She blew me away last night. I'll take her over McCain, Biden or Obama. She's not just a beauty queen - she's America's mom. What a refreshing and down to earth speech! It's the best I've heard in years.I lean Obama, but loved her line about McCain.
"There's only one man in this election who ever really fought for you."
63 comments:
PERVERT!!!
What can I say? I really enjoyed her speech.
She did a hell of a job. Just how high has she set the bar now for McCain's performance?
She has outshined McCain in two speeches so far. Now the question is, will McCain embrace real conservative reform, which means an acknowlegement that government tends to be the real problem and not the solution to our problems?
That is the battle in the GOP right now. Big Government, as long as the Republicans have the majority, or Real Principles, and let the voters decide?
Too many elected officials and political handlers view politics as a "profession" instead of realizing it is about leadership based on principles.
Go Sarah!
She was less than honest about her support for the "Bridge to nowhere".
Her major accomplishment as Governor was a tax increase, (on oil companies)
Probaly around dinner time I'll have some more on my blog
http://spikerogan.blogspot.com
Oh and she wowed everyone with her TV Sportscaster skills of reading a tele promter smoothly.
We still heard almost NO foreign policy or social policy talk.
Here is some early items on Palin I have found recently.
You'll have to check out my blog after 6Pm to see more on her record we know so little of.
Palin Admitted Inhaling Marijuana. “Palin, who has admitted to inhaling as a young woman, said little.
But she repeatedly asked why, if the goal was growing hemp for clothing, did the group write the
initiative to make it legal to smoke marijuana to get high?” [Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), 10/26/00]
Let's not forget kids, the McCain crowd attacked Obama for admitting in a book he got high as a kid. Whats good for the goose.
And I am not a Obamaniac.
Wait you mean she didn't say that she never inhaled?
Wow, honesty from a politician. Oh by, the way mary-jane was legal in Alaska when she used it.
Oh, and actually, she didn't use a teleprompter. The teleprompter broke in the early part of her speech. She delivered the speech from memory.
Oh, also I would step in front of a bus to help her and John McCain win.
There were camera shots that showed her reading from the teleprompter throughout the speech.
She has a history of abuse of power and apparently was trying to get the city Librarian fired because he librarian did not want to remove some books that then Mayor Palin found objectionable.
Her record is not impressive. I will not vote for this ticket.
I missed the speech, but read today on CNN.com that Palin told members of her former church that Bush's invasion of Iraq was America's "task from God" ..... Did she tell that to the Kool-Aid drinkers last night?
Those of you deluded enough to give Palin a pass must be out of your minds. Do you seriously want this person next in line? And doesn't this choice speak volumes about McCain?
Palin gave a good speach, however can she possibly be president of the US should McCain fall ill? This is what we need to ask ourselves.
McCain trying to deceive the voters with a ruse! This gimmick won't hold water and the landslide is coming! It's a loser but a needed step in the proper direction for the future of the GOP! She's cute but it all ends right there!
The person who wrote the speech deserves a lot of credit. Too bad he or she will never get it.
Like Obama she has a good delivery. But like Obama she seems very transparent.
Bernie
Here is the question, will you vote for her? She did a fantastic job.
As to remarks on natinal security and foreign policy, that was not her job last night. I would venture that she has her thoughts on these issues and they are probably close to his but that will all be gone over with the two staffs.
The marijuana stuff was in the Express-Times yesterday. And let us not forget that at least she admitted she inhaled unlike someone whose initials are Bill Clinton. The Express-Times reported today that she has called for an ethics investigation of herself pertaining to the guy she fired over her abusive brother-in-law.
The "task from God" comment comes rigth off the Huffington blog.
All of these guys have speech writers and earlier in the evening her PR guy indicated that she was working with Mike Scully to write the speech. I believe that is collaboration. If I remember correctly even the Great Communicator, Ronald Reagan, used them
One last thing, a warning to Joe Biden from the state of Delaware, BEWARE, Sarah is coming.
Re: 3:25's comment.
In addition to the teleprompters, there is a monitor in the back of the floor that scrolls the text of all speeches given each night. This was working fine through out her speech. In addition, she had a hard copy of her remarks on the podium in front of her. I could see her turning the pages occasionally. Having said that, the focus should be on the speech itself rather the method of delivery.
Dean Browning
Dean browning
I thought her speech read like a sarcastic stand-up comedy routine with a bunch of nasty one-liners and no content. I appreciate sarcasm, but I'd like my 'leaders' to behave like leaders, not petty high school kids.
but, yeah, I admit I'm a huge Obama fan.
I thought her speech read like a sarcastic stand-up comedy routine with a bunch of nasty one-liners and no content.
That was my exact impression as well. She's no Don Rickles.
It's easy to get caught up in the theatrics and presentation. That's exactly what Obama supporters are caught up in...the emotion. Just because someone is able to "give a good speach" doesn't make his/her a good leader. The CEO's of some of the most successful companies are among the most boring people on earth. Yet they are brilliant business people and able to lead with great success.
