But as Sarah Palin stepped up to the podium at the Republican National Convention to accept her nomination, the nightmare became a reality. With McCain running to be the oldest first term president in American history and, ironically, celebrating his 72nd birthday with the announcement of Palin’s nomination, Americans must seriously consider the possibility of having a 44-year old self-described “hockey mom” a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Chosen as a fresh face on the political scene who would co-opt some of Senator Barack Obama’s message of change, and as a woman who might persuade former Hillary Clinton supporters to switch camps, Palin is utterly unqualified for the job. The former mayor of a town of fewer than 10,000 people, almost four times smaller than the population of UMass, and the governor of a state with fewer people than Columbus, Ohio, Palin has no experience in foreign policy, a key necessity in the age of economic globalization and terrorist threats. For a campaign that has fiercely targeted Obama’s “inexperience,” choosing a politician who has served as governor for only one month longer than Obama has been running for president is entirely hypocritical.
Moreover, the McCain camp’s attempts to paint the GOP ticket as a team of reforming “mavericks” is tarnished by the fact that McCain’s campaign is filled with corporate lobbyists and by the fact that Palin has repeatedly worked with Ted Stevens, a Republican senator now indicted in a corruption scandal. The only “maverick” aspect of the McCain-Palin team is the utter recklessness and irresponsibility McCain demonstrated when choosing her. He had met her only once, in February, before asking her to be his vice president. With such little interaction and knowledge of one another, McCain and Palin are literally getting to know each other on the campaign trail where their differing views will soon surface.
One thing that hasn’t changed, as the Palin selection shows, is that the Republican Party is neck deep in the pocket of the evangelical Right. The choice of Sarah Palin was patently directed to cater to culturally and religiously conservative voters who doubt McCain’s commitment to their key issues. Palin’s staunch opposition to abortion even in cases of rape and incest except when the mother’s life is at stake, her lifetime membership in the National Rifle Association, and her vocal support of drilling in her home state all endear her to the Republican base on issues where McCain faces suspicion. Even the news of Palin’s pregnant 17-year old daughter, Bristol, was not enough to shake the support of the radical right. If either Obama or Joe Biden had a pregnant teenage daughter, it would be yet another example of the dangers of liberalism. Instead, Palin is being lauded for adhering to her principles. Bristol will keep the baby and marry the father, demonstrating the paragon of traditional values that is Alaska’s First Family.
In reality, Palin adds neither freshness nor change to the Republican ticket, but rather an agenda filled with extreme policies that reflect the worst of the Bush administration. McCain and Palin say they will attack oil companies and put more money in taxpayers’ pockets, but they will really give tax breaks to oil companies who profit from the American people’s pain at the pump. Complaining that the media should leave their families out of the election, they nonetheless want to eliminate the control families have over abortion, family planning, and what children learn in school. McCain and Palin promise change, but the only true change they will bring to Washington will be a new nameplate in the Oval Office and a more feminine wardrobe in the vice presidential residence.