ABOUT FIRST READ

First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



The difference between Biden, Palin

Posted: Sunday, August 31, 2008 3:51 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: ,

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Joe Biden is already conceding one thing to Sarah Palin.

“Well, there's obvious differences,” he joked during a roundtable discussion on the economy this afternoon. “She's good looking.”

Biden was trying to make a serious point about the different perspective he said each ticket has on the economy, but the crowd began to chuckle when he said there was a “gigantic” difference between Obama and McCain and himself and “my vice presidential opponent.” After complimenting Palin's looks, someone in the crowd shouted back that Biden was “gorgeous.”

“Oh, I tell you what! Would you make sure Jill hears that?” he replied. “I haven't heard that in a long, long, long time.”

He added that hanging out with a “lean, young-looking” Obama was starting to make him “feel pretty old.” But he continued on with his intended message, which was that the Democratic team would work to give the middle class a “fighting chance.”

“John McCain looks to the past,” he said, saying he'd give tax breaks for corporations and oil interest instead of working people. “John McCain's proposal -- he leaves out 100 million American families without a single red cent,” he said. “Barack Obama's going to give 95 percent of the American people a tax cut.”
Biden began by saying he offered a prayer at morning mass for the people of the Gulf Coast, and urged those in the audience to do the same.

“These folks have been through, you know, they've been through hell, and pray God this Gustav decides to take a turn or something, but it doesn't look real good now,” he said.

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Comments

YUCK! which girl told biden he was gorgeous? she needs to get her eyes checked!!

mccain/palin 08 + hillary 2012
Let's hope everyone in the path of this dangerous hurricane are safe and will continue to be safe.
Yikes- can you handle the truth - how about you first read will you let the TRUTH come out?????

News about Grandma Palin is spreading like wildfire and you know what- it's true.  The only question is- who in the main stream media will break it and how long it will take.

This is the tip of the proverbial iceberg in less than 48 hours- what'd going to happen when the real journalist get a hold of some of these tidbits. Especially the part about the real father.

How soon before Sarah Palin's name is withdrawn????

Um, this is why candidates are seriously vetted over many weeks - this could be a potential circus!



http://gov.state.ak.us/photos/PalinFamily_Outside_v01.jpg

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/v-gallery/story/339587.html?/news/alaska/v-enlarge/story/339587-a339583-t3.html

http://openthread.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/30/9336/15731/279/579413

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-69834

Biden good job. It is best to discuss what Obama and you will do for the middle class. Let Palin self-destruct. Base on what the alaskan newspapers and blogs are saying about Palin, she does not seem like a good pick. It is sad when your own state does not believe she is ready to be vp. telling indeed.
I found it truly hilarious to watch Tom Brokaw and the "journalists" on Meet the Press this morning gushing about how nice approachable Sarah Palin is.

Question:  What the hell does that have to do with governing? What happened to the Commander in Chief test? The 3 AM phone call? Terrorism?

Are you telling me that was all a bunch of made up bullsh!t?

That's what it looks like from here.

Oh well, let me stop - don't want to "bully" the next leader of the free world, now do I? I hear that she gets a special pass because the media sez so.

Whatever.
Great strategy, Sen. Biden... Republicans and conservatives will jump on this, saying Sen. Biden is trying to marginalize Gov. Palin, so be prepared for it.  But the leader of the Republican Party, Rush Limpdi*k, is already touting Sarah Palin as a "babe" and contrasting her to Hillary's looks...

Sen. Biden is smart to try and pit women who are considering voting for McCain because of Sarah Palin against Gov. Palin because there are a lot of women out there who may be insecure over the fact that Palin is able to succeed at balancing work, being a mother, a wife, and being gorgeous on top of it.  Women may openly discuss how proud they are of her, but privately, they may not like it.  
http://www.hollywood-newsroom.com/gossip/sarah-palin-naked/

Palin Photos and BABY SCANDAL!!!!!

