A Jewish Perspective on Palin

Thank you for your perspective. I will be voting for Obama. I have been watching and reading everything possible with regard to this election because I hate politics. The fact of the matter is that politicians will say anything to get the vote of the people. Most importantly, neither McCain, Obama or Biden have experience making executive decisions and Sarah Palin would be the only one of the four to have done so even if only for a little over a year. I am not entirely comfortable with either candidate or their VPs. However, I prefer to vote for a candidate who is slow to anger, willing to listen to the advice of others and make informed decisions with the country's citizens' best interest in mind, has worked for the people at the community organizational level because as a Christian it does show me that he has done the work of that of Jesus, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Ghandi, and countless other caring human beings before him, who makes race a non-issue when it comes to relationships, who loves and cares for his family as much as Palin and McCain do theirs, and who has hope and desire to make a change. Hope and desire is where one starts when taking the steps towrad reaching a goal. I really like the fact that he is not all about negative remarks and flat out lying on his opponents. I understand that he has to debunk a lot of lies about himself and that it is necessary for both parties to point out the negative and incorrect things about their opponents, but it bothers me when they laugh at the accomplishments of Obama. Everyone has different paths and his path is an honorable one too. I don't much care about his experience because both candidates will have a staff of people advising them and it is a good thing that people across the country are excited to mend strained alliances with the U.S. from these last 8 years. My husband has been obessessed with this entire campaign and we watched very carefully for the issues we face to be discussed. I was disappointed to hear Palin speak in the manner that she did because it was the typical put-downs and failure to speak to the issues. John McCain was just boring to the core. I don't think that I need to be entertained, but I need to know that these people can relate to middle class people like me and my family and friends. I don't care that her daughter is pregnant, but I do care if there is double talk going on about her Alaskan dealings and there is. For God's sake her own people call her a hands-off governor. I also need to hear from a candidate and I feel that it is insulting to avoid the press' questions when we all have questions about someone we know little about. Obama has answered questions under fire, Biden has answered questions and so has McCain, but not Palin. I am not interested in voting another candidate into the highest office of this country who thinks they are above the law, belittles our rights as citizens, or who bullies and makes us feel unpatriotic for asking questions and having a difference of opinion. I want to actually feel that change will be the mission of the next President and after all of the note-taking (because they are all saying the same thing at this point) I have not been able to see a hint of change in the ideas of the Republicans. I have been to the tax policy center site and seen the breakdown of taxes and there are differences in how much the middle class will have some breaks (we will benefit more so with Obama's plan) but I am not concerned so much with that. I am mostly concerned with the overall economy. I am, on a personal level, concerned with employment, housing and health insurance. I am working on my doctorate. I have been in school literally all of my life. I have been laid off my job for two years now and cannot find permanent employment. My husband is a doctor and cannot find work that will pay him what he is worth. Our son has lost his jobs several times. Our other son is working two jobs and receiving financial aid (thank God!) in order to get his college education. Our family of 7 is living off of a $40,000 salary and we don't all have health insurance at this time. We almost lost our home and had to sell it for little to nothing. We are now renting a home. Gas prices make it almost impossible to go anywhere. Bill collectors are calling. We have to do the ultimate no-no and dipped into our retirement funds to survive, which has been depleted. We have had to use food stamps in the past. My husband was working as a pizza delivery person. We have both received and used up our unemployment benefits. Temporary employment agencies cannot even find us jobs and now I am applying for jobs as substitute teachers for little money. My degreed friends are being laid off their jobs for a second time in almost two years and are unable to find jobs as well because they are overqualified. We sought the American dream and have seen it, like so many other Americans, wash away. It offends me to watch these analyst make fun or make light of the stories that are being told by Democrats about Americans and their struggle to survive. I even heard a woman on Morning Joe call the stories a "two headed baby...being used as bowling balls". ??? My life is important. My ability to reap the benefits of my hard labor and education is important. I don't care to be rich if it means being insensitive and unable to relate with others. I care about being able to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I have watched the video clips of republicans demeaning Hilary Clinton and her ability to deal with men and the russians and their statements telling her to stop whining and deal with the criticism of the public. At the same time, those same people are balking at the idea of the press asking questions of Sarah Palin's abilities. ??? What works for one does not work for another? I don't doubt that Obama, McCain or even Biden are men of good character. They all have great qualities and great life stories. I cannot say the same for Sarah Palin. There is not much available to the public nor is her record completely maverick as she has apparently successfully tried to convince the public. This is the part of politcs that makes me sick to my stomach. The lies. The half-truths. The apparent quest to make people forget the obvious things. The double talk and the nastiness in the ads. It is hard for me to find any of them believable when they rip each other to shreds and then turn around and ask us to support their party's candidate. Bigoted? Political? Yes. They are all rich. They are all subject to flip-flop on issues. They all have lobbyist relationships. How is John McCain a maverick? He voted with Bush 95% of the time. Is it because he knew he would need his support when he ran for President? Most assuredly, yes. How is Sarah Palin a maverick if she has received lobbyist money herself? Come on people! I may be in the minority when I say that they are all manipulating us to some extent. Abortion is not my issue. I think it is completely a private matter. It is also a privately spiritual matter. I also think that it is an issue of irresponsible sex and that we need to as family members see to it that our daughters think of themselves and that consequences of their actions. They are the ones left with the decisions in most cases. I also understand that single women are not the only people who get abortions. I know that married couples often face this issue as well. WHo am I to get involved. I understand the issue of murder of unborn children, but who is going to take care of the children when they are born into this unwanted situations? Who is going to care for them if the mother can't and the father won't? The state? The public? Republicans? Democrats? Grandparents? Therapists? American already has the highest pregnancy rate in the world. Our youngest citizens are the poorest as a result of their single parent family status. I would like to help, but my family can barely survive as it is. I would like to scream out CHOOSE LIFE and speak of the joys of raising a child, but how can I if I can't help them and assure them that life will be a stuggle but they will be alright (even if they have no money, no family assistance like Sarah palin's daughter). If I were Mr. Buffett, the richest man in the world, I would attempt to heal the world of its ills, but that is not going to happen in reality. I am not rich and we cannot heal the world. I am voting for Obama. I am voting for him because I believe with Biden on his side he will stick to the issues of the people. I believe his hope and belief that we can change the world is inspiring and Christ-like. I also think that in reality he will do his absolute best to work for the people he serves. John McCain/Sarah Palin are just going to continue Bush's legacy. I am not interested in helping corporate America or even rich people. I don't care if they get taxed. Even if they do have higher taxes they are still rich. The poor and mostly the middle class carry this country. If we suffer the entire country suffers. It is an ordinary reasoning and not quite so simple, but that is my choice. I believe Barack Obama is a nice with high hopes. I want to know that my brother will serve this country in Iraq and return home to his family to receive the recognition and veteran's assistance he deserves when it is all said and done. I have had enough of the fear-talk, the cockiness of Bush-Cheney who have profited greatly doing the dirty deeds of Karl Rove and starting a war that will never end (we will always be a target) and who have shady relationships with the very people they have convinced many Americans were evil. Now that I think of it, why would anyone want to be President at this time? They have nothing but a mess to clean up and a trillion dollar debt to look forward to? Maybe I will vote for McCain and Palin so Obama won't get blamed by the forgetful American public for the troubles of this country due to its horrendous leadership.

