Gary.Harmon@gjsentinel.com
It doesn’t hurt Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin that she’s from the West, knows how to handle a gun and can field dress a moose.
But those things don’t necessarily amount to being a deal-breaker, either, although some voters who like to hunt and fish said Wednesday that Palin’s presence on the ticket gave them greater confidence in the Republican ticket.
The choice of Palin validated Sue Broderdorp’s support of Republican nominee John McCain, an Arizona senator.
“He’s got such a brain for picking wonderful women,” Broderdorp said at Gene Taylor’s Sporting Goods in Grand Junction.
Less impressed were father and son Jim and Jamie Magid of Meeker, hunting for ammo at the gun counter.
“She’s not as good a golfer as Dan Quayle,” said Jim Magid, who said Palin’s hunting, fishing and family background would do little to help the Republican ticket.
Voters inclined to support McCain will find something in Palin to support their ready-made conclusion, and supporters of Democrat nominee Barack Obama, an Illinois senator, will be unaffected by Palin’s Western bona fides, Jim Magid said.
“It’s not going to affect my vote,” he said.
“I think it’s a game-changer for Democrats,” said Jamie Magid, who contended that Palin negated the GOP argument that Obama is inexperienced.
Palin’s selection, though, ignores the changing western states, which are becoming more business-oriented, he said.
“It’s not the old West anymore,” Jamie Magid said. “It’s the new West.”
McCain’s choice of Palin as a running mate is “a positive for me,” said Howard Tietjen. “She’s used to dealing with our types of problems.”
An Oklahoma man in western Colorado to scout out hunting places, Jerry Harden, said he has been leaning uncomfortably toward McCain.
“But not anymore,” he said.
The Palin pick cemented his decision to support McCain, he said.
Palin’s knowledge of western issues, from drilling to hunting, also made up his mind, said Brandon Sanchez.
“I’m kind of excited about it,” Sanchez said.
Janet Abbott, who was looking at a rifle with her husband, Tom, at the gun counter, said she’s no hunter and wouldn’t go near a moose gutting, even if she does like to shoot.
What attracted her to Palin was the Alaska governor’s strength, Jane Abbott said.
Palin “is not a do-nothing,” she said. “She’s not afraid to clean house.”
Palin made him feel better about backing McCain, Tom Abbott said.
Otherwise, he said, “I would have had the choice between two Democrats.”
Erin DeCoursey said a gun-safety program that Palin implemented in Alaska “should be an inspiration” around the country.
Palin also ought to look at her state’s history and urge McCain to go slow on drilling and emphasize alternative energy, DeCoursey said.
“I think that with her Alaska heritage,” DeCoursey said, “she should step back and look at the environment.”
Comments
By gritfud
Sep 5, 2008 9:35 AM | Link to this
me: mother is using the current available selections for presidents as examples of what is condoned if they are voted for, not a candidate from twelve and sixteen years ago. Just because he was a Democrat, dragging Clinton into this is just babbling about something that isn't relevant to what is going on. Clinton's days in office shape Obama as about as much as Nixon's shapes McCain. If you're going to fire a volley, I suggest you have some powder in the bullets.
By me
Sep 5, 2008 9:14 AM | Link to this
Hey, "mother", did the Democrats tell men to choose to not cheat when Clinton was Pres? Or did that just begin with the Big O? And, don't forget, Big O said that if his daughter got pregnant, it would be okay to kill the baby so "she wouldn't be saddled with a baby". So, where's the morality and ethics there? You have no idea what goes on inside a marriage, so quit judging, lest ye be judged.
By mother
Sep 5, 2008 8:13 AM | Link to this
what I keep thinking is that men will follow the example of who is elected. If the Republicans are elected, men are told that, like McCain, they can abandon the first wives, even if they become disabled, for a younger heiress. Men are told that if they get a 17 year old pregnant, important people will pat them on the back and her family will support them.
