The nomination of Sarah Palin by the Republican party is a travesty. This decision not only brings into question McCain’s judgment, but it shows his complete irresponsibility and pure political agenda. This decision jeopardizes the leadership our country and puts the United States of America in a very vulnerable place in the world. I call for Sarah Palin to step down from her nomination!
-Carole H., GA

It is time to remove Sarah Palin from the Republican ticket and replace her with an experienced politician we don't have to vet. The Republican party needs to restore honor and integrity to the election process. Sarah Palin has made a joke out of it.
-Cindy A., WA

As a US citizen I strongly object to Sarah Palin as a Vice Presidential candidate. She is a joke to women all over the United States and should step down as VP running mate.
-Nicole C., 38, Salt Lake City, UT

Sarah Palin is a threat to our country and our freedoms. She is unprepared to take on the task of US VP, as well as inarticulate. We would be a laughing stock of the world is she comes into office, worse than we are now. I hope she has the decency to step down from her party's ticket. What was John McCain thinking?
-Paula K., 50, Plainfield, NH

Palin’s lack of experience is terrifying when she would be second in command to leading our country - especially with the age and health concerns of the presidential candidate.
She says that she is representing the women of the country, but is not for women's rights. Don't use your gender to try and get people to overlook the fact that you are no where near qualified, but then turn your back on that gender in all of your beliefs. If Sarah Palin is actually for women, she should do us all a favor and step down.
-Michelle L., GA

Mrs. Palin, your stand on rape victims is beyond comprehension. Have you ever been raped, had a child raped, and saw attacker go free? Do you know what that does to a person mentally, as well as physically? My daughter suffered such a rape, and to have forced her to carry a child not conceived in love, but violence would have been a death sentence for her. The rape alone was mentally upsetting enough she had to be placed in a out patient facility to get counseling, to recognize such attacks are not the fault of the victim. Your stand, to not only blame the victim, but to force them to pay for thier own rape kits is beyond inhumanity, its just grotesque and cruel.
A VP is suppose to put their personal agenda aside, and represent the American people and their needs first, placing personal wants and beliefs last. If you cannot do that, please, step down now and let someone in who can.
-Maria T., St. Louis, MO

When I witness Sarah's actions, I see only blind, reckless ambition. She is playing with the lives and security of more than 300 million Americans, not to mention people in the rest of the world who are all affected by the actions of this country. If Sarah truly loved America, she would step back and say, "Thank you for your nomination, but I am not qualified to be Vice President (and potentially President)." Her actions are especially frightening because her running mate is 72 years old.
Sarah, you are not qualified. Please show your love for our country and step down.
-Carla Z., San Jose, CA

The best thing for Gov. Palin, not to mention the United States of America, is for her to step down now. It would spare her and her family from further scrutiny and humiliation and the country from a woman who is not ready, and may never be ready, to lead.
-Joan C., 72, Easton, MD

Please add momentum by writing a letter to your local paper today asking Palin to step down.
- The Eds.

I am a recent college graduate, registered as an Independent, who was too young to vote in the last election. I was so excited with the opportunity to get involved and educate myself on the views and policies of both candidates, unfortunately John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as VP has left me with no choice at all.
I feel disrespected as a woman by the arrogance of the GOP! Their nomination of Sarah Palin is an absolute slap in the face.
Every time I watch her speak, batting her eyelashes and smiling amiably as she simultaneously embarrasses herself and her party with her obvious disregard for facts or knowledge, I am appalled! The women of this country have worked far to hard to gain the equality I am SO proud to now enjoy as a woman for us too throw it all away. I never thought that I would be basing my first vote, something that I honestly have waited a long time for, on the inadequacies of a vice-presidential candidate rather than the capabilities of a presidential candidate.
-Rachael K., 21, Buffalo, NY

As a woman living in this wonderful country of ours, I am appalled that John McCain selected Sarah Palin as his choice for Vice President. Ms. Palin certainly doesn’t represent or uphold the interests of many American women including myself. I am totally aghast that the extreme right of the Republican Party has taken such a foothold that they could convince John McCain to choose her as his running mate. Doesn’t say too much for Senator McCain! Additionally, everyone has the right to believe what they want, but to think that your extremest views be the law of the land is incredulous. Originally, I was undecided as to whom to support, but with Sarah Palin on this Republican ticket, the choice has become no choice. Change is desperately needed. Let’s all make it happen!!!
-Arline A., 70, Fort Myers, Florida

