I’ve been talking up Sarah Palin for two and a half months now—long enough to have been ahead of the curve, if not truly an early adopter—laying out a long list of reasons why I believed she was the best pick as John McCain’s running mate; I never imagined I’d thought of them all, but I did think I’d hit all the high points.As it turns out, I was wrong. Blame it on the Y chromosome: I’m a guy, I miss things. I think I’m a reasonably attentive husband to my wife—we talk a lot, about a lot of different matters and issues, and believe it or not, I think I manage to listen about as often as I speak—but whatever she might tell me about her own experience, it’s still hers, not mine. I’ve never lived through junior high or high school as a girl (though my junior-high years were quite bad enough as they were, thanks), never been a daughter, never been a woman; clearly, from what I see and hear, it makes a difference, but I cannot know that difference from the inside. Even in our marriage, though we live life together and make decisions together, though I listen and seek to understand how it is for her each day and how she sees everything, I can only know her experience from the outside; I don’t feel it, I feel my own.Which means that when I started talking about the reasons why Sen. McCain should pick Gov. Palin, I missed one: identification. I missed the reaction of the women who are saying, “I am Sarah Palin. Her story is my story”—and there are enough that CafePress has put out a T-shirt. I missed the reaction and perspective of women like Annette Budd and Hope Reynolds and Dr. Melissa Clouthier (a bit of profanity there, just so you know) and, yes, my own wife and the women with whom she meets for playdates for our children. Like I said, I’m a guy—I didn’t know, didn’t see it coming. I’m learning.There’s a particular subset to this which may be especially important: Republican women. For one thing, they are the most likely to identify with Gov. Palin; as Will Wilkinson put it,
What they liked is that they saw a feminine yet powerful conservative Christian mother—someone they understand, someone they would like to have as a friend, someone they are or would like to be. What they liked was the thrill of such direct cultural identification, of being on that stage and commanding attention and respect. I do not doubt that conservative Christian moms all over the country were brought to tears by the power of this. There are a lot of conservative Christian moms.
And for the other, as Michelle Malkin notes, women who vote Republican have become wearily familiar with what she calls “the four stages of conservative female abuse”; but with the GOP putting one of their own front and center, and the media coming down on her in a fury like a Denali avalanche, it sounds like many of them have had it. Tom DeLay went so far as to say, “The media has done more for John McCain in the last two days than he’s done for himself in the last year and a half. Trashing her is waking up the sleeping giant, and the sleeping giant is Republican women.” I believed Gov. Palin would energize the GOP base in a way in which no one else could; it never occurred to me that the MSM would collude with her to help her do it. But that, if inadvertently, may be just what they’ve managed to do.One more crazy turn in this craziest of all political seasons.
Thank you for taking the time and energy to attempt to see things through the eyes of republican women. We are so often underestimated.
You’re very welcome, and very right. I do have this advantage: I know better than to underestimate my wife.
I don’t disagree that the selection of Sarah Palin was a stroke of genius. The Karl Rove machine has once again shown an understanding of election politics that has no peer.
It is my hope, however, that he has missed the mark, and that while the pick of Sarah was exhilarating, the adoption of the same Republican platform that diminished our country over the last eight years will swing people to vote for Obama.
A warning to my brothers on the Republican side, it will never again be enough to pick a woman as part of some old white rich man’s swan song. You have now inspired Republican women of all ages with hope and provided a realization that they can make a difference in their party from the podium. My prediction, the Grand Old Party is about to get a makeover for the good.
Good for them!
Democrats have Rove on the brain. Rove is on the sidelines offering commentary, for one; for the other, he wanted Romney. Steve Schmidt is running the show for McCain, and the choice was McCain’s.
I don’t agree that it’s the same platform; for one thing, Sen. McCain intends to bring spending and the size of government back under control, which is very un-Bush. I do agree, however, that the Palin pick has set all sorts of forces in motion within the party; it will be interesting to see what things look like four years from now.
Personally, I’m hoping for a Palin-Clinton general election in 2012.
Rob.
You know I would prefer a Hillary/Palin ticket, but thank you for the laugh!
A return to fiscal responsibility is indeed back in the platform along with the elements that make such a goal impossible in my humble opinion.
Seriously though, a Republican/Democratic ticket would sure as heck go a long way toward mending some wounds.
First, Karl Rove did not want McCain, I remember all to well 00′ when I was with Mac and what happened in South Carolina.
And you are right, as usual, Rob, he wanted Romney…
This was the decision of 1 man and one man alone…the American Patriot and War Hero, John Sidney McCain III.
I am too conspiratorial or isn’t interesing that Palin says John S. McCain (a la Harry S Truman running against a do nothing congress) and Palin says the next 4years….could you imagine!!! Maybe he does 1 term and grooms her???? He would be like Cincinnatus of Ancient Rome!!!
Palin-Jindal 2012
Actually, Carlos, that’s a good point–the hatchet job Rove and his team did on Sen. McCain in SC is worthy of a lot more criticism than anything he’s done to the Dems; Sen. McCain may have forgiven President Bush, but I doubt he’s forgiven Rove (and I’m sure he hasn’t forgotten).
And actually, I don’t think you’re being conspiratorial at all–Sen. McCain has talked openly about just serving one term (though at least some of that was in connection with the idea of a McCain/Lieberman “national unity ticket”); if he wins, he could always change his mind later, but given that he’s found a running mate and potential successor after his own heart, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s planning on doing exactly that.