A Republican Woman VP

I am finding the Republican pick of a VP to be very interesting for several reasons. First let me say that I do believe in woman working toward not just breaking the glass ceiling, but removing it all together. For my own personal reasons and as well as for general liberation theology concerns, I have views that not only define my understanding of gender, but also my understanding of social and family structure. I cant hardly see these as separate because I was raised Pentecostal Holiness, and that does affect my frame of reference.

I want to see women represented well when they do excel. I want women to move forward because they are qualified and capable, not because they fit into the picture for the agenda. It makes me proud when women accomplish great things. It makes me proud when women receive acknowledgement for their abilities and accomplishments. But I am offended when people like Rush speak of ‘the babe on the ticket’. Was she chosen for her capability or her looks and gender? Is Palin more than political arm candy?

I don’t want to get into to too many various issues, so I will stick to what is the topic at hand. I am very interested in the pick of a woman for VP by McCain, simply because it is a visual, photo opportunity pick much more than it is of any sound political issues. It is a great counter move to deflect the attention from how wonderfully the DNC went off without any major glitches. Even Hillary and Bill Clinton to the high road to stand loyal to their party and the agenda of making sure that the party gives full support to its candidate.

So McCain had to do something to trump all the attention that was given to not only the political, but the historical context of the DNC. Out of no where comes this woman that not many have ever heard of before the announcement of her as McCain’s choice as a running mate. But she is a woman. That is a direct jab at the fact that Obama didn’t pick Hillary Clinton as his VP. It wasn’t a slightly obscure act, this was obviously what it was, an attempt to rally feminist and woman’s lib votes. And it just might work.

What I am interested to see in this turn of events is how shallow women really are as voters. What I want to know is if women really have lived up to having the right to vote? Will their vote be used wisely or will they vote blindly becoming pawns in the political game? I know this sounds harsh, but I want to argue that the agenda of the RNC is not progressive or gender neutral. This was a move to rally women voters, not based on any concern for women’s issues or the voice of women voters, but simply for political gain of getting a Republican in the White House.

I don’t claim allegiance to either party, but vote according to what I can connect to my own belief system in that of a political candidate. But what I am offended by in this pick of a woman for VP is the sheer arm candy approach of it all. Are women this shallow that they will vote simply because she is a woman, or will they really consider what this woman stands for and what kind of leader she will be in the event that something causes her to have to take on the task of Commander in Chief?

I personally don’t want a post partum Commander in Chief. Nor do I want someone with PMS answering the Red Phone. At least Hillary was beyond all of that stuff that distorts perspective. Misguided agendas is what has our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan now- and that was a man’s doing. And I cant remember why we are there, the reason has changed several times, and I know it is not about weapons of mass destruction cause they never found them. I think the last thing that I heard, is that we are there to manage the social unrest. And why is this our concern? Don’t we have other things that our military need to help manage? Have we done all we cant to maintain the social environment in this country? If we are so concerned about keeping people safe then why aren’t our troops being used to secure our borders, or what about the violence in Cleveland, Detroit, and Patterson--- I think there are plenty of things to do on our home soil, if we just
need to have troops active. I am guessing that the police officers in these cities would appreciate having some assistance in alleviating some of the violence and crime. Oh, but we all know why there is little concern for establishing and maintaining lower crime statistics…….

Ok so before I get off onto another issue, let me stick with this concept of a woman as a VP. I never thought I would say this, but I would have rather seen Hillary chosen as a VP than this Palin. I don’t know much about her, but what I already know is bringing a lot of questions to mind for me.

One thing that I might be able to say about her is that she should be able to juggle several responsibilities since she has a family of 5 children, but is she ready to take over if something sadly happens to McCain as president? McCain is old, and that means that the VP may very well end up running this country.

Part of the reason Palin was chosen has to do with her stance on Right to life. I personally believe in right to life, but that is not just about carrying the child and giving birth to him/her. This is also about being committed to the care and rearing of the child. And here is where I personally have an issue with the choice of Palin as VP on the Republican ticket. She has an infant with special medical needs and in the midst of that along with the other four children --- she is off on the campaign trail. So this child will be left in the care of others or traveled all around the country while they campaign for the White House, or a combination of both. It would seem that political endeavors are trumping maternal care for a child with special needs. So is her belief in right to life just about being alive and breathing or about being loved and nurtured also? What is the follow through for her on this concept of right to life? I think we need to
know because this may just carry over into how she functions as Commander in Chief. Priorities is a big factor in how I vote. Priorities is what gives us some indication of how a person will lead this country. What will she do when our country is in crisis? Will the country be turned over to a political nanny?

What about the Conservative Right in the midst of this VP pick? Is the voice of the Republican party changing? Surely not, because ‘Change’ is the other campaign’s slogan. Are Evangelicals and Fundamentalist going to vote for a woman?. If they don’t want a woman in the pulpit, then will they really accept her as leader of the free world? Once a woman becomes VP, there will be a full rally for a shift across the board for women in Liturgical Leadership. The separation of Church and State sounds good, but what happens to women in the conservative denominations once they can point out another place where a woman has risen to a higher level in a position of leadership? What about “a woman should not usurp authority over a man”? And what will they really think of a woman who abandons her call to the needs of her family to go out on the campaign trail, or if they win to work on the needs of this country.


Here is the break down---

Most of Hillary’s base are Pro Choice – Palin is Right to Life.
Most of Hillary’s base are alternative lifestyle supporters – Palin is one man, one woman supporter.
A large percentage of Hillary’s base are Vegans and Vegetarians- Palin eats Moose burgers ( I will pass on that).
A large percentage of Hillary’s base are not NRA supporters – Palin enjoys shooting.

Hillary was a Rhode’s Scholar, where did Palin go to school? What was her degree in?

So will the Hillary supporters vote Republican so they can see a woman as a VP, regardless of her stance on the agendas. Is voting for a woman going to outweigh a solid stance on the issues? Will social, economic and policy issues all become side bar issues for the cause of gender?

I have voted Republican more often than not, but I am personally offended by the thought that I am so shallow as a voter that would vote just because there is a woman on the ticket and not give any consideration to the issues at hand. I was excited to see whom McCain would chose for a running mate, and I am disappointed. I want see a woman in the White House, but not because she is the ‘babe on the ticket’ because she is qualified to lead this country to the next level of greatness.