Whos your daddy baby???
her husband?? Son
Its her daughters baby
Biden needs to be careful making comments like that.  Look how outraged the women were at how Hillary was treated.  Then again, McCain made such an obvious, strategic, and idiotic move to woo the Clinton supporters I wouldn't be surprised if Biden tore her to pieces in the upcoming debate.  I, as a woman, would not be offended. And I also know Biden would not purposely be sexist towards Palin.  I just won't jump the gun at anything that sounds remotely sexist, because this woman is allowing the GOP to represent her as good as Hillary Clinton.  I was not a supporter of hers, but I recognized her accomplishments, and Palin is NOT Hillary Clinton nor will she ever be.
Appalling and astounding that the liberal, democratic feminists are attempting to discredit Palin because she is a beautiful former beauty queen. Women should be horrified at the hypocritical nature of the left wing media and Obama/Biden ticket. The implication that a woman cannot have beauty and brains is downright insulting. She is exactly the model of a successful woman!

Her executive experience overshadows Obama's pomp and circumstance of illusionary proportions related to his "experience".

Beware because the right wing is energized by Palin who is an intelligent, diligent, passionate conservative who embodies the prolife, progun, profamily, promilitary base of the Republican party who were thinking about sitting home this November...and we will proudly put this ticket over the top!
Joe Biden---you ARE gorgeous!
Miss Palin is more of a LensCrafters model....
Not top get off subject Chuck, but McCain is on MSNBC right now calling everyone to aid and help out all the potential victims for the coming Gustav.  Are you freaking kidding?  It took him over 7 months to get South after Katrina, after a birthday cake photo op the days the Katrina levees broke.  He has voted AGAINST all the provisions to help Katrina victims, including extension of unemployment benefits of Katrina victims, a commission on the root causes of the total Katrina help meltdown, and even a later no vote on aid provisions that he himself proposed.  How are we supposed to believe that he means squat now?  If you post this, I will be shocked 'cause it's off subject and it is starkly not in McCain's corner of spin, but every news, blog, and magazine site is reporting McCain's lack of interest in Katrina and its aftermath.  His cynical pandering and grossly presumptive quasinational briefing is deeply, unwaveringly offensive to me.
We love Joe Biden!  I just hope that he starts to lay the groundwork NOW -- long before the VP debates -- and clearly, repeatedly states that he considers a woman to be his equal in all regards. And, there should be NO differentiation between how he would debate her or campaign against her simply because she's a woman.  

It is not sexist if he treats as a competitor. It's actually respectful. Equality isn't a one-way street and women can't have it both ways.

so, no gloves, Joe -- velvet or otherwise -- just take the fight to her like you would any clueless, far-right Republican!  I'm tired of Democrats playing nice with those cheatin' lying Rovians.

