Palin Becomes a BurdenFor the Republicans

After seven weeks of campaigning next to the Republican presidential candidate, the governor of Alaska has become less and less convincing. After embarrassing revelations about her wardrobe expenses and bumbling statements about the role of the vice president, Sarah Palin, the running mate of John McCain, has become a burden for the Republican Party. According to polls given by the Wall Street Journal and NBC, 55% of those interviewed think that the 44 year old governor of Alaska is not qualified to be the vice president.

Mrs. Palin turns off students as well: according to a poll given by the political institute at Harvard, 40% of young people say that she has pushed them away from the Republican Party. Furthermore, the number of unhappy Republican voters in general has been augmented with revelations about the candidate, who is notably entangled in a case about her abuse of power in Alaska in pressuring state agents to lay off a state trooper.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice avoided making comments about Mrs. Palin during a debate on powerful women in Long Beach, tensing up after being asked to speak about the governor of Alaska. The day before, the Politico website confirmed that the Republican Party has spent $150,000 on Sarah Palin’s wardrobe since she was chosen as the vice presidential candidate. Tracy Schmitt, a spokesperson for the McCain-Palin ticket, assured that her clothing would be donated to a charitable organization after the campaign. In addition, certain responses from Mrs. Palin during her interviews have become the delight of humorists and impersonators such as Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live. Made up as Palin, the last episode made fun Mrs. Palin’s distinct wording often used during her public appearances. Nevertheless, Sarah Palin did not hesitate to appear on the show on Saturday to confront her imitator.

During an interview with a local television station on Monday in Colorado, the governor of Alaska was mistaken when she responded to a basic question about the role of the vice president. “A vice president has a really great job because not only are they there to support the president’s agenda, they’re there like the team member, the teammate to the president,” she said. “But also, they’re in charge of the United States Senate, so if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes.” Yet according to the separation of powers, the legislative branch of the United States (the Senate and the House of Representatives) is entirely separated from the executive branch (the presidency, vice presidency, and government).

During each of his rallies, John McCain tirelessly continues to present Sarah Palin as a good vice presidential candidate, eager to bring her to Washington, where the Republican ticket will clean up and eliminate corruption that, according to him, “undermines American politics.” Unconvincing. Ken Adelman, the Republican “hawk” who has occupied several high positions in diplomacy and defense under Presidents Ford, Reagan, and Bush, explained in the New Yorker that the selection of Mrs. Palin as vice president persuaded him not to vote for McCain, but to instead support Mr. Obama.