The fact that Obama and Palin wowed everyone with their speaches does nothing for me. I am still unsure if either is up to the task.
Still waking up. Speech not speach. sorry
I'd agree with one thing. She's certainly not bad to look at. However I like Jolie also but I wouldn't want her to be a heartbeat away fronm the presidency.. Actually, Jolie is much more accomplished than she is.
The choice is insane, period!
She has a history of abuse of power and apparently was trying to get the city Librarian fired because he librarian did not want to remove some books that then Mayor Palin found objectionable.
Yeah, I read that, too. I also read about Troopergate and her (gasp!) marijuana use, which apparently is worse than Obama's cocaine.
This is what I think. When she was elected mayor, she was 32. Think about that. She was obviously full of piss and vinegar. Over time, she has matured.
Yes, she is a social conservative. A lot of her thinking is alien to me. But of all the people seeking that high office, she is the one around whom I would feel most comfortable. She is actually the person I could trust the most. I really felt as though I was listening to America's mom last night.
I don't know that I'd vote for her bc that's just one speech. But the impression was very favorable, at least to me.
she's george bush with boobs, which may be a redundant statement.
Bush did Coke and denied it.
She condems smoking pot even though she did it.
Oh and also she was running a 527 to support Ted Stevens.
She has "experience" as long as we don't do the math for maternity leave for all those kids.
(The youngest born as Governor more time off not gaining experience!)
Her major accomplisment as mayor was a hockey stadium paid for by .... raising sales tax.
By the propaganda they used at the convention last night..... Sal Panto curent mayor of Easton is even MORE qualified than Sarah Palin to be VP. He never took maternity leave on the job and has served more people in Easton.
anon 9:41 AM is SPOT ON!
This is No place for on the job training.
We just sat through eight years of it. W was a "regular guy" folks could "have a beer with" (they felt). How did that work out?
Spike, If you want to make the experience argument, then Obama's out. Palin has more than him. In fact, as an executive, she has more experience than all of them. I don't like some of her views. But I like her, and that matters when i decide how I vote.
Bernie your drinking the Kool aid of spin.
Do the math 2 years as Governor and how long off to have the 5th kid?
Experience or just a name plate on a desk for two years?
http://spikerogan.blogspot.com
Also I doubt I'm voting Obama. Definatly not McCain.
So lets get real the Spin the GOP is using makes McCain the PRESIDENT candidate look weak. The message is Vote for us the Presidential Candidate has less of a clue than the novice for VP on the ticket.
So Bernie is the Mayor of Allentown ready to be VP and possibly President? Think of how flawed it is.
Spike, I'm drinking no kool-aid. She gave a good speech.
Even biden sgreed that she gave a good speech. His only question was what about the issues? Good question..
A fundamental issue for me is trust. She went a long way towards establishing that last night.
She's funny and attractive. Is that all it takes for the American public?
The experience argument is kind of bullshit on both sides. George W. Bush has 8 years experience and the republicans don't even want him to speak at their convention.
I don't trust her to run the country, or help run the country. She backs a constitutional ban on gay marriage, she does not want same-sex partners to be eligible for health benefits. She backs abstinence only education - which may work out great for her pregnant teenager who won't need welfare or medicaid but what about the rest of the country? Plus, she's running as an ethics reform candidate and she's under investigation!!!! Has she really established trust for you? I think you just share a sarcastic sense of humor. And you have a crush on her.
This has to be more than one-liners and a nice smile.
I stand by my earlier post.
SMART MOVE BY MCCAIN.
That was one of the best speeches ever PLUS- she delivered it after 4days of being a media punching bag .
She managed to convince me that if you mess with her family or America she'd tear your head off- That's a great trait in a parent and a President/Vice President.that is where I think she connected across party lines with millions of people. Perhaps that's the Trust issue Bernie speaks of.
She also strikes me as someone that if she doesn't have the answer, she'll find the person/people who do to get the mission accomplished.
As far as McCain's performance tonite-most of his heavy lifting was done just by the fact that he picked her.
AND YES ! she is WAY HOTTER LOOKING THAN DICK CHENEY EVER WAS.
This has to be more than one-liners and a nice smile.
True, and she has it. Her personality was very evident. She spoke to me, not at me. I never felt anyone was condescending. She is an exciting candidate and might be just what this country needs.
I'm with the KENmeister.
But she didn't SAY anything!!!
One of the things I'm interested in is how someone who wants to be a leader performs under pressure. I can't think of many more pressure packed situations than last night. Gov. Palin is a relative unknown to us in the lower 48 and was subjected to an wild media frenzy for the 4 days since her selection was announced. She had to give her introductory speech in front of a prime time national TV audience and a huge crowd. Knowing that if she came out and gave a flat or uninspired performance then for all intents and purposes McCain's campaign for President would have been over before he even accepted the nomination. Pretty high stakes .
