vote2008

On the debate Friday night... (September 26)

Sayre Sheldon weighs in on the foreign policy debate...

If the debate had been a boxing match the commentary would have been that the old fighter kept delivering the same punch while the younger fighter circled around him lightly landing a variety of blows.

The referee would have declared the match a draw.

We the public will decide the winner mostly on our party loyalties. For WAND watchers who support Obama the debate was a very mixed bag.

Obama made his best points on the Iraq war but didn't go on to blame McCain for having no exit strategy and committing us to many more years in Iraq.

On the nuclear issues which we are watching for little was said. If Obama had not brought up the proliferation issue, McCain would not have--the only thing he said was about the 45 (or was it 55) new nuclear plants he wants to build! Obama was able to warn about the dangers of proliferation and although he believes in missile defense (!) he said much more money must be spent on controlling nuclear weapons and materials.

Obama also managed to link economic problems to defense but didn't talk of reducing the military budget. In fact, McCain did speak of waste in the military budget. Obama  said we have weakend our capacity "to project power around the world"-- a pretty discouraging view for us in WAND. We can only hope that he is sounding more bellicose and concealing some of his beliefs in order to appear as tough as McCain.

I think Obama won because McCain looked too much like the old fighter, still repeating yesterday's fights while Obama had many more ideas and gave the hope of someone who could adapt and lead in the world that lies ahead.

So what's new with this campaign?

Caroline Stevenson from Arkansas WAND has this to say about the 2008 campaign so far:

So what's new?  We've had a MAVERICK in the White House for the past 8 years.  Dear God, what has that brought us?  War, recession, massive debt, unemployment, astronomical energy prices, (one corporate bailout after another), loss of our leadership in the world.

I don't need another president that has this "go it alone, shoot from hip" mentality.  I don't need or want another president who spouts patriotic phrases just to get our blood boiling and keep us, the public, suspicious of anything that it can say is Un-American.  I don't need or want another president who hides his or her true intentions because being a MAVERICK relies on getting your way, by whatever means possible.  It means keeping us, the public - those who vote, in the dark.    

"Thanks, but no thanks" to four more years of our country being dragged along in this direction.  And, above all, I don't want things sprung on me!   The choice to put someone in the position of the Vice Presidency who has not come before the public to be vetted (scrutinized) for more than a few weeks before a critical election tells me that we can expect more of this kind of decision making.  Anything to get your way, MAVERICK.

Now, what I do want is leadership that listens to many diverse points of view, is open to true discussion and helps people find solutions to the problems that threaten our planet and our prosperity.  I want a presidency that truly respects those who differ on issues from environmental change, to when life begins, to how we conduct ourselves as part of the world community.   

Caroline Stevenson
Arkansas WAND

The female problem in the 2008 election

The wise Sayre Sheldon, president emerita of WAND, has some things to say about the woman who would be president. If we don't act soon...

The woman question in the Presidential Election 2008

By Sayre Sheldon

Where to begin? I’m a Democratic older woman who voted for Hillary. (Not because she is a woman, but because I believed she could immediately begin putting into action the changes this country so desperately needs.) I am also an East Coast liberal, Times-reading, former college professor – and all this, according to some people, disqualifies me from having the right to criticize Sarah Palin.

But wait. Because I do have something to say, and I think it’s important. I have worked hard to get women like her to enter politics—grassroots women who see something wrong in their community and decide to change it. I have traveled around the country speaking and listening to these women, continually surprised by their courage and tenacity. Sarah Palin has both. Doesn’t that give me the right to talk about her?

Here’s the hard part: I’m a feminist. And some people think that means I have a grudge, or an ideology. But I’m a feminist because I have no choice: I became one simply by living through the changes of the past eighty years. I became one by studying history and seeing how women made and are still making the changes necessary to gain their rights. The feminist values I have tried to live by and pass on to my children were painfully acquired.

And I’m sorry to say: they are the opposite of Sarah Palin’s values.

I believe in knowledge—not censorship or punishment of those who refuse to censor.

I believe in science and its increasing power to deepen our awareness of our place in the universe-- not a faith-based explanation of our creation.

I believe that girls and women should have control of their bodies-- not be denied the knowledge they need to have that control.

I believe in sexuality that is consensual and respectful and does not lead to unwanted pregnancy—not that sexuality can be contained by abstinence-only programs.

I believe that women should have equal pay with men—not second class treatment in the workplace.

I believe in a government that can help women receive healthcare and daycare to manage their family and work lives--not.a government that tells every woman she’s on her own.

I believe in the right to be safe from violence—not a country that encourages gun ownership and tolerates thousands of innocent victims each year.

I believe that war should be only a last resort after every effort is made to avoid it—not decided by God.

My values are deeply felt and strongly in opposition to Sarah Palin’s. Not because she’s a Republican; but because her values would undo so many of the gains won over many painful years by so many women.

Hey! It's a blog about the election!

I have a friend who's not only a hockey mom, she actually plays hockey!

She doesn't enjoy the shenanigans of Lipstick Annie Oakley.