During the Democratic primary, Republicans reveled in the fact that Democrats were being divided along the lines of race and gender, with the party held captive to '60s era identity politics. Yet as is so often the case, the Republican Party has revealed itself to be nothing if not hypocritical by consistently practicing a far more odious brand of identity politics.
Who does Sarah Palin remind you of? Many were quick to point out the shades of Dan Quayle, noting that she is "Dan Quayle with a ponytail."
The 44-year-old Palin, however, has much more in common with another 40-something, who was unexpectedly thrust to the forefront of American politics: Clarence Thomas. In doing so, the GOP has revealed itself yet again to be incredibly cynical.
Indeed, Clarence Thomas is the more apt comparison. Both Palin and Thomas are right-wing zealots who were so obviously unqualified for their respective posts that most were as shocked by their selection as they were appalled. Yet, the GOP sought to play identity politics both to soften the harsh edges of their right-wing ideology and undermine opposition to them.
When the 43-year-old Thomas was nominated to the Supreme Court under the ridiculous premise that he was "the best qualified" candidate, the GOP attempted to use Thomas' race to thwart liberal opposition and divide African Americans, whose interests he would seek to undermine by rolling back affirmative action (and upholding the fraudulent 2000 election in which so many African Americans were purged from the Florida rolls). The pick was that much more despicable because Thomas was selected to replace the venerable Thurgood Marshall, a civil rights pioneer and the first African American to sit on the Supreme Court.
Similarly, Palin is supposed to qualify as a substitute for Hillary Clinton, whose own presidential candidacy was an historic leap forward for American women. The GOP has bet the election on the unlikely prospect that they can peel away just enough Hillary voters to close the gender gap, despite the fact that Palin is an adamant opponent of everything Hillary stands for, especially reproductive rights, even in the case of rape or incest. They are hoping to use Palin's gender to make it more difficult for Joe Biden to go after her in the Vice Presidential debate, even though she has zero foreign policy experience and didn't even know what the Vice President does until recently.
Palin and Thomas. Young, unqualified, right-wing zealots. Both selected with the aim of manipulating identity politics to further a morally bankrupt Republican agenda.
This pick will cost McCain the election for destroying his only possible attack against Obama: his lack of experience. While the sheer cynicism of selecting Palin has already been widely noted, understanding its continuities with the Thomas pick fully reveals the sheer disgust the Republican Party has for the American people. Lucky for us, the disgust is now mutual.