Sarah Palin — the best woman for the job?
Posted
September 2, 2008 at
10:22 am by
Allison J
I religiously tuned into the DNC, and now I’m all about the RNC. My husband won’t talk about politics, and my sister (my usual politico conversationalist) is busy with her first baby, so I’m starved for some election banter.
I’m doing it — I’m opening Pandora’s box…
Let’s talk about Sarah Palin. Anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, supporter of the death penalty, wants creationism taught in schools, lacks foreign policy experience, and has a pregnant 17 year old daughter. And let’s not forget the scandal regarding her ex-brother-in-law and state trooper.
She herself asked only a month ago “what is it exactly that the VP does every day?”
Now being staunchly against abortion, even in cases of rape and incest, and gay marriage may not be an issue of contention depending on your personal views, but I wonder to what extent her daughter’s pregnancy will affect conservative Americans.
Speakers from the Republican camp are calling foul on the attention placed upon Bristol Palin’s pregnancy. They contend that the lives of children of political figures should be off-limits. However, I find it hard to believe that these same speakers wouldn’t have a field day if the roles were reversed.
I’ve been watching CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, even Fox News all morning — and the consensus that I’m seeing is that John McCain may have missed the boat with this one. I’m not even sure he visited the harbor.
Regardless of whether you are a democrat or republican, liberal or conservative, what’s your take on Sarah Palin?
Tags: 2008 Presidential Election, RNC, Sarah Palin |
40 Responses to “Sarah Palin — the best woman for the job?”
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31. Betty said:
September 3, 2008 @ 12:15 pm
Thank you!! Finally….all I want is someone to tell me what they could so for this counrty. Resonablely…respectfully..and stay the hell out of my personal life. I hear Obama just like the rest of the country but I have not heard one thing remotely reasonable as well as doable (without ultimately hurting the econamy) come out of his mouth. I want to know facts!! Who is he associating with? How long will it take for the small buisnesses to go under?…How long before I can’t afford to stay home with my kids cause my (middle class) husband makes to much money?? How long before the counrty realizes they made a horrible mistake?? He actually had Bill Clinton speek for him at his convention!!! The same man who said “they said that I was to young” and ya know what we were right……the man was impeeched!!!!! If you don’t think that I’m right then look it up……it was at the end of his term as president so it kinda blended in with his altimate exit anyway! But this is who he’s shadowing!! That sounds wrong….very wrong! And he thought that the public was to stupid to remember or care!! Well I care! And now we are sitting around bashing a strong woman from Alaska who has five kids and a husband who couldn’t be more normal if they tried….while Obama continues to let his democratic party be publically sexist! What kind of man is that??
32. Kymberly said:
September 3, 2008 @ 12:25 pm
Oh it would probably surprise you to realize I’m a flaming liberal. Raised by hippies in a University town - moved to the rural beauty that is Hooterville USA. There is really no hope for me.
The reality? I wouldn’t opt my daughter out of sex ed in school.
The greater reality? I just don’t think it belongs in public school because they are generally NOT Teaching something else important to make time for it.
Our school offers all that you mention (and good for them) in the EVENING. All the parents and children can go and partake of that valuable information. It’s the whole “while we have a captive audience …” thing that bothers me. That and that when MY very progressive public high school taught Sex Ed they wasted valuable time showing me photos of genital grossness while glossing over AIDS at the height of the epidemic. Generally if you leave something this special to public educators - they’ll gloss over it.
I speak from experience. My own niece was pregnant in high school. Believe me when I tell you it wasn’t because no one had told her how to prevent it.
I’m not against offering information of all kinds. I’m all about information. Up with information! I just don’t like to see yet another “social” program crammed into the school day. While they are teaching that “extra” subject something else is being neglected (like, say, Geography. Most of my peers cannot find North Dakota on a map, let alone Tikrit).
I am very involved in our public school and love it. That said, I grow weary of all the eye tests, health checkups, this and that they give my kids. I signed up for school - not a public health service. Even my pediatrician says “how about I not try to teach the kids to read and they quit trying to do MY job?”
So my point (and I do have one!) is that to make a key point of Palin’s “resume” her one position on one issue doesn’t tell me much.
It does, however, make a nice soundbite for the media.
I want to know what this woman would - and could - do if she had to take over the Presidency. Not how she does - or doesn’t - educate children about sex.
33. Kymberly said:
September 3, 2008 @ 12:35 pm
On a side note, saying “just opt out of it” if you don’t like something offered in public education is not as easy as it may sound.
I tried to “opt” my child out of the Lions Club eye test at school. Not because I’m anti-eyesight but because my kids had both JUST had eye tests professionally a week earlier.
I volunteer in the school. I thought I was helping “don’t waste time testing my kid she’s fine, make time for others” that sort of thing.