56 y.o. white woman in Purple AZ

I consider myself a pro-life Democrat and even though I don’t agree with every policy the Democrats support, I do believe that between the two major parties, the Democratic Party is the bigger friend to women. Women are smart, capable, steadfast, and persistent. We are just as good as men and our daughters should be given every opportunity that our sons receive. I was proud, not just at what Hillary Clinton achieved, but at others for judging her mostly for her policies and not her gender. It was a moment that got our country moving forward and 18 million votes proves it.
But all of that progress tumbled down when John McCain chose Sarah Palin to be his running mate on the Republican ticket. Instead of a triumphant moment for American women, I was depressed at the obvious publicity stunt. Don’t think it was a publicity stunt? You truly believe she was picked for her ability to lead? Barely half way through her acceptance speech to be McCain’s running mate, she made a plea for Hillary Clinton’s supporters. The crowd cheered for Hillary Clinton as if Hillary was one of them. Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton. She lacks the leadership, influence, insight, and to be blunt, the intelligence that defines Hillary Clinton. No matter your view of Hillary, you can’t deny that she is extremely intelligent and influential, qualities that are strikingly absent from Palin.
Palin was chosen only because she is a woman. Palin is a condescending gesture by McCain to women that asks them to forget that he voted no on issues like equal-pay-for-equal-work and the Violence Against Women Act.  I’m supposed to forget that and vote for him because he has a woman on the ticket? How much sense does it make to vote for a woman who doesn’t support women? I hope women will see through this façade and realize that as women, we want to be treated equal to men and not used by them. John McCain acts as if the vice presidency is a character to be casted in a play or movie. Heaven forbid something happen to him, is she really the one to take on Vladimir Putin? This is serious business and we need someone we can take seriously. There were a lot of other qualified conservative women he could have chosen, instead, he went for shock value. To me, this says that John McCain uses women to advance his own career.
I want to see the day where a woman is sworn in as President of the United States. Hillary Clinton proved to our country that women are more than capable of being president. Sarah Palin proves that women can still be exploited by men.
Right on Joe Biden.  A man I feel with dignity, and will certainly be a well revered VP.  Can't wait for the debates!!  I'm sure everyone else feels the same.      
Keep hitting them on the economy. Dems are right on this one!
God bless Joe Biden.
When it comes to attracting the WOMEN'S VOTE, Sen. Biden needs to draw his contrast w/ Sarah Palin over one very sensitive issue:  GUNS.  

Many women, especially moms (especially moms of young kids) are very sensitive over guns getting into the wrong hands, and the more they hear about school shootings, women feel helpless because they feel that they can't control their kids' well-being.  

The fact that Gov. Palin is such an avid supporter of guns may turn off a lot of women.  Some of these women may be pro-life and in favor of drilling for oil off-shore, but when it comes to guns, many women (especially mothers) are very reserved.  

In a debate or on the campaign trail, Sen. Biden can ask Sarah Palin:  "How many more kids dying to gun violence will it take, Gov. Palin, before you and your party stop supporting the ability of guns getting into the wrong hands?  How many more Columbine High School incidents will it take before you say enough is enough, Gov, Palin?"  

By invoking what happened at Columbine High School, it brings back some nasty memories for mothers all across the country, and it triggers nasty images for residents of Colorado, a swing state that the Democrats are trying to pick up.  

The Obama-Biden team can also run ads that star mothers who have lost their children to gun violence, and these women can directly ask Sarah Palin:  "Gov Palin, won't you join us in supporting legislation that restricts guns from getting into the wrong hands so that it prevents catastrophies and prevents more mothers like we from losing children?"  

To me, that would be effective in drawing a contrast between Sen. Biden and Gov. Palin w/o attacking her for being inexperienced, a woman, or a religious fanatic.  
McCain VP Choice Is Religious Right Money Play To Fund McCain!  McCain Is Putting Religious Right Over the Country First!

McCain has proven he has no judgment and has sold out to the Religious Right!  Forget putting Country first; McCain is putting the Religious Right First!  The new McCain campaign slogan now is “The Country First move over, the Religious Right is Taking Over”.  This VP choice is a money play for the Religious Right to fund McCain! Today McCain is saying anyone can be President if they buy McCain’s vote with his nobody pick of Palin for VP.  An old lobbyist turns to the money base with his VP choice!

McCain has sold out to the Religious Right!  If Palin is qualified to be VP, then I am qualified too!  Palin is no Hillary Clinton!  Palin is an insult and affront to woman rights and woman liberation!  Kevin Kline did it best in the Movie “In and Out” about a gay teacher shunned by the religious right.  The movie ends with everyone supporting the teacher saying “I am gay too”!   In this case everyone should be saying “If Palin is qualified to be VP, then I am too”! Rush Limbaugh would be a more qualified VP candidate! This VP choice is a money play for the Religious Right to fund McCain!

