...

[thistlechaser]

Confirmation that McCain picked Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his VP. *holds head* (Edit: It's just been confirmed on TV, too.)

Okay, so what now. All the Republicans who said they'd never vote for a woman president are going to have no issues with this? When McCain is 72 years old and could fall over dead any moment now?

I'm so sick of all this. It's still months before the election and I've had enough.

I guess I have to say if Hillary supporters vote for him just based on that, ignoring her record, we'll get just what we deserve.

I'm sorry, rest of the world. If this goes bad, all I can do is apologize (as I've been doing every four years)...

Comments

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

Dunno, my first thought was that they just assured a democratic win...

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I hope so. I hope their own base of support dislikes the choice enough to assure that.

[barahir-ffxi.livejournal.com]

There's a lot of other countries around the world that are not so lucky and would kill/die for the opportunity you feel you need to apologize for. To apologize that your country has free and open elections is sad.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

To apologize that your country has free and open elections is sad.

How in the world did you read that I was apologizing for that?

I'll paraphrase a line from Bill Clinton's speech the other night: "The world looks up to us because of the power of our examples, not the examples of our power." I've apologized in the past for our worthless cowboy president, and if we elect Bush2, I'll do the same.

[hamburger.livejournal.com]

Eh, I have a more distanced view from the whole election at this point. I don't like getting into politics much, but I will say that was kind of a smart move on his part. It's going to be a much closer election than I thought it would be a few months ago.

At this point, it's all about the youth vote, and if they can keep up the fire in their bellies that they've had for Obama over the year so far enough to actually VOTE.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I agree it's a smart move. Very smart.

And yes, young people need to get out and vote. :/ That's the trick of it.

[avocado-love.livejournal.com]

*sigh*

It's not good. I don't like the fact that they are trying to get the women vote... and I don't like the fact that I was tempted -- even for just a quick second. (Hey! Her name is Sarah, damnit! I have my excuses. )

But what made me giggle is... Alaska? I mean, seriously? That flys completely in the face of all logic when picking a VP. Normally, they try to go for stats which, you know, actually have delegates. At least Mcain will now get the... Alaska vote? Er?

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

(Hey! Her name is Sarah, damnit! I have my excuses. )

Ha, that's a good reason. :D

At least Mcain will now get the... Alaska vote? Er?

*snickers* And he'll never run out of ice?

[barahir-ffxi.livejournal.com]

The state of Alaska will figure very prominantly in the energy policy debate. Having someone with firsthand experience in Alaska politics may be a very good idea.

[jakflak.livejournal.com]

Who said they'd never vote for a woman?

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Someone else on my flist whose name I won't give here. :)

Comments about a president being PMS and such.

[naikitty.livejournal.com]

If anything, he just assured that there won't be any racist/sexist people voting this year! *snickers*

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Ha ha. :D

[peppygrowlithe.livejournal.com]

It's important to, once in a while, look at a candidate for just their physical attributes, realizing that a fairly good chunk of the US is going to do just that - take one look and say "I like him" or "I don't like him".

So looking at her just for her physical characteristics:

If Angelina Jolie and Sandra Bullock had a baby, and that baby grew up to be a no-nonsense librarian with a deep love for education and a scathing intolerance for disobedient students, that child would be Sarah Palin. She looks like a hardass.

Looking over her views, I'm left with the thought that "If I didn't like the democratic candidates so much, I would be glad voting for her". She seems more moderate than McCain, but in a confident way, not a wishy washy way. I like that she's standing up for gay rights in Alaska, has a mind for the environment, and seems to follow through on her promises. (I keep seeing her name pop up as very anti-abortion and very pro-capital punishment, though, which really makes my head throb to try and comprehend.)

So, uh... yeah, not going to change my vote, but I actually kind of like her - at least, more than I would like, say, McCain. Maybe McCain'll have a heart attack and she'll go up against Obama, eh?

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Maybe McCain'll have a heart attack and she'll go up against Obama, eh?

That would be quite something to see, and talk about making history! A woman vs an African American!

- take one look and say "I like him" or "I don't like him".

So looking at her just for her physical characteristics:...She looks like a hardass.

Heh! My first look at her, I didn't like her. She looked mean, like that mother who drives the carpool and screams at children who aren't hers. Not to say that's a bad thing in a leader, but still, I just didn't like her.

[firebyrd.livejournal.com]

Zac, I love you dearly, but your cluelessness really makes me headdesk sometimes. McCain is a RINO, a Republican in name only. He's actually quite centrist. The thing that's quite attractive about Palin is that she's an actual conservative, and if she wins anyone over for the McCain ticket, it's going to be because of that. Huge parts of Republican party hate McCain because he's /not/ a conservative and that's why there has been so much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the GOP over his nomination.

[tharpy.livejournal.com]

I like the fact that McCain's answer to the experience argument is to pick someone who is YOUNGER and LESS Experienced than Obama.

That being said... he's choice does make some logical if you think about McCain trying to increase the "Maverick" status. I hope this pisses off the base.

As I've said the last 2 elections... if the democrats find a way to lose this election, I'm moving to Canada :/

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I like the fact that McCain's answer to the experience argument is to pick someone who is YOUNGER and LESS Experienced than Obama.

*laughs* That's a good point. :D

[naikitty.livejournal.com]

Then why aren't you Canadian yet? ;3 *ruffles* I kid. But still, Canada should be overrun by people by now if everyone who whined about that did it.

