Sally Ride Endorses Obama

statesman.com ^ | 10/29/08 | Chris Megerian

[melt]

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has gained a foothold in another voter demographic: astronauts.

Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, endorsed the Democratic candidate on Wednesday in an op-ed published in the Orlando Sentinel.

Comparing Obama’s inspirational capabilities to those of JFK, she writes, “He has inspired young people to engage with their communities and has excited them about the possibilities of what they can accomplish. That is in the best spirit of discovery.”

Space travel is not just the subject of childhood fantasies though. It’s primed to be a major policy issue for the next administration.

NASA, currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, is widely considered to be at a crossroads as it refocuses on returning to the moon and sending the first astronauts to Mars.

President Bush highlighted the new objectives in 2004, less than a year after the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated while reentering the Earth’s atmosphere. To reach these goals, NASA will retire its aging shuttle fleet — only 10 more flights are planned — and create a new generation of rockets, the Ares I and V.

[sharkhawk]

Affirmative Action astronaut endorses Affirmative Action candidate. Sounds about right.

[spectre]

Obama said he wanted to drastically cut NASA's budget for the space program in order to substitute the money to educate children who can't read, write or do math. Thousands of NASA employees would have hit the unemployment lines.

After he realized the value of votes in Texas and Florida, he retracted it.

She's an idiot if she believes he still won't try it.

sw

[Mediocrates]

Maybe American. Soviet women were in space years before Ride. Soviet women probably had vodka, too.

[ClaudiusI]

Look, if an APOLLO astronaut is screaming for us to watch the skies, nothing a shuttle astronaut says should ever register.

[yldstrk]

What a dope. Stick to engineering Sally girl, ideas and philosophy are not your forte

[IbJensen]

She should have stayed in space.

[melt]

Guilty

[skully]

Finally!!! I was holding up on making my decision on who to vote for until I knew who Sally was endorsing.

I wonder if McCain will endorse Obama next??

[oldbill]

One affirmative action non-achiever endorsing another.

[Florida native]

It's time for Sally to RIDE off into the sunset...see ya!

[beagleone]

It does not surprise me in the least that an astronaut turns out to be a moonbat.

[Unicorn]

What a pantload.

[TribalPrincess2U]

Maybe being in space numbs ones brain.

[longtermmemmory]

ok sally ride is an example of BAD feminism used for pc marketing.

IOW sally ride jumped the shark with a jet pack.

Bet she is being geared up to run against martinez.

[pray4liberty]

Ugh! There’s that liberal woman hag-dog evil ugliness face again. They all look alike, it’s unmistakable, they are marked by the Devil.

[Charles Martel]

I knew nothing of Ride's politics (until now) but it sure seems strange that a woman who has long enjoyed the fame of being the "first American woman in space" wouldn't be interested in seeing another "first American woman..." story unfold.

Oh, wait... I get it. The first American woman V.P. and eventually President would knock Sally down several pegs by comparison.

[AFreeBird]

Sally, you ignorant slut. Zer0 will decimate the space program to pay for his socialist utopia.

[crymeariver]

Sally has been a well known in Democratic circles. I remember her speaking at a Democratic fundraiser in Lansing, MI 10 years ago. Nothing new here.

[Trajan88]

Oooo what a boost for the chosen one... not.

[melt]

"It's time for Sally to RIDE off into the sunset..."

Yup. She's really out to launch...