however, was not one of them. Whatever else can be said about him, he’s an intelligent and well educated man. Illinois is clearly NOT the same Po Dunk state that Arkansas is, even if the historical corruption has sometimes been equal to the corruption of the Stephens Group that owns Ark.

•  “I heard Obama has thousands of unread sermons from Rev. Wright lining his office walls.”
You “heard”? Why would you admit to such a stupid thing on a public forum like this right wing? That’s the same as admitting to ‘hearing’ voices from god telling you to write this crazy shit to begin with. Ever hang out with the Son of Sam?

•  “..I have been reading TD for around a year,it’s the same group posting all the time,and to make it look crowded you post the same complaints on different stories.Sorry but the majority of America doesn’t see this country like most of you do. That’s why no one listens to you but you.”

To make it look ‘crowded’?? You really ARE insane. Who cares if it “looks” crowded? Is that something that is supposed to impress people like you? Who would want to do that? And are you really speaking for how the majority of American’s see this country? Surely you jest. And if we were the only people listening to each other, why have you been hanging around for 6 months?

Note the description of this as a PROGRESSIVE political news site. What else do you expect? If you wanna hang out with people who think like you, you should visit those sites in-between you sessions with Rush Limbaugh.

Re: Purplewolf

Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound as if I was attacking you or backing up Ms. Palin.  My life has been this jump from city to country, city to country..again and again.  You learn a lot about people when you do that.  It’s culture shock and acclimation over and over again, especially when you’re young.

Aside from that, I was concerned “city folk” might be unaware of those “deer facts” and get a little addled.  I have through the years, experienced SO MUCH misinformation, both sides.

And if you’ve heard some of the things I’ve heard (and maybe you have), again both sides, you find yourself attempting to stop the war before it starts.  Just easier that way.

I have definitely met/known those who if they saw your artistic horns would think you an animal butcher or something like it.  I do agree with your post, most especially this:

“If she doesn’t like wolves, she should never have lived in Alaska. But ever since the European Christians stole this land from the Indians, the wolf, the buffalo and the Indian people have always been considered non-essential and therefore, fair game for the “white eyes” to exterminate any way they see fit. Sarah, even though her husband is Eskimo, is no exception. Greed has always won out in the end and it is never honorable.”

Although I have to confess, I STILL hate those goddamn rattlesnakes.  I figure we’ll just have to find some other predator to keep down the rodent population…LOL.

Good grief, can you imagine the screeching, screaming, frothing at the mouth harpy she would be like when she is denied her way. Instead of carrying a sporting rifle which she probably doesn’t anyway, she will carry a SAW mini gun and every one will be at her command. I even hate to think that is is the type that not just governs in alaska, but lives there. I bet she just orgasms at the idea of raping the whole eco-system of alaska and goddamn the polar bears getting in the way of extractive industries. This could definitely be her chance to become a billionairess from the natural resources of alaska.
That smiling picture of her could place her easily as Afred E. Neuman’s wife. Bitch from hell. Damn, and 5 offspring to follow.

@ thebeerdoctor;

I’m starting to feel a bit “nit-picky” myself, but since you asked… 
Below you write:
“It could be the lessen of all this is that assumed narratives no longer work.  I believe you mean “lesson”.  In other threads I’ve seen a few more.  Anyway, I only mention this because I know you have a blog.  Content is certainly the most important thing and you do well with that.

Like the French say; the more things change the more they stay the same.  Mondale, in an effort to breathe life into his campaign selected Ferraro as his running mate.  Here we are a few decades later and its déjà vu all over again!  But maybe this time the gambit will succeed.  Ferraro was no looker, but for the undecided male and lesbian voters always go for the beauty queen——it’ll be more titillating!!!!

Outraged: I realize that some people do collect antlers for resale. And yes I also know that antlers are shed. No where did I say she was into killing just for the antlers, but Sarah Palin admitted she does hunt.
I have purchased numerous types of antlers from moose, whitetail and blacktail deer, axis deer, fallow deer, mule deer and many others. I never had any luck finding sheds even in highly populated deer areas. I use them in my artwork for juried art fairs and shows, as well as powwows. However, with the market for antlers that are used in aphrodisiacs in many oriental nations, it is surprising there is still this large number of antlers stockpiled.

