Mike Pence Wins Values Voter Summit Straw Poll

This one kind of surprised me. I know it's probably not indicative of how the majority of conservative voters would vote, but if you'd asked me who I thought might top the list Mike Pence wouldn't have come to mind at all. I like him, have no problems with him being up there, but still a surprise. 

Who would you vote for if the election for president happened this year? Lots of good choices on the list below.

Mike Pence Wins Values Summit Straw Poll

U.S. Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) has won Family Research Council Action's third-ever Values Voter Summit Straw Poll. Gov. Mike Huckabee finished in a close second place.

Only FRC Action members who were present at the event were allowed to vote.

Family Research Council Action President Tony Perkins released the following statement in reaction to the 2010 Values Voter Summit Straw Poll: "The results of the presidential straw poll reflect the outcome of recent elections. Those who are truly conservative, fiscally and socially, are enthusiastically supported by voters."

The following are the straw poll results:

Presidential Candidate Name Total Votes Percentage

Mike Pence 170 24%
Mike Huckabee 159 22%
Mitt Romney 93 13%
Newt Gingrich 72 10%
Sarah Palin 51 7%
Rick Santorum 39 5%
Jim DeMint 38 5%
Bobby Jindal 15 2%
Mitch Daniels 13 2%
Chris Christie 11 2%
John Thune 11 2%
Bob McDonnell 10 1%
Marco Rubio 10 1%
Paul Ryan 7 1%
Haley Barbour 6 1%
Ron Paul 5 1%
Jan Brewer 1 0%
Undecided 12 2%

Vice Presidential Candidate Responses:

Mike Pence 119 16%
Sarah Palin 112 15%
Rick Santorum 75 10%
Paul Ryan 51 7%
Jim DeMint 45 6%
Mike Huckabee 43 6%
Marco Rubio 43 6%
Bobby Jindal 36 5%
Bob McDonnell 31 4%
Chris Christie 25 3%
Mitt Romney 25 3%
Newt Gingrich 24 3%
Jan Brewer 20 3%
John Thune 15 2%
Mitch Daniels 10 1%
Haley Barbour 6 1%
Ron Paul 5 1%
Undecided 38 5%

Members of FRC Action are only allowed to vote once. For more information on the Values Voter Summit, log onto www.valuesvotersummit.org.

Handel’s Online Petition Opposing Obama Justice Department Gets Over 6,000 Signatures in 48 Hours

We posted this elsewhere on one of our "political" blogs, but it is SO important I wanted to do it again on "my" blog. This has far-reaching implications and we all need to get involved, voice our opposition, and work to keep this issue in the forefront. I've included the original press release at the end of the e-Update from Karen Handel's campaign (Georgia Governor):

E-Update: June 5th, 2009

When President Obama’s Justice Department told Georgia over the weekend that it could no longer verify the citizenship of voters going to the polls, Karen Handel sprang into action. She exposed the Obama plan and revealed that it would allow groups like ACORN to actively find and register illegal aliens to vote in Georgia elections.

Karen took to the airwaves and the Internet to rally opposition to the Obama plan. She appeared on Fox and Friends, the Regular Guys and Herman Cain radio programs, as well as radio and TV news stations across Georgia.

She even started an online petition with the goal of getting 10,000 signatures of Americans who opposed this terrible plan and want to have their voices heard in Washington.

In the first 48 hours, more than 6,000 signed that petition, and Karen is well on her way to the 10,000 signature goal. If you have not signed the petition, please do so now, and be sure to forward this email along to your neighbors, friends and family members. If this progress continues, our voices will be heard.

Please help us tell the Obama Administration that only U.S. citizens should be voting in Georgia by signing the petition today.

Leading conservative activists, columnists and publications have joined Karen's fight for the integrity of our elections. Below are just a few of the stories that have run nationally this week:

The Democrats Are Already Winning the 2010 Elections — Which Is What Happens When the Justice Department Is Really Politicized
National Review, June 3, 2009
Justice Dept. shifts on voting, deportation
The Washington Times, June 4, 2009
Justice Dept. Rejects Ga. Prevote Citizenship Checks
The Wall Street Journal, June 1, 2009

Please join Karen Handel's fight for the integrity of our elections by signing the petition today.

JMac - Here are a blog on the subject and the original press release on the issue:

Obama continues to erode election integrity
Over and over I hear people saying that things are going to get so bad that by the time the 2010 and / or 2012 elections roll around the voters will put Republicans back in control. If not in control, then at least there will be sufficient Republican numbers elected to mitigate Obama's actions...

Obama Justice Department Decision Will Allow Non-Citizens to Register to Vote in Georgia
Decision Bars Georgia From Continuing Voter Verification Process

Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel issued the following statement following the U.S. Department of Justice’s denial of preclearance of Georgia’s voter verification process:

“The decision by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to deny preclearance of Georgia’s already implemented citizenship verification process shows a shocking disregard for the integrity of our elections. With this decision, DOJ has now barred Georgia from continuing the citizenship verification program that DOJ lawyers helped to craft. DOJ’s decision also nullifies the orders of two federal courts directing Georgia to implement the procedure for the 2008 general election. The decision comes seven months after Georgia requested an expedited review of the preclearance submission....

Obama told us what he was going to do

Since January 20th we've been bombarded with change. It seems that Obama is determined to toss everything we as Americans have believed in and practiced into the air. He's swatting some away into the nether regions, some he's letting splat onto the ground, ruined, and the rest he's catching, turning up-side-down, shredding, changing or handing over to the world for their playing pleasure.

I don't see how anyone who voted for him can complain. He told us all exactly what he intended to do when he ran for office. Unfortunately, most who voted for him either didn't pay attention, taking style over substance, or they didn't think he'd be able to do what he said. After all, most politicians don't do a fraction of what they promise.

This time it's different. He has a Democratic Congress that is giving him exactly what he wants, if not more.

[I started to write "the latest issue" but realized by the time I finished typing there would probably be another one or ten or fifty issues coming at us... So...] Yesterday we got word that our military was going to be even further undermined than suggested during Obama's first few months in office. Our government, who 'loves our military', is going to decimate their ability to fight.

Obama and his policies are weakening us in the eyes of the world and more importantly, in the eyes of terrorists. What is it with Democrats and military budgets? Every time we get a Dem in office they slash military spending. Then something comes up that stretches the military to the nth degree, a Republican comes in, shores up their resources... and the cycle continues.

In these days, as terrorists work across the world to kill and maim, it's ridiculous to undermine our capacity to respond quickly and appropriately.

Obama's statements in Europe suggesting and stating in various ways that we are weak certainly doesn't make me feel warm and secure.

