We were able to watch the speech live on PBS.  I’m not exactly sure what it is, but everytime I see her speak, I get very excited.  And her family seems so...familyish, if that makes any sense.  My DH made the comment that it really looks like her and her hubby really love each other, and like other families they face challenges.  I feel for her oldest daughter, as pregnancy is already a very “out-there” experience, and not only is she pregnant, she is very young and in the spotlight.  But it seems she has a strong family backing her.  I loved watching the youngest daughter holding her baby brother and being “motherly”.  At one point, she licked her hand to make the baby’s hair stay down.  So cute!  As for Palin, she is a fireball, and if there ever was a mother of many that could pull off being VP as well, I think it’s her.  But without her family being as strong as it seems to be, it wouldn’t be possible.

finally found something to excite me about this election and I’ve listened to pretty much everything said since the DNC convention started...Love her

my dh and I pulled it up to watch live on the computer last night (we don’t have T.V.). He went to bed before she came out to speak, so I was left to watch alone. I LOVED it! It was a solid speech, laced with humor, compassion, and the strength of her character. I don’t know if all of that comes through reading a transcript of it, but she has a way of capturing her audience every time she steps up to the podium. I’m somewhat glad of all the media attention she got beforehand, even if it was negative, because I think it assured her a sizeable audience for this speech, and she not only delivered, she OWNED that stage last night. Not even the liberal media that had been bashing her up until then could really come up with anything negative to say (though they are trying!) And despite CNN’s scathing remarks about how the baby was passed off from one family member to another, all I saw was how much ALL of the family LOVES that baby and it was a testament to the closeness of their family, completely the opposite of what CNN was trying to imply.

Not that I am a great fan of Rudy Giuliani, I thought I was pumped up after Giuliani’s speech. But Sarah Palin’s convention speech was right over the centerfield wall! A refreshing perspective from a candidate that nobody expected. I just hope Mac’s acceptance tonight will stand up to last night’s highlight.

I agree with the previous comment.  Palin’s daughter smoothing her brother’s hair into a “comb-over” style was priceless!  I saw most of the speech on CSPAN and I really think that this is a woman who will seek answers to our country’s moral, economic, and energy issues.  She may not be groomed in and for Washington, but she has real life experience as a governor who has fought corruption and the political status quo.  I don’t think the media has much of a leg to stand on when they point to her supposed lack of experience, especially when compared to that of the opposing presidential candidate.  I’m excited about her and look forward to hearing more from her in the coming weeks!

It worries me very much when so many of you just do not get this.  Yes, Sarah Palin is a Mom.  But she is also a politician.  She attacks the other party instead of telling us what she intends to do as V.P.  We have an economy that is bad, a war that we should not be in, our health care is in dire need of change, disrespect from other countries, and social security is going broke. 

All I heard last night was highschool attackes.  We need to have an adult that will tell us how they intend to try and change things or at least how as a vice president they will assist in this change.  Enough of this negative attitude.

I was so disappointed last night.  All I heard were attacks and name-calling.  I am so tired of it!  She is engaging and funny, but there was no substance.  It was a good rhetorical line about how a mayor is a community organizer, with responsibilities, but very cynical.  It was insulting to people who spend their lives working in communities all over the United States.  Plus, she still didn’t tell us why being mayor of a 6,000 person town prepares anyone for being VP and possibly President of the United States. 

She was snarky and mean and put other people down in order to deflect attention from her own problems.  Grow up.  We have real problems here.  We need to be working together and the last thing we need is someone who fuels division.

I didn’t get a chance to watch the convention either but had a wonderful early morning viewing via www!  What I loved is she talked about how important her family are (including her parents) and then moved on .... she also mentioned her “beatiful, perfect” little boy ....

The clip that’s making the rounds is of Willow “spit-shining” Trig’s hair—classic!

I also liked that she talked about McCain, not about herself much ... “we’re a team” ...

Loved it!

