But, he cautioned, “The huge gamble is that John McCain is 72, he’s had a couple of bouts with cancer.” If McCain wins the election, but then were to die or become disabled, Buchanan wondered, “Can this woman be President of the United States?”
So says Pat Buchanan about McCain's VP pick, Sarah Palin in an article on MSNBC. While think Buchanan's question is valid, I wish he had worded it another way--"Can this person be President of the United States?" would have been a better wording I think. Buchanan, however, (and believe me, I never, never thought I'd be saying this) articulates a point that I equally concerns me by highlighting Palin's sex. She is going to be questioned hard by Republicans and Democrats alike because of her sex and her position as a mother of 5. I imagine she (and McCain) will be asked the following question many, many times: "In the event that you become President, how will you juggle the Presidency and motherhood?" This questions angers me because it is inherently sexist, and here's why: no one has asked Barack Obama (or Bill Clinton for that matter) how he will juggle fatherhood and the Presidency?
McCain may have made a strategic pick, but as Solon and Harrogate have already pointed out, the VP campaign (such as it is) is now solely about identity politics. And while many conservative women may be thinking that McCain just did a great thing for American women, I actually think he has succeeded in screwing us over yet again.
5 comments:
Maybe Harrogate is still not over the buzz he caught from Obama's speech last night, Dear M. But for the moment, the cynic in Harrogate has been banished to the far reaches of his consciousness, for the first time this election season.
So now, for Harrogate the question is less: has McCain screwed us?, than it is, will we screw ourselves?
TalkLeft grousing notwithstanding. Harrogate just cannot accept that when the chips are down, the women voters who supported Hillary Clinton, or Women independents for that matter, are going to fall for the Machiavellian selection of Palin.
We have to trust the voters. At this point Obama is trusting the voters, giving them as much credit as a Dem nominee has given them in a long, long time, perhaps since 1992. Let's follow Obama's lead and trust voters as well, just for the hell of it, to see what happens.
In Harrogate's Opinion (IHO), For his part Obama needs to make sure either he, Biden, Jill, Michelle, or one of the Clintons is perpetually in the Rust Belt. Really all of them should be there all the time, with an occasional visit to Florida.
But, Pennsylvania voters in particular have a lot of power right now, and they need to be courted both respectfully and aggressively.
Take this for what it is worth, Board Members. Harrogate suggests to any Board Member who is considering donating money to this election: Send it not to Obama, but to the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.
Obama, and everyone interested in women's rights, will thank you for it later.
:-)
M.
Obama has been asked and has addressed his role as a father and as president. At one point, he thought against running because of his children. Yet, he adjusted his scheduled throughout the primary to make sure he could be with them. (This explains some of his absence before the Penn. primary).
Interestingly enough, one of my students delivered a speech in the Spring that argued Senator should not run for president because of his children. In some ways, that is the goal of equality, even if opponents use it against them.
McCain has only screwed us if women are as stupid as he seems to think they/we are. His VP choice is so transparent: I'll pick a woman, and women will vote for me. I'd like to think that women in the U.S. are a bit more thoughtful and less gullible than that.
Solon, my point was not whether Obama considered his role as a father; it was rather that he won't be judged for being a father in the same way that Palin will be judged as a mother. I also recall that Obama has been questioned about his ability to lead while being a father, but if I recall correctly, the question he received was more along the lines of "how do you think your children will be affected by your being president," which, I would argue, is a very different question than the one Buchanan posed about Palin.
And I would agree with your statement on equality.
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