What was that thing last election? Canada, East coast, and California are the USA, the rest of us are Jesusland~? XD

[tharpy.livejournal.com]

Because then i couldn't vote to keep republicans like GW out of office :) though i must say my efforts don't seem to be working as of late :(

[naikitty.livejournal.com]

There's the good answer~ <3 I respect people who want to stick and stay and try to change things, successful or not, over the whole 'omg I'm gonna go to Canada D:' bit.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I've typed and deleted, typed and deleted, closed the window, backtracked back here, closed it again, returned. I should probably just ignore this, but calling people who threaten to leave "whiners" is an unnecessary insult. Perhaps instead consider why people would feel the need to threaten to leave their homes. Because yes, this is our country as much as it is yours -- why do you think we feel such deep disgust at the current state of things? If we didn't care, we'd feel nothing.

[naikitty.livejournal.com]

I didn't call them whiners, dear. I said it was whining. Which it technically is. See my above comment to Tharpy, I have no respect for people who want to cut and run because things don't go their way. I want people to have a backbone and fight for what they believe in, if I agree or not. Whining gets us nowhere. :3

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I said it was whining. Which it technically is.

Whiners, whining, same thing. And how in the world is it technically whining? How do you know the tone it was said in? That it wasn't said in anger?

I have no respect for people who want to cut and run because things don't go their way. I want people to have a backbone and fight for what they believe in, if I agree or not.

I understand what you're saying there, but do you understand the depth of the disgust so many people are feeling? Eight years, eight years!, of this country being run into the ground. A pointless war that is ruining our economy (it costs at least $200 million every day and could end up over a trillion dollars http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11880954/

... I can't believe I'm even typing all this up. We're not going to agree and I'm not going to convince you. It's all just going to keep me awake tonight, arguing it in my head over and over again.

[naikitty.livejournal.com]

Being a whiner and whining are very different. o.o I whine, but I don't consider myself a whiner. Whiners are people who are constantly complaining about something. And I call it whining if it's just empty words, tone doesn't matter to me. :3

But yes, I do understand the disgust. I had to put up with Clinton. You think he's great, I don't share that opinion. Doesn't mean I can't feel the same level of shame. ;3 Don't get me wrong, I don't think Bush is great, either. People seem to think if you support Bush, you support him because he's omgthebest. I know he's made some huge mistakes that I don't agree with. Shock! Amazement! :O

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

It's a wonder we can even communicate, with all the words we use differently. To me, a whiner = someone who whines = a whiner. If you whine once, you're a whiner. 'Religious' is the other word we don't use in the same way. To me, you're religious, to you, that'd be an insult. :P

[daltontrix.livejournal.com]

I usually stay out of the politics talk, but I just gotta note that no matter who gets voted in as president, it's not likely going to magically make anyone in the world like us any more or any less. Many, many, MANY countries have always disliked us no matter what we do to help or not help others, including places that we've directly provided aid to in the past.

The figurehead with little to no actual power compared to Congress isn't going to make that huge of a difference to the rest of the world. It's only going to make a real difference to us specifically, in my eyes.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure about that. Yeah there have always been countries that like us, but it's like the whole world doesn't now. Eight years ago, it wasn't like that.

Guess we can only cross our fingers and hope!

[daltontrix.livejournal.com]

It all depends on what you're looking to for news, really. ALL media is alarmist, some is worse than others, but pretty much everything that's just from us is really damn bad and tries to make everything look worse to exert control over us. Fox is trying to scare people into going right, MSNBC is trying to shock people into going left, and neither of them give much credence to anything that's not bad news for someone.

Not to say that I don't agree that we're not at a pretty low point for general popularity, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing either. We've still got our staunchest allies at our side. We ponied up to try and get Russia to stop flexing their (not particularly existent) muscle which most of the world agrees with (though not enough to put as much into it).

Sometimes to keep the peace you have to make some unpopular moves. Trying to make everyone happy is just shooting yourself in the foot.

(Devil's advocate is a fun position. Good thing I made an icon for it!)

[liedra.livejournal.com]

I still wonder what the history of US politics would be like if voting were a compulsory civic duty, like it is here in Australia. Here at least it's meant that the political spectrum hovers around the centre, and doofuses are more likely to be kicked out just because people get sick of them (e.g. our prime minister not only lost the election last year for his party but lost his own electoral *seat*, which is a pretty damn impressive signal from the voters).

Having a woman VP is a huge risk for McCain, I suspect -- I'll be interested to watch whether it pays off or crashes and burns. At least he won't be another Bush if he gets in! lol. But yeah, I hope Obama wins. Now if only I could convince my American friends that they need to get off their lazy bums and go vote -- I'm so surprised at the apathy of a lot of Americans I talk to... don't they realise that it's not just them who are affected by the US political system, but the whole world?

[naikitty.livejournal.com]

Man, I wish it were a compulsory civic duty. :/ I talk to so many people who are all 'Oh, I don't like either candidate, so I'm not voting'. I wanna reach over and throttle them. :E I don't care if they vote opposite what I do, I wish people would participate.

[veloxe.livejournal.com]

...

Now I'm a bit of a nut when it comes to things like time travel and shit. A few years back someone showed up on the internet claiming to be a time traveler named John Titor. Made lots of predictions, blah blah blah, a good number of them have turned out to be true, some have been wrong, so on. ANYWAYS one of the predictions was that soon (I think 2010 was the date), America would have it's first female president.

Now, true or not, it certainly is interesting that America could very well have a female president soon. Just not really as most people may have suspected. Just thought it was interesting. Have to wait and see I suppose.