Mother and Child
A cynic's view of Palin's family fanfare.
I'm not one to be moved by political speeches. Having covered John Kerry's campaign in 2004 for NEWSWEEK, and Hillary Clinton after that, cynicism is as close as I come to a belief system. My husband, an Obama supporter, won't talk to me about politics; he's been burned by too many references to "Hope Floats," the 1998 Sandra Bullock vehicle.
But I was drawn in by Sarah Palin's appearance at the Republican National Convention Wednesday night. Not because the woman knows how to give a speech--and she really, really knows how to give a speech. But that's just good theater; I found myself feeling emotional when she talked about children with special needs, and especially when the camera panned to her four-month-old Down syndrome baby sleeping in his daddy's arms. I realized I've been scanning the Palin coverage all along for mentions of her child. I've cared much more about how the baby's doing and how the family is dealing with that extraordinary challenge than the fact that her teen-age daughter got pregnant. When The New York Times ran a photo of the teen daughter holding Palin's four-month-old, I zoomed in on the little bean.
I've got my reasons. Ten months ago I gave birth, for the first time, to identical twin boys. A political reporter for NEWSWEEK, I'm now on a yearlong maternity leave. Every woman who's been pregnant has had to think about what she would do if she found out she was carrying a baby with Down syndrome. A lot of us agonize over whether to risk a miscarriage to find out with an amnio. When blood work showed that I had an elevated risk for having two children with Down syndrome (since identical twins have the same DNA, both babies would have the same condition), we went ahead with the genetic test. We put it off for weeks, second-guessing ourselves until the needle went in. The result showed that I was very lucky. I can't know for sure what I would have wanted to do had our fate been different. So for people like Sarah Palin, I have great admiration.
As the camera focused on that little guy in the stands, I felt an unfamiliar stirring. Then the mom in me kicked in. What's a four-month-old, I wondered, doing out late at night in a hall filled with hoards of screamers? For all the sanctimonious applause for Palin's pledge to be an advocate for special needs-children, no one seemed bothered by the fact that the little guy was being used as a prop to motivate voters. (I hate listening to mothers judge other mothers. I'd rather just listen to my own scornful internal monologue.)
But regardless of how unpleasant the evening may have been for little Trig, his appearance was worth at least a few thousand votes in socially conservative southeastern Ohio. That's why he was there. Certainly, if McCain is elected, he will owe Palin's littlest a thank you. To think I'd gotten sucked in! Now that I'm back in my old killjoy skin, I find I'm still applauding. The campaign's image-making Wednesday night takes a certain political brilliance-the kind only a cynic can appreciate.
© 2008
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Member Comments
Posted By: dasher205 @ 09/17/2008 4:23:11 PM
Comment: Does anyone know why all my apostrophes come out as ??????????'s on this page?? Or how I can fix it????
Posted By: dasher205 @ 09/17/2008 2:56:26 PM
Comment: As voter and as a mother, I???ve questioned whether or not Sarah Palin can juggle her responsibilities as a parent and potential Vice President. Is that sexist? I hear over and over: They wouldn???t ask a man that question. Actually, we have. And we should do it more often.
After the horrific accident that killed his wife and daughter and left two of his sons in critical condition, it was legitimate to ask, could Joe Biden handle his job as newly elected senator? He asked that question of himself and came close to deciding not to serve. He agreed to be sworn in, but only with compromises. He would commute home every day. He would be called out of meetings if his sons needed him. Though Biden reluctantly decided to fulfill his promise to serve, I don???t think anyone would suggest that he would have sought out a candidacy at that difficult time.
When John Edwards continued to run for President after his wife???s cancer returned, didn???t we all wonder what we would do in his place? Was his decision a display of strength and patriotism, or was it just that he wanted it so much? Knowing what we know now, it looks more than ever like his choice was just the tip of an iceberg of confused priorities and egocentricity. In retrospect, maybe we should have examined his decision even more carefully and critically.
With an infant son born with Down Syndrome, it is fair not only to question whether or not Sarah Palin can handle both family and politics, but also to ask how she came to the decision to run. Palin proudly declares that she ???didn???t blink??? when asked to be Vice President. She ???didn???t hesitate.??? Even for a minute? She didn???t weigh the impact such a role would have on her family? She didn???t wonder if this was the right time for her to be taking on such a daunting task? It???s a beautiful concept that she considers her new baby a blessing from God. But that blessing carries with it overwhelming responsibility???time consuming, emotionally draining, physically exhausting challenges. I don???t see how you can embrace one without the other.
So is it fair to question her choice to run? It???s not only fair, it???s crucial. It is neither sexist nor intrusive to examine any candidate???s judgment in making important decisions, his or her capacity for compromise, his or her ability to make good decisions. It is part of a legitimate evaluation that includes experience, intelligence and understanding of complex world and domestic affairs. We shouldn???t have to apologize for asking if a candidate???male or female--can handle the job, or for examining the seriousness and sensitivity with which he or she weighs priorities, responsibilities and realities.
Posted By: willnotvoteobama @ 09/17/2008 8:06:04 AM
Comment: i remember when hilary tried everything to knock obama down even the kitchen sink and it did not work! now the obama camp is trying everything including the kitchen sink on palin and its not working ! she gets bigger crowds at her rallies and he gets small ones his ego is crushed and he is worried that he will lose the white house ! and he should be ! McCAIN / PALIN 08 ! >>>>>>>>>> OBAMA / BIDEN BACK TO THE SENATE !
as history suggests issues of policy will ultimately trump the politics of identity. obama is all about who he is and nothing about what he has done ! McCain is all about what he has done not who he is ! the choice is clear !