It is so frustrating to sit here in my office reading and hearing the constant barrage of change that is ultimately going to destroy our culture. I plan to join the Tea Party, which may help me feel like I'm doing something. If we elect a sufficient number of Republicans in the 2010 elections that may help curb some of the changes, and even give us the means to reverse some of the changes Obama is enacting.

I have concerns about the honesty of future elections given other changes being made in D.C., but I'll save that for another rant.

Morning Bell: Ensuring America’s Decline
Posted April 7th, 2009 at 7.49am in Ongoing Priorities, Protect America.
Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates gave one of the most radical speeches of the Post-Cold War era on American national security. Building off themes established in the 2008 National Defense Strategy written under President Bush, Secretary Gates presented what he described as “a budget crafted to reshape the priorities of America’s defense establishment. … a holistic assessment of capabilities, requirements, risks, and needs for the purpose of shifting this department in a different strategic direction.” Continue reading…

Nuclear-Free Hopes vs. Reality
Posted April 7th, 2009 at 8.44am in American Leadership, Protect America.
We weren’t the only ones that found President Barack Obama’s “nuclear free” Prague speech a bit too heavy on hope and a little light on reality. The Washington Post’s Anne Applebaum writes today:
Clearly, the “no nukes” policy is one close to the president’s heart. The Prague speech even carried echoes of that most famous of all Obama speeches, the one he made after losing the New Hampshire primary. “There are those who hear talk of a world without nuclear weapons and doubt whether it is worth setting a goal that seems impossible,” Continue reading…

Gates Seeks Sharp Turn In Spending: Defense Budget Focuses On Lower-Tech Weapons (By Greg Jaffe and Shailagh Murray)

Gates Proposal Reveals His Alienation From Procurement System (By R. Jeffrey Smith)

Sketch: Pentagon Chief Calls for Cuts; Congress Opens Fire (By Dana Milbank)

The Nuclear Illusionist
Obama's 'moral authority' won't deter Tehran or Pyongyang

Stephens: Obama's Unreality Tour
Barack Obama vowed to turn to the U.N. Security Council for strong action following North Korea's weekend missile launch. He would have done better by turning to Dr. Phil.

Lieberman-Obama honeymoon stops at missile defense - By Alexander Bolton
Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.) has tried to mend his relationship with President Obama in recent months but their reconciliation hit a snag Monday over ballistic missile defense. > Read More

Who's up for election, Senate, 2010

Shawn McElhinney provided this list today on Facebook (thanks):

Maine senators are not among the Republican senators up for re-election but Snarlin Arlen is. In fact, here are the senators from both parties whose terms expire on 1/3/11 meaning they are up for re-election in 2010:

Democrats

Bayh, Evan (D-IN)
Boxer, Barbara (D-CA)
Burris, Roland (D-IL)
Dodd, Christopher J. (D-CT)
Dorgan, Byron L. (D-ND)
Feingold, Russell D. (D-WI)
Inouye, Daniel K. (D-HI)
Leahy, Patrick J. (D-VT)
Lincoln, Blanche L. (D-AR)
Mikulski, Barbara A. (D-MD)
Murray, Patty (D-WA)
Reid, Harry (D-NV)
Salazar, Ken (D-CO)
Schumer, Charles E. (D-NY)
Wyden, Ron (D-OR)

Republicans

Bennett, Robert F. (R-UT)
Bond, Christopher S. (R-MO)
Brownback, Sam (R-KS)
Bunning, Jim (R-KY)
Burr, Richard (R-NC)
Coburn, Tom (R-OK)
Crapo, Mike (R-ID)
DeMint, Jim (R-SC)
Grassley, Chuck (R-IA)
Isakson, Johnny (R-GA)
Martinez, Mel (R-FL)
McCain, John (R-AZ)
Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK)
Newman, Bonnie (R-NH) (replaced Gregg, will not run for re-election)
Shelby, Richard C. (R-AL)
Specter, Arlen (R-PA)
Thune, John (R-SD)
Vitter, David (R-LA)
Voinovich, George V. (R-OH)

Frankenfraud

The Wallstreet Journal has a great summation of the Frankenfraud situation in Minnesota. It seems, per WSJ, that some voters are having their ballots counted twice. Yep, twice.

Under Minnesota law, election officials are required to make a duplicate
ballot if the original is damaged during Election Night counting. Officials are
supposed to mark these as "duplicate" and segregate the original ballots. But it
appears some officials may have failed to mark ballots as duplicates, which are
now being counted in addition to the originals. This helps explain why more than
25 precincts now have more ballots than voters who signed in to vote. By some
estimates this double counting has yielded Mr. Franken an additional 80 to 100
votes.

Throughout the recount we have heard about one impropriety after another. Now it seems that since Frankenfraud is ahead, he suddenly wants to stop the recount. He wants to take his marbles and go home since he's in the lead.

As I've written before, the outcome of this so-called election was a foregone conclusion once Coleman didn't get a large enough margin to avoid a recount.

I find it interesting that Obama's move into the White House is surrounded by all these Democrat debacles. We have the on-going sitcom in Illinois with the governor, Richardson stepping aside due to legal problems and the Franken issue. Did I miss any? I know there are a lot of side issues in play: the very unfair "Fairness Doctrine", the Employee Free Choice Act which takes away the employees right to free choice and the ongoing bailouts.

While all this goes on Obama quietly makes controversial appointments (to my way of thinking) like Leon Panetta, Bill Clinton's former White House Chief of Staff, to head up the CIA. It's recycle city, no real change I can believe in...

Funny Business in Minnesota
In which every dubious ruling seems to help Al Franken.
Strange things keep happening in Minnesota, where the disputed recount in the Senate race between Norm Coleman and Al Franken may be nearing a dubious outcome. Thanks to the machinations of Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and a meek state Canvassing Board, Mr. Franken may emerge as an illegitimate victor.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123111967642552909.html

GetLiberty.org has a good recap of the Wall Street Journal article and the shenanigans that have occurred with some interesting insights you might want to read: http://alg31blog.timberlakepublishing.com/default.asp?Display=854

Mel Martinez (FL) to retire; Brownback to run for Gov. (KS)

The 2010 election is already starting to get interesting and this one isn't quite over! I understand Norm Coleman is ahead at the moment and probably will "win" by a slim margin. However, the lawsuits have started already so who knows when it will officially be over. I read that Al Franken is asking the Democrat controlled Congress to intervene on his behalf, but didn't bother reading the details.

Mel Martinez, (R-Florida) has announced he won't run in 2010 which is going to lead to a very hot race for his seat. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) is looking at running for Governor.

