McCain's Train Wreck of a VP Candidate

[shannon_a]

Here's what I said previously about Sarah Palin.

But wait, there's more (and more and more appearing every day).

• As part of her TrooperGate scandal, Palin has already hired an attorney to defend her. She apparently did so two weeks ago, but hid the fact until today.
  
• There's been open debate about whether Palin is a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, who believes that Alaska should secede from the United States (and, it appears, that the United States should be dissolved entirely). AIP's VP is among those who claims Sarah used to be a member of the political group. Whatever the case, however, she definitely taped a message for this year's annual conventions, welcoming people to the convention and telling them they play an "important role" in state politics.
  
• Not only is Palin a strong proponent of abstinence-only education, but she's a poster-girl for how well it works. Her 17-year-old daughter, you see, is pregnant. Now Obama says that family isn't anyone's business, and points out that his mom was 18 when he was born (as, indeed, was mine). However, that somewhat misses the point, which is what the policies of Palin and McCain would do to this country. First, it anecdotally points out how screwed up abstinence-only education is, something which actual studies have upheld. Second, it really goes to the heart of the "culture of life" that Palin stands for. Basically, she's decided that her teenage daughter will never have a fair shot at a life because she's going to be raising a child until her mid-30s. Perhaps she has that right within her family, but she'd like to make that choice for every 17-year-old girl in America.
  
• It's increasingly obvious that she's not just a member of Alaska's culture of corruption, but a founding member. Ted Stevens, who's gone one better than Palin, in that he's under indictment not just investigation, was one of the people that helped Palin win office. Quid pro quo, her name appears in the incorporation papers of Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc. (an oxymoron if I ever heard one).
  

I'm going to be somewhat surprised if Palin is actually nominated on Wednesday. I'm going to be even more surprised if she's still on the ballot on November*.

And I sincerely hope that this train wreck of a VP nomination, which by all reports McCain made on his own, with almost no research, is going to be remembered in November even when Palin has been replaced by Lieberman or someone else. This was McCain's first major presidential decision, an example of what we could expect if he took office next year, and he failed it, badly.

Heck of a job, Johnnie.

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* Though I could see there being some chance of it, given McCain's legendary stubbornness in the face of reality, yet another trait that he shares with his good friend, George W. Bush. However, I'd lay odds that his aides and campaign chairs are already asking for a timetable for VP widthdrawal.

Comments

[miyaa99.livejournal.com]

You don't suppose this was a case where McCain asked the other candidates he was considering and they simply declined so he went with someone who was eager to help?

The only thing I would criticize is that you're assuming that Palin will force her daughter to raise the child on her own instead of suggesting to have her give up the baby for adoption. I also wonder what kind of "life" you think she would be missing out on: going to college, starting having a successful career only to have the biological clock ringing at her at age 30 and then perhaps she'll juggle between career and children to the point until she's forced to choose between focusing on her career or her children and may feel a lot of regret from consequences of the decision?

Regardless, I do agree with you that Palin would not be the right choice for the other reasons you mentioned. McCain wouldn't change his mind unless he'd be really forced to. And considering his past, there's nothing that would indicate he'd bow to the political pressure willingly.

[shannon_a]

The only thing I would criticize is that you're assuming that Palin will force her daughter to raise the child on her own instead of suggesting to have her give up the baby for adoption.

I certainly think that more young mothers should give their children up for adoption, and that it should generally be a pretty viable adoption to abortion. I also do believe that there's no way Palin could let her daughter give her child up: it would look too bad politically.

I also wonder what kind of "life" you think she would be missing out on: going to college, starting having a successful career only to have the biological clock ringing at her at age 30 and then perhaps she'll juggle between career and children to the point until she's forced to choose between focusing on her career or her children and may feel a lot of regret from consequences of the decision?

There have been some studies that show that that teenage mothers do considerably worse in life than those teenagers who did not have children. They're almost twice as likely to remain in the lowest quintile of income (which I'd assume is poverty or thereabouts). They're twice as likely to experience depression. They're half as likely to complete high school. They're three times as likely to live in a household where no one works.

One study is here:
http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/repcard3e.pdf

The study also look at some UK data to suggest that the correlation is not a result of causation; even accounting for poverty early in life leading to teenage birth, the outcome later in life was worse.

[shannon_a]

Oh I missed this:

You don't suppose this was a case where McCain asked the other candidates he was considering and they simply declined so he went with someone who was eager to help?

The reports suggest that the people he really wanted to select (Lieberman, Ridge) were too moderate and he wasn't allowed to pick them. I've seen a few reports which suggest that Palin was actually his fifth choice.

[anthrorabbit.livejournal.com]

I don't think that Obama missed the point at all. I think he consciously and publicly said "I'm not playing the same old game." It was a challenge to the GOP to see what they would do if their opponent announced he'd be taking the high road.

I wonder just how low they will go.