This isn’t a political blog, but Art’s 8-19-08 post got us thinking about how Christians might work through their faith in deciding how to vote. Yesterday, the choice before us suddenly got more interesting.
I surely didn’t see Gov. Sarah Palin coming, although my high school aged son, who has been intently interested in the VP selection process for months, had her as one of his top three picks for McCain. He had put her on my radar screen, but all that accomplished was to leave me impressed with the depth of his research. Who knew?
Gov. Palin’s CV is packed with broad experience - chief executive; business person; whistle-blower; energy expert; tax cutter; mother of soldier, daughters, and special needs baby; outdoorsman; former union member and wife of union member; total commitment to life . . . the number of competing constituencies to whom she might appeal is staggering.
I found her speaking style to be both bold and warm. Although she is low key about her faith, Gov. Palin used the phrase “servant’s heart” in her Dayton speech, and it felt authentic.
Not everyone is thrilled with Gov. Palin, of course. She’s perceived as too unknown and too light to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. Her experience has been ridiculed as having played out in too small an arena. The pro-choicers are unhappy. The patriarchal men are unhappy. Some die-hard Clinton supporters are outraged that McCain seems to think that any woman will do to attract their vote.
I don’t automatically cast my vote for Christians, and I won’t automatically cast my vote for a woman. But I have to say that I have experienced the kind of reaction that so many African Americans have shared since Obama became the Democratic candidate. There is something viscerally right about finally seeing someone who’s, as I said to a friend in the grocery store yesterday, “one of us,” in the last leg of the race.
Over to you. How do you receive McCain’s selection? Do her credentials bring elements of social justice to the Republican ticket? Does the Vice Presidential candidate make a difference?
September 11, 2008 at 9:11 pm
You know you’ve arrived in American culture when you have your own action figure.
September 4, 2008 at 9:41 am
Just a little post-nomination speech follow-up: Palin delivered. Big time.
September 3, 2008 at 7:49 am
Hi Bobby!
I’ll have you know that I had to wikipedia Branch Rickey to figure out what you meant! Excellent analogy, and I’m thankful for educational resources at my fingertips.
As for a swap in teams, there are many on the Republican side who view McCain/Palin as the best of both your worlds. Because McCain has not snuggled up to the far right, and is an aisle crosser, and because Palin has no problem taking on corruption in her own party, there is enough there to appeal to Democrats on the fence. It will certainly be interesting to see how things unfold in the ensuing weeks.
TM
September 1, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I heard about Palin a while back. It figures that McCain would try to compete with the unconventionality of Obama’s candidacy with some of his own. If he didn’t, he would look like the same thing we have had for the past 8 years and the polls don’t lie, Americans want something else.
There may be an interesting phenomena at work here. The left pulls “too hard” and gets beaten up for it. Then, the right “loosens up a bit” and it looks both conservative (by comparison) and progressive.
Seems like the conservative position is the safe place to be. Let someone else come up with an idea and take the heat for it. Then do the same thing yourself when the public is used to it and it isn’t a big deal. The dems should have gone the Branch Rickey route when putting up a female candidate…Hilary is no Jack Robinson.
That said, I like what I have learned of Palin’s record. Wish more republicans were like her. Wish Obama had picked a better running mate. Can they swap???
August 31, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Thanks, guys, for joining in on this. FTH, I am pleased by this turn of events. I’ve long felt that women’s voices are essential in all areas of leadership. We do offer a different perspective. Even though Palin will not speak for all women, even as neither McCain nor Obama speak for all men, her presence brings an important element to the race that is long overdue.
Garver, I appreciate your charitable voice in disagreeing. I will agree that it’s debatable whether she’s the best candidate for the job, but in this media era, we’re long past that, aren’t we? I don’t think that there’s any way we can conclude that either McCain or Obama make that cut. Our system isn’t set up to vet and put forth the best person.
As for your second point, it is a bold move, and I think one designed to breathe some enthusiasm into the Republican ticket. Also, his choice of someone so much younger begins to address what one of my friends refers to as the Republican “farm team problem.” With Bush’s having chosen a VP who couldn’t succeed him, and the decline in fortunes of Rick Santorum, the young Republican pickings have been slim. McCain’s choice of Palin addresses the need for a woman and the need for youth in one package. What’s more, she seems remarkably up to the challenge. I don’t think a woman could have gotten as far as Palin has in Alaska – a he-man environment if ever there was one! – without having the right stuff.
August 30, 2008 at 8:31 pm
It’s certainly an interesting choice for VP by McCain. I can’t say I completely understand it, but it’s interesting and should liven things up.
Given that I tend to lean left-of-center on a number of things (and even to the left of a guy like Obama on some items, such as guns and health care), the choice of Palin doesn’t move me much. Too conservative for my taste.
But, on that count, she will likely shore up the very lukewarm support that McCain receives from the more conservative wing of his party. And that’s no small thing.
Her youth and relative inexperience don’t particularly bother me in themselves, thought they seem ironic given McCain’s past criticisms of his opponent. And there are only a couple of months for Palin to introduce herself to the public, which is a short time for someone not very well known outside of Alaska. We’ll see how well she overcomes that.
I guess the two things that bother me most about Palin are interrelated.
First, I have difficulty believing she was really the best candidate for the job. Perhaps she’ll prove otherwise in the coming days, but given the choice and how she was introduced, I do get the sense that McCain was hoping to win over some Hillary supporters to his side. If that’s so, then I’m not really sure that this is all that great of a thing for women. It strikes me as somewhat patronizing.
Second, though I’m not entirely sure what McCain’s reasoning was, the choice of Palin seems – as some have said – a bold move on his part, confirming his status as a reformer and maverick. Perhaps. For some it might seem more like a gamble or risky. And in that case, the choice would tend to confirm worries that some have about McCain’s judgment and stability.
Anyway, that’s how I see it.
August 30, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Quickly, I can say that one of my immediate reactions was that it is nice to have a female on the executive ticket, finally—even if it is the bottom half. You get my point…probably better than I do : )
August 30, 2008 at 3:45 pm
To be honest, I had never heard of Palin prior to a couple of weeks ago. Thanks for this post. I will ponder it and get back to this soon.
Perhaps your son has a career in political analysis. Would he work for CNN or the ‘fair and balanced’ news network?