I've sat on my hands all evening, following our lively little discussion here, debating as to the wisdom of jumping into the pool. Well, I suppose I can't resist dipping a toe in the water at least.
Re: Sarah Palin.
When I heard that McCain had chosen her as his running mate, my first question (besides Who?) was Why? What qualities did this person have that showed her to be up to the task of being a vice-presidential nominee. Like most of the country, I knew very little about her. I made no judgements at that point, I was merely curious. I watched the news reports begin to roll in over the next days and weeks. The attacks on her family and her children I ignored. Family has nothing to do with her political qualifications. But as I watched and listened, one thing became clear. Sarah Palin was put on the ticket in part to attract the Hillary supporters who were angry that Barack had no only beat her out for the nomination, but declined to put her on as his VP pick. They saw this group of female Hillary supporters as a group of voters that were now up for grabs, so they put out Sarah Palin.
I am female, and I was enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton. And this move insulted me no end. To put out a woman to garner our votes implies that we were voting for Hillary merely because SHE was a woman, not a qualified and exciting candidate. Dangle another woman in front of us, and we'll bite, right? How dare they assume that female voters have such a shallow perspective that we will vote for anyone with breasts.
And then we did get to know Palin.
Yes, Sarah Palin was thrown into a situation that she was not as prepared for as the presidential candidates, but that's exactly the point. She needed to be able to handle the scrutiny and questioning, and she just couldn't. Every vice-presidential pick is thrown into the same situation after a presidential candidate is picked.
In truth, I felt horribly sorry for her, the way they were using her, throwing her to a situation she couldn't possibly handle. She lacks the intellect and the knowledge to fill that position and it was painfully obvious from the beginning. It was unfair and cruel to put her up there anyway, hoping to draw women who would vote for her based soley on her gender. I did not decide against voting for Sarah Palin because I am sexist or against females in positions of power. I decided not to vote for her because she was flat out unqualified for the position.
Okay, getting off soap box. Getting out of the pool.
