Blogs and Stories
Should Women Back Palin in 2012?
Nathaniel Wilder / Reuters
Obama garnered 56 percent of women’s ballots last fall. And they have precious little to show for it from this administration. Amy Siskind on why Sarah Palin deserves a second look.
As the Senate Finance Committee moves to pass health-care legislation this week, reproductive rights has been all but sidelined as an issue by the Obama administration. Should we therefore be surprised by a stunning Pew Research Center poll last week which revealed that 42 percent of Americans don't know that Obama is pro-choice? Maybe it’s time that women gave Sarah Palin another look. Palin, back in the headlines for rushing out a new book ahead of schedule this fall, is fresh, open-minded, a centrist and a party noncomformist. Hey, sisters in women's advocacy: Let's end the decades-long cold war with Republican women candidates. If we want progress to be made on issues of importance to women, our organizations need to master a skill at which men have always been adept: negotiation.
I am a lifelong Democrat who for the first time in my life voted Republican in the 2008 elections. I did this for one reason: McCain selected a woman as his running mate. For this act, I was accused of having lost part of my mental faculty: Some circa Victorian act of "voting with my uterus." Strange, that. The Democratic women were corralled to vote for Obama in 2008 because of one issue: reproductive rights. In other words, as my friend Cynthia Ruccia observed, "voting with their uterus."
Sarah Palin did not have a governor's seat handed down to her, she earned it. She understands what it is to be a woman having to fight obstacles—some overt and others subtle—that only a woman can understand.
Sadly, for women, things haven’t panned out all that well with this administration. Despite receiving 56 percent of women's votes, President Obama's record on women's issues thus far is sparse, and suggests something that he either has a tone-deaf nature—or, if you’re inclined to a more sinister view, that he may be uncomfortable with women.
He surely hasn't surrounded himself with many. Of his 24 Cabinet picks, only six were women. Perhaps even more telling are President Obama's czar picks, which do not require Senate confirmation. Of the 35-40 picks he’s made to date, only three have been women. That’s less than 10 percent.
There were harbingers of the Pew poll results—starting on Day One with Rick Warren, Obama’s choice to deliver his inaugural invocation. There was also the selection of Alexia Kelley, founder of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good to a major Department of Health and Human Services post. And there’s what Obama didn’t say in his health-care speech.
Also ignored in the health-care bills circulating are important women's issues such as gender-based pricing and domestic violence as a pre-existing condition. The advocate for these issues could have been Valerie Jarrett, who chairs the White House Council on Women and Girls. When President Obama selected Jarrett in March, I wrote an op-ed for The Daily Beast in which I argued that we should give Jarrett a chance, even though she has a scant record on women's issues. I received a lot of critical emails and blog traffic; mea culpa, my critics were right and I was wrong. Shortly after her selection, Jarrett took leave to focus on Chicago hosting the 2016 Olympics.
How Rich People Smoke Pot
Paul Schrodt is a writer living in New York City. He has contributed to New York magazine, Radar, and Esquire.com.
Justice Clinton?
As vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, Mark McKinnon has helped meet strategic challenges for candidates, corporations and causes, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Bono. McKinnon is co-chair of Arts & Labs, a collaboration between technology and creative communities that have embraced today's rich Internet environment to deliver innovative and creative digital products to consumers.
djenna8girl
if you vote for a candidate purely because she has a vagina just like you do, then you are an idiot. i am not even going to waste my time pointing out all the glaringly obvious errors in your article that supposedly support why she deserves any sort of political future, because clearly, you have disengaged your brain. what a pity.
mindlessmissy
Oh please DO NOT tell me this punani chaser called Amy Sissykind STILL blogs at the Daily Beast ...
This woman has been on a civil war against the "penis" EVER SINCE she heard the name Palin ...
Go ahead and VOTE for the Quitter Amy ... Lots of good it did you the first time around ...
jonzie
The only thing dumber than Sarah Palin is this writer voting for her because her uterus. If you're so one-issue focused, then I suggest voting for a pro-choice male before you vote for this anti-environment, anti-science, raving lunatic.
Wallysmom
There was a Penis Civil War? Where was I? Must have been after the Testicular Conflict.
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
MrFurious
Well, their crass comments aside. To vote for Palin is pure identity politics. She has no tangible platform other than platitudes about freedom and government is SCARY, she's extremely divisive and certainly not much of an intellect...but sure, vote for her!...why? She's a woman! Honestly, if you support Palin, with all that is known about her, it's a reflection of your lack of seriousness and cognitive capacity...there's just no other way to look at it.
possumdearie
Pussy editors.
mcmchugh99
She goes to a church that casts demons out of people, Amy? I mean, no educated and rational people have been doing things like that since about 1702. How many "advocates" for women's rights were there back then?
MotherofThree
No she doesn't, mcmchugh. Here's the website of the church she goes to. It's very mainstream, especially if you compare it to, oh I don't know, anti-semetic BLACK liberation theology!
http://www.wasillabible.org/wbc/core-commitments.html
Besides, some leftwing wacko burned down Sarah's church shortly after the election. Where's the outcry? If only Sarah Palin had been born black they would have called it a hate crime. She is married to an Eskimo, but that only counts if you're liberal.
magoo363
Well she did at one point.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwkb9_zB2Pg
Keatsian
MotherofThree:
Palin being prayed for to be protected from witches:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwkb9_zB2Pg
The man praying for her has actually killed women in his home community for "being witches". If this is a normal church to you - then what is abnormal?
HiredGoons
Inuit, not Eskimo.
morninmist
Oh for petey's sake! The Catholic church does exorcism. Would you expand to all Catholic women your silly criticism because they attend church?
You need to educate yourself before you post stupid comments.
