By selecting Sarah Palin, Senator McCain has effectively fallen into Senator Obama and Clinton's trap. In a last ditch effort to win over Clinton supporters, McCain thinks simply picking a woman, any woman, will gain votes. By doing so he is insulting female voters by suggesting that women have no regard for real policies and stands on issues. He is forgetting why Clinton appeals to women in the first place; pro-choice, popularity, real experience, and overcoming personal and professional obstacles. None of which Palin has. Instead, she is a life time member of the NRA (which is important to Clinton supporters I am sure) who has served only a little over a year as a governor of a State with relatively small problems and a small population. Before being governor, most of her experience is as a mayor and council member of a town smaller than Obama's original district in Illinois (~9,000 people). Obama may be inexperienced, but he looks much more experienced compared to Palin; who may have an actual chance at being president if elected.
McCain wanted to serve with someone he is "comfortable with"; it is not surprising then that he would pick an attractive young woman to serve with him. Standing next to each other, he stands out as a creepy old man. The two could not contrast more standing next to each other. It is like watching a grandfather watch his granddaughter at cheerleading practice when she talks. The images of them together ultimately bring to mind the accusations early in the primaries that McCain had an inappropriate relationship with a female lobbyist. Using a woman politically, just because she is a woman, is sexist and perfectly illustrates how McCain fundamentally "does not get it". Palin represents the type of woman conservatives think women should be: motherly, wholesome, and a beauty queen that won't outshine her partner.
Inevitably, Palin will screw up once in a while as she lacks the political experience Clinton has (even experienced hands make mistakes). I worry that this will actually hurt women in the future. Because when someone is promoted to a high status position that s/he is not well suited for and things go wrong, anything about that person (like their sex) could potentially be criticized. If McCain loses, which it looks like he will now, there will be a tendency in some people to blame the failure on Palin as the woman, not Palin as the inappropriately appointed vp.
Announcing his choice on his birthday only brings attention to the fact that he is very old and that there is a high probability that the vice president will have to replace him. This singular fact will dominate his campaign from now on. Picking the vice president is the first major decision a president has to make and McCain flinched. Picking Palin only shows that McCain is impulsive under stress and does not consider experience to be important. This decision virtually gives his party no ground to stand on when arguing against Obama's experience and youth. Clearly, he has put politics not country first.
Palin will certainly rally McCain's base, but he will need more than them to win this election. The McCain-Palin ticket is now running on the "reform Washington" platform that Obama has already strongly established. The "reform Washington" message does not come across well when it comes from the same party that created the need for change in the first place. There is more at stake than simple corruption and ethics in Washington; what about the economy? No incumbent party has won the Whitehouse when the consumer confidence index is this low. McCain has certainly shaken up the campaign trail, but it did not need shaking. The candidates were virtually in a dead heat, but now as the dust settles Obama will certainly emerge. Obama is a smart man that is a master at politics (he beat the Clintons) and I have not even mentioned Biden.
2 comments:
I think you are taking Democratic assumptions way too seriously. I've seen polls that pin the precentage of voters who are pro-life at around 65%. Women and men are largely in agreement on Pro-Life issues because it is not a gender issue, it is a reflection of your belief about the sanctity of life.
I like Palin, not because she's a woman, but because she's conservative, McCain is too moderate for me. Naming a solid conservative excites me. The fact that she's a woman is irrelavant... except for people who take such silliness into consideration. By the way,I don't believe you are one of those people you just assume other people will.
You don't think McCain is one of those people who "take such silliness into consideration" (which I agree is silly)?
As a friend of mine suggests, "If he didn't pick her because she's a woman than we must conclude that he picked her for her experience (Nope), track record(Nope), or consituency needed to carry swing states (Alaska and extreme conservatives are already in the McCain camp, so NOPE)."
I don't think there was ever a chance conservatives were going to vote for Obama (maybe Barr though), but Palin certainly energizes his base. However, I think other candidates could have offered more to the ticket and just as equally energized his base.
I disagree with my friend that she has no track record. Her record is ethics reform, but this is not a weak area for McCain so I just don't buy it that he picked her to help his ticket on the issues.
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