Instead, “opting out” of the testing was akin to anarchy. It’s like you’re marked as one of “those parents.” Worse, the teacher had no idea what to do with her “while everyone else is getting their eye test!”
It was almost funny. “The kid who by not getting an eye test almost took the system down!”
We aren’t cut out for anarchy. She took the eye test.
I think our permanent record is safe
—
Anyway, I think both political parties are putting too much emphasis on “party” and not enough on “politics.”
I just heard a new monicker this morning: “Sam’s Club Voters.”
Oh please.
Why can’t we just be PEOPLE?
Informed people would be lovely.
34. Rita said:
September 3, 2008 @ 12:36 pm
Kymberly, but the people in your town GO when it’s offered outside school hours. There are school districts that have almost zero attendance with parent/teacher conferences, and those are the places that need these programs the most.
I agree, the kids in my district would do fine without it being taught in the school because we live in a district where the parents are serious helicopters and are involved with every minor detail of their kids’ lives. But, we’re not everyone.
I also just don’t believe that every minute of a kid’s school day needs to be jam-packed with quality fact-informative education. I think that a LOT of learning inside the school building has nothing to do with academics. So, I’m cool with the social programs, myself, as long as my kids are still learning and growing.
But, that’s just my opinion!
35. Kymberly said:
September 3, 2008 @ 12:43 pm
OMG do we live in the same district!? Wait, I think I’ve seen you, at the PTO Room Mom/Field Trip Mom/Official Head Cupcake baked in the school log mom meeting?
I hear you. Really, I do.
Unfortunately, we can’t save everyone. At least not with public school.
I’m of the mindset that’s not what it’s there for. Asking Public Schools to take over social programs is kind of like teachin’ a pig to dance. You might get to where that pig’ll make a passable attempt at it, but he’s never going to win any awards.
(See how colorful I am now that I’ve gone country?)
But to the point of this blog post - the bigger issue is that I don’t see how Palin’s position on sex education is the “meat” of her fitness (or not) for the Vice Presidency. KWIM?
It’s like where’s the beef (dating myself!)?
I’m tired of sound bites and stereotypes from both parties. Where does the “average” voter get to get real UNBIASED facts?
In the next two months?
36. Perfect Moment Project said:
September 3, 2008 @ 12:57 pm
What is this ridiculous notion that a woman’s a woman’s a woman, right, Margaret Thatcher?…
Yikes, yikes, yikes … so Palin becomes VP and then in four years America elects her to P cause McCain is too old… What year is it then? 1914? Here’s a take on moving on…
37. Betty said:
September 3, 2008 @ 1:00 pm
Look… I had sex ed in school and it did nothin….I think that it matters on the age…but when is that?? I think that good family’s and friends…and extra caricular activities are something else to be considered if the school will do the sex ed. “An idol mind is the devils play ground.” Promoting “No sex till marrage” is a very good program. I’ve never had a program like that in my state! What is happening here isn’t working….so should we blame the Govenor?? Is it his falt that I got pregnant at 17?? No….it was my parents cause they weren’t there mentally! The freedom was to much and so I took advantage of it. It was also my fault….I knew what I was doin and the risks involved…but didn’t care. Condums..birth control….were available but it didn’t matter. Teaching the children about love…and respect for themselves and others…programs that let them take home a real life, moving and cryin and eating and pooping baby for a month would show them how hard it really is. Living with the reality of there choices would scare the hell out of them. If you put your hand in fire and feel the horrible burn then you won’t think twice about not doin that again.
38. Allison J said:
September 3, 2008 @ 1:10 pm
So what are you saying about Palin then? Daughter is pregnant at 17. Palin wasn’t there for her child? Palin believes in teaching abstinence — maybe, just maybe that didn’t work…
39. Betty said:
September 3, 2008 @ 1:38 pm
No…I’m sayin that there is a number of reasons for a kid to get pregnant. I was lucky cause I met my husband 1 year later and had 4 more kids with him. Been together for 10 years…married for 7. And I knew that I always wanted a large family and that I was capable of doing what I wanted in the time that I wanted. What if all this girl wants is to be married and have kids?? It’s not a big dream but a very very important and hard one!! What if this is the only guy she ever had sex with…and now she’s marrying him?? That means….she’s doin what I wanted and ultimatly did do. Great for her! I never wanted to go to college…and still don’t. Some people just want a simple life. Maybe she is turning away from the publc life cause of her family. Maybe this is the boy she saved herself for!! We don’t know that!! And that’s why we need to STAY OUT OF IT!!! And I’ll tell you one thing……If my mother had told me that if you have sex with more then one person then your committing adultry in the eyes of god then I NEVER would have done it. In the eyes of God the first person you have sex with you are then married too. She did tell me years later and I new then that those words would have kept me at bay!!
40. Sarah R said:
September 4, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
Palin rules and liberals drools!!!!