McCain/Palin Are Counting on the 'Stupid Vote'
Yesterday, Sen. John McCain selected Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate for this year's presidential election. There are so many worthy candidates he could have chosen to be the Republican nominee for Vice-President. And clearly there are special interest voters that he needed to consider when he made his choice: conservatives, evangelical Christians, young voters, moderates, women, environmentalists, undecideds, etc. So I imagine that he must have thought long and hard about who could produce the most votes, as well as who could fill his shoes as President of the United States if needed. So lets take a look to see which votes that John McCain is hoping to garner with this selection.
According to a number of sources (take a look here, here and here), Palin is the Governor of Alaska for only 19 months, and prior to that was a City Council Member (1992-1996) and Mayor (1996-2002) of Wasilla, Alaska (population less that 5,000). She is a staunch social conservative, against abortion rights, against gay-marriage, pro-gun rights, supported wildlife predator control efforts (hunting wolves from the air by shooting them from helicopters), promotes "gas and oil resource development in Alaska," has tried to prevent polar bears from being listed as endangered species and has tried to stop the polar bear region from being listed as protected for fear that it would interfere with oil development. She is non-denominational Christian, the wife of a small business-owner/fisherman and has five children -- including one special needs child with Downs Syndrome
So which voters would be swayed by Palin? First, let's cross-off those groups who obviously would be opposed to her positions: staunch liberals & democrats, the gay community, pro-choice folks, gun-control advocates, and environmentalists.
What about young voters? Well, traditionally, the majority of younger voters vote liberal. And it seems that polls suggest the same again this year. So clearly a staunch conservative could not be expected to attract young voters -- at least not anymore than would be already swayed by McCain. Except of course, stupid young voters who don't know that Palin is not a liberal and would vote for her because she's a lot younger than McCain.
What about conservatives? It would seem that Palin solidifies an already conservative base that McCain already has. However, Palin has limited voting history to support her conservative views. Therefore it would seem that her selection would not necessarily be a gain in the number of conservative votes; except maybe for conservatives who may not be aware of McCain's conservative credentials: i.e. stupid conservatives.
What about women? Well the pundits have speculated that the primary motivation of McCain to pick Palin is because she is a woman. The hope is that she will garner votes lost by the democrats when Sen. Hillary Clinton failed to gain the democratic nomination for President. The McCain camp believes that women who supported the liberal, pro-choice, pro-gay Clinton will switch to the conservative, pro-life, anti-gay McCain/Palin because Clinton was not nominated. This seems unlikely....unless of course, the women supporters are stupid -- who think perhaps a conservative woman is the same as a liberal woman. Sort of like what radio talk show host, Lynn Samuels suggested about men yesterday on her show: "... men think that all vaginas are the same."
What about moderates & undecided voters? Well it seems that one of the issues that has lost voters for Sen. Barack Obama to moderates and undecided voters is his perceived lack of experience. As a matter of fact, McCain has hit Obama hard on this issue. So it couldn't be that McCain was hoping to gain votes based on Palin's experience considering that she has less of it than Obama -- specifically on all national issues. This is a woman who said,
Therefore she will NOT gain votes for McCain based on her experience, unless of course, the moderate and undecided voters are stupid and believe Republican pundits who suggested that Palin does have more experience than Obama.
So therefore, who is McCain hoping to convince to vote for the Republican ticket with the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate? Isn't it obvious? The stupid voter! Who else votes continuously against their own best interests because they can't or won't grasp the issues? Stupid voters. That's right, McCain is hoping that he can get the stupid vote to the polls this November to vote for him! The ones who will vote for him because Palin is so much younger regardless of her views or voting record (or the lack thereof). The ones who will vote for him because they think that by selecting a woman as VP, he must really care about women's issues despite his efforts to stop bills from being passed that prevent gender equity in salary, and his views on abortion. The ones who will vote for Palin as Vice-President -- one heart beat away from the presidency -- despite having the least amount of experience than any other candidate in modern times. Yes, McCain/Palin count on the stupid voter! And hopefully they will know when & where to vote!
Peace.
