@revel,
Watching Palin's infant in the audience last night, being passed from person to person to hold him for a while (four different people held him, including 2 of his sisters, his father, and Cindy McCain), I wondered why the sleeping infant was even there, in a crowded, noisy auditorium, rather than in a carrier in a more protected location backstage. To display the special needs child she chose not to abort? To display her credentials to the anti-abortion religious base of the party? It was hard not to feel that the 5 month old infant, who really should have been allowed to sleep peacefully elsewhere, was being exploited, by being put on display last night, to further his mother's political career.
I also wondered who looks after the children, particularly the three youngest, when Palin is off being governor or out campaigning to be VP. I admire working women who manage to balance the demands of motherhood and careers, but I also understand the problems in doing this, and I also know that it often is not a fair or even balance. Sometimes the children get short-changed, sometimes it is the career--no one is Super Woman, and able to do it all, with equal time and energy devoted to all things. Palin displayed her kids last night, but she didn't tell us how she manages their care or their needs. She pledges to devote herself to the job of VP, so where will that leave her children when they need her, or where will it leave her if she finds herself torn in two directions at the same time? Being governor of Alaska does not have the pressures, or time requirements, or travel demands, of being the VP of the United States.
I do not feel there is any sexism in raising such questions. We have never had a female, the mother of 4 minor children, including a special needs infant, run for such high office before. And she is at the top of the ticket for the party that has always preached about "family values". In fact, the religious right base of the Republican party has often espoused the view that mothers should not be out of the house working, but rather at home caring for their children and husbands.
So, how does Sarah Palin manage it, and how does she plan on managing it in the future if she becomes VP? I really would like to know, particularly because Palin's grandchild will soon be born to Palin's 17 year daughter, a child who still has to finish high school, and this will add yet another infant to the family.
Does Palin have a nanny to look after her minor children? Her husband apparently runs his own fishing business, but is he also in charge of caring for the three youngest ones? Is the "First Dude" also Mr. Mom? Can we see him as the supportive male partner who stays at home, and devotes himself to caring for the children, while his wife pursues her career (and how would that image fly with the conservative religious right)? Do extended family members care for the children? How are the Palins (both Mr. and Mrs) managing the care of their children? What problems do they have in this regard, and how have they overcome them?
Working women all over America have been wondering about these things, judging by what I've read on the internet and newspapers, and heard on TV. Since Sarah Palin is very much presenting herself to the public as a mother (in fact, she spent more time introducing her family, and talking about them, last night then she devoted to any national or international issues facing the country). I would like to hear her start answering some of these questions. They are not totally irrelevant to how much time and attention she could devote to the job of VP, particularly in light of her special needs infant, and particularly because she trys to present herself as being a rather traditional mom, who just happens to be a governor as a sort of side-job.
