Strollerderby : Vice President

$7M Book Deal: More Rope for Sarah Palin to Hang Herself With?

JeanneSager — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:33:00 GMT

"You've got to hear this," a fellow Obamaniac insisted. A waitress at the diner where she'd been eating her breakfast had just spent a good portion of her service trying to convince her that Sarah Palin is highly intelligent - she only acted dumb because the Republican National Committee order her to "play the dumb broad to get men to vote for her."

My thanks go to that waitress. I have yet another reason to get down and kiss the pro-America ground I walk on because Sarah Palin won't be in charge of it. It's why I'm almost excited to read the results of a reported $7 million book deal expected for the former vice presidential candidate.

It's like my own daily affirmation a la Democratic Senate Candidate (and holding) Al Franken's alter ego Stuart Smalley. I'm good enough. I'm smart enough, and doggone it, she's not my vice president. Because, frankly (no pun intended), the idea of any woman throwing her support behind "a smart woman who's consented to dumb herself down" to win the approval of the guys who prefer the size of her rack to the size of her brain means women need a serious self esteem boost. It forces me to wonder how many women don't yet think they're good enough or smart enough to share their honest opinions with the world.

Want to feel better about yourself, smarter than someone else? Pick up a book that tells the tales of a woman who thumbs her nose at science and can't even read words strung together on a Starbucks cupholder that rests in her hand.You'll feel better in no time.

Image: Fox News

Kids Yell Assassinate Obama on Idaho School Bus

A Taste of Sasha and Malia's White House Rules: But Can They Paint it Pink?

From 52 to 48 With Love: When Families are Split Down Political Lines

Woman in Labor Holds Off Delivery Until After Voting for Obama

Trick or Treating With the Obamas: Scary or Too Cute?

Joe Biden Is Our First Catholic Vice President

Brett Singer — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:00:00 GMT

For obvious reasons, Barack Obama being the first African-American President of the United States is getting a tremendous amount of attention. But we have another first: Joe Biden is our nation's first Catholic Vice President.

When I've mentioned this fact to people, they often express surprise. To those such as myself who are not of the Christian faith, it's easy to forget that for many people, the differences between Catholics and Protestants are serious. I'm not going to get into what the differences are simply because I don't feel comfortable doing so, mostly because I don't know very much about the topic. (True story: in college, I saw a friend with schmutz on her forehead. I went to wipe it off; she jumped back and became very annoyed with me. It was Ash Wednesday. Somehow, despite growing up in New York City, I had never heard of Ash Wednesday before. I was embarrassed, but at least I never did that again.) The website religionfacts.com has an interesting chart. Some highlights: Catholics include the apocrypha as part of the Bible, Protestants don't. Catholics are "Free to do good or evil", Protestants are "Free only to do evil." (There's something to chew on for awhile.)

Anyway, when I point out to people that the U.S. has only had one Catholic President in its entire history (JFK), the idea that it has taken this long to have a Catholic VP isn't as big a surprise.

For some Catholics, Biden doesn't quite cut it. There's even a blog called "Catholics Against Joe Biden." It shouldn't surprise you that the authors of said blog were less than thrilled with Joe's history making victory.

So what's the big deal? Why just one Catholic out of 44 Presidents of these United States? According to Answers.com:

Even though Catholicism is the largest denomination in the United States, making up about 26% of Americans, it has not been looked upon favorably by all the other protestant Americans. Throughout history there have been fears of Catholics and the believe [sic] that the Holy Father, or the Pope might have control over American politics if a Catholic were to take power. There have been many attempts to block Catholics from office and even limit their right to vote in early American history.

So if we elect a Catholic, then the Pope is in charge. Interesting theory. Kind of like the "if we elect Barack Obama, he'll enact some secret liberal agenda." Well, not quite. But surprisingly similar. (I'm not equating the Pope with a secret liberal agenda, only the notion that somehow electing a President means that we're actually getting some sort of shadow government.)

