Sarah WHO???
Print ViewJohn McCain's choice for "veep" (Vice-President) is little-known Alaska governor Sarah Palin. Do some digging -- who is she, what's you initial impression, and especially: why do you think McCain picked her to be his running mate?
A coupla links to start you off:
Evangelicals rally behind Palin after pregnancy newsand, believe it or not, you should skim through the Wikipedia entry on her. (Ask me in class why i am recommending Wikipedia, of all things!!)
Post your coments here -- let's try 200 words. Remember that this is a DISCUSSION -- along with your thoughts on the subject, you can respond to your classmates' posts. Just remember...always be polite, especially when you disagree with a classmate! Post is due by MIDNIGHT, THURSDAY SEPT. 11. Extra credit this time to the first one to post from each class and a second post to respond to a classmate will be extra credit. (To post your reply, click on the "Comment" link below.) LEMME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY TROUBLE POSTING!!!
"...when...[John] McCain introduced" Palin, she "got up and...referred to herself as a 'hockey mom.'" And for "those people who don't know, a hockey mom is a soccer mom with fewer teeth."
- Conan O'Brien (no, i do NOT watch his show!!!)
Well my coment is, for starters Palin as I just found out is a born again Pennicostal Christian. When I heard that it encouraged me in the thought of John McCain running this country. recently I've been listening to a guy named Andrew Wilcow on SIRIUS radio and he is awesome. I can't explain everything that he talks about and stands for but I can say that he an extreme conservative and when he heard that John McCain picked Sarah Palin and his running mate, Wilcow was ecstatic. If I had to recommend the best source I could think of Politically It would be Andrew Wilcow. I love listening to him because I learn so much about both the bad and good sides of our countries' gov't, economy, and recently every little detail to do with the presidential race. One HUGE question I have is, when crude oil started going up, obviously gas prices sky-rocketed. but lately like within the last month or two, crude oil has dropped significantly but gas has only dropped about 10-15 cents. If someone could plaese answer that question for me I would be VERY HAPPY!
Posted by Daniel — Sep 03, 2008 19:59
Sarah Palin, in my opinion, was a good and shocking choice by McCain. It brought lots of much needed attention off of Obama's speech a few days earlier which was what everyone was talking about for the next few days. Its nice to know that she is a Pentecostal Christian and has chosen not to abort her child with downs syndrome. As a republican McCain is pro-life but not as much as he could be, it's comforting to know that someone in government regards a child as more than a 'punishment' as Obama stated earlier. Her nickname 'Sarah Barracuda' reflects how hardworking she is and that she the kind of person who gets things done and is not easily swayed. Before McCain chose Palin, they had only met very few times. Sources say that even though the decision was quick and abrupt, nothing was cut short for time in the process of making her the Vice President. As for gas prices, theres no way that they will go significantly down, sure we can do all the little 'environment' stuff to help, which is good. But I think that we should milk this country for oil of all its worth and hope we find an alternate fuel source by then. I also think that a decision should be made about drilling in forests and other nature places where environmentalists draw the line, what is more important to most americans? I have an open mind on the subject by the way.
Posted by Ethan — Sep 04, 2008 21:35
I just have a small extra comment to add to this blog. I don't know if anyone else heard about this, but last week sometime the speaker of the house(Nancy Pelosy)was walking by protesters wanting, infact pleading for drilling for our own oil in America. They were shouting Drill!, Drill!, Drill! and Pelosy shouted back at them. Drill? What do you want us to do, Drill your heads. Now I don't know about anyone else's feeling toward this but to me thats kinda uncharacteristic for the speaker of the house of the U.S. I'm pretty sure that didn't make her more likeable.
Posted by Daniel — Sep 04, 2008 22:54
That incident is reported by CBS here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/26/politics/politico/thecrypt/main4385784.shtml (If you can't click on the link, you can copy & paste the link into your address bar.)
Posted by Mr. D — Sep 05, 2008 19:25
Before John McCain opted for Sarah Palin as VP, I knew hardly anything about the election or how it was going. Now, with her in the story, I hear her name everywhere, much much more than John McCain's. Alot of Republicans have told me that they were actually considering voting Independent until McCain chose Palin. Now all of them are fully planning on voting Republican. Lately I've been listening to alot of speeches on XM with my dad, and I find them and these online entrys interesting. I love how everybody is talking about her hobby of hunting, and in the one of the articles it mentions her favorite food being Moose Stew. It makes her seem more like a real person, somehow. Her being so pro-life is obviously a huge plus, and I'm glad that they have decided to use their daughter's pregnancy to support their pro-life beliefs, instead of hiding it in shame or something. People make mistakes, and they're showing the world that when they make mistakes, its no excuse to go against what they believe, and make even bigger ones. I think having a person like Sarah Palin as Vice President could really bring a change to the country, and hopefully open lots of people's eyes to the wrongs of abortion. Just because a child was unplanned, or has Down's Syndrome, does not give you the excuse to kill it. She has already shown this in many ways, and I'm sure she will continue to do so, regardless of whether or not she becomes VP.