Hello!  We just had a Richter 11.0 Religious Right earthquake and the news says that it is novel and was a surprise!  McCain’s Religious Right VP pick is so totally outrageously unqualified it is pathetic!  David Gergen of CNN is one of the only analysts shocked at the totally unqualified selection of Palin by McCain.  McCain picked a VP for the Religious Right who was a mayor of a tiny town less than two years ago and has a few months as “governor” of the tiny state population of 673,000 which is less than the population of the Twin Cities area!  An old lobbyist turns to the money base with his VP choice!   McCain has sold out to the Religious Right!

Hello! Anybody with any common sense out there!  McCain just picked an incompetent VP for the Religious Right to perform the most important job in the world and the news reaction is to repeatedly say they are “surprised” at the “interesting” selection as if it was some novel story about Hockey Moms!  Has the news media gone off a cliff!  The Religious Right just selected McCain’s VP and proves McCain is owned by the Religious Right!  The new McCain campaign slogan now is “The Country First move over, the Religious Right is Taking Over”.  McCain has sold out to the Religious Right!  

We just witnessed the complete total incompetence of cable news media to report this VP disaster by the GOP Religious Right as a human interest spin story!  The only interest is WHO IS CONTROLLING THE MEDIA SPIN!  The Religious Right represents a small fraction of the population, but one would think that it was 80% or more listening today to the cable news programming!  The cable media has joined McCain in the Religious Right LA-La land! This VP choice is a money play for the Religious Right to fund McCain!

What is most horrifying is that the media and Cable News has suddenly become the Religious Right Cable News network in support of the religious right zealot conservative Palin!  The news programming has become a bad episode of the “Twilight Zone”. Suddenly 80% of the news programming is Religious Right “human Interest” stories, i.e., GOP Spin Propaganda!  It is offensive and insulting that McCain and the Religious Right delude themselves to even pretend that Palin would attract even one Hillary Vote!  An old lobbyist turns to the money base with his VP choice!

The cable media and Religious Right clearly knows exactly how pathetic the McCain VP choice is and how pathetic their biased news coverage has been!  Even an idiot knows you don’t pick a small town mayor for the most important job in the world!  So the question is WHO IS CONTROLLING THE NEWS MEDIA SPIN!  This VP pick is a power play by the Religious Right to run the Country!

The Religious Right are now running the GOP show of lies, smears, and deception! Palin is a Saudi Hockey Mom who runs a charity welfare State paid for 85% by our Federal funding tax dollars!  The oil and gas in Alaska is on Federal land and owned by the Federal government.  It is easy to run a charity state paid for by Federal tax money! Let Alaska pay their way like every other state, and her incompetence will be glaring. Alaska is a giant welfare State to the tune of 85% of their budget!  This VP choice is a money play for the Religious Right to fund McCain!

Palin is a bad Religious Right joke running a charity state and pretending to be a fiscal conservative.  All Palin wants is more money for Big Oil, like McCain and Bush.  Palin lobbies to get every Federal handout she can get.  Palin strongly supported the Bridge to Nowhere in 2006 until it became a national embarrassment.  Palin and Alaska receive 85% of their income from our national resources.  All revenue from sale of national resources should be used to reduce the national debt and should not be used to fund the State budget or Big Oil.  Follow the Religious Right and oil money!  This VP choice is a money play for the Religious Right to fund McCain!

The public should be reminded that Palin, like the Religious Right, thinks global warming is a myth and wants creationism taught in schools!  McCain is now owned by the Religious Right! The stark denial of the fact of global warming and science of evolution is not surprising considering Palin is a journalism major, Religious Right zealot, and supports Big Oil.  All Palin want to do, like the GOP, is to drill for more oil to get more of our money from our national resources for her State and Big Oil.  Now the Religious Right wants to run our Country!  This Religious Right power play by McCain must be exposed for the disastrous choice it represents! This VP choice is a money play for the Religious Right to fund McCain!

Steve Kirslis
Atlanta GA

There could NOT be a starker difference.  

One of these people is a foreign policy expert and DOESN'T HAVE TO ASK WHAT DOES A VP DO ANYWAY.