If the Democrats are elected, men are told that, like Obama, even if their mother was a teen age mother without a stable marriage, they can and should, embrace responsible family life by committing to a single marriage and being attentive to their children. Men are told that if their wife dies, like Biden's did, that they should arrange their lives around their children, like Biden did. And men are told that good looking men with opportunities to cheat, like Obama and Biden, choose not to cheat and are happy with their families.
There is also the example we set for 3rd world countries--have 5 kids!
By William
Sep 4, 2008 3:00 PM | Link to this
Canadates for any office are good at telling the people that elect them what the people want to hear. The trouble is some of the people do not hear just what they are saying about how they plan to do all this.
Any idea the president, or any offical has no matter how good it is, has to be approved by others. Sadly some of the ones doing this forget that no matter what party they belong to, they are there to do the best they can for the people who voted, hired, and/or placed them in that possition.
They will not okay the idea because they did not think of it. If they can add thier pet pork projects that mostly have nothing to do with the original idea, then they will okay it.
Our system of government is the best in the world, it would be perfect if the ones in it would work with instead of aginst each other.
By Poco
Sep 4, 2008 2:28 PM | Link to this
Navymom: You took all the words right out of my mouth! You are wonderful. Zuipop: You are getting extremely defensive about nothing but an opinion. Hunting can have good and bad factors, personally I have never seen any of the bad, and you know...my husband buys a bear tag every year along with his elk/deer tags in case he crosses paths with a bear and feels he might be in danger. This actually happened for the first time last year, yes I was there and let me tell ya...it scared the holy s out of me! That's all beside the point. I personally really like Palin and McCain, and people really only like Obama because he is a bullshtter, and can tell you exactly what you wanna here. If Obama gets in our economy is screwed and majority of the western slope oil field workers will be unemployed. Sorry but "oil and gas feeds my family" and i'm sure it does yours too. That's my opinion and yes, just like aholes, everyone's got one!
By Zuizop
Sep 4, 2008 12:18 PM | Link to this
navymom, the laws are commendable, and I'm glad that your husband is conscientious, but I know for a fact the laws aren't always adhered to. And I know for a fact, that a for a lot of hunters it's a big party and they leave a lot of trash behind.
And, if sitting in a tree with a high powered rifle and waiting for an unsuspecting bear to amble along, then taking it from its previously tranquil existence, isn't having things unfairly stacked against the bear, then I guess I'm missing some fine point here. Plus, why not just enjoy the hard work of tracking and being in the wilderness? Why does there have to be bloodletting involved? Also, nature will cull its own numbers and the most fit will survive without our "help". A good portion of hunting revenue goes for access and allowing the businesses that cater to hunting to establish themselves in what would otherwise be pristine areas. I don't like the skiing industry for the same reason. Both endeavors are for the amusement of humans and really add nothing to the planet's condition. Don't get me started on game ranches.
I've said enough and there is no persuading me, and there is no persuading you, and Excited is a whole other bag of hammers. I'm off to battle for my survival in the Republican wilderness.
Excited, gross profits and usury and bilking the customer are all part of big corporations and their current practices. Sure, everybody deserves to make a profit, but nobody deserves to put it to the rear ends of the consumer. Your la la land is worse than my la la land, so neener neener neener. And that last line, folks, is my childish and churlish farewell to this day's arena.
By Alex
Sep 4, 2008 11:43 AM | Link to this
Excited: My wheels HAVE been spinning in la la land for 7 1/2 years. And who told you Democrats don't earn a living? I have no idea of your age and I'm not tellin' mine but I'd almost bet that I was earning a living when you were a twinkle in your Daddy's eye. "You guys are mad because the Hildabeast didn't get the nomination"? How little you know. What is upsetting is being second-guessed by people thinking it's okay to lump everyone into one pile. Did you think that having an 'R' designation on your voter's record gives that right?
By navymom
Sep 4, 2008 11:39 AM | Link to this
Zuizop: "If Palin actually ate the bear meat, good for her. At least that much of what she does has a bit of merit. If that's the case. I wouldn't bet on it though. And to require having trophies of dead things as room decoration to prove what a man/woman you are, is pathetic."
