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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



Palin v. McCain on stem cells

Posted: Friday, September 12, 2008 4:08 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
A new McCain radio ad touts the Republican presumptive nominee's moderate stance on stem cell research -- and it lumps Palin in with that stance.  

"They're the original mavericks. Leaders. Reformers. Fighting for real change," an announcer begins. "John McCain will lead his Congressional allies to improve America's health. Stem cell research to unlock the mystery of cancer, diabetes, heart disease. Stem cell research to help free families from the fear and devastation of illness. Stem cell research to help doctors repair spinal cord damage, knee injuries, serious burns. Stem cell research to help stroke victims." And then later: "Change is coming. McCain-Palin and Congressional allies."

But as Hotline's Jen Skalka points out, "During a 2006 AK gubernatorial debate, Palin was asked for her view on stem sell research:

"'Well, another hypothetical, because I certainly have not seen it on the docket in our university system, stem cell research. But here again, with a Pro-life position, and its interesting that so many questions revolve around this centeredness I have of respecting life and the potential of every human life, but no, stem-cell research would ultimately end in destruction of life. I couldn’t support (it).'"

Skalka adds, "It's worth noting, too, that the GOP's 2008 platform included strong language" calling for a ban on "all embryonic stem-cell research, public or private."

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McCain & Palin = "The Campaign to Nowhere"

Thanks, but no thanks! I'm voting for true change, compassion, and intelligence.  Go Obama/Biden '08!
The McCain/ Palin ticket should scare the heck out of any Common sense American ! Yet we know, common sense is Not a Virtue to which conservative's have much of.

Right wing social conservatives are TERRORIST WITHOUT A GUN ! I hope the skies open up & suck everyone of you TERRORIST WITHOUT A GUN up there Now, so Real American's can get on with LIFE !

Enough !

We can't stand 4 more year's of the last 8 year's !
Hey First Read:

Here is John McCain ON VIDEO  saying, "I have had a strong and a long relationship on national security, I've been involved in every national crisis that this nation has faced since Beirut, I understand the issues, I understand and appreciate the enormity of the challenge we face from radical Islamic extremism. I am prepared. I am prepared. I need no on-the-job training. I wasn't a mayor for a short period of time. I wasn't a governor for a short period of time."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/12/mccain-last-year-mayors-a_n_125944.html

Check out Rob Caldwell’s McCain interview - it was priceless! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/11/mccain-interview-on-palin_n_125743.html

This ad takes aim at Palins ACTIVE support of savage aerial wolf hunting.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/12/brutal-ad-targets-palins_n_125975.html

BTW: Revealing McCain and Palin to be a “Washington as Usual” ticket IS FRONTPAGE NEWS!!!! The stakes couldn’t be higher!

McCain/Palin: Washington as Usual
Obama/Biden: REAL CHANGE - Not just a Slogan
NBC you need to dig into the Wasilla city budget documents!!!

These documents show the Wasilla police chief clearly budgeted for rape tests prior to Palin becoming mayor.

Once Palin became mayor, she fired the police chief and brought in a Palin friendly chief.  

Prior to Palin becoming mayor, Wasilla spent over $11,000 per year on rape test.  Within two years of Palin becoming mayor, the city spent less than $300 per year.

It was not because of a decrease in rape claims.
In contrast Obama told the people how planed to bring us together in more specific programs; whereas McCain was uptight and more vague with is ideas.  
With Mccain/Palin, The Worst Is Yet To Come. Vote McCain and you get what got literally.
Enough
Enough glossing over!
No way!
No how!
No McCain/Palin!
Nobody but Obama/Biden
They agree to disagree on this one...you guys just getting around to reading the Republican platform? It's further to the right than ever... another concession by McCain to the extreme right-wing conservatives.
Moderate stem cell research stance my behind!  The pro-lifers are just trying to kill good research that can help people.  They kill life in order to make life with their artificial insemination programs and when the stem cell researchers want to use the stem cells that would otherwise be thrown in the trash they whine about killing life.  What hypocrites!  They destroy life in order to make life so they have no room saying that stem cell research does anything different than artificfial insemination does.

