The Palin family business is its business.
But I fault both John McCain and Sarah Palin for putting campaigns and political advancement over that family business.
Given that there is the modern 24-hour-news cycle, McCain and Sarah Palin chose to put Bristol Palin into certain harm's way.
I don't think any campaign is worth that.
I have a couple of daughters. I would love for them to have kids. I really want them to have kids when they are ready.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what convesation at what time will convince them that there are real consequences to sex or if it will ever happen but I will keep plugging away.
Politicians are always talking about their stories. They talk about what personally works for them and how it applies to their roles and decision making in government. I think that it would help to understand the dynamics of this situation in Palin's own words.
I am proud of Obama for saying that families are out of bounds. This principled stance is what we need to lift the dialog from a 5th grade level.
I look to Palin to voluntarily share with us what happened. I think it is important for two reasons. If she tried to prevent this what didn't work and what would she do different for all the rest of us parents who need every suggestion we can get. But also this story will inform us of her policies in this area.
But I just have to go 5th grade and say that if this was Chelsea Clinton.....
Hmmm, don't ALL political campaigns put political opportunity first and family second? Or does that double standard come out just when women are running?
ReplyDeleteI think what we are seeing is a set of decisions by the McCain campaign and by Sarah Palin made way too quickly.
ReplyDeleteAs a mom of four who works outside the home, I can't help but be interested in this whole kerfuffle.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that might be helpful to remember, regardless of your politics, is that she was nominated for Vice President of the U.S., not Vice President of Momhood.
Therefore, the question should not be "what kind of mom is/will she be," just as for McCain, Obama, and Biden it isn't "what kind of dad is/will he be."
Instead, it should be "what kind of VP would she be?"
Unless you believe motherhood is the only/highest calling for women.
I wonder why people who supposedly think women deserve equal jobs, equal pay, etc., keep coming back to the "putting family second" argument as a point against her. (I'm sure there are plenty of more legitimate arguments that can be made.)
Almost anyone of either gender who works a high-powered/time-consuming job could be accused of putting family second.
But why go there? Isn't that decision between her and her husband (who is apparently at home at least part time)?
I agree with Sonyajk that there is sexism in some of the criticism of Palin's suitability.
ReplyDeleteMy specific criticism is that the candidate - - in this case, a woman - - along with McCain, decided to put the opportunity to run on a national ticket ahead of her daughter's wellbeing, given the daughter's pregnancy.
I'd have said the same the candidate been a man, and a pregnant daughter's father, or father of a young man who was involved with an impending out-of-wedlock pregnancy.
My opinion is that in any of those cases, the answer to the question "will you run for the office" is, "no, but thank you for asking."