Why Sarah Palin and Pandering to Christian Right will Backfire
By Lisa - Homeschooling Mom
We moms were all a buzz to day at my impromptu pool party today. One of my friends is a writer for many national magazines and is fascinated by John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate and she spurred on the conversation amongst us.
Having worked in politics for several years I can say with much confidence that I don’t believe this was John McCain’s choice and it was foisted on him.
The Republicans are flailing around in the phoneme that is Barack Obama .
Politics can make strange bedfellows- as can homeschooling. Radical unschooled and left leaning homeschooling mom often find themselves on the same side of an issue as right wing Christians.
Never is the case more true when it comes to the issue of MOTHERS parenting their children.
Many right wing Christians can often be anti-feminist and are at home with their kids. Unschooling moms stay at home out of choice and because they believe its what is best for their kids and their family.
Is is a sacrifice to stay at home- it usually means less money but any home school mom will tell you its worth it. Most of the unschooling moms I know are attachment parents. Their babies are breastfed and often until 3-4 years of age.
I am leading up to a point here.. I am baffled that Sarah Palin thinks she is a “hockey” mom. I Have been involved in many national electoral campaigns you cannot conceive of the pressure it puts on a candidate family. A candidate is rarely at home and is going non-stop 18 hours a day.
My friend mentioned to me today that Sarah Palin has a 4 month old baby. This was shocking enough. She also mentioned the baby has Down’s syndrome and Sarah Palin is is proud of the fact that she was back to work after 3 days.!
I am disgusted. I am not disgusted that she chose to have a baby or keep her baby- I am appalled that she has been so careless as a mother. How in the world can you govern a state (effectively ) and think you are doing the best for your special needs baby?
There is nothing better for a baby born with Down syndrome than breast milk.. Breast milk can raise a babies IQ by several pints. this is a huge difference in a Down’s baby.
How is this baby being nursed or given breast milk? Was this baby in a sling? Did she go to a milk bank?
Ho wlong has it been breastfed- never mind all the benefits of being an “attched baby”. There is no way that little baby it getting the mommy time all babies deserve.
Note: I should have put my mouth in check before I spewed off- Sarah Palin is feeding her baby breastmilk and is a breasfeeding advocate. For this she gets kudos. HOWEVER I stand by my opinion that her kids should come first right now.
Now it has come out there their 16 year old daughter is pregnant. I am heart sick. Should this happen to my child the last thing I would do would be to throw myself into the spotlight where the values of my child would be questioned or scrutinized. I suspect they will use the daughter as a political tool-saying- see my daughter get pregnant and we are doing the right thing by keeping it and ‘walking the walk” .
No Sarah Palin has a 4 month old baby with Downs and a pregnent 16 year daughter . When do you decide that your family’s well being is more important than your political career or agenda?
Sarah Palin is ant-choice, believes in creation science and would like to see it taught in schools. She hates gays and wants to ban same sex marriage. Most of these issues are embraced by right wingers.
I wonder if they will overlook her dubious parenting choices in hopes of furthering the right wing cause?
I am curious to hear what “real” moms think- do they think this is great or are they as disturbed as I am?
Am I crazy? I am dumbfounded and think the choice will backfire. It would not shock me if she withdrew from the race.
Who is going to embrace this? Most right wing moms I know think women should be at home with their small children and BABIES. Yes lots of woman go back to work but that does not mean it is right. I am not ant-women. I am anti a society that does not support its women and children. We have created a society that isolates new mothers and does not help and support them. This is a huge problem and bigger than just “choosing” to stay at home or work. We have also created an dual income economy and now moms HAVE to work to pay for the stuff we don’t need.
I am not saying she is a bad parent because her daughter is pregnant- though lots of others will say it- I am saying she is a bad parent because she has chosen to throw herself into the spotlight dragging her family along. She needs to be with her kids right now and not on the political stumping grounds.