With that as background, Gov. Palen presented herself in a relaxed, confident manner and I did got the impression that she was having fun (for example the "lipstick" joke which wasn't part of the text). In my opinion, no one who is scared or a political lightweight could give the type of performance she did given the circumstances.
I think anyone who underestimates her capabilities or dismisses her as a right wing crazy will be making a mistake.
Should be fun over the next 60 days.
Dean Browning
I assume this post is sarcasm
She's my kind of woman. She approved shooting those lousy wolves from helicopters, including twelve wolf pups. She shot the shit out of a moose and can cuss with the best of em..Wow, let's make her vice president!
Yes, obviously that post was a bit sarcastic..Are you all out of you ******* minds. This woman will be a heartbeat away from the presidency if the old guy wins. Amazing what an attractive woman can do to a guys brain. Mush..Mush..Mush..
Rs have delivered the next national political leader. Obama looks very stale and cautious now.
She has more experience than Obama, whose only experience is running for president all three years he's been in the Senate (where he's had time to pen two memoirs, but hasn't offered a sentence of legislation).
She has demonstrated executive and whistle-blower experience. She brought down corruption in her own crooked party. She has exactly as much foreign policy experience as Obama, Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Carter upon his inauguration, and Bill Clinton upon his inauguration.
Ds delivered a female leader whose accomplishments are largely the result of her marriage. She was savaged by the Obama team and they picked up right where they left off with Palin. Rs have delivered a female leader who has done it all by herself.
The next big thing is not Obama. It's Sarah. And the reaction from left confirms it. Ds have been rejected in seven of the last ten presidential elections. They've fielded another weak team and will lose their eighth in 11 tries.
"...when...those styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot ...."
A classic.
Well. After reading all of these comments I have come to one very simple conclusion. You are all like sports writers. Never played the game but know everything about it and make comments on it without the experience of having played it. It's very easy to be a critic. You realy don't have to know much, not even the facts. Just create them in your mind, believe they are right on point and write them in a leter to an editor or on a blog. I don't usually get into reading Bernie's blog; but, after what most of you have written, you sound like the usual sports reporters. Their claim to fame is they're one or two minutes of critizism.
You can make remarks, critize, and point out flaws that you perceive; however, no one can see the future of any of these canidates. What they will do if and when they are elected after all the promises arwe made before the election. What will determine how good they are when a particular issue arises. The best canidate should be the one who you feel will do the job not because of their party affilation or their gender. The one that gives you a sence of confidence. Most of you talk just like most politians," one....they try to make you afraid of it, and, two...tell you who's to blame for it." So, all you do nothings and know it alls who never spent a day in an excecutive position, let alone served in the amred forces of these United States can continue to enjoy your freedom at the expense of all those who give this freedom to you to write your little one to five minutes of shame.
Oh, by the way I do salute the flag and I have defended this country.
tomp40c
Dear TomP40c,
Not sure where you were going with what you said but I can say that many good men died in Iraq that shouldn't have. They died because they were there on false pretenses and many died because those who sent them there did not equip them as they should have. Those who sent them there still insist on keeping them in harms way despite the fact that even Iraq wants us out. Everything else aside the Republicans need to pay for this travesty.
Jeff,
No sarcasm from me. I was genuinely impressed.
Anon 4:04,
I agree with much, but not all, of what you say. I think our decision to invade a weak country was wrong, and we have been paying the price. However, I also believe that people of good will can have dramatically different views.
tomp40c --
Hey. Thanks for setting us straight, man. We were like, way out of line, sharing our opinions with each other and exchanging ideas.
Thank God, you came along, because you know, you don't often read Bernie's Blog, to set us straight.
From now on, I'm going to leave my thinking and writing to gifted amateurs like yourself and the paid media types.
Again, thanks for telling us how flawed we all are while assuring us how magnificent you are.
Since it was a common theme last night that Gov. Palin will have more executive experience on day one than Obama/Biden, could someone please elaborate on what elected executive experience John McCain has? His governmental experience is basically the same as Biden's. His father and grandfather had real military "executive experience".
Also, there has been quite a bit of emphasis Senator McCain's military experience. His service is to be admired, but that in and of itself does not mean they can not be challenged on issues. I believe that a foreign policy of "another 100 years" in the middle east, and "we are all Georgians" stems from a dangerous hubris. Being an honorable POW should not shield him from legitimate disagreement with his policy beliefs. Finally, I can't help but find it ironic that four years ago the party was trying to minimize Bush's heroism in hanging out in the national guard during Vietnam while swiftboating Kerry's volunteering for service in Vietnam. I really have no use for Kerry, but it seems like the GOP is a bit hypocritical with the virtue of military service.
And I hope by election that both parties stop trying to "have a beer with me" (as someone alluded to above) and debate the substance of why we should vote for either one of them. I don't want an "average Joe" or a "Hockey Mom" or "community organizer" I want a PRESIDENT to inspire and lead.
"I don't want an "average Joe" or a "Hockey Mom" or "community organizer" I want a PRESIDENT to inspire and lead."
