End the Mommy Wars

Hear, hear! I don't like her views on abortion, but that doesn't mean we have to bash her as a mother and soon-to-be grandmother. However, the Republicans shouldn't trot her out as an exemplary person for deciding to have a Down's Syndrome child. Nor should the same Republicans that don't want people to bash the Palins on the teenage pregnancy thrust her teenage daughter out for all to see as an example for pregnant teenagers everywhere.

I can agree with you that Sarah's family choices should not grist for the mill. I do think if you choose to bring 5 children in the world, you should recognize that parenting them will take a great deal of time and energy and there are some jobs that make parenting more possible than others. I suspect that the Vice Presidency is not one of those jobs that leaves you with that kind of flexibility. However, she has made her choice and it is not for us to argue with it or, worse, condemn her for it. It is reasonable to wonder whether she can truely devote hereself to the rigors of being the number two person in government (or the number 1, if something happens to McCain). It is a sacrifice to take the kind of job where you might not be able to be there for your family, but I think that decision was hers to make.

On the other hand....there are plenty of political questions to scrutinize in this pick, including those regarding her experience with or even exposure to the national stage; her extreme positions on choice, creationism, sex education, etc., which are not by the majority of Americans (even if they are held disproportionately by Republicans); her involvement with an abuse of power case that is still very much up in the air; her affiliation with, if not membership in, a radical Alaskan independence organization that has, at times, espoused secession, to mention just a few. These questions are real and relevant and should be the subject of much scrutiny and debate as we determine if we want to vote for her.

Lastly, while I think the National Esquire-like headlines about whether her baby is even hers are pretty stupid. If, however, a real story ever came to light that she, in fact, did lie about whose baby he is, the fact that she lied would be germane to her suitability for the VIce Presidency. Not what she lied about, mind you, but the fact that she lied (if she did).

On the other

I am having these same debates with women in my office and in my family... what I have found is a consistent pattern of liberal/democratic women who are condemning or judging her... It's ridiculous... My mother and I had this argument for an hour yesterday and I told her she should be ashamed of herself... if Palin were a democrat like her my mother would be absolutely rabidly defending her every choice... instead she is criticizing and ridiculing her... It made me sick. I'm a hospital administrator and single mother of 3 and she calls me her "hero" for the sacrifices I have made to be "supermom"... she is a college professor and mother of 5! But I am a conservative and she is a liberal... that's the difference...

Rick Davis (McCain's campaign manager) - "This election is not about issues," said Davis. "This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."
They are the ones creating the mess to take everyone's attention away from John McCain and the issues at hand.
We will see in November if Americans really are the stupidest people on the planet. As P.T. Barnum said "You will never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people."

"Right or wrong, women overall still shoulder an unfair burden when it comes to childcare and household duties. But how each family strikes that balance is hard enough without a shrill chorus questioning every move." This is a difficult statement to disagree with. Our society is filled with imbalances based on gender, race, religion, weight, height, etc. etc. etc. A VP candidate should not be subject to one set of standards if a woman and another altogether if a man. So let me go on the record in saying the following - Any parent, whether they happen to be the mother or the father, who chooses to pursue such a high profile, high pressure job when they have just welcomed a baby into their family, one who happens to be disabled on top of that, and also has a pregnant teenage daughter to counsel and protect from the glare of the media, is an awful parent. Can an awful parent be a fine VP or even president? Certainly. Would I vote for such a person? Not a chance, especially when they're claiming sole proprietorship of morality despite the fact that nothing could be further from the truth.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/aip_founder_professed_hatred_f.php

How "Right Winged" is that for Your A!! Sarah & Her Husband Todd Palin was a 7 Yr. Member of this Alaskan Seccessionist Group !!!

-------------------

Founder Of Group Palin Courted Professed "Hatred For The American Government"; Cursed "Damn Flag"

By Greg Sargent - September 2, 2008, 6:10PM

The founder of the Alaska Independence Party -- a group that has been courted over the years by Sarah Palin, and one her husband was a member of for roughly seven years -- once professed his "hatred for the American government" and cursed the American flag as a "damn flag."

The AIP founder, Joe Vogler, made the comments in 1991, in an interview that's now housed at the Oral History Program in the Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

"The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government," Vogler said in the interview, in which he talked extensively about his desire for Alaskan secession, the key goal of the AIP.

"And I won't be buried under their damn flag,"

Vogler continued in the interview, which also touched on his disappointment with the American judicial system. "I'll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home."

At another point, Volger advocated renouncing allegiance to the United States. In the course of denouncing Federal regulation over land, he said:

"And then you get mad. And you say, the hell with them. And you renounce allegiance, and you pledge your efforts, your effects, your honor, your life to Alaska."

Palin has courted the group over the years.

3 years after the controversial interview, in 1994, Palin attended the group's annual convention, according to witnesses who spoke to ABC News' Jake Tapper. The McCain campaign is disputing her presence there, but Tapper found two people to attest to it.

The McCain campaign today produced Palin's voting registration records, and said they proved she was never a member of the party.

But she has repeatedly reached out to the group. The McCain campaign has confirmed she visited the group's 2000 convention, and she addressed its convention this year, as an incumbent governor whose oath of office includes upholding the Constitution of the United States.

Palin's husband, Todd Palin, was a member of the party from 1995-2002 with a brief exception in 2000.

It's worth noting that Vogler isn't just some figure from ancient history. He is still being hailed on AIP's site this year, the same year Palin addressed the group's convention.