I think having a mother of a special needs child as VP would help bring to light so many of the issues that these families need help with, such as extra education and costly healthcare. I bet she would campaign for help for children and families.

while i find in endearing that McCain chose a mother of five for his VP candidate, my vote has always been and will still be for Obama. I would hope that voters would look at the bigger picture when they got to vote in November...after all I doubt her parenting skills will be put to work much inside the white house.

It won't sway my vote, I'm voting for them anyways. LOVE her kids' names, btw.

I'm all for women holding high offices, & all for mothers holding high offices. I just don't understand why a mother of YOUNG children would run for an office that requires so much time. Flame me if you want, but that how I see it.

Right now I have a job that keeps me busy, I hope to work REALLY hard & become very good at what I do. Then when I decide to have children, I would love to drop to freelancing so that I can work perhaps 20-30 hours a week instead of 40+.

I can't imagine running the FREE WORLD while raising children that are not even in school yet.

Okay, so the woman had five kids. Most of us here have the hardware to do that. While I'm not undermining the magnitude or importance of motherhood, let's think about what she's actually trying to do. She's trying to get into office for our entire COUNTRY. I would think that means that her political positions are kind of important. I really hope people just do their research before jumping on the mommy-for-vice bandwagon.

HELL NO. Does that sum it up?

Hell no she ain't got my vote. Just cause she has a baby with down syndrome doesn't mean I'm going to vote for her. Pass!

No way, I don't care if the person is parent/nonparent, male/female, gay-lesbian/straight, black/white/hispanic/native american, etc etc.
To me what is important is their views, policies, fundamental beliefs, ect.
I would never vote for a person just b/c they are female/male etc to me that just isn't right.

Track, Bristol, and Trig are freaking dumb names.

It is a poor assumption that just because Palin is a woman and a mother that she automatically supports policies that one would consider pro-woman and pro-child.

No. Way.

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this VP pick. She was mayor of a rural town for 2 terms and governor of Alaska for less than 2 years, and suddenly that's enough experience to be President? Because, as morbid as I know it is, the Vice President has to be capable of handling the Presidency should anything happen to the commander in chief.

I was and still will be voting for Obama. Heck, I'm lobbying even harder for the Dem ticket after this foolish choice.

I agree Uptown_Girl. I was very disappointed to see that she has a four month old special needs child and, in her judgment, right now is a good time to hit the champaign trail? Aside from her lack of national and international policy experience, which is a serious concern considering MaCain's age, this decision demonstrates poor judgment in my opinion.

I was disappointed in this VP choice and feel that MaCain is making a mockery of the process by selecting a candidate that is clearly meant to pander to a section of society with out considering the needs of the country. MaCain has openly admitted that he lacks background on the economy, yet he did not select a running mate that would round out his knowledge base.

As to the issue of Obama being inexperienced, he has at least some experience at the national level, and beyond that he had the good sense to select a running mate that would bring experience in areas that he lacks. For all of his experience, MaCain has demonstrated serious lapses in judgment in supporting the war in Iraq (which Obama opposed) and now once again he causes me to question his judgment with this VP choice.

Ummm...mushaboom, if you're picking based on experience, I'd think twice about Obama.

She's an interesting choice. I don't support the rep. or dem. candidate. No doubt it's a big job, especially for someone with young children.

"It is a poor assumption that just because Palin is a woman and a mother that she automatically supports policies that one would consider pro-woman and pro-child." Facin, you are absolutely right~ Palin opposes same-sex marriage, is pro life, and will, I believe, severely limit a woman's right to reproductive choices.

HECK NO! Oh- and I agree with uptown girl & facin8me 100%!

no would not sway my vote for her, even if she is a woman and has a child with special needs as i do, still wouldn't make me vote for her, i will never vote republican btw

NO WAY would she get my vote, she may be a woman, but she is anti woman. thanks but no thanks.

Team Red had my vote anyway. She is just icing on the cake. And to say at least Obama has some experience on a national level is insane. He served as an absentee senator for less than 200 days.

I dont find the fact that shes running for ANY political position with a special needs infant admirable at ALL

Sarahinparis I think you hit the nail right on the head!
I am insulted as a woman and as an American that the republican party expects women who were Hilary supporters to get behind Palin when she and Hilary represent polar opposite political agendas. This is not a battle of the sexes it's POLITICS.
Truly shameful choice. McCain himself said she isn't experienced but he trusts she will learn quickly. I would never feel comfortable voting for someone who is not ready to lead.
(ps- she was back at work 3 days after delivering her youngest son in April)

i agree 100% katedavis, I wonder why she was at work so fast

She had my vote anyway.

