Like most Americans, I had not heard of Sarah Palin before her nomination for Vice President. So I was naturally curious to see her appearance at the Republican National Convention. While she was impressive, I wonder if McCain’s choice was really the best one available. First, if choosing her was based solely on trying to steal Clinton supporters, the move may backfire. Clinton supporters weren’t just women, they were also Democrats. It is more likely that those disenchanted voters will stick to their party, or not vote at all, rather than vote for a woman who is the ideological opposite of the woman they supported. Also, if McCain really wanted to emphasize Obama’s lack of experience, it makes very little sense to pick Palin, who has possibly even less experience.
Because of this move, this election will now undoubtedly produce a historic result. Either America will have its first black President, or the first woman Vice President. In order to ensure the latter result, Palin will certainly be put through more scrutiny than she has ever seen in her brief political career. This will also include a scrutiny of her personal life. Some Democrats have made an issue about Palin’s five children, one of which is an infant and the other is an expectant teenage mother, and whether she will be able to balance the demands of The White House and family life. Seeing as her speech at the RNC was laced with attacks, she appears ready for the job.
1 comment:
I agree that Palin was a risky choice, and could potentially hurt McCain's arguments against Obama. I also think that most female Clinton supporters would be more loyal to their beliefs than to their gender. While the naming of Palin as Republican VP nominee did cause an initial stir, it will probably cool off soon enough, and not make much difference in the end.
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