Those of us who are conservatives are going wild over Sarah Palin.  For the first time in my life I am actually excited about a candidate, I simply am in shock a female governor from Alaska is who finally pushed me over the edge.  Her speech last night will probably go down in history as one of the most pivotal in American politics ever, from the standpoint of uniting conservatives in this nation, a group of people who have been less than enthusiastic as a whole over McCain.  I was getting really tired of this election a long time ago, you can't believe how positive I am this morning, positive enough I am going to send a donation to the campaign, something I have never considered doing before with any candidate.

Probably the sweetest thing of all is the way the lefties are having a mass attack of lack of bladder control over Palin.  She is going to be very hard for them to fight without coming off as biased and prejudiced, just as Obama was hard for Hillary to fight.  Looking at the BBC HYS site this morning I see the predictable far left slant of the BBC posters, scared to death of a woman who has small town values.  They loved Hillary, someone who had 15 tons of baggage(like some unexplained dead associates) but are worried to death that Palin carries a gun and hunts, she is young and good looking, and says what she thinks not what she thinks you want to hear.  Of course, worst of all for the lefties of the USA, the GOP, the party of the stodgy old coots(the left wants you to think) out of nowhere picks a young woman to run for VP, that was supposed to be the sacred duty of the much more enlightened Democrats.  Their party passes over the woman they all swooned over for a decade, the woman who actually got more votes than Obama, the woman everyone in the media was pulling for a year ago and were virtually guaranteeing would be the next President.  Must be really hard to eat crow right now. 

An email from my cousin this morning to my brother and I said it all, this from an ex-Democrat..."hey fellas, am I the only one who likes Sarah Palin?".  I think now that McCain and Palin are going to stomp the stuffing out of Obama/Biden, I bet the lefties in Europe are going to have a stroke over this one.

Just listened to her fantastic speach, wow what a woman! Not only is she beautiful but she says ALL the right things, I like it!!

Dick.

Forgot to say the commies here in the media will have an apoplexy trying to denigrate this lovely lady

Dick.

is mcain and palin going to sort out the medical care in the usa or is it just a case of 'if you can't afford it tough' .I heard a delegate at the convention stating that no one can say that Palin does'nt have experience of foriegn policy as the state of Alaska neighbours Canada and Russia!!!!!!!!!!

Has George W worked out where Iraq is yet?

So a genial Bush (McCain) Bush in a skirt (Palin) or Bush lite (Biden) does Obama have a chance?

      She certainly is a breath of fresh air! I happened to be in the middle of one of my manic nocturnal book keeping sessions in the office when I happened to put on the radio, sometime between 4.00 and 5.00 am, and here she was in full flow. I was impressed and found myself associating with many of the points you have raised, Kf. She was forthright, confident and came over as being genuine and honest. She has gone some way to laying fears of the big question "How will she cope if she lands in the Presidential Office?" - as well as, if not better, than Obama, I think; but I am no judge of American Politics.

       I expected a bit more on internal policies in her inaugural speech but I reckon she got it cleverly right. What a turn-a-round in this campaign as it enters the last lap. What a woman!

A pitbull in lipstick? 

 

Malcolm:

A pitbull in lipstick? 

Ah - but does she have the handbag of Mrs Thatcher? An interesting choice never the less. From the other side of the pond, that particular combo would seem to have more going for it.

McCain gave a good speech last night, but not a great speech.  He is lucky Palin fired us all up the night before, and I think he knows that.  McCain is a fairly humble man, and has a hard time blowing his own horn.  His speech was moving though because of his love of country, and his description of how his 5 years of torture by the Vietnamese left him much less arrogant and self centered.  McCain was beaten early on, and the wounds he had from ejecting were not treated right leading to some of his problems now, but I guess when he really got the hell knocked out of him was when he refused the Vietnamese offer to release him because his father was an admiral.  He said last night that up until then his beatings had been run of the mill, but after that they beat him so badly he couldn't feed himself anymore, they put him in a cell with 2 other POWs and had they not cared for him he would have died.  Yet, the man is not bitter against the Vietnamese, and has led the movement to restore relations with Vietnam.  He also has been steadfast against the use of torture by our own government.

His wife actually is really an impressive woman, for years she has gone around the globe doing humanitarian medical work, this was unknown to me.  His mother is also impressive, 96 and still able to move under her own power.  His grandfather was an admiral as well,  was on the Missouri and can be seen watching the Japanese surrender, the day after he came home from the war he died.

Just to be clear, I think Obama is a good father and family man, and I think he honestly cares about the USA.  My problem with him is he is so far left of center, and has so many supporters who are so far left, I think he thinks he can tax us into prosperity. 

Hard not to be impressed how the choice of Mme Palin has unleashed so much excitement in your electoral race and McCain's old mum gives you a bit more hope that he won't peg out if he's elected!

It's a stark contrast to the general indifference in Europe to all things political. Having 50 times the number of voters than either UK or France must help a bit.

Sarkozy has added a bit of much appreciated life to the political scene here. Looks like someone else might get a go in the UK.

Just hope that the winner of the election is clear cut and the one elected to be your next President.

Bon Courage,

JC.

 

flash jacques:

Sarkozy has added a bit of much appreciated life to the political scene here.

I think it was Madame Sarkozy who impressed over here!

flash jacques:

Looks like someone else might get a go in the UK.

Oh, pleeeeeeease. (But fat chance for a while, I fear!)

 

Have you seen the Sarah Palin crop circle:

Just realised where I've seen Sarah Palin before, she played Karen in Will& Grace!

All gone somewhat quiet on the, "all hail Palin" post here?