This has got to be a joke.  And if it is, it is a sick one that threatens to put the United States in danger.
Palin is a fine looking person, appears to be quite smart, BUT, there is not a chance we can feel secdure if McCain kicks the bucket or get incapacitated if he were to become President.  The obvious problem she has is being on a team where McCain 90% Bush, 10% Maverick is the one people will vote for or against.  No way No McCain/Bush, your Republican team has destroyed America more than any enemy could have.  Good bye to the old thinking and welcome to a team that will bring a level playing field to all Americans.  Our National Security will again be strong as Obama builds up our Nations' respect and infrastructure and gives the American people as a whole guaranteed better education, health insurance for all Americans and a no nonsense energy plan without rewarding the greedy oil companies.  GOOD BYE MCCAIN/BUSH/ AND POOR PALIN.
You know I read that McCain wanted a running mate he would be comfortable with . Palin is just that, His first wife was a former beauty queen, Cindy is a former beauty queen and Palin is a former beauty queen. Besides she will be the first VP responsible for getting the Pres his morning cup of Joe. Oh ,y Goodness is saw a female rep from Tenn. explain the merit in the Palin pick. It was shameful, 1) her husband is strong on economy , she ran the PTA and coached hockey. This was a female republican elected official. I was really amazed that they went there like that.
You have to love this guy! In my humble opinion, Joe Biden is by far the better looking of the two VP candidates. Don't underestimate yourself, Joey!!
That's typical Joe!  Funny, yet very honest, and at times very serious!  We love you Joe!
Oh oh, is Biden falling under Palin's charms? Maybe McCain knew what he was doing in his VP selection.
Dear concerned citizens of America and mass media of the U.S.A.

As a concerned  disabled American Veteran and American citizen, I consider it my duty and responsibility to address the following critical issues facing the voters of our Greatgrand nation, the United States of America [USA].
 
The citizens of the United States of America [USA] have the ultimate power and responsibility to elect the Right Ticket with the right joint "temperament, judgment, and statesmanship" to lead our nation as well as change our nation's present and future moral, political, economic, educational, health care, energy, military, and foundational soul.

In my firm professional, personal, and political opinion,  the media should help the common voter to explore and discuss the following attributes of the present Republican and Democratic presidential slates:

1. Does the joint ticket have a calm, cool, and collected " temper and impulse" [Presidential Temperament]?
2. Does each ticket have sound and sustained "Judgment and Caliber"?
3. Does each ticket have a "presidential depth and degree" in regard to their purpose, policies, and positions?
4. Does each ticket have adequate, "understanding and knowledge" of workings around Washington"?
5. Does each ticket have enough "vigor, wisdom and Vision" for the future of our beloved Great-grand Nation?
6. Does each ticket possess enough joint foreign policy experience and ex-poser based on "American Values, Virtues, Vastness, and strong soul"?
7. Are their campaign talk, slogans, ads, plans, and programs based on facts and are they free of fear, fiction, frivolous labels, unfair attacks, negativity, and impulsivity?

If your answer to a majority of the above questions is yes, I suggest you vote for that ticket. As a Independent registered voter I have decided to vote for Obama-Biden ticket. I am sure they will protect our national security, Strong's, stamina and strong soul. Rebuild our nation from bottom up in all areas of need, OBAMA-BIDEN ticket will once again restore and rebuild our global standing with the use of maximum international humane diplomacy and minimal force if and when indicated.

Yours sincerely,

COL. A.M. Khajawall [Ret] MD., Forensic psychiatrist, Colonel, US-AR / MC Combat Stress Control[Ret], Disabled American Veteran and Iraq Freedom team.
Palin is very reckless, and infact demonstrated less respect for Human life by knowingly conceiving a baby at age 41 that was born with a birth defect. She was quite aware of this possiblility but yet ignored all advise. If this is the kind of leader we want to elect, then our standard are very low.
I am a moderate and was a huge supporter of Mccaine, but this pick  will cost him my vote and many others.
So much for McCain's judgement.
We should all be offended by the Republican's exploitation of the potential for gender equality in our nation.  

