I'm Just Sayin': Choice of Sarah Palin is an Insult to Women Voters

John McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a running mate is a searing insult to women.

Clearly, Palin was chosen in hopes of attracting women voters. There is virtually no other explanation for picking a right-wing leader of a state with a population of fewer than 680,000 people.

The decision argues that McCain has such a low opinion of women voters that they would overlook education, abortion, foreign policy, civil rights, health care, family leave and more simply to vote for a candidate with two x chromosomes.

As Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida said: "I know Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton."

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

Follow Phil Trounstine on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ptrounstine

Comments

[neurologymatters]

Here's a theory:

John McCain collects state quarters. For 2008, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii are the four last quarters released. The other contendors for VP do not live in these states. McCain fills the Arizona spot. Then along came Alaska, and a candidate is born.

I don't understand a mother or father who is pro-life, with five children, with a young child who has Special Needs, accepting the job. What message is that sending the family values? Bring children into the world and put yourself first?

[bluevillage]

Proof that McCain does things for political reasons only. Or maybe all the other choices turned him down, knowing they'd lose.

[Mike Mike]

Yes. It is obvious that Sarah Palin is desperate move from JMac to get the 18 million Hillary supporters.

Sarah Palin's choice of VP is a Harriet Myers moment. Remember her: she was Bush's choice for Supreme Court who almost got the job for being buddy-buddy with Bush with zero qualifications.

This is something similar, but this time, the stakes are much higher.

You potentially will have someone, a heartbeat away from the highest office, especially given JMacs age, who has near zero qualifications to take that position, beyond being a woman.

Compare that to Joe Biden and his ability to step into Obama's shoes if needed.

[ShamusNYC]

The female version of Alan Keyes...

Hmm... I wonder if McC ever considered Keyes...

[tel8034]

I have finally figured out why PumaAnn is such a BITTER woman and is anti-anything-male .......... HER DIVORCE.

The attributes that PumaAnn CLAIMED she ADORED in Hillary are NOWHERE to be found in Sarah Palin ................... GO FIGURE.

Not only are WE INSULTED by McCain's pick with THIS woman, BUT HILLARY SHOULD BE EVEN MORE INSULTED THAT McCAIN BELIEVES PALIN IS A COMPARABLE ALTERNATIVE TO HERSELF.

I eagerly await Hillary's comments about McCain and Palin trying to bring her into their picture just to score political points with women voters....­..........­........

I await Hillary going out on the campaign trail in support of Obama .............. THERE WILL BE NO CONTENST.

Because Palin comes with so much INEXPERIENCE, it would be SO EASY to show her for what she is without even having to bring her GENDER into play ................... McCain made it so easy for Obama/Biden and the MSM to derail and dismiss Palin without being FALSELY accused of SEXISM.

McCain could have had the BEST OF BOTH WORLDS if he had chosen Charlie Crist.

[Hiphopcrates]

An insult to women? This is an insult to America and most specifically, to everyone McCain had considered as VP worthy.
What a joke!

[Ohsnap]

I thought the whole argument against Obama was that he was inexperienced and thought he could just "waltz in" and steal the nomination from Hillary.

Sarah is also is inexperienced (in relation to Hillary) and literally got to the VP because she was appointed.

Now, I wonder then, why the GOP wouldn't have picked Elizabeth Dole. She has a fight going in North Carolina. The GOP has little hope of taking over the Senate anyway, so why not pick her? No clue.

Obama may be inexperienced, but he picks someone with experience. If McCain dies (which isn't so hard to imagine since he is 72), we are going to downgrade to someone with LESS experience?

It sort of seems like an admition by the McCain camp that military experience is not what is grabbing people's attention. But change. Not a wise pick.

[cole699]

I guess because John Mccain memory is starting to fade he thinks the Hillary supporters memory is doing the same,he picked a women that is against everything that Hillary Clinton stand for,she is pro-life shes against raising the Minimum wage.Mccain picked her just to pander to those socalled PUMAS,but he better hope theres not more than meets the eye concerning Gov.Palin ethic investigation thats going on right now in alaska.While Mccain is hoping to step on Obama today he better hop this pick doesnt come back to bite him in the but.He might as well forget about the independent voter because she is more far right than John Mccain is.

[claylandg]

Not an insult to me I'm a women and i think it's a smart pick Obama had the change to do the right thing and pick the most experience and popular person to be vp and he choose joe ( same old politics) to be the attck dog what a big mistake. It's all fair in love and politics Palin pick is smart, political sure but smart

[BannedFromCommenting]

Your are a women? Oh so a siamese twin??

If you did not know the sex of Biden and H. Clinton, Biden is the better experienced.
Obama was smart because he chose experience, not genitals to woo voters. He actually is thinking the best for this country.. and I was PRO-HILLARY! But I am not an idiot. Biden is a good man. You clearly do not know Biden's record.. I didnt know the Violence against Women Act that he got pushed through, to protect dumbsh**ts like you was "same old politics). You need to grow up and educate.

[iswideopen]

For McBush and this Palin woman to even mention Hillary's name is an insult to Hillary and democrats everywhere. They don't share in the ideas of EVERYONE'S right to choose HOW TO LIVE THEIR LIVES. McBush chose her because after Obama's speech, he knew he had lost this election. McBush= anything for votes. McBush just turned 72 or 73 or whatever, and so, if he, GOD forbid, "keels over", this unknown person is supposed to run the country. A far right-wing zelot, and in the midst of a "republican scandal" I've heard. I don't think so. And yes, I am a proud FEMALE democrat. They may have rallied the neo-con base, but JOHN MCBUSH, YOU WILL NOT WIN IN NOVEMBER. We love our country too much. You and your running mate are the problem; THE COUNTRY IS TOO FAR TO THE RIGHT AND BEYOND FOR AMERICANS TO SURVIVE ECONOMICALLY IF YOU ARE ELECTED.