Here's a link to one of the stories that includes both tidbits and details (others I found don't mention both):

Mel Martinez To Retire
Florida Sen. Mel Martinez (R) has decided against seeking a second term, a decision he will formalize shortly in the Sunshine State, according to an informed party source.
Martinez's decision was based on a desire for more free time and a less scheduled life, said the source. The first term senator also was an almost certain Democratic target in two years time although those familiar with Martinez's political prospects insisted his strengths in South Florida, coupled with his political base along the I-4 corridor, made his path to reelection possible.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/12/mel_martinez_to_retire.html?hpid=topnews?hpid=topnews

Saxby headed to a run-off?

When I went to bed late last night both Fox News and CNN had declared Saxby Chambliss a winner. I woke up this morning to discover he may be headed to the run-off of all run-offs. As I type he has 49.8% of the vote with the Secretary of State's office still opening early or absentee (?) ballots from "heavily populated counties". Those heavily populated counties are probably not going to favor Saxby as clearly as some other rural counties.

We'll see what happens. If he goes into a run-off you're going to see so many ads from both sides it will have you turning off your television and your phone recorder. Both sides will view this as a death-match and throw everything they have at it.

Why Georgia is one of the only (or maybe one of the very, very few) to require a 50 plus 1 victory is beyond me. It always seems to favor the candidate who took the least votes and had the least support of the two.

Look at our local election here with Peter Pfeifer. He had two tough opponents yet he came within a hair of winning the election outright. If he had taken just a tiny fraction of his Peachtree City opponents numbers he'd have won outright. Instead he ended up in a run-off and as always, the number of people who came out was laughable. The "underdog" won as usual, thus the guy who got a fraction of Pfeifer's votes now takes the seat in January.

Whether it's a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or "other" in that situation, it doesn't seem logical to force a run-off.

On a good note, I just got the work that Al Franken lost by a slim margin. Due to state rules there will be an automatic run-off the race was so close.

I was kinda hoping Louisiana would ditch Landrau just because of Katrina, but that didn't happen although if I remember the numbers it was also fairly close.

Elizabeth Dole lost in North Carolina.

I'm still half asleep. I stayed up until McCain gave his concession speech last night, very diplomatic and gracious by the way. Then I woke up at the crack of dawn and couldn't get back to sleep. That after rising yesterday before 5 a.m. to be a poll watcher, running back and forth to cover the suspicious package threat at Republican headquarters in Fayetteville and trying to keep up with the Fayette Front Page, the Christian City Chair-ity event (mark your calendars for Dec. 1st for a really cool event), the Read My Lipstick Network, and on and on it goes... Yours truly was one busy and tired puppy and it'll take me a day or two to recover!

Keep the faith, we have a tough road ahead of us but we're strong!

Just how many people are going to get an Obama tax cut?

First it was anyone making under $250,000. Then it was $200,000. The last time they let Joe Biden talk without a script it dropped to $150,000. Today according to Bill Richardson, we're down to $120,000. So, if you're making $120,000 or more you are rich. According to Martha Stewart you just need to suck it up and you'll just "have to budget" to pay your tax burden. It's a long way from $120,000 to $120,000 million or whatever amount Martha takes home.

And, let's see, 95% of the population will get a check from the government, courtesy of the "rich".

Business owners across the country are studying Obama's plan and they're planning their employee cuts, benefit cuts and more.

Today my son told me that his bosses sat down and talked about how they manage the company profits. They have it fine tuned to ensure they make a certain profit to avoid falling into a tax bracket that eats into their profits. If they make too much in a given year, they give the excess money back to the workers in the form of a bonus. They said that Obama's plan would have them immediately in a tax bracket that would cost them more than they could pay, thus to stay in business, they will have to raise the cost of goods my son buys to do his job. Effectively, he'd be getting a pay cut. Don't ask me to explain the details, I'm just repeating the general gist of what my son told me.

Guess who the company owners are voting for? It's not Obama! Guess who my son is voting for? It's not Obama. Hopefully there are a lot of people looking at Obama's spread the wealth, tax the rich, socialistic style government and they're going to punch the McCain-Palin button.

Here's Richardson talking about Barack Obama's ever moving tax target:

Couple of stories of interest

Checks on 'Joe' more extensive than first acknowledged
Tax, welfare info also sought on McCain ally
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 8:05 PM
By Randy Ludlow
Document
Read the letter from Helen Jones-Kelley, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, about background checks made on Joe the Plumber [pdf]
A state agency has revealed that its checks of computer systems for potential information on "Joe the Plumber" were more extensive than it first acknowledged.
Helen Jones-Kelley, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, disclosed today that computer inquiries on Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher were not restricted to a child-support system.... http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/10/29/joe30.html?sid=101

(My comment to Barack Obama on this story: Share the wealth)
Found in a rundown Boston estate: Barack Obama’s aunt Zeituni Onyango
'Auntie Zeituni', who, with Uncle Omar, dropped out of sight after moving to the US, is backing the presidential candidate from her modest flat
Barack Obama has lived one version of the American Dream that has taken him to the steps of the White House. But a few miles from where the Democratic presidential candidate studied at Harvard, his Kenyan aunt and uncle, immigrants living in modest circumstances in Boston, have a contrasting American story.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article5042571.ece

Homeless voters

I'm sure most of you have heard that a judge in Ohio has said that the homeless can vote by listing a parch bench or similar as their place of residence.

For those who are strong believers that anyone can vote and should vote, I'm sure this is a much celebrated ruling. I would imagine that many homeless advocates are also happy about this ruling.

It won't come as a surprise to my readers that I am strongly opposed to this ruling.

Why?

What's to stop busloads of partisan voters from New York claiming residence on a bench in downtown Dayton, Ohio so they can vote? Then they can travel home and vote again. How do you stop voter fraud?

We've been inundated with stories about the fraud that is occurring across the country in this election. ACORN, Project Vote, convicted felons, and other stories make any results in this election suspect.

For many years I regularly traveled downtown to help feed the homeless. After we made breakfast each week, we dolled out the food, then made our own plates and sat with those eating. Sometimes I couldn't bring a fork to my mouth because of the odors that surrounded me. However, I had some very interesting conversations and learned some valuable lessons.

We didn't talk politics. I seriously doubt most of the people I met knew who their congressman was or when the next election would happen. Many of the conversations were one-sided, me talking with someone staring at me, or someone talking non-stop at me!