According to a number of sources (take a look here, here and here), Palin is the Governor of Alaska for only 19 months, and prior to that was a City Council Member (1992-1996) and Mayor (1996-2002) of Wasilla, Alaska (population less that 5,000). She is a staunch social conservative, against abortion rights, against gay-marriage, pro-gun rights, supported wildlife predator control efforts (hunting wolves from the air by shooting them from helicopters), promotes "gas and oil resource development in Alaska," has tried to prevent polar bears from being listed as endangered species and has tried to stop the polar bear region from being listed as protected for fear that it would interfere with oil development. She is non-denominational Christian, the wife of a small business-owner/fisherman and has five children -- including one special needs child with Downs Syndrome
So which voters would be swayed by Palin? First, let's cross-off those groups who obviously would be opposed to her positions: staunch liberals & democrats, the gay community, pro-choice folks, gun-control advocates, and environmentalists.
What about young voters? Well, traditionally, the majority of younger voters vote liberal. And it seems that polls suggest the same again this year. So clearly a staunch conservative could not be expected to attract young voters -- at least not anymore than would be already swayed by McCain. Except of course, stupid young voters who don't know that Palin is not a liberal and would vote for her because she's a lot younger than McCain.
What about conservatives? It would seem that Palin solidifies an already conservative base that McCain already has. However, Palin has limited voting history to support her conservative views. Therefore it would seem that her selection would not necessarily be a gain in the number of conservative votes; except maybe for conservatives who may not be aware of McCain's conservative credentials: i.e. stupid conservatives.
What about women? Well the pundits have speculated that the primary motivation of McCain to pick Palin is because she is a woman. The hope is that she will garner votes lost by the democrats when Sen. Hillary Clinton failed to gain the democratic nomination for President. The McCain camp believes that women who supported the liberal, pro-choice, pro-gay Clinton will switch to the conservative, pro-life, anti-gay McCain/Palin because Clinton was not nominated. This seems unlikely....unless of course, the women supporters are stupid -- who think perhaps a conservative woman is the same as a liberal woman. Sort of like what radio talk show host, Lynn Samuels suggested about men yesterday on her show: "... men think that all vaginas are the same."
What about moderates & undecided voters? Well it seems that one of the issues that has lost voters for Sen. Barack Obama to moderates and undecided voters is his perceived lack of experience. As a matter of fact, McCain has hit Obama hard on this issue. So it couldn't be that McCain was hoping to gain votes based on Palin's experience considering that she has less of it than Obama -- specifically on all national issues. This is a woman who said,
But as for that VP talk all the time, I’ll tell you, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day?
Therefore she will NOT gain votes for McCain based on her experience, unless of course, the moderate and undecided voters are stupid and believe Republican pundits who suggested that Palin does have more experience than Obama.
So therefore, who is McCain hoping to convince to vote for the Republican ticket with the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate? Isn't it obvious? The stupid voter! Who else votes continuously against their own best interests because they can't or won't grasp the issues? Stupid voters. That's right, McCain is hoping that he can get the stupid vote to the polls this November to vote for him! The ones who will vote for him because Palin is so much younger regardless of her views or voting record (or the lack thereof). The ones who will vote for him because they think that by selecting a woman as VP, he must really care about women's issues despite his efforts to stop bills from being passed that prevent gender equity in salary, and his views on abortion. The ones who will vote for Palin as Vice-President -- one heart beat away from the presidency -- despite having the least amount of experience than any other candidate in modern times. Yes, McCain/Palin count on the stupid voter! And hopefully they will know when & where to vote!
Peace.
Comments
Anyway, in short - I agree with you thoughts - but it is too obvious what all the problems/ negatives are. This is some Karl Rove type trick - there is another shoe to drop - and my guess is that if the poles show that running a female VP candidate will work, and the Dems have already shown that running a black candidate works...I suspect we will see our current Secretary of State on the podium next week - ultimately standing next to McCain on Thursday night. Something's afoot!
One thing McCain and Palin have in common is obfuscating on what exactly their church affiliation is, by the way.
McCain is a lapsed Episcopalian who attends a Southern Baptist church (and don't faint here at the lack of understanding of baptism) who nonetheless is not officially a member since they would require that he be rebaptized as an adult choice.
Palin grew up Pentecostal but worships most of the time at a nondenominational church (Jeez, how many churches in the US are named "Church on the Rock"????) although she attends other churches on the charismatic side, as well, apparently.
