More On What PUMAs Are Saying
Ms. Palin is the 43-year old Republican Governor of Alaska, who fluctuates between a 70% and 90% approval rating among her constituents. She is a conservative Christian who has a reputation for fighting corruption and eschewing the traditional perks of her job (like selling the Governor’s jet to save hundreds of thousands of dollars a year). She was a member of Feminists For Life, an organization which supports reducing abortions by offering women better financial resources and educational opportunities. Showing her commitment to this issue, she refused to abort her fifth child, even though she knew he had Downs Syndrome. She supports the teaching of creationism in schools, but only if it is alongside evolution. Her first veto helped gays and lesbians gain civil rights in her state. She also has a son going to Iraq. In her acceptance speech yesterday, she thanked Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton for making it possible for her to be there, next to Senator McCain.
Here’s what this pick is telling me:
1. McCain is experienced enough to be President.
2. McCain is still maverick enough to do something completely unexpected, and moderate enough to pick a person who is liked by Democrats as well as Republicans.
3. McCain’s weakest point is his support in the GOP base, which is heavily anti-abortion and evangelical Christian.
4. McCain acknowledges the nauseating sexism unleashed on Democratic women this year, and shows that the GOP does not feel the same way about teh Scary Vagina. This is what I’m now calling The PUMA Effect.
In other words, the PUMAs are saying: We don’t agree on everything but this is acceptable. Better still, it isn’t corrupt, misogynistic, or bullying. In life, it is necessary to compromise, but it is not necessary to be a doormat.
- Aggie