"As a mother of four and a professional (physician), I was on the verge of crying when Senator McCain announced Sarah Palin as his running mate. I had such an incredible mix of emotions. I always thought that I could never be just a mom or just a doctor. I found that my experience of juggling a highly demanding career with raising my children made me highly organized, disciplined and effective. There is this quiet contingency of professional, successful women with kids who Sarah represents but who are never discussed in our media. There is a saying that if one needs something to be done, ask the busiest person. That is why I have no doubt that Sarah can raise her kids, help her daughter with a child, and be a superb Vice President."
-- Hanah Polotsky
"I wrote a check to the GOP this weekend and after my next payday I intend to write another one. We are on the hunt for fun McCain/Palin T-shirts and I am gathering inspirational quotes for the "signature" in my email. I can completely relate to Sarah Palin—religious without being 'evangelical,' stern without being mean, fun without having a police record, womanly without being prissy, sexy without being a, well, you know. She is exactly what we need running this country. I haven't been this excited since Ronald Reagan."
-- Lisa J. Kemp
"I live in a small town of less than 10,000 about 45 minutes northwest of St. Paul, so I have a unique perspective on this convention. I also have a 17-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old daughter who plays hockey—meaning I'm married to a 'hockey mom.' I firmly believe that those who live outside the bubbles of Manhattan, the Beltway, and L.A. see in Sarah Palin someone they know and like. By playing down her 'small town' experience, the bubbleheads tell 100 million Americans who build cars and houses, and grow food and pay taxes in small town America that they just don't matter. We are not fly-over country; we are the country."
-- Patrick Cosgrove
"I can hardly wait for the Beltway elites to attend their first state dinner of moose stew and Budweiser!"
-- Tim Fredrickson
"Of course the media is freaking out—so is every other thinking person in this country! John McCain just picked somebody to potentially be the President of the USA who he had only met once, back in February. And he barely even sent anyone to Alaska to see if she was who she said she is (you know, that ONE TIME they met each other). I'd say that qualifies as a pretty terrifying window into his decision-making skills."
-- Bridget Therease
"Sarah Palin is in the crucible of national politics. Just as sunlight through a magnifying glass becomes concentrated to a burning intensity, so too will the media's focus either destroy Mrs. Palin or strengthen her to a tempered resolve. Her Wednesday evening speech is David's stone flung at the liberal establishment's Goliath. If she delivers, we will soon be speaking of 'Palinism' politics and the era of the 'Palinites.'"
-- Jim Sever
"I don't think the lower 48 media pack will faze Governor Palin one bit. Sparring with them will be a piece of cake for someone who has survived fishing in Alaskas' rough seas or stalked its huge game animals. Sparing with journalists will be like a nice safe game of paintball by comparison. Consider the characters she's had to deal with as an Alaska politician: from suave big money oil people in Anchorage to the libertarian backwoods personalities. East coast inside-the-beltway pundits will be easy prey for Palin."
-- John L. Reid
"The real problem the elite media has with Gov. Palin is that she is not a product of the Ivy League or its eastern liberal arts college cousins. How can someone that hasn't read the same 50 books, and studied under the same leather-patch-elbowed radical professors be taken seriously? On the other hand, those of us that earned BS degrees from land-grant universities in fly-over country have much the same lack of respect for the coastal French Art History crowd. They are ignorant of basic scientific principles, economics, mathematics and other hard subjects that make up the knowledge base that makes the free world work. This election may be the real showdown between the producers and the non-producers in our society."
-- Glen Schorzman
"Why is the media so concerned about Sarah Palin's family matters? This is nothing but a personal attack and it is time to address the issues. Americans are anxiously waiting to hear the Governor's stand on the issues, not her personal life. I am not concerned about the personal aspects of any of the candidates, only how they will run our country and in my opinion after watching both conventions in their entirety (at least until now on the RNC) I see a clear difference. I am anxious to see the rest of this convention and then the debates of both Obama/McCain and Biden/Palin. I am really tired of hearing the media telling me what the candidates said and what they meant. I am quite able to decide for myself and I only want the facts from the newscasters. I loved the forum at the Saddleback Church because we got a chance to hear directly from each candidate."
-- Sue Harris
"Obama may have claimed in his acceptance speech that the election is 'about you,' but Eleanor Clift and friends have revealed in some of their very personal attacks against Governor Palin, 'an authentic middle-class mother,' just what the powerful, Washington elite actually think of 'you' or rather us: they are laughing."
-- Alice Felt
" Mrs. Palin is a large frog in a small pond—not VP material by any means."
