Sarah Palin's smear tactics do not represent me because I am a thinking woman. When I present myself for a job or for office, I present why I am the best person for the job. I explain why you need me. It is a waste of my time and yours for me to go on about why the other guy is bad—why the other guy is bad has no bearing on how good I am. It is completely irrelevant. What Mrs Palin's mudslinging strategy does is show us that because she has so little to offer, she has to resort to the lowest tactics of all to win the race. She can't tell us why she is fit, because she's not fit. She can't tell us about her excellent ideas for the economy, immigration, crime, world peace, etc, because she has none. Her only option to win this race is to kneecap the other guy. I only hope that my compatriots will see through the lies spewed forth by Mrs Palin. McCain deserves to lose for his misjudgment in adding this woman to his ticket.
-Nancy U., 44
Sarah Plain is the most abysmal example of what it means to be a Christian and is an insult to all true Christians everywhere. Since when does following Jesus's teachings include fear-mongering, character assassination, spreading smears, rumors, gossip, distortions and denigrations or being downright snide? Isn't she violating the 9th of God's 10 Commandments by bearing false witness in her rants against Sen. Obama and insinuations that he's a terrorist? As well as the 6th Commandment, by aiding and abetting the killing of others via her support of the death penalty and advocacy of war in which babies, pregnant women and other innocents are killed in bombing raids and become what the Palins of the world euphemistically call 'collateral damage'? Real pro-lifers care about more than just the pre-born in the US. I haven't seen or heard anything from or about this woman that reflects or indicates that she cares about anything that resembles following Christ or Christian principals.
Moreover, Palin hauls out scare tactics about a University of Chicago—certainly no bastion of left-leaning liberals or anarchists—professor and community stalwart who advocated anarchy 30 years before he became acquainted with Sen. Obama. Obama was only 8 years old at the time. Following Palin's logic, every member of Congress could be smeared by their association with Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, who was once a member of that terrorist organization, the KKK.
-JR H., Milwaukee, WI
I think the attitude that the McCain/Palin campaign has taken is appalling. To attack Barack Obama's character only shows how narrow-minded, desperate and, dare I say, bigoted they really are... To launch a smear campaign this late in the game is a cheap way to gain votes. Most of the people whom I have talked to, including conservatives from middle America, say they are insulted by the McCain camp's generalizations of American citizens, and the re-hashing of false statements about Obama. Obama and Biden are the real thing, and have proven it time and again with their grace, poise, intelligence and real care about people in this country. Sarah Palin and John McCain, on the other hand, are so self-involved that they are obviously trying to do anything they can to make up the difference in the polls. Be smart, USA.
-Jessica T. 27, New York
I have already contributed to the "Women Say No To Palin" blog, but I feel a need to speak out again against the McCain/Palin ticket. However, I am not sure that words can express the proper feelings I have towards the current "by any means necessary" direction their campaign is pursuing. I recently moved to Europe to teach English for a year, at a high school in northeastern France. It has been incredibly eye-opening to see how this part of the world is reacting to the American elections. This latest form of attack from John McCain and Sarah Palin is not only disgusting; it is completely disheartening. To criticize and attack one's voting record or policies is one thing, but to personally demean someone is low and completely wrong. I fear the future of America if these tactics work. What does it say about us as a nation if all one has to do to become our leader is lie and name-call his or her opponent? It would be this reflection of our society that the rest of the world would see. A McCain/Palin ticket would be the worst kind of change for our country, leading it down a path of more hatred and intolerance. I want to live in a country where we embrace the differences in others because that is what made America so great. These smears do the exact opposite and in no way reflect myself, my family, my friends and countless other Americans across the country and the world.
-Melissa H., 23, France
Sarah Palin alarms me when she speaks. I don’t know if what they say about her is true or not, nor do I care. She strikes me as a women who gets what she wants (a real go getter and good for her) just not at the expense and exclusion of others' concerns (a female George Bush - my way or the highway). Although I like the idea of her, she clearly is not ready to be the next Vice President, and most certainly not President and Commander-in-Chief of these United States were John McCain to die while in office. On other matters, she is not a woman I would want to represent me on women's issues. Quite frankly, the Bush/Cheney legacy will be enough to deal with for the next President of the United States, and we don't need any more years of this administration continued in thought or deed.
-Jennifer M., (old enough), Hoboken, NJ