Lets all remember that our task is to choose a President.

It is a sad day for Republicans when their base is more excited about their VP pick than their nominated presidential candidate.
Sarah Palin looks and acts like 'Elaine' on 'Seinfeld'. John's pick represents the quality (or lack of) of the woman in the Republican party. Their role is to be second fiddle. If you look at all the candidates in the Republican primary, the wives sat in the shadows of their spouse and spoke very little. So Sarah will be a shadow to John McCain because of John's temperament and doesn't like to be ordered or be questioned by someone under him, let alone a WOMAN, look at Cindy and what he called her the 'c' word. This is a slap to all the Hillary Supporters and the cracks in the ceiling.
Karl Rove on Face the Nation

"With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he"s been a governor for three years, he"s been able but undistinguished. I don"t think people could really name a big, important thing that he"s done. He was mayor of the 105th largest city in America. And again, with all due respect to Richmond, Virginia, it"s smaller than Chula Vista, California; Aurora, Colorado; Mesa or Gilbert, Arizona; north Las Vegas or Henderson, Nevada. It"s not a big town. So if he were to pick Governor Kaine, it would be an intensely political choice where he said, `You know what? I"m really not, first and foremost, concerned with, is this person capable of being president of the United States?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-jrk2e0MMs Gotta love Rove...Says it all really if you put Gov. Palin’s name in place of Gov. Kaine.  Pot and Kettle Politics indeed!
I am sure that Democrats oogling a Republican VP choice will surely attract disaffected Hillary voters.  This is ridiculous!

At what point will Obama and Biden start hammering McSame and Palin on their obvious radical economic and social agendas, as well as the numerous hypocricies and inconsistencies in their records.  The stakes are too high the let the passive MSM give the Republicans a pass.  Its becoming clear that the Democrats are dropping the ball on this one!
The charm of Joe "average Joe" Biden is in his realness, his naturalness.

What a guy!
I suspect Biden will feel younger once he starts tearing it up on the campaign trail.  Palin isn't even in the same sport, let alone league, with Biden.
Oh great - just what the environment, polar bears and suffering middle class needs - the duo threat of McNasty and Barracuda.  Just put us on the endangered species list too.  
I gotta hand it to McCain - picking someone like Palin sure makes it hard for the Obama camp to come out really hard against her HUGE qualifications questions...

But all Obama and Biden should do is keep their focus on McCain and his desire to further the failed policies of the Bush administration.

And when they have to comment on Palin, all they need to say is something along the lines of, "She appears like she'll do a fine job promoting and pushing McCain's "more-of-the-same" agenda.  'Nuff said.
why are many republican Americans stupid??? what in the world did he choose this botox filled woman who doesn't seem intelligent enough to understand evolution, science, and the true fact??? someone who believes in creationism as a VP??? are you serious?  It's 21st century!!!  without science and evolution, she wouldn't have enjoyed all the luxury and convenient things she has in her life.  anti-choice, pro-gun, global warming myth, anti-polar bear,....just what kind of intelligence do you have, sara???  MCain seems to love botoxed former beauty pageant contestants, such as his wife and Palin.  If Cindy can compromise one less high-end brand name cloth, one less box, one less shoes, bags, spa visit, how many orphans can be fed??????
Well, Biden actually is pretty gorgeous and has a fantastic smile.  That's where the similarity ends. I really can't imagine that Hillary supporters would vote for this woman, except for some of those 'Reagan democrats', unfortunately.  She and Hillary have nothing in common and Hillary must be horrified that someone like this could be in this position. It's pretty scary to have a shoot-from-the-hip loose cannon a heart beat away from the presidency, particularly with McOld's health.  Seriously, she isn't qualified for anything close to this job.
This is like when Bush 41 was in, and whenever Letterman did a Top Ten list of someone's biggest fears, one of them would always be that something happened to Bush.  
Biden is MUCH better looking that the Stepford Wife, Sarah Palin.  And - more importantly - he can do the job.  
Joe Biden is too cool!  He is a great choice.  What a contrast in the decision-making skills of Obama and Mccain.  Senator Obama takes the position that running the country is a very serious task.  

mccain and his folks have only tried to manipulate and control by trying trick after trick.  Nasty, negative ads, inappropriate vp choice and mocking to the highest degree every and anything said or done by the Obama campaign.  

