What's with this mindset?

I had a conversation with someone yesterday (who shall remain nameless) who stated, in as many words, that McCain's selection of Palin was an insult to women. The implication was, of course, that McCain's team's thought process was something along the lines of "there are lots of women voters who will vote for whichever female is on the ballot, so I'll steal Hillary's backers!" So because of the implication that McCain's team used this as their primary motivation, the selection of Palin is suddenly insulting to women.

The more I think about it, the more irritated this attitude makes me. It's a very simplistic view that reeks more of cop-out propaganda than it does of well-reasoned argument (something I would have expected from my co-conversant.) The implication there is that only the Democrats are allowed to nominate women (and, by extension, minorities.) When the Democrats put a woman and a black on the ballot, it's "historic" and "unprecedented." When the Republicans put a woman on the ballot, it's "insulting" (never mind that Palin is showing some of the politics that put her on the ticket, while Mondale's selection of Geraldine Ferraro was obviously and overtly pandering to women.)

I respect well-reasoned political arguments, and I can accept support of or opposition to candidates based on a variety of valid reasons. But this opinion fails on so many levels, it's not funny. It's like this person - a very intelligent, well-educated and experienced person - suddenly lost all sense of perspective and decided to regurgitate the garbage put out by the Daily Kos and Moveon.org without passing through any sort of intellectual filter. God gave you a brain. Use it.