Sunday morning talk open thread

Nobody outside the political class cares that Palin is going to be in hiding for a week or whatever in Alaska learning the issues (apparently). It's an issue worth discussing, but I don't think any of the people Palin touches care about it.

Trailer trash is NOT a New England term. It's Southern.

All the sugar coating in the world in not sufficient to cover that not providing medical care for infants that survive an abortion is term Infanticide. Seems Obama supports that. Many barbaric societies did that, but why should we?

I doubt if you asked many Christians what is their faith that they would reply muslim. Very strange comment to make. Very strange indeed.

Since Palin was, as it were, struck by lightning, I'd hope she steps out of the limelight briefly to get some grounding in national issues she may not have been focusing on as Governor of Alaska. I agree with Kevin that normal people won't care about that.

I saw an amazing thing a Borders Books after a light lunch today: A Sarah Palin book, apparently written by an admirer about her conquest of the Alaska governorship, but already out with new covers and quotes apropos of her selection as the Vice Presidential nominee. Print may be having trouble keeping up with cyberspace, but they're not doing badly on pacing. That's impressive speed.

One could take the more cynical viewpoint that perhaps this was intentional by Obama :)

It will make the fringe conservative blogs go into overdrive and then he can counter his fringe problem that went to berserk on Palin

What boggles my mind?
1. Abortion is still an issue. The Republicans in the Senate/House/Presidency were in charge for how long? Long enough to stake the Supreme Court with conservative judges and actually do something about abortion. Why don't people wise up? They keep this issue around so they can get votes, not to actually do anything about it.

2. How can you be a Muslim and have a crazy pastor? Obama clearly isn't a Muslim, but why would it be so bad if he were. Christianity isn't about hating people because they aren't of the same faith as you. Not all Muslims are terrorists...

3. I think Palin has to go out and field questions. If you pick a candidate who is under investigation and was previously sited for abuse of powers, then she must talk about it. She must also discuss her abstinence only education, her stance on creationism, banning books, and foreign policy experience. She cannot rely on stump speeches. She can't cry sexism, when her side, the GOP, were making fun of Clinton about the color of her pant suits. Hypocrisy seems to drive the Republican party forward.

4. McCain really doesn't support Vets. Maybe some of you saw the man holding the sign that read: You can't win an occupation. And the other side of the sign reading: McCain doesn't support Vets. (The man holding this sign was an Iraqi Veteran.)
I challenge each of you to look up Senate Bill (S.22). It is the NEW GI Bill. Obama supported the bill, McCain did not. Also he voted against a bill that would have provided 21billion$ to Veteran Affairs.
He also voted against Health Care for Vets. (S.2020) You can wave a thousand American flags, and say you support the troops, but why not support these bills? Facts are facts. CHECK THEM.

5.Why doesn't anyone ever talk about McCain gaffes? Because he's made about 70...

6. McCain has flipflopped on almost all conservative issues: Abortion, Drilling, Evangelical Leaders, Gay marriage, The War, Torture, Taxes.. the list goes on.

Hey Rod, just a little aside about allergies--I have terrible allergies, and have struggled with them for years unsuccessfully (I'm a Latin teacher and used to sneeze about five times per noun declension, much to consternation and amusement of students). Anyway, I've discovered this year that taking 1 1/2 Benadryl tablets before bed keeps me from having horrible attacks the next day. Sorry for the infomercial, but I wanted to offer this wisdom since it helped me so much...

EddieInCA, you want a policy position of Gov. Palin's that we on the right like. How about the fact that when she squeezed extra money out of the oil companies, she gave it back to the taxpayers, not the bureaucrats.

I won't comment on whether or not the oil companies deserved to be squeezed harder (although I suspect they did). I don't know enough of the details of what they were paying on what to make an informed comment on the subject. But Gov. Palin's decision to give at least part of the windfall back to the taxpayers puts her one up on the Democrats, in my book.

Posted by: Carey J. | September 7, 2008 2:52 PM

So I guess you're a supporter of Obama's Windfall Tax on Oil Companies, so that he can give all American's a $1000 check? Basically, Palin's position is the same as the Obama position.

Care to try again?

Additionally, it's easy to give money back to citizens (in Alaska), when the state has a surplus due to easy oil money. In that regards, it's more like Sweden than the rest of the country.

So, in closing, I can put you down for supporting Obama's plan to place a windfall profits tax on the oil companies?

