First of all, Sarah Palin enjoys an image as a maverick, an image the Republican Party very much needs for its leaders as the party faithful attempt to gain distance from the disgraced figures of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in this election year. “Maverick“ is an image McCain is losing as millions of voters realize that McCain was never much of a maverick at all, is surrounded by big oil and other corporate lobbyists for advisors, and voted with Bush in the Senate 95% of the time.
There is nothing “maverick” about being a sidekick.
Palin, however, is regarded as a maverick for at least two reasons that could seem genuine. Firstly, she “cleaned up” the Alaska state capitol of corruption. However, by all knowledgeable accounts, there is still plenty of corruption going on with the members of the Republican Party, the Far North contingency. Not all those Republican office holders who have been investigated in Alaska have gone to court yet. Governor Palin, though, is extending herself credit deserved for appearing to trying to clean up the party act, and after she herself had supported Republican Senator Ted Stevens on his multi-million dollar bridge to nowhere scam. The wily Republican then quickly withdrew her support for her old Republican friend when “Bridge to Nowhere” became a scandal. This shows that Sarah Palin is not only a maverick, if you insist, but she can flip-flop like the best Republican who has something to hide or be embarrassed about.
Despite being a flip-flopper, however, and one who knows that self-preservation is the first order of business, Governor Sarah Palin can be seen as a maverick in a very radical sense: Palin once belonged to a small, far right wing party that occasionally called for the secession of Alaska from the United States.
Whether she's fully American or not, “maverick” Governor Sarah Palin is associated, and in the family way, with big oil. That makes her more Republican than maverick. Palin would continue the Republican Party's marriage with that polluting, profit gouging, corrupting industry as any Bush/Cheney Republican would. Palin would be another oil person in the White House, just as McCain would be, a fact that's realized once McCain's energy policies and energy associates are brought to light.
Governor Sarah Palin is also a woman who would deny a woman's right to choose. Given the presidency, she would appoint to the Supreme Court enough justices to overturn Roe vs. Wade and deny the will of the majority of voters, another Republican thing these days. At the same time, of course, as a conservative, she is a staunch champion of individual liberties.
Never let it be said that getting away with things, and calling yourself a hero when you've been something other than that, isn't admired by some of the people, all of the time.
Sarah Palin's other qualifications to become Vice President of the United States (and perhaps the President of the United States) is her experience as the governor, for less than two years, of the 47th most populated state. She is also a logical Republican candidate for Vice President as Palin has no experience in national or international politics. Ignorance or lack of experience has been no barrier before to Republicans when they pick their candidates for the executive branch. In fact, dumbed down candidates are thought to relate better to common voters (and there must be something in that). Sarah Palin's ignorance of John McCain's policy on Iraq, for example, when he picked her to run as Vice President, should be of no concern. It would not break protocol. And after all, somebody on the Republican owned corporate media said Palin is a quick learner. One may suppose (and should believe) that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin can move beyond getting an “A” in survival and image making and move on up and out into the arena of policies and positions and programs. She'll just need a little help with spin, as others have received. And we are living with the results of the success of Republican deceptions.
The former beauty contestant (she came in second) and TV station news chair rose to power after a spell as mayor of a town of under 7,000 people. That alone, some Republicans will argue, has provided Palin with the experience she would need should she become President of the United States after the death or faltering health of a President John McCain, a 72-year old man who has twice been the victim of cancer.
On the job training has been tried in the White House before by the Republican Party. But no matter. Whether ignorance or inexperience is an issue or not with regard to Palin, she fills yet another requisite for the Republican Party's vice presidential nominee: Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is under investigation for an ethics charge. The charge in question (or not) is that she abused her power as governor by firing her safety commissioner after he refused to fire, on Governor Palin's urging, a state trooper who was getting a divorce from Palin's sister.
Abuse of power has been a trait in leading Republican office holders for at least the last 40 years.
As if the tendency to abuse power were not enough of a qualification, Palin also suits as the VP nominee as the Republican Party, the Party of Family Values: although Palin has been an advocate of abstinence-only as a method of birth control (or behavior control), her teenaged daughter is pregnant.
Nothing more qualifies a Republican as a candidate for any public office than a history of hypocrisy and failure. And getting away with it all. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is a highly suitable, very logical choice to become the next Republican Vice President of the United States.