MotherofThree
mcmchugh ... Right now I'm praying to cast out the demons from this comment board. I personally don't agree with Palin or Amy Suskind on every issue. I'm not into identity politics. I would support Palin if she were a man or a black or a Muslim. I just like her. She's got spunk! Maybe it's because the demons are gone!
nathanwands
MotherofThree: it's not an American Idol competition its the freaking presidency. Spunk is not a qualification!! And isn't voting for someone because they have spunk identity politics?
scrabble
MotherofThree - news flash, Palin cannot even spell "spunk".
suzannewynn
Motherofthree, I am mother of four and for you to want to vote for her based on the fact that she has spunk?? How about brains? How about ethics? She has not taken any responisbility for her "death panels" post on facebook where is her ethics? She believes in less government and no socialism etc... she was behind the pay Alaskans for oil revenues everyyear bonus checks... what do you call that??? She is for making abortion legal what do you call that? That is called BIG GOVERNMENT telling me what to do with my body! She is a hypocrite and worse she is marginally intelligent and has been given a microphone! I for one would be very scared if this woman makes into any higher office. And not to mention I have heard people say how she has great morals and christian standards, where were those when she lied to older americans about the death panels?
Archivist1000
That Black Witch Doctor is responsible for the deaths of several women in his hometown ... one of them was an old woman.
Sarah's 'good Xtian' image is a mythical to her supporters though. They quote the Bible as policy lol
sippewissett
MotherofThree -- You have done an appalling job of homework about Palin's church and of her beliefs. Apart from Palin being exorcised ("very mainstream"?) by a witch doctor, the church belongs to an End of Days movement that advocates the forceful overthrow of secular government to establish a theocracy: http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/5/0244/84583. Last year they sponsored a conference to convert gays through prayer -- and "holy laughter" too, one presumes.
Palin also supports the teaching of creationism in science classrooms though it was funny to hear her talk in Hong Kong about the migration of peoples across the Bering Straight to become ancestors of her husband. Which book of the Bible was that in?
I'm not going to break my back finding URLs so you can read for yourself. If you don't know more about her beliefs by now, you are a lazy user of the Internet. Armed with only Google and YouTube there is PLENTY to refute your idea that she's just another gal from Main Street...unless that's on another planet.
MotherofThree
MCM, was that the Assembly of God church? You do realize Sarah left that church in 2000, don't you? It's not the Wasilla Baptist Church.
rtwyatt3
@MotherofThree
Palin's church is mainstream? How many churches can you name who believe that all the "intelligent", evil people came about because S a t a n had s e x with Eve to produce Cain. I suggest to anyone who believes that Palin is "mainstream" read an article on this very site.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-09-05/inside-sarahs- church/
Samiil
Mother of Three: Since you are clueless these links are just for you:
Video of the anointing of Sarah by Kenyan pastor Thomas Muthee at the Wasilla Assembly of God before Palin was elected governor of Alaska.
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/24/13112/0816
http://www.csmonitor.com/1999/0923/p15s1.html
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/8/114332/7479
Even you should be smart enough to realize that the Wasilla Bible Church would not post video of the witch doctor driving deamon out of Sarah.
And old clueless one, Todd is not an Eskimo (a term which is not used because it is considered racist, which is why you used it); he is 1/8 Yup'ik which he only mentions when it is convenient.
Of course, you have evidence that some left-wing wacko burned down Sarah's church. Have you notified the Wasilla police authorities with this information. How about the FBI?
P.S. I really feel sorry for your three children who will probably grow up to a bigot just like mommy.
Samiil
Re: Mother of Three: " Right now I'm praying to cast out the demons from this comment board"
If you left the demons would be gone.
Try it.
Fritz77
MotherofThree- She's married to a former member of the Alaskan Independence Party whose mother has Swedish and Eskimo ancestry. I have a grandmother who was Swedish and grandfather who was Cherokee and, like Todd, I am as white as they come. Unlike Todd, I do not try to succeed from the United States and thus attempt to commit treason.
Cymatic
Here's why there aren't more selections of women for many of the top positions. Women aren't as driven to get into politics. I hope that will change because women are just as capable as men in that regard. However, when it comes to positions which could have a massive detrimental effect on the entire country, especially in this time of crisis, the best person for each post is what is needed. If half of the politicians and those in the high level political sphere were women, the numbers would be different.
JohnnyAces
Thanks for the humorous article Amy.
Seriously, you are a kook. I will never waste my time reading anything else from you. You are the antithesis of all of the intelligent and thoughtful women I have been associated with in my life.
Autopilot
It is true that the US has way fewer women in government than many countries. But to overcome the churlish attitudes we have towards women in office, we will need to elect candidates that are very competent, highly educated, and with lots of experience. These are not hard to find.
So it makes no sense to catapult the whole movement back into the stone age by endorsing Sarah Palin for president. It's possible that she's smart; but she is not educated. She has only the slightest experience. She would be a disaster as president. To put it as nicely as possible; she's ignorant - really, very ignorant - and in today's world we can't afford to have an ignorant president. I thought we learned our lesson.
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n--Y--turnipSamiil
JohnnyAces, I am with you. First and definetly last time I will read anything by this author.
Her so-called posting is an affront to anyone with two brain cells who uses those brain cells to think.
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n--Y--morecowbellSeaweed
Wow. This is lively for a MON morning!
Amy - Sarah Palin is a stupid person who believes in hocus pocus and that the world is 6000 years old. And that its ok to terrorize abortion clinics. She is garbage, and if you vote for her, you are garbage too. Good luck.
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n--Y--morecowbellmajormoderate
This is the most embarrassing article I've ever read on this site. Abortion isn't a ""voting with my uterus" issue, its a rights issue. This article is so poorly argued I almost have to lose faith in Daily Beast. You voted McCain-Palin for one issue, bc palin is a female. Anyone who votes on presidential elections based on one issue is ignorant and not a responsible citizen. You should have your right to vote revoked. As well as your right to write article for this site. I award you no points, gd have mercy on your soul blah blah and all that.
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n--Y--turnipWillow207
Someone please put this Siskind broad in a big box, secured with duct tape and send it to the front porch of Alaska's Palins house so these two ignorant buffoons can watch Russia!
lashawn35
how can you suggest palin is more "pro-choice" than obama.... she choose whether to have her baby, yet she doesn't want to give me the right to choose???? you sound like you've been drinking too much palin koolaid.......
eseverence
Palin? Open-minded? CENTRIST? Amy, amy - if you really think so, you must be somewhere right of Dick Cheney. Plus in her own words, she said it wasn't necessary for her to be knowledgeble because people don't listen anyway. She thinks it's all in the presentation.
