Sarah Palin for VP??

I have held off long enough on this matter so as to allow my initial ire to cool. Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK) was nominated by the GOP for one reason only: to appeal to the Christian-right, anti-choice, anti-gay, pro-second amendment, anti-tax, anti-education, pro-Iraq War, be afraid of foreigners, Republican base. If she dragged in some disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters from the Democrats, that would be a bonus.

Several women that I recently spoke with were intrigued with Palin, because she is a woman, a mother (as were they), outspoken, affable, and a wisecracker. All good things to them (and me, incidentally). That the GOP nominated her is admirable, but incredibly cynical. These women will not vote for her. Let's look at the facts.

As mayor of Wisilla, AK, Palin was a strong advocate of accumulating as much "pork" for her city as could be had, hiring a PR firm to work for the city. On the surface, that is not a bad thing, but it is hardly the record of a government reformer who is against earmarks now that she is a VP candidate. Indeed, she was a strong advocate for the infamous Gravina "Bridge to Nowhere" when the bridge was an earmarked project for Alaska. The earmark was dropped from the federal budget, but the money remained. Palin's administration spent most of the money on other projects before she "killed" the already terminally ill project. Of course, the $500 million bridge had only a reported $50 million left on the table. Nice flip-flopping, exaggerating, and, yes, lying!

Palin's speech at the GOP convention contained an anti-tax message, but she advocated a raise in sales tax for a sports complex while a public servant in Wasilla. Then there is the issue of the local librarian whom she (Palin) asked if she (the librarian) would ban books if Palin asked her to. No way, said the librarian. No job said then Mayor Palin. She is anti-choice, anti-gay, anti-sex education in schools (ditto), pro-creationism. While she brags about fighting against Big Oil to get more money for Alaska citizens, she advocates drilling anywhere and everywhere. (Her husband works for BP Oil; more work for him in the future if ANWR is opened?)

How about the public works director who would not fire Palin’s ex-brother-in-law (despite intense lobbying for his firing by Palin’s staff and family)? He was canned.

She also takes credit for a new pipeline that is to be built in Alaska. Okay, but the pipeline is a project developed by a previous administration and will not be started until 2018. But she did sign the paperwork!

I have no problem with her support of the second amendment, the so-called Right to Bear Arms. That she thinks that it is okay to hunt wolves from helicopters does seem strange to me. (If she gets to be the actual VP, I’ll want to have access to guns to protect myself when she comes looking for pointy-headed liberals such as me!) Based upon her record as a city councilor, mayor and governor, however, she does not seem to have much use for the rest of the Constitution or that it should apply to all citizens.

Somehow, I do not think that Senator Clinton’s supporters will vote for McCain because of Sarah Palin. Palin is a hypocrite, an extreme social conservative, who is an anti-gay, anti-choice, pro capital punishment, anti-education opportunist who will advocate whatever position will get her elected!