I got the impression last night, that Mrs. Palin is just trying to let everyone get to know who she is and is not. And the negativity Margaret mentions is a reaction and a response to all the media criticisms of her the last couple of days.  Let’s face it.  Most of the country had no idea who she was until 1 week ago.  I think we can build an opinion on her political intentions just on the basis of her history and her character, which is, as far as I can tell, exactly what our country needs.  No president is alone.  We don’t have a dictatorship.  There are specialists and advisors around to fill in the holes.  I truly believe America needs this republican team right now.  Who cares what the Germans want?  Germany is on it’s way to lose it’s cultural identity.  I know.  I live there.  I used to be a democrat, but not anymore. 
The McCain-Palin team needs each one of our votes.
s

I watched her speech live last night and was very anxious to see how she handled herself.  She seemed poised and dignified.  I was impressed by her.  This is my only problem...I am a full time mom. I know that it takes ALL of me to fulfill that position.  Maybe she doesn’t need all of herself for that job as mother.  I don’t know nor do I want to judge. But as a Catholic woman that believes in family life above EVERYTHING else, I wonder would she be an effective vice president while still being true to her vocation as mother?  I am struggling with this question.  Does anyone have any insight? 

Further, it seems quite probable that she could become president.  She seems like she is up for the job, but again what about the mother issue? 

She is definitely not going to make me not vote for McCain, and I am thrilled that the GOP ticket will now be more socially conservative.  So, I have mixed thoughts.

I thought that the speech was great! Yes, she did do a lot of attacking, but as the VP candidate I think that’s her job. It’s McCain’s job to lay out the policies tonight. Hopefully, he’ll do as great a job as she did. Unfortunately, I doubt it.

I am skeptical of all politicians, and while Palin may be described as a maverick (along with that other maverick, LOL, I find the labeling a bit ridiculous), her selection is clearly political. We have achieved a level of personality politics in this country that is pretty disheartening. McCain needs a woman on the ticket for the chessboard to even out again. Shameful or a fact of life? I think both.

Nevertheless, once we bypass the smoke and mirrors, it seems that she does have some characteristics that intrigue and excite me. Honestly, I’d love to switch the ticket around. I told my husband that she’ll be president one day. Her speech, seen live following Giuliani’s, was designed to be in your face, and it pulled it off nicely. She was preaching to the choir last night, and the convention is nothing more than a pep rally.

I like this candidate. In fact, I like her quite a bit. If this country wants change, it’s going to get it if McCain is elected, that’s for sure.

I am far more fascinated by the feminist politicos who are attacking her personally, rather than her policies. It reeks of extreme hypocrisy and bad form. I mean, for a group that espouses choice, they certainly have no respect for her choices, right?

Pro-Choice means we make the “right” choice to abort babies that are, as Obama says, “mistakes.” Pro-choice means we make the “right” decision to not have babies at all, as it makes us less effective--witness the outrage that a woman cannot be a mother and a Vice President. What? Are you kidding me? For three generations they’ve been spouting that we can bring home the bacon AND cook it, and when a pro-life, pro-family woman does it, suddenly it’s not “right”? Really, they need to get over themselves. They need to change their label from Pro-Choice to Pro-One Choice.

I’m not going to fawn all over this woman. I’m going to check her out, read about what she’s done, get a feel for what she’s really about. That’s why I’m not fooled by Obama’s slick talk, or Hillary’s guile, or for that matter, rallying speeches.

Show me the money. I suspect she’s got a vault full.

The content of the speech didn’t thrill and excite me.  The delivery was phenomenal.

I think the campaigning is basically a game that is played out in stages.  Just by watching the news it would seem that Palin did what was expected and hoped for by her base and McCain.  She was basically fulfilling her first role as VP- bark loud.  Same reason Obama picked Biden.  The VP isn’t suppose to steal the show...he/she is suppose to be the yin to the yang at the top of the ticket. 

The next phases include interviews with the media and the debates.  Those we will see real off-the-cuff answers.  And those of us bleeding hearts who get our feelings hurt easy (i’m one of them too!) will be able to see the gentle intellectual side of the Rep ticket.

