Politics
It's been over a year since I posted here, but after my complete frustration over the latest bit of politics I need space to vent. If you don't know already, I describe myself as a liberal, fairly feminist, Catholic, vegetarian, tree-hugging Democrat (among other things). I've chosen a career traditionally dominated by men and deal with the proverbial glass ceiling on a daily basis. I place my vote according to who I feel best matches my personal beliefs, addresses my personal concerns, and who also would best fill the given political office (in my opinion). I've never voted strictly according to party lines and I don't plan to start. I am an Obama supporter and have been since before his speech at the DNC in 2004. I'm something of an idealist myself and I appreciate and admire that aspect of him. As someone who has been told numerous times that I'm too young and inexperienced and too goal-oriented, I've been uplifted by those aspects of Obama's candidacy. I love change. I've hated the past 8 years. I've been ashamed of the behavior of some of my fellow Americans. I grew up believing that the United States of America was the greatest nation on Earth. That it was the sole place on the planet where the underdog can rise up, where the impoverished and the downtrodden can achieve as much, if not more than those with more resources. In the past eight years, the years in which I've come into adulthood, those beliefs of mine have been challenged and have faded. With Obama I see hope. I see a breath of fresh air. I have nothing but the utmost confidence in his ability to run this country. That being said, experience has never been a major issue for me, probably because I'm considered young myself. I was initially disappointed in the man chosen as Obama's running mate. I saw it as a completely political move that went contrary to what Obama's message had been. After my initial shock at seeing "another old, white man" I took the time to look at Biden's track record and was pleasantly surprised. I can appreciate a man who doesn't filter himself and isn't afraid of a fight. He's a good compliment to Obama, and while the pick is political, it isn't glaringly so at second glance.
Which leads me to today. I heard that McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. My first reaction was wondering who she is and why I'd never heard of her before. One would think that if she had been a major possible candidate the nation as a whole would have had her on their radar. That was clearly not the case. In my mind, this literally was a completely political choice. While I'm fairly certain that her selection was not aimed at me (seeing as how our views are nearly polar opposites) it just doesn't seem responsible. It's not a matter of experience because the person I support isn't the most experienced out of the top candidates on the tickets. One complaint is that it seems a blatant attempt to target former Clinton supporters (highly unlikely given the difference in views) based solely on gender, while trying to also court the most conservative individuals in the nation. Mainly I find it incredibly hard to believe that of all the possible VP candidates, she's the best choice out of the entire Republican party. I'd love for someone to fill me in on how he came to that conclusion.
Which leads me to today. I heard that McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. My first reaction was wondering who she is and why I'd never heard of her before. One would think that if she had been a major possible candidate the nation as a whole would have had her on their radar. That was clearly not the case. In my mind, this literally was a completely political choice. While I'm fairly certain that her selection was not aimed at me (seeing as how our views are nearly polar opposites) it just doesn't seem responsible. It's not a matter of experience because the person I support isn't the most experienced out of the top candidates on the tickets. One complaint is that it seems a blatant attempt to target former Clinton supporters (highly unlikely given the difference in views) based solely on gender, while trying to also court the most conservative individuals in the nation. Mainly I find it incredibly hard to believe that of all the possible VP candidates, she's the best choice out of the entire Republican party. I'd love for someone to fill me in on how he came to that conclusion.