Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Sarah Palin as Vice President?



Thanks to Indexed for this cartoon that illustrates what people have been talking about the last few days. I must admit that I was worried when McCain chose Sarah Palin as his VP - I was worried that just like in the movies and television (think of the movie Dave or the television show Commander in Chief) people might believe that someone fresh and new can actually capture the attention of everyone and succeed in the Chief Executive Office. I was worried that the disaffected Hillary supporters might actually be so blind and misguided as to vote for a ticket with a woman, voting against their own beliefs on taxes, universal medical coverage, abortion, the Iraq War and virtually everything else held sacred by the Republican Party. Everyone loves a good story - a family woman, with all the family values beloved by the right wing, an outdoorsy gun-toting woman who doesn't remind men of their middle-aged nagging wives. A magical choice...........

I don't believe women will fall for the blatant Sarah Palin ploy - a clumsy and silly ploy to attract disaffected Hillary Clinton voters. Would I have been able to run a state or a country with five children, one of them a special needs baby and one who has just finished months of mono and is now pregnant? That really isn't the issue - if she chose to do this, then good for her. Would I have wanted to focus world-wide attention on my pregnant teenager, at a time when she probably would like some privacy and quiet? Maybe not, but again, it is Palin's choice.

The real issue is whether Palin has any relevant experience (beyond managing a city of less than 9,000 people and being Governor of the a state that ranks 47th in the US for population). The issue is also whether we can trust John McCain's judgement in his selection of a fanciful and magical candidate - and whether McCain acted presumptuously and impulsively in choosing a candidate that was not properly vetted.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh and the news about Sarah only gets more interesting. Apparently, the Republican party is finally taking a closer look at this interesting nominee.
This choice certainly shines a new light on McCain's ability to make good decisions.
Nora

Anonymous said...

Go to the link below for what some top GOP'ers say about the Palin choice.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/03/peggy-noonan-mike-murphy_n_123647.html

Anonymous said...

I knew ahead of time that I probably don't agree with any of Palin's positions on just about anything, but watched her anyway. As a lifelong feminist, I agree that she SHOULD have this chance if she wants it - at least I WANT to believe this.
But I can't help feeling it's a bad choice (right now) for a woman with her family situation. Sure men have put political gain ahead of family for eons, but as a mother, I hope for better of my gender.
The nagging thought though, in the back of my mind is that these thoughts make me a throwback, a bread-baking stay-at-home mom or Phyllis Schaffly. Maybe it's just being a realist - at this age, the other side of fifty, having experienced the weight of rearing children, having a few regrets about work vs. family time management, and discovering that "having it all" doesn't really exist. Maybe the best we can hope for is to "have it all" sequentially.
The best part of the speech was when they showed little Piper using spit to mash down her baby brother's hair. :)