OT: McCain Running Mate: Ringer or Not? - Page 13

Quote: “The pregnant minor daughter is a family affair and has nothing to do with politics.  Leave the daughter out of it.”

The person that should have left the daughter out of it is Palin! She is the one that brought her children with her on stage when she became McCain’s running mate. If her kids were off limits she would not have put them in that situation. I was even disappointed when Obama pulled his kids out at the DNC convention after working so hard to keep them in the background for the last year. I don’t take my kid to work with me because it’s dangerous and I am aware of the danger. Maybe politicians should do the same.

But since her family is out there I have some questions. WHO THE HELL IS TAKING CARE OF THAT 5 MONTH OLD BABY!!! Is she going to put him in a backpack and carry it onto the floor of Congress? Or is her husband going to throw him on the back of a snow machine and take him out to the oil fields with him? I guess it’s easier to have a Down’s Syndrome baby when you have nannies.

I also have not noticed anyone bringing up the fact that she is under a criminal investigation. She is accused of using her office to get her estranged brother-in law fired from is law enforcement job due to a family dispute. If she is convicted will she step down from VP? Or will she do like so many other people in the GOP have done and claim some sort of executive privilege and weasel out of getting in front of a judge?

My feeling is that this is one of the best things ever for the democratic ticket. It undercuts the only thing the GOP had that still had any traction with a significant portion of the public…experience. Can you imagine this woman, that didn’t even know what the vice-president’s job is, going head to head in a debate with Biden? He will Biden chew her up like a moose burger.

I am going to regret getting into this but here goes-

In regard to Palin's daughter getting pregnant and the "morals and family values" that go along with it:

IMO, everyone one of us has made mistakes in our life, no one is above a bad decision or judgement. It's how you deal with the aftermath, and the ramifications of that bad decision or choice. Family support for a dumb teenager who made a bad choice. Those are the kind of family values that I look for in a leader, as opposed to someone that may prefer to take an easier route, to save face, and sweep such an embarrassment under the rug, never to be spoken of. No thanks. Kudos to the entire family for sticking together when it really matters. They have my vote for sure-

Theresa

 C. Smith: I think you make an incorrect  singular assumption, that having attained power one should be equal to "the cream of the crop". I say, as the old saying goes, " cream also rises to the top." 

I think it would be so dangerous to give a woman like Palin the experience a veep would, for say at least four years, and possibly eight. I say, she's got a real steep learning curve, and she knows how to handle a bunch or rowdy men in trees.

Fear not, those nasty Democrats are asking to leave Palin's daughter's situation out of the campaign. Now all they need to do is to convince the media to button their big bazoos and to concentrate on the important issues.

How one stands by one's family members for stupid mistakes has absolutely NOTHING to do with whether one is qualified to be the Vice President of the United States, and especially in this situation because should McCain be elected (he will not be), he might well die in office. This is NOT the woman to be in that office.

I find it appalling that most of the stuff written here has no relationship to the real issues. But Americans are lazy, so why should we expect them to be more diligent in understanding the issues now?

  "What does plastic surgery have to do with her merits as a leader?"

certainly has far less than the issue of her minor daughter getting pregnant, particularly by a guy who posts the kind of stuff he had on myspace (he didn't come off as very bright or respectful - i heard it has been removed)  i have nothing to say about the minor daughter but we certainly can talk about the kind of parenting that may be happening.

perhaps Palin was too preoccupied with appearance (e.g plastic surgery;) to see what her daughter was up to? may be the beginning of a pattern. does this point to an underlying weakness? maybe too narrow of a focus to see what is really happening right under her nose? if so this could be a real concern. who knows for sure but it's making me pause because one's ability to lead one's family  can in deed give a clue about one's ability to run a country.  

on top of this you have the daughter's choice in father's. his character as shown on his myspace page makes me wonder about the kind of modeling going on at home. i honesty don't know if this is a "deal breaker" or not but i do see this whole situation as a "red flag"; not as a morality issue but it can speak to her merits as a leader - i now am questioning her actual ability to lead, which makes me wonder: is she yet another puppet?  

during the clinton admin. it was drilled into americans that our leaders are role models and it was clear their private lives are open for public discussion, so here we have the shoe on the other foot.  sure teen preg. happens and has always happened, same with clinton's actions (the stat. is something like 72% of amer. have been unfaithful), but what is this modeling to americans - teen preg is a fact of life?  at a core level is this really different then the issue with clinton?  you can't have it both ways - one rule for all - a minor is having a child out of wedlock. is as much of an issue as infidelity if not more to some folks.  personally i have no issue with this whatsoever (same with clinton's sex life zero interest for me) but when you think about it - a minor showing a very high degree of irresponsibility - is this type of parenting/leadership our leaders should be modeling?  accepting and dealing with the situation is one thing, but this is dangerously close to endorsing especially after the clinton hoopla.  imo Palin will have to be really amazing at something else to counterbalance this weakness in character. it's like with dogs; we know perfection is impossible and that is not what makes a particular dog great, instead it's how the dog balances out her/his weaknesses that show the true measure. i guess we'll see but i'm less than thrilled at the moment.

Once last thing, you people that want to have leaders that are just like you are complete and total idiots. Leaders should be those that are better than most of us. They should be the cream of the crop. They should be the best educated and the most well rounded.

Well  said! This has been my grouse about how we view leaders.

One of the most laughable things that get said repeatedly is how we want a leader who is like us. So you have ridiculous questions being asked such as who one would want to have a drink with or partake in a BBQ. This is such an absurd criteria and is so uniquely American. I have lived in several countries over the past several decades and no other country seems to have this ludicrous criteria.

I want a person who can offer good leadership, is well-informed and has good judgement and experience. I know that I will never have a drink with this person and, in the  unlikely event that I do, it would not matter one wit that I am not able to relate to him or her.

Hodie what are your top three issues that you feel are not being addressed? I only want to be clear. Thanks.

Beetree writes:  C. Smith: I think you make an incorrect  singular assumption, that having attained power one should be equal to "the cream of the crop". I say, as the old saying goes, " cream also rises to the top." 

Beetree, I never made that assumption.

Our current president leads me to create a new saying. Cream rises to the top but so does poop.

It is us the voters that have to sift off the poop and preserve the cream.