By Katherine Yaremko

I recently read an op-ed in The New York Times which stated that Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin’s support base is composed primarily of “dudes.” The statistic is interesting, particularly because of the idea that Sen. John McCain’s choice of Palin as his running mate was supposed to appeal to conservative women. It’s not news that this vice presidential candidate has no foreign policy experience or that she is without a cohesive plan. She is a wooden doll-a prop being used by the McCain campaign to widen its voter base.

But who would fall for such an act? Despite being chosen to boost support among women, she has received a huge amount of support from men who consider her to be a “hot babe.” Perhaps what is most frightening is not that there are existing individuals who would allow such superficial and irrelevant pursuits to influence their vote, but their numbers are so high.

While Palin’s percentage of support has indeed declined among conservatives who refuse to view her seriously, crowds of individuals attend her rallies to whoop and scream support for her accusations against Obama. When Palin attempts to incite unnecessary animosity toward her opponent by claiming that he pals around with terrorists, members of her crowds shout “Abomination!” and “Kill him!” One member even shouted racial slurs at an African-American cameraman. During such a critical time in our country’s history, when the educational, economic and political institutions, as well as America’s global credibility, are at stake, the last thing needed is the creation of further divisions within America’s social fabric. Is the angry mob mentality one that should even be allowed near the White House?

Palin can even be accused of indirectly promoting sexism as well as racism. She panders specifically to the “dude” crowds who will vote according to a superficial basis by using her beauty in place of political knowledge. No reasonable, intelligent commentator would view Palin as a skilled politician deeply concerned with the fate of this nation. She is seen as an attractive woman before a politician. If she does make it into the White House, she will not be remembered for any attempts at shattering the glass ceiling, only for the way in which she exploited her gender to achieve political power. Equality does not merely arrive as the result of placing a woman in the White House; it comes when the majority sees that a woman has a mind of her own and is not merely defined by her gender.

I wish to point out that what is truly horrible is not that there exists a Palin in the political arena, but that our country’s political system would allow such an individual to be selected for so high a position. Her tactics of stirring up hatred and animosity within the country would not be so frightening if she was not in the position to possibly become the next vice president, if not president.

When our founding fathers risked their lives to create the ingenious document which has served as the framework for our governance for over 200 years, they chose to establish this nation as a republic, fearing the consequences of a true participatory democracy- such a system was equated with mob rule at the time. It was their hope that the electoral college would serve as a barrier against possibly devastating choices made by the public. I can only hope that if the majority of American people do not choose wisely in this election, the electoral college will.

Katherine Yaremko is a sophomore political science student. You may e-mail her at [email protected].