"Mom" For Vice President!

Watching Sarah Palin accept the Republican nomination for vice president, all I could think was that I am so grateful my mother did not run for president or VP while I was a baby. This is hardly good judgment on Palin's part.

Such a sentiment is surely anti-feminist of me. Women, including mothers, should be allowed and encouraged to pursue high-powered careers. And having a mother who works is the best way to teach one's children that women should be financially independent and treated equally in the workforce.

But running on a national ticket months after your child was born? Let alone a son who has Downs Syndrome and therefore under the best of circumstances is going to need every last bit of attention. How can one possibly be an involved and nurturing parent while campaigning in such a heated race?

You can be a great mother and work. But you can't be a great mother and work 80 hours a week. There is no way you are a great mother if you are not there.

I also feel for Sasha and Malia. Barack Obama talks about his life being affected by the absence of his father, and he publicly stresses the importance of dads being involved in raising their children. And yet, it's hard to imagine that he has been such a super dad these past 19 months. No, while he has been out campaigning, the primary responsibility for raising his children has fallen to Michelle -- who has had to sacrifice some of her career ambition -- and their extended family.

Palin and Obama have the right to run for office, no matter how old their children are. And who takes the kids to the doctor's office and baseball practice is a family matter that only they and their spouses can decide. But what does this say about either of them as people?

Republicans claim they know something about family values because Palin is against abortion. But running for VP is not much different from putting her child up for adoption for a few months. And if McCain passes away while in office, Palin will have virtually given away her child for the next four to eight years. I know very little about Sarah Palin, and she might be a smart and strong leader. But I do know that she does not have the kind of family values I believe in.

Comments

[rcksgl]

One of my best friends is the daughter of Barbara Howar. Ms. Howar was a senior official for both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, then went into broadcasting. She was on a similar career path to Barbara Walters back then, but obviously, Ms. Walters' broadcasting career took her much further. Many years later the two of them had lunch, and Howar admitted she was somewhat jealous of Walters' career climb. to which Ms. Walters replied, "Yes, but I've always been jealous about what a better mother you were than me."

Barbara Walters is not just an institution, her accomplishments led the way for an entire gender, in great thanks to her work ethic. Her children may have suffered, just in the way so many children have suffered because their dad is never home. We can't place our values on parenthood on others any more than they should be able to sublimate our values regarding choice, religion or marriage for all.

Oh. I guess if Ms. Palin wins, she does get it all.

[Cos1]

Great article. Your points really need to be brought up in the main stream. It's human to wonder if the mother will have time to bond with her baby. It's already reported that she returned to work 3 days aftering giving birth. She also new she was on the short list for VP for about a year. Looking strickly at the situation she's in, she's not showing good judgement when it comes to this child. Seems like her daughter has been chosen to play mommy while she tends to her career. It's not fair to that teenage daughter also.

I listened to John Roberts wonder about some of these same things on CNN when it was first announced that she was the VP candidate. The imediate response was he's being sexist. He wasn't being sexist, just being real. Anyone that thinks it's OK to leave your baby at 3 days old then turn over the main care of the child to your 16 year old daughter has never been around children or is pandering. This is also a special needs child. How many women would really do something like this?

[messy]

Perhaps she's only going to make a few appearances, and when she's VP, she'll take the time to be a full time mom full time while being the kind of vice president they had a century ago.

[XME]

Sure...as long as nothing happens to a 72 year-old president who's had cancer 4 times and has various other health issues. Then we're all scr@wed...not just her kid.

[blaqntelligence]

Finally, someone asks the most obvious question.
We can discuss foreign policy experience and the economy all day long. My first question is HOW does one take an active role in this campaign with a 4 month old? Not even factoring in an infant with Down's Syndrome?
And be effective at both?
Or is she to play the role of mccain's Vice Wife as opposed to his Vice President? Just show up when necessary?
This is getting creepier and crazier.

[JennyJay]

Thank you for the truth in this article. When I saw McCain introducing Palin, all my thoughts were
on that poor little baby brought into this campaign mess. Yeah, yeah, women should, can and do work. But not with a 4 month old, challenged little guy, who is really, really going to need a lot of time with his mom.

[mfs2k]

What makes you think your mom would make a great Vice President?? Was she a hockey mom too? Not likely.

But cast my vote for Hanna's mom.