Why I Believe (Specifically) That Sarah Palin Is A Really, Really Bad Idea

I was asked yesterday why I have recoiled so strongly from John McCain since he made the decision to put Sarah Palin on the ticket.

"What is it about her," someone asked me, "that makes you so uncomfortable?"

Good question.

I muttered a few responses, talked about women's rights and global warming and abstinence-only sex education, but ultimately I found myself going back to the same "inner alarm bells" that went off when Bush and Cheney were running in 2000 and 2004. As a politician, Palin gives me the creeps the way Bush and Cheney give me the creeps. Similar ideology. Similar whiffs of scary, God-fueled certainty. Similar whiffs of rank incompetence. Similar whiffs of callous indifference. Similar whiffs of an utterly pathetic culture war.

But I can do better than that.

And I should.

 

Here, for the sake of clarity, I'm going to go through a list of specifics regarding why I believe Sarah Palin is a deeply unfortunate choice and why I am unequivocal in my support for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Yes, she was a strategically wise selection for John McCain on the level of political self-interest. But she is a terrible choice on the level of national interest. And the fact that John McCain has picked her as his running mate has revealed some sad and unfortunate things about John McCain. It has knocked him off of the pedestal that so many of us used to keep him on. It's a bummer.

Please note that the items below are listed in no particular order.

 

WHY I BELIEVE SARAH PALIN IS A REALLY, REALLY BAD IDEA

 

1.) John McCain had only met Sarah Palin once in person before selecting her as his running mate. Once! For fifteen minutes! (Think about this for a second.) One of the most important decisions that a nominee makes---if not the most important decision---is the running mate decision. Who is going to step up in the event of a catastrophe? Who is the best fit? In whom do you have the most faith and trust? And McCain goes with a person he's only met once before, for fifteen minutes, at the National Governors Association meeting in February 2008? Not exactly confidence-inspiring. And it tells you a lot about the nature of the decision: that it was explicitly political and tactical, that it was somewhat rushed, and that it was a not a decision made with the best interest of the country in mind. As Mike Murphy, one of John McCain's former top advisers, said: "You know what's really the worst thing about it? The greatness of McCain is no cynicism, and this is cynical." My feelings exactly. This is where McCain lost me completely, once and for all. He caved to the worst elements of his party, and he elevated his personal interest above his country's interest in an extremely crass and unprincipled way.

2.) Sarah Palin is a hero to Rush Limbaugh and the most divisive and reactionary elements of the social right. She is championed by guys like James Dobson and Ralph Reed, guys with a deeply theocratic bent who want to legislate their version of morality and meld politics with Christianity in an explicit way. These are guys who believe that God is on their side, and Palin is on their team. She is championed by ignoramuses like Stuart Shepard, the digital-media director of the lobbying arm of Focus on the Family. Shepard is the guy who actually issued a public prayer to the Almighty calling out for rain on the night of Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. "I'm praying for unexpected, unanticipated, unforecasted rain that starts two minutes before the speech is set to begin," he said. "I know there will probably be people who will pray for seventy-two degrees and clear skies, but this isn't a contest." (For the record, Obama gave his speech under perfectly clear skies, and the temperature was 72 degrees.) Bottom line: When these kinds of people get excited about a politician, your inner alarm bells should go off.

3.) Palin opposes abortion rights, even in cases of rape and incest. I'm sympathetic to the pro-life cause on some levels---it's a wrenchingly difficult issue, and I can understand the opposition to a degree---but ultimately I feel that women and families should have the right to make their own decisions about it, in conjunction with their doctors, their pastors, their friends and loved ones, etc. The decision about whether or not a woman should have the right to choose should not be handed down by a predominantly male pool of stiff-necked politicians in Washington. These women should not be treated as criminals. And to deny abortion rights in cases of rape and incest is, to me, an extreme view.

4.) Palin believes creationism should be taught alongside evolution in public schools. I presume she means in science classes, since evolution tends to be the subject of, say, a biology lecture. "Teach both," she said in a 2006 gubernatorial debate. "You know, don't be afraid of education. Healthy debate is so important, and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both." Never mind the fact that this is completely idiotic. Never mind the blatant irony in the "don't be afraid of education" remark. Never mind the fact that that the Supreme Court ruled in 1987 that teaching creationism in public schools violates the separation of church and state. Never mind the fact that creationism is religion and not science. If you're a Christian, and you believe that God is male and He made the world in seven days or whatever, fine. Teach your kids whatever you want at your home or at your church. Be my guest. But don't teach my kid that stuff at public school. Palin is a proponent of this sort of thing, and not only is it dumb---it's dangerous. Our founding fathers included the separation of church and state as a central tenet of our government for good reason. Politicians who would seek to break that separation should be roundly defeated.

5.) Sarah Palin does not believe that global warming is caused by human activity. In a recent interview with the conservative magazine Newsmax, Palin said, "A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made." Never mind the fact that the world's top climate change scientists completely disagree. (As George W. Bush would say: What do those elite Ivy League scientists know, anyway?)

From USA Today, March 2007:

"It is critical that we look at [the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report] ... as a moment where the focus of attention will shift from whether climate change is linked to human activity, whether the science is sufficient, to what on earth are we going to do about it," U.N. Environment Program executive director Achim Steiner said.

