There are a lot of things about politics that I think are confusing, but this is definitely near the top of the list: I heard a political analyst on TV say that Sarah Palin is attracting women who once supported Hillary Clinton.
This just seems completely wrong to me. There are one-time Hillary Clinton (a pro-choice, liberal) supporters voting for Sarah Palin (a pro-life, conservative NRA member) just because she’s a woman? I’m all for breaking that glass ceiling, but I think that women changing their votes just on the basis of gender are doing just the opposite. A woman in office should be elected because she is the best person for the job, thus proving that women and men are equally capable. If people expect women to vote based on their gender instead of their principles, that’s completely underestimating women’s ability to choose the right candidate based on their beliefs.
I’m not necessarily saying that Sarah Palin is the wrong candidate, but I can’t believe that many women are doing a complete 180 degree turn and voting for her after supporting Clinton. Palin and Clinton may both be women, but they have completely different principles. If someone is voted for just because of her gender, that’s underestimating her ability as a leader. We need to look beyond things like gender, just like we must look beyond things like race or religion, to make a decision that will best suit our country for the next four years.
