In Drudge Report, the blog I chose to follow, there was an article written by Camille Paglia, about the fact that McCain (whom she calls a vampire) breathed in new life when selecting Palin. Paglia even goes so far as to say that Palin could be one of the best things to happen to feminism. When one thinks about it, Palin is exactly what McCain as well as the republicans need. She is, well, different. Her kids are non-typically named; Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig. Also, she enjoys fishing and hunting (typical conservative ideals). She knows the military as her son Track enlisted last year, and she can almost match Obama when it comes to public speaking abilities. She embodies a form of feminism that Paglia calls "can-do, no-excuses, moose-hunting feminism." It truly is different from what we are used to seeing out of politically powerful women, such as Hillary Clinton who is most famous for being the First Lady.
The choice of Palin has sent the media into a frenzy. Not even a hurricane hitting New Orleans could stop the new Palin powerhouse. The pick came a day after Obama ended the Democratic National Convention by making a speech at the 50 yard line at Invesco
Field at Mile High Stadium (home of the Denver Broncos) in front of an estimated 84,000-plus people. The media was buzzing over the speech, but when McCain announced Palin as his VP pick late the next morning, it was if Obama's speech never happened. All the news was on this nearly unheard of female governor of Alaska who, in addition to the above, played basketball in high school. It was if all the momentum Obama had picked up in the previous few weeks had all but disappeared. In fact, according to Amazon.com bestseller list, a book on how Sarah Palin positively changed Alaska as governor is now outselling books about Obama.
Palin represents a new femist type, as previously mentioned. She is a tomboy, plain and simple. When one usually thinks of a women politician, at least for me, the first thing that comes to mind is usually a well educated older woman who would not only not use guns, but also not want to kill an innocent animal(although she might not have a problem wearing one at a black-tie political fundraiser). Palin is middle-age, educated, hockey-mom hunter who also happens to be the governor of the largest state (geographically) in this country. She is, as Paglia describes, reminiscent of the frontier women who got women of the west the right to vote long before the 19th amendment was passed. She is different from what this country has seen before, and even if she and McCain were to lose, her name is now out there and she could do things for women that could change this country.
It appears, though, that McCain's choice of Palin is paying off. According to an article on Bloomberg.com, McCain has jumped ahead of Obama in several national polls and even in others. He is now drawing bigger crowds than ever before, and energizing the Republican party. The article states that "McCain's choice of Palin ' allowed the McCain campaign to change the narrative away from McCain as an extension of Bush,' said Democratic strategist Jenny Backus"
Obama's appeal appears to be wearing off, especially with his choice of Biden over Hillary Clinton, and his record fundraising is declining. Meanwhile over on the right, the future never looked so bright as Sarah Palin has changed the face of this entire election and could keep the Republicans in charge for at least four more years.
Works Cited
- "Governor Palin's Biography." Accessed 10 Sept. 2008. <http://gov.state.ak.us/>.
- "Joe Biden." accessed 10 Sept. 2008. <http://biden.senate.gov/senator/>.
- Nagourney, Adam. Zeleny, Jeff. "Obama's Pick Adds Foreign Expertise to Ticket." The New York Times 23 Aug. 2008. Accessed 10 Sept.2008. <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/us/politics/24veep.html?ref=politics>.
- Paglia, Camille. "Fresh Blood for the Vampire." Salon.com 10 Sept. 2008. <http://www.salon.com/opinion/paglia/2008/09/10/palin/index.html>.
- Przybyla, Heidi. "McCain Poll Surge, Fundraising Give Democrats Election Jitters." 10 Sept. 2008 <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aaWaPymjJ3rk>.
- Stapleton, Arnie. "Obama Speech: More Than 84,000 Attend." The Huffington Post 28 Aug. 2008. Accessed 10 Sept.2008.
- "The Office of Governor Sarah Palin." Accessed 10 Sept. 2008.<http://www.eeo.state.ak.us/bio.html>.
1 comment:
With the unexpected selection of Palin as running mate to McCain, yes the poles have shifted but is this shift for the right reason. Just as any choice has been made on the political campaign, this one is primarily to gain votes. I personally do not think that Palin has the experience to run a country. Palin herself, a few months prior to the election was quoted saying that she does not believe that she would take the position if requested and that she could be doing a lot more for Alaska and the rest of the country if she focused on issues in that state.(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ys4HGbiONY&feature=related) She also adds that she thinks that she is not a feasible option for the Republican VP position. Although many were said to have no clue as to who Palin is, in McCain’s choice of electing her not only does he gain some Hilary supporters but many who agree that the natural resources in “our sister state of Alaska” should be tapped into.
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