Another Post About Sarah Palin

(if you are completely, utterly sick of her, skip this)



My right eye will not stop twitching.

It started last night while watching the VP debate. Facts and accuracy be damned! All we really need is a hockey mom who says things like “you betcha”, and “I’m so not a Washington insider” to alleviate our fears. I can just picture the wide swath of middle America sitting in the living room barking at the TV in resounding approval of her weirdly accented “straight talk”, thinking, “she’s just like me!”. Guess what, people? This is NOT the time to be electing someone just like you.

It’s all so bittersweet as a woman, seeing her up there in the spotlight. Of course, I would rather see Hillary up there for the cause of the advancement of women to the highest office in the land... But, in any case, here is a woman running for the second highest position, and she’s a dunce. I certainly don’t agree with her politics, but still, it makes me cringe to see her just so out of her league. That has nothing to do with her sex, but let’s face it, if McCain & Palin lose, the glass ceiling will remain intact and I sincerely hope that doesn’t set back our cause too much.

Speaking of feminists, I agree wholeheartedly that queries about her commitment to family and abilities to be a mother while in office is a line of questioning that just smacks of sexism and misogyny. No matter that some of those doing the questioning are other women, which is sad. I say, skewer her for the right reasons. Get it? Right reasons! That was a play on words, people.

But since when does being a mom qualify you for everything? There are plenty of women I know who are great moms, but it doesn’t make them qualified for every job under the sun. I find Palin’s constant references to motherhood, specifically mothers of children in sports, just really way out there. Sure, I get that it’s all about identification with her, and particularly because she doesn’t have much else in the way of merit badges (note that Hillary never had to play up motherhood; her lifetime in politics is quite enough, thank you very much), but it’s absurd. And the crazy part is that many people find nothing strange about that at all. The mommy movement (and competitive parenting for that matter) is just something I cannot understand, much less identify with. It’s great that one is a parent (mom or dad), but it has no corollary to one’s ability to lead a country.

Anyway, I’m off to Vegas for a week. Warm weather, good food, Elvis!, Red Rock Canyon, and the tackiest stuff on earth. I plan to have a great vacation.