The debate

[Sophist]

I wouldn't trust Palin to head the PTA!

[goddessoflubbock]

I wouldn't trust Palin to head the PTA!

Funny you should bring that up. Seems there are no records to be found anywhere to indicate Palin held any kind of "office" in the PTA. She was, in fact, a rank and file member like the rest of us - called upon to bake brownies for fundraisers, etc.

[Sophist]

I wouldn't trust Palin to head the PTA!

Funny you should bring that up. Seems there are no records to be found anywhere to indicate Palin held any kind of "office" in the PTA. She was, in fact, a rank and file member like the rest of us - called upon to bake brownies for fundraisers, etc.

I wouldn't trust her brownies either.

[Charlie]

Is it just me, or was the 2nd debate between Obama and McCain a bit on the boring side with no substance. Just a few thin attacks on each other, avoidance in answering questions in details and at the relevant level wanted by the people, and trying to keep their distance from the real issues.

They were starting to sound like politicians

[goddessoflubbock]

Is it just me, or was the 2nd debate between Obama and McCain a bit on the boring side with no substance. Just a few thin attacks on each other, avoidance in answering questions in details and at the relevant level wanted by the people, and trying to keep their distance from the real issues.

They were starting to sound like politicians

It was a bit of a yawner, I was not pleased that Tom Brokaw couldn't keep it rolling a little better.

I find the "zinging" a little annoying. McCain needs to just stick to the facts, he's neither funny nor witty.

There was one question, I believe asked by the audience, and I can't remember (stupid dead brain cells!) but I think it was about fixing social security. McCain's response annoyed me. He said "I know what we need to do to fix it, you know what we need to do to fix it" and then proceeded to talk about something completely unrelated....

His failure to acknowledge Obama's outstretched hand at the end (which Cindy McCain then politely embraced - I find her to have a good deal of class, just like Michele Obama) was in very poor taste.

While I didn't feel that either one of them answered the questions as directly as I would have liked, I think Obama did a better job overall, particularly in the sense of giving specifics instead of generalities. (And yes, McCain did vote AGAINST the CHIP program which many of us use to insure our children).

[beware_the_sluagh]

I went to dinner with my parents and grandparents today. I asked them what they thought of Sarah Palin and they all liked her. I was exceptionally disturbed.

I couldn't decide whether to laugh or to cry for most of that conversation.

In Australia we went to an antiques shop and two women past middle age were at a laptop at the front desk (so at least one must work there) and one said to the other "Everyone really loves Sarah Palin, don't they?" Ahhh, no, they don't. It was bizarre to think that they really thought everyone likes her.
(But most people only read websites that agree with them, and have friends that are like them, so it can be hard to come across opposing views sometimes... I know I only read pro-Obama, anti-McCain/Palin stuff. )

[Charlie]

The consensus this side of the pond, and via the politically balanced BBC, is that neither of them excelled themselves and it was just about a draw, but given the state of play it would not have changed many people's minds or opinions in how to vote, thus it worked out far better for Obama due to his apparent lead in the opinion polls.

I think I agree with this, so to use some parlence found around the local cricket leagues here, I would say it was a "winning draw" to Obama.

[Kaylis-Americanis]

***Secondhand info alert***

My mom apparently read a news article about how most women either LOVE Palin or HATE her, and that it has something to do with their own self image. If a woman thinks she herself could handle it (being president or other important jobs) she most likely likes Palin. If she thinks politics (or other important jobs) are best left to the professionals, she probably doesn't like Palin.

I however, don't really have a straight opinion, and my opinions vary widely depending on circumstances. I therefore opt out of judgement.

[Sophist]

***Secondhand info alert***

My mom apparently read a news article about how most women either LOVE Palin or HATE her, and that it has something to do with their own self image. If a woman thinks she herself could handle it (being president or other important jobs) she most likely likes Palin. If she thinks politics (or other important jobs) are best left to the professionals, she probably doesn't like Palin.

I however, don't really have a straight opinion, and my opinions vary widely depending on circumstances. I therefore opt out of judgement.