I was undecided about my vote for president until Palin was selected.
-Sharon D., 60, Lansing, Michigan

I was undecided whom to vote for until Palin joined the ticket with McCain. It is McCain picked her because of her gender, not her accomplishments or what she stands for. Make no mistake, she is a religious zealot who is power hungry and will act to undo everything women have fought for all these years. McCain and Palin will but place this country in more economic jeopardy than currently present, a depression, which most of us have not seen in a lifetime. Palin is ill prepared to be VP. We would only know the full extent of her crazy radical zealot views if elected. Let's all make sure this does not happen. It is vital for our country, our daughter's and women everywhere that we all vote NO TO PALIN
-Linda H., physician from Denver, CO

I was an undecided voter until the selection of Sarah Palin as the VP on the McCain ticket. I was absolutely dumbfounded that he would pick someone so totally unprepared to be a Vice President, let alone President. She in no way represents me or my beliefs. I am now retired but I was a full-time working mother. I want better than this for my daughter's future and intend to vote for Barack Obama who I think will represent the issues I care about as a woman and American.
-Pam Y., 58, Camarillo, CA

I was undecided until the Sarah Palin nomination. If this was done to appeal to women voters, it did the opposite for me.
What an insult to women if the Republican Party thinks we don't look at issues. She reminds me of Dan Quayle... just a pretty face. Even worse than that, Ms. Palin represents the idea that women can be our own worse enemies. Tapping someone as closed-minded and intolerant as Ms. Palin for V.P., a heartbeat away from the highest office in the land, is irresponsible. I don't think women will overlook the facts, just to get a woman into that office.
If we are going to do it, let's do it right! Let's be proud of the woman chosen, proud of her intelligence, knowledge, open mindedness, and wise leadership, not because she's pretty and hard-line.
-Esther D.

As a registered Independent, I'd been holding out in deciding which way to go on this election. However, once I saw Sarah Palin being interviewed by our gentlest journalist, (Charles Gibson), and watched her hem, haw and try to bluff her way through questions that even I knew the answers to, ("the Bush doctrine?"), it was a much easier decision.
This is the ultimate insult to ALL women.
-Jeanie C, 52, Los Angeles, California

Governor Palin does not represent me as a woman and if John McCain was so shallow to think that just because she is a woman, all woman would vote for her/ them, he is and was very mistaken. It took us long enough to get we are now and by electing this pair, women would take a giant step back.
-Janice L. 59 years wise, Independent Voter, Lake Park, Florida

As a previously undecided voter, McCain's "choice" of Sarah Palin has cemented my support for Senator Obama. Sarah Palin is a slap in the face to every female in this country. I am not only insulted by her selection but also by her views, her intellect, her corny, canned responses and cliché sound bites. The Republican party's audacity to select such a woefully inadequate candidate is even more offensive. She is nothing more than window dressing, if she were not attractive she would NEVER have been considered for VP. Her nomination confirms the Republican leadership is truly arrogant and outrageously out of touch. As an educated, female voter, who has NEVER missed an election, I pride myself on carefully considering candidates regardless of party affiliation, it is not my priority to "identify" with a candidate or to select someone with whom I would want to "have a beer" . I require candidates who have the ability and intellect to accomplish the task at hand. Simply put, Sarah Palin can not do the job and would be an embarrassment. Period.
I will not gamble my country's future on Sen. McCain's ridiculous choice for second in command.
-Angie P., Florida Swim mom

Few of the voices on this website ever supported Governor Palin as a viable Vice Presidential candidate--most of us knew it was a farce from day one. But yesterday, a former Palin supporter, conservative National Review columnist Kathleen Parker, called for Palin to step down.

In an article titled "Palin Problem," Parker writes:

"Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.

No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted.

Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there’s not much content there. Here’s but one example of many from her interview with Hannity: “Well, there is a danger in allowing some obsessive partisanship to get into the issue that we’re talking about today. And that’s something that John McCain, too, his track record, proving that he can work both sides of the aisle, he can surpass the partisanship that must be surpassed to deal with an issue like this.”
[...]

If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself."

Link to the complete article here.

I share your dismay over Sarah Palin's nomination for Vice President. Her views are alien to the majority of women, and her lack of experience on the national scene is frightening. McCain, for whatever reason, has galvinized the women to vote against his ticket, rather than for it, and certainly has pushed the Independents to vote for Obama. I question her ethics as well as her knowledge and understanding of the United States as a whole, as compared to her small town and underpopulated state. If it weren't so serious, it would be amusing. I'm looking forward to her debate with Joe Biden; it should be a wake-up call to those who think her nomination is just what the country needs.
-Sandra L., Maryland

Ms. Palin is poorly informed, poorly prepared, biased, and not in touch with millions of other women who must survive in this nation. She has no concept of scientific fact nor, apparently, the capability or desire to learn such. She must not and cannot be placed into the position of No. 2 in the White House. She and her backers are a danger to not only the women of this country, but the women and men of the world.
-Kathy U., North Las Vegas, NV

I am 70 years old and live in Olympia, WA. I thought I'd never live to see the day when a woman chosen to be the VP candidate has such archaic beliefs. Please! The GOP must have been out of their minds to choose her. You can be sure I'll vote for Obama!
-Marge P., 70, Olympia, WA

I do not support Sarah Palin on the Republican ticket. I appreciate the fact she is a woman and I would love more women in political offices—the higher the office the better. However, I don't agree with most of what Sarah Palin stands for; if she were a man with this platform I wouldn't look twice. I will not change my mind simply because we are of the same gender.
-Stefanie E., 37, Mentor, OH

Picking Ms. Palin as the vice presidential nominee is truly frightening to me. I am a mother of two young girls and I can't imagine what would happen if someone such as Ms. Palin was to obtain a political office as important as being second in command of this country. She is far from being a person who would inspire women of any age in promoting women's issues or rights. Her extreme views are not only frightening but also far from mainstream opinion. It is blatantly obvious that Senator McCain didn't pick Ms. Palin because of her experience. Ms. Palin's public comments and interviews so far have been an embarrassment to this country. He picked her for purely political reasons. We may never be told exactly why, but if it was to get women's votes he is completely off base. If Palin was picked to cater to the far extreme right then that shows that McCain is not a "maverick." He is just another Republican politician falling in line and doing what his party says instead of what is best for this country.
-Christina M., Colorado

I totally agree that she's not qualified. Every time I hear her talk I feel that she is just bashing Obama and doesn't have any real knowledge of politics or plain common sense. Anyway, she definitely shouldn't be VP, wish I could vote though. Good luck in keeping her out of office!
-Grace S., 15, Seattle

I am a woman, and I say no to Sarah Palin (and John McCain). I am very concerned with all environmental issues including global warming. How can McCain, who claims to be concerned with global warming and supposedly wants to come up with a plan to decrease emissions, choose a vice-presidential candidate who does not believe that global warming is caused by human activities AND place her in charge of energy affairs? I also support a woman's right to choose and I'm greatly concerned for the welfare of young girls and women if Roe vs. Wade is overturned. The last thing we need is a return of the dark days of back alley abortions and wire hangers. Taking away the right to legal abortion will not stop women from seeking them, It will only result in serious injury and death to countless women and children. I thought Bush was a nightmare, but in my opinion Sarah Palin is far worse. I will be voting for Obama, hoping that the cultural climate in this country will begin to shift from fear and control to one of hope and freedom.
-Laura C.

