Hi to my Friends Ministry Friends and to my TimesDaily Forum Friends,
While I am sure that a vast majority of you watched the Vice Presidential Debates last evening; I want to give you my "unbiased" (just joking) opinion. How did Sarah Palin do in this debate?
Personally, while both were able to get across the points they wanted to make; I believe Sarah Palin came off as the hands down winner. Why do I say this? Well, on one hand, Joe Biden is the consummate politician -- thirty years experience in politics, knows when to smile and when to grimace, to make a point. Yes, Biden is a professional politician. But, ask yourself -- do we need more professional politicians, each with their own personal agenda, in Washington DC -- or do we need fresh thoughts, fresh ideas, new blood in Washington -- to change the course of out national downfall?
Sarah Palin came across very relaxed, very confidant, and very much speaking to the American people -- as fellow Americans. Her assured demeanor and her low key self confidence -- rang out loud and clear. Personally, while watching Sarah Palin; I was reminded of Ronald Reagan during his Presidential Debates. Do we have a female Ronald Reagan to do battle for us with the Liberal Democrats? I honestly do think so.
Sarah Palin was down to earth, sincere, spoke to "we the people" -- and her Reaganesque humor clearly surfaced. I loved it when she told Biden, "Say it ain't so, Joe, there you go again -- pointing backwards again. You preferenced your whole comment with the Bush administration. Now doggone it, let's look ahead and tell Americans what we plan to do for them in the future."
Can anyone else hear the ringing sound of that historic comment by Ronald Reagan to Jimmy Carter during their 1980 presidential debate, "There you go again."
Yes, in my view, Sarah Palin came across as down to earth -- yet, strong. I can envision her saying, as Ronald Reagan did years ago, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" -- or, in our current world, when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes statements such as these quoted by BBC News, "As the Imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map" -- and regarding the holocaust, "They have created a myth today that they call the massacre of Jews and they consider it a principle above God, religions, and the prophets" -- I can envision Sarah Palin telling him, "Mr. Ahmadinejad, Israel is our friend and ally. We WILL stand with her against your attempts to destroy her."
Look at some of the statements made by Sarah Palin last night:
ON REDEFINING MARRIAGE TO INCLUDE GAY MARRIAGE:
PALIN: But I will tell Americans straight up that I don't support defining marriage as anything but between one man and one woman, and I think through nuances we can go round and round about what that actually means.
But I'm being as straight up with Americans as I can in my nonsupport for anything but a traditional definition of marriage.
IFILL: Let's try to avoid nuance, Senator. Do you support gay marriage?
BIDEN: No. Barack Obama nor I support redefining from a civil side what constitutes marriage . We do not support that. That is basically the decision to be able to be left to faiths and people who practice their faiths the determination what you call it.
The bottom line though is, and I'm glad to hear the governor, I take her at her word, obviously, that she think there should be no civil rights distinction, none whatsoever, between a committed gay couple and a committed heterosexual couple. If that's the case, we really don't have a difference.
BILL GRAY COMMENT: This is your consummate politician -- spinning, but never giving a straight answer. Palin gave a straight answer. Biden gave us spin.
IFILL: Is that what your said?
PALIN: Your question to him was whether he supported gay marriage and my answer is the same as his and it is that I do not.
ON THE WAR IN IRAQ:
PALIN: Your plan is a white flag of surrender in Iraq and that is not what our troops need to hear today, that's for sure. And it's not what our nation needs to be able to count on. You guys opposed the surge. The surge worked. Barack Obama still can't admit the surge works.
We'll know when we're finished in Iraq, when the Iraqi government can govern its people, and when the Iraqi security forces can secure its people. And our commanders on the ground will tell us when those conditions have been met. And Maliki and Talabani also, in working with us, are knowing again that we are getting closer and closer to that point, that victory that's within sight.
PALIN: Oh, yeah, it's so obvious I'm a Washington outsider. And someone just not used to the way you guys operate. Because here you voted for the war -- and now you oppose the war. You're one who says, as so many politicians do, I was for it -- before I was against it -- or vice versa. Americans are craving that straight talk and just want to know, hey, if you voted for it, tell us why you voted for it and it was a war resolution.
And you had supported John McCain's military strategies pretty adamantly until this race -- and you had opposed very adamantly Barack Obama's military strategy, including cutting off funding for the troops, that attempt, all through the primary.
PALIN: I beg to disagree with you, again, here -- on whether you supported Barack Obama or John McCain's strategies. Here again, you can say what you want to say a month out before people are asked to vote on this, but we listened to the (primary) debates.
I think tomorrow morning, the pundits are going to start do(ing) the "who said what at what time" and we'll have proof of some of this, but, again, John McCain knows how to win a war. (It is he)who's been there -- and he's faced challenges and he knows what evil is and knows what it takes to overcome the challenges here with our military.
He knows to learn from the mistakes and blunders we have seen -- in the war in Iraq, especially. He will know how to implement the strategies, working with our commanders, and listening to what they have to say, taking the politics out of these war issues. He'll know how to win a war.
ON GOVERNMENT AND TAXES:
PALIN: So that people there can understand how the average working class family is viewing bureaucracy in the federal government and Congress and (the) inaction of Congress.
Just everyday working class Americans saying, "You know, government, just get out of my way. If you're going to do any harm, and mandate more things on me, and take more of my money and income tax and business taxes."
You're going to have a choice in just a few weeks -- on either supporting a ticket that wants to create jobs and bolster our economy and win the war -- or you're going to be supporting a ticket that wants to increase taxes, which ultimately kills jobs, and is going to hurt our economy.
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Yes, my Friends, last night, I could hear the echoes of -- "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall," said by Ronald Reagan. And, it came loud and clear from SARAH PALIN.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
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