A Nod to Sarah Palin from Someone Who Will Never Vote for Her

I disagree with every particular of Governor Palin's Christian conservative agenda. And as Michael Cohen, denizen of all speeches presidential noted, it shows very poor judgment for a 72-year-old candidate to place her a heartbeat from the presidency at this point in her career. So I will write some tough things about her before this election is done.

Before I do any of that, I want to offer a nod across the aisle, one person to another touched by the disability issue. During her pregnancy, she learned that the developing infant she carried would be born with Down Syndrome. She chose to continue her pregnancy, and is now caring for her child.

Surveys tell us that most people, given the results of amniocentesis or new, less-invasive tests, terminate their pregnancies. Many people who describe themselves politically as pro-life make this choice when they are personally confronted with the implications and possibilities of an unfavorable prenatal diagnosis. I don't in any way condemn them. It is often necessary and right to terminate a pregnancy. It is critically important that all women and all families be given this choice, and that we give far more respect than we do for the serious reasons women have for choosing to terminate a pregnancy.

Governor Palin is very wrong in her fierce desire to deny other women this choice.

Although she appears to hold moderate views on contraception, her Republican Party opposes women's access, at home and abroad, to family planning services that prevent unwanted pregnancies and that give poor women the same reproductive choices Governor Palin herself enjoys. Republican opposition to international family planning is especially contemptible given the high rates of maternal mortality in many nations in which these services are most desperately needed.

Some women will surely vote Republican because Palin is on the ticket. This would only empower a President McCain to appoint "Constitutionalist" Supreme Court justices promised in the Republican platform who would vote to erode or bluntly overturn women's reproductive rights. I encourage any politically moderate feminist to read the 2008 Republican platform on every matter related to reproductive choice.

Governor Palin is also mistaken in her support for broader Republican social policies that make it harder for millions of Americans living with physical and cognitive disabilities to get the healthcare and social services they need. If you ask people living with disabilities and their families what they need from government, many will say that they need things Democrats would provide and Republicans would not. They need adequate Medicaid funding. They really need universal health care. And they really need protections for individuals with preexisting conditions. People with Down Syndrome are often eligible for disability programs. Many others with cognitive disabilities are not. Oddly enough, people with cognitive disabilities need a strong Social Security and Medicare program that could free them from the indignities and stupidities of means-tested programs,

Then there are the schools. Many people with disabilities need special education and health services in schools. Democrats have fought for these things. Republicans typically oppose them. Less tangibly, persons with disabilities need an ethic of common provision in this country that is the antithesis of what conservatives and libertarians euphemistically call an ownership society.

All this is for another day. A tough election should not blind us to our common humanity. Anyone who walks the walk in the service of her personal beliefs deserves my friendship. So congratulations, Governor. You don't come close to earning my vote, but you are welcome in my home, any time.

Read more reaction from HuffPost bloggers to John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate

Comments

[Clairemont]

If you carefully read the Alaska state budgets over the past few years, you will learn that Sarah Palin actually increased the special education budget in her state.

[MotherWhoThinks]

I am an Alaskan mother of a child - now 21 - with Down syndrome. I had a job, insurance, education. Raising him has been the HARDEST THING I EVER DID.

I learned, through much hard work, how to navigate the system that we all think exists for "all" children and adults with disabilities. Had I not been intent on accessing services and forcing them to work, the outcome would have been far worse. for my child, family, and self. After years incredibly difficult and painful effort, I have an occasionally happy kid. He struggles with retardation, behavior and communication every day. He lives in subsidized housing, attends school, gets medicaid, and has 24-hour care totaling $200,000 a year. Thank you, taxpayers. And Chinese lenders.

Palin has delegated the care of her infant with Down syndrome to others. Kudos to her if she and her family pull this off. They are well-positioned financially, socially, and politically to do this. Not so for 99% of families who include children and adults with disabiliites. Think about them.

To take the position that EVERY American family SHOULD and MUST be denied the option to terminate a such a pregnancy is just plain wrong. She can no more use her experience to decide for all than I can. It is about CHOICE. And no one can decide that for someone else, and force them into the netherworld of disability.

[disTHIS]

If the buzz on the blogoshere is any indication, it could be VERY interesting to see how the campaign develops. It has been widely reported when their son was born Palin & her husband took the opportunity to meet with the media and explain Down Syndrome. Good on them. As we all now know, she is also a vocal social conservative, strongly opposed to both abortion & same sex marriage.

Any effect Palin is likely to have would seem to be in potentially galvanizing the “right to life” constituency. If played well, adding her to the ticket could go a long way toward courting the right-wing base McCain has struggled with.

