Breaking News: Republicans Support Affirmative Action (Sorta)

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin might be an excellent choice for vice-president of the United States. While it might seem a stretch to consider that Palin could be president if the Republican ticket is elected and something happens to McCain, our attention THIS WEEK is centered on the choice itself.

Palin was clearly chosen because she is a woman. She’s not just any woman, of course, but neither is she the most qualified conservative available. Still, she is a good choice to energize the far right, who have been less-than-enthusiastic about John McCain. Palin is pro-life, pro-gun, pro-drilling and a creationist. Folks on the far right who may very well have stayed home on November 4 are likely to come out now. They may be more inclined to organize and volunteer for McCain in a way they might not have if he would have chosen Tom Ridge, Joe Lieberman or even Mitt Romney. For all of these reasons, McCain has raised his raw number of votes for the general election. The question now is how many independents will revert to Obama since the Republican ticket looks more conservative than it did three days ago.

From the Republican perspective, independents will be attracted to the ticket because Palin is a proven reformer. She fought against her own party (thank goodness that Ted Stevens is now a punching bag for Republicans!), and she and her husband have ties to unions. It is clear that Americans want change, and the Republicans have put together a ticket that is designed to offer that change: a “maverick” Republican senator and a little-known woman (and that’s important) who has not always toed the party line all.

The choice of a woman for vice-president is not, as many have argued, designed to woo Hillary Clinton supporters. It was clear in Denver last week – at least for the first two days – that Clinton supporters were still angry over Obama’s nomination. But Karl Rove and McCain strategists are not stupid enough to think that Clinton supporters would vote for McCain simply because he chose a woman as a vice-presidential candidate. Most of those supporters have no policy congruence with Palin (or McCain), and they are no more likely to stay home on election day now than they were before Palin was chosen.

What Palin offers (besides appealing to the far right) is an opportunity for white voters to feel good about their ability to help make history without voting for Obama. The “history” motif is now not exclusively the domain of the Democrats. Palin will be the second woman nominated for vice-president by a major party (and the first Republican), and she would be the first female vice-president. But many of those who wish to see the political glass ceiling shattered are not willing to see it happen by someone whose policies are not in line with their interests – especially because Palin has virtually no experience, and she is not on the top of the ticket.

The tradeoff for the Republicans is that they no longer will be able to argue that Obama’s experience is an issue in the campaign. Or will they? On ABC News’s This Week, Senator Lindsey Graham argued that Palin is more prepared to be president than Barack Obama. That argument is going to be difficult to make.

What has yet to be discussed is the fact that the choice of Palin cuts against conservative ideology. For conservatives, meritocracy is the call of the day. Ignoring elements of a racist and patriarchal culture that makes it difficult for women and persons of color to compete with white males, conservatives argue that hard work trumps disadvantage, and that the person with the best qualifications should get the job. It would be very difficult to argue that Palin was the most qualified individual for this position. In short, she is an affirmative action pick. One of the reasons that her resume is thinner than that of other possible choices is that she is a woman and a mother. In a culture that places disproportionate childcare responsibilities on women, men are able to rise in their professions much more quickly. Woman are paid less, promoted less often, and perceived as less competent than men. Her gender has been a hindrance to her advancement. But will the Republicans call out Obama supporters on their inherent sexism when they question Palin’s qualifications?

It’s not likely. They’ve got no credibility on the issue since such an argument is contrary to their philosophy. But we will see them accuse Obama supporters of being sexist. Count on it.
Similar to the way Geraldine Ferraro accused the Obama camp of “playing the race card” when they called out Ferraro’s racism, the McCain folks will certainly accuse Obama supporters of being sexist when they point out that Palin was primarily chosen because she is a woman.

So here we go. Let’s keep an eye on the doublespeak that will be coming out of the Republican Convention this week. They will seek to have it both ways: they are against affirmative action when it is convenient, and they are for it when it is convenient. From where we sit, they should be for it all the time. Having a female vice-president would, indeed, be an important step toward equality between the sexes. Her lack of experience is certainly related to her gender. She will be treated unfairly as a result of her gender (watch for comments about her attractiveness, her attire, her voice, investigations into her sex life, etc.). The Republicans will use this reality to criticize Obama supporters’ attacks of Palin, even though they have dismissed similar criticisms in the past.

The result will be a muddying of the water with respect to who is standing for the ordinary American, who is on the side of history, and who is the candidate of change. The game for Obama, then, will be sorting it all out in a way that the American public can digest it. The game for McCain will be continuing to keep things confusing so that the choice for change is not so clear. McCain needs to convince voters in key states that he and Palin are simultaneously dedicated to the right and willing to fight the right when the situation arises. If they are able to pull it off, they will win in November. At this point, though, it’s still a long shot.