Well, McCain has officially thrown in the towel. His choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate was his last, desperate ploy to give CPR to his pathetic effort to pretend that this “maverick” of the meandering moral compass was remotely qualified to be the most powerful person in the world.
No surprise, really. After Obama’s stunning speech last night, my gut reaction was that it was all over, that the Republicans might as well just pack it in. I guess they have.
Palin’s solitary qualification, as far as I can tell, is that she’s a woman. But does McCain really think Hillary voters will flock to this anti-choice, anti-environment novice? You must be kidding. What else does she have going for her? Let’s see – she was elected governor. But remember which state gave her that honor – the one whose voters have repeatedly elected that corrupt old nutcase Ted Stevens (who, even under indictment, just won the Republican primary with 63 percent of the vote). To be picked by such an electorate seems a badge of shame, not of honor.
And remember all that talk of experience? That just went out the window, didn’t it? As McCain, to all appearances, veers ever closer to a muddled old age, voters simply have to visualize his running mate in the top spot. Can he honestly look us in the eye and say she’s up to the task? Sarah Palin vs. Joe Biden? Excuse me while I swim a few laps against Michael Phelps.
Then again, she is a former beauty queen – Miss Wasilla, if you please, and a contender for Miss Alaska. More than ever, the Republicans are all about appearances. Go below the surface and it’s the party of “values” that are just biases in disguise, fiscal recklessness, fear-mongering, and corporate coddling.