Sarah Palin - pros & cons

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

I'm not giving my own personal view of how Biden should treat Palin (I don't care what he does to her). Rather, I'm giving my estimate of how those small-town, working women with traditional values from Ohio, Pennsylvania and the like, who are supposed to be swing voters, are going to react, if he beats up on her. They're not going to like it. He could score lots of debating points, but lose votes.

And your response right there says why Biden shouldn't hold back.

Small town voters. Traditional values voters. Most of them are going to be supporting Palin anyway, no matter what. So there's no point in Biden acting like Mr. Rogers in the debate to pacify those voters. He needs to persuade voters in the middle who want to hear what the candidates have to say on issues of substance. And if he has to hit hard to show himself as the better person to lead our country in a heartbeat, then that's he will do, with no apologies offered.

[Composite 2992]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

Biden should pull no punches in a debate.

Palin has to show what she can do on her own two feet. Everyone will get to see what she's really made of when someone's not feeding her a stirring oratory via a teleprompter.

If she can't hold her own against a fellow candidate in an organized debate, then she wouldn't be able to handle the presidency (should that come to pass) in the adversarial world of international affairs.

[GregLee]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

Most of them are going to be supporting Palin anyway, no matter what.

You understand the term "swing voter"? If what you say is so, then the current consensus among election analysts about who the swing voters are is simply wrong. Perhaps.

I'm not a swing voter; I will vote for Obama/Biden no matter how well or poorly Biden does in debating Palin. Biden should not rationally tailor his tactics to people like me. Are you a swing voter? If not, your own personal reaction to Biden's or Palin's tactics really isn't relevant to a political analysis. We are talking about politics here, aren't we?

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

The Hawai`i Connection: Gov. Palin attended HPU briefly in 1982; I did not know that. (Did I miss that earlier?)
Apparently, it was one of the five colleges she attended over a six-year period.

Story here.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

You understand the term "swing voter"?

Someone who is not dogmatically locked into supporting a particular party. Someone who is open to supporting any candidate based on issues that are important to the swing voter in question.

If what you say is so, then the current consensus among election analysts about who the swing voters are is simply wrong. Perhaps.

You speak as if election analysts all speak as a monolith. In my experience, the study of the exact same election results can have hundreds of different interpretations and explanations. And in some cases, these different interpretations can be contradictory to each other.

I can offer my viewpoint, and you can take it or leave it, if you want. I don't consider someone to be a "swing voter" if they go into a debate, predisposed to the thinking that it is okay for the female candidate to go in there, with attacks and guns blazing. But her male counterpart is not entitled to the same tactics,..... all because of gender.

To me, your scenario is describing voters who are already predisposed towards supporting Palin. And when you talked about voters from small towns and those who identify with traditional values, these are also demographics that play into Palin's strengths. You seemed to be describing voters who are tailor-made to be receptive to the Alaska Govenor. That may not have been your intention, but that's my take on it.

In any case,... we'll just have to agree to disagree on this. You want to think that Biden has to enter into this debate arena like its Romper Room and be compelled to play nice, then whatever. To me, Biden can't worry about pacifying these voters who aren't inclined to support him anyway.

[pzarquon]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

Jon Stewart's "Daily Show" segment on Sarah Palin's campaign, and the GOP's official talking points, is fantastic.

Also notable, thinking about who's actually most reliably bringing up Sarah Palin's family, which Obama expressly declared as off limits and inappropriate in political discourse.

Finally, the Associated Press fact-checking her "big speech" last night.

[Vanguard]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

Does that mean Linda Lingle is a foreign policy expert with China?

It means I have more foreign policy experience than Sarah Palin because I've been to over a dozen foreign countries, met one foreign president, and two foreign UN ambassadors

[Ron Whitfield]

I'm sold

I'd vote for you before any republican (providing you're not one!).

[matapule]

Re: I'm sold

I'd vote for you before any republican (providing you're not one!).

I'd vote for Vanguard, regardless of affiliation. Since s/he is an HT'er s/he has got to be a good person. In fact there are any number of people on this Board who could do a better job than McPain/Falin. Seriously.

[tutusue]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

I'm receiving so many personal emails from friends and family about this subject that I've stopped replying! No time! My last response to all of them contained the applicable HT URLs!

One of my friends emailed photos of her s-i-l...a ringer for Gov. Palin! I referred my friend to Leno's show in case the writers are looking for a Palin impersonator! The show already has an Obama impersonator!

[Peshkwe]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

Try to catch the Daily show tonight...tis gooood!

[Vanguard]

Re: I'm sold

I'd vote for Vanguard, regardless of affiliation. Since s/he is an HT'er s/he has got to be a good person. In fact there are any number of people on this Board who could do a better job than McPain/Falin. Seriously.

You made my day! Thanks, Matapule! I'm a guy in case there was any confusion.

[Kalalau]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

Palin looks like Elaine Benes from the Seinfeld show, to me. There are videos of her at her church carrying on. Ordinarily I'd think a person's religion ought to be off limits in a political campaign but since she wants to inflict her religious beliefs as a matter of government policy you have to consider her faith. Abstinence Only kids have the highest rates of VD, AIDS, and unwanted pregnancy. Do we really want creationism taught in schools when the rest of the world is leaping ahead of us already because of weak science education in America. I fear anybody who wants Jesus to come back and believes a nuclear war would do it. Reminds me of a conversation I had once with a sailor beside San Diego Bay. He was from a polaris nuclear sub, and he was waiting for the nuclear war to bring back Jesus. How do you even draw the line between religion and superstition? Separation of Church and State has always been a really good idea and its an especially good idea when one's faith might be a motivation for them to end all life on Earth.

[matapule]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

I fear anybody who wants Jesus to come back and believes a nuclear war would do it. Reminds me of a conversation I had once with a sailor beside San Diego Bay. He was from a polaris nuclear sub, and he was waiting for the nuclear war to bring back Jesus. How do you even draw the line between religion and superstition? Separation of Church and State has always been a really good idea and its an especially good idea when one's faith might be a motivation for them to end all life on Earth.

What is the difference between Muslim fundamentalists like Osama bin Laden and Christian fundamentalists like Sarah Palin? Nothing.

[Vanguard]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

What the Palin pregnancy says about US sex laws.