Am I "Off Message" on Sarah Palin?

Warning! This pundit isn't feeling the same way as most of my colleagues about Sarah Palin. She is being attacked for her lack of experience for the job and for whether she should be putting her family first instead of her career. This just isn't that unusual in my book. And the more it goes on, the more uncomfortable I feel with that message.

I am a woman who someone took a chance on several years ago and gave me a job that had only previously been done by old white guys. Experience? How do you get any if no one takes a chance on you? And the decision to take a chance can be instinctive, as John McCain said. Sure it was a gimmick. But would we feel better if it was Tim Pawlenty? What someone does on a small scale can be a good indicator of what they do on a large scale. So suggesting that she would do any worse than the host of guys who have auditioned for the job isn't that compelling an argument to me. And what about the argument that she is a negligent mother who will be distracted from her important role. I am a mother who constantly feels the pressure from others about whether I am fit to be a parent, whether I put my kids first often enough and whether my son with learning disabilities gets enough of my attention. Who has the right to to judge my family?

My grandmother always said "You can't tell time on someone else's clock". Judgments about people's personal lives are better left unsaid and unrealized.

So why then do I think that Sarah Palin would be a terrible vice president? Because I also think that John McCain would be a terrible president.

I don't care about how Sarah Palin or John McCain take care of their families. I care about how their policy choices affect my family and millions of other Americans.

-McCain and Palin get their health insurance paid for by the government (hers in Alaska and his in Washington). Yet they oppose giving the 42 million other Americans the same access to affordable healthcare.

-John McCain's kids don't have to worry about paying for college. Yet, he has opposed every single education support program to help others.

-McCain and Palin say they will stand up to oil companies. Yet the only energy policy they support gives millions of dollars in tax breaks to oil companies to do more drilling and he has opposed every piece of federal legislation to explore alternative fuel sources.

-McCain and Palin say they will revamp how Washington does business. Yet his campaign is filled with lobbyists and she has been in bed with Senator Ted Stevens funneling federal money for useless projects in Alaska for years.

-McCain and Palin have refused to answer very real questions about her potential abuse of power in Alaska when it came to her firing a State Trooper because she was on a revenge kick for her sister costing an officer his job. And McCain and Palin have no solutions for Americans worrying about their jobs in a fragile economy.

-McCain and Palin want us to leave their families alone. Yet they want make rules for our families by eliminating our right to make our own choices over abortion; eliminate our access to family planning education or domestic partner benefits; and our freedom from discrimination. They want to control what our kids learn in school about sex and about science. In short, through the policies they promote and the judges they support, they want the government to be more in control over our private lives than at any time in history.

-McCain and Palin now say their campaign is about change, too. Yet, the only real change they have proposed is a change from a suit to a skirt in the VP's office and one man fighting a misplaced war for another in the Oval Office. That seems to me to be the right reason to oppose them in November. It's not the process or the people, it's what they represent. This unconventional choice of VP by John McCain won't stand up to the hype and result in a win in November because they are the wrong choice for the country.

Follow Hilary Rosen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hilaryr

Comments

[hmolette79]

I think McCain is using Palin to make his ticket to the White House. She is not the most experienced female politician. This is just a strategy by the republican party that won't work. American's are too smart for this gimmick. If I were Palin I would hang it up. Apparently she was never interested in becoming the VP so what makes me think she is accepting this nomination whole heartedly.

[CTtransplant]

Hillary, beautiful! Right on target...and one of the few logical articles I've read thus far. Thank you for putting into words what many of us have been feeling!

[tbone99]

The media finds it much easier to expose someone 's possible bad choices than try and explain nuclear disarmament....and the public finds it easier to listen to - finally something they 're expert on - other people's sex lives!

[S1m0n]

Have you noticed that the "Palin is being a bad mother" argument is being made almost exclusively by women? That doesn't make it a valid argument, mind you, but the fact is interesting in itself.

[boing007]

Sarah Palin is on CNN this minute still claiming to be a reformer.

