Why Palin Spells Danger for Democrats

Sarah Palin is a disastrous choice for America.

As a candidate, she is a political gimmick: woefully inexperienced in national politics, and dangerously unqualified for the international reach of the Vice Presidency.

As a symbol of female progress, she is a travesty: she opposes a woman's right to chose in almost all circumstances, even refusing the right to abortion to victims of rape, and to women whose health would be put at risk by birth.

As to judgment, she fails the litmus test for the 21st century politician: she does not believe that global warming is caused by human activity.

The choice of Sarah Palin for VP is shamefully irresponsible, transparently political, and disastrous for women across America.

It is also brilliant.

Brilliant because she appeals directly to those voters Barack Obama dismissed during the primary as "clinging to guns and religion," and threatens to become the champion of those white working class Americans with whom Obama has always struggled to connect.

Brilliant because her story is a dream for the religious right, who will gather behind the McCain ticket and energise the base as they did for George Bush - oh, and that story just got better, not worse with the revelation of her daughter's pregnancy, thanks to Bristol Palin's pledge to keep the baby and marry the father.

Brilliant because she is the kind of figure Obama has spent so much time praising - she has genuine (if limited) non-partisan credentials, and she is a true Washington outsider. More than that, she has a whiff of hockey-mom amateurism that threatens to strike a chord in small towns like the one she represented as mayor.

And brilliant because in this election that will be about the economy, and more specifically, about gas prices, Sarah Palin's signature issue as Governor of Alaska is increased drilling, and energy independence.

This strikes me as the key strength of Sarah Palin: the McCain campaign will make her name a synonym for energy independence, for increased drilling, and for lower gas prices.

Those electoral strengths are coupled with her gender, which will have a galvanizing effect on some women - not on the majority of Clinton supporters who will instantly be turned off by her stance on abortion - but on the less partisan women who supported Hillary not for her policies, but because they felt like this was their moment to be recognized and represented.

It's a powerful combination in an election that will be decided in a handful of battleground states and demographics: Palin will play well in the suburbs and small towns of Ohio, and Pennsylvania. She will play well in blue collar neighborhoods and among gun owners, she will threaten the majority that Democrats need among women, and she will help McCain to hold the states won by Bush on the strength of the religious vote.

This young governor of Alaska is a powerful presence on the ticket, and the Obama campaign must know it.

What the Democrats need to do now is to turn the second "unlikely story" of this election from a fairy tale into a horror film. They need to re-write the narrative of Palin's politics and her personality. They need to generate distrust. They need to make her look flimsy, and unqualified; unappealing and unprincipled.

The real canniness of McCain's pick is in how hard this is going to be to achieve. The counter attacks almost write themselves:

Pillory her inexperience and the Republicans will point out that unlike Obama, Palin has at least run a state for two years; scoff at the small town she was mayor of, and the Democrats risk alienating voters in the thousands of comparable towns across America, and amplifying her accessibility to rural voters.

Demonize her for her views on abortion and they further fire up the right; mock her for her lack of international expertise, and she could end up looking more and more of an All-American girl.

Any attack on her as a mother (abandoning her six month old infant and her pregnant seventeen year old to serve her own ambitions) is way out of bounds in the aftermath of a Primary campaign that, with the benefit of hindsight, looks increasingly fueled by misogyny.

Indeed, the increasing sense of collective guilt among those in the media for the way in which Hillary Clinton was treated is going to make attacks on Palin dangerous and difficult for Democrats. They will have to tread carefully to avoid allegations of sexism that risk cementing her support among women, who will admire her as a hard working mother of five, coping with the stresses of a child with Down Syndrome and full time job.

Democrats need to take Joe Trippi's advice, and realize the scale of the problem McCain's choice represents.

They'd better hope she starts making some mistakes, that the news networks stop talking about hurricane Gustav and start focusing on some of the stories being dumped out of Alaska in its wake.

They'd better make sure voters notice that Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton, that she embodies all the failed politics and ideologies of the Bush administration, and that she finally shows McCain up for the cynical, and hot headed politician that he is.

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

Comments

[tronmom]

mr. woods,
i really liked you in cranford ...however­....would you do me a favor and just go and look at ultrasounds of baby's in utero??? it is an eye opening thing to do. i did and it changed my whole opinion. there is a baby in there with a beating heart. God bless.

[NoToBigO]

Palin has more talent in her little toe than Obama will ever have. H e has never run a business,
a City, or a State, much less a Country. I bet his wife keeps the check book balanced for him.
And people think Obama has what it take to lead our Country.

OBAMA SPELLS DANGER!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!

