I'm writing today for the first time in a while because John McCain just performed a politcal move of pure genius. He has thrown us a curveball that is going to be EXTREMELEY difficult to hit.
I woke this morning expecting to hear Mitt Romney, Pawlenty, or if hell broke loose, Joe Lieberman being announced as VP on the McCain ticket.
Well, hell broke loose, and it was far, far, worse than I thought.
Make no mistake about it, Sarah Palin is about the most difficult thing for us to deal with right now. And simply because she's a woman. In a time when many former Hillary supporters still feel cheated, he picks a woman that no one has heard of to scrape off from those votes. A woman who was mayor of a town smaller than Barack Obama's state senate district. A woman who has been governor for 2 years and is currently caught up in a scandal. A WOMAN WHO IS OPPOSED TO EVERYTHING HILLARY CLINTON HAS FAUGHT FOR HER ENTIRE LIFE.
But would people really vote for her just because of her gender? Well, ya.
My mom's friend called this morning to tell us how excited she was about this pick, and that she "likes her character." This is someone who was anti-Bush in 04 and leaning Obama this year.
This may be taking place all over the country. I hope it isn't, but nothing can be taken for granted.
She will take on Joe Biden in the debates. While this should be easy work for the 30+ year Senator and chariman of the Foreign Relations committee, he now has to be extraordinarily careful. Remember what happened in New Hampshire when Barack was percevied as "bullying" Clinton?
The rules change because its a woman. I'm not saying its right, I'm saying thats how it is.
Today in her speech she gave credit to those women who came before her, Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton. How dare this Neo-Con dare to compare herself to these two greats. How dare she invoke women gaining the right to vote 88 years ago when her conservative philosophy puts her at odds with such grounbreaking progress today.
Despite being an Obama supporter, Hillary Clinton always had my respect, and picking Obama over her was a tough decision. (I wrote a blog defending her against some unfair attacks earlier this year.) Had things been differently and she won the nomination, I would have been behind her right now in full force. This is because Hillary Clinton fought and will continue to fight for the things I believe in. Those things are a responsible end to the war in Iraq, a new healthcare system that covers all Americans, a sound environmental policy, a government that would let women make decisions regarding abortions for themselves, and a President who would not make decisions that assist an already receeding economy to go into freefall.
This is a woman who is against all these things. This is a woman who should never be compared to Hillary Clinton. This is a woman we would have never heard of except for the fact McCain wanted to shake things up.
We can't get complacent and celebrate this pick simply because she is unknown. In this election, we cannot afford to take any chances.
We must make clear to America that this woman is not anything but another Republican cronie that must be stopped. Our country cannot afford to have this Neo-Con be only a hearbeat away from the presidency, which will be inhabited by an even bigger Neo-Con. 8 years was more than enough. Its time for a new direction, and if you vote for McCain because of Sarah Palin, you deserve the terrible administration you will get should they win.
(For the wonderful perspective of a Hillary Supporter, please read Angry Mouse's blog here: http://www.dailykos.com/...
It is much shorter than mine and yet many many times better.)