I am strongly against Sarah Palin in any nationally elected office. I believe many of her views are scary, but especially her views on abortion are a huge step backwards from the work that we and our mothers and grandmothers have worked for, for women’s rights! MY mother almost died in 1947 when she had to wait to have the then required number of doctors certify that she needed an abortion. I was two years old; she was so sick from the toxemia that had started in her body, she was unable to even hold me on her lap for quite awhile.
-Janette H., 63, Lake Elsinore, CA

I am against Sarah Palin because she does not reflect family values (left a special needs infant after 3 days to go back to work? pregnant teen daughter—obviously a lack of attention to her own family led to this crisis. Note to Sarah: sex ed. and birth control would have prevented the pregnancy); because her educational and business experience are weak (BA in Journalism? 5 years to complete? Sportscaster?); because her leadership and governmental experiences are weak (less than 2 years as Governor for the 4th smallest state by population in the US); and because she does not speak for mainstream women of America—and she certainly does not represent my values.
-Laura J., 48, Jeffersonville, IN

As a Republican who believed in the GOP when it really represented conservative values, I am stunned and ashamed that John McCain decided to run a campaign with a person who has been caught in lie after lie from the beginning, ones that he himself has repeated. It is unbelievable to me that someone of so little consequence could actually represent intelligent people. I think the Republican Party must have been so desperate for someone exciting that they didn't look any farther than her face. And they're complaining about unfair treatment for Sara Palin? I guess they forgot about their own treatment of Hillary Clinton. Ms. Palin jumped in the water with the sharks, so she can expect to get bitten.
-Marti R. from a Red State

As a Republican, I was cautiously optimistic until Sarah Palin's selection. As a single mother, former Army sergeant, but foremost as an American, my whole-hearted support will now go to Obama/Biden as the best course for my country. Sarah Palin's political views represent the absolute worst and most dangerous course this country could take. That she navigated some political waters in the past with a modicum of success has failed to keep her from becoming the Republican Party's next puppet and McCain (her puppet master) couldn't be more of a disappointment once again.
-Elizabeth C.

As a Republican, I am appalled that McCain has picked Palin as his running mate. It's like his campaign committee sat around a table and said, "Hey, who is that women governor of Alaska...what's her name? Let's put her on the ticket. That'll get us some women votes!" It's the final nail in the coffin. I have officially declared my switching to the other side.....Vote for Obama!
-Susan Z., 56, Sarasota, FL

As a republican woman, I stand firmly AGAINST the decision to pick Sarah Palin as Vice President. She sets women back decades, and stands against everything this country has worked so hard for.
-Kaitlin T., 24, Ashburn, VA

Although I registered as a Republican this year, as a woman I cannot vote for the McCain/Palin ticket. I do not believe the choosing of Sarah Palin as running mate is a step forward for women. Someone who does not protect mother Earth has no right calling herself a woman before other women… Putting profit before planet is the same old song and dance.
-Jan

I am registered as a Republican but will not vote for this ticket in November. As I understand it, it was under Sarah Palin that it became legal to hunt wolves from aircraft in Alaska. This is a horrific sport. Hunting for food is fine, but killing or maiming an animal and leaving it to suffer for sport is unconscionable.
-Wendy B., 51, Lehigh Acres, FL

I am concerned about both Sarah Palin, a relatively inexperienced Governor who stands for issues and beliefs diametrically opposed to mine, and John McCain. There were other times during which I would have considered McCain as a Republican I might be able to support. Now, however, I feel he has sold his soul to the conservative segment of his party. We can ill afford to elect him, since he is making it apparent that if elected he would continue the policies of the current administration.
-Eileen S., Connecticut

I cannot believe that the Republicans picked a virtual unknown to run for Vice President… She does not represent me as a woman in any way, shape, or form; and as a Republican, I am going to cross over to the other side and vote for the Obama ticket. Sorry, Republicans, but I no longer vote on a straight ticket. As Mark Twain said, "Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it."
-Barb, Denver, CO

I think the American women will be served a great injustice if McCain/Palin get control of our country. Our rights are going to be taken away, and our daughters may be thrown back into the dark ages... McCain/Palin will NOT get my vote!
-Dee L., formerly registered as a Republican, Illinois

I do not support the nomination of Sarah Palin as Vice-President on the Republican ticket. She is against nearly everything that I stand for, particularly as the mother of two daughters and grandmother of a granddaughter. In fact, I will not be voting as a Republican in November, but as a concerned citizen of the United States, which I love.
-Patricia A., Maryland

I have been a Republican my whole life. And as a Republican, I have seen the party change from one of fiscal responsibility and middle-of-the-road policies to a more controlling, fearful party that seems to have little understanding of the economics of today. I have been a public school teacher my whole life. As a teacher, I have seen the results of a lack of sex education and the support of anti-abortion beliefs. Children in my classrooms were neglected because parents didn't really want them, and the parents couldn't, or didn't, take steps to prevent pregnancy. I have participated on committees when people have sought to have books removed from school libraries for a variety of reasons. I have read about other cultures in other parts of the world where governments control, or try to control, how their citizens live.