Much as I wanted to help I felt helpless. Not one of the people I ever talked to was the least bit interested in moving into a home or being a part of "our" society again. I know there are many levels of homeless and many reasons for homelessness. I dealt with those who'd been there for so long it was a way of life. Many were mentally hurting and would probably have been better served in a psychiatric ward where maybe they would have gotten some help. Of course, who knows which is better? Institutionalization or free to roam?

Homelessness is a huge issue, bigger than a year of blogging. I don't have the answers to homelessness, and I can't begin to claim I'm wise enough to decide who should and who shouldn't vote. However, I do know the Ohio ruling opens the door to rampant voter fraud. It's wrong.

Our vote is precious. Our democracy is precious. Our freedom is precious.

We should protect all and be wise in how we protect these privileges.

The future of our country?

Joe the Plumber asks a simple question and his background is investigated, he is attacked, maligned and trashed. His records are hacked into and everything about him is parsed and twisted into a negative.

Barbara West, the Orlando reporter who recently interviewed Joe Biden, asks a question and is trashed, hacked and maligned. Lies are told regarding her husbands background and the station she works for is banned from future interviews.

I could continue the list of people who have had their character assassinated, but these two are current and in the news. Rather than answer questions the messenger is attacked.

What will an Obama presidency be like if this is how things are done on the campaign trail?

To my way of thinking, a Presidential candidate should open all reasonable records and be open about every aspect of their public life. Instead we have a candidate who won't share his thesis from college and, from what I've read, his college records.

There are questions about his birth records and background that could be cleared up by producing a document or records that any of us could easily produce with minimal effort. Why not just show the records and be done with it? Why fight the lawsuit that would be shut down by simply producing a birth certificate? What's the big deal? (One lawsuit by Berg was dismissed because the court said Berg lacked standing, only the government could bring suit to prove citizenship... which seems rather strange to me since the government has access to the documents needed so why would they ever sue?). I've read both sides of this one and it's bigger than just a birth certificate, also brings into question the time Obama spent in Indonesia and more. You'll have to do your own Google search to find out more, it's interesting and who knows way down the pipeline where I sit whether there's merit.

If he's hiding things now and the press is letting him get away with it, what will the future with a President Obama be like?

There are changing answers to the questions about Obama's associations with domestic terrorists, Israel hating groups, reverse racists and others. There's the question of his twenty years sitting in the pew of a church that spewed vitriol and views that are definitely not mainstream.

If we can't get a straight answer from him now, can we expect better if he's elected?

There's the question about his experience.

How will he handle the promised international threat his running mate Joe Biden has promised? Why should we elect someone who will bring about an incident?

There's his statement that one of the first things he'd do is sign the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). H.R. 1964 and S.1173. This would basically strike down any limits by any state on abortion. It's a broad bill that does a lot to promote abortion. Again, I'll let you do the research and come to your own conclusions.

What will our future look like?

We'll have a Democratic President, a Democratic House and Senate, the Supreme Court and many lesser courts will become more liberal as appointments are made and there won't be any stopping the rolling tide.

Barney Franks said cut military spending 25% and yes, there would be tax increases.

Barack Obama has confirmed that he believes in spreading the wealth.

Small business would be a thing of the past in no time.

The "Fairness" Doctrine would be enacted.

We as Americans need to stop our hero worship, wash away the glitter and look at the bare facts. Go read Obama's books and read his words. We're teetering on the brink of losing America as we know it and Obama isn't glossing over the facts. He's promising Change and I guarantee you it's not the change we're going to want when the dust clears and we see the results.

Some of my friends believe that if he wins there will be a very good chance in 2 years that America will see the results and vote in a Republican Congress to counter his actions. I don't believe that will happen. I'll save my thoughts on the next election for another day.

On a side note, I'm not sure if I've mentioned this in a blog yet: Go check out http://www.wam08.org/. Democrats, Independents and Republicans working together for a common goal. I hope you'll check it out, sign up and get involved.

Barack Obama's Economic Plan Is A Big Government Giveaway

"Facing criticism from John McCain that his tax plan constitutes 'welfare,' Barack Obama recently added a work requirement to one of his proposals. 'They started saying this was welfare,' said Obama adviser Austan Goolsbee. "So, just so they would absolutely not be able to say that, we decided that for the last two percent we'll simply add a work requirement.' ...'When did this change? I'm just curious,' an incredulous Holtz-Eakin asked Goolsbee. 'About two weeks ago,' replied Goolsbee, adding that when the proposal was announced in September 2007, 98 percent of its benefits went to workers." -- ABC News

"The bottom line is that Obama is not being honest about his tax and spending plans. It is impossible -- impossible! -- for him to finance his giveaways by taxing only those making $250,000 or more. He will have to raise taxes substantially on people making much, much less than that. If you think you are going to avoid a tax increase on Obama's watch because you aren't 'rich,' remember this: A government that arbitrarily picks $250,000 as a dividing line can, using the same purely political considerations, pick any number as a dividing line." -- New Hampshire Union Leader

"Obama Tweaks Tax Plan To Rebut McCain"
By Teddy Davis, et al ABC News
October 21, 2008

Facing criticism from John McCain that his tax plan constitutes "welfare," Barack Obama recently added a work requirement to one of his proposals.

"They started saying this was welfare," said Obama adviser Austan Goolsbee. "So, just so they would absolutely not be able to say that, we decided that for the last two percent we'll simply add a work requirement."

Goolsbee discussed the change to Obama's universal mortgage credit while debating McCain adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin at the Council on Foreign Relations on Tuesday.

The purpose of Obama's 10 percent universal mortgage credit is to aid taxpayers who do not itemize when filing taxes. The Obama campaign estimates that it would provide an average of $500 to 10 million homeowners, the majority of whom earn less than $50,000 per year.
Watch the video here.

Goolsbee referred to the number of non-working Americans who would benefit from the original understanding of Obama's plan as an insignificant "sliver" when compared to the much larger number of working Americans who would benefit from Obama's plan.

Although the number of non-working beneficiaries would have been just a "sliver" under the original understanding of Obama's plan, Goolsbee said the Democratic nominee's economic team decided to add a work requirement to it in order to block McCain from being able to characterize any aspect of his plan as "welfare."

"When did this change? I'm just curious," an incredulous Holtz-Eakin asked Goolsbee.
"About two weeks ago," replied Goolsbee, adding that when the proposal was announced in September 2007, 98 percent of its benefits went to workers.

The work requirement on Obama's universal mortgage credit was never announced publicly, prompting Holtz-Eakin to suggest that it was just made up for purposes of the CFR debate.
"I think they just made it up," Holtz-Eakin told ABC News. "They will say anything in the moment. This is like trying to pin Jello to the wall."

