No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.
PT Barnum said that, and I firmly believe that he was correct. And yet I still can’t wrap my little mind around the fact that there are former supporters of Hillary Clinton who believe that Sarah Palin is an acceptable substitute.
Why? Apparently, because she has a uterus.
It can’t be due to her stand on, um, damn near anything. Anti-choice, pro-NRA, supportive of the teaching of creationism in public schools, running with a candidate who voted against equal pay for equal work, and whose healthcare expert believes that all Americans are insured because there are emergency rooms – Governor Palin would seem to be the anti-Hillary. And yet, these dead-enders can’t seem to see any of that. She’s a woman – end of story.
Let’s put the shoe on the other foot for a moment. Say that Hillary had prevailed and won the nomination. Let’s further suppose that John McCain, in an attempt at wooing disgruntled Obama supporters, chose Alan Keyes as his running mate. How many people do you think would say, “He chose a black guy. He’s got my vote!”?
Sarah Palin is not the reformer she’d like you to believe she is. Her opposition to earmarks only came after it became politically expedient to shun them – until then, she’d had her snout in the trough like everybody else. Her foreign policy experience comes from… wait for it… living near Russia and Canada. And she (allegedly) had the state commssioner for public safety fired bcause he refused to fire a police officer who, coincidentally, was in the process of divorcing her sister*
But hey, she’s got ovaries. That makes her qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Look, if you truly believe that a McCain/Palin administration would be good for America, by all means vote for them. But if you’re planning on voting for them out of some bizarre gender solidarity thing, you are dumber than a sack of wet mice really need to reassess your priorities before November rolls around.
*Note to McCain staffers: pointing out the flaws of one of your candidates is not sexist, no matter how much you might want it to be. Palin was chosen in an embarrassingly transparent attempt at garnering some of the angry Hillary vote, just as your claims to the contrary are.
Added 9/3/08: Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God'
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told ministry students at her former church that the United States sent troops to fight in the Iraq war on a "task that is from God."
In an address last June, the Republican vice presidential candidate also urged ministry students to pray for a plan to build a $30 billion natural gas pipeline in the state, calling it "God's will."
Sounds like fiction, right? Oh, hey, look – video!
I don’t know about you, but I’m really looking forward to the vice presidential debate.
This is shaping up to be the most ridiculous week ever.
Posted by: Joolie | September 04, 2008 at 12:14 AM