Desperate Act of a Desperate Man
Posted August 30, 2008 on 1:30 pm | In the category Politics, Press, Election 2008, McCain | by JeffJohn McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin for his Vice President candidate appears to be the first paragraph of his concession speech. There is simply no good reason to consider putting someone so shallow, so ignorant of foreign affairs, and so inexperienced in the world a heartbeat away from the presidency. And while the strategy is apparent it is an affront to American women to think they will vote along gynecological lines and not recognize the difference between Hillary Clinton and a self-described “hockey Mom” whose experience reads like that of some former Christian Girl Scout who was active in the PTA and who opposes the most basic of women’s rights. Simply put, it is an insulting- even dangerous - decision that ridicules McCain’s so-called expertise in national security matters.
As for the press and media, by and large they are behaving as expected. Fox news has anointed her as a “rising star” with one of their analysts saying she was very knowledgeable about international relations because she “lives near Russia”. The NY Times headlines read: “Choice of Palin is a Bold Move by McCain, With Risks” and, “Palin, an Outsider Who Charms”. The Washington Post chimed in: “With VP Pick, McCain Reclaims Maverick image”, and “The Battle for Women Begins”. The Boston Globe went with: “McCain Surprises with VP Pick” and, “Selection is a Bold, but Risky, Political Gamble”. The stakes are too high for such weak analysis.
None of this is funny. When Palin is measured against challenges like ending the Iraq War, dealing with Iran, working toward peace in the Middle East, addressing Russian petropolitics in the Caucuses and Central Asia, developing an effective relationship with an emerging government in Pakistan, and repairing America’s reputation in the world, she becomes the punchline in a bad joke. If the quality of a candidate’s judgment is a key factor in considering competence, McCain just gave the game away.
Game over.
6 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Leave a comment
Powered by WordPress with Pool theme design by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.
Valid XHTML and CSS. ^Top^
I agree, I agree. With all but your conclusion. This woman is the least qualified person ever selected as a major party vice presidential candidate. Dan Quayle had a better resume, for all’s sakes. But it won’t matter.
Take a look at Puma blogs, fierce sexists so infuriated that anyone dare insult a woman, they overlook her stances on rape pregnancy abortions, equal pay legislation, et.al.
She is photogenic in her “smarmy schoolgirl” glasses (her words, not mine) and will be an instant media darling. Everyone from Maureen Dowd and Kieth Olbermann to Pat Buchanan and Sean Hannity can’t stop talking about her.
Most importantly we are blogging and reading about Sarah Palin rather than Barak Obama; John McCain wins this round. After Barak’s speech on race, the internet, 24hr news stations and local bar were abuzz with Barak Obama, everyone parsing his every word from that speech for days. The day after he takes the gloves off and slaps McCain with them at Invesco Field, we’re talking about the Governer of Alaska.
Governer Crist of Florida may have been an effective Vice President, but Governer Palin is an amazing media magnet, and for all their cries of celebrity, McCain’s camp just got the attention they’ve always envied.
Comment by Bert Johnson — August 31, 2008 #
I hate it when someone rains on my parade but alas, after watching yesterday’s Meet the Press I have to say that Bert has a point. Just when I began to believe that there was no way the responsible press could sugar coat Ms. Palin I heard David Gregory refer to Palin’s taking a plane from Texas to have her baby on Alaskan soil as being really “cool” and Tom Brokaw commenting that Palin’s use of words like “awesome” were great ways to reach the common man (and presumably woman). In today’s NY Times William Kristol puts on his cheerleader skirt and goes nuts over Palin while the PUMAs continue to embarass women everywhere.
My “game over” comment is a bit like the Chicago Cubs fans’ “wait till next year”. Hope springs - if not eternal - at least episodically. I hope Bert is wrong and that I am right - but we shall see.
Comment by jeff — September 1, 2008 #
OK, so she’s insulated and isolated. She grew up in Idaho and moved to Alaska - two less-than- central locations, both physically and ideologically. And she’s a novice - untested politically and economically [Alaska pays its residents rather than the other way around]. But what’s most troubling to me is the fact that she is an unknown. We have no idea how she would react in the face of conflict of any sort. This person would be in charge of the United States if anything happened to the older-than-his years, enfeebled McCain. What would she do in the face of a natural, economic, or political crisis? We have no way of knowing - she may drop it all and go moose hunting. No thanks.
Comment by John — September 1, 2008 #
As a friend of the Mackenzie Brothers who did not know that one of them had recently undergone a sex-change operation, allow me enter the fray to express my hope that Jeff’s take on this is right. Although I put few things past the American voting public, it’s difficult for me to imagine that Hilary’s followers will vote “gynecologically,” especially since she will (per the front page of the NYT) be campaigning fiercely to discourage them from being drawn in by this fraud. As for me, I’m off to the local Obama headquarters to volunteer.
Comment by Marilyn — September 5, 2008 #
Now that I know that Jeff will actually print my meanderings, let me add— Did you know that Sarah Palin believes in “aerial hunting,” a practice whereby the hunter hunts down wolves from low-flying helicopters or aircraft until the animals either die from exhaustion or collapse and can then be killed from point-blank range? Makes me wonder whom we should hug first–our gun-toting hockey mom or the NRA?
Comment by Marilyn — September 6, 2008 #
Contact Don Cherry for a defence of the cross-checking ability of ballistic hockey moms. In any case my brother and I do think that she demonstrated her global experience when she sent an email to the mayor of Atlanta to confirm that she agreed with Sen. McCain that “we were all Georgians”.
Comment by Mackenzie Brothers — September 7, 2008 #