For those of you who read me regularly or even new readers who look to the right sidebar know that I am an ardent Obama supporter. Had Hillary Clinton won the nomination I would have supported her just as ardently. However, right it right and when I see and hear statements from some about the reason Sarah Palin should not be the vice presidential candidate for the GOP I must speak out.
I have heard and read women who claim that Sarah Palin should not be Vice President because she is a mother of five children and so on and so forth with that rhetoric. That makes me scream, what have we been working for all these years. Men have been running the country with children for years along with major corporations, aircraft carriers, and congress and the senate. The Vice President and President for that matter have enormous levels of assistance with their children.
Although I was not able to find any documentation, I can only assume that household staff is provided to the Vice President and certainly there is security. And with the salary provided she can afford assistance with her children Since two of her children are older (one soon to be married?) then there are really only three. There are two people in the marriage therefore two parents. So, why in the world would these people (actually I have only seen women say this because no man would dare say such a thing would he?)
Why in the twenty-first century when women are putting themselves in the way of danger and taking on roles never dreamed by our grandmothers (for those of us over 50) would anyone throw out a statement like that. Even if she seems to stand for essentially everything I stand against, I defend to the bitter end her right to seek this role. For all of us who have performed in demanding professions and were still good parents, I cry FOUL.
Well this is not my best article by far; I seem to be in a muddle today, but think about the horror that will be in Washington if the GOP’s ticket takes office. Think of the pillage of our environment and the continued neglect of families without insurance, and the conservative judges who will be appointed, and the conflicts that will be waged, and all the other possibilities that cause me to fear the consequences of people not understanding what is really at stake here.
I guarantee you Sarah Palin will be able to do the Vice President’s job…WE DO NOT WANT THAT DO WE?
Being a mother should have absoultely no impact on whether people feel someone is electable…
This being said, I am very much for Barack Obama… and I have yet to hear anything come out of Sarah Palins mouth that I agree with.
Peace and love, M
I hear you, Onedia! I had a feeling that the moment it came out that Palin’s daughter was pregnant, everyone would say, well, she didn’t do a very good job as a mom, did she? But on the other hand, the GOP has so embraced the pregnancy as a poster child for “family values” and “right to life” that if I were really cynical, I would say it was a political ploy! I hate to think what that unfortunate 17-year-old is going through, to have her life played out on TV every night.
That being said, Obama-Biden rule! I hope they win.
Of course she should just be judged on whether she can do the job, not because of the size of her family or any other reason that is not related to her abilities, competencies, and beliefs.
I personally think that anyone that pursues these kinds of jobs is placing their family second, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be a good parent or that they can’t do the job well.
I, too, cannot vote for McCain and Palen, but it has nothing to do with her family or the fact that she is a woman.
I am disturbed also by the fact that we had one president condemned for his cheating on his wife and now it seems to be an ok thing if you listen to the news about McCain. Is his omission trying to say it is ok to cheat as long as you don`t lie to the people about doing it. I`m sure he was lying to his wife at the time while he was sneaking around. As for Palen, being a mother isn`t why I am not voting for her. One day I think we will have a woman for president.