Re: McCain picks Palin Now we have (another?) pregnancy by that little tart! Palin's 17-year-old daughter is (again?) currently 5.5 months pregnant, and it has been announced that she will marry the father. Has she not figured out what's causing this? That abstinence-only sex education plan was such a good idea ... I mean, it should be easy to keep teenagers from having sex, right? See http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/01/palins-17-year-old-daughter-is-pregnant/?hp It's not exactly rare for a pregnant 16-year-old to be shipped off "to recover from mono." And it's also not unheard-of for Grandma to pretend to be Ma (often for many decades or forever!) ... But this is not the sort of deception I want from my elected representatives - It makes me wonder "If you'll lie to us to avoid a little embarrassment, is there anything you wouldn't do, and lie you wouldn't tell, if the matter were more serious?" An ex-gf of mine is currently seven months pregnant, and her pictures do not look like much those of Palin at 'seven months' at all - Pregnancies can vary I know, but now that the little minx has gotten herself pregnant again the original story starts to seem more likely. My real interest is in seeing when (or whether) the mainstream media will cover this allegation re Ms. Palin's most recent 'pregnancy' at all - So far, largely silence. Edit - Oooops, I just noticed the timing - Apparently this new announcement is itself intended to disprove the allegation that Sarah was never pregnant this year, because that baby was born in April, so if her daughter was the birth mother then, the daughter could not be 5.5 months pregnant now in late August. Hmmm ...
Re: McCain picks Palin No its quite common, there is a secret base out in Nevada called Area 52 where they send these 'tarts'. They can trade their babies with the greys in Area 51 for their weight in cherry lip gloss and unlimited texting... not exactly rare...
Re: McCain picks Palin I don't know if it's rare or not..but two girls at my highschool actually disappeared for a year and were switched out of school because of being pregnant. No one found out till later. It was basically because their parents were super rich and well-ta-do's in the area and it was huge embarrassment.
Re: McCain picks Palin These things do happen, but really, apply Occam's Razor. Imagine having to fake being pregnant and hide the daughters pregnancy all in the public eye as a public official. It just a farce post, there will be dozens of these 'articles' for both sides that will crop up over the next few months. A few may even prove true like the John Edwards situation, but not likely.
Re: McCain picks Palin I totally agree. I'm not saying I buy into all the conspiracy stuff..but I'm saying I understand why, if it was true, she or some people would hide it especially if you're from a town of 9000. The only thing I find interesting, in terms of judgment, IF it is true is that, after her water broke she flew from Texas to Alaska to give birth. That's a long flight and questionable in terms of being able to have proper medical care in the air. I mean a 40+, who's child in the womb has down syndrome, wants to fly 3000 miles? Regardless if you are democrat or republican that's so a little bit wacky.
Re: McCain picks Palin ^ Then, upon arriving, she is claimed to have driven past two different hospitals with Neonatal Intensive Care units to deliver her Down's baby, a month prematurely, in a much less well-equipped (though much more private and 'cooperative') clinic? I really don't know what to think of the original story, though a girl can give birth twice within ten months, but either way Palin doesn't come off well. Either she lied completely, or she displayed very curious judgment. One more pic - If this is what she looked like late in an earlier pregnancy, then not showing at all at seven month does seem unlikely this time. Someone noted though that they thought the other woman in the pic looks more like Palin - I haven't seen enough pics of her to be sure either way. Finally - Could this even be a Rove-ian plant? They hope that Obama is an idiot and tries to use it, then spring the trap with her delivery-room video or whatever? I would not put it past the political operatives at the RNC for a moment, but I don't think they would assume Obama would be so dense. They do have a pattern though, of using 'The Big Lie' - telling lies so outlandish that the intended reaction is "Well, even they couldn't have made that one up."
Re: McCain picks Palin I'm tempted to think that this new story is being put out there to destroy the old story. Anyone wanna lay odds on the little lady having some complications that result in no child? I know it sounds cynical (and heartless), but... It would drum up public support and kill this other story in one. It's all to fishy. And Occam's Razor does work here. It all depends on how you apply it.
Re: McCain picks Palin I view Occam's Razor as a critical thinking exercise. It's a means to an end. Unfortunately, some people think of it as an end in itself. That is, the answer that appears to be the simplest IS the correct answer. Reality's complexities have a way of messing with this. To apply Occam's Razor in lieu of solid evidence is wise, but it's not evidence. It's also wise to question what appear to be simple explanations, especially when they are politically expedient. I'd say more about the Palin debacle but am still processing facts and circuses.
Re: McCain picks Palin Cindy defending Palin's "security" experience Buahahahhhhaaa WTF? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zP8uFPWxaA
Re: McCain picks Palin Sarah Palin's Pregnancy Decision Map (edited because the graphic was stretching out the page width - Roger)
Re: McCain picks Palin hmmm so she is fit to be President. Thank you, I know who I need to vote for now.