I thought Gov. Palin did a fantastic job, considering the purpose of her speech: showing America who she is.  My impression is that she is poised for a challenge, full of grit, someone who isn’t going to back down when pushed.  I had only heard of her once before when the NC Register did a piece on how she was pressured by her doctors to abort her baby and chose life instead.  To me, her actions speak volumes about how she’d handle the vice presidency.  I like that she did away with unnecessary extravagance by getting rid of the personal chef and chaffeur; I especially liked that she sold the governor’s jet on eBay.  This tells me that she is a good steward of the resources available to her, that she’s not going to take what she doesn’t need.  She certainly has both domestic and international executive experience (AK borders 2 countries plus loads of international waters, not to mention the sheer geographic size).  Is she an expert in every political field?  Of course not, but I wouldn’t expect her to be.  She’s had “only” two years as governor, but Obama has had only, what, 3 1/2 years as a member of congress?  She stood up to her own party and to large special interest groups, something you can’t say about either on the dem ticket.  Obama voted “present” over 150 times, telling me that he won’t stand up for much of anything.  I thought she made a good point about how he’s authored 2 memoirs but never authored a piece of legislation.  At least she used her veto power to actually stand for something.  Did she go on the attack?  Yes.  Was it right?  Probably not.  Was it effective? Yes.  She did a good job of contrasting the two tickets, and she surely has gotten more than her fair share of ridicule and attack.  She made an excellent point about energy dependency.  I look forward to seeing her debate with Biden—at least she appears consistent with her stated beliefs.  I also like that she isn’t a typical politician, descended from Yale or Harvard graduates, coming from families with loads of money.  That makes her more “real,” someone I think we can all identify with.  True, she’s a politician—with all the good and bad connotations.  But I think she has a good idea about the trials and tribulations of the vast majority of American families.  She’s smack in the middle of facing adversity but doesn’t let it get her down.  -To Lorena: I, too, value the traditional family unit above all things but God.  But I don’t think her acceptance of this job makes her less qualified or able to care for her family.  There are a great number of professional women out there who find a way to put their family first - without daycare, without sacrificing time with the family.  I am personally a medical professional—we make it work by taking “opposite shifts” if you will; I work when my husband doesn’t so that one of us (or at least a family member) is with the kids at all times.  It’s not easy, but it is only temporary and we have been blessed by being allowed to actually parent our children.

I just watched the speech on you-tube and enjoyed it.  She’s got sharp delivery and highlighted many differences between the candidates.  I see coherence and integrity in her.  My favorite part of it all was after the official speech----McCain had come out and he and Palin were standing off to the side responding to the crowd.  Right in the middle of it her youngest daughter walked up to her wanting to say something...what did Palin do?  She immediately got down to her daughter’s level and spoke with her and then held her hand.  A child who’s been pushed out of the way for her Mom’s career would not have felt free to do what little Piper did.  This spoke volumes to me about how Palin has integrated her family and political life---she hasn’t sacrificed her family, she tends to it in spite of the distractions of politics.

Ignoring the media, and non campaign members from both sides this is what I saw:
-DNC was respectful of John McCain’s military service but still said that ultimately McCain doesn’t get it, and went on to the sing the praises of the Democrat party.
-When news of Mrs. Palin’s nomination broke, and then Bristol’s pregnancy, the media may have assaulted her but Obama and his campaign did not.  Obama was very respectful of the family’s choice and privacy in his comments re: the pregnancy. Shortly after wanting to protect Levi’s privacy, the Republicans made a decision to fly him down and introduce to the world and give him camera time.  They at once push the children in the spotlight and then say no can’t talk about it.  In no way do I doubt Mrs. Palin’s love for Trig, but she used him as a political tool yesterday and made the case that only she can help parents of special needs kids. That is what I saw.
-at the RNC Bush and economy appear to be dirty words.  There is no mention of either. Guiliani mocked Obama saying “only in America” could someone like Obama get the nomination.  And the hall laughed.  It made my skin crawl.
-Palin got up there and attacked not so much the Democrat stances on issues, but Obama. I guess that is fair enough, but I think the gloves are off. I think given McCain’s history of comments on Chelsea Clinton no one in the republican party right now can cry foul play even if Obama did make rude comments about Palin’s family which he didn’t and won’t. If Obama attacks Palin now, I do believe it is warranted (attacked in the political sense I mean, not attacking her family, that wouldn’t be warranted)
-In a country very divided, the democrats(Obama’s campaign I mean, the average person is acting like the average person would on both sides - a little wild) are trying to make it about issues, so that at the end of the election, the elected party can focus on unifying the country and working.  Given the negativity of last night, and George Bush’s comments about the angry left, I see nothing in the Republican party interested in unifying the country.
-they attack him for being a community organizer.  To me, that means he was helping people who no one else wanted to help, who had been ignored by the current government.  To me that is “service to one’s country” that should also be honoured. Does Obama stand up and mock Palin for being in the PTA? No, that is also worthwhile service.  What political career doesn’t start at a low level?
-if I scrape away the media and look just at the words coming out of the mouths of each candidate and their campaign, Obama strikes me as the Christian representive who can unify a country filled with hate right now. 

