End the Mommy Wars

This is a joke; John McCain's advisers have said, this pick is to energize the base. The base isnt what McCain needed, he needed independents; and i assure you this: independents means, grey area, not the following: Anti-choice, even in cases of rape and incest. Anti-gay rights completely. Belief that the troops are doing "god's work", yes direct quote.

He may have energized the base, but he abandoned the moderates he needed to have a chance in this election.

While I appreciate the author's acknowledgement of the unfair treatment of Gov. Palin - one line in this piece is so oddly out-of-place that I could barely stomach the rest of the article, even-handed as it seemed to be. It was this: "I have been surprised, however, by the reactions of many women???not to Palin's pro-life views or to the fact that she had asked members of her onetime church to pray for the completion of a $30 billion natural-gas pipeline project..."
It is exactly this sort of secularist elitism that makes the average american roll their eyes and turn off national media. This unabashed disdain for those who actually possess a faith that infuses their everyday lives and decisions is pathetically intolerant and betrays a stark ignorance of life outside those pretentious academies that draw cookie-cutter, affirmation-seeking "progressives" like ants at a picnic. The most pathetic thing is that she seems to expect that "many women" will be equally as repulsed by Gov. Palin's expression of her faith. I wonder if she's ever met a woman that lives outside NY, LA or DC. I suspect that if she has she scoffs at the poor, uneducated little dears that can't share her ivy-league enlightenment.
People's faith is real. Just because you have some barrier that prevents you from acknowledging your own reliance on a higher power doesn't give you the moral or professional justification to belittle others with a more full understanding of the world around them. Treat others with respect first, and then maybe your call for a more respectful discussion of Gov. Palin's credentials will seem more legitimate.

So many of the women commenting on here sound ridiculous. It's not about you or how you struggle with raising children and having a career. You're all on here venting. Palin is not qualified because she has no foreign policy experience. It has nothing to do with having no kids or 12 kids. But, if people can she IS qualified because she has 5 kids (or because Russia is across the Bering Sea from Alaska - still laughing at that one), then others can say she is NOT qualified because she has 5 kids. My grandmother raised 6 children and they had 3 homecooked meals, ironed clothes and a clean house when there were many less conveniences and everything was in order. It doesn't mean she's qualified to be president. Get a hold of yourself people.

I oppose her nomination because she is not qualified. I would oppose a man with the same resume'. There is not enough time between now and election day for the electorate to make a sound decision on her qualifications or learn more about her. There are many who say we don't know Obama well enough yet and we've been reading about him in the press for nearly 2 years. Shame on John McCain to throw this curve ball at the electorate and the pandering it implies. It is correct for us (the voters) and the press to completely vet her between now and election day. Maybe we'd rather go softball on her and risk a tragic mistake like all the softballing in the run up to the Iraq war. Heaven help us if we fail so badly again.

I disagree with about half of Sarah Palin's politics, and I haven't yet decided who gets my vote - I have voted democrat the last 5 times (since I was able to vote). The more I hear about my fellow democrats being UGLY about Sarah Palin, the more I like her. The more I learn real things about her record, the more I like her. I always thought and would proudly say how much more intelligent and morally superior (when it came to mud slinging) democrats were than republicans, I guess I was wrong. For the life of me, I can't believe that I will most likely vote Republican this year - never thought I would see the day......

Another interesting point is that Obama stood there and said the family was off limits, and I felt he was sincere. Do his followers just have that little respect for him? The comments I hear and read are so 'middle school', vile, and mean, that they are doing damage to his campaign. Was Obama just saying that for affect and then did he send out a text message saying 'wink, wink, now go after her'?

One more comment. People seem to be making a really big deal about the Down's baby and her not being home with that baby. I work with disabled children, and their parents work, too. I didn't realize that they couldn't work - should I start counseling parents with disabled children to quit their jobs? How long should they stay home? This isn't a temporary condition, so will I need to tell them that they should never work again?

I can't believe I just read a comment by a man who stated that sexism occured in the 50's and 60's. As I stated before, my mother caught it in the 70's. A female friend of hers had to tell her husband that my father was killed in Viet Nam because women couldn't hang out with divorced women. A female lawyer friend of mine didn't get the $40,000 a year raise that her male counterparts did THREE years ago because the males 'had families to raise'. When she pointed out that her husband was a 'stay at home dad', she was told if she fought it, she would never get another job as a corporate lawyer. How's that for the 21st century and the 'lack' of sexism. I don't know another man that would agree with the statement that men question other men's child care arrangements. I could go on and on about this issue....

She can't run her own house? WHAT am I hearing? Do you have children? Did you conceive them in your parents' house? I can't even begin to fathom what would make someone say this! Do you mean that all we have to do as women is stay home and then the issue of teenage pregnancy will go away - because we are then 'running our houses'????? Wow! Why didn't you just tell everyone that secret back before we made the huge mistake of allowing women to get out of the kitchen? That's the biggest tax break ever! No more sex education, no more caring for out of wedlock babies, and I'm sure no more high school dropout or even failure at all in school. C'mon women! Back home it is to run our houses! Harleyishere for president!

1) The author of the article writes: "Every family is unique, as is every woman's ability to cope with chaos and stress." This, and other comments regarding a parent's (gender-neutral) ability to "juggle" career and child all seem to miss the point: What is it like to BE juggled? I'm sure Mrs. Palin is an expert at managing her time, however from the perspective of the child whose time is being so managed, the result is the same, and is far from ideal.