During a Tuesday conference call with reporters, Holtz-Eakin mocked Goolsbee's claim that Obama could have changed his plan two weeks ago in response to McCain attacks that did not start until after Obama met with Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher nine days ago.

"What we saw today was just another example of the Obama campaign being willing to say potentially anything in order to avoid the tough questions of the moment," said Holtz-Eakin.
Goolsbee told ABC News that he was not exactly sure when the conversation among Obama economic advisers took place. He said it's possible that it did not take place until a week ago when McCain started hammering Obama on the issue. Goolsbee said it was also possible that it happened earlier since some conservative columnists were criticizing Obama on this point before the Republican nominee started making the line of attack himself.

Goolsbee argued that his Tuesday reference to adding a work requirement referred not to a change in policy but rather a change in what the Obama campaign was making explicit.
"Our thing has never been welfare," said Goolsbee. "It was always our intention that there was a work requirement."

Asked how the Obama campaign made its work requirement on the mortgage credit explicit before Tuesday, Goolsbee said, "We made it explicit among ourselves," adding that he thinks Obama economic adviser Jason Furman might have made this point to reporters in recent interviews conducted on background.

Goolsbee suggested that one of the reasons why the Obama campaign did not previously feel a need to make its work requirement explicit is that the refundable tax credits which exist in current U.S. tax law -- the Earned Income Tax Credit, the child credit, and the health coverage for displaced workers credit -- are all tied to either current work (in the case of the first two) are recent work (in the case of the third).

Goolsbee correctly noted that Obama's other refundable tax credits were clearly tied to work. An individual must work in order to qualify for Obama's making-work-pay credit, an individual must have earnings from a job in order to benefit from Obama's saver's credit, parents must work in order to benefit from Obama's refundable child care tax credit, and college students must perform community service in order to benefit from Obama's college tax credit.

Goolsbee also said McCain's criticism smacks of "hypocrisy" since a refundable tax credit -- with no work requirement -- is a core component of the Arizona senator's health plan.

Now that Obama has made clear that all of his tax credits are work-related, Holtz-Eakin contends that Obama has to defend the decision to strip the universal mortgage tax credit from workers who lose their jobs.

"That puts him in a position of having policies which say, 'You get laid off ... good luck,'" said Holtz-Eakin.

Goolsbee rebutted Holtz-Eakin's criticism by saying that someone who lost his or her job would not immediately lose the universal mortgage credit. The worker could still qualify by working any time in the last taxable year or by having a spouse who works.

A tax expert with an organization which has scored the candidates' proposals said he was unaware of the work requirement on Obama's mortgage tax credit. At the same time, he agreed with Goolsbee that Obama's other refundable tax credits, as well as ones in existing law, are clearly work-related.

"They might have been thinking this all along," said Roberton Williams, a principal research associate at the non-partisan Tax Policy Center. "But anytime you clarify something in a way that protects you, you are bound to draw criticism from your opponent."

Read The Article
---
http://www.fayettefrontpage.com/
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
http://www.georgiafrontpage.com/
http://www.artsacrossgeorgia.com/
---

From the McCain Campaign re: Terrorist Groups, Support, "Change" and more

"Now let me be clear. If we are going to talk about who had got support from terrorist groups in this election I am going to read some quotes, I am not going to characterize them, I will let others judge whether the amount of expression of support or opposition whether they amount to expressions of endorsement or opposition. First this week a Hamas spokesman, Ahmed Yousef said quote, 'I do believe Mr. Biden is a great man and we do count on him as also a good partner with Mr. Obama to put the right policy regarding how to handle problems in the region. It is good for America to have the new administration with someone like Mr. Obama and his vision for change. I do believe actually with this administration, the Bush administration, we don't have luck in ending our isolation. We as Palestinians are thinking we might have better luck with the new administration if Obama wins the election. I do believe that he will change American foreign policy in the way they are handling the Middle East.'" -- Randy Scheunemann

Today, McCain-Palin 2008 held a press conference call with former CIA Director Jim Woolsey and McCain-Palin Senior Foreign Policy Adviser Randy Scheunemann to discuss recent news stories about which candidate terrorists would like to see in the White House in 2009:

Randy Scheunemann: "The Washington Post story that Mike referred to was an amazing piece of 'journalism' and I use journalism in quotations marks when referring to this story. One post of a relatively obscure individual justifies the headline that Al-Qaeda Websites Supports John McCain'. Only one website was named and only one author was quoted. Even The Associated Press which wrote a follow on story recognized that the author of the posting that The Washington Post cited, Muhammad Haafid, quote 'is not believed to have a direct affiliation with al-Qaeda plans or knowledge of its operations' closed quote and that's according to the same SITE, s-i-t-e, analysts quoted by The Washington Post. Did The Washington Post not even bother to ask him the question about this author and whether he was linked to al-Qaeda or did they not care?

"The article goes on to say that terrorism experts say that bluster by a group that may have more to fear from a McCain presidency, yet they couldn't find any space to quote these experts in a story that didn't seem to be overly constrained by space limitations.

"Now even if you take this posting that The Washington Post reported on at face value let me make a couple of points. First, The Post assumes if you read the whole thing, which I have, that Obama wouldn't even be in the fight. Only Senator Obama has advocated withdrawal and surrender to al-Qaeda in Iraq when al-Qaeda was at the peak of its power. The Washington Post didn't provide any of that context that Senator Obama advocated a withdrawal and voted against funding for our troops while we were engaged in fighting with al-Qaeda in early 2007, when al-Qaeda was at the peak of its power. Even Senator Biden has expressed doubts about Senator Obama and how he is going to react when the going gets tough. In fact when Senator Biden talked about a generated crisis and a response to which an Obama-Biden presidency would not be seen as right, it didn't even rate a full story in The Washington Post, a 230 word blurb is all that they gave that.

"Next point is that only Senator Obama has said that we can't afford to spend the money to win in Iraq. So while the jihadists are posting gleefully about the financial crisis, the Post barely found time to mention that it is only Senator Obama that said for financial reasons that we need to withdraw from Iraq. John McCain will spend what it takes to win in Afghanistan and in Iraq.

"If you read the full posting to, it has an interesting item where the author says quote 'this explains it's, meaning the U.S., submission to the Taliban in Afghanistan in seeking to negotiate without preconditions.' To my knowledge, the U.S. doesn't have that course of action but clearly the author of that posting sees negotiation without precondition as weakness and as submission and in fact there's only one candidate in this race that has advocated negotiating with our enemies and state sponsors of terrorism without preconditions, and that's Senator Obama.

