Sarah Palin: The New Harriet Miers -- or Dan Quayle in Drag?

McCain's stunning choice of the ex-beauty queen, evangelical half-term Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin may be one of the biggest political gambles in modern political history. But if the Democrats can avoid over-the-top sexism in belittling her, the pick could be a major boon to the Obama-Biden ticket.

At the same time, as Dana Goldstein cautions at The American Prospect's blog, Palin's proved to be surprisingly popular in initial polling, including being rated positively by 63 percent of unaffiliated voters, and 78 percent of Republicans.

Goldstein argues, "Independent pro-choice women won't be taken in by McCain's pandering choice, but that doesn't mean the American public will respond kindly to the vilification of this woman. She is attractive, and a working mom doing one of the most difficult jobs in the world -- raising a child with a disability." As a result, Goldstein advises, Democrats should stick to criticizing her on the issues, such as her extreme views on abortion and global warming, rather than attacking her directly as an air-head lightweight.

Indeed, Obama's first ad citing Palin avoided attacking her qualifications, but focused on her as part of the McCain team's "no change" policies on Iraq and the economy.

But she could still be a gift to Democrats, because, The Anchorage Daily News reports, Palin is scheduled to be deposed before the election in a blossoming scandal involving the apparently improper firing of the state's top public safety officer as revenge for not sacking Palin's former brother-in-law.

Now Democrats can say together, in a paraphrase of the famous put-down by Lloyd Bentsen, "I knew Dan Quayle, Dan Quayle was a friend of mine, and you, Governor, are no Dan Quayle."

Story continues below

advertisement

She is so manifestly unqualified to be a "heartbeat away" from the Presidency, just three years away from being a small-town mayor, that the selection could be used to add to the unfolding "temperament" narrative the Obama campaign is seeking to apply to McCain. And it neutralizes the "dangerously unprepared" mantra that McCain has used as the centerpiece of his campaign's lowball attacks on Obama.

On top of that, the pick could reinforce the deserved sexist reputation of John McCain, because the selection of Palin reflects a condescending view of women, especially Hillary supporters, as being so stupid they'll rush to back the GOP ticket just because Palin is a woman. It's not unlike the way George H.W. Bush picked Dan Quayle in part because Bush's team thought Quayle was so good-looking he would draw women to the ticket. As Kansas City Star columnist Barb Shelly points out:

Where do politicians get the idea that women, in lemming-like style, will vote for a presidential ticket because a woman is on it?

Women rallied to Hillary Clinton because they saw she'd paid her dues and because she'd earned her stripes in the Senate. And, lest we forget, Clinton supports the right to terminate a pregnancy.

Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton. She hasn't paid her dues yet. And she's adamantly anti-abortion.

That's just an awfully big leap. Rather than seeing Palin as a draw, a lot of women are going to be insulted that John McCain thought we could be swayed so easily.

Will the Democrats have the smarts and toughness to take advantage of this misguided pick --without offending women in the process? That's yet to be seen, given their traditional ineptness at launching effective attacks, the "smear gap" that has undermined Democratic Presidential campaigns for decades.

But it was quite a rash choice that could be used to go after McCain's campaign on several fronts, from ethics to McCain's quick-triggered temperament to the GOP's closeness to Big Oil during a slowing economy.

The decision was fueled by McCain's desire to "shake up the ticket," as ABC reported, so that McCain only met her once and the team had just a few days to vet her thoroughly . But the vetting wasn't thorough enough -- as shown by the scandal involving her firing of the state's public safety commissioner because he wouldn't fire his sister's ex-husband, a state trooper.

Yes, she's attractive and personable, and her appeal shouldn't be underestimated, as Washington Monthly editor and former Alaska reporter Charles Homans points out:

Palin can legitimately claim the maverick reformist credentials that McCain himself has long since lost. Her pro-life record helps McCain with the Republican base, her gender might lure away a few Hillary bitter-enders, and her youth goes a little way towards compensating one of McCain's major weaknesses. Palin also manages the Obama-esque feat of commanding a great deal of popularity among people who don't really know what she stands for--Dave Dittman, an Anchorage-based pollster, who has done a lot of polling and thinking about this, pointed out to me several months ago that Palin was maintaining a 85 percent approval rating among Alaskan voters even when her policies (particularly a natural gas line deal that has been a signature ambition of her administration) polled far short of that, and even when voters had trouble accurately describing her political leanings.

But in the rush to approve her, McCain's savvy advisers apparently didn't use the Google on the Interweb to discover an issue that undercuts her anti-corruption credentials: She's facing that tawdry scandal, now under investigation by the state legislature, involving an effort to sack the state's top cop.

Here are some details from the Anchorage Daily News you'll no doubt hear more about in the weeks ahead:

Some call it Troopergate.

Palin's abrupt dismissal of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan is now being investigated by a special counsel hired by the Alaska Legislature as to whether there was any official misconduct.