Why is that I wonder?

Perhaps people have read  last weekend's Sunday Times feature, tracking Palin's ruthless rise through the ranks of regional politics and interviewing some of the people who have dared stand in her way. Also, I couldn't help but notice that Alsaka's biggest circulation daily, the Anchorage Daily News, has backed Obama. But there again, what do "commies in the media" know?!

I suppose because Mrs Palin is a very attractive lady with healthy right wing views, the world's media and in particular our own BBC have done their best to ridicule and insult her, if she had been some ugly left wing feminist with facial hair and wearing Doc Martins then the commies would have sung her praises without a doubt. I sincerely hope the Republicans win this one thereby preventing the last bastion of free enterprise, freedom and true democracy, the USA, from turning into a quasi commie state similar to that which we Europeans have to endure Dick

The left has done its best to assasinate  Palins character, she has come under far more scrutiny with regard to her ability to lead than has Obama.  A great many of us are getting ready to accept an Obama win, with a great deal of trepidation.  The media is and has been all along in Obama's pocket, ask Hillary Clinton.

Obama has not even served one full term as a US Senator.  At least in modern times I don't know of any politician with any less experience who became President.  He has associated with some people who are clearly very radical, yet all this is ignored by our very liberal media, who choose to focus on Sarah Palin.  A fellow in West Hollywood California has a effigy of Palin hanging from a noose up outside his house, if a similar effigy of Obama was hanging from a noose you would have the media, NAACP and every Democratic bigwig in the nation screaming racism, KKK, and trying to call it a hate crime.  Like it or not, Sarah Palin, her husband and family represent what working class America is, and how they think.  These constant attacks on her are driving a wedge between ordinary America and the liberals on the coasts.

This has been the ugliest election I have ever seen.  The split between left and right has grown more and more pronounced and bitter.  We are headed for tough times and the next President will be tested like none before.  It will be very interesting to see 4 years from now just how popular President Obama is.  If he is able to pull this country out of the pit we are headed for, you can bet I will be the first to vote for him 4 years from now, but lets see first how much he is actually able to deliver. 

I believe the left are going to be very disappointed in Obama and a good few enemies of the US surprised by the efficiency of his administration. He is the best hope the US has of clinging on as a superpower, but the day the US has to bow to China is not far off. The UK has already done it, Brown begged the Gulf states and China to bail out the IMF today. The US economy runs on Chinese credit, they will not lend forever, the US sent a cruiser to pick up the last of Britain's gold in WW2 I wonder how long Beijing will wait to do the same.

Kansas,

As a spectator from afar with a limited knowledge of US politics,I dont see Palin as a conservative.Her views seem to be radical to the point where they seem to go against the grain of the constitution.

We are getting a lot of news coverage just now about the US election,which is interesting because it sometimes strays away from the razamataz limelight and gives us an insight into the lives of ordinary people.This coverage,however,does highlight to me how little attention the UK media pays to what is going on in mainland Europe.

connached:

how little attention the UK media pays to what is going on in mainland Europe.

I agree with connached that the UK media is not paying much attention to what is going on in European politics and, in my view, never has. This may be because we are not so familiar with their languages and politico/legal systems as we are those of the US, or it may be because the US is more important to us. When, as seems inevitable, China replaces the US as the foremost industrial power, it will be interesting to see whether our media shifts its attenion to China and gives their electoral processes the same rigorous examination as it gives to those of the US.

I cannot wait to see the chattering class, which sneers at every US Republican, turn their bile and spleen onto the equivalent Chinese party. If however China does not have a legitimised political Opposition; onto whom are the BBC elite to pour their scorn?

 

With just hours to go now I thought I'd resurrect this thread. Hopefully, Kansas can continue to give us the benefit of his wisdom.

As I've admitted to him a couple of times I'm excited by the prospect of Obama as president. But I find KF's differing opinion on the situation (and let's face it, he's far more informed than me) fascinating.

Isabel Davies:

I'm excited by the prospect of Obama as president

Excitement is a wonderful thing Isabel and so hang on to it for as long as you can. However, when you analyse it, excitement is, to a large degree, contingent on ignorance. Once one has experience of a phenomenon, excitement is replaced by anticipation and, of course, anticipation can presage both pros and cons.

My guess is that it is the element of uncertainty assocated with Obama that excites you, whereas KF anticipates a number of Obama initiatives that will take America in a direction he does not favour.

Using the UK as an example only; the possibility of a Labour Government here in the UK, may excite some, whereas I anticipate an increase in overall taxation and state intervention in the lives and choices of the population at large.

In the case of Obama as President, his own inexperience and the fact that he is unknown on the world stage, will bring a sense of uncertainty to the USA and everyone else affected by the US. How an Obama Presidency works out, only time will tell. What we can be sure about however, is that the jobsworthies of every US State and Foreign Government will be working hard to make sure that whatever he may want to do, that it affects them as little as possible.

Personally I do not really think either candidate represents the best that America has to offer the world. If however, I were compelled to make a choice it would be Obama. But I would vote Republican for Congress.

 

 

 

I've started a poll in this story to enable you to cast your votes either way.

http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2008/11/03/112929/video-and-poll-the-us-election-from-a-farming-perspective.html

 

Isabel.

I was on a local TV show the other night on which we were discussing the American elections and out of  panel of 10 persons from my region of the UK, I was the only Palin supporter. I was quite surprised at vehemence of the rest of the group in their hostility to the lovely Mrs Palin, in particular the females present seemed to have a special loathing for her, which may have had more  to do with her good looks than her politics.

Dick