Down Girl!!

Woah there! Was I watching the Republican National Convention or an episode of Jerry Springer? The claws came out last Wednesday night when Sarah Palin took the stage to accept the Republican nomination for vice-president. “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities,” she announced to the geriatric crowd, referring to the Democratic nominee for president, Barack Obama. She continued to unleash her cleverly-written speech, continuously attacking Obama to divert attention away from the clear lack of substance her speech contained. “…there is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state Senate,” she continued. Was I fascinated and engrossed in her speech? Absolutely. Was I convinced that Palin has an ounce of capability to salvage the mess that is the United States? Absolutely not. Although she skillfully delivered nasty one-liners, she failed to mention her and John McCain’s plans to improve the dwindling economy, her radical pro-life stance (anti-abortion even in cases of rape? Seriously?), or the appalling commander-in-chief, who we might as well refer to as Voldemort (He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named). But she did employ the vital Republican tactics in her speech: (1) Let’s support our troops! She even added a touching personal narrative about her soon-to-deploy 19-year old son. (2) Democrats will raise your taxes! And of course (3) Strong family values! (Having a child with down-syndrome will certainly solicit a few votes).

When I first heard Palin’s name announced, I was indeed surprised. But after reading about her credentials (or lack thereof), McCain’s reasons became all too clear. She is more of a “conservative” and “classic” Republican (although I hate using these terms as they’ve became increasingly distorted over time) and will appeal to Republicans that don’t align with McCain’s more moderate views. She is a woman, which will hopefully capture some of the staunch Hillary supporters. But most importantly, like everything else in this excessively-greedy country, she has a tie to oil and supports domestic drilling. Great idea Sarah. Let’s just drill to our hearts content and get that instant-gratification price decrease at the pumps. Who cares? It won’t be our generation left to clean up the mess (literally and figuratively), right? And as far as capturing Hillary supporters, Gloria Steinem expresses my views perfectly when she says “Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton. Her down-home, divisive, and deceptive speech did nothing to cosmeticize a Republican convention that has more than twice as many male delegates as female, a presidential candidate who is owned and operated by the right wing and a platform that opposes pretty much everything Clinton's candidacy stood for -- and that Barack Obama's still does. To vote in protest for McCain/Palin would be like saying, "Somebody stole my shoes, so I'll amputate my legs."

So thank you, Mrs. Palin. Thank you for reminding me why I would never vote for two candidates that clearly have no idea how to resolve the serious economic and international issues that are facing our country. But hey, at least your speech was 1,000 times more interesting than McCain’s!