If you knew anything about hunting and hunting laws, you would know that, at least in any state I have ever been in, it is illegal to wantonly waste the meat from wild game. In other words, it must be butchered for consumption by the hunter or donated, along with the tag to show legal possession of the meat, to another family.
My husband loves to hunt and it is not a "sick sport grossly stacked in favor of the predator". You obviously have never sat in a deer stand, walked the woods or traipsed across a mountain in search of deer, bear, or any game in below zero weather. Deer are excellent at hiding. The only advantage the hunter has is the ability to use a 30-06. Many years my husband and his hunting party have not filled their tags. They don't get a refund for an unfilled tag. That money still goes into the public coffers to provide winter feed, habitat, etc. for the animals. When they do fill all their tags, if there are more animals than what are needed to fill freezers of the hunting party, they donate the extra animals to local pastors families or families in need of a helping hand.
The reason states allow hunting in the first place is to control animal populations. If the animal populations were not controlled, many animals would die just because of overpopulation, shortages of feed, etc. Animals that are prolific are hunted in greater numbers than animals that are not prolific. Animals that do not need to have as much population control are hunted in limited numbers with permits usually on a lottery.
Before you condemn anyone, including Sarah Palin, know what you are talking about. Educate yourself on the laws and the reasons why something is allowed and, in fact, encouraged by DNR.
By Excited
Sep 4, 2008 11:17 AM | Link to this
Zuizop-A company that makes profit???? Isn't that the point of having a business? Why do democrats hate it so much that someone can actually earn a living. Ever heard of free enterprise. You guys are just upset that the Hildabeast didn't get the nomination and Obama did instead. Keep on spinning your wheels in lala land.
By Zuizop
Sep 4, 2008 10:59 AM | Link to this
Excited, a couple might believe they have the money to raise a healthy child, but they might not have the money for a special needs one and that child will suffer with inadequate care. And did I say you should care for their child? No. I don't want to either, and that's part of the point. And if you want people to use condoms and birth control, then they need to be educated about it. Doh!
Are we paying less because big oil companies don't pay their fair share of taxes? No. They keep making record profits and what we pay for their product keeps on escalating dramatically. Duh back at you.
Is her teenage daughter pregnant, and was that was my point? Yes. That Palin has potentially gotten past her governor position is due to McCain's cynical hopes for how dumb, emotional, and gullible people are, not because she has any tangible qualifications.
The number of polar bears have increased, but are currently decreasing. I think Al Gore is a bloated hypocrite, and I realize the Internet isn't his baby. Duh back at you again. There are stirrings in Greed World, with meetings and steps being taken by corporations and individuals to exploit the ice cap by opening up commerce, including hotels and package tours and shipping trade because the ice floes are so compromised. There is talk of how much oil can be gotten to up there. We can rape it for years to come, then leave it devastated because we still haven't developed alternative energy solutions. If this "progress" doesn't sicken you, you're way beyond being a whackadoodle.
There are ways to fight for what you believe in by being an intelligent proponent of them, not by buzz words that play to emotional morons. And yes, the other side does the same thing, and that stinks, but at least they aren't rolling out the Christian values bandwagon for the suckers.
I'm no hemp rope hippy and I wear leather and I eat meat and I believe that we are at the top of the food chain. But with few exceptions, modern survival doesn't preclude having to hunt anymore. If necessity warrants wilderness killing for survival, I'm all for it. Otherwise it's just a sick "sport" grossly stacked in favor of the predator. If and when I am more financially screwed than I am now due in large part to the last eight years of inept government, then I will consider hunting meat to feed myself and my family and to make shoes and clothing. If Palin actually ate the bear meat, good for her. At least that much of what she does has a bit of merit. If that's the case. I wouldn't bet on it though. And to require having trophies of dead things as room decoration to prove what a man/woman you are, is pathetic.
Sleep and eat well, Excited, you'll need your strength to survie if McBush and the beauty queen get their hands on your future.
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