Campaigning as a Vice Presidential candidate is not a 9-5 job. It is ridiculous to campare this to the average working mom.
Would I expect the same from a man? I can tell you when John Edwards announced that his wife had cancer and he was goin to cintue to run I was also appalled. I felt his children and his family needed him more and the right thing to do was to be at home with the, and offer them the support they needed.
If this was a man? I don’t know. I know if I had a 4 month old baby with Downs Syndrome and my 16 year old was pregnant and my oldest son in Iraq and if my husband came and told me he would be taking on a position where we would be in press constantly and our lives scrutinized as well as he would now be working 18 hours days mostly away from home- I would say no way.
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Topics: General Homeschooling and Unschooling | 17 Comments »
September 1st, 2008 at 8:53 pm
This is the way I felt the moment I heard McCain’s
pick. Even before I new about her daughter, I thought how can she be there for those children and run for VP? I would love to have a woman in the White House but as a mom, I think she is doing her children a disservice.
September 1st, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Sarah Palin gave birth to a baby with Down’s Syndrome at the age of 44.
Is anyone else appalled at this?
The risk of giving birth to a baby with Down’s Syndrome is extremely high in women over 40 (and even higher when the father is also over 40).
http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/news/20030701/dad-age-down-syndrome
Sarah Palin “opposes the use of birth control pills and condoms even among married couples”.
I am disgusted by this irresponsible behaviour. To give birth at age 44 to a baby with Down’s because you refuse to use birth control inexcusable. Ignoring the dangers that you expose yourself and your baby to by refusing to use birth control after 40 is negligent and careless. To believe that a woman like this has the opportunity to become Vice President of the United States of America in 2008 makes me ill.
Does anyone else share this opinion?
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:47 am
I don’t think it is irresponsible to have unprotected sex with your husband over age 40- I don’t have any issue with Sarah Palin getting pregnant over 40 and have Down’s baby. I think they minute she found the baby had down and was born she should have quit/taken a leave of absence and devoted all her energy on that baby an her family.
From the pictures I see the oldest daughter seems to always be holding the baby- why is it that girls responsibility t parent he mother’s child? Now she is pregnant herself.
Her kids clearly need her and that is more important than any higher office. Her duty is to her family. Is she so important that no one else in America can be Vice president? Or is she the only one that can help get them elected?
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:19 pm
This election is up to white women of the US. Please discuss Sarah Palin and her choices, stance on issues and her ability to lead her family and possibly the FREE world. Be realistic please. The WHOLE WORLD is in the hands of women like you. Please PLEASE don’t be foolded by The GOP who believe you women are dumb and will vote for him and Sarah simply because she shares your anatomy. You are all too smart.. Women are SMARTER then the dumb men that told McBush to pick (sacrifice) her.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Check your facts. Sarah Palin did breastfeed her baby. She is actually quite famous for her quote about working moms… “You put down the blackberry and pick up the breast pump.”
Please check your facts before you rant. As a bfing mom of nine (but currently, just my twins), I am quite attached to my kids. I am also a homeschooling mom, and I have a job. It is hard work. I go to bed tired at night. But my kids are worth the time and coordination that homeschooling, working and breastfeeding all require.
She’s getting my vote. You can be the angry feminist all you want, it doesn’t change my mind at all to hear repetitions of the same tired old stuff. So much for wanting change… ::rolls eyes::
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I am happy she is breastfeeding- she still is? That would certainly be impressive. However I still don’t know how that would done on demand, etc.
I appreciate your opinion- there is no need to ‘roll eyes” to make a point. I am not ant-woman at all and was a Hilary supporter.
As an attachment parent I can’t imagine working full time with new baby- let alone a baby with Down’s syndrome.
My problem is that she knowing this would be an issue- the daughter;s pregnancy- she chose to enter the race. Presidential campaign is not for the feint of heart and there is literally no time for anything.