You didn't find Palin inspiring. She comes from a state whose entire economy depends on "Big Oil" and she twisted them into knots. You don't think that requires leadership.
We'll agree to disagree, but I don't know what the criteria you're using to judge Palin by.
"I don't want an "average Joe" or a "Hockey Mom" or "community organizer" I want a PRESIDENT to inspire and lead."
You didn't find Palin inspiring. She comes from a state whose entire economy depends on "Big Oil" and she twisted them into knots. You don't think that requires leadership.
We'll agree to disagree, but I don't know what the criteria you're using to judge Palin by.
After seeing all of the usual mud stired up on Palin, all I can say is ...
You Lib's are scared to death of this lady... she's no Hillary is she? Momma's gon'a knock you out!
"I don't want an "average Joe" or a "Hockey Mom" or "community organizer" I want a PRESIDENT to inspire and lead."
I completely agree. I found Palin's speech to be inspirtational, just as I find Obama to be inspirational. Obama is the more elegant speaker while palin exudes folksy charm and a "can do" attitude that we seem to have forgotten.
In fact, Plain represents everything Obama has been asking for - "Yes we can" and "Change."
"You Lib's are scared to death of this lady'
I'll agree that the reaction of some "liberals," like the kooky KOZ blogger who claimed Palin was faking her own pregnancy, are way over the top. But I am liberal and found her to be refreshing. I'd stay away from things that divide us.
Refreshing? Sarah Palin? There is nothing refreshing about someone who is anti-choice, anti-stem cell research, anti-gay rights, and who wants to have creationism taught alongside evolution in our schools. (Let's also teach magic alongside physics!!) Add to this she has no foreign policy experience, and on and on.
Does this not sound just like our current President/administration? This woman is the antithesis of refreshing. This woman is exactly what we do not need more of. We've had 8 years of this exact mindset and look where we are now.
I would have voted for a Republican if he/she brought something new to the table. This is more of the same. I can't support this ticket. We need change. We need it now.
My large post on Palin is up on http://spikerogan.blogspot.com
With many links.
Anon 5:44,
I certainly respect your opinion and agree with many of your points. But I still found her refreshing.
She is a woman. She is young. She lacks that "inside the beltway" mindset. She put on no airs. She established that a hockey mom can hold her own. She overcame a media feeding frenzy.
I respect her views on abortion. She practiced what she preaches.
When it comes to creationism, Palin has advocated teaching that in addition to evolution. This argument presumes there is scientific validity to creationism and I don't think that is so. But Palin's position, which incidentally is shared by most Americans, is far more palatable than the vuews of those who believe only creationism should be taught.
As far as her views on gay rights are concerned, I know she opposed gay marriage and hate crimes legislation. I'd need to know more.
As times goes by, we'll learn more. But she really impressed me. I liked the way she bragged with pride about bbeing from a small town.
Is there scientific validity to evolution? I don't buy creation, but evolution can't be proven without the premise of its conclusion (what's the Latin term for this rhetorical flaw?). Even science requires leaps of faith.
Anonymous 2:13 PM
She did what she was scheduled to do and that was to give us her bio and connect with the American people. Initially she was not suppose to play the attack dog but that changed around 9AM when the TV audience was told that she would go after the opposition.
Bernie
You make some great points in that she really did talk to the American people. It was great when she blew a kiss to the Ohio vet who was McCain's friend.
Anon 3:41.....
you said
"...Obama, whose only experience is running for president all three years he's been in the Senate (where he's had time to pen two memoirs, but hasn't offered a sentence of legislation)."
OK - let's talk about the effects of her "experience" .... and then a few words about the legislation that Obama not only authored, but passed. When you're done reading, please let me know how Palin's grasp of the issues and her ability to craft legislation is superior to his.
I quote.....
Guess what - that's one glass of kool-aid too many
PALIN: "Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown."
REALITY: UNDER PALIN, WASILLA GOVERNMENT SPENDING & DEBT SKYROCKETED.
Total Government Expenditures Increased 63 Percent Under Palin. In fiscal 2003—the last fiscal year Palin approved the budget—the total government expenditures of Wasilla, excluding capital outlays, were $7,046,325. In fiscal 1996—the year before Palin took control of the budget—the expenditures were $4,317,947. The increase was 63 percent. [Wasilla Comprehensive Annual Financial Report 2003, Table 1]
Palin Supported Increasing Wasilla Sales Tax From 2 to 2.5 Percent to Build $14.7 Million Sports Center. "Wasilla residents have given the go ahead to building a new multiuse sports center in town and to raising the city sales tax to pay for it. With the final votes counted Friday, residents voted 306 to 286 in favor of a measure to raise the city sales tax from 2 percent to 2.5 percent to pay the estimated $14.7 million cost of building the center...Mayor Sarah Palin, who supported the measure, said the tight vote will motivate city officials to keep a close eye on the budget for the center." [Anchorage Daily News, 3/9/02]
Palin Left Behind Almost $19 Million In Long-Term Debt, Compared to None Before She Was Mayor. In fiscal 2003—the last fiscal year Palin approved the budget—the bonded long-term debt was $18,635,000. In fiscal 1996—the year before Palin took control of the budget—there was no general obligation debt. [Wasilla Comprehensive Annual Financial Report 2003, Table 10]
PALIN: "But we are expected to govern with integrity, and goodwill, and clear convictions..."