Salome
Well said.
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n--Y--turnipgigiramos62
Well, back in 2000 when Obama run against a black man (Bobby L. Rush) for Congress he lost. The black community did not support him partly because he was viewed as too "white" (or not black enough) . He also had an ivy league education and they thought he was elitist. As for them voting for him in the presidential elections, what would you have done if you were black? Black people usually vote for the Democratic candidates anyway, don't they? Have you ever heard a Republican (candidate, talk show host, columnist or voter) talking about black people? I have, and they usually have nothing kind to say.
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n--Y--morecowbellSnowdrifter
Come on Amy, you just set the women's movement back 10 years. Think before you write!
Veronicaxy
I have to say I got a LOL when I saw the headline, if a headline could be called a troll, this would be it.
And 6 pages of comments. Good job Tina on raising the page hits & views!
johnwr3
Wow...I just read through several pages on comments on Amy's article. The title of her article is "Should women back Palin in 2012?" not "Sarah Palin just ran over your child with her snow machine". OMG...do you think some of these responses are Over the Top or what? They read like Mrs. Letterman must feel about her husband today! Congrats Amy your article has generated the one thing all writer's crave...interest.
Now it's to be expected that women who read the Daily Beast are mostly liberal so these sorts of reactions are not surprising. Amy is just asking a simple question and here's an answer you should think about. You've all heard of Ying Yang right? Well, I want you to think about your American sisters who have many strong opinions that are contrary to yours. I know you all pride yourselves on liberal tenets such as freedom of speech and choice so please consider this fact. Women should consider supporting candidates that support women's issues. Are men doing such a great job? Now that we've "popped our collective cherry" by electing an African American man shouldn't we start thinking about voting for someone that might actually make life better for women? Sarah Palin will run and win the most GOP primaries. She could easily win the GOP nomination. If Obama's approval ratings are in the toilet in 2012 he'll be defeated just like Jimmy Carter was by Regan. Now let me ask you something, was Regan elected because he was a college professor type? He was elected because he was a rejection of Carter and his liberal policies. Obama is way out on a very thin limb and even his own party is questioning his leadership qualities. Sarah Palin has 2-3 years to be ready for prime time. Where was Obama 4 years ago? I'm just saying...
zan1960
Obama is out on a very thin limb. Latest polls have him between 53-56% approval. Ooooh, that's a really thin limb. Nice try. Sarah Palin making life better for women. You are just precious.
democracy7
I agree, there are a lot of crazy ignorant women out there, just as there area lot of ignorant men. voting because of ones sex is not only ignorant but irresponsible. Palin, Bachman, and that crazy lady from Missouri are women I could never vote for.
Yes, they are all females, and I am a female, but they are about as far removed from me and my ideals as the republicans are to rationality.
KarenTate108
Wow, if you're giving Sarah Palin a second look, I'd better give YOU a second and final look. Even the people inside McCain camp said what an idiot she was, how unprepared and uninformed she was. We thought Bush was an idiot, well, I'm afraid she'd beat Bush hands down.
diamondgirl
People voted in the last election because of Race,Party,Sex,Economy,Wars,etc. all reasons to get someone in office. So will some people vote for Palin because she is a women, maybe...
NicItalia
Exactly why should women support Sarah Palin if she backed the idea of forcing women who had been raped to pay for their own tests and medical bills? Who is staunchly NOT fresh, open-minded, nor centrist! I think any woman who voted Republican in 2008 JUST because McCain had Palin as his running mate is the issue, whereas any woman who voted for the candidates with the most qualifications and the best policies regarding each individual issue was voting as we all should. The fact that abortion is still such a hotly debated topic in this country is an embarrassment and Palin in office in 2012 would be icing on that cake. It would be a step backward for women around the world!!
rexbatt
This is a lie. She NEVER, EVER forced a rape victim to pay for a rape kit. There is not one single example of this ever happening. stop repeating lies you read on The Huffington Post. Insurance companies were charged for rape kits. Not one single rape victim under Sarah Palin ever had to pay for a rape kit out of their own pocket. There is ZERO evidence that any rape victim under Sarah Palin EVER paid a dime for a rape kit...
Seaweed
Regardless, she's much too stupid. You can tell by how she can barely speak, winks, and says you betcha with the perky little head shake.
gigiramos62
http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/did_sarah_palin_make_rape_victims_pay .html
zan1960
So if somone's house is broken in to, do the police send the victim's homeowners insurance company a bill for investigating it. No they don't, so why do rape victims themselves, or their insurance companies have to pay for collecting evidence from the victim's body. Palin may not have come up with that law, but she was aware of it and did nothing to change it.
possumdearie
LIE about Palin "forcing women who had been raped to pay for their own tests and medical bills". The Chief of Police in Wasilla (not Palin) had a policy of asking a victim's health insurance to pay for the rape kit as part of the ER visit. This, it turns out, is policy in a number of states, including Missouri and North Carolina. The way this became an issue was after the then-governor of Alaska signed a bill forbidding it; this law was signed before Palin was Governor and no one tried to reverse it while she was Governor. What the CoP in Wasilla wanted to do was charge the perpetrator as part of restitution. Regardless, none of this had anything to do with Sarah Palin.
lovelife77
I find it especially amusing when people trust online blogs and gossip publications to form their political (or personal) opinion.
For those who follows Sarah Palin little closer knows by now that several newspapers issued the official apology to her for publishing unverified lies and calling her names.
Samiil
Name and link us to those several newspapers.
morninmist
You are a classic example of an Obama fan expounding before they know what they are talking about. Makes you look like a fool.
elldeen
And I have seen countless times on DB when the right wingers have done the exact same thing.
