Why did John McCain choose Alaska’s Sarah Palin, the Hottest Governor In America (a title she’ll only hold until Gavin Newsom wins California, but whatever) as his pick for vice-president? And come to think of it, given the two had only reportedly met once before she was tapped, is the former beauty queen even really his pick or just a Hillary Lite spokesmodel for social conservatives?…DEVELOPING…
People don’t know anything about her, so the first words thrown out about her by right-wing pundits, “a maverick in Alaska,” threaten to stick. Look for a lot of talk in Minneapolis about where Palin differs from McCain — ANWAR most specifically — but doesn’t that beg the question of whether her opinions and positions will matter much in a McCain administration? They won’t, of course, all except one: In his introductory speech, McCain said had “found the right partner to fight those who put their privilege ahead of their responsibility.”…DEVELOPING…
No really, the Joan of Arc of Alaska politics? Like, she hears voices? Could explain some things, actually…Joe Biden ought to be thanking his lucky stars there’s only one vice-presidential debate. I know, it sounds crazy — if it’s Scranton Scrappy vs. The High-Stickin’ Hockey Mom, he’d 
easily eat her for lunch, right? That’s just a problem. If he tries to make her look unqualified and unprepared, he’d be accused of being belittling. If he goes on the attack, he sounds like he’s beating up on somebody’s mom. The expectations for her will be so low — I’m talking George W. Bush v. Al Gore low — that simply keeping her pageant hair above water will be seen as a triumph…DEVELOPING…
The Trig Factor: It certainly sounds un-feminist to ask how she’ll balance five kids and her vice-presidential duties, since we wouldn’t ask it of a male politician. But Palin’s not a male politician, and she has made the fact of her hockey mom cred her strongest resume point, so I’m asking the question anyway. Maybe Palin has a platoon of nannies, maybe she has quality Blackberry time with her kids, or maybe her husband is the children’s’ primary caregiver while she works. Any one of the above is valid, and it’s OK to want to know. She does have a compelling personal story, though a good backstory kind of comes with the territory in Alaska, and I can appreciate the profound courage it takes to bring a disabled child into the world. But that’s not why I’d vote for her…DEVELOPING…
Hell, it might not even be a coincidence that she dresses like Liz Lemon. A lot of women I know admire Tina Fey, and making that mental association wouldn’t be the worst thing…DEVELOPING…
The question isn’t whether Palin is a feminist, but it is appropriate to ask how she defines that feminism. She’s a member of something called “Feminists for Life” and opposes abortion and reproductive rights. So while the far right will hail her “brave choice” not to abort her Down Syndrome baby, it helps to remember that she’d deny other women the ability to make that choice.
HUFFINGTON POST: John McCain’s Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin was, once upon a time, a sports reporter for KTUU, Anchorage’s NBC affiliate. Below, watch a clip of Sarah Heath, the future Alaska Governor and Vice presidential nominee, anchoring a sports report in 1988 — note her discussion of the Iditarod, the now-antiquated reference to the Hartford Whalers, and her declaration that Tommy Lasorda needs to learn how to relax: