Sarah Palin (god help us!)

Today's clouds: Cumulus fractus; Cumulus humilis ('fair weather clouds') look out a storm is coming!

I watched the Republican National Convention last week as I had watched the Democratic National Convention. I made myself watch the Republican's party every day it aired and as I watched I cringed and squirmed as I listened to every word that came out of every speakers mouth. It was also blatantly obvious that the Republicans didn't speak of or even mention some critical issues like unemployment (all time high this August 6.1% national average) disappearing jobs going overseas, healthcare, education, declining wages, the environment and alternative energy sources. What became clear to me very early on was that the old "culture war" is on. Leave it to the Repubs to pull out all their dirty tricks. Divide and conquer is their old stand by and it might just work again.
Instead of being on message ( Repub issues) every speaker seemed to be more interested in bashing Obama and the Democrates. So clearly, I was interested, as was most of the country, in hearing what the Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin had to say on her behalf.

When John McCain announced his choice for Vice President I totally thought he was pandering to the women's' vote - I still think it so. I watched as he introduced her and instantly thought, who is she and where does she come from? Quite frankly, my first thought was, he's making a big mistake. Not that I care he makes mistakes, I want this to be a mistake. I know McCain is a fiscal conservative and not a social conservative and this will no doubt alienate moderate Republicans. Not only is he pandering to women he's pandering to the Christian Right voters and apparently Palin is pandering to parents with children with special needs as well. Shameless. I thought McCain would be the man to change the Republican party and not keep the status-quo. Yes, I was hoping for a fair fight from McCain but it's not going to happen. I'm all for change that will shake things up in a positive way - I see this move of McCain's as being more of the same and Obama as the true candidate for change in this country.

Getting back to Palin's speech I was appalled at her attack dog status and her empty vindictive words. She demonstrated to me that she is a religious conservative who backs big oil and someone who doesn't take climate change seriously (apparently she doesn't believe it's a man made crisis). There is also this little tidbit that came out as well and that is George Bush's speech writers wrote half of her speech which leads my suspicious mind to think that the current administration (Carl Rove) probably had a hand in picking this woman. Can you think of two big oil proponents in the White House? George W. and Dick Cheney. Disturbing. :::shiver:::

The whole scene was too surreal. Pretty lady (Phyllis Schlafly like lady) governor with five children (one pregnant 17 year old daughter, and a downs syndrome baby what a picture of regular American folks) barking it up for the right wing culture war. I think this is how the Republicans really like to talk. Rather than talk about real issues that affect real people they use scare tactics to frighten voters into thinking the Democrats will be raising taxes and spending all their hard earned money on "pork". If jilted Hillary supporters vote for McCain because his running mate has a vagina then they should stop calling themselves feminist.

One more item that disturbed me was Palin's attack on Obama's credentials as a community organizer and senator. Comparing herself - mayor of Whosville to Obama's community organizing was stupefying. What about his credentials as a very educated, intelligent person - graduated Harvard, made history at Harvard by becoming the first African American to head the prestigious Harvard Law Review. And finally a candidate who is very in touch with what everyday Americans need in these hard economic times.

I'll give Palin one thing, she's got balls and she's got a bite but does that make her vice presidential material? I don't think so, especially since she didn't have a clue to what a vice president did a few weeks ago.

"The object of the superior man is truth"