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n--Y--turnipMotherofThree
Nicely done, Turnip :-)
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n--Y--morecowbellreardongalt
Thank you Amy. I agree. How about a little woman loyalty here. I'm with you 100%. When Tina Fey did that little bit, I thought, man where's your loyalty. Have you no respect for the fairer sex? Damn. You should be backing Sarah to the hilt. What's wrong with these people anyway? I have more loyalty to the ladies then the ladies do.
sippewissett
Rear, do you vote for a man because he has a p*n*s? Would you vote for someone who shows no aptitude for significant leadership, has no smarts about economics, finance or world affairs, lacks the ability to explain his Party's platform, and has bizarre religious beliefs that are intolerant of the beliefs of others? Your choice, of course, but don't expect women to line up with the same false logic.
reardongalt
I'm sorry, but I think it's different. You're argument is faulty. Actually, I'm the liberal here.
etch1993
You go, sippewissett! Women vote with their brains!
aspiecelia
Are you deaf, dumb and blind? Sarah Palin has put back the cause of women's rights about twenty years. She is not making her own decisions, she is being guided by her dominionist handlers, she is not capable of even being a governor so how could she be the president. I am stunned the editors here would print anything so stupid. Where the hell have you been, hiding under a rock?
possumdearie
You guys always say Republican presidents are being guided by their handlers. Now that Bush is out of office, we've seen where he and Cheney disagreed on some issues. We've heard candid remarks from Bush reported after his terms had ended. We know that Reagan was a free thinker and making his decisions.
Both Bushes and Reagan had infinitely more experience than Barack Hussein Obama mmmmm mmmm mmmmm, and it shows. We now see what a real political neophyte looks like in the Oval Office. Even SNL now mocks President Present's inability to lead and instead accomplish "jack" and "squat". Except they want a progressive. The rest of the country elected Obama to fix things besides elections.
djanimaequeen
I thought this discussion was about Palin. Typical rethuglican bs to misdirect and change the subject. Do you actually wonder why no one takes you seriously?
Uncommonsense
Oh yeah it shows aright. Torture is no longer permitted. The Somali pirates aren't screwing with us any longer. And now SNL is the "decider"? Goofy.
possumdearie
The Somali pirates? Obama wanted to negotiate with them and said not to shoot unless the captain's life was in danger. The Seals blew him off and did what they had to do, and since our Navy Seals are so badass, they killed five pirates with six shots. Obama couldn't complain, but neither could he take the credit here. He has no idea how to be CIC.
What torture? Enhanced interrogation is not torture. Obama freaked out his own CIA during two wars by releasing pictures and threatening a witch hunt -- Does this sound intelligent to you? Leon Panetta considered quitting.
zan1960
You are so full of crap it is pathetic. Your whole version of the Somali pirate episode is BS. From now on please begin all your posts this way...Once Upon A Time.
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n--Y--turnipMotherofThree
Yep, turnip. I couldn't agree more. The Sexual Revolution mostly benefited irresponsible men. Abortion truly is the greatest gift to irresponsible men ever created. It's their ace in the hole! Post Roe v. Wade, a selfish man doesn't have to respect or love the woman he's messing with. If she winds up carrying his child - he can pay for it to be legally killed. What a deal! I fail to see how any of this benefits women. Unless you can argue with a straight face that the comfort and convenience of being able to kill your unborn baby outweighs a lifetime of regret and recrimination.
NicItalia
I'm sorry, I'm just stunned. What is the point of voting for a woman just because she's a woman! First of all, that's a sad reflection that doesn't represent how far women have come: we have to vote for THE woman whereas we have so many (qualified) choices who are men!? What if that woman is completely under-qualified and would run our country into the groud? Is that what the feminist movement taught us? To stand behind women when they don't deserve it? I don't think so. It's not a "girls rule, boys drool" mentality. Stunned and not in a good way.
MotherofThree
Sarah Palin is a strong libertarian woman. I'm sorry you're against that.
Keatsian
Libertarian - are you serious? She took money derived from oil in her state and distributed it to the tax payers - that is the very definition of Marxism (that the people should control the resources of the state). Personally, i think that is a great thing - but she is as far from Libertarian and George W. Bush was compassionate... The funny thing - she governed in a much more socialist manner than any other governor, yet she was calling Obama a socialist from the stump!
HiredGoons
She's an opportunistic hack and a neo-con.
Seaweed
Do you think its "libertarian" or in any way "conservative" to extend government jurisdiction over the insides of a woman's body? Its neither of those things - its a radical invasion. If you believe that women's bodies should be state governed property during the period of pregnancy, you are a phony libertarian, or 'conservative'.
Wallysmom
I think you need to link up to what the Libertarian party platform is. Direct from their website "The Libertarian way is a logically consistent approach to politics based on the moral principle of self-ownership. Each individual has the right to control his or her own body, action, speech, and property." Which includes a woman's right to choose -- without Government intervention and tolerance. Something that Sarah Palin has none of.
NicItalia
All I can say is, Seaweed, I couldn't agree more!
sippewissett
Again here, you show that you don't do your homework. You are throwing the term "libertarian" out there without a clue to its platform.
By coincidenece, Palin misused the same term recently when she referred to Hong Kong as "the libertarian part of China". I'll bet that brought the house down!
possumdearie
Keatsian, you know nothing about the Alaska Permanent Fund which was put in place 30 years ago and was lauded by economist Vernon Smith as a good model for other oil-rich governments like Iraq.
eurydice9276
I don't see why not. People vote all the time for men just because they're men. The fact is that men are given the benefit of the doubt. They don't have to come into the picture 100% qualified in the exact specific thing votors are looking for - people figure that a general competence in one area will translate to others. But women don't get the luxury of learning on the job - they've got to be "qualified" on day one, even thought that's not possible unless they have on-the-job experience. This is the kind of circular argument which keeps women waiting on the sidelines. I don't see what's wrong with giving women the benefit of the doubt for a change.
tonyjenson
If this is where thinking with your vagina leads you, thank God, Amy Siskind is the only one I've ever heard of. And I thought is was bad when men only thought with their penis!
possumdearie
Bristol Palin, God love her, is an example of where thinking with your vagina takes you. She is a poster child for a good chunk of the Democrat voter base, perversely making the case for Palin's bipartisan appeal.
djanimaequeen
Bwahh ha ha haha!! You're an idiot!! Bristol is a prime example of the FAILED rethuglican idology of "family values". You need to take your meds.