"The public should not sit back and say 'There's nothing we can do'," Steiner said. "Anyone who would continue to risk inaction on the basis of the evidence presented here will one day in the history books be considered irresponsible."

6.) Sarah Palin got her first passport issued in 2006. Again, I am reminded of George W. Bush, another poorly traveled politician. Palin has almost zero international experience of any kind. In addition to making a quick trip over to Iraq and Kuwait to visit the troops, the woman has been to Canada and Germany. That's it. That's the extent of her international forays. And it's all happened over the past two years. Are you kidding me? John McCain looked at the field of prospective vice presidents on the Republican side of the line, and a woman who has fewer passport stamps than Maddox Jolie-Pitt was his selection? Ridiculous.

7.) Sarah Palin opposes stem cell research. This is maddening. It's especially maddening because John McCain has publicly been in favor of expanding stem cell research; the Republican platform established last week in St. Paul, however, stands in blanket opposition, calling for "a ban on all embryonic stem-cell research, public or private." The fact is, stem cell research is one of the most promising fields in biomedicine, with tremendous potential to help us cure and treat diseases. The cells are drawn from embryos that are roughly the size of a pinpoint. They have zero chance of developing into human beings. These kinds of embryos are extracted and discarded in fertility clinics all over the world every single day. And yet for the purposes of therapeutic research, social conservatives stand in opposition, claiming that it is an infringement on the sanctity of life. It's reckless nonsense, and it inhibits scientific progress that could reduce the suffering of millions. The record shows that Palin stands in line with these people. This is foolish and harmful.

8.) Sarah Palin opposes "explicit" sex education and supports the abstinence-only variety. (We see how well that works, don't we, Bristol?) In 2006, at the conservative Eagle Forum Alaska, Palin had this to say when asked directly about the issue:

Q: Will you support funding for abstinence-until-marriage education instead of for explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics, and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?

SP: Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support.

The "explicit" sex-ed programs? You mean the ones that actually teach you about sex?

This is moronic. And again: dangerous. What we're seeing from Palin is a consistent pattern of social-right ineptitude, a refusal to face facts and pay attention things like, um, scientific research.

The truth is that abstinence-only sex education does not work.

From the Associated Press:

Programs that focus exclusively on abstinence have not been shown to affect teenager sexual behavior, although they are eligible for tens of millions of dollars in federal grants, according to a study released by a nonpartisan group that seeks to reduce teen pregnancies.

"At present there does not exist any strong evidence that any abstinence program delays the initiation of sex, hastens the return to abstinence or reduces the number of sexual partners" among teenagers, the study concluded.

The report, which was based on a review of research into teenager sexual behavior, was being released Wednesday by the nonpartisan National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

The study found that while abstinence-only efforts appear to have little positive impact, more comprehensive sex education programs were having "positive outcomes" including teenagers "delaying the initiation of sex, reducing the frequency of sex, reducing the number of sexual partners and increasing condom or contraceptive use."

"Two-thirds of the 48 comprehensive programs that supported both abstinence and the use of condoms and contraceptives for sexually active teens had positive behavior effect," said the report.

 

My feeling is: How much more evidence do we need?

I mean, really, common sense should tell a person that teenagers are unpredictable, highly hormonal, and prone to doing reckless and ill-advised things. And yes, they have sex. Lots of it. Always have. Especially the ones who go to Catholic school.

The fact that Sarah Palin would oppose standard sex education for teens is not only profoundly dumb, it's a threat to the health and well-being of America's young.

And oh by the way: It's also the cause of higher teen pregnancy rates, which leads to higher rates of unwanted pregnancies, single-parent families, children living below the poverty line, and yes, abortion.

 

I'll stop there for now. But suffice it to say that there is much more to talk about.

Bottom line: America can't afford to put a politician with these sorts of views anywhere near the White House.

Obama-Biden 2008!

 

Caffeinated,
BL

Comments

[Brad Listi - Huffpost Blogger]

Maybe so, Jerry. But I wouldn't be so sure. There's still a lot of time left, and there are still a lot of questions for Sarah Palin to answer.

Furthermore, I wouldn't underestimate Barack Obama. A lot of people have made the mistake of doing that over the past couple of years.

Don't mourn---organize!

Get out there and get busy.

Obama can win.

[Pupadup4oBama]

Great post, Brad!
Excellent points and well said.

This is actually one post that SHOULD be preaching to the choir...because as evidenced by Jerry it seems to be mostly Dems that are going against Obama and not believing in him.

Sarah Moos-elini is a flash in the pan....many of the MSM websites are questioning things she's done. A fire that burns fast and bright is one that goes out the quickest.

Think - tortoise and the hare.

[jerry6stl]

I'm afraid Sarah Palin is going to kick our butts, come November. She sure seems popular, and relates to people in small towns, hunters, fishermen, soccer/hockey moms, and regular church attendees. This isn't looking good from where I sit.

JERRY

[Pupadup4oBama]

If it's not looking good from where you are sitting....then perhaps you might want to get off your tushy, help Obama and DO something.
Sheesh....chicken little - the sky is not falling unless we make it fall.

"We are the ones that we've been waiting for" - Barack Obama.

Remember that commercial with the really loud obnoxious guy with the pony tail for that exercise machine where he says "YOU CAN DO IT!"

[fumes]

landslide victory if she's running for pta president!