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The John McCain VP pick (Sarah Palin) is clearly an irresponsible, last-minute choice by someone who is out of touch with the electorate and Barack Obama’s appeal to voters. McCain mistakenly underestimates Barack Obama (as Hillary did initially) as someone who just gives inspirational speeches.

In fact, Obama is a shrewd politician with a popular legislative record, attractive policies and the ability to communicate what the nations problems are and how we can solve them. All of this was on display during his acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention watched by over 38 million viewers.

McCain dismisses Obama’s community organizer experience because he just doesn’t understand that it has been perhaps the most important key to Obama’s success (now and future). So far, getting voters involved in his grassroots campaign was the reason he became the Democratic nominee for President. Just ask Mitt Romney, even with all the money in the world, you just can’t buy enthusiasm for your candidacy. In the future, Obama proposes that getting the American people more involved in this democracy will create the “change” he has been talking about. With the American people involved, the government must become better stewards of tax revenue and be more accountable to the American people in the areas of foreign, economic and domestic policy.

McCain simply doesn’t get this. That’s why he selected what he thinks is a female caricature of Obama. He assumes that her “compelling personal narrative” and the fact that she’s a woman will get him elected as President. To the Grand Old Party, the only reason “hard-working Americans” would ever vote for Barack Obama (an African-American) or Hillary Clinton (a woman) is that as a nation we have a chance to make history. So, McCain concludes that the repubs better get in on some of that “change” action the Democrats have.

They’d better think again. I know this is a crazy thought but… What if Obama and Hillary were the last two standing in the Democratic Primary because they were simply the best candidates in the field? Impossible you say? Well, maybe I’m the crazy one and McCain is sane when he assumes that instead of caring about real issues, the American people just want to vote for a woman or an African-American this time around – just for a “change”.

Germaine Smith