I question her ability to parent he teenage daughter and that she chose to drag her family an expose their lives to scrutiny. There is n shame in being pregnant at 17 or out of wedlock. What I find hard is that at 17 you are a children and having your mistakes magnified and blown up for the world to criticize is too much, Even my just writing about it here is too much for the poor girl.
I have worked with a candidate at a national level during election. I was stunned at what went on. The press alone was terrifying- being surrounding by tv cameras and lights was a surreal experience . The pace is unrelenting. It is an all or nothing proposition.
I don’t think being a mom disqualifies you as a vice presidential candidate- I think being a vice presidential candidate disqualifies you from being a mom.
I would say this of any woman with young children- her duty is to her kids first. You cannot do both well.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Yes, you are so right! And with McCain being older it seems extra scary to me that Sarah Palin is just a heartbeat away from presidency. No experience, extreme right wing agenda (when most people she would govern are moderate), and her choices as a mother to boot! Her five kids need her more than we do that’s for sure. Motherhood is not just another notch for the belt. A baby with Down’s can really thrive with lots of stimulation, healthy choices and an attached mom. There is no way a national candidate or VP could offer that to her children. Are the right-wingers that desperate for a ultra-conservative candidate that they’ll settle for one with so much baggage and inexperience. (she just got her first passport for crying out loud!)
September 4th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Smarting off with unsubstantiated and unjustified presumptions about Mrs. Palin’s mothering abilities makes you sound like an emotional, ungrounded fool. She happens to be a babywearer and she also breastfeeds (in fact she has done interview WHILE breastfeed). In 2007 she declared October as Breastfeeding Awareness Month in Alaska — here’s the link: http://gov.state.ak.us/archive-51603.html
It gets really old reading these unsubstantiated remarks and accusations from people who are clearly too lazy and self-involved to even research what they are talking about. Some people should have their mouths taped shut. By the way, I don’t recall any comments about these hollywood moms who work 16 hour days, many times away from their babies for weeks or months at a time.
For your information, I am an independent — socially moderate/democrat, but fiscally conservative (as we all should be if we have a brain). I am solely breastfeeding my 8 month old who sleeps with me, and who I wear in a pouch or MaiTai.
A piece of advice for you and those like you: THINK before you speak. It will make you seem like less of a dumdum.
September 4th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Even lazy self-involved people have an opinion. There is no need to name call here- you can express your own freely without having your character attacked. In my ONPINION you cannot be a great mom and run for VP.it is not possible My own mother was in politics and we NEVER saw her. Endless press and crazyness during elections. The kids are the ones to lose out on this.
I rarely see starlets put their parenting ability on their resume to get an acting job. Sarah Palin and GOP are using her “mothering” to sell her. It is up for dispute as they out it out there.
I will say it again. You need to be present to parent. You will not be present in a presidential election.
I would say the same of a left wing candidate- and have!
September 4th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
My apologies for the name calling — I do get riled up when I read article after article attacking individuals (always conservative, never liberal) without proper research — I see it all the time, and it is frustrating to say the least. But again, my apologies.
I am also sorry that your mother was not there for you, but her lack of ability to balance her personal and work lives should not reflect on the potential ability of others to do so with success. In addition, I have yet to see the GOP or anyone for that matter, advertise Palin’s family as a big selling point. In fact, the media has been desperately trying to use her family against her — stating that she must be an unfit mother because she has a high profile career (although I never hear them talking about Michelle Obama’s workaholic ways and how they interfere with her ability to parent her children — why the double standard?). Surely you agree that the GOP and Sarah Palin have every right to defend her choices as a rubbutal to these unsubstantiated/presumptive attacks.
What I really don’t understand is how the feminists of the world can spend over a hundred years fighting for equal rights for women, declaring that women deserve a place in corporate and political America, but as soon as a conservative female seeks that role, she is bashed for being a poor mother and role model. I have never seen a more obvious double-standard, completely based in the party politics that so many Americans claim to abhore. It is disturbing to say the least. We don’t know anything about her relationship with her children, yet so many people are jumping on the “she’s a bad mother” bandwagon JUST because she’s a conservative. I have never been more disappointed in the media than I am right now.
