Snip off that string
that's pulling on your heart

Recycled Toilet Paper

By: David Zugnoni

Posted: 9/3/08

In a moment, some of you will say, "It's more complex than that."

But you will be wrong.

With some things, the more you know, the less you reason.

John McCain's recently chosen vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, is one of those things.

She's the pick because she is a woman, and no, it's not more complex than that.

I didn't think I needed to say it. As soon as I heard the news, I thought McCain would become a laughing stock; I thought everyone would be saying it.

I trusted the sense of America's most prevalent political commentators to call out the McCain campaign

on its exploitation of Hillary Clinton's popularity, her feud with Barack

Obama and the widespread disappointment over her not being nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate.

In what I've read (only a minuscule fraction of what's out there, I admit), some have noted that Clinton was a factor in the choice; others have implied it. But I believe the latest battle of the sexes is the sole reason Palin is in the position she's in.

Sure, the McCain crew can't pick just any woman. The choice needs to make at least some sense. Palin is a state governor, she's a Republican, she's anti-abortion, she's pro-offshore drilling and … well, that's enough sense for the Republican Party.

She's also 44 and has two years of experience as Alaska's governor, which makes her seem like an odd pick, considering how the experience of Obama, who served eight years in the Illinois Senate and four years in the U.S. Senate, has been questioned by all of his competitors.

What else can we say about her? From 1996 to 2002, Palin was the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of less than 10,000 people.

Mayor? Only six years ago? Please.

I mean, we're not talking about New York or Los Angeles or Chicago or Boston or San Francisco or even Tallahassee, Fla., or Topeka, Kan. There are four cities in the U.S. named Richmond with bigger populations than that of Wasilla, Alaska.

Despite these facts, political columnists seem set on taking her candidacy seriously. "A bold choice," "a risky pick," they call it. I call it desperation.

McCain needs an extra boost to win the election, and he's seeking it in women who were excited about seeing a woman in power, who are upset that Obama beat Clinton for the Democratic nomination, who once saw Obama as the enemy.

I implore you women to not fall for that, to be stronger than that, to show with your actions what feminism is really about.

Snip off that string that's pulling on your heart.

If you need more convincing, look at it this way: Sarah Palin is being used. She isn't McCain's ideal pick. She isn't part of the gang. She was brought in as a piece to a puzzle. She was brought in with the intention of manipulating you, the voter.

Don't let them do it.

If you were going to vote for McCain anyway and Palin is just the cherry on top, well, fine. I don't agree with you, but I understand.

But if you are still on the fence, or if you're thinking about staying home on Nov. 4, do us all a favor: Vote, and when you vote, use your brain, not your vagina.