The John McCain campaign, in its attempts to justify its choice of Gov. Sarah Palin as its Vice Presidential candidate and to attract independent voters, has attempted to portray Palin as a maverick who stands up to the establishment, and who forges her own path in defense of ordinary folks.

How “maverick,” though, is it to hold long-time membership of the National Rifle Association, or to advocate for oil drilling in protected lands, or to teach abstinence-only sexuality education and so-called “intelligent design” in public schools, or to make abortion, even in the case of rape and incest, a criminal offense? How “maverick” is it to claim that humans are not the cause of global warming?

Rather than acting as a “maverick,” in actuality, Palin behaves like other far-right warriors in the cultural wars in their attempt to push back the gains this country has inched a bit closer toward in the area of progressive social change.

While Palin has a compelling story and can be defined in a number of ways, “maverick” certainly is not one.

Warren Blumenfeld

Associate Professor

Curriculum and Instruction