I find THAT an interesting thing to chew on.
Now that Gov. Palin seems to be on the ticket to stay, I have another concern, and I’d appreciate your thoughts about it. Please forgive the long entry. It’s long because I don’t want the question to be disrespectful to people of faith.
Sarah Palin began her spiritual journey in the RC Church and now belongs to a Pentecostal church. I grew up in the charismatic renewal of the RC Church, an experience for which I am grateful. The charismatic movement and the Pentecostal movement have much in common, and I am pretty sure that if Sarah Palin and I met, we could comfortably clasp hands and pray together. She is my sister, and I hope that all the best and the brightest of the Spirit’s gifts shine in her.
We Charismatics/Pentecostals have our weaknesses, though. For example, since we have experienced grace triumphing over logical expectations, we can be tempted to make decisions based upon assumptions about how God works. If we are going to make decisions (such as: let’s jump off this high tower) based on the expectation of a miracle (such as: an angel will catch me), then we had better be sure that we are not testing God. Jesus Himself had to deal with that particular temptation, and we are no wiser than He! The larger the consequences of our decision, the more important it is to use all of the decision-making tools that God has given to us.
I saw this temptation played out in the lives of two friends who were caught in violent marriages. In one case, her family was Pentecostal. In the other case, her family was charismatic Catholic. In both cases, the parents encouraged their daughter to remain in the marriage because “that is what God wants”. Their beliefs about the sanctity of marriage trumped their concerns about the safety of their daughters and grandchildren. They encouraged my friends to jump from the high tower in the expectation that angels would catch them on the way down, as Satan promised Jesus in the Third Temptation. (See Luke 4)
Not all charismatics and Pentecostals respond in this way. I know two other women who escaped domestic violence with the assistance of their charismatic and Pentecostal friends. Not everyone falls for the Third Temptation every time.
What does this have to do with Sarah Palin’s qualifications? Am I saying that we shouldn’t trust a Pentecostal as VP or President? Never would I say that! It isn’t just religious folk who need to think about Jesus’ Third Temptation: proponents of any ideology will face the same thing. I am saying that I have had my fill of political decisions based on personal beliefs and “gut instincts” in complete disregard of the facts.
So my question is: will Sarah Palin resist the Third Temptation?
Why even suggest that it could be an issue? This is why I am asking the question today: because Sarah Palin has stated her support for her 17-year old daughter to get married. In Alaska, people under 18 years old need both mother’s and father’s consent to marry. Even if Bristol Palin waits until she is 18 to marry, her mother has publicly supported the engagement. And loud voices in the Republican tent are cheering their approval.
Even if you ignore the statistics on teen marriage and divorce, and even if you personally know (as I do) happily married couples who tied the knot as teenagers and have stayed together for decades, would you authorize your daughter’s marriage to a boy who wrote the following in MySpace? The New York Post (link below) quoted the following from the MySpace page of Levi Johnston, Bristol’s fiancé:
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http://www.nypost.com/seven/09022008/news/nationalnews/palin_teen_has_baby_on_board_127096.htm
On a MySpace page subsequently taken down, Johnston boasts, "I'm a f - - -in' redneck" who likes to snowboard and ride dirt bikes.
"But I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some s- - - and just f - - -in' chillin' I guess."
"Ya f - - - with me I'll kick [your] ass," he added.
He also claims to be "in a relationship," but states, "I don't want kids."
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There’s more, but that gives you the general idea. To be honest, I wouldn’t hold this MySpace page against young Levi. He’s a boy, and sometimes kids say offensive stuff in public.
But neither would I sign the parental consent form to get an Alaskan marriage license. And I wouldn’t parade the boy in front of the entire nation. In fact, I would do everything in my power to encourage my daughter and my grandchild’s father to wait and grow up some more before getting married.
To do otherwise would be to put those angels on notice.
Palin has no right to call herself a "hockey mom", refer to her prayer life (“I'm just one of many moms who'll say an extra prayer each night for our sons and daughters going into harm's way”), and make other references to her children and family, and THEN tell America to back away from her personal life.
Palin may have excellent reasons for her actions. And they would obviously be personal reasons. But after 8 years of disastrous ideologically-driven government, the American people have the right to know how she makes decisions.
Are we in for four more years of the Third Temptation?