"Now The Washington Post can explain why it used the quotes it did. Minimal perusing of the same website they quoted finds many, many other quotations including one which says quote, 'regardless of who wins the election, the old man or the climber, I inform you it will be dealt with according to your policies towards the land of Islam and Muslims.' So they had many alternative postings that they could have chosen to write about but they obviously chose one, for whatever reasons, wherever they found it, why ever they did it, to create an inflammatory headline that is not even supported by its own story and certainly not supported by a full reading of the Post.

"Now let me be clear. If we are going to talk about who had got support from terrorist groups in this election I am going to read some quotes, I am not going to characterize them, I will let others judge whether the amount of expression of support or opposition whether they amount to expressions of endorsement or opposition. First this week a Hamas spokesman, Ahmed Yousef said quote, 'I do believe Mr. Biden is a great man and we do count on him as also a good partner with Mr. Obama to put the right policy regarding how to handle problems in the region. It is good for America to have the new administration with someone like Mr. Obama and his vision for change. I do believe actually with this administration, the Bush administration, we don't have luck in ending our isolation. We as Palestinians are thinking we might have better luck with the new administration if Obama wins the election. I do believe that he will change American foreign policy in the way they are handling the Middle East.' Now this has been publicly available for several days. Again this is terrorist group Hamas and their spokesperson Ahmed Yousef. The Washington Post did not find time to write a story about that. Not a single story, not a single mention about a very clear statement from Hamas.

"Second, last month when Iranian President Ahmadinejad was in the United States, he was asked by a student whether he supports Democratic nominee Barack Obama or Republican John McCain. This is what president Ahmadinejad, who has called for the extinction of Israel has said, quote, 'the American government 28 years ago decided to cut its own ties with Iran. We do prefer to have relations whereas one of the candidates in this election would prefer that.' I think everybody on this call understands which candidate for president has endorsed unconditional meetings with president Ahmadinejad.

"Three, from Muammar Qaddafi of Libya, he said talking about Obama 'all the people in the Arab and Islamic world and in Africa applauded this man. They welcomed him and prayed for him and for his success and they may have even been involved in legitimate contribution campaign to enable him to win the American presidency.' I'm not sure if The Washington Post ever reported on that. So we have three clear examples here of very strong statements, none to my knowledge have ever been covered by The Washington Post, all are on the record, all are clear, they are not on an obscure website by an obscure individual where words have to be twisted to create headlines that The Washington Post chooses to put on its stories."

...

Jim Woolsey: "I would just make two additional points. Beginning about three months after our move into Iraq in 2003, John McCain began saying on national television that we did not have enough forces and we needed to change strategy. He stayed on that tact for three and a half years until finally President Bush listened to him in December of 2006 and began the surge and the change of strategy. Now one important aspect of the change in strategy was to link up with the Sunnis and the Awakening Movement in the Anbar Province and to cooperate in going after al-Qaeda in Iraq. In posting after posting, it was clear from al-Qaeda itself and from Bin Laden's statements and Zawahiri's statements that this link up which John McCain was essentially the father of, this change in strategy, was what was causing al-Qaeda in Iraq, which al-Qaeda put at right in front of their struggle, the biggest difficulty and the biggest problem. It was killing al- Qaeda in Iraq, leaders that drew the biggest concern from al-Qaeda and from really all of the Islamists. John McCain was responsible as much as anyone in the country for that turn around. It is ridiculous to believe that in its heart of hearts al-Qaeda wants John McCain to be the President. And it is ludicrous.

"The second point is that if one takes one individual Islamist blogger from one terrorist Islamist blog, who has come up with this statement that it would be good to have McCain in the White House, I think one has to consider the motives. This individual knows that the endorsement of people like him is a kiss of death, figuratively and literally, so it seems to me it's pretty clear that by making this statement that he wants, that it would be a good thing for McCain to be President, he is clearly trying to damage John McCain, not speaking from his heart. So I must say I think the overall structure of the debate as one analyzes it coming out of this story taken at face value is quite remarkable."

Listen To The Conference Call

Sharing blogs from the Read My Lipstick Network

Yes, I'm being lazy! I'm sharing words from other fellow bloggers. Hope you'll check out the blogs and add them to your favorites! If you need to get pumped up about the election scroll down the sidebar of my blog and take a look at all the people who are blogging and working in support of John McCain! Today I came across a group at www.justsaynodeal.com that was very interesting. It's a group of former Hillary Clinton supporters who basically say anyone but Obama. Found another network at www.anobamanation.net with a fairly large group of bloggers for McCain. These are people out working, not just writing.

Here's a small sampling of the many blogs in the Read My Lipstick Network:

Ugly remark unsubstantiated by Secret Service
posted by Jem at America Needs Sarah Palin - 12 minutes ago
Secret Service on Scranton 'Kill Him' Report: "We Have Yet to Find Someone to Back Up the Story" Yesterday, David Singleton of the *Scranton Times-Tribune* reported that someone shouted "kill him!" abou...

Obama vs. the plumber
posted by Jem at America Needs Sarah Palin - 35 minutes ago
Maybe Joe Six-pack from flyover country isn't the ignoramus the elites think he is. At the beginning of the first video is Joe Wurzelbacher's tax question and Obama's answer. (If you keep watching, you'll...

Bocephus
posted by Adam Brickley, aka "ElephantMan" at Draft Sarah Palin For Vice President - 1 hour ago
This has made a few headlines in the last few days, but I hadn't heard the full song until today. So, for those who have yet to hear Hank Williams Jr.'s "McCain-Palin Tradition", enjoy.

Obama's Tax Plan
posted by Barracuda Babes at Barracuda Babes for Sarah Palin - 6 hours ago
Aside from Obama's statement, umm I mean promise, to give everyone a tax cut (which means 40% of the people get a check since they don't pay taxes), there is this issue of taking away the Bush tax cuts. (O...

And the Voter Fraud Accusations Continue in OHIO
posted by A Mom for McCain at More Moms for McCain - 9 hours ago
(Photo courtesy of Michelle Malkin of the house in Columbus where Ohio voter fraud is purportedy taking place) This is just unbelievable. There are more worms in this can than a fisherman's bucket after t...

A Conservative on Healthcare
posted by noreply@blogger.com (Kat) at Moms In The Right - 16 hours ago
In true Capitalist spirit, I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard this question, "If conservatives are so concerned about abortion, why don't they care about poor children without health care and ...

CNN Reports On The Obama Campaign's Misleading ACORN Story
posted by Fayette Front Page.com at Republican Candidates - 16 hours ago
"Now, today I'm told that the Obama campaign is saying that we may have paid them some money for canvassing, but in earlier e-mails with the Obama campaign, they did say that they paid them $800,000, a sub...