-- Michael Jodey
"I find the media frenzy over Sarah Palin intriguing. They have done everything except interview her kindergarten teacher to find out if she took naps and enjoyed cookies with or without milk. Meanwhile, I do not remember ANY quotes from co-workers of Barack Obama, or neighbors. What is a 'community organizer', and did he do it well? Any church members want to comment on his attendance, demeanor, or ability to be an 'agent of change' in his church? Any neighbors or friends, positive or negative? We know he served on some boards with a person who is an unrepentant terrorist - we heard that. But who else? Where is all the investigation of his background and effectiveness/work habits/personality from previous jobs? Is anyone 'vetting' the man who is not a 'heartbeat from the presidency' but has the potential to BE the heartbeat?"
-- Charles Pockras
"The experience criticism of Governor Palin is most unfair, since Senator Obama has the equivalent. That should now be a non-issue. The reality is that no one yet knows what she brings to or takes from the Republican ticket. She has not yet been tested in the campaign battle, that remains to be seen. It is unfortunate that we have only two months to learn this, whereas we've been studying Senator Obama for two years and at least a whole generation has been spent examining Senator McCain and Senator Biden. The Republican party has an enormous responsibility to expose Ms. Palin's qualifications to the voting public if they wish to assure that she is an asset to the ticket."
-- Michael D. McCaffrey
"Those of us who are female professionals and mothers easily recognize Sarah Palin's strength and competence and we are cheering her on - even more so now that the media has chosen to heap sexist attacks on her in an attempt to demean her record as an activist, successful and ethical female governor who picks the right battles and gets the job done. It is easy to see why her attackers are so threatened by her. To the clueless MSM: go ahead and keep up your rabid attacks on Palin; you're simply stoking the determination of millions of American women (both professionals and mothers) to stand in solidarity behind her."
-- Karen Lehman
"In fly-over country, nearly every person thinks that the common man (or woman) could do a better job than the average politician. We also have a longer memory than the press."
-- Robert Dible
"It's rare that I shout "Hallelujah" at the breakfast table. Reading the "Beltway Boys" editorial (Sept.3) outlining Sarah Palin's potential as a real change agent gave me precious answers to the Washington pundits' peculiar onslaught on Palin's family since McCain made her his choice and all hell broke loose. The reaction was tremendous---McCain collected ten million unexpected dollars from grateful contributors that weekend, and the buzz never stopped. When Palin was called 'trailer park trash' by one New York writer I realized that the reason some don't like Palin is the very reason we do like her in Tennessee."
-- Dr. Annette Z. Reed
"Sarah Palin is probably a great human being in the same way that George W. Bush was to the editors of the WSJ in the year 2000. In the end it turns out that his mediocrity and lack of curiosity have cost the U.S. dearly in terms of money and prestige. In addition, this believer in free markets may have used the most government dollars in U.S. history to bail out financial institutions. Your embrace of the Palin selection runs the risk of meeting a similar fate."
-- B.K. Raj
"By all accounts, McCain wanted to pick Joe Lieberman. Instead, he went with a pick he believed would solidify the Republican base (which it has). Accomplishing this by selecting an unknown such as Palin does not necessary reflect 'maverick' tendencies, as it could also be seen to reflect rash judgment or impetuousness in the face of not getting who he really wanted."
-- Jay Schmidtt
"The same media that now rails against Sarah Palin told us only moments ago that a woman--any woman--was qualified to any job a man can do. Now we learn they meant 'their woman.'"
-- Kirk Mitchell
"This all feels depressingly familiar. Remember the vitriol and bile showered on Clarence Thomas, a black man who dared to go off the left-liberal plantation? Gov. Palin will survive this latest high-tech lynching of an uppity apostate. Let's hope that when she does it will mark the beginning of the end of this kind of fascistic attack. "
-- Chris Arfaa
"Picking Sarah Palin was not a maverick's choice. Are you kidding us? McCain bowed to the extreme right wing of the party and did not pick his preferred choice (Lieberman). As an independent, I am disgusted and hope she drops off the ticket soon. Only then, McCain has a chance."
-- Patrick Johnson
"I am delighted with Senator McCain's choice of Gov. Sarah Palin for Vice President. Until he made this choice I wouldn't contribute a plug nickel to his campaign. I'm a 77-year-old senior on a fixed income but I am definitely sending him what I consider to be a sizable contribution. The left-wing media should be boiled in oil for what they are doing to Gov. Palin and her family!"
-- Mary Moise
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