September 5th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
She also made Oct. 2007 Breastfeeding Awareness month in Alaska. Check out the link:
http://gov.state.ak.us/archive-51603.html – 23k
It is impressive. She has worn her baby to work – been photographed with her baby in a sling while signing crime legislation. She is pro homeschooling and I can see her taking on the formula companies. Be careful here and less judgemental.
September 5th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Why can’t stay at home moms support working moms? Palin would be just as busy and away from her kids as governor of AK than as VP. She has chosen to work, and work hard. We can’t change that. Now let’s look at her leadership and her accomplishments.
A conservative, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, AP, cloth diapering, Christian, pro-strong women, Stay at Home Mom.
September 5th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I suppose I rankle when she is help up as “superwoman” and she isn’t. Working full time and having others pint to you as GREAT mom is ridiculous. She is Not the idea- certainly not my ideal.
I am thinking the only thing I like about this woman’s policies is her stand on breastfeeding.
I don’t know how people are buying her candidacy!
What about Mitt Romney? Rudy Giuliani?
I feel like John Mccain has made a pact with the devil/right wing conservatives to overturn Roe vs. wade in exchange for this nomination.
I can’t think of any other time when the two parties were so far apart.
Was it this divided with Ronald Regan and Jimmy Carter?
September 5th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
I totally agree with you! Thanks for posting about this. For a few days I felt very alone in my opinion. There is no way that this situation should be compared to an average working mother. I did see online somewhere tonight that after Palin’s acceptance speech the otehr night, she and her hubby went back to the hotel put Piper to bed, nursed the baby and then went down to the Lobby to thank supporters…so yes she is still nursing. I am very impressed with her commitment to breastfeeding, however she is not superwoman for goodness sake. Her family is going to suffer. I am a firm believer in a mother’s place is with her children, so as much as I want to support her I feel that it is wrong for her to run for VP, especially at this time in her life.
September 8th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Not all conservative Christian women feel the same. THere are alot of us that have had to work for a living all of our children’s lives. There are alot of us out here that think she is wonderful. We have not looked for a secret agenda from John McCain, and we do not see anything but good coming out of this choice. So, I say, GO MCCAIN/PALIN
September 16th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Let’s face reality here.
What? We’re going to vote for Obama with absolutely no governing experience? Put that inexperienced clown in the White House because we don’t think Sarah Palin is the right kind of mother, even though she has far more governing experience than Obama has in his pinkie.
Oh, that’s right, he was what a community advocate or some such gobbledy gook.
I don’t get it, the libs have been screaming for decades about equality for women. So, a woman gets a nomination for VP, and now she’s being attacked for not being the right mother.
Her family is going to be in a far worse position with Obama as President. The terrorists are just waiting for that weak, gonna-have-satins-in-his-pants-when-the-first-terrorist-strikes do nothing to get in the White House.
October 31st, 2008 at 9:03 pm
I am really shocked by some of the judgemental moms’ comments here. It is your choice to homeschool, it is your choice to do attachment parenting. These may not be choices Sarah Palin AND HER HUSBAND (yes, ladies, you forgot about him) have made. My husband and I make family decisions together. I am a working mom who breastfeeds (yes, I can do both at the same time). Though I am not a politician, I still work very hard to maintain my family life and my career. I own my own business and was back to work after a few days but back in the office at 10 day postpartum. It can be done with a supportive spouse.
You should also leave her alone in how she parents her teenager. If you attack Sarah Palin on that, you are attacking my own mother as she was in the same situation 14 years ago. My sister has since completed nursing school, owns a beautiful new home, has married, and I have a wonderful almost 14 year old nephew and two other nieces. Sarah should be applauded for being a great mom.
Matthew 7:3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?