Simply put there's been a lot of speculation about the candidates and their readiness to lead this country once elected.
Whether Democrat or Republican it is absolutely necessary to ask the tough questions of these candidates to vet them and their leadership quotient.
That being said there are ways to going about this and ways not to. Some topics are necessarily to discuss; some are clearly not. Let us vet Sarah Palin not on very personal issues, but rather on the plethora of issues that are going to face this country in the near and distant future.
More after the proverbial jump...
We live in a serious world in very serious times that warrants serious discussion about the qualifications of our leaders; whether they are President, Vice President, a member of the cabinet, the Senate and House, and that's just on the federal level. Naturally, the same goes for state and local levels, as well.
But, if you really want to piss off a whole lot of people, then all you have to do is bring up very personal issues.
Some of these personal issues deserve consideration, but sometimes they don't, ie. is Sarah Palin a grandmother, or not? If we go by conjecture and speculation alone then, we Kossacks, are treading on very thin ice. It would seem Sarah Palin isn't a grandmother from most accounts; instead, it's her daughter who is pregnant now and not a year ago. I don't know about you, but I'd rather be walking on a pond with a foot of ice in the middle of winter, rather than a pond that's newly frozen over in early winter.
If the issues we address are of the personal variety, then they can quite damning to the person reporting the issue if it turns out to be false.
So, before we all jump to conclusions on what is the truth and what is not, then it would behoove us to remain impartial as the information presented to us is only circumstantial.
I come to and enjoy DKos for what it offers me. Quality writing, superb analysis and the occasional fun diary that gets us all thinking in ways we typically don't.
So, if you want DKos to be perceived as a moonbat website, then post inane, unsubstantiated diaries. But, there's far too much at stake for DKos to let that happen. This is a community of very committed individuals who only want the best for our country. But, don't let that passion for excellence bring you to a dark place that you can't climb out of.
We've seen the Rovian ways of politics and most of us despise him and his ways. But, there's been a plethora of diaries, as of late, that have delved into that realm. It does nothing for this site except rise the ire of many constituencies; the least of which being ourselves.
But, think about it this way, if for example rumors are just that, nothing but rumors, completely unverified and then later disproven, then we risk drawing the ire of not only Republican and conservatives, but other more supportive constituencies that generally vote with the Democrats and value liberal and progressive ideals.
That could be a tremendous problem for you, me, and the rest of us who truly want to see us get out of the quagmire we are in in Iraq; for those who truly want a President who will use diplomacy before using force; for those who want to see our economy thrive once again; for those who want to see middle class families and individuals have the opportunities our parents and grandparents had; for those who want to be able to afford a college education, if thats what they desire; for those who want to see the many quality programs enacted by earlier presidents remain; the list goes on.
We should use powerful arguments on policy, experience, and the qualifications of those seeking office to be your sounding board. Needlessly, using conjecture and speculation will only hurt us in the long run and I'm tired of living under the misbegotten rule of another Republican administration. My time on this planet, 38 years, has been spent living under one Republican administration after another and I'm tired of it, as I'm sure all of us are.
So let us step up and not let the draconian politics be our standard bearer. A couple of posters out here, Triscula and deadletteroffice respectively, have already made references to this here and here, as well. Indeed, there is a bevy of topics to choose from in which to attack Palin as dave3172 and SantaFeMarie have demonstrated. Lets step up and win this thing on rational, thought-provoking, powerful arguments. To do otherwise is beneath us all. We should all remember that image is everything. Don't let DKos become what you most despise.
PIL - Public Image
Hello, hello, hello (ha, ha, ha)
You never listen to a word that I said
You only seen me
For the clothes that I wear
Or did the interest go so much deeper
It must have been
The colour of my hair
The Public Image
What you wanted was never made clear
Behind the image was ignorance and fear
You hide behind this public machine
Still follow same old scheme
Public Image
Two sides to every story
Somebody had to stop me
I'm not the same as when I began
I will not be treated as property
Public Image
Two sides to every story
Somebody had to stop me
I'm not the same as when I began
Its not a game of monopoly
Public image
Public image
You got what you wanted
The public image belongs to me
It's my entrance
My own creation
My grand finale
My goodbye
Public image
Goodbye
Afterword
This diary includes parts of several posts recently made by me with regard to the high volume of speculative diaries written and posted recently on DKos.