It seems as though there is dissent in the ranks of the Palin/McCain campaign. This past weekend anonymous McCain staffers released a less than pleasant statement regarding Palins performance, and willingness to support McCain’s message. It seems that they have a “rogue” vice presidential candidate on their hands.
According to CNN, a McCain staffer was quoted as saying, “She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone. She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else”.
“Also, she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom.”
Another staffer has even gone as far as to label her a “whack job.”
Well, it seems that McCain didn’t get the submissive vice presidential candidate that he wanted.
When Palin was chosen as a VP, it was clearly an attempt on the part of McCain to energize the fundamentalist base, while at the same time making an obvious play for the so-called disaffected “vagina loyalists;” otherwise known as Hillary Clinton supporters.
For her part, Palin clearly saw this as an opportunity to introduce herself to an international stage. She has not taken the slander coming from the campaign quietly and has asserted that their bungled introduction of her has lead to negative press.
Palin has begun to step away from the script that she was given in an attempt to control her own image.
There is a huge age difference between Palin and McCain; and while this election may be his last attempt to become president, Palin conceivably will have the opportunity available to her for years to come. Though she clearly was unprepared to deal with the issues presented, what cannot be denied is that at some level she has become a political sensation, with rallies that are routinely attended by more people than are attended by McCain’s.
Some will say that it is the role of the VP candidate to throw themselves under the bus for the sake of promoting the top of the ticket, but if you are clearly on a sinking ship at what point should self preservation kick in?
Palin is not the first vice presidential nominee to have a conflict with the top of the ticket; she is simply the first to be characterized as a “whackjob” and a “diva” for doing so. What makes this ironic is that this is geneder-specific commentary from a campaign that has virulently attacked the media for sexism aimed at Palin.
It seems that sexism is acceptable when engaged in to assert the fitness and right of white male to rule. Palin, while woefully unprepared to be a legitimate candidate, did not nominate herself.
The fact that she is ambitious is only problematic because she is a woman, and for the McCain campaign to assume that she would play delicate wilting flower to his maverick, only further proves their incompetence and lack of foresight. One does not become a governor by playing the role of good obedient girl.
I cannot help but wonder whose bright idea it was for her to declare herself a feminist despite being obviously opposed to all tenets of feminism?
The fact that she has since moved away from this position is still further proof that the image crafted for her was not of her design. Sarah Palin may not know what the Bush doctrine is but she has always been clear about what she does and does not believe.
The McCain campaign was blinded by her gender and has sought to use her to push agenda that was counter to what she stood for.
Though I am diametrically opposed to Palin’s platform, her right to run on it and have it accepted as a legitimate position for the people to decide on, should not be denied because of her sex.