Again, I want to point out that this is not a topic (Catholicism) that I am well versed in, but I thought it was interesting enough to point it out. If anyone has any additional info they want to add, please do so.

Also interesting is the fact that Obama, "won a majority of the Catholic vote" (AP). John Kerry did not – despite being a Catholic himself. (The general consensus is that Catholics paid less attention to which candidate shared their religious beliefs and more attention to the economy this time around, although that's a difficult thing to gauge, of course.) And Peter Steinfels, writing in the New York Times, said that, "Anyone constructing a list of the big losers on Tuesday would probably include the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops." And a Google search for obama catholic vote has over 350,000 matches. Clearly it's a big issue for a lot of people.

Do you think that the fact that Joe Biden is our first Catholic Vice President is significant?

Image: commonwealmagazine.org

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Palin's Kids Traveling on the State's Dime, She's Trying to Claim "State Business"

JeanneSager — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:53:00 GMT

Sick of paying full price for an airplane seat your kids never stay in anyway? Become governor of Alaska, and all that will disppear. The state's taxpayers have paid more than $21,000 in travel expenses for Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's kids to travel to spots they weren't even invited.

The Associated Press has reported Palin not only charged the state for her three daughters to accompany her on a trip to watch First Dude Todd Palin in a sled dog race, but she amended expense reports to make it look as though her kids were on official business.

Organizers of a number of the events say the kids were not only not invited, but never took part in the activities. On one report, Palin's daughters' supposed duties were listed as "to draw two separate raffle tickets" at a January gala in Anchorage. Was this because the governor's two hands were too full of BS to pull two separate tickets herself?

Trips across the state were the lesser of the evils. A total of 64 one-way and 12 round-trip airfare tickets have been charged to the state - not for the governor (who sold the state's gubernatorial jet to "save" money), but for her kids. One trip to New York City with eldest daughter Bristol apparently cost the state $1,385 for plane tickets to and from LaGuardia airport for the two Palins plus $707 a night for four nights at a luxury hotel overlooking Central Park. Four nights - and all the governor did was spent five hours at a conference. (In all fairness, she also met with Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg and toured the New York Stock Exchange on the trip, which must have taken up, oh, another day out of the four, at least).

Palin's predecessor, former governor Tony Knowles, had school-aged kids when he was in office too. He says he never found a reason to take them with him on state business and never charged the state for their expenses.

I agree parents should try as much as possible to fit their kids into their work schedules so the kids don't get the short end of the stick. She could have packed their bags and paid the bill, and this wouldn't be a problem. Buthere's a difference between bringing them along and amending reports to make it look like they belonged there.

That's what they call fraud - which Governor Palin apparently doesn't approve of in the ballot box, but doesn't have a problem with in the governor's office.

Image: Policelink

Source: MSNBC

GOP Shows Obama With Fried Chicken and Watermelon

Anti-Palin Ad Targets Parents With Teenage Rape Victim's Plea

Scare off Republican Trick or Treaters With the Obama Pumpkin

Hey Sarah Palin, Make Your Kids Go to School

Morning News: Pregnant With Palin

$150,000 Spent on Sarah Palin's Clothing

Dudes for Palin: Vote for the Hot Chick!

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 19:30:00 GMT

It may not surprise you to learn that, according to the New York Times, “dudes” constitute Sarah Palin’s most vocal supporters. But it may disturb you to learn what these men have to say about her.

Although Palin was ostensibly chosen for her anticipated appeal to women, the former beauty contestant has (gasp!) won over far more men than women, with her initial approval ratings at 44 percent among men and 36 percent among women. (Those numbers have since dropped considerably, down to 31 percent among men.)

Even as many conservatives fault Palin for being, to put it nicely, not “serious” enough, Joe Sixpacks can’t get enough of her. One of Palin's female supporters acknowledged that Palin rallies are about “70-30, maybe 65-35, men to women.” Among the shout-outs that Palin routinely receives at her rallies are cries of, “You tell ‘em babe!” and “You rock me out, Sarah!” Some men sport “Proud to vote for a hot chick” buttons, while others carry “Dudes for Palin” signs.

