Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton

The unpredicted, but not shocking, selection of the 20 month governor of Alaska as Senator McCain's vice-presidential choice is neither historical nor an advance in women's rights. The Democrats already made this statement in 1984's nomination of Geraldine Ferraro for vice-president. If the Republican Party truly wanted to make their mark for women's progress, they would have endorsed an experienced female candidate for president. Does anyone actually believe that McCain had Palin in mind as a potential running mate before the Obama/Clinton showdown in the primaries (if even that early)? John McCain saw an opportunity to exploit the disappointment of Senator Clinton's supporters, by placing a conservative female on the ticket. He could have selected a much stronger female, such as Senator Kay Hutchison. However, Sarah Palin will not complain, because she probably never imagined being in this position. So, who exactly is she? What is her national leadership experience? What happened to McCain's strong patriotic belief that there is no time for a learning curve for the role of Commander-in-Chief! She is that "heartbeat" away from being the United States President. There is much to learn about this person is, but I shall tell you who Sarah Palin is not, she is no Hillary Clinton.
In contrast, we have seen Senator Hillary Clinton work tirelessly to make her mark as a politician and public servant fighting for women's rights for over 20 years in numerous roles. She was the initial front-runner in a hard fought presidential campaign earning 18 million votes, just short of the nomination. The Democrats almost tore in half because of their sincere openness to a female president. On the other hand, the Republicans are using gender as a pawn. Sarah Palin adds nothing of substance regarding the rights of women nor has she paid her dues for this opportunity. Instead she is a variation of the "trophy wife". Some may feel upset at this thought, but what if it is true? What if the only reason she was added to the ticket is that she is a younger, attractive, and inexperienced, female? If I were a woman, I would feel patronized and angry. I would question McCain's motives to give a relative unknown this opportunity at the vice-presidency. The word "give" is intentional. Unlike Senator Clinton who worked for years to earn America's trust, Sarah Palin was appointed to prominence.
As a male, some may suggest that I cannot identify with this issue. However, as a Black American male, I have a clear analogy. His name is Clarence Thomas. He is also the reason I make the case that this is not an advance for women's rights. When Rick Warren asked Senator Obama which Supreme Court Justice he would not have nominated, he named Justice Thomas because he lacked the relative credentials compared to other possible nominees. However, with the Republicans in power, they replaced an out-going Black American Justice Marshall, who has historically fought for equal rights, with a token Black male who disagrees with most Black Americans on social issues. What about Palin's political views? Checking the politically-right leaning website "On the Issues" for Palin's positions, I learned that she is wants to outlaw the choice of abortion under any circumstances. More notable was what I was unable to learn. She had no recorded positions on foreign policy, corporations, drugs, families and children, free trade, government reform, immigration, local issues, principles and values, and technology. On those issues where there are position statements, they are very brief. Sarah Palin is the perfect token female candidate for Senator McCain, one without a long history of positions on issues most critical on the U.S. economy and foreign affairs. This allows her to simply develop political positions to align with Senator McCain.
History may show that Clarence Thomas and Sarah Palin to be the racial and gender poster children for a twisted kind of "affirmative action" called tokenism. It is insufficient to be a "Black" or "female" candidate in politics to earn a place in history as one who breaks racial barriers or glass ceiling. It also requires that such persons represent those values and positions resisted by the status-quo who fought against ethnic minority groups and women. It is the progress of positions and ideas which break the barriers, not the color or biological sex. Hillary Clinton fought for women's rights and equality. Sarah Palin will fight for John McCain.