Reading The Pictures: America's Veep Hottie

Props to Schmidt/Rove, convincing the youth and charisma-challenged McCain to go with Sarah Palin on a (literal) Hail Mary pass ... and knocking the Obama Invesco extravaganza right out of the news cycle in one tabloid-like swoop.

Just like Bush/Rove could hate-monger at will under the protective umbrella of morality and Christian fundamentalism, so to can Rove/Schmidt/McCain now use the same cover (so long, Britney!  See you, Paris!)  to employ Mrs. Palin -- a life-long, hard-core Christian conservative -- as an object of seduction.

... Wait, did I really say that?  I mean, how dare I, about a good Christian mother who has had five children, with one in the Army, for God's sakes, who is so pro-life she gave birth to a Down Syndrome baby, and who might even be nursing right now.  Somehow, I seem to have overlooked Gawker's take on all this.

If I know Rove, Palin was chosen for four reasons (given the fact she brings so little else):  She's a possible lure for the female demographic.  She likely a lure for the fundamentalist demographic.  She's in Obama's age range.  And,in Alaska Magazine's words not mine:  she's hot.  Thing is, on Day 1 (above and beyond the inherent Beauty and the Beast, or older man/younger woman thing she puts into play with McCain) we've already been peppered with the kind of stereotyped sexualized imagery that reduces Palin's V.P nod to the gender equivalent of the Clarence Thomas nomination.

Reading yesterday's pictures, her father-in-law, for example, suggest that, first and foremost, she was a beauty queen.  And the photo spread for Vogue (quite modestly, of course) lays out the case that she's not just a Governor, but a fashion icon.  (Or, is it the other way around?)

But what is most telling to me is the first shot above which the NYT plunked down in its feature story, showing Sarah and (left to right) model daughters Bristol, Piper and Willow, checking out a bedroom of the Alaska Governor's Mansion after Palin was elected in '06.  Maybe the red-on-red was simply a coincidence.  But what also makes me think the former TV sports reporter and city councilwoman is primarily eye candy and Christian coalition window dressing is the way the new Alaska governor used a standard press opportunity with an AP photographer to establish a first impression more fit for Vanity Fair.

For more of the visual, visit BAGnewsNotes.com.

(image 1: Brian Wallace/Juneau Empire, via Associated Press, 2006, Juneau, Alaska. nytimes.com.  image 2: Al Grillo/AP. Wasilla, Alaska. Aug. 28, 2008.  image 3 & 4:  Vogue images via kodiakkonfidential. image 6: Alaska Mag: Joe Connolly, Chugach Peaks Photography)

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Comments

[LGW]

The first picture of Governor Palin and her 3 daughters surveying a bedroom in the Governor's Mansion is a sham. Governor Palin is the first governor in the history of the state of Alaska who has NOT moved her family to Juneau and into the Governor's Mansion. She did not want to disrupt her 3 daughter's schooling and friends but yet now she is willing to catapult them all the way to Washington DC...just another one of her many, many, "Do as I say, not as I do" anomalies. She has spent less time in the capital than any other governor..­.surprise, she let the executive chef go.

[Mattjoe]

Any of the standard neocon fossil selections would have simply re-enforced the ‘same’ slogan. With all due respect, Palin was the only Republican at least slightly distanced from the most corrupt administration to ever gain office. Yes, she appeals to the religious right, the NRA, women and she’s exciting the base and stealing headlines. . . .blah, blah…..

CARING!

All this being said, Republicans should remind themselves of how many times they’ve moved the bar, from Bush to Obama and back down again for Palin. When the Republicans allow Cindy McCain and other surrogates to utter the most awkward and inane of references like ‘well you know Alaska is the closest part of the U.S. to Russia, so she’s (Palin) is aware of that situation’ uh?

Or Jon Voight today on POTUS on XM ‘she’s a mother, that’s the most important job in the world’. uh? OK, yes um, John, in a slightly more figurative context against a Presidency and secondly, your mike is on you twit!

Sanctioned or not, these comments are symbolic of a regime that cares little for logic or compassion or anything other than remaining in control.

[larry278]

The blogosphere & the 24/7 news feeds are telling a different story now, 9/1/08. Rove is in the process of distancing himself from this 1 now that the fit has hit the Shan.

[DMHendrix]

How can you say that 20 months being the governor of Alaska prepares you to run this cluster**** of a mess that GWB has left us in if McSame kicks it? Alaska's entire legislative session is only 90 days per year...so technically she only worked for 6 months out of 20?!!

Come to think of it...GWB took over 2 years off too. It definitely MUST be a GOP thing.

[follyeoa]

Just a few thoughts on Palin,
1. I don't think that (regardless of the rhetoric) the McCain/Palin ticket is trying to capture women who supported Clinton. The vast majority will support Obama. On the other hand they will be courting independents of all ages.
2. McCain was not gaining any ground challenging Obamas experience and probably feels that with Palin on his ticket he can now campaign on the change/ anti-Washington issue.
3. On the state trooper/br­other-in-l­aw issue, if there are any skeletons in that closet then why does Gov. Palin have an 80% approval rating among Alaskans?
4. As with most evangelicals she believes all abortions are wrong. Attacking her on being against abortion even in cases of rape and incest can be problematic because most people in mainstream America also have problems with third trimester abortions.
5. The best that Obama/Biden can do is stay on message, ignore her and keep their surrogates in line. If they come out looking sexist they will lose.

[Boikin]

Pretty sexist stuff. The same people who decry this woman's qualifications want to crown Obama who has 100% fewer qualifications. Running for President is not a qualification.

[XME]

Eighteen million votes IS a qualification. Republicans can say she has more experience but it's a joke. She doesn't know what the VP does, but says she's qualified?? At least Obama knows who leaders of countries are, who our "enemies" are, THINKS and cosults with various people before he acts, etc.

What we know about Palin is that she was mayor of a town 1/20 the size of the precinct in Chicago that Obama was in the senate for for 8 years, and that she wants creationism taught in public schools. Basically, we know she feels her views on religion (including abortion) should be enforced on all of us. He couldn't have chosen a LESS qualifed person from the Republicans to pick from. He just wanted a pretty face and a woman who's proven she's extemely conservative by giving birth to a baby with Down Syndrome. Those were her qualifications (oh, and she has a uterus), and they prove McCain's judgement is frightening, that he doesn't put America first (all he cares about is getting elected, at the country's expense), and that he's insulting to women if he thinks ALL we care about is voting for a woman, ANY woman no matter how unqualified. If she became VP without actually EARNING and DESERVING it, it would put women's advancement back decades and make a mockery of all the women out there LIKE Clinton and Kay Bailey Hutchison who've worked hard and PROVEN women deserve to get where they are.

[ssb752]

Me thinks the lady doth protest too much.
When it comes to the hate-fille­d-up-is-do­wn-down-is­-up world of Republican Rovian Campaigning, you can tell the weakness of their position by the ridiculousness of the spiel. Thanks for proving this point, Boikin. The more you do it, the better the chance that the distracted masses will figure it out. Oh, wait! Many already have. Lay some more on us! Goose step to those Talking Points!