In typical fashion, the race to the White House has each presidential candidate promoting change. In atypical fashion, Americans are promised change regardless of which way they vote.
In November, there will be a likely change in race or gender in the U.S. presidency / vice-presidency. As historic as it may be, some of the candidates are hoping voters do not look beyond race or gender to make their decisions at the poll.
With Obama’s ‘change we can believe in’ slogan, he has been talking to the underserved populations promising justice. He has also been trying to rally former Hillary supporters into his camp.
As McCain counters Obama’s change slogan, claiming that he is, indeed, the candidate of change, he has shown that he understands the need for voters to see a semblance of themselves in their political leaders. To that end, he has selected a wild-card in Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. With this move, McCain is telling voters that if the politics aren’t different, at least the players will be.
Gender and race have been as much a factor in the presidential campaigns as the candidates’ stance on the war. With a vice-presidential running-mate like Palin, McCain wins the uber-conservative vote and attempts to win over undecided women voters. Perhaps a former Hillary supporter will not notice that Palin is all things opposite and will go for the ‘woman-vote’ alone.
Palin’s conservative stance on abstinence-only education, as noted in her 2006 gubernatorial race, has come into question with her daughter’s recent pregnancy. She is pro-life, and supports mandatory parental consent for abortion, and only in the case that the mother’s life is in danger. Although she is against teaching youth how to responsibly deal with sex, she does support gun safety education for youth and is a life-time member of National Rifle Association. Palin is against same-sex marriages, would deny health benefits to same-sex couples, and supports capital punishment.
I would hope that the in the quest for change, women, and all voters, would look at the real issues beyond just race and gender to find a semblance in a political leader to represent them.
To contact Iris, email i-feliciano@neiu.edu.