A lot of play today on Gail Collins' column and her comments on the Palin pick. Most home in on the "internal plumbing" sentence and fail to scan further. If you missed it, here is the whole 'graph and the irony of teh end line, considering the theme of this post, is amazing.
The idea that women are going to race off to vote for any candidate with the same internal plumbing is both offensive and historically wrong. When the sexes have parted company in modern elections, it’s generally been because women are more likely to be Democrats, and more concerned about protecting the social safety net. “The gender gap traditionally has been determined by party preference, not by the gender of the candidate,” said Ruth Mandel of the Eagleton Institute of Politics.
Hey, there's irony for you! Mandel speaks from the Eagleton Institute of Politics!
I am not just surprised, I am outraged at the McCain choice for Vice-President. He has made a mockery of the system by selecting a person with such shallow experience that it would be laughable were it not for the serious matter. I do not know Susan Palin and am prepared to accept that she is an intelligent, capable person. This is not really about her. However, this decision was clearly not made with the good of the country at its core, but with the good of only one man. I have always thought that the purpose of the vice-presidency is to have someone available in case of emergency who can direct the affairs of the United States. They have many other duties, to be sure, but the main reason is to function as a "back up" when the President cannot perform official duties. Why is McCain making such an immature and incompetent choice? He is behaving like a 23 year old jet jock who wants to "pull more Gs" than his comrades and thus get some notoriety. Not like a potential president.
It is hard to see any person whose total political experience is as thin as Palin's being able to step in and actively manage the affairs of the United States. No, it's impossible. I cannot imagine such a person managing a 500-plate state dinner honoring the president of France, let alone representing the United States at the next G-8 summit or discussing military incursions in Georgia or nuclear proliferation with Vladimir Putin or constructing and selling a new peace proposal in the Middle East.
Clearly, McCain has not thought very deeply about these possibilities, and he should be ashamed of himself for it. Maybe he sees himself as indestructible, so there would be no issue. Realistically, he owes all of us a better effort. This is the United States we're talking about, not some halfbaked attempt to get some headlines. If this decision illustrates the depth of his intelligence and concern for the well being of the country, then I suggest that his candidacy should be suspended or permanently stopped immediately. We deserve better.
Well, given that Palin is now his "partner and soulmate," maybe he IS looking for Wife No. 3.
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I believe I'll pass, "blogmaster." Sounds like you're geared more toward people who write "blogvertorial" blogs for SRO hits than anything else.
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