Who Does McCain Think He Is Fooling With Palin?
Here is a guest post by community member Deb Della Piana from Turn Left.
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In my last article about women voting for McCain, I said that the candidate was banking on women not finding out his real position on issues such as abortion and birth control. Apparently, he also believes that his choosing a female running mate will help him win him the female vote; that it won’t matter where Governor Sarah Palin falls on women’s issues. Ladies, in short, John McCain thinks you don’t use your brains. I don’t believe for a minute that John McCain will fool the women of this country, and I cannot see Hillary Clinton’s supporters being star struck by his selection.
There’s not much to know about Sarah Palin’s background. Project Vote Smart sums it up on a single sheet. She was elected Governor of Alaska in 2006. Prior to that, she was the part-time Mayor of Wasilla City, Alaska, population 9,000. She holds a degree in Communications/Journalism from the University of Idaho. So, let’s get this straight: John McCain has been spending the better part of a year harping on Barack Obama’s youth and lack of foreign policy experience. Then he goes out and chooses a running mate younger than Obama with absolutely no foreign policy experience and precious little national political experience. (I don’t think a minor in political science counts.) Today John McCain turned 72. What happens if McCain becomes incapacitated during his term and we have to rely on President Palin? Think about it. How would she deal with, say, the two wars? How would she deal with Nouri al-Maliki? Or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? These are legitimate questions, given McCain’s age and his repeated bouts with melanoma, one of the most virulent forms of skin cancer. For the record, he has never fully come clean with his medical records. That issue, of course, just dropped by the wayside, deemed insignificant.
Here’s why John McCain thinks his choice will help him pull the wool over our eyes:
(1)Governor Palin is broadly viewed as a ‘reformer’ who exposed ethics violations in Republican state government. This, my friends, is the old ‘straight talk express’ thing again. You know, McCain the Maverick. Now, he supposedly has a female straight talker. Yes, he told the media that he’s been seeking a running mate that can “best help me shake up Washington.” Who is he kidding? John McCain isn’t interested in shaking anything up. He has voted in step with George Bush more than 95% of the time. His plan is to follow through with and expand upon Bush’s eight years of failed policies.
(2)John McCain thinks he can have his cake and eat it too. He sees Governor Palin as a way to tempt disenfranchised Hillary Clinton supporters and pander to the Christian conservatives. In McCain’s warped mind, women are vacuous enough to support a woman simply because she’s a woman. Sarah Palin is an Evangelical Christian, a pro-creationist, an anti-abortionist, and a forced childbirth activist. I could be wrong, but I don’ t think her vision is shared by the majority of American women, let alone Hillary Clinton supporters.
The choice of Sarah Palin is living proof that McCain knows he must have the support of conservative Christians in order to move into his new digs at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Ralph Reed is positively gushing about Palin. “This is a home run. She is a reform governor who is solidly pro-life and a person of deep Christian faith.” He went on to describe Palin as one of the “bright shining new stars” in the Republican party. The GOP is barely recognizable anymore. It has become a party so tightly entwined with conservative religious ideology that it no longer carries the vision of serving all Americans.
A dose of reality
McCain professes “Country First” on his campaign web site. Let’s face it, people, this wasn’t a selection made with America’s best interest in mind. It may sound like a cliché but this is indeed a woman who is a heartbeat away from the presidency, a self-described “average hockey mom” with not one whit of real-world experience in foreign affairs, terrorism or the armed forces. Yet John McCain has boldly stated that she’s ready to be president. What’s he going to do? Send her to some kind of intensive training course for the first few months?
As recently as one month ago, Governor Palin didn’t have anything positive to say about the position she so willingly accepted today. She said the VP position didn’t seem “productive.” She also confessed that she doesn’t know much about what a vice president does. Although the Los Angeles Times refers to Palin as well-spoken, the convoluted reply she gave when asked about the possibility of being McCain’s running mate puts her right on par with George Bush in command of the English language:
“As for that VP talk all the time, I’ll tell you, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day? I’m used to being very productive and working real hard in an administration. We want to make sure that that VP slot would be a fruitful type of position, especially for Alaskans and for the things that we’re trying to accomplish up here for the rest of the U.S., before I can even start addressing that question.”
Huh? I’d say the jury is still way out on how well-spoken she is.
Her whistleblower status is also at risk. Governor Palin is now herself under investigation for abuse of power. She is accused of firing Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan because he would not succumb to pressure and fire an Alaska state trooper involved in a nasty divorce from Palin’s sister. While she denies the allegations, the legislature has voted to hire an independent investigator to look into the matter. She has remained loyal to Senator Ted Stevens.