Palin apparently loves the testosterone-charged rock concert atmosphere of her rallies. After entering a rally to the heading-banging tunes of AC/DC, she told the crowd, “That was kinda cool.” She has also introduced her husband as “Alaska’s First Dude.”

At least one Palin supporter interviewed by the Times admitted that he came to a Palin rally “just to look at her.” He wisely chose to remain anonymous. Let’s hope he realizes that, just as it’s embarrassing to admit to supporting a political candidate simply because of her appearance, actually voting an inexperienced, scandal-plagued woman into the White House simply because she’s “beautiful” at a time in which our country is engaged in two wars, is widely hated throughout the world, and is in the early stages of widespread economic collapse, would be an unforgivably inane decision.

Dudes, if you want to stare at hot chicks, watch Desperate Housewives.

Photo: New York Times

Vice Stay-at-Home "Dude" ... or Something

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:29:00 GMT

As much as I disagree with his wife's views on, well, everything, I am finding myself more and more intrigued at the prospect of Todd Palin taking up residence at the Naval Observatory -- home to the vice president. According to a story in the LA Times, it's possible he'd be the most high-profile stay-at-home dad since ever.

In Alaska, he's known as the "first dude" -- a hockey dad who takes care of the kids while his wife, Gov. Sarah Palin, flip-flops on a variety of issues. He also races snowmobiles and once finished a race by riding 400 miles with a broken arm. I have a feeling raising five children under a media spotlight might not be that big a deal for him.

[AP photo]

Sarah Palin Has A Penchant for Really Beautiful Scarves and More Tidbits For Those Obsessed

SunnyChanel — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:13:00 GMT

Yeah, I know, I know. You’re sick of hearing about Sarah Palin. If that's true, just don’t click on this post and scroll on down to the next fascinating tidbit in Strollerderby land. But if you’re anything like me and totally fascinated by the skeletons that could be perhaps lurking in her closet and the mysterious circumstances of her family life, well join me for a wee bit more Palin-landia won’t you? First off, you gotta check out this Sarah Palin Pregnancy Decision Map I spied via Gawker today. Truth is, it’s not only you, me, and a crafty chart maker who are obsessed, as mentioned in the Babble "Morning News", the New York Times assigned three journalists to delve into Palin's life and the birth of her most recent child, Trig and her juggling of being a mom to a newborn and doing a little something like running a state.

Here are some other highlights from the piece.

Her baby shower:
“included a surprise guest: her own baby.” And featured a “potluck meal, presents and blue-and-white cake.”

Why she waited until 7 months to tell people:
“Struggling to accept that her child would be born with Down syndrome and fearful of public criticism of a governor’s pregnancy, Ms. Palin had concealed the news that she was expecting even from her parents and children until her third trimester.”… “Before her son was born, Ms. Palin went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that his arrival would not compromise her work. She hid the pregnancy. “

On how she hid her pregnancy:
“When Vogue photographed her, five months pregnant, for a profile in January, she hid in a big green parka. At work, she wore long, loose blazers and artfully draped accessories. “All of a sudden she had this penchant for really beautiful scarves,” recalled Angelina Burney, who works across the hallway from the governor in Anchorage.””

In regards to her water breaking in Texas…
A woman with symptoms like Ms. Palin’s should be examined to determine her condition, said Dr. Laura Riley of Massachusetts General Hospital. The long trip home could have posed a risk, “but the odds were still in her favor that everything would be O.K.," said Dr. Susan E. Gerber of Northwestern University.

To read the whole thing, check it out here. And sorry kids, this won’t be the last of it. The National Enquirer among other “news” agencies are all doing their private vetting process for us VP voyeurs.

Teaching Abstinence Doesn’t Work: Palin’s Preggo Kid.

