Why Sarah Palin was Good for the McCain Ticket

Editor's note: Although this site is primarily geared towards California news, we from time to time step outside the state and see what is going on around the nation and the rest of the world.

Now that the dust has settled, many pundits are coming out and giving their two cents about the impact Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin had on the GOP ticket. There are even reports of some McCain staffers, who of course do not want their names released, saying she was a drag on the ticket.

Well, we believe Palin was good for the ticket overall. While she made some miscues along the way, McCain would have likely lost by double digit points instead of six had Palin not been on the ticket.

First, she brought energy to the ticket. With all due respect to McCain, he does and did not fire up the crowds. Palin continuously outdrew McCain at events and her crowds grew as time went on.

Second, she fired up the base, something McCain had trouble doing. Donations and volunteers to the GOP ticket skyrocketed following the GOP Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul, with much of that credit going to the pick of Palin.

Third, she proved a tireless campaigner, something that McCain also was. Unlike Joe Biden who can put you to sleep faster than a sleeping pill, Palin brought energy to the events she attended and excitement.

When all is said and done, McCain himself admitted he was to blame for the loss. We love McCain and appreciate all he's done for this country, but it was at the top of the ticket where some bad decisions were made. For those that say Palin was one of them, we disagree.

While Palin goes back to being Alaska's governor, don't be surprised to see her on the national stage again in a few years.

Next time, you will have a more seasoned Sarah Palin, someone the Democrats will be keeping an eye on. And that includes our friends in the liberal media....

Get Out and Vote Today

Whether you are for Barack Obama or John McCain, permitting gay marriage or banning it in California, approving or disapproving of your local Congressman, remember to go out and vote today.

Too many of us take that right for granted. All we need to do is look at places around the world where elections are pre-determined, there is no voting, etc.

While we support Sen. McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin, win or lose tonight, we need to come together as a country.

So please, go out and vote!

Courtesy of CNN, the following map will provide you with closing times for the polls in your area.

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/poll.closing/

TeamSarah.org Reaches 40,000 Members

Today (Oct. 29), Team Sarah, a grassroots coalition of diverse women dedicated to advancing Gov. Sarah Palin's Vice Presidential candidacy announced the explosive growth of www.teamsarah.org.

“Governor Sarah Palin is a strong, independent leader who is inspiring women across America to do all they can to help elect the McCain-Palin ticket,” said actress Janine Turner, star of Northern Exposure and Team Sarah Member. “They love her character, moral fiber, intellect, feistiness, and spunk. She is the essence of the independent spirit of America -- the pioneer spirit -- the type of spirit that made and makes America great. On www.teamsarah.org, that spirit is translating into action, as motivated women step up for McCain-Palin in these final days of the campaign.”

The Team Sarah Web site was launched on Sept. 19, and its membership has swiftly grown to over 40,000 members nationwide in a few short weeks. Membership has doubled in the past week.

“These women can ensure victory for John McCain and Sarah Palin on Election Day, and Team Sarah is excited to energize and activate them,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, Team Sarah co-founder and Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund president.

Last weekend, Team Sarah hosted an historic Million Woman Townhall that contacted over one million registered women voters on Saturday, Oct. 25. Over 100,000 women participated live on the line, posing questions to a panel of women leaders including First Lady Laura Bush, Jeri Thompson, actress Janine Turner, pollster Kellyanne Conway, policy expert Barbara Comstock, Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund President Marjorie Dannenfelser and Susan B. Anthony List General Chairman Jane Abraham.

Panelists answered questions about the McCain-Palin ticket and encouraged women to support John McCain and Governor Palin by bringing three friends with them to vote on Election Day.

Team Sarah is a grassroots coalition of diverse women dedicated to advancing Sarah Palin's Vice Presidential candidacy.

UPDATE: Palin Effigy Removed from Home

After a long meeting with the mayor, the West Hollywood homeowners who displayed a mannequin dressed like Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin agreed Wednesday evening to remove the figure.

According to a Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman, Mayor Jeff Prang had a "long heart-to-heart" with the homeowners.

Earlier in the day, neighbors covered up the Palin mannequin with sheets, in what was described as a friendly protest.

See related story at: gocalifornia.blogspot.com/2008/10/will-liberals-be-outraged-by-this.html

Will Liberals be Outraged by This Display Too?

One man in West Hollywood has a bizarre sense of humor for Halloween.

