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I couldn't be more thrilled! In an early draft of this column, I write the following about Sarah Palin: "One excellent VP choice was suggested for McCain by former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina on Fox during the Democratic National Convention. Considering the alienation of women over Obama’s treatment of Hillary Clinton, why not pick a woman? How about Sarah Palin, the young, attractive and out-spoken governor of Alaska? I could live with that. With one son in the Army and another with Down’s syndrome, Palin intimately knows the challenges that face American families, the specters of war, inadequate health care and narrow educational options, and she knows how hard it is for women to break down barriers in the world of work."
But it seemed too much to hope for that John McCain would actually pick this young, charismatic, level-headed woman, someone who will appeal to moderates and even draw away some of Obama's support. This was a brilliant choice by John McCain--really, as is evidenced in the print version of the paper this week, more than I could have hoped for. COMMENTS
Ms. Ramage,
In light of your enthusiasm, I'd like to hear your opinion on the following points, recently made by MoveOn.org:
Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people.
Huh?
Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:
* She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience. 1
* Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest. 2
* She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. 3
* Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools. 4
* She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change. 5
* She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska. 6
* How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position. 7
(Those digits at the end of each item are footnotes, corresponding to these citations:
1. "Sarah Palin," Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin
2. "McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate," NARAL Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17515&id=13661-7070636-.VDdeMx&t=1
3. "Sarah Palin, Buchananite," The Nation, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17736&id=13661-7070636-.VDdeMx&t=2
4. "'Creation science' enters the race," Anchorage Daily News, October 27, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17737&id=13661-7070636-.VDdeMx&t=3
5. "Palin buys climate denial PR spin—ignores science," Huffington Post, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17517&id=13661-7070636-.VDdeMx&t=4
6. "McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra Club, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518&id=13661-7070636-.VDdeMx&t=5
"Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past," League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id=13661-7070636-.VDdeMx&t=6
"Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor," The Times of London, May 23, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id=13661-7070636-.VDdeMx&t=7
7 "McCain met Palin once before yesterday," MSNBC, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=21119&id=13661-7070636-.VDdeMx&t=8)
Owing to your support for McCain and apparent satisfaction with his choice, I'm very interested to hear the other side of this argument from you. You must be logged in to post a comment. You can log in here. |