Palin

Since no one's posting, I'm going to double post.



And I can see Russia from my house! LOL


Let me repost one of the comments I made recently in my POLS2221 (US and Evolving International Order) course:

When I found out that McCain chose Alaskan governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, I was genuinely shocked. McCain obvious thinks that this is the best decision, and decided to go with an Alaskan woman as his running candidate.

Why though?

Convention and political gamesmenship dictates that McCain choose someone someone from the North, as he is from Arizona (a southern state). Palin isn't even from the mainland, so obviously McCain thought that he could pull the votes better with Palin. Palin was not chosen because of her logistical connections - Alaska is a hardcore Republican state, and only carries 3 electoral votes. No reason for McCain to choose someone from Alaska. Palin obviously has something better than that.

Is it Palin's experience? No. Palin is 44 years old, and could pass as McCain's daughter. She was a mayor of a tiny town in Alaska. She is a first term governor (with 2 years of experience). Experience-wise, she is even worse than Obama, which is saying a lot. Palin must have something even better than that.

What is it that Palin has that McCain decided it was important enough to forgo all the rules of the political gamesmenship and choose her over more experienced, more well known and regarded politicians? The answer? A vagina. Palin was chosen because of her gender, in an attempt to pull the disgruntled Clinton supporters to the Republican side. McCain obviously thinks that he has a better chance of winning with a pretty 44 year old beauty queen than with other more seasoned, experienced and well regarded and well respected politicians.

Naturally, this begs the question: Is the American public that immatured and shallow? McCain certainly thinks so. Palin, not chosen because of her experience, or her policies, but because of her gender and her beauty.

Oh well, why am I even asking this question... The Democrats did chose African American over experience. I'll leave you with two quotes from Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman chosen by a major party to stand in a presidential election (Palin is the second) :

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept"

"...in 1984 if my name was Gerard Ferraro instead of Geraldine Ferraro, I would have never been chosen as a vice presidential candidate. It had nothing to do with my qualification."




And then in a following post defending myself after offending some:



Thanks for the reply. Sorry if I offended you :).

In no way I am belittling Palin's achievements. I am sure she is a great mother, and a great leader.

Just not the best.

There were scores of other more eligible, qualified and experienced candidates that McCain could have chosen. In my previous posting, I have shown that she didn't beat the other candidates in areas of experience or qualification, or any other reason besides the fact that she is a woman. The fact that she is a woman was what made McCain decide on her over others that had more experience and qualification.

Impressive political career? Perhaps, but not as impressive as the other candidates. Of course she is not a complete political novice; she is just not a political maestro - and why would you choose a first term Alaskan governor over other political maestros?

Chairing the Oil & Natural Gas Resource Development Group? Impressive, but more impressive than the much much vaster experiences of the other candidates? I think not.

Which brings us back to she was chosen because she is a woman. She is a qualified woman, and I'm sure she would make a great VP, but ultimately, the reason she is selected is because she is a woman. Again, I am in no way belittling her achievements, but I don't think it was those achievements that made McCain choose her. McCain didn't choose her because of her experience or qualification, impressive as it might be, but because of her gender.

Obama may be an "intelligent, articulate, passionate and persuasive individual", but I personally think if he were to be a white man, he would not be accepting the nomination in Denver. Obama rode on the massive (almost 90%) support of the African American votes, and if he were a white man, a white, "intelligent, articulate, passionate and persuasive individual", he would not have been elected.

This is not to say that Palin and Obama are both impressive individuals. Openly stating that their gender and race are the reasons they are where they are today, might deny their personal achievements, but it is a fact. It is a fact that their gender and race were given more weight than their achievements and experience. I am not condoning or saying it is a positive or desirable phenomena, I am merely saying it is a fact.

And the fact is, Obama was elected because he is African American and Palin was chosen because she is woman.


Vagina anyone?