It's OK to aspire to the highest office in the land...as long as your children are grown and out of the house and your child-rearing days are behind you. It's OK to balance a career and a family...as long as the family is perfect and the kids don't do...well, things most Alaskan kids do. It's OK to be driven, determined, successful - just make sure your husband's never done anything sketchy in his younger years. It's OK to throw our support behind a woman...just make sure her hair is conservatively cut, she's dressed like a man and there's nothing to suggest she's...well, female.
I'm amazed by how quickly women have turned on Alaska governor Sarah Palin.
I'm amazed by how dramatically we revert back to the ideals that a woman's responsibility is FIRST to her family and second to her career.
I'm amazed that we're comfortable judging a woman's professional capability based on decisions her children make.
I'm amazed that a male senator light on experience and heavy on oratory and inspirational chutzpah is hailed as a savior, but a female governor light on experience and heavy on voter connection and the ability to excite her party is expected to "belly flop."
Newsweek calls her nomination "great political theatre," but reasons that rookies "never score hat tricks." Fine. Couldn't we say the same of a rookie senator aiming not for the supporting position, but the big "actor in a leading role" nod? Can't we just admit that the tickets are pretty balanced now, on both sides of the aisle and decide to TRULY leave everyone's families off limits? If we can't, can't we at least give everyone's perceived "shortcomings" as parents equal face time?
Why is it that this woman's hairstyle is open territory on national news websites? Why is it OK to preface a description of her with the "beauty queen" history and "hockey mom" status first and professional accomplishments second?
It seems women have been more dramatically critical of Palin than men (who, as far as I've overheard, fall into two camps: the "I'd do her" camp and the " she's no Hilary" camp). It's women that have come out of the woodwork to condemn her parenting, her preparedness, the state of her family. Many of them the same women that praised Hilary's attempts to smash the glass and score the ultimate executive position have their claws firmly sunk into Palin's decision to serve her country...
If you want to attack her for "Troopergate," go right ahead.
If you want to nail her for flip-flopping on the "Bridge to Nowhere," debate, have it it.
If you want to pick apart how accurate her pro-ANWR-pillaging statistics are, feel free.
Take her to the wall for her preparedness to debate foreign policy.
Enough with the rumors about who the baby really belongs to. Enough of the critique of the pictures of her in the bikini. Enough with the claims that "if she can't control her family, she's ill-equipped to govern."
Last time I checked, educators weren't hired on the basis of how well their own children perform long division at home. Coaches aren't selected based on how far their sons and daughters can throw a football. CEO's aren't promoted based on how many of their kids are pursuing master's degrees. Books weren't published because the writers' children were perfect at spelling. Since when were politicians disqualified because of decisions their kids make behind closed doors? Believe me, there are plenty of good kids - raised by great parents - making wrong decisions every day.
The mark of a good parent and a good leader is how they handle the aftermath. We can't prevent hurricanes, earthquakes, or tornadoes, but we can clean up after them.
Very well put - I agree with you 100%. I mean, I'm sure as well not going to vote for the woman, but that's because of her stance on a lot of the issues that matter most to me. And as for the experience thing, it may be naive of me to say but I actually LIKE that neither she nor Obama have 50 years under their belt in Congress. I think we need some people in there who can look at things with a "clean pair of eyes", as David Gray sings.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I'd do her. ;)