Re: McCain picks Palin Peter, when you get a moment, please let me know what "change we can believe in" has taken place here in Massachusetts with Deval Patrick at the helm....especially since since Obama is running on basically the same blind "anything is better than what we have now" platform. I mean seriously, all of those people here in MA that supported Deval have got to be scratching their heads from a year ago saying....damn, he wanted casinos, and we supported electing this guy??? I'd really like to hear some specifics from Barack, about what EXACTLY he plans to change. You can't pledge to repair Washington politics in one term. Certain Democratic baggage like higher taxes and bigger government are presumptive agendas for a liberal President.....but what will a new Senator devoid of serious foreign policy experience bring to the table in a relatively short period of time in office? I think its a sweet warm hearted "you're ok, and I'm ok" feeling that he wants to bring to a tremendously tumultuous time in foreign politics, where he feels he needs to "repair" our damaged reputation on the world stage....but please give me some indication on HOW you will make those "changes". Enough obscure general promise fodder. I don't care for the McCain camp either. To me this is a giant shit sandwich....and we all get to take a bite, regardless of who "wins" office. But I am getting pretty sick of listening to Barack and his grand stage of oratory lectures on what's "values" he'll bring to the White House. How about the value of our fucking dollar? Can we start there?
Re: McCain picks Palin You could just look at recent history. Reagan, record breaking deficit. Bush sr no improvement on economy. Clinton, record surplus and largest job growth in 22 years (?). Bush jr, new largest deficit in US history. I'd say on that premise alone its better to go for the democrate in consideration of the dollar. Other then that the biggest change, beyond the words, is the change in american and world psyche. We cannot claim to be against foreign extreamists while supporting extreamists of our own, or against hard liners if we are going to, again, make hard liners run our own govt. Democratic and social progress is a slow thing. In '65 blacks got to vote. In '67 blacks and whites could finaly marry. In 2001 the last anti-sodomy laws were over turned. In 2004 Republicans made gay marriage a negative issue. In 2008 we may elect the strong possibility of a anti-gay, pro-war, anti-science person with no experience to become our president by default. Our choice is not necessarily Obama or McLame, it's more about which direction we want america to progress or devolve to. Technology over the last 200 years is what has increased the standard of living around the world. Do we really want to stiffle technology and progress by choosing anything but forward thinkers that plan to surround themselves with experts rather then choosing creationists and war mongers that only have capitalist chronies by thier sides? Thats how I see it.
Re: McCain picks Palin Actually, that's a rightwing talking point. If you look at Obama's tax plan, he intends on rolling back the Bush tax cuts on those making over $250,000, the same tax cuts McCain opposed once upon a time because they favored the wealthy so much. I believe he also intends to tax the oils company's windfall profits to provide the middle class Americans with a tax cut, in an effort to help them with rising energy costs. Overall, he'll restore more fairness in the tax system. Specific enough? I think the non-partisan Tax Policy Center did a good summary of both their tax plans. Other plans for change include a huge investment in alternative energy ($15 billion a year, compared to $2-$3 billion from McCain), with many "progressive" changes in the works, including a requirement that all energy companies produce 10% renewable energies by 2012 and 25% by 2025. There is of course also the cap and trade system which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and also generate revenue. He also plans to crack down on oil speculation (a big reason why oil prices are so high today), something the Republicans blocked recently so they could score political points with the drilling drama/pandering, even though people on the right, like Bill O'Reilly, Ben Stein -- and many others -- agree oil speculation is a big problem. That's energy, and there is probably more. This is more or less from the top of my head. The changes he wants for healthcare focus on preventive care (he has noted that insurance companies won't cover a visit to a dietitian, but have no problem covering an amputation caused by diabetes; he'll change that). I can go on and on. Pick an issue, and Obama seems to have good ideas.
Re: McCain picks Palin Autodactyl made plenty of good point for Obama - unless you're either extremely wealthy, or want everyone to live by your religious philosophies I don't see how anyone can make a case for supporting McCain. You question how Obama will make the country/world a better place - how about questioning what McCain will do? How will McCain make our country/dollar stronger? By opening oil fields? Yeah, that'll make 1% of the population a whole lotta money, but the rest of us poor saps will be no better off, and quite possibly worse off. I think that Obama could be voted in on renewable energy alone - that one issue improves so many current weaknesses. It's good for the environment, it reduces unemployment, it reduces dependence on foreign markets, it strengthens the economy. So for those that are saying "What's Obama going to fix?" I turn the question back on you - How is McCain going to fix our country's problems? How is he a better candidate than Obama?