I will try to watch McCain objectively tonight, but if tries to portray Obama as an elitist or attacks Obama’s service to his country, and gets the zero chant going, or the USA chant going (which sends the message that if you don’t vote Republican you are anti USA) I will probably remain devoutly anti McCain Palin, no matte how good Mrs. Palin might be.

Her speech was incredible!  She is a very intelligent, poised woman ready to meet any challenge, and she has already proven that countless times.

As for the previous comments, some are very misguided and I would like to address them.  Someone mentioned that Palin didn’t “say what she would do as Vice-President.” Please go read your Constitution.  The Vice-President has no Constitutional role except to sit it in sessions of the Senate and cast a vote if there is a tie.  That is it!  So, she cannot Constitutionally say that she would do anything!!!

The most important role in recent years of the Vice-President is to give advice to the President when asked.  That is where I think this woman will shine.  I, for one, think a woman with 5 children, who came from humble roots, whose husband is a laborer who belongs to a union, is exactly who I want having the ear of the President of the United States!  She is just like me.  I want an ordinary person to be giving advice to the President, not the elitist Ivy-leaguers who have been doing it for years!

The comment about the attack on Obama as a “community organizer” was misguided.  You see, Obama said his experience as a community organizer was more impressive than Mrs. Palin’s role as mayor because he “supervised” more people.  Thus, her attack!  Don’t comment on something unless you know the entire story!  She is right.  As a mayor, she had to be an executive, run a town.  It doesn’t matter the size.  Obama has never run anything!  He hasn’t even voted “yes” or “no” in most of the votes in the Senate and the Illinois State Senate!  He voted “present” hundreds of times!  We don’t even know what he stands for!  But, I do know what he stands for when it comes to the genocide of America’s defenseless children, so for anyone to call him a Christian, is a horrible, twisted use of the term.  He is far from it.  He voted against the “Born Alive” Act!!!  If a baby is born alive during an abortion, he wants the doctors or nurses to kill it with their bare hands.  There is something sick and wrong with that.  Certainly not Christian!

My husband is in the military and I want a commander in chief who wore our country’s uniform bravely for 22 years and suffered unspeakable horrors because of it.  I want a Vice-President who knows what it’s like for a family member to go to war (her son is leaving next week for Iraq) as my husband has fought in two wars.

No one can possibly tell me that McCain and Palin don’t represent everything we want in executives.  The choice is clear.  Crystal clear.

Thought she came off kinda snarky. Lieberman would have been a much better choice. Can anyone imagine her actually running the country if something happens to McCain? I can’t. In this respect she makes Obama look like a statesman.

Lieberman is pro-abortion Tim so he would NOT be a better choice for Catholic voters.

WHY
GOD
MADE
LIPSTICK
or
Palin’s “pit-bull” Red

If I cry
The whole day long,
They say that I
Must be more strong.

If I’m hard
And I am strong,
They say that
That, is very wrong.

And if I birth
Till I am poor,
I must be stu ---
pid, that’s for sure.

And making money,
Saving cash?
They say that I
Am much too brash.

Then if I laugh,
When I am witty,
I am crude,
It is a pity.

And if I pout
And look quite sour,
I’m a stubborn,
Sullen, dour.

When confessing,
Stutter, halt…
Yes, you guessed,
It’s all my fault.

If life throws me
An awful curve,
It is a pain
That I deserve.

So makeup on
Oh, yes, it goes.
Perfumed head
To perfumed toes.

