Since the world hardly knows Palin aren't we justified in asking questions about her background?

Question

A McCain spokesman is now telling the media to stop inquiring into Sarah Palin's background. So I guess we are supposed to take McCain at his word that his surprise pick would make a good VP and not ask any questions to help determine that for ourselves ?!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26527513/

Answer 1

yes we are. How can a black man with a law degree from Harvard, 12 years in politics, four years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and manager of one of the most impressively flawless and forward thinking presidential campaigns ever not be ready for the presidency while a white female evangelical with 19 months in national politics and a bachelors in journalism is considered ‘ready on day one’?Of course we should ask questions about her background because from what it appears it seems she was a very bad choice. Lets digg deeper.

Answer 2

They were not asking for the media to stop inquiring into Palin's background. They were asking them to stop questioning there review of Sarah Palin’s background before she was chosen as VP. Read more carefully.  

Answer 3

I think the problem is the questions have shifted from a political standpoint to a gossip standpoint.  If the questions they are asking refer to her decisions made as Senator of Alaska or policies or causes she supports, more power to the media.  But they aren't.  There asking about her personal and family problems, which are not the country's concern.  Do we know anything about Obama's VP pick?  Not really. Let's do some diggin' on him?!

Answer 4

Why not?  Apparently, the campaign camp of Obama (and most of his supporters) don't want HIS background questioned, either.

Answer 5

Yes, but Obama's life should be an open book too.  It won't be easy to get to the truth on Obama with the media covering up for him, though.

Answer 6

yes

Answer 7

Of course. That's what's causing the frenzy to dig for information.

Answer 8

That's what he's telling you, she would be one heartbeat away from the presidency so you shouldn't care too much

Answer 9

One would think so.

But Tucker Bounds got very upset with CNN's Campbell Brown when she asked him for a specific example of Palin's excutive work with the Alaskan National Guard.

He got so pissed off at her that he canceled McCain's interview with Larry King.

The GOP expects America to accept Palin without questioning...truly pathetic!

Answer 10

You have no business in trashing her kids.

Answer 11

Sure, just so long as you realize that you are being super-duper extra hypocritical when you criticize her.

Answer 12

There are  real questions and their are questions made to just make her look bad for no reason. Why are they calling her a liar. Most of the people in Alaska knew her daughter was pregnant. The media could have done their job. But instead call her a liar and accusing her of hiding it?  

Answer 13

why? we weren't allowed to ask obama about his terrorist friends, his felony friend, his racist priest. her background is one thing, now you are attacking a child. no one is allowed to get into any of obamas past, it's off limits. you know, the muslim childhood, the cocaine use, the alleged homosexual activities. why aren't we allowed to get into his background? there is a difference between a persons background and a child being attacked.

Answer 14

The Republicans don't want anyone to investigate their New Wonder.If anyone says anything,they accuse them of being sexist.If they had vet-ed her right ,there would be no problems.

Answer 15

Yes, there is justification in doing so.

How many questions here have inquired into Obama's links to "black separatists"?

But it is wrong to ask about Palion's links to "Alaskan separatists"?

I agree we should go easy on the daughter, but was this not expected?

Sure it was, sympathy is a powerful force.

Answer 16

Yet again, a misrepresentation of facts.  The McCain campaign would welcome questions about Palin's background since she is better qualified to bring change to Washington than Obama/Biden.  However, they are saying that these questions about her family are highly inappropriate, as are these biased news reports that are being reported and 5 minutes later having to be retracted as false and inaccurate.

Answer 17

yup, all lot of dreck on msnbc, I wonder if they'll talk about the rally for the republic. Join the Ron Paul campaign for liberty!

Answer 18

There is nothing wrong with finding out about a person's background. The problem lies in the never-ending search for skeleton's in the closet that everyone has and making issues of non-issues.

The fact that Palin's daughter is pregnant is an irrelevant issue. What has that got to do with her ability to be VP. Families across this country deal with the issue of teen pregnancy on a daily basis. If anything this event in Sarah Palin's life should show she is more in touch with the problems of everyday life than most politicians.