The Dumb and Dumber ticket will just keep real science out of the White House, just like the past 8 years of failure to heed real science has screwed up so many things like global warming.

Only Obama/Biden will bring intelligence and real science back to the White House!

Go Obama/Biden 08/12!
Isn't there some Commandment against false witness? McCain is going to H-E, double L.
Obama said it!  The GOP, the McBush gang including Sarah, just keep making stuff up.  When will America wake up?

Wake up America... The right wing is fighting hard to keep the Whitehouse IN Republican hands... they have to cover Bush's Ass!

Please do your research, Sarah is a Bush/Cheeney clone, in fact if you look close she embodies both... a fanatic with a gun!  That coupled with a Bush follower without principles will make life hell for the middle class and further ruin our Country.

Wake up America isn't it time for a leader with intelligence, honor, and the wisdom to lead our Country back to greatness and restore the middle class.

Woman, it's time to think about your future... vote the issues not gender!  The GOP and especially Sarah Palin will set women's rights back 100 years... McBush voted against equal pay for women!

It's time to stop the cultural wars and elect the team who really will stand up for women's rights, fair pay, health insurance, child care and many other issues affecting women today.  

A vote for the GOP will give us more of the same...  It's time for change... stop listening to the lies the McSame/Palin ticket are spreading... we've had 8 years of this already.

I'm a white woman of 59, college educated with two college educated daughters.  We made out way with integrity, honor and hard work... we're embarrassed by Sarah Palin, she does not speak for us and she sets a bad example for our young women, we do not need to teach our young ladies that it's OK to lie, be sarcastic, and hit below the belt.  The women of today are smart, confident and able to achieve their goals without resorting to lying and cheating.

Ask yourself who will be running the Country?  I think you know the answer, it will be Palin.  Also, listen to their stump speeches, they never mention specifics, they're running on personalities not the issues... Give me a break, do we really want another personality, someone we would have a beer with running our Country?

ENOUGH....

OBAMA/BIDEN


well, another McCain ad. Sad. Obama is correct that if McCain knew how to use the internet he could have google Palin's stance on stem cell. Instead he is creating lies after lies which does not look good for his character.
That's okay. McCain will come around to her position. He's flipped on everything else.
AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

Why does the McCain/Palin ticket LIE ALL THE TIME!

This is just freaking RIDICULOUS!

They should both be DISQUALIFIED for DISHONESTY!

For everyone who doesn't think ALL THESE LIES MATTER -

What is the point of having an election if it isn't based on things that are true?

How can we "export democracy" when it is da*n near DEAD HERE?

The PRESS and HEALTH CARE are two things that SHOULD NOT be left to the free market - because for the love of a buck, some folks will do ANYTHING.

I have lost all respect for the American "news media" and the 50% of America willing to vote to send their kids into indefensible battles and their jobs overseas simply because they are "scared" to THINK for themselves.

You reap what you sow, and we are getting a bumper crop of bullsh*t this year.

Pathetic.
Obama stands for what is just and right--for all Americans.  Not just the Republican herd--like McCain does.

How can Republicans even look at themselves in the mirror after voting with Bush 90 percent of the time.

And why is Palin afraid to answer question:  with her own brain and not rote response.

John (who was suppose to have at least some aspect of honor and integrity) has stupped to lying, twisting, and spinning so much that he can not even stand-up.  I for one am very ashamed that I once thought of John McCain as an honorable man.

Now, he is so pathetic, I just feel sorry for him.

I'm changing my vote to Obama, and my party to independent.
Obama needs to fire right back.  McCain and Palin are in different hemispheres when it comes to stem cell research.  

