She is rather insulting to the feminist ideal, isn’t she? That said, look what she’s done so far. She has served as a huge distraction from John McCain. She’s been able to say things McCain now knows would be risky for him to say—all that stuff about Ayers and questioning Biden’s sincerity about running with someone he voted in opposition to in the Senate and so forth—and for a few weeks, everyone was talking about Sarah Palin and wondering just what was McCain thinking?
We have, of course, seen this before. Spiro Agnew was the first I remember of second bananas who could fling turds at the opposition while the pres himself floated above the fray. The question of qualifications and skeletons in closets was overlooked then, too. The benefit of the distraction was enough.
Palin would be a terrible president, though, and this is worth thinking about. Besides the obvious flaws, she’s an End Timer—a christian who believes the advent of rapture is right around the corner and we’ll all see Jesus in our lifetime. (When people ask what is so dangerous about mixing religion and politics, this one is a deal killer for me.) Bush has been advised by such people. His cabinet has been advised by such people. The Republican Party has been advised by such people. But there has never been one actually in the White House.
What would prompt someone like this to actually do anything that looks to the future? If you really believe the Rapture is that imminent, would you negotiate with people? Would you bother with environmental stewardship? Would you even concern yourself with Health Care issues? Since we’ll all be about to go either to heaven or hell, who needs a secure national health care program?
I don’t actually have an answer to these questions. I know what I think, but it’s an opinion. But I do know I don’t want to find out. Not through a road test.