State-Journal.com - Frankfort's opinions on Palin

Sarah Palin

Buffeted by revelations both political and personal, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin prepares today to speak to GOP delegates and other Americans wanting to know more about the person John McCain picked for his running mate. Local Republicans and Democrats explain their views on the relatively unknown candidate.

Democrats: She's no Hillary
Democrats say it's unlikely any disgruntled supporters of former Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton will abandon the party to support Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

"They're both women but other than that I don't think they have a lot in common," said Rep. Carl Rollins, D-Midway.

Clinton supports a woman's right to choose while Palin, Alaska's governor, is opposed to abortion. Palin supports the right to bear arms while Clinton has supported gun control measures.

"The proposals Palin supports are not anything Hillary would support," Rollins said.

During the contentious primary, some Clinton supporters said they would not support Barack Obama if he was the nominee. However, many party officials said the national convention in Denver last week helped unify the party.

A recent Gallup poll shows support for Obama increased from 71 percent to 80 percent among Clinton supporters after the convention.

Former magistrate Harold Robinson was a key supporter of Clinton but said he expects former Clinton supporters to get behind Obama.

"They see what kind of game (Republican nominee John) McCain is trying to play," Robinson said. "They are trying to pull away women voters and I don't think it's going to work."

Robinson and Rollins said matters such as Palin's teenage daughters's pregnancy and a DUI arrest in the family are personal and shouldn't be fodder for the campaign.

"Her limited experience should be the focus, not this personal stuff," Rollins said.

"There's not much to make of it," Robinson said. "Everybody knows it's out there. The Republicans shot themselves in the foot."

Rollins noted that Palin served as mayor of an Alaskan town of 6,500 " a town smaller than Versailles.

"She has virtually no experience in international affairs," Rollins said.
Robinson said he was flabbergasted to learn Palin would be McCain's running mate.

"It's like a gift to the Democrats," Robinson said. "It's like we're playing give-away checkers or something."

Joe Gershtenson, assistant professor of politics and director of the Center for Kentucky History and Politics at Eastern Kentucky University, said selecting Palin as his running mate probably won't have much impact on McCain's campaign in Kentucky.

"McCain pretty much has it sealed up anyway," Gershtenson said.

However, selecting Palin may appeal to some disaffected Clinton supporters, Gershtenson said.

"A lot of registered Democrats in Kentucky are Democrats in registration only, not voting behavior," Gershtenson said. "They might think about voting for Republican candidates."

The pregnancy and DUI matters are unlikely to affect the campaign, he said.
"The folks that might be disturbed by that are extreme social conservatives and they wouldn't consider voting for Obama anyway," Gershtenson said.

He also said Palin's level of experience at the national level is also less important.

"I think that's more important at the top of the ticket," Gershtenson said.

Republicans: We're excited!
Local Republicans say Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is a dynamic candidate for vice president and they're excited.

"She's exactly who I need," said Republican Presidential nominee U.S. Sen. John McCain in announcing at a rally in Dayton Friday that Palin will be his running mate.

"She's exactly who this country needs to help me fight the same old Washington politics of "Me first and Washington second.'"

Stuart Victor, Franklin County Republican Party chairman, was at the rally and said Palin's speech was "electric." Palin discussed her family and conservative values.

"I was phenomenally shocked, I saw women in the audience crying. I've never seen that before. It was really an emotionally charged situation. She was phenomenal " very articulate and commanding."

Over the weekend reports surfaced that Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant and plans to keep the baby and marry the child's father. It also came to light that Palin's husband, then 22, was arrested for driving under the influence in 1986.

Victor said those issues are personal matters and shouldn't be part of the campaign.

"Let her be judged on her ability to govern," Victor said. "Digging up this stuff is just disgusting."

Palin has been governor since 2006 and was previously the mayor of Wasilla " a small Alaskan town of 6,500. Although she has not been on the national stage before, Victor said she'll be a dynamic force on the campaign trail.

"She'll be a hell of a candidate," Victor said.

Victor also pointed out that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama admitted to smoking marijuana and that Al Gore's son was arrested on charges of drug possession in 2007.

Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson said Palin has shown herself to be a maverick like McCain by championing ethics reform in Alaska, cutting pork barrel spending and ending the Bridge to No Where, an Alaskan project that became an icon of congressional waste in public works spending.

"Obama and (U.S. Sen. Joe) Biden talk a great game but do not have a great record of working with folks across the isle," Grayson said. "Sarah definitely does."

"The Republican base is excited," Grayson said. "A maverick governor and a maverick senator can really shake things up in Washington."

Palin's record includes opposing gun control and abortion and she's embroiled in an ethics controversy over the dismissal of an Alaska state official who refused to fire her estranged brother-in-law.

Grayson said he's not concerned about those issues although he's worried if she'll be able to survive the rigorous 24/7 cycle of a national campaign.

"She has never been on the national stage before but I suspect she will rise to the occasion," Grayson said. "I am confident she'll do a great job. She brings a lot to the table."

Grayson said he hopes Palin will be able to help craft a national energy policy. As governor of Alaska, Palin supports drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge, which McCain opposes.

"My hope is that he'll have that conversation with Sarah Palin, if he hasn't had it already, and he'll see that the circumstances have changed and that he ought to support drilling in the refuge," Grayson said, according to the Associated Press.

Grayson said he's also received at least one e-mail from a woman who formerly supported Democratic contender Hillary Clinton. According to Grayson, picking Palin as his running mate will make it more likely she'll vote for McCain.

"Nothing I've heard that has come out about her has given me any concern that those voters, as well as the other swing voters, won't view her as anything other than an asset," Grayson said, according to the Associated Press.

Palin was scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul Tuesday night but it was rescheduled for tonight.

Carly Fiorina, chairwoman of the Republican National Convention Victory 2008, said she was appalled at attempts by Democrats to belittle Palin's experience.

"The facts are that Sarah Palin has made more executive decisions as a mayor and governor than Barack Obama has made in his life," she said.

78.	Posted by terrell19631 September 23, 2008
	Barack Hussein Obama: 1. His given name, by his mother, was Barry Sotero and he chooses to go by the name of Barack Hussein Obama. 2. He mixed up the number of muslim countries (57) with the number of states in the union (50). 3. Twenty year follower of the racist "Rev." Jeremiah Wright. 4. Friend and recepient of financial favors from convicted felon Tony Rezko. 5. Friend and neighbor of known terrorist bomber, Bill Ayers. So when he has a momentary lapse and refers to his muslim faith, it is simply his human need to be truthful about what he really is. Let's look atit again tosee how absurd the Obama campaign is. 1. You couldn't geta job atMcDonaldsand become district managerafter 143 days of experience. 2. You couldn'tbecomechief of surgeryafter 143 days of experience ofbeing a surgeon. 3. You couldn't get a job as ateacher and be the superintendentafter 143 days of experience. 4. Youcouldn'tjoin the military and become a colonelafter 143 days of experience. 5. You couldn't get ajob as areporter and become thenightly news anchorafter 143 days of experience. BUT.... 'From the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. That's how many days the Senate was actually in session and working. After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed he was ready to be Commander In Chief, Leader of the Free World, and fill the shoes of Abraham Lincoln,FDR, JFK and Ronald Reagan. 143 days? We all have to start somewhere. The senate is a good start, but after 143 days, that's all it is - a start. AND, sadly, a large sector of the American public seems to feel comfortable with this and campaigning for him. We wouldn't accept this in our own line of work, yet some are OK with this for the President of the United States of America ? Come on folks, we are not voting for the next American Idol.