A mannequin resembling Sarah Palin hanges from a noose in front of his home. The mannequin comes complete with glasses, a beehive wig and a red business suit. People are passing by to take pictures of the effigy, and tour buses have included the display on their daily routes.

The home of Chad Michael Morrisette also offers an effigy of Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, popping out of a chimney surrounded by fake flames.

Neighbors say whether it's Halloween or not, the display has got to be removed.

Some concerned callers have reported the display as a hate crime so a special hate crime unit is investigating, according to a local sheriff's office.

According to Morrisette, "I know if we had done it with Barack Obama, people would've probably thrown things through our windows. The image of a hanged black man is a lot more intense than the image of a hanged white woman -- for our country -- in the history of our country." Then again, this display by Morrisette could be viewed as violence against women.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if our friends on the 'Left' will be outraged by this. Our guess is probably not.

Can you imagine, though, if it were Jill Biden or Nancy Pelosi hanging from the house???

Palin Supporters Take to Phone Lines Oct. 25

This Saturday, Oct. 25 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. EST, Team Sarah (www.teamsarah.org) will be calling one million women voters in battleground states and invite them to participate in a live, free tele-townhall over the phone. They will be able to ask questions and get answers from a panel of distinguished women leaders. This has never been done before! Imagine one million women voters on one phone call!

You don't want to miss this. To listen to the call in real time, go to www.townhall.com/blog beginning at 11 a.m. EST on Saturday, Oct. 25th. Townhall will be streaming the Million Woman Call LIVE.

But if you cannot listen to the call live, check back Saturday afternoon. Team Sarah will post a recording of the first ever Million Woman Call.

If you have any questions, e-mail Emily@teamsarah08@gmail.com.

Olbermann Only Presents One Side of Story Again

Editor's note: Although this site is primarily geared towards California news, we from time to time step outside the state and see what is going on around the nation and the rest of the world.

As if often the case, fair and balanced are two words not associated with MSNBC.

In another rant and rave at the end of his show Wednesday evening (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27310526/), MSNBC's Keith Olbermann went off on Sarah Palin's comments regarding the role of the vice president.

Olbermann went to great pains to mention that Palin reportedly had a number of gaffes in defining the VP role. One small problem....

Olbermann failed, however, to mention how Sen. Joe Biden, who has been in the Senate for more than 30 years and is the Democratic VP nominee, messed up his remarks (www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/03/biden-gets-veep-role-wrong/) a few weeks back at the debate he had with Palin when asked about the vice presidency.

Meantime, don't hold your breath on Olbermann to report on Biden's gaffes.

Palin Did Her Job, Now Up to McCain

As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events.

Some of us live in divided households when it comes to politics. Having said that, we naturally will then have split decisions on last night's vice presidential debate.

While I thought Sarah Palin held her ground and did not harm the ticket, I can say the same for Joe Biden. I felt both did what they had to do.

Palin had to re-establish herself and go back to her appearance at the RNC last month. She did that and then some last night.

What made many of us cheer even louder was Palin's opening comment that the moderator and Biden may not hear the questions that were being asked answered the way they would like to hear them. She set the tone for the evening and talked about energy, taxes, Iraq, healthcare, etc. in a way that the average American would understand and appreciate.

As for the claims from the left that Palin does not comprehend the issues, etc. this is not a college class on history or political science. This is about who will best govern for middle class America. It is about time those on the right show a little spunk to the likes of Gwen Ifill, Katie Couric, Charlie Gibson, Brian Williams, Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, etc. Just because you do not hold three degrees from Harvard, Yale and Oxford does not mean you cannot be in the conversation.

As for Biden, although he can be long winded at times, I felt he created no major gaffes, although he did make several inaccurate remarks regarding John McCain's views, as did Sarah Palin when it came to Barack Obama.

The attention now turns to next Tuesday evening's second presidential debate in Nashville. I for one hope McCain takes the gloves off and goes after Obama. He let him off the hook at the first debate.

For someone who says that he will not win any Mr. Congeniality awards, it is time for McCain to fight for the presidency. Otherwise, get ready for President Obama in a little over three months.

Olbermann, MSNBC = No Credibility

As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events.

We start this message off by saying that there are plenty of blowhards on the right who need to get a life.

That being said, we took in another episode of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" tonight on MSNBC. To say it is a little biased towards the left would be like saying that Kobe Bryant is a fair basketball player.

For what seems like the 545th time in barely a month, okay, a little bit over the top, but you get the point, Olbermann attacked Sarah Palin and John McCain tonight.