I do object of her suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife department because they will not take polar bears off the endangered species list and the fact she approves of aerial killing of wolves. If she doesn’t like wolves, she should never have lived in Alaska. But ever since the European Christians stole this land from the Indians, the wolf, the buffalo and the Indian people have always been considered non-essential and therefore, fair game for the “white eyes” to exterminate any way they see fit. Sarah, even though her husband is Eskimo, is no exception. Greed has always won out in the end and it is never honorable.
It would seem that the opposite would be true of her rather than allowing and encouraging killing the wolves in aerial assaults. Indians have always considered wolves their brothers and equals in the world and in the eyes of the Creator. Wonder if her husband has lost his native roots to the white world of big corps and big greed along with those of his wife.

Just a little background on the antlers for some of you “animal people”.  People collect them and some sell them and some decorate with them but you don’t have to KILL an animal to get them.

Reindeer: (from Wiki)

“The reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), also known as the caribou when wild in North America, is an Arctic and Subarctic-dwelling deer, widespread and numerous across the northern Holarctic…..

.... Both sexes grow antlers,[4] which (in the Scandinavian variety) for old males fall off in December, for young males in the early spring, and for females, summer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reindeer

Moose: (from wiki)

“The male will drop its antlers after mating season in order to conserve energy for the winter. A new set of antlers will then regrow in the spring. Antlers take three to five months to fully develop, making them one of the fastest growing organs in the world. They initially have a layer of skin called felt which is shed off once the antlers become fully grown. Immature bulls may not shed their antlers for the winter but instead retain them until the following spring.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose

Elk: (from Wiki)

“The elk, or wapiti (Cervus canadensis), is one of the largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest mammals in North America and eastern Asia…..

....Male elk have large antlers which are shed each year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk

And if you consider the “generic” deer, as in ANY deer, wiki will give you this:

“With the exception of the Chinese water deer, all male deer have antlers that are shed and regrown each year from a structure called a pedicle. Sometimes a female will have a small stub. The only female deer with antlers are Reindeer (Caribou). Antlers grow as highly vascular spongy tissue covered in a skin called velvet.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deer

People in the country go scouting for these SHED ANTLERS and they don’t have to harm anyone or anything to get them.  Geez….  It seems this is being confused with that situation of when the antlers are STILL ATTACHED TO THE HEAD.  Totally different thing….totally different thing…

Rightwing,

You forgot to add beyond the thousands of unread sermons on his walls, Obama is not really a Christian nor even a citizen of the USA, so we need a person in the White House covered in wrinkles and bald, who’s high school nick name was “Pinky”, a person who has been a prisoner of war, comprehensive glowing qualifications for the job of president, something we can chew on. As an ideal addition we have Palin in the White House, a person so impressive who believes in corporate welfare for the masses, of course we will not call it socialism, that would make for a sticky wicket. We need a promoter of killing animals for entertainment and screw the polar bears.

I mean seriously folks, John McCain said he was going to pick his VP based on fitness to be commander-in-chief. Either the Republican Party is pretty weak on bench strength, or McCain lied to the American public. There were at least half a dozen other candidates better qualified than Palin. He only met her once before. Was she even vetted properly. Outside of Alaska, she is an unknown. Even the media was scrambling to find out who she was. So now we have two months to make up our minds whether she is fit to hold the second most important job in the U.S. and possibly become CIC if something happens to McCain. For a party that prides itself on protecting America, this is a very dangerous and hypocritical choice. Why didn’t McCain of the “straight talk express” just tell us he was going to pick the candidate who would best meet the extreme right wing litmus tests.

Wasn’t Clinton just a Governor from a Po Dunk state? Illinois is just a Po Dunk as Ark. we just have fibs,and crooked pol’s Blago Ryan, Rosty, Daly and the list could go on and on if you start counting the Aldermen/women,county commissioners. ssssssssss air leaking from the blue balloon.Her record is more impressive than the community organizer,Purple Cow,Purple Jesus or purple mushroom or purplegirl what ever your name might be,been reading your incoherent ramblings for about 6 months,I hope you never post about some one’s intelligence…. and the other purple thing there when were you at her driveway counting antlers.You ever been to Wyoming. see the antler arch, who killed those? I,m sure you know, I mean you have all the facts. I heard Obama has thousands of unread sermons from Rev. Wright lining his office walls. But he was never there to hear them. I have been reading TD for around a year,it’s the same group posting all the time,and to make it look crowded you post the same complaints on different stories.Sorry but the majority of America doesn’t see this country like most of you do. That’s why no one listens to you but you. Fins Up Shipmate. I heard she might even be Jewish, oh no what will you do now..That balloon is losing air fast, He should have picked Hillary…...

