Palin Exposes Republicans and Democrats

By Broadside Opinion Editor Arthur Gailes

Governor Sarah Palin’s selection as Senator John McCain’s running mate has exposed Republicans, Democrats and the supporters of both as hypocrites. It’s as if both sides are unaware that they are arguing against the positions they themselves held just weeks ago. Even by political standards, the lack of spine and principles displayed by both political parties has been astounding.

It’s easily the worst for McCain, who’s had to step off of his “straight talk express” to promote his vice president to the country. McCain’s biggest trump card in this race was his experience. He’s been telling us this whole time that he, not Senator Barack Obama, is qualified to serve, because Obama only has three years in the U.S. Senate. With McCain’s extensive time in office, he claims to have the foreign policy experience to protect this country. To turn around and elect somebody who has spent even less time in a major political office, who has even less grasp of foreign affairs, isn’t just irresponsible; it goes against everything he’s been preaching since 2007.

To then turn around and claim Palin is somehow more experienced than Obama is monstrous. Republicans argue that Palin’s executive experience is what counts, but this argument ignores Obama’s experience as a policy-maker in this country. It’s indisputable that she has different experience than Obama does, but more? She was a mayor for as long as Obama was a state senator, and has been a governor for a year less than Obama has been in the U.S. Senate.

By McCain’s own standards, Palin is woefully unprepared to become vice president. And while she is on his ticket, one out of every five presidents have been succeeded mid-term by their vice presidents. And while we can hope for the best for McCain, he would be the oldest first-term president in our history. For him to give somebody unqualified by his own standards a 20 percent chance at becoming president, is proof that his promise to put his country before his campaign is a lie.

But with such a minor discrepancy between the two candidates’ experience it’s nearly as ridiculous for Obama supporters to call Palin underqualified. All of us know that it’s not Obama’s record as a senator that has gotten him to his current position. Obama’s strength to his supporters isn’t his record, it’s his policies, his politics and his personal character.

Nothing is wrong with that. He doesn’t have a bad record in the Senate. As a matter of fact, he has a very good one for somebody who was only particularly active in it for two years. And for people disgusted with the policies of the last four years, he offers a great amount of change, especially as he is estimated to have a Democratic Senate majority behind him. It’s also worth noting that his charisma, race and obvious intellect would make him a tremendously positive representative of America to the world.

Does Palin honestly offer anything less? She’s every bit the Obama of the right: smart, young, charismatic and inspiring. If McCain is guilty of pulling a publicity stunt by electing a little-known woman, then the Democratic Party at large is guilty of doing the same with a Obama. Palin has every bit the experience Obama does, and she’s even more comforting to Republicans than Obama is to liberals. As the Democratic Party’s figurehead, Obama has had to make major concessions to Republicans already in the name of bipartisanship, and will probably continue to do so as president. Palin, on the other hand, has a much better reputation for sticking to her guns, so to speak.

Obama has run this race on judgment and change, and if he tries to attack Palin on the same ground that McCain attacks him, he’ll be watching her become vice president come January. McCain, right or not, will win that battle against him. If he wants to win this election, he has to keep the focus on the fact that McCain, by picking Palin as his running mate, has betrayed us. As long as Obama and his supporters sink to McCain’s level of hypocrisy, they’ve failed to capitalize on their biggest opportunity to win this election.