Instead of going after her on her personal life, let's look at her past decisions she has made as mayor and governor and use these as determining factors as to how she would handle the responsibilities as VP. Even Barack Obama has stated her family life and family itself should be off limits from attack. Let's make this election about the issues and the people who will influence them.

Answer 19

Absolutely.  It appears that the media is doing a great job of vetting Palin, since the McCain campaign did not bother to.

Can you imagine the media flurry if Obama had selected somebody as unknown as Palin as his running mate?  

Answer 20

Yes we are justified.  The McCain investigators and new media are just finding out now that Sarah Palin has a history of abusing her powers of office.  As a Mayor she tried to get books banned from the library.  When the town librarian objected, she was fired.

"Ann Kilkenny, a Democrat who said she attended every City Council meeting in Ms. Palin’s first year in office, said Ms. Palin brought up the idea of banning some books at one meeting. “They were somehow morally or socially objectionable to her,” Ms. Kilkenny said.

The librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, pledged to “resist all efforts at censorship,” Ms. Kilkenny recalled. Ms. Palin fired Ms. Emmons shortly after taking office but changed course after residents made a strong show of support. Ms. Emmons, who left her job and Wasilla a couple of years later, declined to comment for this article."

Presently Gov. Sarah Palin is under investigation for Abuse of Power for the firing of a public safety supervisor, when he resisted her requests to fire the state trooper that is involved in a custody battle with her sister.

This woman has a history of using her position and office to push her personal agenda.  This is despicable.

Answer 21

Of course everything about her is up for grabs.  Why is that Obama was open for season about his religion, his church, and his family yet this woman is "untouchable"???

Second, McCain cheated anyways.  If she had gone through the primaries and was WELL KNOWN we would not have to ask these questions.  Good strategy by McCain to have her at the GOP convention before anyone finds any dirt on her.  Which the media will.

Third, this is ELECTION SEASON.  THE PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO QUESTION WHATEVER THEY WANT ABOUT ANY OF THE CANDIDATES!!

Therefore if you question Obama you are a racist! If you question Palin you are a sexist!  WTF?!!  So I am curious as to what type of debate we are going to have.  

IF WOMEN WANT TO BE TREATED EQUAL AS MEN, THEN THEY SHOULD BE READY TO TAKE ON ANY MAN!

If Palin is VP and McCain dies, if people cannot question her properly, then how is she going to handle Vladimir Putin?, the Ayatollah of Iran, the leaders of North Korea, China etc...

Strong women leaders like Margaret Thatcher, Condolezza Rice, can hold their own in a room of men.  This Palin is an idiot.  Sorry, but being governor of 8500 people is NOT THE SAME as being leader of the "free world".

**Once again the world is laughing at us Americans as an idiot nation.  Thanks again this time to John McCain, or should I say "McSame".  Bush made us the laughing stock and this guy is continuing it.  

Answer 22

She's muslim

Answer 23

Inquiring about her background and decisions is one thing.  Dragging her 17 yo daughter into the mix is something else entirely.  

Answer 24

When one decides to run for the second highest office in the nation, they should expect to have their background checked, checked and re-checked.  That Said, simply running for office should not be an excuse for others to invade the privacy of her family and friends except as they impact her future actions in the position(s) for which she is running.

Answer 25

Background questions are good.

Dragging in her children into the question are bad.

Manufacturing stories like the Daily Kos did are bad.

About her stand on the issues are not a problem.

Asking question is she can be a mother and the V.P.  is wrong unless you can ask Obama the same question if he can be a father and the President.

Questioning her experience only if Obama's experience is back on the table again.

Answer 26

No, you are not...She's a woman...asking her a question is sexist

Answer 27

Yes, without the hysteria, just like the article you reference says:

“Certainly, her record deserves scrutiny, but I think we ought to look at her record,” campaign manager Rick Davis told reporters on a conference call. He condemned “the salacious nature” of some news stories designed to “throw dirt at our candidate.” He also lamented a “frenzied” mentality on Palin and urged the media to “dial it back.”