REALITY: PALIN UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR ABUSE OF POWER.
Former State Official Accused Palin, Palin’s Former Chief of Staff and Current Ted Stevens Campaign Manager and Palin’s Husband Of Pressuring Him to Fire Trooper. In July 2008, former state official Walt Monegan accused Palin, Palin’s former Chief of Staff and current Stevens’ campaign manager Mike Tibbles and husband Todd Palin of pressuring him to fire Palin sister’s ex-husband Mike Wooten. [Anchorage Daily News, 07/18/08]
July 2008: Special Counsel Appointed Last Month to Investigate Palin Abuse of Power Claim. In July 2008, the Alaska State Legislator voted 12-0 to approve $100,000 for a special investigator to begin an investigation into claims Palin fired a former state official because he would not fire a state trooper who was involved in a bitter custody battle with Palin’s sister. The legislator’s intent was to investigate the events surrounding the termination of former Dept. of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan and potential abuses of power and improper action by Palin and her administration. [KTVA 11, 07/28/08]
PALIN: " But listening to him speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform - not even in the state senate."
REALITY: OBAMA PASSED THE MOST SWEEPING REFORMS SINCE WATERGATE IN BOTH THE ILLINOIS AND US SENATES, AMONG OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Obama Helped Pass The 2007 Ethics Reform Law, Which Curbed The Influence Of Lobbyists And Was Described As The "Most Sweeping Since Watergate." In the first week of the 110th Congress, Obama joined with Senator Feingold to introduce a "Gold Standard" ethics package. Many of the Obama/Feingold bill’s most important provisions were included in the final ethics reform package passed by the Senate in late January: a full ban on gifts and meals from lobbyists including those paid by the firms that employ lobbyists; an end to subsidized travel on corporate jets; full disclosure of who’s sponsoring earmarks and for what purpose; additional restrictions to close the revolving door between public service and lobbying to ensure that public service isn’t all about lining up a high-paying lobbying job; and requiring lobbyists to disclose the contributions that they "bundle" - that is, collect or arrange - for members of Congress, candidates, and party committees. In January 2007, the Washington Post wrote in an editorial that "...Mr. Reid, along with Sens. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.), deserves credit for assembling and passing this package." In September 2007, the AP reported, "President Bush signed a bill Friday that will require lawmakers to disclose more about their efforts to fund pet projects and raise money from lobbyists, a measure that backers call the biggest ethics reform in decades...Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. who had pushed for the bundling provisions and was one of four lawmakers who participated in a Democratic conference call to reporters said the measure marks "the most sweeping ethics reform since Watergate." [S. 230, 110th Congress; S.1, Became Public Law 109-110-81, 9/14/07; AP, 9/15/07;The Washington Post, Editorial, 1/21/07]
Obama Passed Illinois State Gift Ban Act "Heralded As the Most Sweeping Good-Government Legislation in Decades." In 1998, Obama passed the Illinois Gift Ban that prohibited legislators, state officers and employees, and judges from soliciting or receiving gifts from a person or entity with interests affected by government. The Chicago Tribune wrote, "Gov. Jim Edgar signed into law Wednesday an ethics and campaign finance package heralded as the most sweeping good-government legislation in decades." The law also required greater campaign finance disclosure and limited the uses for which raised money could be spent. Obama said, "I have seen a general cynicism from taxpayers about government. They believe they have no influence on the process since they don’t have the money of special interest groups. With the gift ban and the ban on Springfield fund-raisers that are contained in this legislation, I think at least some of this confidence will be restored." [HB672, 3R P 52-4-1, 5/22/98; PA 90-0737, 8/12/98; Chicago Tribune, 8/13/98; Chicago Independent Bulletin, 6/4/98]
Ø Illinois Ethics Bill Most Far Reaching Since Watergate, Product Of Bipartisan Work. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote of Obama’s bill, "The ethics restrictions would be the most far-reaching since the Watergate-era campaign financial disclosure law. They are the product of months of negotiations among two lawmakers of each party, other state officials and Mike Lawrence. He is an aide to former Sen. Paul Simon, a Democrat, and used to be an aide to Edgar, a Republican." [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 5/24/98]