[Shiral]

I didn't think America would fall for GWB a second time, but they did. So I definitely agree, Palin can't be laughed off. She needs to be driven away. However, I also believe that she is a self-inflicted wound for McCain. He pushed to make his announcement to yank the spotlight away from Obama on the morning after his speech. Now that he's got the spotlight and finds it glaring, let him bask in it. The Republican Vetting procedure on Palin was SLOPPY. The more I find out about her, the worse she sounds. She's attractive packaging for a radioactive waste dump of bad, outmoded ideas.

God didn't get us into Iraq, Governor Palin. GWB did. I do not find it reassuring that you are another GOP politician who apparently believes God speaks to and through you. My vote was never McCain's to lose, but I think he's hemorhaging support because of you.

[M1]

Your points are well taken. There is one inescapable fact....th­is nomiination of Palin highlghts just how McCain's judgement is dangerous and unstable..­..he is 72 yrs old and struggles with cancer. If he becomes ill early on, Palin will not have time to play catch up. In a world with terrorism, Russian aggression and Chinese dominence McCain has decided to roll the dice at our Country's risk.

[grendl]

So is Ms. Palin of pre-marital sex?

It's a fair question since her offspring is a practitioner of pre-marital sex. Or do they had separate views about that?

And if they do have separate views about that, what does it say about Ms. Palin's ability to influence her daughter?

Making victims of rape give birth to the demon spawn of some creep is beyond cruel. It punished the victim for the rest of her life, and brings another unneeded life into the world. Thats right, I said it and you can sue me...we don't need rapist seed to come to fruition, morons.

Why is this not fair game in a national debate Mr. Obama. Overpopulation, and dwindling resources are this earth's primary problems. Your need to look like a gentlemen is getting in the way of common sense.

[StefToxic]

"demon spawn"

HARSH! Children are innocent.

[Johnnn]

Mr. Simon Woods, you are absolutely right. I couldn't have written it better myself. I would go so far as to say that if Barack Obama takes heed of your warning and advice, he just might pull it off. Otherwise, watch McCain and Palin roll up the angry sympathy vote across Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. Watch McCain wrap up the conservatives and the old-fashioned Catholics. Watch Obama's hopes go bye-bye.

[tecumseh80]

I fear what you describe as well, but the print news has been in force against Palin - specifically the tabloids that millions of "nascar dads and soccer moms" read every day. Palin is shaping up to be a big loser for the GOP. Additionally, the Republicans can ony win elections when they get the story to be their opponents and Obama/Biden have been absolutely mum on this issue. Republicans, when the heat is on them, shall slowly turn on one another. This is already happening in among the fiscal conservatives on Wall Street and in the lobbying rolls. They now feel the social conservatives have finally driven the GOP over the falls. I think the leaders of the Dems stay silent, let the bloggers do their work and let Palin become an absolute embarrassment.

Off topic - absolutely loved Rome and miss it as part of my TIVO schedule.

[TedB]

I think McCain already has the "clinging to guns and religion" vote locked up

[SeanGardner]

Mr. Woods?!! Why not do a quick and responsible GOOGLE or LEXUS NEXUS search before penning this post?

What do I mean? Check out this little diddy from your post: "...voters Barack Obama dismissed during the primary as "clinging to guns and religion," and threatens to become the champion of those white working class Americans with whom Obama has always struggled to connect."

First of all, you do know that Barack did not "dismiss" small town voters with that partial statement you chopped up. He referring to how small town voters have been let down so much by the Republican Party they tend to support. They've been lied to and taken for granted. Many of these small town voters have become so cynical, Obama intoned, that in the perpetually impoverished lives many live, they find comfort in the things that are fixtures in small town, rural America, like religion and guns. He said that the usage of the words "cling to" was inartful, but that he stands by his spirit of his statement. Please tell me where he outright "dismissed them small town America. I invite you to prove that.

As for struggling with "white working class Americans", um, Mr. Woods, you do know that Obama is leading John McCain with white working class voters (those making under $27,000), right? Here is the most latest, comprehensive poll: http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/08/poll_obama_leading_by_10_point.php.

Obama will be just fine.

[jhamm1]

What I find particularly ominous about Palin is the fact that she appears to have mastered the art of sophistry, although the actual substance of what she says rivals the intellect of a bag of nails. At the end of the day, smooth talkers win the day in politics, and her articulate phrasing is more than enough to make such idiotic feedback sound rational.

[NoToBigO]

You need to add Obama's name to your blog. Obama has run nothing in his life. He is a smooth
talker he is articulate and he has no idea what he is talking about. Tune your car up, inflate your
tires and you will save gas. That sounds like a great plan to me. He is the man.

[peterg76]

The danger is in criticizing her for being anti-feminist, anti-environment, hypocrtical, corrupt and anti-learning anything about other countries. Republican voters believe those are all positive attributes, so criticism, without educating, is just free publicity.

[Zingaro Zorro]

If the Bride of Frankenstein role needs reprise in American politics, the choice of M. Palin is that of the grotesque, supranatural corpse.