The Legislature is spending up to $100,000 "to investigate the circumstances and events surrounding the termination of former Public Safety Commissioner Monegan, and potential abuses of power and/or improper actions by members of the executive branch."

The investigation is supposed to wrap up by Oct. 31.

At issue is whether Palin, her administration or family improperly pressured Monegan to fire Alaska state trooper Michael Wooten, the ex-husband of Palin's sister, and whether Palin fired Monegan when that didn't happen. Palin's sister, Molly McCann, and Wooten are divorced but still battling in court over custody and visitation.

Palin will be deposed along with others in the governor's office and former administration officials, said state Sen. Hollis French, a Democrat and former state prosecutor from Anchorage who is serving as the project director for the investigation. The special counsel just this week was trying to arrange the deposition, French said.

The investigation will continue, despite Palin's newfound prominence, French said.

"I think it raises the profile but it doesn't really change the mission or the work," the senator said.

So she's a clueless foreign policy naif anti-choice evangelical who faces an ongoing corruption investigation.

But surely she could help bolster McCain's perceived weakness on the economy and chumminess with Big Oil, yes?

Not quite: She's essentially overseen falling job growth in the once-booming state, and is largely in the pocket of Big Oil at a time of sky-high gas prices at the pump. She also dismisses the notion that global warming is man-made. As the Center for American Progress sums up:

With the choice of Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) as his running mate, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is not backing down from oil drilling. Palin is a champion for drilling, the Bush-Cheney approach to energy policy that brought us $4.00-per-gallon gasoline and the rising threat of global warming.

Like McCain, Palin believes that oil drilling is the only solution to our energy problems. "I beg to disagree with any candidate who would say we can't drill our way out of our problem," she says. She supports more drilling in protected areas of the Outer Continental Shelf and the Alaska Natural Wildlife Refuge, once attacking McCain for his "close-mindedness on ANWR."

But the Department of Energy believes that offshore drilling "would not have a significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas production or prices before 2030." Moreover, about three-quarters of all the oil in public lands in the continental U.S. are already open to drilling - and yet only one quarter of this oil is under production. Opening the Arctic Refuge would cut gasoline prices by two cents in 17 years. For that, Palin would destroy the home of America's native polar bears. Not even T. Boone Pickens still thinks we can drill our way out of this crisis.

Palin rejects clean renewable energy that is an alternative to oil. Earlier this month, she claimed that "alternative-energy solutions are far from imminent and would require more than 10 years to develop."

Alaska has become the "poster state" for the threat of global warming as the climate gets hotter and dryer and sea levels rise. More than 100 towns are vulnerable due to eroding sea lines. Polar bears are threatened by the melting ice floats, and this month bears were spotted swimming as much as 50 miles offshore.

It's small wonder that right-wing bloggers find themselves, by day's end, having to praise the choice of Palin, to cover their dismay that she'll turn into an albatross who will sink their presidential hopes.

In the meantime, we can enjoy their half-hearted spin and rationalizations about why she makes such an excellent choice. As Powerline observed, half-jokingly, "Palin could help McCain with several demographics, like the pageant community."

Yet, in this age of personality-based politics, Democrats would be foolish to underestimate the appeal she may have to many voters -- but still be ready to go on the attack against McCain for making her selection the first disastrous national security decision of his potential administration.

UPDATE:
She also initially supported the notorious "bridge to nowhere" before federal funding for the project was cut, despite her claims otherwise during her talk Friday. As The New Republic reported:

Republicans have been heavily touting Sarah Palin's reformist credentials, with her supposed opposition to Alaska's "Bridge to Nowhere" as Exhibit A. But how hard did she really fight the project? Not very, it seems. Here's what she told the Anchorage Daily News on October 22, 2006, during the race for the governor's seat (via Nexis):

5. Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?

Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now--while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist.

So she was very much for the bridge and insisted that Alaska had to act quickly--the party of Ted Stevens and Don Young might soon lose its majority, after all. By that point, the project was endangered for reasons that had nothing to do with Palin--the bridge had become a national laughingstock, Congress had stripped away the offending earmark, shifting the money back to the state's general fund, and future federal support seemed unlikely.

Read more reaction from HuffPost bloggers to John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate

Comments

[JohnKdrew]

This is terrible... how can anyone STILL pretend that global warming is not happening? I wish that he had chosen otherwise -- or that she is prepared to learn... . We have too little money to fix EVERYTHING that climate breaks. Triage is applied in an emergency to allow the most globally beneficial use of inadequate resources. There will be severe climate disruptions, which will be left untreated because they will be recognized as able to recover autonomously. Selected climatically-induced emergencies where tax-payers" money can reduce suffering will be funded. Last, and most sadly, there may be even situations where unlimited funds cannot reverse impacts and the limited funds are deemed better

[walk0nwalls]

yoop

[keepemhonest]

Palin lied about suing big oil, BP, EXXON & Conoco. Palin told Newsweek SHE sued Big Oil... LIE.

