I'm by no means the most politically savvy person around; but the more I think about Sarah Palin the more pissed off I get. Choosing her for VP is just so blatantly manipulative! I can just picture a bunch of old Republican men sitting around saying, "Well, that there Hillary Clinton has a vaginer! Let's get us someone with a vaginer and then all those little ladies will vote for us!"

Well, maybe it's not that simple. See, her ridiculous "I'm just a regular person, hyuck!" routine makes me think they're assuming that not only women are stupid, but the population in general. ("I'm a-gonna vote for that ladee that talks lahk me!") I realize that politicians always try to bring in the undecided or less politically inclined voters with these sort of appeals--but campaign ads and slogans are a far cry from selecting a VP based on these reasons.

I'd be surprised to hear anyone state that Palin was chosen for her experience or political acumen. She is in no way qualified to be president should McCain die in office. She's in no way qualified to be that close to the seat of power. I say this not because of her number of years of political experience (Obama has about the same number of years), but because she has no experience with foreign policy or the government outside of Alaska. So if she wasn't chosen based on her qualifications, what was she chosen for? Obviously, this is a completely transparent attempt by the Republican party to take advantage of the feminist excitement following Hillary Clinton's campaign.

I'm not saying Barack Obama is perfect; but I think that Obama and Biden are a more sound, secure option. I also personally worry about a number of things if the Republicans stay in the White House. This post on Salon.com details the potential for disaster in the Supreme Court (such as the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned).

Like everyone, I'm concerned about the Iraq situation. This is one reason I find a certain McCain/Palin ad running now to be hilarious. The ad describes Obama's goals as "wasteful pork" and shows an adorable sleeping baby being eclipsed by the shadow of BIG GOVERNMENT!!!!!11!1 First, babies as a campaign prop are so cliched. Second, I'd rather pay taxes for social programs (aka "wasteful pork") than continue paying taxes to bring "democracy" to a country that didn't want our "help" in the first place. Wasteful indeed.

It also makes me absolutely furious that rape victims in Wasilla were charged for the processing of medical rape kits. While Palin didn't instigate this law, it appears she was aware of it, and for her to fail to address it is fucking disgusting. If she wasn't willing to protect women in her own small home town, why would we think she gives a damn about the rights of a country full of women? Oh wait, we already know she doesn't. She doesn't even give a damn about what her own daughter wants, or about taking care of her four month old baby.

Basically, to me, this election boils down to a couple of things: Iraq/the economy, and protecting civil rights of everyone (although I realize I've only mentioned women here). Republicans suck at dealing with both those issues, IMHO.