But this begs larger questions for the disabled community: how will left-leaning disabled folks handle it?

With the stakes being so high, and our nation being so polarized, could the additional emphasis in this campaign embodied by Palin — and her stand on abortion in particular — become a wedge issue for many PWD’s akin to physician assisted suicide?

Among the rank and file there already seems to be a division between more conservative mothers of children born with Down syndrome who are lining up on Palin’s side and those who would rather link disability to other social justice and progressive causes.

Having a child with Down syndrome is not the only criteria one should meet before they are considered a pro-disability candidate. Let’s hope the issue continues to be delved into deeply as Pollack does above.

[KateAB]

It may not be the only criteria - but's a weighty one! As mentioned in reply farther down, over 90% of women abort their child when a Down Syndrome diagnosis is given. That puts her - and myself, a mother of a toddler with DS - in the minority and simply giving these special, joyful children the right to live puts them miles ahead of the other candidates or even your average woman.

[jdlaughead]

GOV. PALIN BEING INVESTIGATED IN ALASKA!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/29/palin.investigation/

[QualityCounts]

Thanks for a lovely piece from an obviously compassionate progressive.

[Harold Pollack - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks very much.

[tdpubs]

I totally agree. I do not subscribe to the Governor's ideals but she is consistent and that is the biggest issue that I have with Republicans. Jesus; my Rabbi, had a special disgust for hypocrites.

[MasterfullyInept]

We have come so far in my lifetime.Makes an old man proud to be an American, again.

Si se puede!

[tompoe]

She'll stop by, Harold, after she tidies up her present activities with the oil executives in Alaska. You know, getting better deals for the citizens of her state that she governs. It's all about what's best for our state of Alaska, . . . uh, our country. We can be assured, she has never acted out of personal greed, nor has she played on the greed of the Alaskan citizens who receive income from Palin's negotiations for the state.

[LeftRight]

I will grant that her choice to bear the child and raise it is admirable. However, that's the only thing about this woman that is admirable. The fact of the matter is that the ONLY reason that McCain chose Sarah Palin is because he thought that the "hordes" of dissatisfied Hillary supporters would FLOCK to his ticket with a woman, and I suspect that she's the only woman that he could find who would take the job!

Of course, it's going to backfire on him. Hillary supporters are going to see right through this. They will see that Gov Palin is anti-choice, anti-gun control, pro-war, and anti-family! Then they will simply laugh at McCain and go out and vote for the person who is JUST like Hillary in every respect save gender and race!

[cynicism101]

I can understand why the left fears this is a ploy to attract the HRC supporters the Dems patently ignored - I understand why you gravitate to that. But no - She was chosen because she has a "proven" track record of bipartisan *accomplishment* for change AND reform. Someone who can inject new life into the platform and the party.

Further, she's someone who can bait the Dems into questioning her experience - all the time not recognizing her experience is at worst ^equal^ to the experience of the top line of the Dem ticket. And as a plus, she's actually spent time doing her job - not campaigning for her next one.

The Dems talk about change. The Dems talk about abandoning DC politics. Yet, on the first executive decision of the party of change - that choice is to select the epitome of DC politics. The alleged party of "same old" - well, that first decision was to select a *female* outsider with more executive experience than the entire Dem ticket.

[Warmglobe]

And the Dems will have to answer the question of why they attack her when thier own candidate for president has actually LESS experience then she does...unless you count his foriegn policy experience of having eaten at an International House of Pancakes.

[LeftRight]

The supporters that the Dems ignored????? They have gone OUT OF THEIR WAY to reach out to them!

[MrTessier]

Well said! I don't even know why anyone would bother to point out all the defects in this choice. It seems like she has enough to deal with, with 5 kids! I really don't think there's any bump to be had at all with this pick, and I think he threw away a bunch of other possible contenders in the process, so why even bother to point out her negatives. It's almost a non-story. Amazingly a non-story for a VP pick. I guess it's time to move on and concentrate back on McCain's policies.

This pick changes the quote from "Do no harm" with your VP pick, to "Do nothing".

[eeVas]

As I woman, and a Obama supporter. I am proud that a woman will be on the Republican ticket.

But I am saddened by the fact that I believe it is simply an election tactic that John McCain did not think through. I believe that McCain made this move by simply looking a checkboxes and unrelated check boxes at that. 1) she is female - get the Hillary supporters; 2) she's pro-life - get the litmus test voters. 3) She's a member of the NRA - get the 2nd amend voters.