Re: McCain picks Palin This is what I find most fascinating; the dogma around Obama is so huge and venomous. I have talked to dozens of people about this and every time you mention politics I see comments like above, that are just so distorted and loaded or 'your an idiot if you do not vote for Obama'. When I talk with Obama supporters, most of the talking points I see are largely why you shouldn't vote for McCain, It seems so much that voting for Obama is really not a vote for him, it a vote again Bush or McCain (4 more years of Bush is the worst tag line I think I have ever heard in a while) I wonder in 50 years they will mark the Obama generation as something like the tulip and witch burning hysterias as the days of old. Obama himself has even mentioned he has been put up as symbol of hope. it is going to be interesting... hail the great experiment called America
Re: McCain picks Palin If that's the best reason for voting for Obama it's still a pretty good and valid one. But fortunately there are tangible reasons to vote for Obama that Autodactyl mentioned. My opinion of much of the US is extremely low - whether they vote for McCain or not I think most people are idiots. There will be plenty of people that aren't idiots that vote for McCain, but IMO their vote will come from hate/fear/greed - either they hate/fear those with different ideologies and want everyone to live according to their version of the bible (how these people are any different to Islamic extremists is beyond me), or they want the status quo of the rich getting richer to remain intact.
Re: McCain picks Palin It's all the same? Really? People who thought it was "all the same" in 2000 are the ones who got us into the horrible shitmess we're in today by letting Bush "win" in the first place. For all of Gore's faults, we'd be a trillion dollars richer if not for voter apathy.
Re: McCain picks Palin Overnight, Sarah Palin's and Levi Johnstone's MySpace pages were taken down, but before they were, someone saved some photos from Palin's. I can see why Mrs. Moral Mama wouldn't want photos of her daughters getting drunk floating around, given that none are of Alaskan legal drinking age. Oops: http://flickr.com/photos/30128128@N04/
Re: McCain picks Palin Right wing or not, you can't "crack down" on oil speculation, when prices and speculation are not originating in US markets. US markets can only react. The loophole most Wall Street investors exercised nearly 2 years ago was to set up shop in Europe and the UK, where speculation on commodities and other investments can be exercised freely. I do agree that speculation is part of the problem, but Obama won't be able to do a damn thing about it, except bluff OPEC by threatening to drill domestically, as W did this past summer. I am waiting for live debates on these and other issues, and until then, I have had enought campaign doubletalk and saber rattling from both sides.
Re: McCain picks Palin This is just further proof of the Great Discovery, honed to perfection by Reagan and milked for all it's worth by every GOP mouthpiece since - That is, in American politics it does not matter what you do, it only matters what you say you (or your opponent) are doing. Reagan was the master of saying all the right things to his base, then doing things completely different. So, the GOP simply says again and again that Democrats tax and spend, and despite the existing, current GOP deficits which we and our descendants will be paying off for decades, even otherwise-savvy, intelligent people seem to believe it. But, it's no longer in question what the recent economic results of each party have been. (Leaving aside for the moment the issue of how much any President can really affect the economy at all.) A Princeton poly sci prof's new book, Unequal Democracy, shows from census records that since WWII, Americans at ALL income levels do better financially under Democratic than under GOP Presidents. The poor do better, and the rich do too. Even less surprising, the biggest impact is not in income overall, it is in income inequality. Under Democratic Presidents, the 'spread' between the top, middle and bottom segments narrows, while under GOP Presidents it widens. That is, under GOP Presidents the rich get richer, the poor get a tiny bit better off. Under Democratic Presidents, that effect is lessened - The rich get richer even faster than they do under the GOP, but the poor do much better too, so the gap narrows. One hopes that the lessons of history are not so completely ignored that we forget - Since the Holy Roman Empire (or earlier), when societies are made up of only the very rich and the very poor, they tend to become unstable. When there is a thriving and prosperous and ambitious middle class, they tend to prosper. Here's a chart from Census data, and a link to the article - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/business/31view.html?em So, who wants to bet that during the GOP convention, with these hard figures showing the truth, the GOP will now forgo their polemics about those shameful 'tax and spend' Democrats, and the damage they would do to the budgets of 'the working families of America' if elected? Anyone? How about if I give odds? Long odds? 1,000-to-1? Anyone? Hello? Is this thing on? Nah, it doesn't matter what our candidates do, only what they say ... Because, I mean, it's not like a politician would lie to his fellow Americans just to get himself elected, right? At one level, the Democrats' long-term problem is that their real message to Middle America is this: "The GOP has been robbing you blind for decades, all while distracting you with flag-burners and gay people marrying and those reliably-scary Terrorists, and you are simply too dense to see it!" It is true ... but it's sure not an appealing or salable message.
Re: McCain picks Palin This is correct ... but, it doesn't address the root of the problem -- Who do we have to thank for that loophole? The two oil executives we elected and a banana-spined, (then-)GOP-controlled Congress, maybe? I don't know how much speculation has impacted the price of oil, no one does for sure, but it does seem that since margin requirements for stocks are 50% (to dampen speculation), having margin requirements at the same level for oil would help. Currently, they are at 5%-10%. Second, we might get more cooperation from the European regulators without a President who alienates pretty much every ally we ever had. And finally, loopholes that open can close - Even the multinationals can be brought under US commodity trading regulations if they want to keep selling to the US market.
Re: McCain picks Palin To be fair, I don't think any of the pictures actually shows her daughter holding or drinking any alcohol... but all the same, I don't think Palin's daughter is doing her any favors.