Posted by Elise — Sep 06, 2008 11:17
This is my second blog, because I realized that I hadn't answered your question above, about why McCain picked Palin, and you mentioned in class that you wanted that answered. I think the reason he picked her is partly because he himself is pretty liberal, while she is extremely conservative. If they are in the running together, then he'll be pleasing liberals and conservatives at the same time, therefore doubling his votes. Also, she is not afraid to fight against anybody that goes against her beliefs, even if they're Republican themselves. McCain knows that with her, he'll have a VP that won't be afraid of any challenge that will come their way. I also found it interesting that she is for the Death Penalty. I know alot of people are unsure of what they think about that, and I don't really know enough about it to have too strong of an opinion, but that just struck me as interesting. Another thing, I have heard hardly anything about her husband. It says in one of the entrys that he works for an oil company or something, but thats all. I've never seen a picture of him with her or anything, and it seems to me that he should be out there a little more supporting her. Daniel mentioned in class the if she ends up VP, they're going to call her husband "The Dude". I think that's hilarious, but that's the only thing about him concerning her running that I've heard. I was just wondering about that.
Posted by Elise — Sep 06, 2008 11:47
I did not know much about Sarah Heath Palin until I did some research on her. I think it is amazing that she is a born again Penticostal Christian. She is a mother of 5 children, with her oldest daughter being pregnant I think it is neat that she is using her oldest daughters pregnancy to support their pro-life beliefs. Also in an article when Palin was pregnant with her 5th child the doctor told her it was be a good idea to abord the child because he was going to have down sydrom, but she refused to do that because she believes that every child should have the opportunity to be born even if they down syndrom or any other kind of sickness. Another awesome thing about Palin is that she is against same-sex marriage. In a differant article I read, it said she is for the death penalty, I am not sure how I feel about the death penalty. In a way I am glad she is for it, but in another way I feel like everyone deserves a second chance, and if you put a person to death they will not have that second chance, or even a third chance if they needed it. In 2006 she started getting involved with politics by becoming the first female and the youngest Governor in Alaska when she was 42 years old. I personally think that Palin would be a very good VP, McCain said in one of his articles, "She's got the grit, integrity, good sense and fierce devotion to the common good that is exactly what we need in Washington today." I think one of the reasons that McCain chose Palin to be his VP is because she has morals and she is not afraid to stand up for what believes in or what is right.
Posted by Brittney S. — Sep 06, 2008 20:41
I think Palin was an excellent choice since McCain seems to actually be out there now w/ his campaign since he chose her. I'm glad she's pro-life and anti gay, lesbian marriages, especially because those are some of the huge issues right now and we need someone who won't wimp out at the first sign of resistance to their beliefs and/or decisions. As to why McCain chose her in the Star-Gazette when she was first announced as McCain's VP McCain's campaign manager Rick Davis said "Part of it is personal fit. He sees Sarah, Governor Palin, as the future of the party. These are people he'd like to elevate in that regard. Reformers." I think Palin will be able to help McCain truly change what should have never fallen apart in America, so no matter how unknown or inexperienced some are saying I'm deffinetely cheering Sarah Barracuda on ( She earned that nickname for her tenacity on the basketball court, once she played an entire game on a stress-fractured ankle ) . I also think I'ts unfair for the media to have attacked her daughter and the whole issue w/ them saying the downs syndrome child not being Palin's and her daughter being pregnant, Palin is the one who is going to be the VP if McCain wins not her daughter. I'm glad they kept the downs syndrome child and that they are keeping her daughter's kid it supports the pro-life thing and today America seems to be all 'what's best for me' no matter what the circumstances so I'm glad someone is finally getting the gusts to go against the flow and finally actually fight for change.
