9 Months to birthing my BESTSELLER!: Nomination Redux or The Love Pouch Choice for VP

THE LOVE POUCH ... a VICE PRESIDENTIAL CHOICE

At first, it seemed a brilliant strategical move. No wonder McCain confidently and out of campaign character, sent Obama what was deemed the Valentine ad on August 29, 2008, by the International Herald Tribune. In the ad, McCain congratulated Obama on his Democratic Convention nomination on the 45th Anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr’s, I Have a Dream speech. It seemed so brilliant and then....

Gawd! In naming Sarah Palin, as his vice presidential running mate, McCain’s choice immediately brought to mind similarities of the mixed and complicated choice of then Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas back in 1991. As you may recall, Thomas was (is) only the second Black nominated for Supreme Court Justice by then President George H.W. Bush to fill the seat of retired Thurgood Marshall. Yet, the appointment of Thomas then (and still now) competed with the need for a black voice and presence on the highest court in the land and that voice belonging to this particular Black conservative who appeared to be a proxy for white conservatives.

The ensuing arguments and revelations of character relative to Thomas, demonstrated an originalist and enigmatic conservative whereby even the NAACP, the Urban League, and the National Organization for Women opposed his appointment. Yet, among some (not many) in the Black community the fact that Thomas was Black was deemed as enough for some Blacks to support him. Many non-supporters in the Black community understood that this man was no Justice Thurgood Marshall!

The choice of Palin as the vice presidential choice for McCain has the same odor, err aura. The Republicans appear to be equal opportunity purveyors of gender legerdemain. In choosing Palin, whose values and avowed right wing policies strike against the core values of many so-called feminist and progressive women, the Republicans have essentially rubbed women’s faces in a choice that is no choice at all.

If the 18 million Hillary supporters (who should be so insulted at this choice so-as-to-spit-blood) want a vagina to win for the sake of a political vagina in office, then McCain has given you just what you stereotypically want. Stereotypically because on all levels this choice of VP, is an insult to feminists and most women.

In so many ways, this choice is so typically mannish and old style-husband-like in it’s transparent attempt to appease those angry women and effectively win their undecided votes. This Republican choice, truly done by the Mad Men in McCain’s retinue is so like ... a stereotypical out-of-touch old husband. Imagine the wife (or 18 million) who expects a thoughtful gift from their spouse (yes, gays count here), significant other, or lover, and then receives something like a brand new shiny vacuum cleaner or a silver handled lint remover.

By choosing Palin, the anti-abortion, Pro-Life crusader, NRA shooter (on more metaphoric levels than one), who supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000, who supports McCain’s big oil first energy policy, a Miss Alaska runner-up, mother of five, who also by-the-way eats Moose meat sandwiches (probably higher protein, healthier, and low carb) and who is a tough religious with her evangelical Protestant self, McCain backhands women (Hillonistas’ particularly) with this choice. This is the epitome of the so close yet so far away choice of a candidate. Hopefully, feminists and women swing voters, hell, everyone will see this patronization for what it is.

But, I doubt it. These women, the overplayed Hillonistas, the disgruntled 18 million voters that are portrayed as walking the political fence and/or crossing party lines to vote for McCain because their choice of the First Vagina did not get the Democratic nomination leads me to believe that these women could be as shallow, easily led and vindictive as the McCain Mad Men have figured them out to be. I hope that I and the Mad Men are wrong.

Ironically, Palin as VP is the nominating equivalent of the Clarence Thomas contention with ‘Should we vote her in just to have the first woman in the second highest office in the land?’ Unbelievably, as VP, Palin and the feminists will be historically aligned. As well, feminists and unfortunately all women will be historically weighted with the angry woman angst that effectively overshadowed common sense and successfully provided a ‘spoiler effect’ ... Nader style. Is Palin truly an accomplishment for all women? I think not.