Fan Forum - View Single Post - US Election Coverage 2008 - Part 8

ceilirose · 08-30-2008, 01:31 PM

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Originally Posted by JW77 (View Post)

How does Harry Reid gain votes being pro-life? How did he find the support to become the Senate Minority leader in 2005?

Compromise. He identifies with Democrats overall. Plus pro-life vs. pro-choice isn't quite the litmus test among Democrats that it is in the Republican party.

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According to Cynthia McKinney..."Our country has been hijacked and the Democrats have proven themselves to have been in on the plan. When it came to the Constitution, the Democratic leadership showed us that aiding and abetting illegal spying on us was more important to them than protecting our civil liberties.

But you need to mention that McKinney is the presidential candidate for the Green party. So her comments are a little disengenuous once you know that. She's blaming the Democrats and I'll be the first to admit that Pelosi and Reid have been a huge disappointment but the Iraq War, the telecom immunity bill and the domestic spying aren't totally in the hands of the Democrats. A lot but not totally. Blame can be spread around. Bush and his gang created the mess that is Iraq along with the compliance of some Democrats.

There have been some fighters among the Democrats - not a whole lot but some. They've tried to pass the stem cell twice and Bush has vetoed it - same for the childhood health insurance bill also. They pushed through the new G.I. bill even though Bush and McCain were against it.

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I don't know...Nader maybe, or possibly McKinney or Kucinich (although he still considers himself a Democrat). I do know that with Obama or McCain it will be policy as usual in Washington.

Nadar is over the top and not quite over himself. He's not a factor this year is he? I don't even know if he's still in the race. Kucinich is a good person - he just didn't have that massive cross over appeal.

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I wouldn't call it an uprising as much as a celebration after the Soviet Union collapsed.

The Polish dock workers in Gdansk? The Czechs in 1968? The many East Germans who risked their lives to escape over the Berlin Wall? I can't believe that they didn't contribute to the Soviet Union collapse. You can't tell me that Reagan telling Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" was all that was needed.

This is another opinion on Palin from a blogger in Alaska. It's a long read and the writer is a Democrat but he does give a recap of Palin, her rise and the issue of "troopergate."

Mudflats

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I, like all Alaskans, have been glued to the news media today, watching with amazement as Sarah Palin was tagged as McCain’s vice presidential running mate. Local radio talk shows are all a-buzz. The progressive station has a mixture of callers who are amused, horrified, and bewildered. The conservative station has a mixture of callers who are amused, enthusiastic, horrified and bewildered. No one is really sure how this happened, or what to make of it. Citing the fact that she was the mayor of Wasilla 2 years ago in her list of “executive experience” doesn’t even pass the giggle test in Alaska. Palin does have many supporters here in the state, but even many of them are doubting whether she can cut it in the Veep slot. A few callers have said they feel sorry for her, because they like her but she’s obviously being “used” and is way over her head. Local politicians are fiercely divided. Those who like her are generally appointees who are locally referred to as “Palin-bots” and have drawn comparisons to George Bush’s idealogical croneys. Many, Democrats and Republicans, are fierce opponents.

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Governor “Squeakyclean”….or not.

Another focus of Palin’s introduction today was her reform image. Listen to John McCain and you’ll hear about a maverick reformer who took on big oil, took on corrupt Alaska politicians, and whose ethics are unquestioned.

Alaskans really want to like Sarah Palin. In a state where corruption is the rule, and the same faces keep recycling over and over and over again like a bad dream, a new face, with a promise of reform seemed like a breath of fresh air. Palin defeated incumbent governor Frank Murkowski (father of Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski who he appointed to his own Senate seat when he was elected governor) because he was such an obnoxious, bloviating, downright BAD politician. This staunchly republican state voted with relief, not having to cross over and vote Democratic, but still able to get Murkowski the hell out of office. In the general election Palin swept into office running against a former Democratic governor, Tony Knowles, who was capable but came with baggage. And he represented to Alaskans more of the same, tired old-style politics, and special interests that we have come to loathe.

So, if McCain had made his selection six months ago, the squeaky-clean governor meme would have made a little more sense. But, Sarah Palin is currently under an ethics investigation by the Alaska state legislature. The details of this investigation read like a trashy novel, and I suspect that the players will soon have newfound celebrity on the national stage. I’ll try to explain for all you non-Alaskans who suddenly have good reason to want to know more about Sarah Palin. For those of you not interested in trashy novels, feel free to skip ahead. Here it is…what we in Alaska call “TrooperGate”.