‘Cause lipstick’s red,
And red, rouge paint,
Will make ya what…
Ya think you ain’t!

(even possibly a vice-president...she’s more Catholic minded than Biden or Pelosi)

Maureen: What did I get as a Catholic for voting for a pro choice candidate the past 8 years?????

Correction: I mean a pro Life Candidate not Pro choice?

If you check your constitution, it says that one of the responsibilities of the VP is to assume the presidency if anything the president is incapacitated.  John McCain is 72 and has a history of cancer.  Now, I don’t think it is too much to ask to have someone so close to being president of the United States tell me why I should be comfortable with them being president.  I did not hear anything like that last night.

Also, I do not think her family is relevant at all.  In any way.  I don’t think that her daughter being pregnant is relevant.  I don’t think that her son having special needs is relevant (except when she brings him up to say that she will support special needs children, when, of course, she cut funding for special needs kids in Alaska).  I also don’t think that her being a mother qualifies her to be VP of the United States.  If it does, then I’m going to need a lot more information about her family, and frankly, it is none of my business.

I want to know what she has done that will make her a good VP and possibly President.  Maybe being mayor of a 6000 person town was good experience, but tell me how.  Maybe being a 20-month governor of a state of less than 700,000 people is good experience, but tell me how! 

Why is it so much to ask to actually get information from politicians and not hear grown adults put each other down?

The part about advocating for special-needs children brought tears to my eyes.  (Okay, I’m pregnant, so it sent them rolling down my cheeks!) No one but a special-needs mom can understand what it is like to be one.  And no one but a special-needs mom can come so close to understanding what it might be like to be a special-needs child.  I would love to have Sarah Palin in Washington advocating for my daughter and me.

Tim,
You certainly didn’t get perfection but you did get Supreme Court Justices whose theory on law make it more likely that the “right to privacy” will be curtailed to protect innocent lives, you did get passage of the Partial Birth ABortion Ban, you did get a continuation of the prevention of my tax dollars going to pay for abortions in military facilities.

You didn’t get my tax dollars going to support foreign government pro-abortion ploicies.

You did get many other important things that we probably both disagree with but I’ll stick with saving unborn children from extermination (the body count of a day in our country’s abortion mills outstrips that of any other concern I have).

I guess that i am in the minority but I was not impressed. Her speech seemed heavy on talking trash about Obama and light on actually addressing the issues. I do not agree that the issues are McCain’s job. What if Mc Cain were to be assignated the day after taking office ? Who’s job would the issues be then ?  I also was not impressed with the passing of the baby. Yes it sure is evident that he is loved and was cute when his sister wet his hair down but should this little girl have been entrusted with this special needs baby ?If he were my son, his life would be too precious to entrust to a child. It seems to me that these kids are way too used to taking care of this baby.Even pit bull Mommies don’t pawn their young off on their siblings. Chalk me up as unimpressed.

I guess I am in the minority here but I was unimpressed. The speech was too heavy on mud slinging and too light on issues. I don’t agree that the issues are McCain’s responsibility. What if McCain were elected and assignated the day after he takes office , who’s job would the issues be then ? I also did not care for how that poor special needs baby was passed off either. No child of mine would be entrusted to a sibling that young especially a special needs child. I agree that the fact that the baby is loved was shown and thought the hair wet down was cute, but my kids love their siblings too and that doesn’t qualify me as VP. Even a Pit bull Mommy doesn’t pawn her children off on their siblings. No I am not even a little impressed and am baffled that so many are.

In response to the comments regarding pro-choice v. pro-life: Pro-choice does not equal pro-abortion.  There is no such thing as pro-abortion.  I’m sure that every woman who has made that choice has also had to agonize over it.  The fact that Palin is still pro-life even in cases of rape or incest makes me want to wretch.  I cannot bear that.  Has she ever had to deal with either of those cases in her own life?  What would she say if she were the terrified victim of assault facing a positive pregnancy test?

