Sarah Palin, the Female Version of Dan Quayle

Sarah Palin, on her Facebook page
of all places, lashed out at the Health Care Reform Bill saying that her baby and her mother would need to stand in front of Obama's death panel to be judged on whether they were productive enough to warrant health care. I can't figure out if she is just stupid enough to believe that, or if she is purposefully lying for her own purposes. Here's an indepth look at how one might find death panels where there are none, and what other right-wing pundits are saying about it. Not surprisingly, many are echoing the fear-mongering and raising emotions to dangerous levels.

When George Bush selected Dan Quayle as his Vice President, it was widely rumored that the choice was made because his advisors thought Dan Quayle's good looks would help secure the vote of women. He certainly wasn't chosen for his ability to spell, or his foreign policy knowledge (they really don't speak Latin in Central America, Dan). Now John McCain has chosen an inexperienced, and polarizing extremist woman, Sarah Palin as his running mate. It certainly appears that the choice was made in a blatant attempt to win the erstwhile supporters of Hillary Clinton who have, thus far, resisted attempts to realign them with Barack Obama. It is certainly very difficult to imagine that Sarah Palin would have been selected for Vice President if she was a man. Why? Because there are dozens of more qualified men for the position. Don't get me wrong, there are dozens of more qualified women as well. Unfortunately, Sarah Palin isn't one of them. The Republican thinking seems to be that these women just wanted to be able to vote for a woman, any woman, and that talent, experience, and being qualified for the job of President has no importance for women voters. John McCain's choice of the female equivalent of Dan Quayle is insulting to women and to all of America.
America deserves a second in command who can fulfill the duties of President for all Americans should that need arise. Sarah Palin is not that person. Hillary Clinton is a qualified candidate who happens to be a woman. Choosing Sarah Palin as a token woman on the ballot says that one's sex is more important than one's qualifications. The anachronism of quotas and token minorities on the ticket reminds us that John McCain is himself an anachronism with most of his ideas and policies as lost in time as his choice of Sarah Palin.
We've seen what happens when poor choices are made for Vice President (cough, Dick Cheney, cough) and it isn't pretty. Nor is it good for America. A Presidential candidate who makes a choice like Dan Quayle or Sarah Palin, shows that he puts other considerations before the welfare of the country, namely his own ambitions. This choice gives us not only a Vice Presidential candidate who is unfit for the job, but also points out John McCain's faults as well. John McCain is 72 years old, and, if elected, will spend up to eight years as president. Should his health fail during that time, Sarah Palin, the female version of Dan Quayle, will be running the United States of America. I can hardly wait for the vice presidential debates. Joe Biden against Sarah Palin. That should be entertaining. I just wish that John McCain had considered more than entertainment value when he decided to choose Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate. I suppose it could be worse, John McCain could have picked Vicki Iseman to be his running mate.

No matter which candidate you prefer in the upcoming election, it is absolutely critical that you get out and vote. Polls may show a decisive lead for one candidate or the other in yoru state, but we've seen how close these thigns can be in each of the last two elections. Don't leave it up to the Supreme Court or some county supervisor to make a judgement call on which candidate is going to run this country for the next four years. Please go out and vote. Make the decision of the American people loud and clear so there is no mistake about it. This is too important a decision to leave to someone else. Also, consider helping to encourage others in your community to vote as well.

Who's the lipstick besmeared pig?
Here's a different view of the Lipstick on a Pig argument. He said, she said. Does any of this help us decide if Barack Obama or John McCain will make a better president. Do we really need to root around in the mud again during this election cycle?