Is Bristol Palin is being used as a political pawn (by R's) in order to keep the issues at bay?

[mzmolly]

Yes I know my question is bold. ;) However, Keith Olbermann reported tonight that Rick Davis, McCain campaign manager recently stated ~

This election is not about issues, it's about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."

Sarah Palin is NO maverick. Here is a snap shot of her far right position on a few key issues -

* Opposes stem cell research
* Anti-Choice
* Pro "Let the free market solve our problems"
* Top priorities include preserving definition of "marriage". (Jul 2006)
* Opposes hate crime legislation
* Supports teaching creationism in public school and opposes sex ed
* Believes that Global Warming is not caused by humans
* Supports drilling in ANWR
* Sued the US Government to remove polar bears from endangered species list
* Supported the "bridge to nowhere" - now she opposes it
* Supports ending D.C's 32 year ban on handguns
* Believes in a "personal responsibility" approach to health care

http://www.ontheissues.org/Sarah_Palin.htm

In addition, as we know, she is being investigated for a potential abuse of power.

It appears as though the McCain campaign wants the election to be about the, "independent thinking, gun toting, former beauty queen and super hockey Mom, who can relate to middle America via her pregnant teenager?"

I'm glad the Obama campaign isn't taking the bait.

[rurallib]

1. yep!

[melody]

2. If so, it's not working n/t

[mzmolly]

3. .

[Balderdash]

4. If that's the case then

there seems to be a bunch of RW operatives on this board trying to undermine Obama
with their unrelenting hysterics over Palins family. If they aren't operatives then
what would you call people who completely dismiss the fact the Obama has said that the
families are off limits. As you posted there are plenty of legit policy issues to go
after her for.

[mcctatas]

5. Of course she is. She and her B/F are both being used...

her mother should be ashamed of herself:

"The young man's presence could set off a media frenzy around the young couple as photographers and cameramen scramble for pictures of the two teenagers..."

Just what I'd want to put my pregnant 17 yo daughter through! :puke:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/03/levi-johnstons...

[eissa]

6. I think the daughter is fair game

Sorry, I'm not backing off this. Her daughter is proof that the positions Palin advocates for, and would push if she were VP, do not work. Secondly, Palin knew of her daughter's condition BEFORE she accepted the offer to become VP. For her to thrust her daughter in the national spotlight during this very sensitive time says a lot about her character and judgment (or lack thereof.) Quite frankly, I believe it's the republicans that are using Bristol for political gain. McSame had tried everything under the sun to galvanize the evangelical base, all to no avail. Enter unwed pregnant teen who intends on keeping the child and marrying the baby's daddy and VOILA! Instant energized evangelical voters.

[SheilaT]

7. We have to keep in mind that her positions

enumerated above are exactly what many people approve of. We will get nowhere by attacking those. That just earns us the label of "liberal" (as if that were a bad thing) and various other epithets.

What we need to do is focus on her fiscal conservatism that includes $20m in debt. Her flip-flopping on the Bridge To Nowhere. Her enthusiastic support of earmarks.

We also need to leave hands off, and I mean off all of her kids, her daughter's pregnancy, and even her apparent poor judgment in flying home after her water broke so as to give birth to her youngest child. Especially as he has Down's Syndrome. It doesn't matter that someone else might choose to abort a Down's Syndrome fetus. She didn't. She is living her values. Maybe, just maybe we can suggest there's some hypocrisy involved in a conservative family values woman taking on the job of governor and now of vice-president, but it needs to be framed in a way that gets the right wing themselves to figure out that there's a lot of hypocrisy here, not up to us to hit them over the head with it.

And her support of her pregnant 17-year old daughter is another example of living her values. We need to approve of that, at least publicly. It is okay to bring up casual mention of the obvious success of Abstinence Only sex ed, or maybe even point out that of course Sarah is sympathetic and supportive. She knows exactly what it's like to be pregnant before getting married.

Instead of any personal stuff, we need to focus on her actual record as mayor and as governor, and it looks like there's plenty to work with there.