Obama And Lugar Passed Law Boosting U.S. Efforts To Keep WMDs And Other Dangerous Weapons Out Of The Hands Of Terrorists. In 2006, Obama and Lugar introduced The Cooperative Proliferation Detection Act, which was passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously on May 26, 2006 and was eventually incorporated into the Department of State Authorities Act of 2006 and signed into law on January 11, 2007. According to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee report on its legislative activity in the 109th Congress, "The committee passed S. 2566, The Cooperative Proliferation Detection, Interdiction Assistance, and Conventional Threat Reduction Act of 2006 by unanimous consent on May 26, 2006. The legislation authored by Chairman Lugar and Senator Obama enhances: (1) U.S. cooperation with foreign governments to destroy conventional weapons stockpiles around the world; and (2) the United States’ ability to provide assistance to foreign governments aimed at helping them detect and interdict weapons and materials of mass destruction. The legislation, which garnered 26 co-sponsors (including 8 committee members), sought to energize U.S. programs to secure lightweight anti-aircraft missiles...The initiative was modeled after the Nunn-Lugar program that focuses on weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union. The legislation was signed into law on January 11, 2007, as a part of H.R. 6060, the Department of State Authorities Act of 2006." [P.L. 109-472, 1/11/07; House Report 109-706, 9/3/06; S. 2566, 109th Congress; S.1949, 109th Congress; Senate Report 110-40, 3/29/07]
Ø Lugar Said It Was Accurate That Said Obama Reached Out To Him And They Passed Legislation To Lock Down Loose Nuclear Weapons. "Republican Sen. Dick Lugar (IN) today said an Obama campaign ad which features him is ‘accurate.’ The ad makes the point the Obama previously ‘reached out’ to Lugar to ‘help lock down loose nuclear weapons.’ Lugar is widely considered one of the most knowledgeable in the area of nuclear weapons proliferation and the coauthored of the 1991 Nunn-Lugar Act on cooperative threat reduction. ‘He did’ reach out, Lugar said. He explained that in 2005, Obama asked if he could join Lugar on a trip to Russia and other countries to visit sites under the Nunn-Lugar program. ‘After that, we had legislation that we cosponsored together which passed’ dealing with dangerous missiles. ‘So I am pleased we had that opportunity to work together,’ Lugar said. ‘I’m pleased we had the association Sen. Obama describes.’ But Lugar made clear up front that while the ad was accurate, and he’s comfortable with the association, ‘There is no chance I will consider running with Barack Obama.’" [MSNBC, 7/15/08]
Obama and Coburn Passed A Bill Creating A "Google-like" Database For The Public To Search Details About Federal Funding Awards. In 2006, Obama and Coburn co-authored a bill to create a "Google-like" database of information on federal spending. The bill requires the OMB by January 1, 2008, to make available to the public a searchable, free website that includes the (1) amount; (2) transaction type; (3) funding agency; (4) North American Industry Classification System code or Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number; (5) program source; (6) an award title descriptive of the purpose of each funding action; (7) the name and location of the recipient and the primary location of performance; and (8) a unique identifier of the recipient and any parent entity. The site must allow users to conduct separate searches that distinguish between awards that are grants, sub-grants, loans, cooperative agreements, and other forms of financial assistance and awards that are contracts, subcontracts, purchase orders, task orders, and delivery orders. [S. 2590, Passed by Unanimous Consent, 9/7/06; Became PL 109-282, 9/26/06]
Obama Passed Law Ensuring That Wounded Veterans Recovering In Military Hospitals Do Not Have To Pay For Their Meals Or Phone Calls To Family Members. In 2005, Obama sponsored and passed an amendment that to the 2005 emergency supplemental appropriations act ensuring that wounded veterans recovering in military hospitals do not have to pay for their own meals or phone calls to family members. The amendment was then passed in each of the following Congresses. Prior to passage of the amendment, service members receiving physical therapy or rehabilitation services in a medical hospital for more than 90 days were required to pay for their meals. Obama’s amendment required the military to provide free meals for service members in military hospitals undergoing recuperation or therapy as a result of wounds sustained in Iraq or Afghanistan. The amendment was retroactive to January 1, 2005 in an effort to provide those injured service members who received bills for their meals with some relief from those costs. The amendment became law. [S. Amdt. 390, Passed by unanimous consent, 4/14/05 to H.R.1268, Signed by the President, 5/11/05, Became Public Law No: 109-013; Obama Press Release, 5/11/05]
Obama Proposals Providing Improvements In Health Care For Recovering Soldiers Were Passed Into Law, Including Requirements For Post-Deployment Mental Health Screenings And National Study On The Needs Of Iraq War Veterans. H.R. 976, passed by the Senate on August 2, 2007, includes several provisions from bills originally sponsored by Senators Obama and McCaskill. The provisions would improve health care services and health care tracking for service members, and would require post-deployment, face to face mental health screenings for returning service members within 30 days. The bill also adopts other Obama-McCaskill legislation, the HERO Act, which would launch a major national research endeavor into the readjustment needs of returning service members, veterans and their families. The bill also included measures to improve and reform the disability rating process. [Vote 307, H.R. 976, Passed, 68-31, 8/2/07; S. 713, 110th Congress; S. 1271, 110th Congress; Obama Press Release, 7/25/07; H.R. 4986, Became Public Law No: 110-181, 1/28/08]
