Women say NO - Part 5

I do not support Palin as a nominee for vice president because of her beliefs (against sex education, birth control, a woman's right to choose, environmental protection, alternative energy development, gun control, freedom of speech, separation of church and state, community organizing and polar bears) and out of fear of what our country would become with her in power.
Laura J., 17, Edgemont, NY

I barely have words to express how insulted I feel by the tactic that seems to have driven the Republican party to raise up Sarah Palin as the VP candidate: "oh - it has boobs - let's hire it." And is it REALLY about family values? On an overpopulated ecosphere of ruin due to lack of responsibility on the part of humans? Is family values REALLY represented by having FIVE children, at least one of whom is clearly on her way to continuing in the family's cultural tradition of more, more, more? And is it represented by not taking any time off after the birth of the fifth? Some say she's "scary good". I think she's scary, and tragically good - at public speaking. She certainly does not represent me as a woman.
Rachael D. 30, San Francisco

I do NOT support Sarah Palin. I do not believe that simply because she is a woman she represents me. She does not. I am appalled at the rhetoric around this election being "historic either way you vote" now that Ms. Palin is on the ticket. Voting for a woman just because she is a woman is not historic...it is shallow. And in the case of this particular woman, it is dangerous. It would be a step backward...many steps backwards...to vote for Ms. Palin.
Tamara Smith, Richmond, VT

I don't support Sarah Palin. I support women's rights, including the right to choose abortion and the right to equal pay for equal work. I support candidates who invest money in our collective futures - by increasing suppport for good social programs in healthcare and education. I don't support candidates who have no real grasp on what life is like for most women in this country. Sarah Palin is not my candidate because she has no experience nor knowledge of the people of this country.
Tricia O., 37, San Francisco, CA

Knowing nothing about Palin, I made sure to watch her "energizing" speech at the convention. I heard a lot of sniping at the Democrats, a lot of insulating and downplaying her own missteps, and very little about where the U.S. should be going in the next four years. This person will not be able to manage a vice presidency and certainly not a presidency should McCain become unable to do so; it will be the same old cronies running the White House further into the ground.
Laurel H., 39, San Francisco bay area

Sarah Palin should not be a spokesperson for me as she represents values that are in direct opposition to my own. That she calls herself a feminist is an insult to strides women have made since earning the right to vote. Her rise from President of the PTA in her small town to Governor does not qualify her to be a heartbeat away from being the President of the United States. She really is a throwback to a time where most of us would rather not return. She represents all that is wrong with the Republican Party and her choice as second in command diminishes the candidate with whom she is paired.
Sandy J. 55 Watertown, Massachusetts