OBAMA/BIDEN '08

[SamiNJ]

PumaAnn betrays herself in everything she says. By swinging wildly "in the positive" towards this pick of Palin shows exactly what was apparent in most PUMAs thinking. It has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with ISSUES or EXPERIENCE. They wanted a woman. Plain and simple. And it is sad on many levels but it is most sad regarding the fact that they cannot see that this act itself is not "respecting women". IN fact, it is the opposite. It is pandering to them. Now even more so because of her anti-choice stance etc,.. to get on board with her after supporting Hillary Clinton proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that it has nothing to do with anything other than it being a woman. An insult to experienced women and men everywhere.

[photochick]

And, frankly, an insult to Hillary.

[SamiNJ]

Absolutely! That's the point exactly... the argument that PUMAs claim it was because she (HRC) had so much experience has just been blown out of the water! And this only applies to the women who fall for it.
Hey, if there are PUMAs out there who are creationists and anti-choice to the point that they want to outlaw "choice" even in the case of rape and incest and don't care that as recent as March of 2007 Palin is quoted as saying "I don't pay too much attention to Iraq" so having someone a heartbeat away from the presidency not only would have no experience in foreign affairs but has very little to no interest in the biggest foreign affairs and national security issue of the day... then if those PUMAs decide to vote for McCain/Palin, it makes sense. But any Hillary supporter who actually believes in their candidate as they claim... believe that her issues are their issues.... and they vote for McCain/Palin, well they are just frauds and it IS an insult to Hillary's accomplishment in this historic race. It makes it meaningless because it will have been based on nothing more than her gender. How awful. For HRC and all of us frankly.

[oliverhouse]

McCain's strategy here isn't "women will vote for a woman". Here's what he gets:

1. A governor who has very little experience--but has done a lot during that time. If Obama's campaign attacks her experience, she'll show how she's done more in 1.5 years as governor than he has in the Senate. She'll be a Maverick, an outsider, who can do good things in a corrupt environment.

2. A reputation for integrity. She's pissed off her Republican colleagues in Alaska and closed down projects that never should have gone through in the first place (e.g., the Bridge to Nowhere). People are overreaching on the "corruption scandal"--she's cooperating fully and they haven't even needed subpoenas.

3. She's staunchly conservative, fiscally and socially. McCain floated pro-choice Tom Ridge and got beat up--she's an ardent pro-lifer. He got the message: be more conservative. Just as people here at HuffPo have said that Obama shouldn't run to the center, he knows that he shouldn't run to the center, either. Many Republicans _already_ think he's too far left. This VP choice brings him much closer to the Republican base.

This choice isn't meant to capture Hillary supporters (except the stupid ones). It's about capturing Huckabee supporters, having a better hammer to pound Barack with about his experience, and doing both while getting another maverick on the ticket. It might just possibly be a stroke of genius, and it will certainly work better than Tom Ridge.

[RadhaColalurver]

It's also a tremendous insult to Hillary Clinton... To think that someone like Palin would be a heartbeat (literally, I mean McCain not exactly the healthiest guy) away from the presidency while Hillary Clinton will possibly never be able to have the chance to be president ever again.

[tbone99]

Biden's something of an insult to women voters too. The way he handled the sexual harassment charges against Anita Hill was shameful. He protected and put Clarence Thomas in office by preventing three witnesses to his sexual harassment from testifying.

He had the power to stop such behavior in it's tracks and he turned away.

[jingles32]

He also authored and got passed the "Violence Against Women Act." THE sig. piece of legislation passed in our lifetime, in support of women and children.

[DennyCrane]

It's a HUGE insult. Never mind that McCain assumes women will vote for him just because his running mate is a woman, but look at the woman he picks. Someone who's been a governor of a middle-of-nowhere state for only 2 years and has no foreign policy experience. Add to that, she's a former beauty queen. Women should be incredibly insulted that of all the women McCain could've chosen from within his own party, he picks her. At least Condi Rice, Kay Bailey Hutchison, or Carly Fiorina would've been acceptable. But to go with someone who's younger and more attractive is the biggest insult of all. Women have struggled to be taken seriously and accepted as leaders. Now you pick someone who everyone will dismiss as a pretty face who got where she is because of her looks. Good going, John.

[jingles32]

Well, she is a "soccer/hockey" PTA mom with a BA in communications!

[frustratedhonestyfreak]

Agreed. And I hope it isn't mean-spirited of me to have my stomach turned at the crass assumption made by Palin that Hillary supporters will just vote for her and McCain in order to "shatter that glass ceiling" despite the fact that she is a woman in gender only. What is the McCain camp thinking???

[ChucklesfromPA]

Let me see if I understand you correctly:
- Having no foreign policy experience is bad... OBama's foreign policy experience?
- Being from a small, inconsequential state is bad... Delaware (some would say it is in the middle-of-nowhere also) isn't much larger than Alaska.
- Being a beauty queen is bad... Are you serious? She is to be criticized for being better looking than Hillary? Read her resume of accomplishments. Of the four candidates, which one has actually led a government body, for any length of time? What exactly has Obama accomplished? (I'm still trying to figure that one out.)
- Being younger is bad... Again, Obama's age is inconsequential?

I responded to a co-worker today when he suggested that another co-worker (female) would now vote for McCain; I said don't vote for McCain just because Palin is a woman, just as I shouldn't be expected to vote for Obama just because he is black or Biden just because he is Catholic.

I would say given all four candidates, given lengths of experience or the lack there of, given minority(?) status, given all of the other factors, I would probably call it a wash.