Michele Walk, Associate Editor
Ideology: Moderate | Writing From: George Washington University
Fresh off the nomination of their first female Vice Presidential candidate, it is not surprising that that the strongest voices in the GOP today are women. Last week, when her endorsement of Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman led to other prominent Republicans abandoning the GOP candidate in the NY-23 special election, Sarah Palin showed her doubters that she’s as powerful a force as ever. Mrs. Palin is the strongest voice in the Republican Party right now, and her influence is only growing. On the other side of the Republican Party sits Meghan McCain, who showed her characteristic disdain for party lines this week when she voiced her strong support for independent former Democrat Joe Lieberman.
Much like Mrs. Palin has become the spokesperson for the Tea Party movement, Meghan McCain is the strongest voice in the younger generation of Republicans. Like Mrs. Palin, the daughter of the former 2008 Republican Presidential candidate John McCain is controversial – but for the opposite reason. While the left is terrified of Palin’s conservative views, the far right tends to find Ms. McCain unpalatable. In May, Ms. McCain put herself at odds with the Republican establishment by publicly saying that she is “pro-sex, pro-life and pro-gay.” But Meghan is right in step with her generation: not only are they more pro-life than previous generations, they are also in favor of comprehensive sex education (abstinence and contraceptives) and are strong supporters of equal rights for gays. When not even Barack Obama, the most liberal President since FDR, will openly support gay rights, McCain is unafraid to stand up for what she believes in.
Though the possibility of a debilitating schism within the Republican Party has been overblown by wishful-thinking liberals, Sarah Palin and Meghan McCain do represent the two prevailing directions in the GOP: either towards the far-right Tea Party style conservatism, or the fiscally conservative yet socially moderate direction. The special election in New York’s 23rd district, as has been noted by many pundits, has made tangible these ideological differences. However, in many ways, this is not just an ideological struggle but a generational one; the older generation of Republicans tends to be both socially and fiscally conservative, whereas many in the new crop of the Grand Old Party is still strongly fiscally conservative but is more moderate on social issues.
But while the potential for a split in the Republican Party has received wide attention, what hasn’t is the fact that the strongest voices in the two camps are female. In an age where Republicans are still portrayed as the “anti-women” party, it cannot be ignored that the loudest voices, for better or worse (depending on one’s ideology), are Sarah Palin and Meghan McCain. Though they have considerable differences on policy, both are strong, fearless women who will speak their minds regardless of the repercussions from the GOP or the Democrats. Ms. McCain recently wrote in her regular column for the Daily Beast that “God forbid any politician from either side dares reach across party lines and refuses to placate the partisan faithful” – but one can easily imagine this very statement also coming from Mrs. Palin.
Ms. McCain also wrote in her column, “Where can we hear voices that dare to cross party lines, think outside the box, and say what they truly believe?” The answer is from you, Meghan, and from Sarah. If the politics of the last few months have shown anything, from the Blue Dogs battling the public option to the GOP fleeing their candidate in NY-23, it’s that the party line is dying out. Divisions are abounding on both sides of the aisle; the Democrats lost a major force for party unity with the departure of George W. Bush, and the traditional base of the Republican Party felt abandoned by the nomination of Ms. McCain’s father for President in 2008. It would seem lately that everyone – Democrat, Republican, or independent – has something to be upset about. This is the real “change” that has happened since the 2008 election – not the “bipartisanship” that Obama promised and never delivered, but a rather a new form of nonpartisanship that disregards party line entirely. Instead of being silenced, the independent voices are only growing stronger. And in the Republican Party, the voices leading that choir are from two women.
As they say, “well behaved women seldom make history.” Mrs. Palin and Ms. McCain are controversial, and they occasionally say things that make both the right and left shutter; but no matter what they say, they cannot be ignored. The days of the sit-quietly-and-smile Republican woman are over, and it is truly a testament to the women’s movement that women can now proudly identify as something other than liberal. Modern Republican women – whether conservative like Palin or moderate like McCain – are not going to just stand by silently while the men run politics. They’re strong, courageous, and, dare I say it, sexy – and are the strongest voices in today’s GOP.
Dear Michele:
Creating two poles out of two contrasting Republican women, and then calling them both “leaders” is misleading, and that’s making an effort to be kind.
Sarah Palin was the elected governor of a state; Meghan McCain is the daughter of a political name with striking blonde hair and an ability to get a 6 figure book deal and a guest spot on The View. What’s she run for, and won?
It’s difficult not to see her immediately as a Huffington-in-training(she bears an uncomfortable resemblance to Britney Spears!)—toying with the right by playing with the jewels of its beliefs(speaking at the Log Cabin whatever), and treating Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham as if they’re more dangerous than the Taliban. And between the “pro-gay” and the “pro-sex education”, and the implied “pro-abortion” she sticks it up the pipe of all those pro-lifers, now doesn’t she? This will get her a continuous stream of attention, but how substantive is it? And when she’s finally had enough from her acerbic blonde sisters Coulter and Ingraham, she’ll throw her hands in the air and join the Democrats—Meghen wore a Specter costume for Halloween!
Creating two poles out of Palin on the one hand and M. McCain on the other, does a disservice to Sarah Palin, a (now) experienced candidate and proven leader on weighty issues, and turns the Republicans bi-polar, and that’s not helpful for 2010 and beyond.
I’m pretty sure the Meghan McCain’s of the GOP just got kicked out of the party, in a spitting image of Dede Scozzafava.
Matt, I would warn against saying they got kicked out of the party. If you kick them out before there is another alternative, they’ll run into the Democrats open arms and the Democrats will win handily in 2010. I’m fine with that if the alternative is Sarah Palin’s Republican Party, are you?
O&D, who would you rather identify the Republican Party of today with? Glenn Beck? Rush Limbaugh? Neither of them have been elected to anything either. In the overly media-centric world we live in, knowing your way around Barbara Walters is a valid skill. You may not like McCain, but if you push her out of the party before 2010, the Republicans will not make significant gains and the Democrats could hold the filibuster-proof Senate. If she took just 10% of Republicans with her, that throws four or five tossup states to the Democrats. With an election for 18 current Democrats and 18 current Republicans that looks to be an even split right now, that means even when you get Democrats willing to filibuster, they won’t have the numbers.
Hey, insult a couple more and maybe you’ll give the Democrats 2/3 and Pelosi and Reid can pass some fun Constitutional amendments!
I always enjoy your posts
O & D, I appreciate you pointing out how Sarah Palin and Meghan McCain are of differing and perhaps incomparable stature within the Party. I do not believe that their influence is of similar magnitude, and Mrs. Palin is certainly much more experienced than Ms. McCain is. Additionally, the Tea Party/Palin side of the Party is, right now, a much more organized and vocal group than the more moderate youth (though of questionable general influence after yesterday’s result in NY 23). I also did not intent to make it seem as if there are only two groups within the Republican Party; I should have clarified that point. In addition to the Tea Partiers and moderate youth, there are also the generic conservatives (Romney, George W Bush) and the very-socially-conservative, somewhat fiscally moderate (Huckabee). And then, there are varying degrees between. However, these are relatively established groups; the Tea Party and the youth movement towards moderation, however, are relatively recent phenomena. Yes, the Tea Party movement is much stronger, and Sarah Palin is an experienced politician with considerable clout. But I thought it was at least worth noting how the leaders in these two movements are women, and how that’s a new thing for the GOP.
Matt – Dede Scozzafava is not a moderate – she’s a liberal Democrat. Any Republican with significant backing by unions and ACORN isn’t a Republican.