PartyofLogic
HUH? That "logic" is utterly inane.
Palin has no appeal, let alone bipartisan. I do not know one Democrat who has anything but disrespect for her and every Republican I know who switched parties with the last election, did so when McCain selected her as his running mate. She appeals to a small, vociferously (and bigoted) minority.
tonyjenson
She's also an example of why "abstinance-only" education doesn't work. Unless, Quitter-Gov. Sarah Palin doesn't practice what she preaches.
possumdearie
djanimaequeen, if you think family values don't work, then maybe you should just come out and announce you're a member of NAMBLA or denounce gay marriage. Endorsing social anarchy makes you a savage but more of an idiot.
tonyjenson, Sarah Palin never endorsed abstinence-only education. She also told Bristol that having a baby was her choice, and her daughter chose life. The Palins are doing the right thing by supporting their daughter's choice and helping raise their grandchild while Levi continues pulling down his pants... only this time for money. I hope he's paying child support, but he is a valuable reminder why teens should not be having sex.
itstrue
possumdearie - do you know what "denounce" means? your comment makes absolutely no sense. People who support "family values" politics regualry do denounce gay marriage.
Also - teens SHOULD be having sex, it's what teenagers do and have always done. Telling them to ignore their urges while giving them no information while at the same time constantly bombarding them with images of fetishized women and graphic sex (by the way, that's what puritanism gets you - when you really want something you are denied you become obsessed with it) causes the problem - sex can be a satisfying, fun, healthy, emotional fulfilling experience, even for teenagers, if they're ready for it. After all, Mary was only about 14 when she had Jesus - oh... right, she didn't have sex though...
moxichick
Gloria Steinem said (paraphrasing)... The only thing I have in common with Palin is a chromosome. I feel the same way. There was no way that I would vote for someone who panders the far right ultra-conservative religious types. These extreme politics would further sink our nation.
Smirk37
Hear, hear!
djanimaequeen
Agreed. Well stated.
NicItalia
Absolutely!
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n--Y--turnippossumdearie
Actually, I'm a woman, and Gloria Steinem has one more chromosome than me. She should speak for herself and fellow retards.
MotherofThree
These days here's what constitutes pandering to "far-right religious conservatives":
Not aborting your Down Syndrome baby.
That's it. In other words: Sarah Palin simply chose LIFE for her son, isn't ashamed of him, doesn't try to hide her Christian faith, and that makes her extreme and "dangerous."
I can't believe how far down the gutter Gloria Steinham and the other so-called feminists have dragged womanhood. Conservative Christian women were on the forefront of ending slavery, and winning the right to vote. Now we're considered dangerous extremists because we don't accept the sacrament of abortion.
Granite
I didn't bother wasting my time reading this article. When Palin utters at least one coherent sentence in response to a question perhaps I will take her more seriously.
Palin is an insult to intelligent Republican women. I have always wondered why more of them haven't denounced Palin. Oh, ya, anyone who would disagree with her would be labeled a catty, un-American, socialist, terrorist, Muslim RINO.
possumdearie
If you didn't read the article, then why are you commenting on it, dumb dumb?
MrFurious
I read the article and Granite has it just about right. This article has the strength and staying power of tissue paper. Palin has no credibility, she is most assuredly not "fresh, open-minded, a centrist and a party noncomformist."...I mean for crying out loud!..what is this person talking about? I don't know what she hears when Palin talks but I hear a deeply unserious pseudo-pol who revels in division, culture wars and petty politics. Palin does not exhibit and single iota of understanding about governance...this article is stunning in it's superficiality. Hey OBAMA hasn't turned around ewomens issues in 9 months! he's am utter failure...really?!?..REALLY?!
elldeen
I have also read both pages of the article, and it appears to be written by a Palinite. Amy Siskind criticized Obama for not addressing women's issues and giving them more appointments to his administration. But he has only been in office for about 10 months, so he still has plenty of time to do both!
possumdearie
"Mr. Furious: Pretending to do the reading others honestly admit they won't do."
taranto
"things" haven't "panned out" for women? Obama was elected in NOVEMBER!!!
this author adds to the hasty revisionista propaganda, determined to prove their wrong selves right! She has mistaken self-assured and deliberate feminist progression with wacko impressionism and faux populism. Pro-feminist policy debate has GOT to include consideration for the rest of humanity....
Palin would be a sad choice for feminism. please!
MotherofThree
Wow, pure ignorance! You don't know Palin's record. You don't care about the truth. You just live in your ideological bubble.
magoo363
So who did Palin sell the the rights to the Alaskan Natural Gas Pipeline to? Was it a US company? When is the start-up date on that supposed to happen? What exactly does she know about petroleum? She served on the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which she had the Governor prior to her put her on after she failed to be elected Lieutenant Governor in 2002, but her only real experience was being married to an oil field worker. So where is her expertise?
soporifix
Please, by all means, list for us Sarah Palin's accomplishments and postitions that are "feminist" or -- if you don't like that word -- pro-woman.
Archivist1000
MotherofThree ... What record?? Seriously, other than what Sarah has said HERSELF about HERSELF ... her record is pretty much non-existant! If you read about her in the Anchorage papers, pretty much everything she said about herself (taking on big oil, reforming ethics etc ... ) has been showed to be either false or exagerated!
You can't name me ONE policy issue that Sarah has addressed cogently ... all she does is drop 'comments' on her blog where she doesn't take questions or has to defend.
Sarah is a fool, and her supporters are uninformed, gullible fools. I read her FB page regularly, and I have never seen a bigger group of uneducated, illiterate people in one place.
sippewissett
Shame on you. I'm beginning to think you are Sarah or a member of the Palin clan posting because you are in denial about her religious beliefs ("very mainstream"), her platform ("libertarian") and now her record. At the same though I'm sure you are not from AK because her former constituents now loathe her for QUITTING for $$$.