Seeing all this over the years, I find it hard to envision Sarah Palin leading us along a good path. She seems to be a very controlling person who wants to tell us what to read and how to plan for our families. Ms. Palin has proposed removing particular books from the public library in her community because she did not think other people should be allowed to read them (as if she was wiser than the other members of the community). She has also vocalized her belief that pregnancies must be carried to term no matter what the surrounding issues are (in essence making decisions for all others with no regard for their particular circumstances). She has no more foreign policy knowledge than I probably have and no tolerance for those who disagree with her. How in the world women who supported Hillary Clinton can be expected to support Sarah Palin is beyond me. Other than being the same gender, the two women are polar opposites. I find it insulting that Republican decision-makers can think that women who followed Hillary Clinton will suddenly see the light and vote for Sarah Palin. Do they really think we vote as an uninformed block for women as opposed to voting for the person (man or woman) who will do the best job?

I am now a Democrat voting for whomever seems the best person for the job. And this time, it is not John McCain and Sarah Palin.
-Barb T., 64, suburbs of Philadelphia

I am a Republican through and through, but this year for the first time in my life—and my husband's—we will be voting Democrat. We are most disappointed in the party of our choice by selecting an individual, whether they be male or female, that is so inexperienced. We believe that she was selected not with the best interest of the country but to get Senator McCain elected as President. We believe with such an important position as Vice President of our country that this was a very poor decision. The attention that her nomination has garnered is another major concern of ours. The United States is in such a mess at this time we feel that this election should be about issues and should not be the circus that it has become.
-Janet J., Bella Vista, AR

I am a Republican woman who is voting for Obama/Biden. Sarah Palin is not for women's rights, and she is so extreme that this will set back women's rights 100 years. She lies about nearly everything, revealing her to be a fraud. McCain has picked someone who will hurt our nation, and this choice has showed his incompetence in so many ways. Wake up America.
-Barbara B., Ocean Township, NJ

I am a Republican fed up with Bush. I used to be interested in McCain, but have wavered in the last 2 months. With the addition of Palin to the McCain ticket, and the subsequent misleading advertising and dishonest campaign tactics of secrecy and manipulation, I see that our GOP party is still hijacked by the same types of people who have been running the Bush administration. It is clear that Palin is incredibly excited to be in her current position, the way a high school homecoming queen candidate might be, and is willing to say anything, do anything to promote "her" election. She doesn't stand for Republican Party values any more than McCain does now, and neither one of them will win the GOP back for those of us who feel abandoned. If McCain had chosen a solid Republican female with governor credentials, like Christy Whitman, I would feel secure that he would be well balanced. But I cannot support the McCain-Palin ticket. Bob Barr is our most reasonable alternative.
Karen H., 41, Pennsylvania

Sarah Palin is a wolf in sheep's clothing. She maybe able to fool most Republicans into thinking she ready to lead our country but I am not fooled! I want a leader who can listen to many experts in finance, economics, education and military strategy and then after much deliberation make a decision from critical analysis not based on his or her gut reaction or instinct. I want a leader who will 'BLINK', THINK and THEN ACT accordingly with an informed decision. Sarah Palin is impulsive, irrational and ill-informed—not a leader I would trust with a nation I hold so dear. McCain's lack of judgement in choosing Sarah Palin is why I am a Republican voting Democratic in this election. Obama has my vote!
-Lisa B., 46, Arizona