Posted by Gracie — Sep 09, 2008 22:49
i think that the main reason that mcCain picked Sarah Palin was because she has a way of making things known.I hardly heard about McCain and now palins in with him and you hear about her every day.Even about what glasses she wears.Also she is a christian so he might have been hoping to get some of the Christians on his side. Palin also seems to be pretty good at being elected for things.She was the Governor of Alaska,mayor of Wasilla,&served two terms on the Wasilla, Alaska city council among other things.She seems to be a pretty good choice for McCain.
Posted by carrie — Sep 11, 2008 15:48
McCain's choice for VP was a very good move on his part in my opinion. McCain has good views but he's not the best at expressing them. Sarah Palin on the other hand is quite the opposite, she is attracting more attention to John McCain and driving it away from Obama. I agree on Palins view for drilling in our own country. She is a born again Christian which is always good, she is against abortion and same sex marriage which is good. Palin's idea on trying to cut government spending was a good move. She gives a good name to republicans. As far as Palin's daughter being pregnant goes, c'mon, people make mistakes, were all human, and Sarah Palin cannot be accuse for her daughter's doing. Dobson said "Being a Christian does not mean you're perfect. Nor does it mean your children are perfect. But it does mean there is forgiveness and restoration when we confess our imperfections to the Lord. I've been the beneficiary of that forgiveness and restoration in my own life countless times, as I'm sure the Palins have," to me that pretty much sums it up. McCain made a great choice and I support him.
Posted by Jordan — Sep 11, 2008 22:14
Well like most of you I think this was a great way for McCain to get more persons attention. He made a great choice in that he gets the womens votes, because shes a women. You get the christians votes because shes a christian, or at least professes it. I think McCain made a very smart choice.
Posted by Greg — Sep 11, 2008 22:43
I think McCain made a good move picking Sarah Palin as his running mate. I would have to say that the reason McCain picked Palin was because she was determined to win. I learned that she was a born-again pentecostal Christian, and in my opinion this is really what this country needs. When I was doing the research on her, I discovered that her beliefs were Christian-based. She is against the aborting of unborn babies. Also when I was researching I saw that Obama made this statement, "If one of my daughters were to get pregnant out of wed lock, he wouldn't want them to be punished with a child." Basically what Obama is saying is that a child is a punishment. The evangelists who are behind Palin are saying that a child is a blessing, and they are right about that. Abortion is murder and the Bible speaks against murder. She is also against same-sex marriage. She believes that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. When God made humans, he made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve. She is for the death penalty as well, and I am happy about that because the numbers on murders in America are pretty big. In my oppinion if anyone murders, they need to give up their own life. She is also for drilling for oil in Alaska. I think the reason we have high gas prices and high oil prices is because the environmentalists will not let us drill for oil because it will mess up the environment and disturb the animals. I don't know how dirlling for oil will mess up the environment or disturb the animals. That is the environmental restrictions that she is against. I really think that this was a good move for McCain. Lots of Christians were hoping for a politician who was a born-again Christian, and McCain just found one in Palin.
Posted by Brian — Sep 11, 2008 23:10
So I go to Palin's web page and one of the first things I see is a banner displaying: "September is Energy Efficiency Month." Yikes...Luckily it wasn't all "support bikers and destroy a factory to plant a forest;" just some simple reminders to save every penny...at first. She passed the Home Energy Rebate Program, which gives a rebate to those who go to the more extremes. To me, rebates are used often by poloticians to deceive the ignorant out of their tax dollars. Also, Palin signed the Alaskan Gasline Inducement Act, which will start drilling for natural gas in North Slope. Is she then flip-flop or balanced? Most likely balanced (though her husband is an oil-field production manager). There is an evident crisis on energy, so we need to conserve and utilize available sources to decrease the need for more. She also signed in Alaska's largest operating budget, meaning more of your money goes into government funding. To note with all this is that she made a $237 million cut in the state's construction budget. She is very anti-abortion and supports abstinence teaching in schools over other sex-ed. She believes that teaching creationism in schools should be allowed. She claims to be a Christian. Some say McCain picked her partly to get those "woman" voters who were hoping for Hillary. The only flaw is that gender and an interest in polotics is about the only thing in common about these two. It is said she would shake things up. She probably would as she is strongly conservative. Which is another reason, since many consider him not strongly conservative. This would help win the votes of those with strong feelings on particular issues. As for my first impression, I shall quote her: "As for that VP talk all the time, I'll tell you, I still can't answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day." How exactly important is this position compared with the President and his views? Unless, of course, he dies, which wouldn't suprise many people who often make comments on his age.
Posted by Seth, the Jeenior — Sep 11, 2008 23:46