How is this woman a representative of me?

I share her exact birthdate and year.

She does not use a voice that brings consciousness or compassion to the world. I dare say that Hillary is a more compassionate person than Sarah Palin.

How does a woman proclaim that God has a war against muslims and hopes her child is going on God's war. Then say she is pro-life. Why is a child that is born less precious than one in the womb?

Look at the video of her speaking on youtube.com This is not hype. These are her words.

She is willing to impose her beliefs and rationalize God's will onto others. This is dangerous. This is the essence of a crime, to impose your will on another.

McCain is a war monger. He wants war. He believes in war. He does not have a voice of reason and he will not reach out to heal the deep wounds that have been made in the international community.

Bush and his cronies have made a great windfall. They have supplied themselves with the Blackwater army. Yes, the emperor has an army now. google it. Read the history of the payments made from your tax dollars to these company. They where next to our troops with good equipment while our men died and were mamed.

This must become a rational campaign. We must look at the results of the actions of the people. The results have been a disaster that has gotten worst over the last 8 years. Obama does have a record - he has worked tirelessly to uplift people.

We must become a clear headed people. Not controlled like monkey's by the media. We must look to the good of all, who is the most willing to take a broad interest in our rights? In our humanity.

I have friends whose parents lived in Germany in the 1930s. The say as they watch the internal manipulation of the masses and the erosion of the civil rights, it is all to familiar to the unspeakable history their parents lived.

McCain does not have what it takes to pull together an international healing for our country. We need a man who can speak many people's languages. We have to have a man that appeals to people of many races and colors. We are in a dangerous place in the world. We have to wake up to the situation that we have been put in and correct it rationally now.