We simply can’t hear enough about Palin’s solidly Christian family life. She eloped with her childhood sweetheart. At 44, she’s the mother of five children ranging in age from 18 to 4 months. She’s a favorite of Christian conservatives because of her refusal to have an abortion in spite of the fact that she was carrying a child (the 4 month old) with Down syndrome. Her eldest son is in the service and will be heading to Iraq on, you won’ t believe it, September 11th. In somebody’s mind, hers is the perfect embodiment of the American family unit. She will attempt to lure the female vote by claiming Hillary Clinton’s mantra about cracking the glass ceiling as her own. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid, ladies. Governor Palin is no greater a friend to women than is John McCain.
Palin is unwaveringly pro-life and does not support a woman’s right to choose. She is prominent member of Feminists for Life. She wants creationism taught in the classroom and is a forced childbirth activist. She is a woman who has no problem selling out womens’ rights. Does she sound like the type of candidate that the majority of American women would support? I think not. She is undoubtedly a choice designed to solidify support from the Republicans’ Christian conservative base.
So, now the Republicans have their hunk of history, and all I can say is I hope we don’t have to test her in the driver’s seat. McCain’s supposedly ‘bold’ move is less about putting a woman on the ticket than putting a Christian conservative on the ticket. If McCain wanted to shake things up by presenting a powerhouse ticket, he could have chosen Kay Bailey Hutchison or even Olympia Snowe. While even their selection would still not be enough to make me vote for McCain, these are at least women with proven track records and credibility. Their only drawback is that they do not share Sarah Palin’s ideology and extremism and were, therefore, unacceptable to McCain’s Christian base.
Comments
Comment from Catherine Morgan
Time: August 30, 2008, 4:07 pm
I just got this in my email and thought I would share it here…
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We wanted to share with you the following statements on John McCain’s running mate,Governor Sarah Palin. Included below are statements from EMILY’s List, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Feminist Majority and NOW.
Choosing Palin Reinforces McCain’s Failed Support for Women’s Issues
August 29th, 2008
How ironic that, on his 72nd birthday, McCain has raised the question of whether his running mate is prepared to be Commander in Chief and lead the country. Governor Palin and John McCain are a good match because they both want to overturn Roe V. Wade, they both want to continue the failed economic policies of the Bush administration and they both offer more of the same that has led this country down the wrong path. McCain clearly sees the power of women voters in this election but has just as clearly failed to support any of the issues that they care about. His choice for vice president only reinforces that failure.
-Emily’s List President Ellen R. Malcolm
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2008
McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate; Selection of anti-choice Palin shows just how extreme McCain presidency will be
Washington, D.C. – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said that Sen. John McCain’s selection today of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate is further evidence that a McCain presidency will be just another four years of the same old Bush-style anti-choice policies. Just like McCain, Palin opposes a woman’s right to choose. Palin has also stated her opposition to abortion even in cases of rape or incest.
“John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate proves just how rigid and extreme his administration would be when it comes to a woman’s right to choose,” Keenan said. “For 25 years, McCain has opposed a woman’s right to choose, and we know that he will continue to push anti-choice policies in the White House. McCain’s pick of anti-choice Sarah Palin is further evidence that his White House will be just another four years of Bush-style policies. Any remaining doubts about McCain’s extreme anti-choice position should be put to rest when voters learn about the combined anti-choice records of Sarah Palin and John McCain.”
Palin, a member of the anti-choice group Feminists for Life, said during her campaign for governor that she is opposed to abortion, even in cases of rape or incest. [Juneau Empire, "Abortion Draws Clear Divide in State Races," accessed 8/29/08 and Anchorage Daily News, "Governor’s Race: Top contenders meet one last time to debate," 11/03/06.]
“Americans are tired of the kind of divisive anti-choice policies that Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin have pledged to continue to support. The contrast between pro-choice Sen. Obama and anti-choice Sen. McCain is clear. Voters are looking for a leader who respects women’s freedom and privacy. Barack Obama is that leader.”
Sen. McCain’s selection of Palin as his vice-presidential running mate is especially troublesome for the unique audience of women voters NARAL Pro-Choice America is targeting: Independent and Republican pro-choice women in suburban and exurban swing districts. These women play a pivotal role in the presidential election. Recent polling confirms how, once these voters know McCain’s extreme opposition to a woman’s right to choose and family planning, they will switch parties to support Sen. Barack Obama.
NARAL Pro-Choice America, which tracks all choice-related votes in Congress and ranks all 50 states on the status of women’s reproductive rights, classifies Sarah Palin as anti-choice.