I loved it. I like her, very much, as it seems to me she has two things that are sorely underrepresented in Washington: common sense and a variety of real world experience. I was voting for McCain anyway, but now I’m excited about it. And to the charge that the passing of the baby to his sister was somehow dangerously irresponsible, I’ll just note that both Todd Palin and Cindy McCain were sitting next to her, as were the two older sisters and the older brother. It’s not like Willow was alone and in charge of the baby. I thought it was a sweet, big family moment.

oh Esther,

Esther, the sins of the father shouldn’t result in a death sentence for the child.  Rape and incest are horrible crimes but abortion doesn’t undo them.  Their victims need loving, compassionate support, not abortion.

Kate,
I understand that this little girl was not alone with the baby but would you think that someone was crazy if they handed her a million dollar crystal vase even if she loved it and was never left alone with it? One accidental move could cause major problems especially when adults are preoccupied when she is busy licking her hand in an attempt to beatify this sweet baby’s hair. I stand by my original opinion.

Maureen: I’ll stick with saving the unborn as well. Step back and consider that abortion could be reduced substantially for economic reasons. That is perhaps why it was that abortions dropped under both Clinton (pro choice) and Bush (pro life) during periods of better economic conditions. At times they dropped more when Clinton was in office and it had obviously nothing to do with his personal stance on the issue. When women feel more secure financially they are more inclined to keep their baby and so I look for the candidate that will allow more women to make the abortion mill irrelevant by keeping their babies. What if they built an abortion mill and nobody showed up?

Tim,
While I agree with your concept I don’t agree that the democratic ticket will provide improved prosperity across the spectrum as is needed..  You are also right that legislation is only a partial solution to the abortion tradgedy, but it’s an important part.  Conversion of hearts and minds is the ultimate solution to making abortion unthinkable but it can be compared to change needed on an individual spiritual level.  Often we must use the force of will (or law for abortion) to initiate and support the change we hope for on a spiritual (mind/heart) level.  Simply outlawing abortion isn’t enough but it would definitely reduce them as many would be unwilling to go against the law.  A cultural shift of a renewed respect for and understanding of sexuality and the value of all life is needed.  This is another area where I think the republican ticket can help.  The use of the bully pulpit is often undervalued and I believe that the republican stance on abortion can be expressed through it’s use.  Even more so, I think the real life example of the PAlin family choosing life when facing 2 of the most often quoted reasons in support of abortion is a prime way to use that bully pulpit.  Just as the civil rights movement required grass roots work, legislation and leadership from our leaders (albeit not always given willingly) the respect for life needs it as well.  Abortion will always be considered ok by some, just as predjudice still exists...but we must continue to fight it on all fronts.

And I am aware of the pro-death penalty stance of Palin and very much disagree with it on many levels.  As I said I don’t agree with the ticket on all things, just my priorities and my beliefs on the way to strenghten our economy.

Esther and Tim,
I beg to differ than “no one is pro-abortion.” Planned Parenthood is pro-abortion.  That is how they make money.  Check out some of the YouTube videos that are Planned Parenthood ads promoting teen promiscuity.  No birth control is 100% effect.  Therefore, if teens are taught they can have sex and not have consequences, abortion becomes an essential “commodity.” Also, if you check out some of the testimonials from nurses who worked at abortion mills, not all the women there are agonizing over their decisions.  In fact, many of them are asking how soon after the procedure they can party and come from economic circumstances that were clearly in the middle-to-high tax brackets.
I am in no way saying that that characterizes all the women who have ever had abortions, or even the majority, but those cases do exist, therefore blanket statements are misleading.
And, for the record, Piper is seven years old (born in 2001).  Coming from a big family (oldest of eight), it’s in no way unusual to see a child that young holding a baby.  My seven-year-old sister held my infant son many times and I was not uncomfortable with it as long as someone was supervising.  It’s really judgmental for folks to be saying that she shouldn’t be holding the baby when that’s clearly her parents’ decision regarding her responsibility level.
As to being a mother and a leader, Isabella of Spain had kids.  Elizabeth of Hungary had kids.  God called them to do what they were doing at the same time: leading and mothering. 
And given the awful media bias that’s been present since she was nominated, Sarah has every right to snark back at the competition.  They went after her kids ("Grandmagate?" give me a break!). 
And even if she didn’t address many issues, most politicians don’t in most of their speeches and even in debates ("It’s above my pay grade").  In fact, most don’t or can’t live up to promises made during an election, so what’s the problem with not making promises?  It’s up to the voters to see what their records are in terms of past action if the voters expect to be able to anticipate a politician’s actions. 
Sara kept a child that 90% of the time would have been terminated.  Her daughter is also keeping an “unwanted” (as in, unexpected, unprepared for, and not concieved in ideal circumstances) pregnancy, with her mother’s encouragement and approval. 
If someone can show me a politician with a better record for pro-life “walking the walk” personally, please do so, so I can vote for them.
If not, Sara definitely gets my vote.

