The Audacity of Sarah Palin
John McCain has made a remarkable VP selection. It's a pick straight out of left field (perhaps right field is a better characterization), one that comes riddled with a number of pros and cons and one that will certainly rehash and muddy the debates over identity politics that presided over the Democratic race. I'm not sure anyone can know whether this was a brilliant pick or a terribly stupid one at this moment; there are prognosticators that it could be either. Much will depend on how Palin handles the national spotlight, how she fares with the modern media, a panoply of other factors. But, for the time being, it is worth noting what must have lead McCain to this pick and it's glaring pitfalls.
First, it's merits. Palin brings a number of demographic audiences to McCain's candidacy that he was sorely lacking: the conservative base that has always been lukewarm to him, a youth vote that has had trouble relating to a 72 year-old veteran and an audience of females--some of who might never have considered voting for a Republican. Palin's Alaska roots and maternal credentials reinforces an outsider status and she has been hailed as a political reformer in her state (a current corruption scandal notwithstanding). If anything, she forces voters to take a second look at McCain, to see him perhaps as more open-minded, more of a risk-taker, more of a progressive thinker. The simple aesthetics of the choice alone make this decision a game-changer and garner massive amounts of attention to his campaign, something that has been hard to achieve given Obama's salience in media coverage. McCain needed to take a risk in order to win an election in this political climate and he has boldly done so.
But make no mistake: this is a risk. This is an enormous risk. Palin undercuts the central (and I think most effective) argument McCain had against Obama: that he is not ready. Palin is three years Obama's younger, she was mayor of a town of 9,000 and then governor for a year and a half. She has zero foreign policy experience (zero as in zero, not zero as in "Well, Obama has only been a senator for a short while and he doesn't have as much as McCain"). She manages a state outside the contiguous United States and isn't an economic wonk by any stretch of the imagination. The argument that Obama "is not ready" to be president is now dead. And what is McCain left with?
Similarly, there is an underlying motive regarding former Clinton supporters with this pick: draw those whose pocketbooks lie with Obama this election, but hate how he fared against Hillary to the McCain camp by picking another women. But this seems to overlook a crucial factor in Clinton supporters choices: Hillary Clinton herself. After the Clintons gave a single speech at the Democratic National Convention, Obama received a 5-8 point boost in the polls. This number could still increase. Come fall, the Obama campaign will be saturating the air waves with ads featuring both Clintons and holding joint campaign rallies in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania with Hillary and Bill. The fact that Hillary supporters have held out from Obama for this long clearly shows that they aren't entirely swayed by issues, that they have enormous reservations about him. But the most effective person to bring them into a given political camp is Hillary Clinton herself, not a woman from another party.
And a final word about the choice of Palin: it smacks of tokenism. It is important that the Republican party has finally nominated a women for this role. It shows progress for the country and, as a woman, Palin would no doubt bring a vital perspective on life and policy to the office which she aims to serve. But let's not kid ourselves: this pick is not aimed at finding a partner in governance, a counsel in times of need. This pick was intended to make sure the Bush base turns out at the polls and to lure Clintonites to a platform that stands in direct contradiction to everything Hillary has advocated during her entire life. The assumption, however correct it might prove, that disgruntled "feminists" will vote against the pronounced interests of their gender's aspirations for equality simply because McCain's running mate has ovaries betrays an insulting lack of progressive thinking. Here's to hoping that the country is smarter than that.
First, it's merits. Palin brings a number of demographic audiences to McCain's candidacy that he was sorely lacking: the conservative base that has always been lukewarm to him, a youth vote that has had trouble relating to a 72 year-old veteran and an audience of females--some of who might never have considered voting for a Republican. Palin's Alaska roots and maternal credentials reinforces an outsider status and she has been hailed as a political reformer in her state (a current corruption scandal notwithstanding). If anything, she forces voters to take a second look at McCain, to see him perhaps as more open-minded, more of a risk-taker, more of a progressive thinker. The simple aesthetics of the choice alone make this decision a game-changer and garner massive amounts of attention to his campaign, something that has been hard to achieve given Obama's salience in media coverage. McCain needed to take a risk in order to win an election in this political climate and he has boldly done so.
But make no mistake: this is a risk. This is an enormous risk. Palin undercuts the central (and I think most effective) argument McCain had against Obama: that he is not ready. Palin is three years Obama's younger, she was mayor of a town of 9,000 and then governor for a year and a half. She has zero foreign policy experience (zero as in zero, not zero as in "Well, Obama has only been a senator for a short while and he doesn't have as much as McCain"). She manages a state outside the contiguous United States and isn't an economic wonk by any stretch of the imagination. The argument that Obama "is not ready" to be president is now dead. And what is McCain left with?
Similarly, there is an underlying motive regarding former Clinton supporters with this pick: draw those whose pocketbooks lie with Obama this election, but hate how he fared against Hillary to the McCain camp by picking another women. But this seems to overlook a crucial factor in Clinton supporters choices: Hillary Clinton herself. After the Clintons gave a single speech at the Democratic National Convention, Obama received a 5-8 point boost in the polls. This number could still increase. Come fall, the Obama campaign will be saturating the air waves with ads featuring both Clintons and holding joint campaign rallies in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania with Hillary and Bill. The fact that Hillary supporters have held out from Obama for this long clearly shows that they aren't entirely swayed by issues, that they have enormous reservations about him. But the most effective person to bring them into a given political camp is Hillary Clinton herself, not a woman from another party.
And a final word about the choice of Palin: it smacks of tokenism. It is important that the Republican party has finally nominated a women for this role. It shows progress for the country and, as a woman, Palin would no doubt bring a vital perspective on life and policy to the office which she aims to serve. But let's not kid ourselves: this pick is not aimed at finding a partner in governance, a counsel in times of need. This pick was intended to make sure the Bush base turns out at the polls and to lure Clintonites to a platform that stands in direct contradiction to everything Hillary has advocated during her entire life. The assumption, however correct it might prove, that disgruntled "feminists" will vote against the pronounced interests of their gender's aspirations for equality simply because McCain's running mate has ovaries betrays an insulting lack of progressive thinking. Here's to hoping that the country is smarter than that.
posted by Le Tas & Me at
2:58 PM
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