I think I could potentially be some sort of politician (not the President of VP though) and I think Palin's a ditz.

[ruth]

I think Palin is an embarrassment to women, especially the kind of women who could run the country. I can't stand her voice. OMG. Her voice drives me crazy. If for one minute I thought that I sounded like her I would take a vow of silence.

[Kaylis-Americanis]

Republican = Red, Democrat = Blue, right?

If that is so, they are wearing each other's color of ties in the debate on Wed the 15...

[adhocisadirtyword]

Lol - good observation.

I enjoyed this debate the most personally. John McCain continuing to bring up autism and Sarah Palin was interesting considering Sarah Palin's son has Down's Syndrome. It almost seemed like he was under some mistaken impression.

I also liked Obama's line about the budget freeze and autism. His policy on autism is actually fairly progressive. For those who don't know, a few months ago when still in the primary, his campaign was contacted by members of the neurodiversity movement about some wording in his policy. They actually removed the words "epidemic" and "disorder" and made the policy as progressive as it could be while still making the other side of the epidemic debate happy with a few other careful wording choices.

If I recall correctly, ABFH (Autistic B***h from Hell) wrote a great blog post about the issue at the time.

[goddessoflubbock]

I caught the bit about Palin being the most informed person he knows on autism - and I think he was confused. Sarah does have quite a brood, too many for McCain to keep track of. In fact, Palin's sister has a 13 year old son with autism, and she has some young cousins with ASD's. However, she's been so busy, what with elected offices and being a hockey mom (nevermind shooting moose) I can't imagine how much time she's really spent with the autistic members of her family, or how much she's learned about the spectrum.

Obama has always had what I considered a good position on those with disabilities, including autism. Sarah Palin has at least cut the Special Olympics funds in half while in Alaska - before her last child was born.

I read some comments on some news articles about McCain's talking about autism last night; many of them had people commenting how down's syndrome is much rarer then autism. Did any of them consider it's because those children never see the light of day due to early testing in pregnancy?

I thought Obama really shone last night. And mostly because of how McCain acted. He was aggressive, condenscending, and misleading - whereas Obama remained calm and composed and simply reiterated the truth when McCain misstated it - as opposed to McCain's "calling out" Obama time and again.

We don't get too much tv advertising here from the candidates. We are a pretty firmly red state (although technically Hilary won Texas) so they don't see the need to spend the money. Therefore I can't say whose advertising is more or less negative - I can only go by what CNN shows, which is always slanted towards the story.

Oh, I LOVE that Obama put his ads in video games. I think that shows a real ability to think outside the box.

[beware_the_sluagh]

However, she's been so busy, what with elected offices and being a hockey mom (nevermind shooting moose)

So, what is a hockey mom? or a soccer mom? And is it an insult, from certain groups at least, or a description? Sometimes it seems like... certain groups use it as an insult, or at least to say that the soccer mom is some kind of lesser being than the person saying it, and the person saying it has some kind of righteousness over them. And then other times it seems like a description without negative connotations.

[Charlie]

However, she's been so busy, what with elected offices and being a hockey mom (nevermind shooting moose)

So, what is a hockey mom? or a soccer mom? And is it an insult, from certain groups at least, or a description? Sometimes it seems like... certain groups use it as an insult, or at least to say that the soccer mom is some kind of lesser being than the person saying it, and the person saying it has some kind of righteousness over them. And then other times it seems like a description without negative connotations.

The theory behind being a "hockey/soccer mom" is that you portray yourself as being just a normal woman, doing regular things (such as taking your children and watching them play sports, and it is not beneath you to talk to the other moms on the sideline.

Of course the negative connotation is that you can stereotype these mothers on the sideline as just gossiping and do not discuss anything of importance, and so are a not necessarily the cleverest bunch of people, especially if you add in that they can be thought of as slaves to transporting their kids everywhere, almost zombie like.

But to answer your question properly, a hockey mom is a mother who takes her kids to hockey practice and uses this as part of her social network.