Tim,
You are so right , Desperate times cause desperate measures ! Thank you for standing up for common sense !

Anon Comment # 35
You are absolutely right that to some people abortion is just a procedure to use when birth control fails( or you don’t have any when needed, or you don’t care ), no different that a dental filling to “ fix “ things when we have eaten too much sugar and not brushed ! So how do we combat this?  I would say by parenting our children and teaching them the same as we teach them that eating nothing but candy will rot their teeth.But oooops Mommy is too busy slinging mud and talking trash about the other minority candidate . And Daddy is caught up in watching , and big sister who would be able to help is wondering if her boyfriend will in fact marry her as she is planning on it but obviously pregnant and not married and poor little special needs baby is being held with one arm while his seven year old sister spits on her hand and rubs it on his head. One wiggle and that baby could be dead. So what if Mommy and Daddy are Ok with it. There is a reason that Children’s services do not allow seven year olds to be in charge. They simply are not old enough. Maybe I have been in too many ERs when infants are brought in with broken limbs, head injuries, and various other injuries. Gee , do you read and think about what you type ? In one sentence you say if the parents are comfortable, so be it . What if this comfortable act causes an infant’s death? ( it happens more than you think big family or small ) Is it still Ok ?  Death by neglect is still the same death that abortion causes. We as parents are responsible for the safety of our children, the laws of the church and land are both clear.

Maureen:
I truly respect your opinion and enjoy the discussion.
Since 1968 we have had a Republican President 70% of the time (28 out of 40 years). I have supported and voted for these men. That is a sigificant time to have leadership and the bully pulpit.  Abortion law has changed very little ( I realize that congress has a great deal to do with this as well). I feel we have to solve the problem using a different method. We are pandered to politically from the right, never more obvious than in this case. I feel we are led to vote all too often out of fear and fear is not a fruit of the Spirit. 

I have not made a decision yet about where my vote goes this year. I have to pray more about it.

Be Well

Diane,
I’ll take Chesterton’s version of commonsense over yours, Tim’s and Esther’s any day.
Also, the ends never justify the means - a candidate who promises to make a first priority of signing the “freedom of choice” or free-for-all abortion act, as I think of it, is no friend of life in the womb.

Tim,
Thank you.  I respect your opinions also but disagree on the answer to our quandary.  The political cynic (very strong) in me doesn’t discount in the least the failures of the past administrations and the possiblilty of Palin being chosen for very pragmatic reasons which I might dislike. (I think all VP candidates are chosen for pragmatic reasons, some more distasteful than others). But I very strongly believe that God is amazingly good at writing straight with crooked lines, especially when He is using a willing pencil.

The stark contrast between the views espoused in candor and action between the candidates on the sanctity of life provides an opportunity to pull the abortion issue out of the sidelines and into sharp focus.  On one side we have Obama who refers to unplanned pregnancy as punishments (yes, sadly, an old evangelical club used as well) and who also believes an infant who survives an abortion attempt should be left to die with less dignity and care than an injured horse at a racetrack.  On the other side we have the Palin family facing the difficult realities of an unmarried teenager who is pregnant and a mature woman who was offered abortion as the “solution” to her child having Down’s Syndrome.  They chose life for the babies in both incidences.

My hope is that in seeing this contrast it will force us Catholics and others of good will to awaken from being the Church somnolent and once again become the Church Militant and demand that our ideals be protected.  The Seamless Garment theory of CArdinal Bernardin did present the breadth of Church social teaching well but I feel that it allowed the fact of a hierarchy of needs to be overlooked.  No garment can be constructed with out thread and the basic thread that is needed before any need for further social action arises is LIFE.