2) As a potential Vice President who will no doubt be casting tie-breaking votes on, among many other issues, legislation concerning (or diminishing) the teaching of sex education in schools, why is it not fair to examine how spectacularly she has failed her in her own home, where presumably her message was regularly and diligently hammered home?

3) And why it is not legitimate for voters to stick our collective noses into Mrs. Palin's family life and affairs, when she, as a famously pro-life anti-choice anti-gay marriage candidate, so religiously does just that to every family in the United States, and desires to do so at the Federal level? It doesn't feel very nice, or respectful, does it, Mrs. Palin?

What a terrific post. I hope Sarah Palin becoming a public figure will lead to a new discussion of working moms and the right of all moms to make the choices they think best for their families, as I blogged here: http://workingmoms.about.com/b/2008/09/04/will-sarah-palins-candidacy-set-back-working-mothers.htm Maybe we can even end the Mommy Wars!! And I do think we can judge her without being judgmental.

The snarky Ms Palin wants the media to report on her undereducated teen son going to Iraq, but would prefer that they leave her HS drop out whiskey-swillin' daughter and her HS drop out drunk boyfriend out of it. She also doesn't want the media to get too close to the fact that the Lady Bristol is having a baby after being impregnated at 16. That's bad of the media - they should leave it. She does wants the media to report her opposition to the Bridge to Nowhere - after she supported it with deed and money. But, she does not want the media to report she left her little small town broke while mayor, but please do talk about the 80% lovefest-rate as a 1 1/2 year Gov. The media should steer clear of oil talk, oil-job hubbies, oil conflict of interests, murdered dogs and Library books.

The media should stay far away from her being under investigation by a bipartisan state legislative body. And Ms. Palin really promised to cooperate with a legislative inquiry, but this week she hired a lawyer to fight to move the case to the jurisdiction of the state "personnel board" - which Palin anoints and appointed. In her cloud of rhetoric musings and snaps, Palin said speeches are just a "cloud of rhetoric." Which the media should ignore altogether. And for God's sake - for the religious right - don't talk about the lobbyist hired and ear marks received, squandered and hidden. Instead talk about how she was vetted two week ago in three hours.

But she's apparently a good hockey mom, who should be forgiven. A bit nasally though like Fran Drescher. I bet those glasses cost more than a haircut too. Stylish. She'll look good giving her sister's ex the boot.

Thank you so much for saying this - and saying it so well. I am a 45 year old woman who has 3 degrees and 2 children - and I've worked their entire lives. I've been told by men over the years that the 'ruination' of this country is women going to work and leaving their children in daycare. These men were very conservatve. Now I am hearing liberal women saying these things about Palin. And this comes after these same women vilified Hillary - after supporting/defending her during the Clinton administration.

I watched my single mother try to find jobs in the 70's, and watched the sexism she experienced during those times. Enough that by 6th grade I was writing papers on the ERA. I've never considered myself a republican or democrat, but the attacks on her AFTER the attacks on Hillary has certainly cinched the decision for me.

My 15 year old daughter became a republican just yesterday when at the office with me (I know - I'm a really BAD mother not being at home with her) while she listened to my educated, female, mental health workers slam Palin on such a personal level. These 'tolerant' liberals actually said the only reason Palin won a beauty contest was because she was only up against eskimos. How's that for tolerance for gender/race/culture? My daughter was furious, confused, and hurt -as I am.

All of the women in the media need to watch what they are saying - that world certainly seems driven by men, and maybe they will all get sent home to raise their babies. Sorry, but that first few days, weeks, months is just the beginning. I guess we should all go home so we wont have to worry about any more social ills. Let the men solve foreign policy issues and money issues, and we'll just raise those babies.

As a teenage mother myself one of the reasons I found time to get pregnant is because my parents were too busy worrying about themselves. Teenagers need their parents supervision and guidence as much as toddlers do....So now my little girl grew up and I am the mother of a teenager. To be there for her I have put my career on hold so I can watch her like a hawk so she doesnt get knocked off her track.

As far as the aminotic fluid leaking story, I am thankful the baby is perfectly fine, but with her extreme views on fetuses I wonder if Sarah Palin would put herself in jail for murder if something happened to that baby because of her poor judgment.

Hello from Obamaland, southside Chicago. The demos personal attack on Palin is classic Obama. He won his first state election by disqualifying his opponents and won his US senate seat by driving his repub. opponent off the ticket by scandalmongering. It is so bad here that lifelong liberals in my circle are muttering about character assassination. Obama speaks the high road while his staff spreads the dirt. Standard operating Chicago machine politics. Please all of you planning to vote for Obama come visit southside Chicago first. Second highest murder rate, highest gas and sales taxes, worse schools, worst gangs,
underpayed police afraid to patrol, vast areas of the city where whites and orientals cannot go. We have Obama's future here abd now, come see if you dare.

Where are all those conservative women who used to say, "Raising my children is the most important job in the world!" Can we retire that line now that conservatives are supporting a run for the Vice-Presidency by a woman with a 4-month old infant? Until I read this article, I hadn't heard any criticism of Palin for being a working mom, but I have been wondering why more conservatives who believe a mother's place is at home with the kids have been so silent about this issue.