Lisa Schiffren argues persuasively that indeed there is no reason to care:
"Now about that woman thing: some commentators object that Palin was chosen primarily as a sop to female voters, especially disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters. Well, of course the McCain campaign wants to entice those women to vote for the Republican ticket. Putting together coalitions is how elections are won. Women happen to be 52 percent of the electorate. Ignoring them, let alone insulting them as Barack Obama is perceived to have done, is politically foolish. Some worried that McCain would pick a token woman, such as Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas—she of the long Washington tenure, liberal Republican views, and few accomplishments (though she does look the part). Instead, he surprised many by picking Palin."
Exactly. And remember this--I've heard many commentators, including pro-Obama commentators, say over this past week that Obama chose Joe Biden in order to...do what? Why, for one thing, to appeal to working-class, Catholic voters in the northeast and midwest, because Biden too is Catholic and came from those roots. I've heard no Obama official deny this. So it's OK to choose Biden to appeal to certain ethnic and religious groups, but it's terrible to pick Palin, hoping to appeal to another, different group? I don't think so.
