Monday, September 8, 2008

McCain Chooses Palin as a Running Mate

Ever since John McCain chose Sarah Palin to be his running mate last week, she has been under close scrutiny by the mainstream media.

Palin has been projected as an arch-conservative by the Democratic Party; she is pro-oil drilling in Alaska, despite being a self-professed hunter and fisherman in that state. She is also strongly anti-abortion, even in cases of rape or incest. Her daughter, 17, is five months pregnant and has chosen not to abort the baby, despite her young age. She will be marrying the father. Republicans hope that her stance on this issue will secure the vote of the so-called "Religious Right".

Democrats have claimed that McCain chose Palin to be a running mate primarily to secure the vote of the female voters who would've otherwise voted for Hilary Clinton. This technique does seem to be having an effect. Betsy Newmark, a High School History Teacher, said in a post on Foxnews.com, "In many ways Sarah Palin is a model of what feminists have long said they wanted - women who are able to build a successful career on their own without depending on their husband’s position to get where they want to go."

However, one RHAM student, Emily Carpenter, said that she was insulted by the assumption that women were only voting for Clinton because she was a woman. Carpenter has a point; Clinton and Palin agree on almost no significant issues.

We asked several RHAM students and staff what they thought about this controversial issue.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nice story mike. I like how you got different opinions from people such as Emily. It was good to see someone who felt strongly about Mccain's decision and how people could only be voting for Clinton just because she is female. Good write-up, good vid.