Discord in the GOP

While I am very much over reading articles about her leadership and how her husband is a "true Alaskan", some interesting and relevant information does indeed emerge from the coverage of Gov. Palin. In a couple articles posted today, writers explain how the running mates for the Republican Party do not see eye to eye on a couple issues. What is interesting is that these are no minor issues.

In one article from Politico, the claim is that McCain and Palin differ when it comes to the issue of global warming. Though, McCain has remained relatively silent on the issue after reversing his stance on offshore drilling a few months ago, he has been more vocal than most in his party about his support for finding energy alternatives to oil. At the very least he constantly maintains that global warming has been accelerated by man-made technologies and practices. Gov. Palin is much more skeptical. As recently as one month ago, the Alaskan executive claimed that “I'm not one … who would attribute it to being man-made." There is no ambiguity here and it appears that the two are certainly not on the same page with respect to this issue.

The second issue which divides the two is sex education, according to the LA Times. Departing from GOP standards, Palin supports contraception education alongside discussions of abstinence. McCain and most Republicans, on the other hand, disagree. A spokesperson for the McCain campaign has been quoted as saying that McCain believes abstinence to be "the only safe and responsible alternative." Where's the harmony in these views? Well, simply put, there is none.

The problems presented for the GOP are troubling in terms of winning and maintaining the support of various voters. In terms of the global warming issue, some people who were once drawn to McCain by his unique stance on global warming may be alienated by the fact that not only does Palin not show any strong commitment to the issue but she also may not even believe it is an issue which can actually be effected by humans. With respect to sex education, socially conservative supporters may feel a bit unhappy with the new Republican ticket, as many are staunchly opposed to any sex education program that includes more than abstinence as a lesson for today's youth.

So how are voters to get past these seemingly irreconcilable differences? My advice would be, if neither running mate changes his/her view come November, assess the opinion you think is most valid and weigh that against the likelihood that the other opinion might interfere with the opinion you believe would be more dominant if the Republicans were to maintain control of the White House. That's really the best I can do because, realistically speaking, if this kind of discord continues, if neither Palin nor McCain back down from their original views, they are going to make it that much harder for undecided and just-barely-right voters to choose them in November.