It’s been fun watching the GOP react to McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate. While there has been plenty of predictable what-a-bold-and-exciting-move talk from some party loyalists, the headline of John Dickerson’s crisp piece in Slate this morning sums up much of the back chatter: “Huh?”
It’s not just that she was the darkest of horses, and before her job as the governor of a state most Americans have never visited was the mayor of town of nine thousand people; it’s the little international experience question that is most roiling the waters. If the fortysomething orator and organizer Obama is not ready to be the leader of the free world, why would this former beauty queen and hockey mom be primed to take the reins? Obama’s “readiness” was one of McCain’s favorite bombs and he went and defused it himself.
But as Dickerson notes, the one-sentence response of many voters was: McCain picks woman. And that is what the people who made this decision (not JMC, who met her just once) are counting on: As one of McCain’s aides told him, “We either get Hillary’s voters and we win, or we don’t. It’s not a mystery.”
While Hillaryites-for-McCain seems as counterintuitive to me as Jews-for-Hitler, we are in what Rachel Maddow calls a “post-rational” state. If this election comes down to splinter groups, as seems increasingly likely, the women of PUMA seem poised to become the next Naderites, voters who out of spite or stupidity are willing to tip the election back to the Republicans. If you’re not familiar with PUMA — “Party Unity My Ass!” — check out Chris Matthews’ encounter with them at the convention. It’s like being assaulted by an army of crazy bag ladies, except they have a real bomb.
Female suicide bombers are all the rage in Baghdad these days. “Senseless self-destruction — it’s not just for men anymore!” Anyone who thinks women are incapable of such Shiva-like all encompassing annihilation have not been through a divorce. Of course, the PUMA people will tell you that a McCain victory would clear the way for Hillary to return, Lazarus-like, in 2012 — forgetting that Lazarus had been dead for four days when Christ raised him, and stunk something powerful.
Of course, Nader could be his own Nader this time. A friend of mine attended a Q&A session with the Quixotic candidate not long ago, more out of curiosity than anything. My friend is a scientist by profession and he had formulated a question ahead of time. “I’ve researched your positions,” he said, “and I agree with many of them. If a more mainstream candidate had the same positions, would you support him?”
“Absolutely not,” Nader replied, going on to say that you couldn’t trust anyone — anyone but him, I guess. Ka-boom!
a little hard on the females, don’t you think?
the PUMA’s, who you’ve helpfully explained, (i thought they were the old gals chasing younger guys) aren’t for real. not real feminists, or real democrats; not women who voted for hrc with any sense of purpose, and not able to create even a small bloc of voters for McCain.
Emerge America,, the organization created to train Democratic women to run for local, state and national office (funded as a nonprofit, created by susie thompkins Beull, not the DNC), had a strong presence at the convention and while some hilary supporters were bereft they’ll get over it. overwhelming numbers are clear about the stakes in this election – now or never; this is our last best chance, the WORLD can’t tolerate 4 more years …. i can go on and on. i’d rather call you out on the annihilation of divorce crack and then, as an hrc to obama supporter, thank you for walking the walk this election. i’ll be registering voters tomorrow; just the beginning.