WOMEN FOR SARAH PALIN

McCain-Palin moments of the past 24 hours

From Jeremaykovka writes us:

Fun McCain-Palin moments of the past 24 hours:

Walking around town with my McCain-Palin t-shirt is sooo fun. One white liberal, complete stranger, walks up to me, "Seriously? You're not serious??"

Her 100+ page bio "Sarah" just arrived at the bookstore. Completely different feel as David Mendel's Obama: From Promise to Power (which is also published in a condensed version for kids, mind you) nor Biden's Promises to Keep, but still that adds to the breathtaking quality of her sudden rise. It's about 50-50 personal life and political career. This woman is all small-town and big-heart. Lots of kid, teen and young adult pics - my fave is her posing sassy in front of Todd's Trans Am. Lots of outdoors pics - trees and snow, mostly, also fishing. (When the NYTimes endorses Obama, I want to see her back home wrapping fish with it.) It's like a Star Wars movie where she's a jedi warrior from some tundra covered planet where the sun never sets.

Liberal Dem acquaintances - ones who root for and support Dems - are on edge. Their voices strained and ratcheted. I answered one guy point for point, trying to inform not persuade, and all he comes back with is a "Fuck you". (This is a guy who reads the Times, the Journal, the Economist.).

Another asks me in good faith and frustration, "What!? What is it about the Democrats? Why can't we ... given the state of the country ... the economy, Iraq is the most unpopular war -- since Vietnam (I point out there are different reasons why people are unhappy with Iraq) ... Bush is the most unpopular president since (his voice trails off, I remind him Congress's approval ratings are lower). Then
--Do you remember George McGovern?
--I wasn't around then, but sure, I know who he is.
--What's the first word you think of when you think "McGovern"?
--"Failure."
--Fine. What's the second word you think of?
--"Stalwart." I know he's tried to remain influential. When I was a kid he did a pitch for the Southern Poverty Law Center. In '04, when I volunteered for Wesley Clark, he was in on a conference call we had - as one of his high-profile endorsers. Besides, so many people came up through his campaign: the Clintons, Willie Brown, much of the modern Democratic Party.
-- McGovern flew 35 bomber missions in World War II!... Suicide missions, practically.... One time he crash-landed a bomber. Crash-landed - a bomber!
--Ok.
--What's the first word you think of when you think "Nixon"?
--"Crafty."
--Heh.
--Well, he pulled together different segments. James Brown endorsed him, you know. He tagged McGovern with "Abortion, Anarchy, Acid"
--Nixon did nothing in World War II.
--He probably did the minimum to get through.
--He did nothing.
--It's a mixed bag. Johnson pretty much faked his service. But Jimmy Carter had a respectable career as a submarine officer.
--Thirty-five bomber missions.....

Debunking the Smears

From Dave:

1. Palin’s ‘Banned Books’ List Is a Hoax

After reports surfaced that Sarah Palin had sought to ban books from her local library when she became mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a list of the books she supposedly wanted to ban began appearing on a number of Web sites.

The list included such classics as “Huckleberry Finn,” “Silas Marner,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.” It even found its way to a blog linked to the My.BarackObama Web site, where it was claimed that the list “comes from the records of the Wasilla library,” and was distributed via e-mail by a Palin foe.

The truth is, Palin never compiled that or any other list of books to be removed from the Wasilla library, various sources have reported.

In fact, several of the books on the list, including four “Harry Potter” books by J.K. Rowling, were not yet published when Palin took over as Wasilla’s mayor in 1996.

It turns out that the list is a reproduction of a generic list of “Books Banned at One Time or Another in the United States,” which has been on the Internet for years, according to conservative pundit Michelle Malkin.

The original source of the hoax is unclear. But the Anchorage Daily News in Alaska reported that when Palin first became mayor in 1996, she asked the city librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, what her response would be if Palin asked her to remove some books from the library’s collection. She did not mention any specific books. Emmons responded by saying she would resist all efforts to ban books.

Emmons subsequently received a letter from Palin informing her that she was going to be fired. The censorship issue was not mentioned as a reason for firing, according to the Daily News.

“The letter just said the new mayor felt Emmons didn’t fully support her and had to go,” the paper reported. “After a wave of public support for [Emmons], Palin relented and let Emmons keep her job.”

Jewish Coalition Backs Palin

The Republican Jewish Coalition has issued a statement expressing support for GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, calling her “strong on Israel” and “a friend to the Jewish community.”

The organization, formerly the National Jewish Coalition, was founded in 1985 and has 44 chapters around the U.S.

In its release, the Coalition stated: “By choosing Gov. Sarah Palin as the vice-presidential candidate, John McCain once again demonstrated a commitment to challenging politics-as-usual.

"As governor of Alaska, Palin has enjoyed a strong working relationship with Alaska's Jewish community. She has shown sensitivity to the concerns of the community and has been accessible and responsive . . .

“Gov. Palin is strongly pro-Israel and recognizes the strategic importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship . . .

“Palin's record includes her support of the community's desire to create the Alaska Jewish Historical Museum and attending the reading of Alaska's historic resolution commemorating Israel's 60th anniversary. In her office in Juneau, she hung an Israeli flag to show her commitment to the Jewish community.”

The statement noted that Palin opposes Democrat Barack Obama’s pledge to meet with Iranian President Ahmadinejad without pre-conditions and is “committed” to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

The Coalition reacted quite differently to Joe Biden’s nomination as the vice presidential candidate on the Obama ticket, stating on its Web site in August: "With the selection of Senator Joe Biden as Senator Obama's vice president, the Democrats’ ticket has now become an even greater gamble for the Jewish community. Throughout his career, Senator Biden has consistently been wrong on Iran and his voting record on Israel has been inconsistent . . .

“Biden has continuously demonstrated poor judgment on Iran. He has voted against significant legislation that would pressure Iran to stop pursuing nuclear weapons.

"Biden has failed to recognize the serious threat that Iran poses to Israel and the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East.”