Simply put, just another of John McCain’s beauty queens.

His first wife, his second wife and now, Gov. Palin. All three are former beauty queens.

What is it with John and beauty queens? While this may not be the most politically analytical of comments, I must admit that my first thought, after hearing about McCain’s V.P. pick, had to do with an old observation/suspicion of mine.

John McCain uses women, shamelessly.

The choice of Gov. Palin was just one more large piece of evidence that this is true. It was also the most cynical V.P. pick I can remember.

Does McCain really have such a low opinion of women that he believes he can close the deal with Hillary supporters by choosing this woman. Any Hillary supporter, or any woman for that matter, who decides to vote for McCain because he chose this totally inexperienced woman as his running mate is exactly what McCain believes we all are; empty headed, overly-emotional, hormonal whack-jobs who should have never been given the right to vote in the first place. 

Maybe he believed he still needed to close the deal with the GOP fundamentalist christians? If that was the reason, this lady should fill the bill nicely. She represents the new GOP quite well. She is highly religious, but surrounded by rumors of corruption, including the ever-popular “abuse of power” game.  She has five children, the youngest of which has Down’s syndrome. To working Moms, she is already being touted with the “mother of the year” award by the news media. Wow, she can balance 5 children, a husband and a career! How does she do it?

Wait! Don’t the fundies believe that a mother should be at home with her children? oh, never mind. All kinds of principles and beliefs can go out the window when it comes to the nightmare of a Democrat in the White House, especially a black one.

Maybe I just don’t get what this choice is meant to accomplish here, but it seems to me to be a sign of desperation not warranted by the national polls. There could be a number of reasons for this pick that do not find their way into news media analysis.

Perhaps, McCain doesn’t want anyone smarter than him in his administration. Perhaps he has found himself a new beauty queen in his dotage. OR….the GOP is trying to throw this election so that the coming nightmare, caused by them, will not land in their laps.

For corporate interest purposes, it doesn’t matter in the least whether the President or the VP have experience or are even cognizant.  Did we learn NOTHING in the last 8 years.

In fact, all the better, it’s just easier that way.  They’ll let their “stand in” know, what to say, how to say it, when to say it and who to say it to.  Sign this, but don’t sign that.  Talk to these “constituents” but shaft those.  To be a President today one only needs to know how to obey.

McCain must be really desperate.  There is absolutely no reason for choosing this woman for a vice presidential post for a 72-year old guy except desperation to get elected. 

It’s also typical sexism…and it reveals the equally racist views the right hold toward Obama.  They believe that Obama is an “affirmative action” candidate!  They don’t get it.  People voted for Obama; they didn’t have to.  They don’t get the fact that people are tired of just this kind of KarlRovian politics.  McCain would have chosen an ostrich for vice president if it would have increased his chances. 

This woman is in no way qualified to be president, and I shudder to imagine it.  Our country would be the laughinstock of the planet.  McCain & the right are dumbing down the presidential campaign, belittling it for all to see. 

For this, I despise them.

Rule of Law is only for common folk, not only do we have the executive privileged, how about the elite privileged?

As the Queen of hearts was quick to say, “off with their heads”.

re: Fahrenheit 451

spelling? yes I try to check it. Please show me where.

As to the neocons leaving a stacked deck of cards, this is true. The laws to enable lawlessness. The secret presidential signings, which are in fact, a signing off of a law’s intent.
All this Jim-jam about foreign policy experience is basically moot, because when it comes to the Middle East, what Israel wants the United States fulfills.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisks-world-why-do-we-keep-letting-the-politicians-get-away-with-lies-913244.html

@ thebeerdoctor

Do you use spell checker?  Sorry, I’m an English teacher and you have a number of spelling errors in your posts.  Yes, content is the most important thing; this for me is not serious, but you have a blog, yes?

Sorry; that should have read…If you’re poor or middle class, you’re F*&ked;!  “You’re”, not your; that’s for you nit pickers.

I still think McCain chose Palin simply because he can’t bear the thought of living in our White House without the familiar sounds of the Turd Bloosom Trio ringing through the halls. 

The fact that Palin has only performed “Troopergate” in Alaska is not important to him. From his perspecitive, Palin knows all the old songs and can belt out “Executive Privilege” in the middle of scandal just as good as George, Dick, and Karl ever could.

