We Will Not be Duped

Happily I see that Hillary supporters are looking at McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as evidence of his poor judgment. They are looking at Sarah Palin and are angry for all the women who earned through their accomplishments and qualifications the right to be a “first”. No matter the heartbreak over Hillary’s loss, they are seeing this choice as further evidence that Barak Obama is by far the better candidate for president.

My personal take on this is stems from over 30 years experience studying executives and leadership, teaching leadership and working with leaders of organizations ranging from F500 to small not-for-profits – and especially on women’s issues.

John McCain and Barak Obama have been chosen by the people. Their choices of Vice Presidential candidates, however, are reflections of their capacity for leadership. Here’s what John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin to be -as he put it - his “partner” communicates about his leadership ability.
1. His choice is akin to a Fortune 3 CEO selecting a first line supervisor with 2 years experience to be a COO. Republican spin-masters call his move “bold” – if he were a CEO, an impartial director would call it reckless. It shows a monumental lack of judgment.
2. McCain’s flawed choice also demonstrates a lack of judgment in choosing advisors. No board of directors of a major corporation would ever approve the addition of such an unqualified person into the candidate pool for an executive position.
3. This flawed choice is the worst example of tokenism – there is no dimension on which Palin could be considered the “best qualified” person for the job. Compassion and principles (two commendable qualities highlighted when he introduced Palin) do not a vice president make.
4. To accept and make the argument that 2 years experience as governor of a meagerly populated state equates to executive experience, demonstrates a lack of understanding of what is required to be executive-in-chief of the most powerful nation on earth.
5. The most successful executives intentionally surround themselves with people brighter and with proven skills in their areas of weakness. His choice, again, shows a lack of executive intelligence.
6. That McCain would choose such a poorly qualified person to stand one heartbeat from the presidency shows a stunning disrespect for the United States of America.

As one who has watched women succeed and fail in corporate America, here’s what the choice tells me about Sarah Palin. She is right to have been, as she said, “honored and privileged to make the list”. But, she’s not ready to be vice president, she’s not qualified and she should have had the judgment to decline. Instead, like many women set up to fail, she let flattery at being chosen outweigh her judgment. It shows either incredible lack of intelligence or hubris – neither commendable leadership qualities.

As a lifelong advocate for women’s rights, here’s what McCain’s choice says about his views on women:
1. This flawed choice, like his voting record on women’s issues, demonstrates a contempt for women. In essence he’s saying that women are interchangeable and that women are stupid enough to see Palin and her stand on women’s issues as a stand-in for Hillary.
2. This flawed choice, like McCain’s voting record on women’s issues, demonstrates his lack of understanding of women. That he thinks this will sway any but single-issue anti-choice women (who already had his vote anyway) is incomprehensible.
3. This flawed choice and his use of the world “partner” rather than “running mate” reflects a Republican world-view that woman should be fertile, pretty, pageant-entering and grateful. It makes me think of “trophy candidate”.

As a former Hillary supporter here is the final reason why we will not be duped into voting for McCain. We will look at Sarah Palin and see she’s no Hillary Clinton.
1. We supported Hillary because of her experience and accomplishments.
2. We supported Hillary because of the issues she cares about and her position on the issues.
3. We supported Hillary because of her brilliance.
4. And, we considered Hillary’s gender an added plus, not a defining qualification.

I’m not duped – I’m following Hillary’s lead…I’m supporting Obama. Are you?