Obama's Religious Ruse: His 'Conversion'By Alexander LaBrecque
posted by Grace Explosion at Go Sarah!! - 17 hours ago
October 15, 2008 Obama's Religious Ruse: His 'Conversion'By Alexander LaBrecque Part 2 of 3; read part 1 here. During his presidential campaign, Obama the skeptic has touted his Christian identity as defi...

Grassroots voter intimidation
posted by Jem at America Needs Sarah Palin - 21 hours ago
Moms for McCain clues us in on "an important concern that my Moms have raised: intimidation, harassment, and illegal acts against them because they support McCain." She gives lots of examples. Please read....

Socialism.

I'm sure there are some videos of this without the added written comments, but I went through a few and couldn't find them. Both videos show the same plumber asking Barack Obama about taxes, different commentators on each though.

McCain - Obama Debate Thoughts

I'm still trying to settle into how I feel about tonight's debate. I want to hear more about this bailout of bad mortgages John McCain mentioned. I'm thinking that maybe I should stop paying my mortgage now so the government can renegotiate my loan and cut my monthly house payment.

I do not like the government getting into our business, interfering with the free market and generally just meddling. I hear the hype that says we needed this to stop us from going into a depression and I'm sure that all those who are talking know much, much more than I do. But every time they talk about the bailout (rescue to some) I hear them talking about hiring people, hiring agencies to help and I hear the beginnings of another big bureaucracy that will be alive long after its needed.

I did not like tonight's format only because I thought Tom Brokaw turned it into a regular old debate. It wasn't a town hall meeting where people just asked questions. Brokaw picked them and, aside from the very last question, it was more of the same. I thought it was a rather silly question to end the debate with. "What don't you know?" My answer would have been, "the answer to your question".

I heard more substance from John McCain and I thought his closing was great. Obama sounded like he was on the defensive quite a bit.

I think the media tried to get everyone all excited about the possibility of a fight on Bill Ayers and similar so the civility almost made the debate boring. You had to be a political wonk or very concerned about the election to sit through the entire thing. To me it went fast, mainly because I am a political junkie and I am extremely concerned about the election and the future of our country.

I've heard and read enough about Obama's plans so I was able to read between the lines. He talks over issues and around them, but never talks about the nuts and bolts of his plans. I know it's hard to do so in the time allotted, and I don't think John McCain did a much better job given the constraints.

The best debate, or public appearance might be a better description, was the talk Rick Warren had with the candidates.

I'd like to have a similar format with Mary Matlin and Carville asking both of them questions! Wouldn't that be lively?

Fox News and CNN are doing text or call in polls on who won. On Fox 12% say Obama, 1% undecided, the rest for McCain. On CNN it's almost a complete flip on the results. Guess that shows who's watching which station! Luckily Fox has more viewers and more middle of the road viewers, too.

Humor aside, Obama seems to be running on personality and McCain seems to be running on substance. Unfortunately, personality often wins over quality and substance. Let's hope the American public makes the right choice these next few weeks. It's kind of hard to have any faith in the system when the Democrats are going into jails to register voters.

Another point of view on the financial crisis

How the Democrats Created the Financial Crisis: Kevin Hassett

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_hassett&sid=aSKSoiNbnQY0

Sept. 22 (Bloomberg) — The financial crisis of the past year has provided a number of surprising twists and turns, and from Bear Stearns Cos. to American International Group Inc., ambiguity has been a big part of the story.

Why did Bear Stearns fail, and how does that relate to AIG? It all seems so complex.

But really, it isn’t. Enough cards on this table have been turned over that the story is now clear.

The economic history books will describe this episode in simple and understandable terms: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac exploded, and many bystanders were injured in the blast, some fatally.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_hassett&sid=aSKSoiNbnQY0

(Thanks to http://mccainpalin2008.blogspot.com/ for finding this and posting this!)

More on Down Syndrome, Sarah Palin and Politics

Photo: Niah with her Mom, April during a visit earlier this year.



I am taking advantage of the fact that Sarah Palin has brought Down Syndrome to the forefront of politics to write again about the subject! I know I'm stretching it here, but I'm proud of my little granddaughter and I don't usually have a way to share anything in this blog about her!

I found an article on another blog that I thought was interesting on the subject of Sarah Palin and Down Syndrome:

Sarah Palin, Down syndrome and special needs

My younger son, Elijah, has Down syndrome, so naturally I was very interested to
hear about Sarah Palin's candidacy. Her experience of getting a prenatal
diagnosis of Down syndrome halfway through the pregnancy parallels our own
experience. Our doctor told us, "Based on this diagnosis, you can choose to
terminate the pregnancy." (We later learned that about 90% of babies prenatally
diagnosed with Down syndrome are terminated.) Like the Palins, we chose to have
our baby, and now we can't imagine life without Elijah. (My column for the
forthcoming October issue of Christianity Today is going to be about Down
syndrome and disability, because October happens to be Down syndrome awareness
month. I had already written and sent in my column a month ago, long before
Palin's candidacy had been announced. Kind of wild.)... (click the title to read all)

I also received an email this evening with a transcript of a discussion a caller had with Rush Limbaugh recently. I'd share it but it has so many of those little >>> marks that it'd take all night to get rid of them! The gist of the conversation was that a family with a Down Syndrome child was noticed by John and Cindy McCain and Sarah and Todd Palin as their bus drove in for a visit. They had the Secret Service go over and get them and the family hung out with the group for a while. They sent photos and gave a glowing talk about how down to earth and caring the McCains and Palins were. There's a real cute photo of the little Down Syndrome girl being held by Sarah Palin, giving her a big hug.



There are a lot of people making the Palin's choice to have Trig political. I continue to be dismayed at how nasty some people can be when writing about the subject.

Here's another real interesting blog post on Moonbattery:

September 1, 2008
Sarah Palin Blamed for Hurricane, Child's Down Syndrome
It appears that Bush, Cheney, and Rove are no longer responsible for all the ills of the world. Sarah Palin has to shoulder her share of blame too.
http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2008/09/sarah_palin_bla.html

Here's another article of interest:

Joe Biden Slams Sarah Palin on Down Syndrome Son, Stem Cell Research
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 9, 2008
Joe Biden, Barack Obama's pro-abortion running mate, is coming under fire for comments he made today attacking vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. After attacking her on abortion, Biden then slammed Palin on the birth of her son, who has Down syndrome.
http://www.lifenews.com/bio2567.html

OK, have I done enough writing about the political aspect to justify doing the grandma thing and sharing some photos of Niah? If not, sorry, you're getting 'em anyway!

