Now hiring for the position of Vice President of the United States. Minimum requirements include the following: carefree attitude, folksy catchphrases, an unfounded sense of “Maverickness”, ability to memorize talking points, and a general incompetence of every major issue.
After watching the VP debate last Thursday, I could easily imagine that this ad had been placed in the Anchorage Daily News just a few months ago. To be honest, I already had a negative view of Sarah Palin long before the debate, but what I saw from her as she faced off against Joe Biden confirmed my inclinations.
What I saw was a candidate who was exceptional at portraying a caricature that hits home with many Americans. Palin was folksy, she referenced ‘Joe Six-Pack’ and used phrases like “doggone it” and “say it ain’t so Joe”. She was the most likable of the two on stage, and she seemed like she could easily be your neighbor, maybe even your friend. She was the furthest thing from a politician. That all sounds great at face value, when you don’t take into account that she’s running to be a heartbeat away from the most powerful and influential position in the world.
The character that Palin is portraying is being used to hide the fact that she is grossly unqualified for the office she seeks. The McCain campaign is banking on the logic that Americans will vote for someone that is like them, or someone they can relate to on a personal level. While there is evidence that a portion of the electorate vote solely on personality, Sarah Palin is the most transparent attempt at appealing to that logic. It is hard to find any justification for her unexpected selection and possible ascent to the second highest position in our government.
It has been argued that the same case can be made against Barack Obama, a young Senator with relatively little experience compared to previous Presidents. The differences though couldn’t be starker. Obama can tout a resume that includes being President of the Harvard Law Review, a vast knowledge of world issues, and demeanor that is befitting of a President. He answers every question with a level head and well thought out responses. Palin on the other hand has been unable to even answer the simplest questions, such as what news sources she reads on a daily basis, or being able to cite a Supreme Court case other than Roe V. Wade.
The McCain campaign knows perfectly well that Palin is in no capacity qualified for Vice President, yet they picked her anyway and continue to try and pass her off on the ticket. By keeping her largely sheltered from the press, and by citing ridiculous lines like Alaska’s proximity to Russia as foreign policy experience, the campaign is trying to pull a fast one on the American voter. The danger in Palin’s candidacy is not only that she would be a disaster in office, but that she would also set a precedent that would lower the bar beyond belief for the Vice Presidency and even the Presidency. The American people need to realize that voting for a candidate based on their personality over their policies is a dangerous slope to go down. Hopefully the shameless blatancy of Palin’s caricature to hide her disastrous inexperience will be enough to wake the electorate up. Lest we be reminded of what happened last time we elected someone on the thinking that they seemed like someone ‘you could have a beer with’.