"I just don't understand why a mother of YOUNG children would run for an office that requires so much time."

The same would apply for Obama, unless you only want the mother involved. Either way this election goes, small children are losing one of their parents for a good amount of time.

The difference greggie one of the children is under the age of one with special needs, obama has michelle to care for their two girls, palin is a single mother if I'm not mistaken, who will watch her kids? Whatever as long as her priorities are straight

She's not a single mother, her husband has a fishing business and works for BP oil. (He said he would stop working at BP if she won the governorship so as not to create a conflict of interests, but once she won he went back to working for them saying they needed the money.)

No Fricking way. Especially not her.

She's not a single mother. She has her husband to care for the kids the same as Obama has Michelle.

It's like the "lack of experience" argument for not voting for McCain/Palin or for Obama/Biden - the same applies to both teams, which makes it a weak argument.

Kate, I think its insulting and incredibly self-absorbed that Clinton supporters think this is about them. McCain didn't think picking a straight party platform aligner was going to pull pro-abortion people to his ticket. The clinton supporters need to get over it. Not everything is about them.

And Amen Greggie.

And i think it is sexist as hell to say she needs to stay home and not hold a historical office because she is a mother. That is what is insulting.

GreatSommelier- It just so happens that I am not a Hillary supporter and never was. I am of the opinion though that McCain's choice is a transparent political move calculated to garner female votes in light of Hillary's loss and the cost that decision comes at (having a VP who is wildly unprepared to run a country) makes it ridiculous.

If that was the case he wouldn't have picked such a conservative woman. And she has MORE experience than OBAMA. i don't know why you keep using that as a negative against her.

Sorry I thought she was single

Great Sommelier: Does it not make you pause and at least question McCain's judgment when he chooses someone with little experience after bashing Obama about it endlessly. It's been the theme of his campaign! This coupled with the fact that one major concern that many have had with McCain is his age. If he were to die, this would leave Palin, who recently wanted to know "what the VP actually does on a day to day basis", left to lead. For all of his inexperience, Obama made a much better choice in a running mate and, I believe, the Democrats present a better ticket.

Let me add that I once respected McCain for his willingness to head upstream on certain issues and have even said I would vote for him in the past. However, some of his decisions over the last year have caused me to question his judgment more than erratic attempts to create the maverick image he so cherishes. His choice of Palin has even caused me to question his motivations for running in the first place.

Totally off topic, but GS I was in Best Buy today and I saw She-Ra & He-Man Series on DVD and it made me think of you

i believe that mccain's campaign is cheap, and this only further proves it.
the republicans were the ones to start the whole "obama has no experience" ordeal, and now mccain picks a woman with 18 months experience as a governor? and before that she was only on city council then mayor of a town of 6,500.
it's one thing for an inexperienced president candidate to get a VP who has more experience to help him, but it's something else to pick an inexperienced woman as VP. She's not going to be any help to mccain.
she was pretty much chosen to help mccain get voters who wanted hilary, and to agree with everything mccain says or does.
like i said. cheap.

No. I would not change my political views just to have a woman as our VP. I am a democrat and could not vote republican. I cannot and will not alter my belief in who should win this election. Anyone that would be swayed to change their vote just because she is a mom obviously has no clue about the politics going on; people like that should not be allowed to vote until they know what their beliefs are, what each political party wants to do and which party you're beliefs fall under.

There is no way I am voting for her. I just read an article about Sarah Palin and this is what it said:

On Friday, it was announced that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was chosen to be Republican presidential nominee John McCain’s running mate. The 44-year-old Idaho-native claimed to be the mother of five children, the youngest of whom was diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome. Palin’s decision to have the baby was applauded by the pro-life community.

Here’s some new evidence Daily Kos has brought forward, showing Sarah Palin is not the mother of four-month-old Trig:

– On March 6th, Sarah announced she’s seven month pregnant. Even close members of her staff were surprised.

– Her water broke one month before Trig was due, but she kept a previous speaking engagement in Texas and then flew 8 hours to Alaska. No one on board noticed that Sarah was going into labor either. The flight lands in Anchorage, Alaska. Instead of visiting a medical facility that can accommodate a premature birth in Alaska’s most equipped city, she drives 45 minutes away to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, right outside the small village she used to govern as Mayor, Wasilla.

– On April 18, 2008, Trig was born one month premature. Sarah returned to work after three days. (Trig was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome while still in the womb.)

– Trig is not Sarah’s son, but grandson. It was her 16-year-old daughter Bristol (pictured right) who was carrying. (80% of the cases of Down’s Syndrome are in mothers under the age of 35.)

– Family had taken Bristol out of Anchorage High School due to contracting “infectious mononucleosis”. Reports say she was absent from school for five to eight months. Mono can last anywhere from two weeks to three months.

To read all of the incriminating evidence “proving” Palin is a liar, visit DailyKos.com.

Seriously, why lie, the truth always comes out?!

No, I won't change my vote just to put a mom in office. I really wanted hilary to be president because I really believe she was the most prepared and able person to clean up the mess of the last 8 years. my priority is not to put a woman in office, or a black man in office, it is to put a person in office who can lead us to the great country we once were.

First, Kiki, thanks! I will head over to Bestbuy. I want my daughter to see them.

Second, quoting the daily kos like any kind of factual source is like using wikipedia. Most of those points have already been debunked.

And, you realize you just said her water broke blah blah blah then he isn't even her kid?

No. A mom for veep does nothing special for my vote. A bridge to nowhere and firing scandals do though.

btw - "Trig Paxson Van" sounds like a name a teenager would pick out. Much stranger than the other more unique names chosen for her other children. Yes - I believe in "BabyGate".

I think it is pathetic how just because some of you don't agree with this woman's politics you are willing to destroy her character and that of a sixteen year old girl. Truly pathetic and sad.

GS, just like when republicans didn't agree with John Kerry's politics they didn't trash his character or military service? Please...

"And she has MORE experience than OBAMA."

Umm. Being on a city council and the mayor of a town of 5000 (or 6500 or 8000 or whatever) doesn't count as a national experience. And despite what Cindy McCain or Steve Dusey thinks, being next to Russia hasn't gained Palin any experience either.

I think everything we need to know about Sarah Palin can be found at this website:

http://www.palinfacts.com/

McCain's not trying to go after Hillary supporters, he's trying to go after women Republicans who hadn't thought of voting for him but now might because of Palin.

I am shocked at how much hypocrisy I'm reading on this board.
1) NEITHER Obama or Palin have extensive experience. How you can say that it's more important for a VP to have experience than a President is just ridiculous.
2) Every Presidential candidate chooses their running mate based on hoping to capture and correct any weaknesses they are thought to have - so if you say that McCain only chose Palin as a political move, you'd also have to confer that the same goes for Obama and Biden.
3) Quoting "news" from an article can be used on both ends. If you are happy stating that Sarah Palin's newest child is actually her grandchild, I'll be happy to show you 1000 online references stating that Obama is muslim. Both, I believe, are INCORRECT.
4) If Sarah Palin tried to protect her daughter's pregnancy with Trig, why did she just announce today that her 17 year old daughter is pregnant, will be marrying her high school boyfriend, and will be keeping the child? If they went to such great extents to hide her prior child (ALLEGEDLY), then why would they now publicly make it known?
5) Sarah Palin has a husband to help her raise her children, just as Obama has Michelle, John had Jackie, etc. I am shocked that a website focused on the empowerment of mothers would have members who are so short-sighted.
Just remember, whatever your political affiliation, it is easy to spin the information both ways. If you disagree with one side or the other based on policy - FINE - but to attack Palin on her inexperience is ridiculous, as is stating that she shouldn't run for office because she is the mother of a young child.

facin: "GS, just like when republicans didn't agree with John Kerry's politics they didn't trash his character or military service? Please..."

I'm not talking about every democrat and I never stated I was. I am talking about those of you who I am witnessing do this. I think it is pathetic just as I thought those who viciously attacked Kerry with no facts were. If that is your only argument , well, they did it first, then it fits in with the playground name calling and rumor mongering that is going on.

Expecting all mothers to vote for McCain&Palin because she is a mother is about as offensive as thinking all blacks will vote for Obama because he is black. It is about who is qualified.
I can't believe it is not obvious to everyone that McCain picked Palin to get Clinton voters and show he can get with the times (everything is about CHANGE this campaign). It was such a bad move just like havoc 363 said with him calling out Obama about not having experience he then picks a candidate with very little experience.

GS, "they did it first" is not my argument. My point is that I don't see the same righteous indignation coming from the right when it comes to slime when it is being hurled at the left. And I don't think accusing people on this site of engaging in playground taunts does much to raise the discourse either.