2nd Photo: April (Niah's mom), cousin Skylar and Niah at my parents.
---
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---

Down Syndrome, Abortion and Politics

I thought I was ready to head to bed and call it a night, but I just saw a story that incensed me. Before I get into my rant, let me explain that I have the most wonderful, beautiful, and happy grandchild a grandmother could ever want. It just so happens that Niah has Down Syndrome.

When my daughter-in-law April was pregnant she was told her child would be Down Syndrome. She was also told the baby would have Dandy Walker which would mean, at best, she'd have autistic type tendencies on top of Down Syndrome. They later also told the kids Niah would have duodenal atresia, which is a separated intestine which can just be stitched together (kinda broad strokes on my descriptions of both problems).

They did an awful lot of praying. No, they weren't praying whether to have an abortion or not, that wasn't a question for them. They prayed for healing and strength. They looked forward to the birth of Niah.

When Niah was born she was whisked away to be tested and to prepare for surgery. April had complications and couldn't be with her so I stayed by Niah's side through the first days of her life in Intensive Care.

Niah didn't have Dandy Walker. They were wrong. The duodenal atresia was a fairly quick fix with surgery.

Today Niah is five years old and she is the joy of all of our lives. She is a handful at times. She has more extended family than any child I've ever known! Everyone falls in love with her. The most difficult challenge for me is trying to beat everyone to the gifts that grandparents are "supposed" to give! She is showered with love and she loves everyone back.

The kids were pressured into the abortion route. Almost everyone they encountered in the medical field steered them openly or through hints to choose to get rid of their "problem". They changed doctors once as a result of the pressure.

That little "problem" has blessed more lives than I can count. Having that little girl come up and hug me is worth more than I can ever put into words.

I listened tonight as Sarah Palin talked briefly to Sean Hannity about how she felt when she discovered Trig would be a Down Syndrome child. I'm sure the discussion will be on YouTube soon so I'll try to remember to share it with you. I understood completely what she was sharing. I struggled with my feelings about what the kids would face with all the problems. Greg (my husband) and I changed some major plans simply because we thought we might have to chip in and help.

Right after listening to Sarah Palin talk about the love and joy Trig was bringing, I stopped in here to turn off the computer and saw this story (News Busters):

Washington Post's 'On Faith' blog, Sally Quinn, on the role of social issues in the presidential campaign and cited recent poll numbers on abortion: "On abortion, the latest New York Times/CBS poll shows 37% of voters say abortions should be generally available, 42% want the procedure available but with stricter limits than we have now. 19% say they should not be permitted at all...What do you make of those numbers?" Quinn responded: "Well, I think the majority of people in this country believe that abortion should be legal at some point. And 90% of people, for instance, who have Down's Syndrome babies choose to terminate their pregnancies.... http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2008/09/18/msnbc-wapo-s-quinn-declares-90-parents-abort-downs-syndrome-babies

Talk about contrasts!

If you read the entire article the gist seems to be that Sarah Palin was wrong to choose to keep her child, that she's wrong on abortion, and that the majority of women are pro-abortion. I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning and re-read the entire article just to make sure I'm not reading things into it. You may get another bit about it from me in the morning depending on whether I read it before or after my first cup of caffeine!

I'm thankful my son and daughter-in-law chose to keep my beautiful granddaughter and not take the selfish, easy way out (although what is easy about aborting a life?). I'm thankful Sarah Palin chose to keep Trig. I think maybe, just maybe, if she ends up in the White House it might make it a bit easier for people to accept a child who isn't perfect according to some standards. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing the Vice President going to events with Trig!

(and before someone brings this up, I'm not a one-issue person. If Hillary Clinton had a Down Syndrome child it wouldn't make me vote for her... nor does the fact that Sarah Palin has a Down Syndrome child influence my vote... it's just icing on the cake that she's the kind of person who would make a choice I think is commendable!)

Hackers & Sarah Palin

Some hackers have gotten into Sarah Palin's personal email and plastered them around the Internet. I understand there's nothing inflammatory but it's raising a stink. Part of the stink has to do with the allegation (or truth) that she has two Blackberry's and sometimes uses her personal Yahoo account to send government related emails. Since that has already been bandied about in the Press I don't see that causing a problem, unless you're a die-hard Democrat and want another reason to attack her .

People are going nuts trying to get something on her. They must be terrified of the power she has at the moment to energize voters or they wouldn't be trying so hard to find something. All those people running around in Alaska trying to ferret out some tidbit they can twist or exaggerate into a scandal to hurt her standing and they haven't found anything but disgruntled former opponents to throw mud. Must be frustrating.

The harder they try the more people stand up for her and move to her side. None of the typical political stunts and tactics are working and I think it's driving some people absolutely nuts.

I will say one thing on the hacking --- you'd think that as soon as she became a VP candidate the Secret Service or handlers or whoever takes care of these things would have gotten her a more secure email account. Of course, nothing is bullet-proof when it comes to determined hackers these days so not sure that would be possible. It would be interesting to find out which service the other candidates and some of our other elected officials are using.

I can hear someone out there in the wings right now saying "there's another thing that just shows her inexperience". Don't even bother to go down the experience road, it doesn't stack up or hold water or whatever metaphor you want to insert here.

I don't care whether she was John McCain's second choice. I don't care if she pressured the jerk who was openly working against her into firing the guy who threatened to kill her father and tasered his stepson (she didn't pressure anyone, but those who want to believe something bad about her are going to keep that one going as long as possible). I don't care about any of the little nit-picky things people on the other side of the ticket keep trying to use to discredit her. I don't care if she hasn't been in the Senate (which has never been considered Presidential experience before) or been on Meet the Press. I like it that she has five children and chose to have a Down Syndrome child. I like the fact that her husband likes to chip in and help and is very supportive of her (and she reciprocates). I like it that she can handle two Blackberry devices ;-) I don't care that she would be a heartbeat away from being President, I think she'd be a much better President than Barack Obama right now.

So far everything, and I mean everything, that is being thrown at her is sliding right off her Teflon armor. I've had more friends telling me they're now going to be voting than ever! Some have switched from a Democratic vote to Republican this election, some from a no-vote, some from the Libertarian, etc., etc.

This is a statement from the McCain-Palin campaign on the email issue:

"This is a shocking invasion of the Governor's privacy and a violation of law. The matter has been turned over to the appropriate authorities and we hope that anyone in possession of these emails will destroy them. We will have no further comment."

I understand the Secret Service is trying to track down the hackers and that the AP is refusing to help.