Here’s a wonderful and clear statement from the the Cardinal of Chicago, the successor of the author of the seamless garment theory, regarding the need for respect for life to be the underpinning for all Catholic social teaching.

http://www.archchicago.org/cardinal/letter/letters_2008/letter_090308.shtm

Maureen: Well written and enjoyable read. We agree. Abortion is a grave sin. Now, the question is how do we reduce abortions? If you feel that McCain is Pro-Life and that position alone would reduce abortions, I’m with you. If you believe McCain is pro-choice and you really think that on that issue he would defer to his VP and take and support her position.......ok, but I have my doubts on that one. My position is both candidates are pro choice. Therefore, the next consideration has to be which one would help, even if it is indirectly, women keep their babies?

Tim,
I believe McCain is definitely less pro-life than I would like (I’m of the conception to natural death, no exceptions, no ESCR, no death penalty ilk) but believe he’s much more pro-life on a basic level than Obama is.  I also believe he’s a man who values his reputation for integrity and honesty very highly.  Having picked Palin will provide a constraint on anti-life actions he may consider taking for this reason alone.  Our best hope in the long run, I believe, is in his having the opportunity to name court justices with a strict interpretation bent.  I trust McCain to come through on this point and believe Obama, with his support of radical liberalism, would do the most longlasting harm in this area.

As far as helping women keep their babies in the present time I don’t think more welfare state type programs are the answer.  Having volunteered in our local crisis pregnancy center in the past I see those programs as only adding to the abdication of personal responsibility by both men and women and the marginalizing of the importance of family, especially the traditional family, in the lives of these young people.  Do I believe in the need for charity and social supports to help people develop their talents and become productive?, absolutely.  However, the waste inherent in multi-level government programs added to the tendency to depersonalize recipients greatly reduces their effectiveness.  My belief is that local level programs and charities have the most personal and life changing impact.  Policies that support this approach and not simply adding more high level beauracracy are the way to go for me.  As a Mom with both a biological and adopted child I also believe highlighting the blessing of adoption is needed.  McCain’s own life is an advertisement for this.  While his experience is with international adoption and we desparately need to encourage the adoption option rather than abortion here at home my gut says it’ll have a better chance with McCain.
I look forward to your thoughts.

Maureen: I wish I wrote as well as you do.
In no particular order.
When I mention economic factors in helping to reduce abortion, I do not mean just putting money in inefficient social programs. I mean creating economic stimuli that helps moms make decisions to keep their babies. WHether that be in terms of minimum wage changes, tax deductions for day care, assistance for groups that help these women or other such ideas, let’s think outside the box on how we can help.
I believe that McCain given his own devices wanted Lieberman on the ticket, but a deal was cut with Dobson, etc to add Palin in return for cash and the promise of the evangelical vote in swing states.  If I am incorrect on this belief, his integrity stands in tact, if I am correct, his integrity takes a big hit with me. I need to learn more about Palin before I feel comfortable with her. She comes form a small evangelical circle. What are her feelings about Catholicism? Is she a “Left Behind” evangelical that considers the Pope the anti-Christ?  Is she a bible literalist? Time should help us get to know her better.

Hi Tim,
I find we agree at the basic level again.  My ideal world (don’t I wish) election would involve a truly direct vote (bye-bye electoral college) requiring a true majority, not simply a plurality.  Then we could blunt the disproportionate impact of the Sorosian left and old-money right extremism and really have an impact by voting for none of the above and forcing a true third party candidate.  I believe deeply in the breadth of Catholic social teaching even when it’s been poorly implemented even within the Church (ie...living wage for employees and truly family friendly policies).  I wish I had the answer...perhaps incentives for companies that have benefit packages and policies that result in their employees not needing to access government assistance programs??  ...broadening education grants or vouchers for people to enable them to acquire needed skills to succeed in our economy (renweablilty tied to the individual successful completion of classes or performance standards)??  ...improved public transportation to enable those without cars to get to work??
As for Palin on a personal level - I’m not so concerned if she’s a fundamentalist or considers us to be following a false religion.  I’m more concerned that she is a person with a moral compass that supports as many of my core values as possible...so far she appears to be the better choice in spite of her rival proclaiming his Catholicism.