His attacks on Palin have been particularly interesting. Olbermann hit Palin over her recent interview with CBS' Katie Couric. Now even those of us on the right will say it was not Palin's best performance. But hitting her over the head about not being able to name a Supreme Court decision she took issue with and totally ignoring Joe Biden and Barack Obama's gaffes on the campaign trail is biased beyond recognition.

Maybe we were in the restroom or getting our dinner out of the microwave and missed it, but we've yet to hear Olbermann go on about Biden's infamous gaffe in his interview with Couric. You know, the one where Biden said that FDR went on TV in 1929 to reassure the nation following the stock market crash.

Ummmm...the problem with Biden's response to Couric was that Herbert Hoover was actually sitting in the White House at the time and television had yet to be invented (something no doubt Al Gore would like to take credit for if he had been around).

Olbermann does not even attempt to be partially balanced with his hour long babble fest. It is a simple left wing hit attack on anything wearing elephant clothing.

We know this will come as a shock to Olbermann, but there are many of us out there who didn't go to Harvard, Yale or Oxford and can still figure out that 2+2=4. We don't need left wing talking points shoved down our throats for an hour. You might actually want to present both sides and let the viewers decide. Then again, if you actually did that, people might actually not support your candidate from Illinois.

Criticize Fox News all you want, but at least folks like Alan Colmes, Juan Williams Kirsten Powers, Howard Wolfson, Lanny Davis, etc. are on there either regularly or as guest contributors to give the other side.

One thing we've come to realize in watching Olbermann is that he does fit right in with the Democratic mascot. And we were not referring to the term mule.....

Palin Gets Another Opportunity to Shine

As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events.

This Thursday evening will be a defining moment in the race for The White House. Will Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin give a performance like her speech at the Republican Convention last month or will she give a performance like her recent interview with CBS' Katie Couric?

We've been amazed at the scrutiny Palin has been under. Now while we would like to see her do more interviews, etc. even the smallest of gaffes are pointed out. Maybe Couric brings out the gaffes and confusion in politicians?

It was not that long ago when Democratic VP nominee Joe Biden informed Couric that FDR went on television to reassure the nation during the stock market crash in 1929. Two problems with that scenario. Herbert Hoover was president at the time, and, oh, television was not around yet. Funny how that item has gotten so little play on places like MSNBC, NBC, and liberal leaning publications and talk shows.

Palin just needs to come off Thursday night as compitent and assure the public that she could step in for John McCain if needed in a McCain-Palin administration.

If she does well, we've got ourselves a race. If not, be prepared for Obama and Biden to roll into the White House next Janaury. If that's the case, we could be looking at another Jimmy Carter. And we all know how that turned out for the country....

Politics Flare Up at Emmy's; No Surprise Here

We may not have degrees from Harvard or been community organizers, but we are always amazed that the Hollywood elite (better known as the liberal lefties) are just so out of touch with most of the country.

And we also find it funny that these super rich stars don't mind the fact that if elected, Barack Obama will soak it to them when it comes to taxes. We guess they just don't mind paying more than their fair share of taxes, huh.

At Sunday night's yawnfest that was the Emmy Awards, which by the way tanked in the ratings, the Hollywood crowd took numerous shots at John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Shortly into the broadcast, co-host Howie Mandel fired the first moron remark, comparing a mostly failed comic routine involving him and his fellow reality show co-hosts to being on "Sarah Palin's bridge to nowhere."

Laura Linney (won best lead actress in HBO's "John Adams"), who we frankly had not heard of before, then defended community organizers, saying her experience in working on the miniseries made her "so grateful and thankful for the community organizers that helped found our country."

Backstage, Linney noted, "Our founding fathers were community organizers," she said in the media tent. "I just feel it's been disparaged a bit. I don't feel anyone should be disrespected, no matter what party they're in. No matter who they are." Hmmm... wonder how Linney feels about mothers with five kids being in the political spotlight and being told by some that they need to choose between their careers and their families? We don't remember Linney addressing that issue.

Finally, there was the ever present Tina Fey, who got roars (and rightfully so) for her impersonation of Palin the other weekend on Saturday Night Live.

"I want to be done playing this lady Nov. 5," said Fey, who won Emmys in comedy for her acting and writing. "So, if anyone can help me be done playing this lady, that would be good for me."