I want to express my disgust and disappointment in the Republican party for choosing Palin as the VP elect. Not only is she a poor choice because she is unqualified (I run a business with a bigger staff and budget than she does) she also does not represent the women of this country, nor the men. We want freedom of speech and freedom of choice. She is a token and we, as women should be insulted that she has been chosen to represent females, let alone United States citizens. I am embarrassed to say I am a Republican, and this ticket is NOT one to support. I hope we are all smart enough to look at the evidence and not just applaud them for picking a woman... she is like a wolf in sheep's clothing.... she does NOT represent any American woman that I know. PLEASE do not let her represent our country and lose all of our rights.
-Kelly M., 41, Northridge, CA

I knew that I was not alone in feeling that this choice of Vice President was only to win, not thinking of the people of our country. Palin does not stand for most of the women in the USA; beliefs, international issues, and the it's my way or no way. We will get no where if we continue that attitude. I am a Republican woman and I am scared.
-Sonya P., 53

I am all about women stepping forward and taking our rightful place among the leadership of this great nation. However, not this woman, not this time. With dread I listen to the media whip up the masses in response to this demagogue, and I ask myself why? Why can’t people see the truth, rather than being blinded by the Palin propaganda machine. If Sarah Palin has it her way, a very dark and Orwellian future looms before us. A future where creationism is taught in school, there is no division between church and state, choice is abolished, everyone has guns but no other civil liberties, and where the environmental issues are ridiculed as liberal lies. I am a Republican….. or was. And usually, the VP choice is just a detail, not such an issue. However, given McCain’s age, there is a higher probability that Sarah Palin may rise to the highest office in the land. She is not qualified—and this situation terrifies me and has called me into action more than any other election has ever done. I am not against her womanhood or teenage daughter, I am a woman with a teenaged daughter myself. However, I am against her Christian conservative, anti-environmental, and inexperienced platform. Please join my voice to the others, and heed our concerns.
-Maria L., 42, Annandale, VA

Admittedly, I am against knee-jerk reactions to situations that frighten me. In the case of Sarah Palin assuming the role of Vice President, and possibly President, I feel no different. My knowledge of her beliefs, interests, accomplishments, and political agenda is only what I've read recently in the media. With that said, based on the hype, and my own common sense, I can honestly say that she does not represent me. She may very well represent the image of a strong woman who's made her mark in Alaska, where men are men, and tough is good. Not bad qualities for a politician. She sounds competitive, and resourceful. Not bad either, except that George W. Bush possesses the very same qualities (minus the appearance of intelligence).

Here's what bothers me: I don't want another politician like George W. Bush, or perhaps worse. I want a President who encourages me to think for myself, one who isn't going to patronize me by telling me what I should read, believe, think, or feel. A leader isn't someone who comes to the table with their mind already made up; nor someone who is so independent that they say, "No thanks, I'm not interested in your perception." A leader listens to contrary opinions, and respects the ability of others to make responsible decisions based on their own beliefs, and their consciences. Ms. Palin sounds to me like someone who feels the need to control those who disagree with her. That's not Presidential.

We have all suffered through this kind of arrogance with George W. Bush for eight long and miserable years. Sarah Palin does not represent the librarian whose books were banned; nor the founding fathers who separated Church and State for good reason; nor the individuals who believe birth control should be their choice; nor those who are not afraid of fighting for the freedom to make these choices. Sarah Palin represents those who feel the need to control their personal space, and the personal space of others. Sarah Palin is not Presidential.

To those women who would vote for McCain/Palin because Hilary was not chosen, I'd point out that an X chromosome does not make an individual Presidential, anymore than a Y one does. Voting for Palin only to get a woman into the White House, is short-sighted, and could be disastrous to our country. I would like nothing more than to see a woman achieve what we've waited years for. Let us remember the differences that separate women such as Joan of Arc versus women like Eva Braun. We all know women we wouldn't want governing us. Let's agree to make Palin one of them.
-Margaret S., 63 years young, Columbus, OH

At first I was confounded by the RNC& s***for McCain's running mate, but it didn't take long for me to become appalled and deeply concerned. This woman is an insult to our gender in my opinion, and it is VERY scary to think of someone with so little wisdom or experience catapulting to the Co-pilot's Seat of this country. Are we really so shallow in our thinking as to allow this to happen? Lord save us from ourselves!