The problems are that she is not ready to be president. The VP is supposed a heart beat away. Alot of religious right will not vote for her simply because she IS A WOMAN. Sexism is a huge issue in this country to this day, especially on the right.

[cynicism101]

I agree there is issues with sexism in today's world. That was clearly demonstrated by the goings-on during the primary season of the supposed "party of tolerance."

Not ready to be president - well, compared to the top of her ticket - yep. Compared to the 2nd line of the Dem ticket - probably. Compared to the _top_ of the Dem ticket - nope.

She has just as much time in politics as he does. She also has "executive" experience. There is NO executive experience on the Dem ticket.

[LiberalDemIda]

Cynicism101... You really wanna play the "executive experience" game; a game you'll lose?

Point-in-fact, she might have executive experience (experience only as long as Obama's been campaigning, and to be blunt and fair AND being mayor of a thinly populated town of less than 8,000 people hardly qualifies anyone to claim "exec. experience") that you say the Dems lack but taken out of context (as all right-wingers can't help but do) it might seem she's better qualified than Obama and Biden.

By that same standard as you hold the Dem ticket to, MCCAIN'S just as UNqualified as either Obama or Biden.

Don't go there, C101 - you'll end up with egg splattered all over your face.

[LeftRight]

She's been in politics for around six years. He's been in for more than a dozen. She's led a PTA, a small town govt (less than one tenth the population of his FIRST political experience!!!), a small state (his campaign has employed more people than LIVE in her state!!), and that's IT!!

I will admit that according to your definition of experience Obama doesn't have much. However, YOU must also admit that according to those SAME definitions of experience, YOUR Sarah Quaylin has MUCH less experience than Obama does!

And let's be serious here about one point. Experience does not matter. There has only been ONE President who entered the White House "ready on day one". Grover Cleveland, the ONLY man to serve two non-consecutive terms, was ready on day one of his SECOND term!

[HAP]

thank you--exaclty right.

[Marieke]

It depends on what you consider caring for a child. Going back to work 3 days after giving birth to a child with this disability seems cold and uncaring to me. Choosing to run for vice president 4 months after giving birth seems fairly selfish.

The parents I know who have a child with a disability have seen this change their lives in many ways and one of those ways is having to commit plenty of time to their child - more than they expected to commit..

The problem is, a woman choosing to do this means that everyone is going to be making judgments about it based on what they think they would do in that position. I personally think it says a lot about the family values of John McCain and those on the inside of the campaign that they would even consider asking someone in her position to do this job.

[Harold Pollack - Huffpost Blogger]

Nah--we shouldn't go there. She is balancing her own ambitions, the needs of her new child, and the needs of the rest of her family. That's her call to make

[lisakaz2]

Apparently there is a rumor that the birth was a charade to benefit a daughter. I don't know but the 3 days thing and her seeming lack of involvement in a special needs child's life seems to suggest this is possible.

It is galling to suggest women who abort such pregnancies aren't thinking of real issues that the GOP neglects to value -- such as the economy and health insurance. Ms. Palin didn't have issues with these 2, but many women would. So, how realistic is it that any other women with this complication must have the burdens without another option?

[HAP]

Lisakaz2--I agree with paragraph #2. Stay away from this rumor stuff. Unworthy of us Democrats. If the rumor is true, it says nothing bad about Sarah Palin.

[KateAB]

..."cold and uncaring"? ..."fairly selfish"? I think what you are trying to describe is the mentality of over 90% of women that abort their children because of a Down Syndrome diagnosis. In comparison to the rest of the majority of women out there, simply allowing this child the right to live makes her an incredible example of unselfishness. Women in 2008 are still given horrificly false and outdated information by the 'experts' (genticsists and OB's) so I suppose you can't blame them too much.
Whether or not I agree with her other politics, as a mother of a toddler with DS, I would much rather have someone in Washington with intergrity that walks the walk in terms of protecting life and KNOWS the special joys and challenges (yes - joys) of these individuals, than those muddled in their own selfishness and lack of understanding.

[LynnDee]

Very well written and yes these are the issues! No she does not earn my vote either.

[Harold Pollack - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks

[ESerafina42]

Oh, and my previous comment indicates no disrespect for people who don't make the choice that Palin made. Of course she also has resources that most Americans can only dream of, like money, a good job, and health insurance. The big question is: does her experience in this area give her any compassion for those people? I could be wrong, but from what I've heard, I think not.

[ESerafina42]

Just in case my previous comment doesn't make it, I basically said the same thing AC500 said, while giving her credit for making a difficult decision.

[ESerafina42]

Good for her for making the tough decision, but being out on the campaign trail, she will NOT be caring for her child. Other people will be.