I listened to Sarah Palin's campaign speech in Toledo, Ohio concentrating on energy policy. This is a subject she obviously knows. Her delivery was calm, well organized, with statements backed by fact or anecdote. None of the shrill, cutesy, shorthand attack statements used in the standard stump speeches she and John McCain have been giving.

I didn't necessarily agree with all the facts, examples and emphasis she used in her speech. But that's OK. If I had any differences with the content of the speech, it was because of differences in emphasis or exclusion of some facts. But I sensed no outright falsehoods and only a minimum of personal attacks. That's a completely fair way to debate the issues in my mind. With a similar approach by the opposing candidates, voters who listened and thought about both sides would be much better informed and prepared to make their choices.

It was a responsible and uplifting political speech which revealed a very different Sarah Palin from the "attack dog" or "hockey Mom with lipstick" persona that the McCain campaign advisors designed for her. That's really too bad. This speech alone seemed to reveal a far more competent, reasonable, believeable candidate than the caricature that the McCain campaign handlers designed for her. It seems to me that she has been persoanlly badly mis-served by the role she was forced to play. If she has finally "split" with those advisors, it seems very justifiable.

Had both she and McCain conducted their campaign in the same manner as Governor Palin's speech this morning, the American electorate would have been far better informed and have a much better idea of the competence, knowledge and plans of the respective candidates. With more speeches like those Governor Palin gave this morning, I'm sure there would be far fewer people questioning her competence.

There also would have been far fewer voters that have become so turned off by the constant drumming of negative attack ads and speeches, like me. They might have even gotten my vote.

Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna

I listened to Sarah Palin's campaign speech in Toledo, Ohio concentrating on energy policy. This is a subject she obviously knows. Her delivery was calm, well organized, with statements backed by fact or anecdote. None of the shrill, cutesy, shorthand attack statements used in the standard stump speeches she and John McCain have been giving.

I didn't necessarily agree with all the facts, examples and emphasis she used in her speech. But that's OK. If I had any differences with the content of the speech, it was because of differences in emphasis or exclusion of some facts. But I sensed no outright falsehoods and only a minimum of personal attacks. That's a completely fair way to debate the issues in my mind. With a similar approach by the opposing candidates, voters who listened and thought about both sides would be much better informed and prepared to make their choices.

It was a responsible and uplifting political speech which revealed a very different Sarah Palin from the "attack dog" or "hockey Mom with lipstick" persona that the McCain campaign advisors designed for her. That's really too bad. This speech alone seemed to reveal a far more competent, reasonable, believeable candidate than the caricature that the McCain campaign handlers designed for her. It seems to me that she has been persoanlly badly mis-served by the role she was forced to play. If she has finally "split" with those advisors, it seems very justifiable.

Had both she and McCain conducted their campaign in the same manner as Governor Palin's speech this morning, the American electorate would have been far better informed and have a much better idea of the competence, knowledge and plans of the respective candidates. With more speeches like those Governor Palin gave this morning, I'm sure there would be far fewer people questioning her competence.

There also would have been far fewer voters that have become so turned off by the constant drumming of negative attack ads and speeches, like me. They might have even gotten my vote.

I imagine after the election she'll be in huge demand on the "speaker's circuit", talk shows etc.

I have noticed that watching her at times, When she gets out of the attack Obama mode, she can be clearly concentrated on the topics. I cant wait to see if she will try to be the front runner next time. i think ole Romney is getting tired of hearing that about her. I was listening to him talk, liked what i heard from him.

Kahuna, I firmly believe most of what people have seen of Sarah Palin to this point has been the snippets and sound bites of the perception much of the Pro-Obama media has fed to the American people and, as you pointed out, construed by inept campaign managers. On the other side of the coin, we have Joe Biden, and he is not managed by anyone since he is the old timer in politics. His statements and sentiments are far more frightening and uninformed than anything I heard Sarah Palin say. Joe isn't even on the same page as Obama in some of the interviews... perhaps he's the one that should be managed. We all need to vote our politically educated minds in this election and not our egos. If we do that, we will have done the best we can. I totally agree with you, this is the way we should see the candidates.

Peachie, you make a point about Biden not being managed. Clearly, he is not being micro-managed by the Obama campaign staffers. That's not at all bad. It gives the electorate the opportunity to consider his entire "body of work", while serving as Senator, in the presidential primaries, and as a VP candidate.

If the "inept" McCain campaign staff--and I sadly agree with you that they are inept--had permitted Sarah Palin to conduct her own campaign as she did today in Toledo, then we would also have a pretty complete body of work with which to compare both vice presidential candidates.

The same holds true for McCain and Obama. My perception was that they both began the campaign on the high road, but when those inept campaign staffers managed McCain down to the negative, personal attack approach, Obama ultimately was forced to follow.

Had the Presidential candidates remained on the campaign high road, the electorate would also be able to better understand not only the personal capabilities of both men, but more clearly understand the elements of their plans for the country if they were elected. Again, we'd have a pretty complete, understandable and unemotional body of work to compare, contrast and assess them as well.

The public would have been better served had the candidates campaigned as they both initially began. How do we get rid of the campaign staffers that introduce so much deviseiveness and vitriol into the campaign?

Unfortunately, not only did the candidates sink below a level of acceptability, but they drew a large number of the public into the negative and nasty campaign narrative. When the election is over, one candidate will walk away as President, and the other will return to a senior position in the Senate. They will both smile, congratulate the other and say the campaign was the product of being in "a tough business". Unfortunately, the loser will leave a riled up, uncooperative, and even hateful group of followers who will not come together with their political opponents to support the new President in a time of multiple national crises. It won't make the job of the new President any easier. The polarity and dissonance so evident in our politics for more than a decade will have bled into the public domain.

As a nation, we will reap what the candidates and their inept campaign advisors have sown.

the problem as i see is this. i would say 2% of the time when she talks she comes across totally different than the other 98% of the time when she has no clue what she is saying. In her policy speech when she was talking about the families of special needs kids and how it would be fully funded, and they can do it by cutting other programs like the study of fruit flies. Now the McCain camp evidently had no idea she was going to say that and she had gone on her own with it. you got to wonder if she really has a clue on what she said. The study of fruit flies ties into Autism. Most of Americans if not 99.9% would think that is a special needs disorder. Then there would be the Supreme Court Ruling issue she couldnt think of, espically when the supreme court had just ruled on the case with exxon and alaska. She should had known it, as the Gov of Alaska, heck yes. She easily sticks her foot is her mouth most often. And yes Biden does also, i guess it is kinda like the deal where one says i have been here 20 years, i can make a boo boo, your the rookie and that means you cant. Dont make it right. The speech Kahuna is talking about he was right. But if you watch her again, she will be different. The interesting thing is when Palin is with McCain, he is almost nervous when she is talking. it is almost funny watching them. To me they just dont work together, or have that thing between them. not sure what word or term i am looking for. They dont compliment each other is what i am saying.



Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.
Harry S Truman