As a rule, I’m not partial to discussing current events. Verbal dissection of the situation — political, environmental, social, or cultural — invariably leads me to the conclusion that we’re going to hell in a handbasket and there’s fuck-all we can do about it. At that point, my discomfort level hits critical, my brain shuts down, and I scurry off to distract myself with a suitably mindless and/or fantasy-based activity.
But this Palin business… I can’t get enough of it. It’s a current event, yes, but the closer I examine it, the less depressing the political situation seems to me.
Has my practice of avoiding reality-based discussions created a giant blind spot in my political vision? Will Ms. — sorry, I’m sure that should be “Mrs.” — Palin’s smiling presence at McCain’s right hand (or will she stay 10 steps behind him?) actually secure the Republican Party a tip-the-scales size demographic? Or did we just witness McCain taking a cue from the presiding V.P. and shooting the GOP in its elephantine face?
He had to select a woman for the V.P. spot. That was a given. But in his choice of Palin, McCain hasn’t just offended the sensibilities of leftist, pro-choice women like me. He’s affronted the other, far more qualified women of his own party.
I’m sure there are a few feminists of the knee-jerk persuasion who will vote for McCain because he put a woman on his ticket. I’m sure the coterie of disenfranchized Hilary supporters who’ve already declared their support for McCain will find it easier to justify their betrayal of all Hilary stands for by parroting the GOP-spawned notion that getting Palin into the White House means we’ve cracked the glass ceiling. (This rationalization brought to you by the good ol’ boys who contest equal pay for equal work.) I am sure there’s tons of voters who research their candidates so superficially that the tags “mayor” and “governor” will convince them that Palin actually possesses the requisite experience and qualifications to be Vice-President of the United States.
But those numbers don’t, won’t, surely can’t add up to much. Palin’s cuter than Biden, I’ll give you that. So, maybe McCain can pick up some votes from the Men Who Vote With Their Dicks demographic. He’ll get more support from them than from Women Who Vote With Their Vaginas, anyway.
So what’s his grand plan, here? He’s already got the anti-choice vote. Women who pay more than a modicum of attention to candidates’ stated and demonstrated positions must notice that Palin has unequivocally repressive attitudes and beliefs regarding the role of women in society; indeed, some of us would feel no compunction about labelling her a traitor to her gender.
Shall we talk experience, the brush the GOP has been using to tar Obama? Palin’s runs the gamut, from hockey mom to the PTA, from mayor of Wasilla (an itsy-bitsy town she left in dire financial straits) to Governor of the Great State of Alaska (pop. 670,000) for a grand total of two years, both of which were fraught with out-of-control scandals. That McCain could imagine his running mate’s inherent dickless-ness will inspire women to vote Palin a heartbeat away — a 71-year old heartbeat away — from presiding over a diverse, complex nation of over 300 million people is jaw-droppingly sexist and demeaning. But on what other basis could he have made such a choice?
Good on him. I hope and pray the permutations of the Palin appointment have given McCain ample cordage.
(For a response to the Palin nomination from an Alaskan who knows what she’s talking about, see the letter I posted here under “Comments.”)
Dear classmates – As an Alaskan, I am writing to give all of you some information on Sarah Palin, Senator McCain’s choice for VP. As an Alaska voter, I know more than most of you about her and, frankly, I am horrified that he picked her.
The most accurate description of her is red neck. Her husband works in the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay and races snow mobiles. She is a life time member of the NRA and has worked tirelessly to allow indiscriminate hunting of wildlife in Alaska, particularly wolves and bears. She has spent millions of Alaska state dollars on aerial hunting of these predators from helicopters and airplanes, dollars that should have been spent, for example, on Alaska’s failing school system. We have the lowest rate of high school graduation in the country. Not all of you may think aerial predator hunting is so bad, but how anyone (other than Alaska wolf-haters, of which there are many, most without teeth), could think this use of funds is appropriate is beyond me…
She has been a strong supporter of increased use of fossil fuels, yet the McCain campaign has the nerve to say she has “green” policies. The only thing green about Sarah Palin is her lack of experience. She has consistently supported drilling in ANWR, use of coal-burning power plants (as I write this, a new coal plant is being built in her home town of Wasilla), strip mining, and almost anything else that will unnecessarily exploit the diminishing resources of Alaska and destroy its environment.
Prior to her one year as governor of Alaska, she was mayor of Wasilla, a small red neck town outside Anchorage. The average maximum education level of parents of junior high school kids in Wasilla is 10th grade. Unfortunately, I have to go to Wasilla every week to get groceries and other supplies, so I have continual contact with the people who put Palin in office in the first
place. I know what I’m talking about. These people don’t have a concept of the world around them or of the serious issues facing the US. Furthermore, they don’t care. So long as they can go out and hunt their moose every fall, kill wolves and bears and drive their snow mobiles and ATVs through every corner of the wilderness, they’re happy. I wish I were exaggerating.
Sarah Palin is currently involved in a political corruption scandal. She fired an individual in law enforcement here because she didn’t like how he treated one of her relatives during a divorce. The man’s performance and ability weren’t considered; it was a totally personal firing and is currently under investigation. While the issue isn’t close to the scandal of Ted Steven’s corruption, it shows that Palin isn’t “squeaky clean” and causes me to think there ay be more issues that could come to light.
Clearly McCain doesn’t care. When you line Palin up with Biden, the comparison would be laughable
if it weren’t so serious. Sarah Palin knows nothing of economics (admittedly a weak area for McCain), or of international affairs, knows nothing of national government, Social Security, unemployment, health care systems – you name it. The idea of her meeting with heads of foreign governments around the world truly frightens me. In an increasingly dangerous world, with the economy in shambles in the US, Sarah Palin is uniquely UNqualified to be vice president. John McCain is not a young man. Should something happen to him such that the vice president had to step in, it would destroy our country and possibly the world to have someone as inexperienced and inappropriate as Sarah Palin.
The choice of Palin is a cheap shot by McCain
to try to get Hillary supporters to vote for him. when McCain introduced her today, Palin had the nerve to compare herself with Hillary and Geraldine Ferraro. Sarah Palin, you are no Hillary Clinton. To those of you who, like me, supported Hilary and were upset that she did not get the nomination, please don’t think that Sarah Palin is a worthy substitute. If you supported Hillary, regardless of what you think the media and the democratic party may have done to undermine her campaign, the person to support now is Obama, not Sarah Palin. To those of you who are independent or undecided, don’t let the choice of Palin sway you in favor of McCain. Choosing her shows how unqualified McCain is to be president. To those of you who are conservative, I guess you have no choice for president. But please try to see how the poor
choice of Palin tells us a great deal about McCain’s judgment. While the political posturing inherent in the choice of Palin is obvious, the more serious issue is the fact that the VP is, literally, a heartbeat away from the presidency. Sarah Palin is totally and unequivocally unqualified to be vice president, let alone president.
I know this is a lengthy and emotional email, but the stakes are high. I thought it might help for all of you, regardless of political affiliation, to know something about Palin from someone who has to live with her administration in Alaska on a daily basis.
Jackie S