More of same with pain is what you get with mccain!
It is unbelievable to me that democrats can spew outright lies and have them go unrefuted by the "journalists".  Obama giving 95% of American people a tax cut???  Does he know that about half of Americans pay NO federal income tax at all - soooo a "tax cut" for them would be - you guessed it -  WELFARE!
The Republicans have got to be kidding about their Vice Presidential nomination.  I am sure that Sarah Palin is a very smart woman and she appears to be very articulate.  But let's get real here, she has no foreign policy experience and she even says herself that she knows almost nothing about the Iraq War or the middle east.  How in the world can the Republicans criticize Obama for his lack of experience when she has virtually none herself.  

The Vice Presidential candidates are critical because they are only a step away from becoming the Commander-in-Chief  should something happen to our President.  And McCain is 72 years old.  He could have a serious health issue at any time and she would have to take over.  It is insane to think she would have the knowledge and experience to run the most powerful country in the world just because she has been the Govenor of Alaska for 20 months.

The Republicans are counting on ex-Hillary supporters to flock to Ms. Palin.  They must think that women are stupid if they are going to completely disregard someones lack of qualifications and vote for her just because she is a woman.  Most of the women I know are much smarter than that.  If I had any thoughts about supporting McCain before his selection of a running mate I sure don't have any thoughts about voting for him now.
mccant wants to tax health benefits paid by employers so what that means is raising taxes on American workers while he wants ultra rich companies to get tax deductions.
I like Joe Biden and his humor, but he's gonna have to watch this issue -- Sarah Palin was picked so McCain could play the sexism card when she is attacked in any way, and comments about her appearance can be misconstrued.

Watch out Joe, esp during the debates -- they're going to try to make it look like your beating up on a sweet young thing, and/or not taking her seriously.

It's a treacherous tightrope -- no jokes about her as a person -- a gaffe from you that may sway some women (who don't focus on issues) is McCain's last hope.
It's hard to imagine Cheney in a bathing suit with sash and tiara, but it's easy to imagine the hockey mom shooting those 14 baby wolves in the head. I always loved those Coca Cola commercials with the polar bears, and now daughter of Cheney (not the gay one, but the animal slayer) wants to kill them so that Alaska will be safe for more hunters to shoot caribou and more oil slick companies to watch oil rigs spill out like they're doing all over the Gulf this week. Just to put things in perspective, here's a nice white house picture of Bush and McCain preparing for Katrina in 2005:

www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/images/20050829-5_p082905pm-0125-515h.html

In the Spirit he carried me out in the Gulf region of the Beautiful Land. I saw a woman mounted on a stuffed grizzly beast, several more of nature’s trophies stuffed on her walls, all stuffed with blasphemies about shooting seven baby wolves in the head and slaughtering ten polar bears, so that the oil companies could join her out in the cold and drink their fill. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet for her pageant competition, festooned with gold and gems and pearls on her tiara. She held a gold chalice in her hand, brimming with defiling obscenities about the hoax of global warning, her foul fornications about the mysterious winds and waters on thehorizon. A riddle-name was branded on her forehead: great babylon, mother of whores and abominations of the stewards of the earth. I could see that the woman was drunk, drunk on the blood of the lands which the oil companies quickly consumed, drunk on the blood of the martyrs of Jesus stretching across from Galveston to Tampa, taking their fills from the eroded glacial waters, and sprinkling them in squalls across the saints of New Orleans.
Go Joe and Barack.
You guys are doing well and if you keep your eye
on the prize, America will soon be restored to the America we all remember.
From a white, middle class,christian  hardworking mom
Obama/Biden 08
If the Media does some vetting on Pallin, McCain could be in BIG TROUBLE. Most of us know about her stance on Abortion and Creationism. But, it looks like the Oil Companies, once again, will own the President and VP if the Republicans get elected. No wonder Big Oil donations are rolling in.  