Change you cannot belive in.
Remember... John McCain does not speck for the John McCain Campaign
MCCAIN WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!! THIS ELECTION IS BLOWING UP IN YOUR FACE!!! Why would release an ad supporting stem cell research knowing that you own VP is against it!!! You just Obama more ammo to fire at you!!! It seems to me that you don't even want to win this election. Please, leave these sensitive issues alone. And next time make sure you and your VP agree on the issues and are on message before releasing ads. C'mon McCain, I'm pulling for you but you have to show me something.  
Do you not get that it isn't about the issues for the Republicans? They don't care that there is a 180 degree contrast between the Prez and the VP for their ticket because it's never going to be about changing the policy that is the current administration....

I appreciate that the media is just now willing to prove that THEY care about the issues and the truth as much as most Americans do, but it's too little, too late.

McCain's campaign team picked Palin because of the controversy, the lack of experience, the dichotomy of the contradiction... because they want to continue the corporatist approach to government -- under the guise of the ownership society -- when the reality is that they simply saw a way FOR THEIR BUDDIES to OWN even more at the expense of the American public.

Who CARES what Palin thinks? Who CARES what McCain thinks? They are telling you they are all about change and yet they even hired Bush's campaign team to come up with some strategy to win because they can't win ON THE MERIT OF THEIR POLICIES.

Republicans don't want to discuss REAL solutions for REAL problems that REAL Americans are facing daily... they can't. Their policies are BUSH's policies.

Been there. Done that. TWICE... so no do-overs John. Thanks, Sarah, but no thanks.

A REAL American mom voting for what will help MY FAMILY, MY JOB and MY COUNTRY best.

Obama/Biden
lets see where this takes Sarah the silkworm.
The McCain Campaign is handing Obama material on a silver platter to use against him!  Obama, why aren't you taking this stuff and hammering it down the throats of Independents and Undecideds!  
Stem cell research is murder!
Stem Cell Research will help cure my inevitable alzheimers!
I really think that McCain is not operating with a full deck.

I am looking at his speeches. They are incoherent. His ideas are confused. His integrity is going off the radar.

When he is not lying then he is mistating BIG facts. He is disputing actual provable facts. Don't you see?????

Between Pailn not being good enough for the vice-presidency and McCain being befuddled most of the time—this is really looking serious.

This is  SCARY.

Are folks so afraid of voting for Barack that they are not looking at these two strange "unqualified to lead" people.

OPEN UP YOUR EYES. PLEASE
McCain does not speak for the McCain campaign.

The ad does not say "embryonic" stem cell research, just stem cell.  It is a trick with words.  

McCain has something very wrong with him.  He seems completely delusional about his past.  He dared anyone to name one time where he has flip-flopped on an issue, and he was serious.  I worry about his mental state, and I am not kidding here or even trying to be mean.  You can see he really believes what he is saying, which means he does not remember.  This is not comforting knowing that he has a better than 50/50 chance of becoming the next President.  People need to really start paying attention.
This is the result of a poorly vetting his running mate.  Hopefully they'll trip over each other enough to demonstrate that the first important decision he had to make on behalf of his potential constituents he recklessly made in true "Maverick" fashion.   He's known conservatively since February that he was going to be the GOP candidate, and yet he didn't use any of that time to vett his running mate and get on the same page.   That is really putting "Country First".
While I understand the possible hypocricy...the key word is "embryonic". The moment Palin says she is against "all" forms of stem cell research then McCain can be hit on this otherwise it's a weak attack against him.
Science is heracy!
She was against it before she was for it!?!?!?   She is just a puppet for McCain and Karl Rove.  They write her scripts every day.  She is only there to repeat what they say and prop up the old guy.

SO YOU NEED TO ASK YOURSELF:  ARE YOU BETTER OFF NOW THAN YOU WERE 8 YEARS AGO?


OBAMA/BIDEN '08

Hey, Governor Palin, when you sought scripture from Rick Warren did he happen to tell you the one about the kingdom divided against itself?

Matthew 12:25
Maybe McCain should be elected.  Then everything that he wants legislated can be vetoed by congress.  He'll do the same thing for what they want.  With no funds authorized, then what will he do?


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