I just returned from some research that took place in NH and NJ regarding women's perception of Governor Palin. My real curiosity was "would a woman who supported Senator Clinton support Governor Palin?" The title to this post is one of the quotes from people I spoke with.
I have to say that the responses took me by surprise. The women I interviewed were both Republican and Democrat. Some had supported Senator Clinton, some had not, some had supported Senator McCain, some had not.
The consensus is very nicely stated in the title to this post. All the women (and I do mean "all") felt that Governor Palin was not a good choice for Vice-President, not a good choice to lead the United States should something happen to Senator McCain if he's elected. The belief is that she is a woman mired in the past without a good understanding of the average woman's needs and wants.
One middle-aged republican woman said "If Sarah Palin was any more on the right she would have fallen off the edge. The responsible thing for Sarah Palin to do would have been to decline. Although McCain probably said 'With you I can win the ticket' so in her mind the responsible thing she did was to accept the nomination."
I was also curious about when these women's opinions shifted, especially the women who originally supported Senator Clinton. I was surprised to learn that several women shifted away from Senator Clinton prior to the primaries. One woman wearing an Obama pin said that both she and her sister originally supported Senator Clinton but had a feeling that if Clinton won she would become a little too dictatorish. "She got scary."
I have to wonder, how does someone become "a little too" dictatorish?
I'll be returning to the analysis of campaign websites as soon as I finish up some other things. I'll also note that the entirety of the opinions of the women I met regarding Governor Palin are both summed up and demonstrated in the title to this post. Bonus points to those figuring it out.
Thanks for reading.
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Re: "I'll also note that the entirety of the opinions of the women I met regarding Governor Palin are both summed up and demonstrated in the title to this post. Bonus points to those figuring it out."
Here's my application for bonus points - The obvious difference between the women demonstrated in the title is one of sophistication as a space shuttle is far more sophisticated than a bicycle. The less obvious difference demonstrated is that Hillary is driving and Sarah is riding, conveying the thought that Hillary was in charge and Sarah is taking orders. I find the latter a bit peculiar, as it was only a year ago we were commenting in this space that Hillary was uncomfortable riding Bill's coattails. It is fair to say she found her voice in this calendar year. And the VP generally does not drive.
One of the interesting results of naming Palin is that many media members have jumped up and stated she doesn't have the experience to assume the role of President if something happens to her 80-something year old running mate. Of course her experience does not differ greatly from Obama's or Bill Clinton's, before he assumed office.
People vote the top of the ticket, not the entire ticket. Don't doubt that part of the strategy behind asking Palin to the ticket was to bring issues of experience into the fore of the election conversation. Loved Palin's comment, when asked what she would do as VP, saying she wasn't sure what her responsibilities would be. Of course, Obama has never led an administration and, when asked about it, pointed out he has experience leading his well-populated election staff. So his Presidential experience is running for President? Not sure which experiences prepare you for the oval office, but I do enjoy the comments defending experience.
Posted by: Tex | September 18, 2008 11:52 AM | Permalink to Comment