Would you like to start with her lies? http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/07/the-odd-lies-o f-sarah-palin-a-roundup.html
Or how about her 100 crony appointments: http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/24/nation/na-palinrecords24
Or how about how Palin was for "death panels" before she was againsts them. Check out the AK govt. Web site where you can see that she signed this legislation on "Health Care Decisions Day": http://www.gov.state.ak.us/archive.php?id=1094&type=6 Got to love the hypocrisy, especially when AK's health services are taking a pounding, another part of her legacy there: "The situation is so bad the federal government has forbidden the state to sign up new people until the state makes necessary improvements."..."In one 2 1/2 year stretch, 227 adults already getting services died"..."No other state in the nation is under such a moratorium" http://www.adn.com/life/health/story/864670.html
In short, Mother, it's time for YOU to do your homework. Otherwise expect lots of abuse from posters who know a lot more about Palin than you do.
NicItalia
Couldn't agree more! It irks me to no end when people criticize Obama for not doing anything yet! We're all well aware of the mess he walked into post-George W. Bush and he's supposed to have fixed that in 9 months!?
Sarah Palin as President in 2012 would be a leap backwards for feminism.
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n--Y--morecowbellsippewissett
Siskind's commentary is possibly the most insulting I have read recently as to why ANY woman should automatically support Palin. That Siskind supported the McCain ticket because a woman was onboard is witless enough, but that she then implies all women should get onboard with Palin too is beyond contempt.
McCain inflicted on this nation an unworldly, unsophisticated, narcissistic bigot who NEVER did anything for women in her own state. Why would any woman be expected to line up behind Palin on the expectation that she would necessarily be sensitive to women's issues? Palin was a lousy governor of a 700K-person state before she QUIT, she's a lousy mother and she's clearly out for herself and millions to be made from her blather. What is there to admire? Siskind has made a puerile argument and has lost credibility as a budding journalist. What a joke. Too bad she wasn't being sarcastic.
djanimaequeen
Word.
oaklynne
Damn straight.
misha1000
You betcha. I'll get back to you after I look up the rest of my response, and looking for Russians in my backyard.
I've already been protected against witchcraft by bishop Muthee, so I'm rarin' to go. We have to make a mission to the Jewish people, cause we love them so much, and we don't want them to spend eternity in Hell.
I got to go read all of them newpapers, cause I read all of 'em. A big shoutout to the Alaska Independence Party.
tonyjenson
I believe Ms. Suskind is only giving half of her reasons for voting for Palin. She will voted for a woman...but never a black man.
I wonder what non-sensical reason Ms. Suskind would have been if Republicans had nominated Powell instead of Bush.
Archivist1000
Voting FOR a woman just because she is a woman, is just as mindless as voting AGAINST a woman just because she is a woman.
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n--Y--turnipcrymeariver
It's bait, to get angry responses from progressives.
Don't
Fall
For
it!
Noontime
Crymeariver:
well said!
This is the state of things in the publishing world: have a writer (either a black man or woman) to write something either ridiculously in favor of their race or genger, or ridiculously against their race of gender) This demonstrates "bold" journalistic standards and "objectivity."
Then watch the angry responses come tumbling in. See, the stupid-assed readers wont get it.
elldeen
Sarah Palin seems to bring out the worst in people on both the left - and the right. So you shouldn't be so critical of posters who respond to any stories about her on this or any other website.
semolinapilchard
I don't even know what to say. If you believe women are going to support reproductive rights simply because they're female, you were born yesterday. You have got to be a real life troll - no one who calls Sarah Palin "open-minded" can be for real.
Archivist1000
Judging by Palin's supporters, open-minded is the last quality they share .... Palin is so open-minded that her site bans anyone who dares question her, and her fans call anyone who doesn't idolize Palin a 'troll' ....
MotherofThree
Yeah, and in contrast, everyone here is so open-minded, Archivist. Thanks for pointing out the disparity. ROFL.
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n--Y--morecowbellopedanderson
You are very brave!
Palin, like her or not, deserves the support of ALL women. The criticism she has to endure has mostly to do with the fact that she is woman who dares to stand up and be heard. Not her politics.
Smirk37
She "deserves the support of ALL women"? No, she does not. Not now, and not ever. And no male politician deserves the respect of ALL men. Politicians must earn the respect of like-minded people, not just those with the same pair of chromosomes.
sippewissett
What planet do you live on? Your posting shows an abyssmal lack of knowledge about Palin's governance and at this point in the game that's not a defensible stance.
There's not enough space here to chronicle her ineptitude (failure to balance a budget), cronyism (Wasilla H.S. buds in charge of state agencies), divisiveness (with a Republican-led legislature), narcissism (RNC clothing), bizarre religious beliefs (like exorcism by a witch doctor) and vengefulness against "haters" (see upcoming book).
Just because Palin stands up to others does not make her right, admirable or worthy of any federal position. That just makes her a rogue. (Look it up.)
possumdearie
Last I saw, AK's budget is balanced. Sarah Palin planned for oil prices going down and made appropriate budget cuts, while resisting spending that would prove unsustainable in the near future. Appointing trusted friends in her new administration, especially after successfully firing a bunch of crooks in her own party and facing opposition from Democrats, is a smart strategy as well as an accepted practice. Wearing clothes -- which were all returned and sold off for charity -- that help you look like a contender in global politics is sensible and something Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and even Joe Biden have done. The exorcism story is fake.
magoo363
The exorcism is real.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwkb9_zB2Pg
misha1000
" The exorcism story is fake."
No, it is not. I saw the video on YouTube. Google it. Defend her all you want, I say she is a Dominionist, and I detest her and her church. I lived in Anchorage for a while, and her church preaches anti-Semitism. I had it thrown in my face.
possumdearie
That's a dummy account by a PR agency, and the audio doesn't sync up.
possumdearie
Oh, and what church could possibly preach more antisemitism than Obama's? For the record, I think you're lying about that, too.
judgeinmillvalley
Oh, come on. Sarah Palin, that most inarticulate woman, has set women back. Where are women when it comes to the really good candidates--the women McCain could have chosen to run with him--instead of a pretty face? Ever listen to her instead of watching her? What a difference--and I thought only men were subject to that folly.
No, the criticism she has endured is from her inability to put a coherent thought together; her blatant appeal to the worst in Americans--the elitists who think they are the only "real Americans," because they tote guns--to support her; those who think that abortion should be illegal even for those who are raped or who have suffered from incest; and her ignorance and unwillingness to learn.I could go on and on but isn't that enough to reject her? Why say that it's because of gender? You cheapen women and their thought processes in selecting a candidate.
