Z Politics

Genius or suicide?

As expected the day after Barack Obama’s acceptance speech in Denver John McCain announced his running mate. However, he unexpectedly named Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin his running mate. This was shocking to me. I had expected Mitt Romney, Joe Liberman or if he did pick a woman it thought it would be Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson. I’m sure I was one of many American who thought Sarah who?

The pick of Polin was either a genius move by John McCain or a suicidal move.

I think it is very clear why he picked Palin. It is a clear move for all the Hillary Clinton supporters who still feel robbed by Barack Obama getting the nomination. On Tuesday night Hillary asked if they were in it for her or if they were in it for the issues. Unfortunately, I think there are a lot of women, and gay men, who voted for Hillary Clinton in the primaries in large party just because she’s a woman. And I fear that these same people will vote for John McCain because they want to make history by making Sarah Palin the first female vice president of the United States. I hope this isn’t true but I’ve learned never to overestimate the intelligence of the American public. My first thought when I hear that John McCain had picked a woman was that he had just won the election.

However, Palin is incredibly unqualified to be Vice President. Yes, she’s a governor but she’s the governor of a state who’s population is less than that of Aurora, Colorado. For those of you who don’t know Aurora, Colorado is a eastern suburb of Denver and it is not big at all. So basically Palin runs a moderately sized city. Plus she’s been Governor less than two years. How can Barack Obama’s four years in the U.S. Senate not be enough experience but Palin two years as Governor of Alaska is? Before becoming Governor Palin was in the city council and then major of her small town of about 8,471 people. I am from a town whose population is around that size and believe you me running a town that size does not prepare you to be Vice President to 300.000 people! So again Barack Obama’s eight years in the state legislature in Illinois isn’t enough experience but being major of a town that the size of three big city high school is? When Palin is running for Vice President not President. But the Vice President is just a heartbeat away from the Presidency and when the President is as old as John McCain could be you need somebody who is ready on day one…And I don’t want to hear that John McCain isn’t too old. He may be of sound mind and body today but he has had cancer in the past as a person’s health after the age of seventy can take a drastic turn at a moments notice.

So if the American public is really paying attention to this race Palin’s choice shows how desperate John McCain is and how the Republicans are tied to big oil and how they still only have three cards to play…Guns, God and Gays…But the question remains is the American public really paying attention or are they as easily swayed and distracted as they were in 2000 and 2004? Only time will tell.