[psych101]

Well said! Nothing will discredit her and McCain more that attacking them directly on the issues at hand. It is pointless and potentially counterproductive to bring up the "how can you be a mother and vp" question - even though I rarely hear that criticism from anyone other than...surprise, surprise....Christian nut groups. However, I would like to emphasize that her decision to accept this position, place her family in the spotlight during a sensitive time, and put them all through an inevitably harsh campaign either shows that 1) She is reckless 2) She is out of touch with the rest of the country and world and thinks everywhere else operates like a town of 6,000 3) She doesn't know the importance of her position and thinks this is just another entry she could add to her resume.

[Krikkit]

I think you need to take another look at this because your logic is a bit off. Sure, you need to get a foot in the door in order to start building experience, but no one expects the first door to open to be the job next to the top slot. Let me put that another way. Would you ever expect it would be a wise hiring decision for a CEO to hire his top Executive from a pool of fresh-faced kids? Or would you naturally expect he or she would choose someone not quite so wet behind the ears?

Ms. Palin had to hire a manager to run the governor's office, a special need that none of her predecessors had. She has no experience on the national stage, no experience on the international stage, she barely has any experience in her "executive" role as governor of Alaska, a job she couldn't handle. That isn't surprising considering her only other "executive" experience came from being the mayor of a two bit town.

I want women to have opportunities, but I do NOT want a hack one step away from the office of the Presidency of the United States of America.

[snarkopolitan]

I think that was mayor, actually. All the rest is right on; Wasilla had no debt Before SP. After SP, they were 22 million in the hole, and that's for a town of 5,000 people.

I grew up in a town of 8,000. Our mayor had enough time to govern and still run Elliott's Variety Store----in the black!

[furryone]

Thank you for your blog! I am glad someone else thinks that all this feeding frenzy from the punditry over palin's personal life/qualifications (or lack thereof) is pretty insane. I agree with every reason you listed why palin and mccain are the wrong choices for the jobs they are applying for...and that is ALL I care about, and I wish the MSM would quit acting like an episode of the Jerry Springer Show!

[wildishka]

Exactly! Well Said!! It is not about inexperience, being pro life(that is hard one for me to swallow), or having a pregnant teenager, or using your hot hockey mama credentials. It is definitely about Conservative Republicans taking us to a hidden cave for 4 more yrs and force feeding us more lies. Please I hope that Repubs are not counting on pro Clinto women to somehow forget that supporting Palin and McCain will mean Republicans in the White House. I sure hope NOT. Sisters and Brothers out there, please don't get deviated from the real issues. We need to elect Obama and Biden coming Nov.!

[GOP4MoreTears]

Eloquently expressed and a well reasoned argument Ms. Rosen, your points are well taken, and it gives one something to ponder. Kudos, especially for following your heart felt feelings.

[sheisme]

Thank you for logic

[Revanchist]

bwavo! x-)

[shamanbart]

Hilary -- good post. I agree with the notion about keeping the "take care of the family" part out of any political assessment. But with VP, I think that the voters took a chance on her for Gov. of AK. She should have a few more years experience before going to the next level. This is too much, too soon.

Your points about what's really disturbing about McCain/Palin are right on and are very important to consider. The abject refusal of the Repugs to do anything to try to control healthcare costs and to expand coverage speaks volumes about their so-called family values. The tax credit they offer will do very little good for the unemployed or persons seeking to buy health insurance on their own.

Time for a real change! Obama/Biden 08 !!

[Woodfella]

The media's outrage about Palin all stems from fear and anger.

Fear that she will ruin Obama's coronation.

Anger that they were surprised by the pick.

[PrimaDonna526]

Great article Hillary. You are so on point. Thanks!

[Somedaysoon]

When I read that Huckabees son killed a pet as a joke--Huckabee needed to be home taking care of his family instead of running for prez.. Whether the person is male or female they have a duty to take care of their family first, then they can run around the country telling everyone else how to run their lives.