Obama Worked With Republicans To Pass Legislation, Which Became Law, Improving And Increasing Services For Homeless Veterans. In 2006, Congress passed a Veterans Affairs Committee bill which included several provisions originating in Obama’s SAVE Act (S. 1180) and Homes for Heroes Act (S. 3475). "The legislation...includes a number of proposals from legislation Senator Obama had previously introduced (S.1180, the SAVE Act and S.3475 the Homes for Heroes Act) to expand and improve services for homeless veterans. The bill permanently authorizes and increases funding to $130 million per year for a competitive grant program to provide homeless services to veterans. It greatly increases a successful program to provide rental vouchers to homeless veterans. The legislation extends programs to providing treatment for veterans with mental illnesses and other special needs. And it permanently extends VA’s ability to transfer property it owns to homeless shelters." Obama worked with VA Committee Republicans Craig and Burr on the committee legislation that eventually became law. [S. 3421/P.L. 109-461; S. 1180, 109th Congress; S. 3475, 109th Congress; Obama Press Release, 6/26/06]
Obama Passed Bipartisan Legislation That Expanded Health Care Coverage To 154,000 Residents, Including 70,000 Children. As a state senator, Barack Obama sponsored and helped pass legislation that expanded and made permanent Illinois’ KidCare program by raising eligibility from 185% to 200% of the federal poverty level. The legislation provided coverage for an additional 20,000 children and 65,000 more Illinois adults in the first year, and by 2007 had expanded health care to 70,000 kids and 84,000 adults. In its endorsement for his Senate race, the State Journal-Register wrote, "Obama brings similar common-sense views to improving health care in America - for example, as a state senator he championed the successful KidCare program that assists thousands of children of the working poor." The bill was sponsored in the state House by Sandra Pihos, a Republican and passed 42-13. [93rd GA, SB 130, 3R P 42-13-2; Signed into law 6/30/03, PA 93-0063; Chicago Daily Herald, 7/2/03; Blagojevich release, 1/9/07; Blagojevich release, 4/13/07; Kaiser family report, 5/07; State Journal-Register, 10/29/04]
Obama Passed A Bill Creating $100 Million Earned Income Tax Credit As A Member Of The Minority Party In The Illinois Senate. In 1999, Obama was the lead sponsor of a bill making Illinois the 11th state to adopt an earned income-tax credit. The bill provided that each individual taxpayer is entitled to a credit against the tax imposed by the Act in an amount equal to 5% of the federal earned income tax credit allowed. Then-Gov. George Ryan opposed the move, but an unlikely political alliance – including Republicans and Democrats – formed to reduce the tax burden on working poor families. The AP wrote, "The new law, which offers about $105 million in tax breaks over the next three years, gives a state income tax credit equal to 5 percent of a similar federal tax credit. For the average working family making less than $30,580, that amounts to about $55 a year, or 15 cents a day. The maximum credit for families with two or more children is $191 a year." [91st GA, HB 3939; 4/14/00, 3R P; 59-0-0; P.A. 91-0700, 5/11/00; Chicago Tribune, 4/10/99]
Obama Passed Near-Unanimous Death Penalty Overhaul Package. Obama was the chief co-sponsor and voted for bill creating the Capital Punishment Reform Study Committee Act. The proposal, which was approved on a 57-1 vote, was virtually identical to reforms pushed in 2002 by then-Gov. George Ryan. If passed by the House and signed into law by the governor, the bill would let judges rule out a death sentence for someone convicted solely on the testimony of a jailhouse informant, accomplice or single witness; let the state Supreme Court overturn a death sentence that was "fundamentally unjust.; Reduce the crimes eligible for the death penalty by focusing on "inherently violent" offenses; Expand defendants’ access to genetic evidence used against them; Ban police officers from the police force if they committed perjury in a murder case; and Require juries to consider a defendant’s history of abuse or mental illness when deciding whether to impose the death sentence. Obama said, "As far as the Bill goes, it doesn’t address whether the death penalty is applied fairly to all races and in all regions of the state. And it doesn’t appease those who want capital punishment eliminated." [93rd GA, SB 0472; 4/3/03, 3R P; 57-1-0; 5/29/03, HA1 SC; 56-3-0; 11/5/03, OAV P; 58-0-0; P.A. 93-0605, 11/25/03; Pantagraph, 4/4/03; Associated Press, 4/24/03]
Frankly, Anon, Palin isn't qualified to fix breakfast for Obama - let alone compete with him politically.
Frankly, Anon, Palin isn't qualified to fix breakfast for Obama - let alone compete with him politically.
You were doing fine until you made the above sexist slur about Palin. Just as we should avoid racial references about Obama, we should avoid associating Palin with homemaking. The implication is that she belongs in the kitchen.
Given the intelligence behind most of everything else that you wrote, which I appreciate, I doubt that you intended to slam her like that.