Cole Gamble — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:00:00 GMT

This is a topic that’s not gonna get a lot of play from the Obama camp. People would call bringing a 17-year-old pregnant girl into a political debate just mean. I don’t care; I think it needs to be discussed because Bristol Palin’s situation launches a fiery hot cannonball right into the heart of Sarah Palin’s social policy: Abstinence training doesn’t work.

Sarah Palin will possibly be our vice president and her policy on teen sex is abstinence, which is no policy. Condoms, diaphragms and birth control pills are not the devil’s work. To not educate your kids to practice safe sex is to encourage them to have unsafe sex. That is not a message I want our second highest governing official passing to my kids.

This is the same ideological turd our current government took into the African aids crisis, suggesting Africans could cure their aids plague with some good old fashioned abstinence training. Not condoms or other safe sex devices, just sweet chaste abstinence. Thank goodness we finally bombed Africans with some rubbers or else we wouldn’t be seeing a drop in the numbers of newly infected.

But what about our children’s precious minds? If we talk frankly to them about sex and even provide them with protection they will become ruined people, sexual deviants of the highest order. They’ll transform into beings so brutally, nastily sexualized that their actions will make unicorns cry, right? Well listening to NPR the other day, I heard the words of a republican delegate praising the Palin’s composure during this delicate time for their daughter. The woman said, “I think the situation with her daughter just makes her one of us. She’s got problems like any mom: you tell your kids what to do, but kids will do what they do.” Um, thank you. Kids will do what they do and if you want to stick your head into the sand that is “abstinence only” training, then you won’t be able to see your kids running around having unprotected sex. Persistent ignorance is not good child rearing. I am not saying it is travesty that some 17-year-old got knocked up. What is a travesty is a 17-year-old running around having unprotected sex, in which there are far greater dangers than pregnancy looming, just because mommy and daddy believe teaching smart responsible sex is like offering your kid an apple from the tree of knowledge. It’s a slap in the face of human nature and responsible parenting. Please someone tell me just one instance, any instance, in which choosing to be ignorant saved the day.

Teaching abstinence is fine, if it’s a piece of the puzzle, not the only option. There must be some abstinence only proponents out there. Tell me I’m wrong. Please explain to me how abstinence only works, show me the numbers. Show me how being honest and open with your kids ruins them, because I need to know I am not just shouting into a void. So what do YOU think???

More by this author:

5 Reasons Breast Feeding Isn’t That Great (and 5 Reasons Why It Is)

My Daughter Wants A Penis

The Sh*t List: 10 Bizarre (or Terrific?) Potty Gadgets

Nipple Jewelry: 5 Products Moms DON’T Need

10 Naughty Things We Do to Our Kids (but keep doing anyway)

The 26 Most Disturbing Kids Movies Ever

Cyber Mom Versus Hockey Mom: Dooce Sounds Off

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:03:00 GMT

A day after Gov. Sarah Palin made her case for the vice presidency, Heather Armstrong of Dooce, one of the most popular blogs in the world, just dropped an anvil not only on the Alaska governor's nomination but also on the notion that liberals are all about the free ride instead of helping fellow families.

It's a heartfelt piece that's worth a read.

While Palin made a case against community organizers, Dooce made a case for the community. Call it a square off between the country's most popular Hockey Mom and the country's most popular Cyber Mom.

I am angry. I am infuriated. And I don't think I would be if Sara Palin were a qualified or competent choice as McCain's running mate. But the fact, the reality is that she is not. And instead of demanding better from their party, instead of going, wait a minute, no, we deserve better than this, many Republicans are contorting themselves into a denial of reality.

Dooce for Veep.

Palin's Children: The Best Part of the RNC

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:00:00 GMT

There's nothing like adorable children to take the edge off of soul-crushing political events. By far the best part of the Republican National Convention came last night when Piper Palin gave her baby brother Trig a spit bath during their mother's speech.

Unfortunately, to watch this clip, you do have to withstand Sarah Palin bragging about her city council days in the great state of Alaska (because serving on city council is sort of like running the country….), but at least you don’t have to hear the part of her speech when she jokes that hockey moms are pit bulls in lipstick. What a champion for women!—I mean ladies. It’s astounding that someone is running for national office who actually makes Dubya sound like a policy expert.

