Well it's official. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is the Republican candidate for the Vice Presidency of the United States. It's a bold and symbolic move and should be commended.
However, for all the Democratic women out there who were part of Hillary's travelling pantsuit brigade who are now considering jumping to McCain, I do so hope you'll reconsider. Yes, it's brilliant to see a woman be selected for the ticket, but now more than ever, it is important to preserve a woman's right to choose. Palin is strongly anti-choice and so on that issue alone, women Democrats need to resist the temptation to cross over.
We cannot afford to turn back the clock as it relates to a woman right to choose. Government has no business legislating what a woman should do when faced with an unwanted pregnancy. And if McCain/Palin gets in, I’m afraid that American women (especially poor ones), are in jeopardy of losing the protection and choice granted by the historic Roe v Wade decision thirty-five years ago.
Seriously, any woman who would have voted Democratic but will now vote for McCain because of Sarah Palin needs to have their head examined. If the only criteria you're basing your vote is gender, please just stay home. You're hurting America. However, there must be many of these women in the cynical calculations of the Republicans. How else can you explain why someone with so little experience was picked? It completely undermines their major line of attack against Obama, namely that he doens't have enough experience for the job. Well, he has far more experience than Sarah Palin.