Governor Pallin, whose husband works for BP, has a dismal record on pollution and catering to special interests. Many parts of Alaska are pristine, untouched by pollution. However, Alaska also has thousands of hazardous waste sites including active and formerly used defense sites (FUDs), National Priority List (NPL) or Superfund Sites, active and abandoned mine sites, solid and industrial waste landfills. Yes, there is Nuclear Waste already buried in unprotected sites in Alaska.

Unbelievable as this may sound, her policies and statements actually puts her to the right of the Bush Administration. The Rove Clones didn’t want to win Hillary Votes, they wanted to excite the Far Right.

She believes Global Warming is a farce and supports further development of the Pebble Mine which threatens the entire Bristol Bay ecosystem which contains the largest sockeye salmon run in the world. The mine would pollute an unprecedented number of rivers, lakes, and bays. Pebble Mine's potential for pollution would make the Exxon Valdez oil spill look like a small grease stain.  

She is suing the Federal Government to revoke the polar bears from the endangered species list. Why? Because it could restrict Oil Industry drilling sites including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. To educate Alaskans about aerial hunting of wolves and bears, $400,000 of State Tax money was used to directly influence the outcome of Proposition 2 which would have limited aerial shooting of predators. Proposition two was voted down on 8/26/2008. She is a member of an Alaskan Club called the BARBARIANS! I kid you not, do a Google Search. Not really your average Hockey Mom..
Senator Biden is an experienced, accomplished politician who puts people first, whether man or women.  

Govenor Palin, in contrast, has presented herself as a modern day women renascent of those portrayed in the award winning television show, Madmen.  She is so unappealing to women as her aim is to set us back 50 years.  A women's personal choice is tantamount here-whether it is working outside of the home or going choosing that very tough job of staying at home to rear your children.

She should not be applauded because she went to work within two days; especially because insurance constraints promote drive-by c-sections sending women home ill and ill prepared to cope with the rigors of raising children.  Many have been rushed back to hospitals with complications because of shoddy insurance coverage failing to provide for the care women need.  Imagine the kind of medical treatment the women that cannot afford insurance receive!   Also, her story about boarding a plane while in labor is just plain stupid!  What a horrible risk to subject oneself or an unborn child too-imagine willingly trying to deliver a baby while 35, 000 feet in the air!  Some women have the means and familiar support to enable them to work in corporate America or elsewhere, even Michelle Obama, whose professional credentials far outweigh Palin's, has the blessing of having her mother at her side helping to care for her children.  Palin needs to run on the issues and her experience.  She doesn't even know what's going on regarding the wars in which America is engaged and certainly cannot tie her scant success regarding energy issues with her ability to deal with foreign policies.  Palin simply is no match for Biden or Obama not because she is a women, but because she lacks the good judgment, exposure and basic common sense to get the job done.  
Here's a difference, there's no question as to  whether or not Biden may have falsely claimed to be the parent of one of his grandchildren in order to cover up an unplanned teen pregnancy.
Under no circumstances should any one vote for a ticket that only appeals to those on the extreme religious right. We've had eight years of that ideology, and it hasn't worked out well for anyone.

Once I found out that she's pushing to teach creationism in science class, that IMHO immediately disqualified her from running for any national public office.

I'm tired of having the current ignorance and lack of intellectual curiosity in the White House generating scorn and derision from around the world.

There is no way I could vote for four more years of being a world laughing stock while the rest of the world shoots right by us with scientific research and development.

No way, no how, No McCain


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