Sorry, Bernie. I don't view fixing breakfast as "homemaking" - and, to be honest, her gender doesn't matter to me one iota.
What does matter to me is the unwillingness and seeming inability of folks to focus on issues and facts rather than the typical wingnut hyperbole.
Her smears, lies, and omissions corrupt and obscure the political discussion we desperately need to have as a nation. Her doing so tells me that she is unfit for office at the national level.
Anon 11:17, Thanks for your disclaimer. I appreciate it.
Dear Anon 11:02 --
You my friend are rapidly filling up five pound bags with ten pounds of bovine fecal matter.
First, off your comment at the end about Palin not being fit to fix the Obama's breakfast is a sexist crack -- and don't deny it. It just makes you look even more obtuse.
Too bad she's going to serve both Obama and Biden their lunches in the next 60 days.
Let's look at your points:
Spending and debt are up in Wassila!
Um, yes because while she was there they built a $14.7 million dollar sports arena that the voters approved. The same voters by the way that numerous AP articles mentioned were gathered in the town's honky-tonk cheering Super Sarah on. Wow. They must really hate her, huh? You know for leaving them all that debt.
Oh, and well that new sports arena they voted for.
Palin is being investigated for abuse of power!
Heavens! You've got her! Oh, wait, yeah, that's right she called for the investigation of her own actions.
Hmm. Sounds like she has something to hide.
Oh, and the guy she fired, he serves at the pleasure of the governor. That means she can fire him because she may or may not like his moustache.
She lied about Obama's record. Why he's been out there sponsoring this and that.
And that's the key. SP specifically said "authored." Authored my friend means that the legislation was thunk up, ordered drafted and introduced by a legislator.
Any representative of senator can "sponsor" legislation. It's easy. They can just say "I sponsor this," or "Hey can I sponsor that? I can? Okay, then I do!"
It's the actual thinking up his own bills and getting other people to sponsor them where Senator Obama hasn't been putting in a full day's work.
In fact, college kids could play a drinking game (drink responsibly kids) with your specious post. You have to take a shot everytime you read these words in Anon 11:02's statement. Are you ready: "sponsored and helped pass."
Remember, re-read Anon 11:02 Daily KOs lifted talking points and take a shot everytime you read "sponsored and helped pass" or a reasonable variation like "Obama joined with," or "Obama was the Chief Co-sponsor."
Scratch that. You'd get alchol poisoning.
But, hey Anon 11:02, how does a guy so concerned about ethical government like Senator Obama get in bed with such a sleeze like Tony Rezko?
You know, convicted felon Tony Rezko? Not ringing a bell?
Okay, convicted felon Tony Rezko who bought millions of dollars of acrerage near the Obama mansion and then sold it to his politcal buddy for hundreds of thousands of dollars less.
That Tony Rezko.
Good thing that Senator Obama is so ethical and all.
Oh, and hey, I did find one bill that was all Obama's own.
Yep. It's the one that he passed as a state Senator that said if through stroke of fate, or, oh dare I say, act of God, a child somehow is born alive as a result of a botched abortion procedure, i.e. a child fully out of the womb and perhaps even breathing on it's own, that child must not be given medical care because the mother intended to have an abortion.
That one is all Barack Obama's.
I could make some kind of stupid crack like you did about Senator Obama that demeans him as a person instead of as a politician, like your crack about Governor Palin, but I don't want to step down to your level.
You are in for a long sixty days my friend.
And next time, you might consider just putting a damn link to your crappy talking points.
O'Hare supports her because he 'likes' her. That is his reason for Stoffa. They are two pes in a pod, unqualified and disasters.
Way to use reason there Boonie
"They are two pes in a pod, unqualified and disasters."
I'll bet they can spell peas properly though.
You're typing and drinking again aren't you?
Go bed-bye.
Fact checking the Palin Fact Check:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NWFlNmI3ODE3YTA1ZTY1MmMxMDVmNTQwZDM3MDMzNjI=
I finally figured it out. I am a Republican but not a conservative. Conservative politics are one step away from religious politics. We can use the "family values" moniker all we want, but every thing conservatives stand for is religious viewpoints.
Small government, little taxes, laissez faire, state rights, etc are all republican ideology. Moral values should not be running our country or the decisions we make. Pro Life or Pro choice will not solve the economy. Abstinence or sex education will not fix foreign policy. And creationism or evolution will not solve the health care crisis in America.
Palin is conservative. She is a damn good conservative. And unfortunately she is not Margaret Thatcher enough to make her conservative ideology stand on two feet when/if she has take control of the White House.
Plus, anyone who wants to ban literary works because they do not agree with their morals should not be running the country. This type of emotional off the cuff decisions, "piss & vinegar," do not disappear with "experience." If the current administration has shown as us anything it is that even in spite of opposition they will continue to do things their way.
I like McCain. I don't like Palin. And this might swing the vote for me.
Hell no one liked Truman, but he turned out okay.
WHO DO YOU TRUST ?
VOTE FOR THAT PERSON(s)
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