If not, why not?

David Brooks' observation: hundreds correspondents are writing about Palin to call her "trailer trash"

Boo to the e-mail correspondents.
Boo to trashing people who live in trailers.
Boo to trashing Palin in this way.

Where are the mature Jesus followers, called to treasure people?

Wondering, Duh-sciple

I'm skeptical that all of the e-mails David Brooks received calling Palin "trailer trash" came from New England.

First, how does he know where the e-mails came from? Did everyone give their location? If not did he look at the message headers and determine where the IP addresses were located?

Second, as previously said, "trailer trash" isn't used in New England, or at least in Mass and New Hampshire where I've lived. These areas are pretty urban and suburban and I haven't seen trailer parks around here.

If he wasn't be literal I wish he wouldn't say things like that as he's impugning the character of people who can't fight back because we're not on TV.

Second, as previously said, "trailer trash" isn't used in New England, or at least in Mass and New Hampshire where I've lived. These areas are pretty urban and suburban and I haven't seen trailer parks around here.

Brooks wasn't speaking literally; he was characterizing the content of the anti-Palin e-mails he's received.

Rod--about your point on community organizers...
Currently living in a major Northeast urban center I know some community organizers (my mainline denomination supports them). Of those I know, most of their work seems to involve getting "underserved" people their piece of government money or services. This bothers conservatives not because of the fairness issue (although they usually don't see serving illegal aliens as a fairness problem) but because they see this view of government as a problem. Small government conservatives would love community organizers who focus on helping communities to help themselves with their own sweat equity (not help themselves to taxpayers' sweat). I believe there are such organizers out there--but as you point out, the Al Sharptons get all the attention.

Hey 7:07 Kevin: Please use your last name or some other ID from now on and I will do the same. I post semi-regularly first name only and I don't want people getting us mixed up if you are going to be here often. Welcome.

Unless you are Jewish, or a Seventh-Day Adventist, or a Catholic who meets his obligation after sundown on Saturday. Or you have a Tivo.

For once I agree with you, Daniel.

"So I guess you're a supporter of Obama's Windfall Tax on Oil Companies, so that he can give all American's a $1000 check? Basically, it's the same as the Obama position."

Umm,close but no cigar. See, the oil companies are paying a tax to Alaska based on the value of the oil they are taking out of the ground, resources that belong to all Alaskans. The money received is then used for the benefit of all Alaskans, including returning money to all Alaskans.

Obama, on the other hand, wants to tax the oil companies on oil they may be purchasing from other countries, based solely on the idea that he thinks they are making too much money. The "rebate" Obama is proposing is not giving money back to the citizens for resources taken from their state - he is simply taking money from the companies that have earned it and giving it to people that haven't. That is socialism.

So - returning money to the citizens for resources taken from their state: a sign of good government stewardship of public resources and the incomer therefrom. Taking money from productive companies simply because you think they are making too much money and giving it to voters: socialism with a touch of vote buying.

Glad I could clear that up for you.

"My point is that windfall profits taxes, no matter who proposes them or where, are not prudent policy. "

Actually, I would tend to agree with you on that point. However, I was pointing out that it is a logical fallacy to place both the Alaska tax an Obama's tax in exactly the same category. To sa they are both the same is to create a false equivalency.

I don't understand how someone who apparently watched the interview has managed to think that Obama made an "honest misstep" when he referred to "my Muslim faith". I am not, please understand, saying that Barack Obama was calling himself a Muslim but he was responding to the interviewer's comments regarding the rumour that Obama is Muslim. Here's a transcript of the context:

The interviewer, accidentally I am sure, confused the issue. The exchange went like this:

Interviewer: The McCain Campaign has never suggested you have Muslim connections ...

Obama: What I was suggesting ... You're absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith and you're absolutely right that that has not come ...

Interviewer: Christian faith ...

Obama: My, my Christian faith and ... well, what I'm saying is that he hasn't suggested that I'm, that I'm a Muslim and I think that his campaign upper echelon have not either. What I think is fair to say is that, coming out of the Republican camp there have been efforts to suggest that perhaps I'm not who I say I am when it comes to my faith. Something which I find deeply offensive, and that has been going on for a pretty long time.

It's very, very clear from this exchange that he had intended to say "Muslim" where he did but that he was in no way saying that he was a Muslim.