PartyofLogic
To quote Jon Stewart, she is a quitting, quitty, quitter who QUIT"! She deserves the rancor. She brought it on herself...if not by her poor behavior than by her (in)actions.
MotherofThree
Quoting Jon Stewart?... Not using much logic are you, PofL?
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n--Y--morecowbellArchivist1000
opendanderson .... WHAT politics???? Sarah drops comments, but NEVER puts herself in a position to be questionned or challenged .... she is a blogger, not a politician!
The criticisms (as you put it) are observations on her comments, which she then whines about as 'attacks'
Archivist1000
oped that is just silly ... any candidate who wanted to run for public office AND demonstrated such a lack of knowledge about current issues (domestic or foreign) doesn't deserve support.
Palin whines about being attacked, but she isn't... to her, answering questions is being attacked. Please.
Archivist1000
Palin doesn't 'dare to stand up and be heard' .. all she does is post on her personal blog, or do irrelevant op-eds, or take money to talk in foreign countries... all without tolerating 'challenges' or 'taking questions' ... that is not spunky, or mavericky, or courageous .. it's just exhibitionism.
gregm91436
President Obama did indeed support and sign the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a bill made necessary by a conservative supreme court, and a bill vetoed twice by a conservative Republican. If one cared about women's issues, would want to find out what, exactly, Governor Palin's stance on Lily Ledbetter was before supporting her.
President Obama's first Supreme Court selection, Judge Sonia Sotomayor was female; she is only the third woman in history to be appointed to the court. (George W. Bush notably threw his only female Supreme Court pick under the bus when conservatives questioned whether she was conservative enough.) One would also want to know if Gov Palin supports Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
George W. Bush also only appointed six women to his cabinet, total, so the fact that Obama's matched that in nine months is pretty impressive (also notable that one of those six is Secretary of State, the highest-ranking cabinet officer, and fifth in the line of succession.)
And why Palin? If you want a female Republican nominee, why not, say, Olympia Snowe or Christie Todd Whitman or Kay Bailey Hutchinson or Condoleeza Rice, Republican women with far longer records and far more significant levels of accomplishment? Aside from one vague mention of Palin appointing one judge (and that was before her transformation into hardcore cultural conservative warrior), you make absolutely no mention of Palin's actual policies or views; furthermore, the Republican party platform still calls for a total ban on abortion, so until that's changed, it would be foolish to think any Republican nominated for President feels otherwise.
This essay is badly in need of editing. Please take into consideration some of the issues presented here and resubmit.
Smirk37
Excellent post. However, I think the entire site needs to be edited--for typos, coherence, quality--you name it.
possumdearie
Kay Barely Republican and Olympia Snowe would lose; that's why you like them. I like Snowe, but she is old and would face the same criticism and struggles as her good friend John McCain. Condi was too close with Bush. Whitman would be endlessly roasted about her own scandals. FUNDRAISING. GRASSROOTS. TELEGENIC QUALITY. These are all important considerations.
eurydice9276
Olympia Snowe is 63, a spring chicken compared to most of the Senate.
possumdearie
Snowe looks older.
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n--Y--morecowbelldiamondgirl
This should not be a women thing, when you vote for a candidate it should be about policy... I like Palin, I don't know if she would be a good president or not, its way to early to make that choice. As for Obama, those who voted for him were so disgusted with him the thought of another Republican in office was scaring people. So we get this left wing radical for a president, out of fear of 8 more years. So now we have 3 more years of spending and government take over's, bail outs, Communist Czars and past associates, moving towards Socialism. This country better pay closer attention to who you are voting for in 2009-2010 or we are going to destroy this country.
Southpaw
Oy.
sippewissett
Do you have a clue what "socialism" and communism" mean? Yours is a posting straight off a right-wing site with NO data to support your contentions. You need to research your claims and then post, not rant and expect to be taken seriously.
As for "destroy this country," here's a URL to show YOU that this happened over the course of the last 8 years. Not my opinion, but supported by data from the Census Bureau. Should have been headlines everywhere, but porint over statistics is too dry for folks like you, but these are FACTS: http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/closing_the_book_on_the_bush_legacy .php
djanimaequeen
Thank you for the facts.
diamondgirl
sippewissett, and yours are right out of the left wing site, and if you think I would read or believe anything you would suggest, you are greatly mistaken.
"Socialism is Socialism, as envisioned by Marx and Engels was, ideally, a where everyone would share the benefits of industrialization. Workers would do better than in the English system at the time (The Communist Manifesto was published in 1848) because there were more workers than bosses and the majority would rule. As a purely economic system, socialism is a lousy way to run a large scale economy. Socialism is not a political system, it's a way of distributing goods and services. At their ideal implementation, socialism and laissez faire capitalism will be identical as everyone will produce exactly what's needed for exactly who needs it. In practice, both work sometimes in microeconomic conditions but fail miserably when applied to national and international economies. And they fail for the same reason: Human perversity. Too many people don't like to play fair, and both systems only work when everyone follows the same rules."
This is called in modern day language, take from the rich and give to the poor, or sharing the wealth, and BIG GOVERNMENT dictating who gets what, So don't try to insult my intelligence with your crap, I know the truth and now you do too. That's what Obama and his Congress are doing with Health Care, and have done with Porkulus bill, budget, taking over all the industries he can get his hands on. etc. Not to mention he Mentored under SAUL ALINSKI Communist, wrote Rules for Radicals, Please
misha1000
diamondgirl: you forgot to mention Saul Alinsky was a Jew, which is the ultimate crime. And you forgot to add "nazi" to the litany of defects.
It goes like this: Obama is a Communist, Socialist, fascist, nazi who is going to stage a coup, and never leave office. He is going to nationalize every industry, and confiscate every gun. He is the puppet of those two Jews, and Alinsky is guiding him from the grave.