Information about the polling can be found here
Contact:
Kathryn Prael, 202.973.3032
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CECILE RICHARDS, PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACTION FUND PRESIDENT, STATEMENT ON MCCAIN VICE-PRESIDENTIAL SELECTION
Contact: Diane Quest, 202-973-4851 For Immediate Release: 08.29.08
“Senator McCain’s choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as a running mate makes clear that John McCain is completely out of touch on the issues that matter to American women. The last thing women need is a president — and vice president — who are prepared to turn back the clock on women’s rights and repeal the protections of Roe v. Wade.
“The 2008 presidential election is about going forward, not backwards. It is about change, not about more of the same. But in choosing Governor Palin, Senator McCain has once again demonstrated that a McCain-Palin administration would be four more years of the same.
“According to an article in the Alaska Journal of Commerce (3/16/08), when Palin was running for lieutenant governor in 2002, she sent an e-mail to the Alaska Right to Life board saying she was as ‘pro-life as any candidate can be.’ She is also on the record stating that she is opposed to abortion even in the case of rape or incest.
“Women deserve a president who understands all their health care needs. There should be no question now that Barack Obama does and John McCain does not. John McCain may have a woman on the ticket, but he does not have the interests of women at heart. This selection may satisfy the right wing of the Republican Party, but it will further alienate mainstream women voters.”
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August 29, 2008
Contact: Beth Soderberg
Phone: (703) 522-2214
Email: bsoderberg@feminist.org
For Immediate Release:
Statement of Eleanor Smeal, for the Feminist Majority Political Action Committee on the Selection of Sarah Palin as Republican Vice Presidential Candidate
John McCain just doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand women voters and especially Hillary voters.
Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton. You can’t attract Hillary voters and women voters with a woman opposed to what Hillary stands for. Sarah Palin strongly opposes women’s abortion and family planning rights. She is a proponent of teaching creationism in schools, a global warming skeptic, and an opponent on key environmental issues, such as protecting the polar bear in Alaska and she is for oil and natural gas drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Sarah Palin stands with John McCain, who is opposed to affirmative action for women in public employment, public education and public contracting, is opposed to legislation fighting wage discrimination for women (the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act), is opposed to the Violence Against Women Act, authored by Senator Joe Biden, and has a zero rating with women’s rights groups.
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Not Every Woman Supports Women’s Rights
August 29, 2008
Statement of NOW PAC Chair Kim Gandy on the Selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s Vice Presidential Pick
Sen. John McCain’s choice of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate is a cynical effort to appeal to disappointed Hillary Clinton voters and get them to vote, ultimately, against their own self-interest.
Gov. Palin may be the second woman vice-presidential candidate on a major party ticket, but she is not the right woman. Sadly, she is a woman who opposes women’s rights, just like John McCain.
The fact that Palin is a mother of five who has a 4-month-old baby, a woman who is juggling work and family responsibilities, will speak to many women. But will Palin speak FOR women? Based on her record and her stated positions, the answer is clearly No.
In a gubernatorial debate, Palin stated emphatically that her opposition to abortion was so great, so total, that even if her teenage daughter was impregnated by a rapist, she would “choose life” — meaning apparently that she would not permit her daughter to have an abortion.
Palin also had to withdraw her appointment of a top public safety commissioner who had been reprimanded for sexual harassment, although Palin had been warned about his background through letters by the sexual harassment complainant.
What McCain does not understand is that women supported Hillary Clinton not just because she was a woman, but because she was a champion on their issues. They will surely not find Sarah Palin to be an advocate for women.
Sen. Joe Biden is the VP candidate who appeals to women, with his authorship and championing of landmark domestic violence legislation, support for pay equity, and advocacy for women around the world.
Finally, as the chair of NOW’s Political Action Committee, I am frequently asked whether NOW supports women candidates just because they are women. This gives me an opportunity to once again answer that question with an emphatic ‘No.’ We recognize the importance of having women’s rights supporters at every level but, like Sarah Palin, not every woman supports women’s rights.
###
For Immediate Release
Contact: Mai Shiozaki, 202-628-8669, ext. 116; cell 202-641-1906
Comment from Perry MacNeil
Time: August 31, 2008, 10:23 pm
More of the same. Period. That’s like taking a school assistant principal and making them head of the Dep’t. of Education! Now they’ve been handed a golden opportunity to distance themselves from Bush-baby George, by looking like they care about the poor and minorities in New Orleans. Oh, the personal sacrifice, giving up the balloons and the partying…Mea friggin’ Culpa! It’s all too much, and I hope and pray that the American people will see through this disgraceful ruse.
Comment from Gretchen Smith
Time: September 1, 2008, 10:12 pm
I think that John McCain is so CLUELESS that he believes that women are somehow interchangeable-like auto parts. I find his choice of a running mate insulting to those women (most of us) who think for ourselves.
Abstinence only educ ation doesn’t seem to be taking hold too much up there in Mooseburger land.
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Time: August 30, 2008, 3:29 pm
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