It could be the lessen of all this is that assumed narratives no longer work. Barack, the democrats light and joy, has a complicated story when you consider he is African American in the factual sense that his father comes from Africa. A story which goes from Hawaii to Indonesia, back to Hawaii, then to California, New York and points east, and finally to Cook County, Chicago.

In contrast. McCain’s VP choice started out in Wasilla, Alaska. Went to high school there. Entered Miss Alaska beauty contest, obtained a college scholarship, went to the University of Idaho, then back to Alaska, to Anchorage, with brief work as a television sports reporter, then to work with her husband in commercial fishing. Then eventually became mayor of Wasilla, and finally Governor.

In both of these cases, geography is very important.

@ thebeerdoctor, August 30 at 6:09 am #

I think this whole Palin thing is much ado about nothing.  As I’ve said more than once here; the Bush/Cheney admin has pretty much determined the choices of the next administration because, by intention, they have bankrupted the country; thereby the choices available to Obama are limited.  Obama can orate till the cows come home; he won’t have the money to do anything.  He’ll be lucky to stabilize the economy in 4 years and this will open the door for a renewed resurgence (sorry)of the neo-cons to blast an ineffectual Obama admin.  2012 will see a resurgent neo-con with a very real possibility of re-election and the final blow to America.  The Oligarchs will have won.  If your poor or middle class, you’re F*&ked;!  These guys (neo-cons) are thinking in longer terms than you have dreamed of regarding the power of rule.

Purplewolf,

Alaska Governor wolf killer, isn’t her husband one of the indigenous people?  By the way thanks for your other post referring to Wolfsong, I may sign up.  We do not have wolves where I live, but coyotes are treated with the same contempt by most of the ranchers, who shoot on sight.  Interesting hunting seems to be becoming a kings sport like Jolly Old England in the dark ages again, as the wealthy fly in and shoot the Elk, well, at least they land the helicopter first.

Well at least she presents a pretty smile to the Repukes platform. . . I understand, from the limited info I have read, that like most Repukes she is already under investigation for criminal activities associate with the Alaskan Repuke party of corrupt, immoral politicians. Maybe she is an understudy of the Senator and his bridge to nowhere? Oil money taints a lot of politicians.

She also presents woman with the test of sexist voting. Will they vote for her in the hope that McSame dies early and she becomes Prez by default???

Very important background information regarding our next VP. Love McCain’s pic, we should all applaud his judgment:

http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/what-is-mccain-thinking-one-alaskans-perspective/

Over a thousand pair of caribou antlers in the driveway of their home and yet they restrict the indigenous people as to how many caribou they can hunt per year for food for their family. Last I heard it was 2 per family per year.

It is no wonder that Alaska has so much money. When Michigan was paying the 2nd highest taxes to the federal government we were # 49-50 to get federal funds back to our state and Alaska at the same time was getting the 1st chance at those tax dollars, much of it from Michigan, the poorest state in America or close to it. They can waste money on a bridge to nowhere, yet other states struggle to try to keep the infrastructure maintained an a semi safe? state.

You are correct beerdoc, she does appear to be a product of her enviroment. I personally do my hunting at the grocery store, but hey, if Alaskans want to do it the hard way, so be it.
What worries me however, is that she is indeed a product of her enviroment! A generic fringe dwelling repug from the last american frontier(I wonder if she has a bridge, just like Ted’s?) A blast from the recent Reagan/repug past. God, guns, and gays will be the order of the day!
The Bushies are all products of their upbringing as well as Hitler, Pol Pot, Stalin, et al.
I, too, am a product of my enviroment. I was lower middle class presbyterian boy from the rust belt. We didn’t have guns in the house because we didn’t need them. We were not taught to hate gay people, because thay taught us the golden rule in Sunday school(boy have i fallen from that pedestal) And we were taught to mind our own business when it came to things like abortion, because “there, but for the grace of god, go I”(wow, i have really fallen off that pedestal! Oh well, we all have to grow up some time) My point is, of course, that monsters are made, they aren’t born. We should ALL be very weary of the monsters we vote for today, for they may be kicking down your door and hauling you off to Guantanamo tomorrow.

For me, the fact that she was an active Pat Buchanan supporter is the most important thing to know about Palin.

Re: Frank, August 30 at 5:58 am #

So you are saying that Obama’s plan to Tax the oil and redistribute the profits to other American families is a big flop?

The republicans would agree with you.

re: Frank

Thank you for the wonderful information!