But I digress. The point of this clip is to momentarily forget about Sarah Palin and focus on the important things in life: making sure babies have perfectly slicked back hair.

Photo: alaskareport.com

Can a Presidential Candidate Be a Family Man?

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 18:30:00 GMT

I can’t help noticing that the announcement of McCain’s vice presidential pick has conveniently upstaged all reports of Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention (which you can watch here).

While I, too, am shocked and fascinated by the fact that McCain’s running mate is an inexperienced, staunchly anti-choice woman whom only he’s only met one time, let’s not forget to keep our eyes on Obama and Biden.

Much of the reports on Palin have focused, on the one hand, on her decision not to abort her child with down’s syndrome (if this makes her a hero, our nation has set the bar abysmally low), and on questions about her commitment to her five children, including an infant, on the other hand. So, if we’re going to judge Palin’s parenting record, what do we know about Obama’s? Obama has repeatedly urged parents to be more involved in their children’s lives, and his own interactions with his daughters Sasha and Malia indicate that he is truly a devoted, loving father.

This short video from the DNC shows the Obama family chatting, albeit in a very stilted environment. While the strong love amongst the Obamas is clear, one could argue that the children of any presidential nominee will inevitably suffer as their parents are consumed by the campaign. What do you think—is it possible to compete for the White House while putting your children first?

Photo: BrotherPeaceMaker

Sarah Palin Did Not Give Birth to Trig the Down Syndrome Baby!

SunnyChanel — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 16:59:00 GMT

I smell a scandal! There is new evidence coming to light that is implying that perhaps Sarah Palin’s four month old son Trig, who has been diagnosed with Down syndrome, is not her son, but rather her grandson! The 44-year old mother of five was wildly applauded in the pro-life circles for seeing the birth to term after the diagnosis of Down syndrome was detected while in the womb. There is now speculation that baby Trig may actually be the offpring of 17-year old daughter Bristol.

(from Just Jared via Daily Kos)

March 6th – Sarah publicly announces she is seven months pregnant. Everyone, even close staff members were totally surprised, with no one speculating she was with child. (check out this photo taken a couple days later of the seven months pregnant Palin below)

April 16th – When in Texas for the Republican Governor’s Convention to give a keynote speech, she allegedly began to leak amniotic fluid, a full month before the due date. But she didn’t rush to the hospital but just called her doc and went on to give her speech. "I was not going to miss that speech," she says.

After speaking you’d think she rush to a local Dallas hospital but instead she hopped on an Alaska Airlines plane for an eight hour flight back home, with a stopover in Seattle. She didn’t let the airline know that she was pregnant and in labor. Most airlines require to be notified if you are seven months or more pregnant. (although Alaska doesn’t insist that passengers let them know). "Governor Palin was extremely pleasant to flight attendants and her stage of pregnancy was not apparent by observation as she didn’t show any signs of distress," Airline rep Caroline Boren said.”

She lands in Anchorage and instead of going to one of the most equipped facilities for premature births in the state, she drives 45 minutes to the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center outside Wasilla, the tiny town she was once mayor of. She “delivered” Trig one month prematurely and then returned to work three days later. “The doctor, Cathy Baldwin-Johnson, approving of all of these actions borders on malpractice. Not treating leaking amniotic fluid causes infections, and time is of the essence after water breaks. Husband Todd Palin simply delivers this winner of a line: “You can’t have a fish picker from Texas””

In regards to her daughter, at the time of her mom’s “pregnancy”, she was pulled out of high school due to catching mono. She was out of school from five to eight months (with cases of mono usually lasing 2 weeks to 3 months).

Check out the family pic of the Palins (daughter Bristol in to the right) that was published in early March where her daughter looks like she could be knocked up.

For oodles more details check out Daily Kos.

What do you think? Mom or Grandma?