danriverboy: blog 
danriverboy's blog
look out ... they're driving to the right
Published Oct. 11, 2008
Governor Sarah Palin waded right up to the third rail of politics and jumped on it with both feet today.
At a rally in Johnston, PA today, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin charged into the culture wars, painting Sen. Barack Obama as a radical on abortion rights.
Palin focused her attention on abortion -- an issue that rallies the conservative base but alienates independent and women voters.
"In times like these with wars and financial crisis, I know that it may be easy to forget even as deep and abiding a concern as the right to life, and it seems that our opponent kind of hopes you will forget that," Palin told a crowd in Johnstown. "He hopes that you won't notice how radical, absolutely radical his idea is on this, and his record is, until it's too late."
Palin said Obama's record on the matter is too extreme to be ignored, and she spent 10 minutes of her 30-minute speech discussing abortion.
"A vote for Barack Obama is a vote for activist courts that will continue to smother the open and democratic debate that we deserve and that we need on this issue of life," she said. "Obama is a politician who has long since left behind even the middle ground on the issue of life."
Meanwhile, her running mate, John McCain had his rally today opened up with this gem. A minister delivering the invocation at John McCain’s rally in Davenport, Iowa Saturday told the crowd that non-Christian religions around the world were praying for Barack Obama to win the U.S. presidential election.
“There are millions of people around this world praying to their god—whether it’s Hindu, Buddha, Allah—that his opponent wins, for a variety of reasons. And Lord, I pray that you will guard your own reputation, because they’re going to think that their God is bigger than you, if that happens,” said Arnold Conrad, the former pastor of Grace Evangelical Free Church in Davenport.
If they're running this far to the right, it's sending a pretty clear message about how the rest of the lead up to the election is going to go. Republicans always run to the right and start playing the fear / anger card when things get too close for their comfort. It's looking like 2008 is going to be more of the same.
By allowing these things to go forward, John McCain has pretty much just come out and said "I'm now abandoning the middle and playing to the far right fringe instead." I suspect that it's going to hurt him more than he knows. After 8 years (and arguably more) of it, too many of us are just fed up with hearing the far right's view of how the world should be, and we don't like it.
(Note: This is NOT an abortion blog. It's a blog about political tactics. I welcome sane commentary from both sides about that subject, but please, please do not come here to discuss abortion, pro OR con. )
close49 Comments
(13 votes) two marines accused of shooting horse
(12 votes) gunman shoots raleigh pizza parlor employee
(12 votes) gas prices getting pumped up again
(4 votes) army ranger killed in iraq
Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.
You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.
And therein you identify the problem as I see it. None of really can make informed decisions because so much of what we're being fed is tactical in nature instead of honest positions on issues and proposals about how to address them.
GOLO member since June 10, 2008
October 11, 2008 11:59 p.m.
Hmm.
GOLO member since November 10, 2007
October 11, 2008 11:55 p.m.
GOLO member since August 28, 2008
October 11, 2008 11:55 p.m.
GOLO member since January 20, 2008
October 11, 2008 11:55 p.m.
I respect that, DJ. I deleted the comment solely because I'm trying my best to keep the blog on topic (political tactics) and avoid getting off onto an abortion tangent. Those never ever turn out well, and I'd like for this discussion to be productive.
GOLO member since June 10, 2008
October 11, 2008 11:52 p.m.
GOLO member since August 28, 2008
October 11, 2008 11:52 p.m.
GOLO member since January 20, 2008
October 11, 2008 11:49 p.m.
GOLO member since August 28, 2008
October 11, 2008 11:47 p.m.
GOLO member since August 28, 2008
October 11, 2008 11:44 p.m.
I'm honestly not even sure it's him doing it. I disagree with on some things, but I've always respected him because this isn't the sort of thing that he typically does. I think the professional political consultants running his campaign (indeed, those running EVERY campaign) are calling the shots now, and they are dropping the ball here in a big way.
GOLO member since June 10, 2008
October 11, 2008 11:44 p.m.
Please log in to add comment.