Correction:

Family of four : $8000 PFD + $4800 Rebate = $12,800 free money

re: Fahrenheit 451

I think what the McCain campaign is up to, is they are trying to get an edge on the many voters who do not really consider issues, but rather, vote emotionally.
The democrats should lay off attempts to impugn the Alaska governor’s character, simply because, and no matter how misguided it is, her views and perceptions of issues, do not align with their own. It might be best if they just said we don’t agree with her viewpoint and let it go at that. Forget about lack of experience. Dismissing her executive ability just because she was mayor of a tiny village, only provokes an angry response from voters in small towns who resent the idea that only large urban areas matter.
As far as a campaign tactic, this VP choice could be hazardous to the Obama campaign if they attempt to “pile on”.
At least you know where Governor Palin stands on social issues. She has no need to be nuanced in the (literally) red meat state of Alaska.

Oh, by the way, I ate Reindeer sausage with breakfast at least once a week when I lived there (no I’m not joking), and moosemeat at least a few times a year.  Mooseburgers, mooseloaf, moosechiladas, all very tasty if you know how to properly tenderize and season the meat. I had friends who were moose hunters, so I got the benefits without the work.

I do remember vividly the look of horror on my young nieces face when she overheard me talking about reindeer sausage.  She had never been to Alaska and must have thought I had killed one of Santas sled crew. It took a while to explain that one…

thebeerdoctor, “culturally disconnected” is right. I lived there for 10 years, from 1992 to 2002.

Alaskans pay no state income tax. Not one penny. They get all the benefits of a high-service state government without paying for it themselves. It is all paid for by oil, gas, timber revenues and corporate taxes.

One top of that, each resident living there for more than one year becomes a defacto shareholder in the Alaska Permanent Fund corporation with roughly $40 billion in assets, funded every year by oil revenues. As Alaska Permanent Fund shareholders, every resident gets an annual dividend check, called the PFD , which this year will be roughly $2000.  That is EVERY resident, regardless of age. So a family of four will get $8000 in ‘free’ money with not a penny paid in state income taxes.

On top of the $2000 PFD check this year, Sarah Palin authorized an additional “rebate” of $1200 per resident, payable to everyone eligible for the PFD, to help with the ‘high energy costs’.

Talk about an economic stimulus, let’s do the math…

Individual resident: $2000 PFD + $1200 Rebate = $3200 free money.

Family of four : $8000 PFD + $4800 Rebate + $12,800 free money.

All of this without taxing residents one penny or running up a deficit, because Alaska has a surplus this year. That is how rich the State of Alaska is right now due to oil revenue.

Is it any wonder Sarah Palin has a sky high approval rating? She has not had to contend with taxing residents to pay for budget deficits as most governors and US Presidents have.

Keep in mind the bulk of Alaska residents live in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and a handful of larger towns where the gas prices are only between $4 and $5 per gallon, not the super high prices paid by a small minority in rural village that was mentioned in some recent media coverage. There will be a lot of new plasma TVs and snowmachines sold this winter (thats “snowmobile” in the Lower 48) .

Gee, I am really starting to miss living in Alaska.

The U.S. is a very diverse conglomeration of peoples and cultures; we have native peoples, Hmong, and rural communities (N.E., South, S.W., N.W.) to name only a few that hunt for very real economic reasons.  Fur for fashion is crap; fur for survival is okay.  I mention the Hmong because they are recent emigres to our country (from Lao) and many hunt for food in the places where they have settled.  We should be very careful in passing “judgment” on lifestyles that do not match our own very narrow view of reality.  While I find McCain repugnant as a candidate (based on issues) and think Palin is a poor choice; I for one would like to see criticisms based on substantive issues and not personal philosophies.  All in all Palin is much ado about nothing.  Keep it real, please.

McCain chooses someone he does not honestly even know to potentially run the most powerful country on the planet??

Republicans, none of whom even knew this lady before yesterday, are so quick to embrace her. Do they not understand that she herself admitted that she had no clue what a VP does?

Just 24 months ago this lady was a self-professed hockey mom.  Sweet freaking jesus on a stick.

I think geography has not been given much consideration here. The Governor of Alaska has lived most of her life in Alaska. The hunting, fishing aspects of her resume are not made up talking points. Her favorite meat is moose. She went moose hunting with her dad as a child. She is pro fur as clothing, from an animal she would likely shoot herself.

Ridicule her biography, but those awkward points are because she hails from a state, that is culturally disconnected from the lower 48, in many ways. A land of sometimes very harsh climate and very cold. So it is not so surprising that Governor Palin enjoys ice fishing.