Even Stephen Colbert got into the hot air show with comments backstage. Questioned which actor he would cast as Republican presidential candidate John McCain, Colbert said, "[Don] Rickles, obviously, would be good. And maybe me for Sarah Palin, because I also have absolutely no business being vice president."

Well, Stephen, sounds sort of like you being cast for Barack Obama, because you also have absolutely no business being president.

SNL Skit on Palin Family Crosses the Line

Editor's note: As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events.

In its latest attempt to poke fun at Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, Saturday Night Live showed a skit this past weekend where it lampooned The New York Times as out of touch.

The sketch, however, set off a firestorm by casually putting out there a much more insidious inference — incest — between Todd Palin and his pregnant, teenage daughter, Bristol.

Palin's oldest daughter, 17, is pregnant. Palin and her husband gave birth earlier this year to a baby boy with Down's Syndrome. Some on the left have accused Palin of lying about the April birth and claim that the child is actually Bristol's baby.

In the sketch this past weekend, New York Times reporters gather around an assignment meeting discussing what about Palin to investigate next.

According to a story on Foxnews.com, one reporter asks: “What about the husband? You know he’s doing those daughters. I mean, come on. It’s Alaska.”

Guest host James Franco, who played the assignment editor, sets up the joke of proving a negative, saying, “He very well could be. Admittedly, there is no evidence of that, but on the other hand, there is no convincing evidence to the contrary. And these are just some of the lingering questions about Governor Palin.”

After three of the reporters agree to go to Alaska, one sues for sexual discrimination after being called “sweetie” by a school board member, one is killed by a polar bear and a final reporter wins a Pulitzer for “unproven, yet un-disproven incest in the Palin family” and then is killed by a polar bear driving a “snow machine.”

The final shot in the rambling joke is an image of a New York Times page, featuring headlines: “While No Direct Evidence of Incest in Palin Family Emerges, Counter Evidence Remains Agonizingly Elusive” and “In a Small Alaska Town, Doubts Still Linger.”

We will admit the Tina Fey parody of Palin the previous week was funny. This sketch, however, definitely crosses the line.

While we know they disagree with her on many issues, we're also amazed how many womens groups have not come out and stood up for Palin, at least noting that being a potential vice president is a great step forward for women in this country.

Leave it to the loons on the left to continue to beat the anti-Palin drum. While SNL has done skits of Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, etc. this one on Palin's family went too far. Even lefty Tina Fey may want to question this skit.

You can bet if the skit had been on the Obama family children that we'd be hearing far more outrage today.

Obama Supporter Stoops to New Low on Palin

Editor's note: As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events, such as in the case of John McCain's pick for VP. This is another story on the current race for the White House.

We thought we had heard most of the trash the liberal media and others on the left would throw at Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin over the last week. Well, the garbage keeps coming.

On Friday, an original member of Barack Obama’s finance committee said that Palin is placing her career above her family by accepting the nomination as John McCain’s running mate.

According to FOX News, (www.foxnews.com) Howard Gutman made the case on “The Laura Ingraham Show,” telling Ingraham that the Alaska governor should focus her time and efforts on her unwed, pregnant teenage daughter.

“If my daughter had just come home at 17 years old and said, ‘Mom, Dad, I’m pregnant, we have a family problem,’ I wouldn’t say, ‘You know what we’re going to do? We’re going to take this private family problem … I’m going to go on the international stage and broadcast it to the world’,” he said.

Gutman later said: “If you take a daughter who’s got this emotional strife and subject her to the most intense scrutiny of the world at this time in her life, I think you’ve put your career above your family.”

The Obama campaign had the smarts and decency to reject Gutman’s comments.

“Obviously these comments do not reflect our frequently stated, crystal-clear view that families of the candidates should be off limits, and we hope that supporters on both sides will act accordingly,” Obama spokesman Bill Burton said in an e-mail, pointing out that Gutman has apologized in a statement to ABC News.

Earlier in the week, Obama said anyone passing along rumors about Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy would be fired.

“I think people’s families are off limits, and people’s children are especially off limits,” Obama said. “This shouldn’t be part of our politics.”

We commend Obama for doing the right thing and saying Palin's family is off limits, as should be Obama's.

The left is looking for anything to sink its teeth into on Palin because she is a threat to their way of life. The irony here is that McCain, not Palin, is at the top of the Republican ticket. Perhaps, the left sees Palin being a force in the Republican Party for years to come and wants to neutralize her now?

Stick to the records if you want to criticize someone and get on with it.

We are still amazed how so few women on the left have come out in support of Palin. You certainly don't have to agree with her record and views, but you would think the Democratic Party, which has championed women's rights and causes for decades, would be a little more supportive.

Then again, this is the left we're talking about.

Another Reason Not to Watch Oprah

Editor's note: As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events, such as in the case of John McCain's pick for VP. This is another story on the current race for the White House.

When we heard the news that Oprah Winfrey doesn't want to book Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin (pictured to the left) on her show, well, we can't say we are surprised.

Oprah reportedly told staff members, half of whom reportedly want Palin to visit, no to having the Alaska governor as a guest. The bigtime Obama supporter apparently doesn't want her audience to hear both sides of the November election argument.

This is the same Oprah who last year blocked a visit on the show by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, timed to a promotional tour of his autobiography.
Now we know the queen can decide just who she wants on her own show. But in the interest of fairness, doesn't it seem a little biased not to invite Palin.

Then again, maybe Oprah feels a little threatened by Palin. Come on, Oprah, we know you're a tough old lady. Have the courage to have Palin on and let your audience decide their choice this November.

And by the way, Palin is not running against your boy Obama.

Media Lovefest with Obama and the Dems

Editor's note: As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events, such as in the case of John McCain's pick for VP. This is another story on the current race for the White House.

We knew there would be a huge bias this week by the media against the Republicans and their get-together in Minneapolis-St. Paul. We just didn't realize it would be so over the top.

After watching a few minutes of MSNBC's coverage of the convention last night, you could just feel the heartburn inside of Keith Olbermann, having to actually be around so many Republicans at one time. Come on, Keith, lighten up a little bit and be thankful that you have the freedom to make your far left rants and raves on a nightly basis.

Now, we learn that Us Weekly, a magazine some of us didn't even know was still around, has really 'left' out mainstream America with its latest attack on Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska.

For its most recent cover, due out on newsstands this Friday, the magazine displays a picture of Palin with the headline, “Babies, Lies & Scandal.” That is quite the contrast from its lovefest two months ago with Barack and Michelle Obama.

Us Weekly publisher Jann Wenner, who has donated more than $130,000 to the Democratic Party in the last 15 years, is a well-known supporter of Obama and the Dems. There is nothing wrong with that, but if you want to be taken seriously, you might want to try and offer a little more balance.

As long as we're not talking about corruption in office, what Palin's home life is like is the business of her and her family. The fact that she has a pregnant 17-year-old daughter is her business and that of her family. Even Obama had the decency to say the kids were off limits.

CNN's John Roberts asked the other night that if McCain and Palin are elected in November, would the Alaska governor be able to be a good mother to her baby son, who has Down's syndrome, while being Vice President at the same time? If you ever wondered before if Roberts leans left, now you know.

At the end of the day, John McCain's experience and ability to reach across party aisles makes him a better choice to be President. As for Sarah Palin, give the woman a chance and you might just like what you see. That is if the left leaning media will give you the truth.

Palin Choice Opens New Frontier for McCain

Editor's note: As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events, such as in the case of John McCain's pick for VP.

While we were on vacation on the East Coast last week, we all saw the news of John McCain's pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for vice president.

Here are some thoughts from one Republican, your site's author.

* While the pick surprises many, we think it is a good, safe choice. Although some may question her experience, she does not come with a ton of Washington baggage, something many voters will find refreshing.

* She underlines Barack Obama's contention that 'Change' is needed in Washington, D.C. After speaking countless times about bringing change to the country and getting away from the Beltway Boys, what did Obama do in his pick for VP? He chose Joe Biden from Delaware as his running mate. Biden is someone who has experience, but is a definite insider and has Washington written all over him. Obama also likely selected Biden because of his (Obama's) lack of foreign policy experience.

* Palin will not win over 18 million Hillary supporters, but she gives women out there a second look at the November election. Being the mother of five kids, while she may be governor of our 49th state, she is also someone many moms out there can relate to in one way or another.

* While we liked Romney, the pick of Palin shows that McCain is not afraid to go outside the box. This could prove key if elected in that he will reach across party aisles and actually get some work done on behalf of the country.

* Although we are a pro-choice Republican, we do not believe abortion rights is anywhere near the top of the importance ticket. The economy, fighting terrorism and lessening our dependency on foreign oil are much higher topics of importance in our mind.

In all, we liked the pick, and think that November just got a little more interesting.