The only
surprising thing about McCain's VP pick (aside from the initial shocked reaction of "who the hell is Sarah
Palin" is that he didn't choose a minority to go against
Obama's "Affirmative Action presidency", as many conservatives like to call it.
It is painfully obvious that McCain's camp chose a woman in order to not only to capitalize on the bitter feelings of disillusioned Hillary Clinton supporters, but also as an effort to cash in on the historic implications of
Obama's campaign. But when you really think about it, it fits perfectly with Republicans main principles. After all, they will appoint minorities and women to roles, as long as they aren't central leadership roles and as long as these nominees think and act exactly like white males. Consider Colin Powell,
Condi Rice, Alberto Gonzales, etc.
But aside from the obvious pandering and petty attempts to grab cheap political points, this VP pick shows us that when it comes to breathtaking hypocrisy, McCain is right up there with Bush and Cheney.
He has constantly dogged
Obama's age and relative inexperience. Many on the right suggest that
Obama is too young, and even more stress that four years in the Senate (they never count any of his other political or academic experience) is not enough. While on the surface this could been seen as a valid argument, in many cases this is just a convenient rationale used to dodge any other "difficulties" with him that cause their
opposition (like maybe his skin is a shade too dark).
Of course, in spite of his constant hammering of
Obama's youth and inexperience, McCain managed to go out and find someone who is not only younger than
Obama, but is perhaps more inexperienced as well! Although
Palin's political experience dates back to the 1990s, the
bulk of it
involves service on the city council and then serving as mayor of a city of only 6,000 people. In 2006 she was elected governor of Alaska, and while reaching this level in politics is a tremendous accomplishment, it doesn't change the fact that she only has two years of experience representing or presiding over a group larger than 6,000.
However, she "fits the mold" perfectly for McCain's shopping list of VP qualities. She seems to be about as cliche as one can be for a conservative, touting "fiscal responsibility", is adamantly anti-abortion and anti-tax, and has the image of being from a rugged and self-reliant state. Most importantly, especially in this election cycle, she has a vagina. While in the past this fact alone has ended the dreams of many Republican candidates aspiring for higher office, in 2008 it has become essential, seeing as it is one of the only ways Republicans can appeal to women.
That being said, can we talk about Alaska a bit? Like many conservative policies and politicians, it seems to get by on image alone. There is no doubt that Alaska is rugged and harsh living, and its natural beauty conjures romantic images of the
triumph of the individual. However, this is just the facade.
Alaska has a population of roughly 670,000. To put things into perspective, the Kansas City metro area is estimated to have over 1.6
million residents. A good 1/1 comparison of
population would be the city of Memphis, TN, with a population of 674,000. By this reasoning, the mayor of Memphis might have been a more natural pick.One of the most important values conservatives and Republicans tout is individualism and small government, as in, keep government out of our lives. However, Alaska gets one of the best returns on investment in federal dollars. For every dollar Alaska pays in taxes, the state
receives $1.89 in federal funding. In contrast, blue state "welfare queens" like New York only
receive a return of 80 cents on the dollar, and New Jersey does even worse with 57 cents on the dollar returned.
Especially ironic, given McCain's
insistence on ending "earmarks" in the US Senate, is Alaska's record on earmarks and funding thanks to the efforts of Republican Senator Ted Stevens, currently under indictment for corruption, an investigation that has shed light on what could possibly be a systematic corruption within Alaskan politics. It is unclear what message McCain is trying to send with this VP decision, but one thing is certain: No one who votes for him should see any reason to expect anything but more of the same hypocritical arrogance in all matters foreign and domestic as we have seen these last eight years, coupled with a large dose of empty rhetoric.
By Craig Anderson
The article Four Things that Keep Me Up at Night, pretty much sums up everything I have been feeling, saying and thinking about the upcoming election in six days. I am jazzed that Obama is currently leading in the polls, but at the same time I am preparing myself for something utterly and completely crazy to happen enabling McCain to win the election. I must say that in past elections I haven't been tuned it at all because I felt like it didn't matter. I now see the error of my ways...