Get it right before posting, or David Duke will get angry.
diamondgirl
misha1000, Your statement to me describes what I think you are,and dont ever try to put words in my mouth, when thats your view not mine. You are: A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one who regards or treats members of a group with hatred and intolerance. Bigotry is the corresponding mindset or...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigot
misha1000
diamondgirl: I will NEVER vote for an evangelical. Their church and theology is based on the destruction of Judaism and the Jewish people. I know, I had it thrown in my face.
Keatsian
DiamondGirl: What you fail to notice is that under Bush we did not have capitalism - we had some perverse kind of government that steals from the poor to give to the wealthy. Over 50 percent of the top 500 corporations paid zero dollars in taxes, the wealthiest 1 percent gained the most wealth in the history of the world while our wealth went down, We gave enormous multi-billion dollar subsidies to Exxon, Wal-Mart, and other enormous corporations, we gave no bid contracts to Haliburton, Blackwater and others that made them hundreds of billions of dollars, etc. etc.
Citigroup called this government under the Bush administration a "Plutocracy" meaning that there is an extremely small and wealthy ruling class (1 percent) and and huge peasant class (95 percent) with almost no middle (4 percent). I am not sure what it should be called, but I know it is wrong.
So, a little wealth distribution back to the middle and working class now is okay with me after having our wealth, 401k's, and everything else stole from us for 8 years.
diamondgirl
misha1000, I don't care if you vote for Palin, I don't even know if she is capable to do the job, but not because of her religion. ,
KEASTSIAN: I don't believe during Bushes admin. It was socialism in reverse; everyone had jobs and was working and paying their own bills.
And now because Obama is in office, we should hand out money and social programs that will do nothing to make them learn how to do it on their own. It's called go to school, get a job, work hard and pay your own bills. What you are suggesting is true socialism, not in this country now or ever, will it be acceptable. What Obama wants is to have a level playing field, so today's statistics will make him very happy, those who have College degrees at the same level of unemployment as those who do not.
This is his plan, bring everyone down to the level of the uneducated, because they are more fortunate and they need to feel the same pain. He is Very bad for America and needs to be voted out the minute his 4 years are up. Obama knew that his Stimulus plan had nothing in it for job creation, it was intentional, no mistake, Rules for Radicals explains it all. Go read it.
sippewissett
hey, dopey diamondgirl, I pointed you to The Atlantic for the summary of the Census Bureau DATA because I figured you'd never be able to follow the full report. The Atlantic doesn't fool cling to that conspiracy, then look up the report on the Bush years on the govt. site...or is that too left-wing for you too? You sound like an idiot when you don't distinguish between a magazine's Op-Ed vs. reporting of FACTS.
diamondgirl
sippewissett, it's not that I couldn't follow your link, I have no desire to justify your request with my attention. I don't know you, why would I follow anything you would have to say, let alone believe it. To me you are a nasty left wing nut, who thinks her way really matters. Well not to me sweetie, I am not buying what you are selling; try selling it to someone who's really dumb enough to give a damm.
HiredGoons
I'll take a left-wing radical over a right-wing nutjob anyday.
djanimaequeen
Hear hear!!
MotherofThree
I'll take a common sense conservative over Dr. Utopia anyday.
HiredGoons
Dr. Utopia - as in 'Iraqis will greet us as liberators and dance in the streets' - like that?
niknoks
Left wing radical..socialist? Dear Lord. America is the only place in the Western world where Obama would be considered left wing, let alone a radical. In the UK he would be a member of the Conservative party and as for socialism, go away and look up the definition. The UK isn't even a Socialist country but has way more socialised industry than the US, get a grip.
As for Sarah Palin, I wouldn't vote for her because she is too conservative for my tastes. That's not why I dislike her though. I dislike her because she is snide, sarcastic, she is arrogant with no goods to back it up. She had the audacity to run for Vice-President of the most powerful country in the world when she had never before taken an interest in national politics (couldn't name a national newspaper, couldn't name a supreme court decision apart from Roe v Wade, before she was nominated she had no record of commenting on anything outside of Alaska, let alone the US, to mention a few) and she thought there was nothing wrong with that. She's divisive, thinking she could decide who were 'real Americans' based on where they lived, what social events they went to and where they got their education, which takes a lot of nerve considering she is married to a secessionist.
I get sick of neocons saying people don't like her because she is conservative, people don't like her because she is a woman. That's bull. People don't like her because she is divisive, she quits when the going gets tough and she is simply not good enough.
PartyofLogic
"Left wing radical"? Are you smoking something? The rest of the world views him as a conservative. As do many Democrats and Progressives.
Please check your history and do not give into the revisionist tendencies of the last admin. The spending began with tax cuts for the wealthy and continued with TARP and car bailouts (and oh yes, a collapsed economic system) under Bush (who had "Czars" as has every pres since Nixon, who coined the term). SOcialism? Words have meaning. Try to respect that.
MotherofThree
Spending began with "tax cuts" ... and you call yourself logical?
The money belongs to the people who earned it. Government needs to spend less. That's why there are people rioting in the street, and yes it did start back with Bush Bailout, supported by stupid Congress.
You tell me why Michelle Queen Obama has 20 attendants. Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton both had no more than THREE.
The Obamas think this is a monarchy now.
Keatsian
MotherofThree:
Those tax cuts went almost exclusively to the corporations, while working class people got a shiny 500 dollar check to keep us quiet. Nearly half of the top 500 corporations paid zero in taxes for eight years, while the American people have to foot the bill for the roads they do business on, the inspections on their products to make them safe, the effects from their pollution, often the health care for their workers, and many other things...
It was the biggest transfer of wealth from the poor to the wealthy in history - especially the "no negotiation clause" of Medicare Part D that Bush purposefully had inserted to transfer trillions of dollars from the tax payers to the Drug companies. Not to mention the enormous subsidies that went to Exxon in the Highway Bill and the enormous transfer of tax dollars to corporations like Blackwater and halliburton with "no-bid contracts" that ended up killing many soldiers with their shotty work.
The 8 years under Bush took our deficit from 5 trillion to 11.5 trillion. Only 1 trillion of that was from wars - the other 5.5 trillion went mostly to the wealthy in the biggest corporate welfare scheme in history.
Thank you.
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