Alaska Gasline Port Authority filed the Anti-Trust lawsuit December 20, 2005. Palin was NOT governor.

Is the press going to vet the VP who is a heartbeat away from the President - or just give her a free ride.

BTW: She did NOT turn down money to the bridge to nowhere - another lie - when is the press going to do their job? Did the press learn nothing from Iraq & Katrina?


Max

[RobinSeattle]

Olbermann had your back on the Bridge to Nowhere.

But more abut her will come out as the days go on.

[AddictedToHope]

Heard that the crowds were chanting "Sarah, Sarah" at one of here appearances. It was too easy to make the leap.....

To the tune of "Que Sera, Sera"

When I was just a little girl
I told my mother
What I would be
I will be pretty
I will be rich
I might even be V P

Hey Sa-rah, Sa-rah.
Whoever thought we would see.
Creationist as V P.
Hey Sa-rah, Sa-rah.
Let's hope it won't be.

When I grew up and fell in love
I told my sweetheart
What lies ahead.
We will have moose meat
Day after day
And Oil money by the bale.

Hey Sa-rah, Sa-rah.
Whoever thought we would see.
Creationist as V P.
Hey Sa-rah, Sa-rah.
Let's hope it won't be.

Now I have children of my own.
They ask their mother,
Where will you be?
Will you be snogging
With old man McCain?
I feel bad for poor Cindy

Hey Sa-rah, Sa-rah.
Whoever thought we would see.
Creationist as V P.
Hey Sa-rah, Sa-rah.
Let's hope it won't be.

[sbvpav]

i would suggest more like monica goodling. she has national security experience because alaska is close to russia?

[standard]

All those Russians illegally crossing into Alaska must be as big a concern as Vermont's Canadian problem or New York's issues with Icelanders. There's nothing like not believing in evolution and shooting moose to prepare a beauty queen to solve grave international problems of that magnitude.

[MikeLee7125]

Great article. To which we should add: She supported Pat Buchanan in 2000, spoke at a Planned Parenthood Summit in '07, and praised Obama's energy plan less than a month ago. Wonder how much the base is going to lover after that comes out.

[PumaAnn]

I've seen zip praise. The Dems have fallen all over themselves to be sexist, once again. Now, the entire nation is absolutely convinced, beyond a doubt, just how pervasive sexism is.

[WorkingClass]

Americans admire a woman like Palin. Its feminists they don't like.

[schatsie]

i am dying to know more about that $15 million dollar hockey rink in a town of 9 thousand. Sounds pretty socialistic to me, after all people might exercise....

take a look at the budget for Wasilia, rather interesting, so nice it is on the internet for 2006 and 2007, but not when darling Sarah was there...at least I did not see it...

would be nice if the MSM would actually do some research about the town and her husbands job with big oil and the fishing connection.... The Palins did not participate in the Exxon Valdez settlement, was that because her husband was working for big oil and what did he do for them?

[zanzig]

"But if the Democrats can avoid over-the-top sexism in belittling her..."

It's not the Democrats who have been responsible for the "over the top sexism" in this campaign so far, but media reptiles, and sure enough they are the ones crawling out of the woodwork with their misogyny again. Ah but there is such fertile ground with Gov Palin, that sexism is sooooo unnecessary.

[oncethere]

The goal of McCain and most Repubs is to Invert Reality, to make people believe they are the party that supports women's rights, labor rights and wants to improve the lives of the middle class. They can't very well go around saying, "Here's to you, the top 2 % of America, we love you; here's to you, Big Oil, you're great." Here's your chance to steal and rob.

[enomaj]

The goal is to keep election close enough to steal it.

[bubito54]

Precisely. Thank you.

[RobinSeattle]

She is neither Miers nor Quayle, but Tom Eagleton. That fake pregnancy story will destroy McCain's campaign and she will be gone by the end of September as McCain makes a futile attempt to regroup.

[bubito54]

Either McBush et al. did NO VETTING WHATSOEVER or this whole nomination of Palin may be a world-class punking, the most diabolical of sucker punches- the heretofore moderately pro-McCain "liberal media" and "Obama people" will be excoriated within a couple of days when Sarah has to withdraw to "protect a solemn, deeply personal family matter that 'we prayed over and upon which we acted as instructed, by Mr. God.'" By which time that gamblin' (he's an ex POW!) maverick will have shored-up and inflamed the GOP's evango/blackwater -base, and THEN he'll get to pick Lieberman (or Mittens, if he's gotta) after all, and every Repug's got a piece of the pie.

[HoooooooHah]

wow, from what I'm reading about palin here and on tpm, I have to say she makes dan quayle look like einstein.

[Doofritz]

But can she spell potato?