McCain's Palin pick is the epitome of tokenism

Salon ^ | 8/30/08 | Joe Conason

[DallasBiff]

It is hard to think of a more cynical and contemptuous political act this year than John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate. Having served as governor of Alaska for less than two years -- and as mayor of a small town before that -- her qualifications for national office are minimal.

Palin is the epitome of tokenism, exactly what conservative Republicans have always claimed to scorn, until today, as the politics of quotas and political correctness. Even Rush Limbaugh is a feminazi now (at least until Election Day).

But if Palin's résumé is limited, to put it politely, she possesses the only two qualities that McCain now seems to consider essential: She is a right-wing religious ideologue with female gender characteristics. Suddenly that is all anyone needs to qualify as a potential commander in chief of the world's most powerful military. We probably won't hear so much from now on about "experience" and "judgment," McCain's vaunted standard for the presidency until ... today. We certainly won't hear again about the "person most prepared to take my place," the phrase he has used more than once to describe his main criterion for a running mate.

[Tzimisce]

...I think the DNC GIVING the nomination to Obama was the high of tokenism. He didn’t even get enough Dem vote to win the nomination.

Hillary’s claim to the Dem throne is just as legit as Obama’s...

[Turborules]

corruption we can count on!....see my Nigerian email servitude for our grandchildren~

[ozzymandus]

Funny stuff. The RATS nominated a “token” for POTUS, and they know it.

[Perdogg]

Joe Conason is a rooster lollipop.

[BatGuano]

Precisely! The dems are so focused on getting the Clintons out of their stable (smell that horse$**t?) that they nominate a leadership challenged, inexperienced Marxist with more baggage than they ever expected. Obama has had his bounce and it will be down the tubes for him from now until 4 November. Making more history as the first black nominee to lose!

Conason used the wrong words to describe Gov. Palin. But we could expect that. I'm surprised that he didn't call her a ni***r hater as well because she has so few black neighbors. She made the perfect response to the charge. I really am enthused about her being picked as VP.

[rlmorel]

[onlylewis]

Obama was not picked. - He was elected. Palin was picked.

From the outside looking in. It didn't seem to me that obama was elected but was selected by the dRat party heads.

[an amused spectator]

Ol’ Dead Eyes is so gay on this one that it can’t be believed.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Hey Joe, have a stroke!

[madison10]

No, B. Obama is tokenism. Palin is the next VP of the U.S.A.

[muawiyah]

Obama was not elected. No one saw the Roll Call of the States. No one knows how a single one of the delegates at their convention would have voted given the chance to do so out in public with the whole world wathing.

Obama took the nomination with an armed coup.

[an amused spectator]

her qualifications for national office are minimal.

Oh, that's right - she's got to rape a few of her constituents and learn to swing the power of her office around like Billary did in Ark-in-sas.

Conason is scum.

[an amused spectator]

Didn’t Joe Conason fellate bill krinton for the last year or two of his reign?

Yes, but he hid the evidence...

[muawiyah]

Obama heads a subcommitee. He found it impossible to hold even one meeting.

His only interest in legislation in the Illinois legislature was to stop legislation to protect babies from being killed by doctors after they were born.

Guy has a truly pitiful legislative track record and not a bit of administrative experience.

At best Obama wears a suit well, can deliver a speech written by someone else, and by all accounts he keeps his lawn tidy. Otherwise he's a worthless layabout.

[Will_Kansas]

And no doubt he will do the same if BHO is elected POTUS.

[mabelkitty]

Obama had a chance to tap Hillary and most likely win. It isn’t our fault he chose a lazy, rich, white old Senator as his number 2.

Obama left himself wide open to criticism and validated Hillary’s complaint. Too bad.

[deadhead]

I work at a University in N.Y. A lot of folks I work with are pro-Obama. Those who talk to me about politics know where I stand politically. Many of them seem a little timid and don't want to let others know where they stand politically, quite sad. When I ask them why they are pro-Obama, they mutter something about change, and that is it....just change. When I ask what change, they do not have an answer. My coworkers are mostly liberals, a few of my coworkers lean to the right. None of them even knew who Sarah Palin was when I told them who my top VP picks were, not one of them...that was yesterday. LOL, today... they all know who Sarah is.

[top 2 toe red]

Lol! Wow! Preview of Nov. 4, 2008?!?!?!

[Charles Martel]

LOL! Moonbats exploding on a Friday night.....don't you just love it.

"God help me, I do love it so..."

[an amused spectator]

Joey is breederphobic, neh?