The Penultimate Palin Post

I have put this post off long enough. I have talked with many people since the selection of Sarah Palin for VP by John McCain, and I have heard many opinions. Now it is time for this forum to open up and discuss Sarah Palin. Conversation points should focus on people's opinions of Sarah Palin and any facts you have to support that opinion (though straight opinion is fine too). Hopefully no one gets flamed into submission, as it seems people have very different and very strong opinions about the Republican VP nominee.

First off, some bunk assertions, refuted by the Bloc's trusted source of FactCheck.org. No one using these statements will be believed. If you have something against FactCheck.org then feel free to note this in the comments (and you still won't be believed).

Possible second bunk assertion: Sarah Palin supports abstinence-only education. This is refuted by Glenn Beck (Bloc note: yes I know he is to the right of Lou Dobbs, try and read the piece on its merits, and if you still disagree, so be it). A piece from MSNBC seemingly notes the opposite, but the questionnaire used to prove the point utilized the following loaded question:

Will you support funding for abstinence-until-marriage education instead of for explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics, and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?

These competing pieces will either show a more nuanced position for those in support of Palin, or denial of a change in position by her detractors (very possible).

Issue one: no experience. You'll note in the Glenn Beck article(commentary bias?) that Obama has 100 more days of experience as a U.S. Senator (D-IL) than Palin does as governor of Alaska. I leave it to the panel for commenting on the relevance of this.

Issue two: strong arming executive (like George W. Bush). It was noted on multiple outlets (sorry, no citation) that she alienated many as mayor and governor. This article would be entered into evidence under that heading. There is also the issue with the state trooper.
I personally find the librarian argument to be a bit of a stretch, but the issue with the state trooper, while a sign of 'being tough' or 'protecting her family' to some voters, is less attractive to me, and potentially points to a trend.

Issue three: Collection of a per diem. I'm not sure exactly how this is supposed to paint the potential VP. Corrupt? Money hungry? Its the last snippet from this Kansas City Star article. It doesn't appear to me that she did anything illegal, and I am unaware as to how this might be unethical.

I may have left some issues out here ('She's a Republican!'), but overall, I can't see why she is such a lightning rod for the left (Obama's camp was apparently rolling in money, just one day after her convention speech). Of the three issues, I can understand issue one (but I think this argument is weak when matched up against Obama, as it becomes an argument of degrees); issue two makes me wary (since she has less experience we cannot ascertain whether she is trending towards instituting a devious new matriarchy or not); and issue three was placed solely for arguments sake (someone explain it to me, please). Again, we should focus on Palin pros/cons, and put the lies/mischaracterizations of the McCain camp in another post altogether.

I will fire the first volley: I like Sarah Palin.