This whole Palin debate is frustrating.
As Fox News put it, the McCain camp is hoping the “Palin narrative” will appeal to women because McCain is trailing Obama among women in the polls. Palin is no Hillary Clinton — yet McCain hopes to trick less-informed women into voting for her anyway You know — Palin’s a woman … finish what you started by supporting Hillary. Does Mccain really think Hillary supporters are so desperate to see a woman in the White House that they would cross party lines and vote against everything they believe in?
The GOP only considered adding a woman to the ticket because they needed a “Hail Mary” — not because they thought she was the best candidate. I’m not a hardcore “hate all men” feminist — but even I take issue with this complete and total pandering to women. No male with a resume this weak would have been tapped to be McCain’s VP — especially since he has focused so much on the value of experience.
This pick doesn’t help the women’s movement. Instead, it says that women are a gimmick — not a serious part of political discourse. The first woman to get to the White House should be qualfied, ready to lead on Day 1. Even the National Organization for Women issued a strong statement against Palin’s nomination. Having someone in the White House who champions women’s issues (like Obama and Biden) is more important that merely having a woman occupying an office.
Setting aside the fact that she’s a token pick, Palin doesn’t have the experience to be a heartbeat away from the VP. She was mayor of a tiny, tiny town and then governor for less than two years of a state smaller than Detroit. Cindy McCain believes Palin is experienced because Alaska is close to Russia. Ah, yes … that makes perfect sense. Would you feel comfortable with her going head-to-head with Putin? Hardly. (As a side note, GOP leaders complained that John Edwards was too inexperienced to be VP in 2004. He at least had 6 years of experience in the Senate. How quickly the GOP changes thier definition of qualified.)
If people say the VP choice is the first presidential-like-decision a nominee makes, then what does that choice say about McCain? According to the NY Times, McCain preferred Lieberman to be his VP — but the ultra-conservative GOP base would have freaked out and stayed home on Election Day. So, instead, McCain made a calculated pick — caving to Rove, Dobson and the extreme right politcal powers-that-be. We just suffered through eight years of that kind of so-called leadership. Look where that got us. We don’t need another president who bases decisions on the political winds instead of what’s best for the country.
