Posted by
stace on Thursday, November 06, 2008 9:12:37 PM
Sarah Palin has not had an easy row to hoe this election cycle. Stifled by a less than conservative McCain, she's had a hard time defining her place in the campaign. Now she's being villified by McCain campaign staffers as the reason McCain lost. 'She wasn't prepared; she didn't take the time to prepare, etc.' Of course, they are covering their own derrieres but there is a more disconcerting problem here that has been a constant undercurrent from the beginning of Palin's candidacy. Pundits, male and female, declared that she was too inexperienced, even though she has two years of executive experience while Obama has none. One might want to chalk it up to the liberal elites who disdain anyone who didn't attend the Ivy League. But it goes farther than that. It's not that she went to school in Idaho. No, it's because she is a mom, and strangely enough, a great deal of the criticism thrown at Palin has come from women. You would think that most women would appreciate Palin's accomplishments: 5 kids and the governorship of Alaska. That's not what has happened and to prove that my point goes beyond party labels, I'll use two conservative women as examples.
For decades now, women have been expected to work outside the home. Of course, women are still the child bearers and nurturers of society, so the tug-of-war between home and work causes more strain and difficulties for them. Some career women have forged ahead leaving the dream of having a family far behind, while others have rejected a career in order to nurture their families. A middle ground seems elusive at best, unachievable at worst, though many try very hard but fail. The divorce rate is at 50%. Enter Palin, the supermom, who can successfully juggle family and career. She blows the career woman's mind. Career women have been making excuses for themselves for years: you can't have it all, they console themselves. Now they are threatened by this Palin woman; how can she do so much more than these educated career women? Palin might answer, "Nothing to it but to do it." But this doesn't sit well with unnerved career women. They feel threatened; their entire lives suddenly seem vacant and unfulfilled. Women can have it all? Why, yes, they can.
Heather MacDonald is an anti-immigration "conservative" who has attacked Palin. In a revealing interview with Laura Ingraham, MacDonald complained that Palin was distinguished by her ordinariness, her ability to relate to the people (God forbid!) and her large family. (paraphrased) McCain chose Palin by playing identity politics to appeal to women. She was "normal," and a hockey mom, "fine traits for mothers but not qualifications for the presidency." MacDonald's disdain for ordinary American moms is proven when she questions Palin's "capacity to make judgements under pressure." Every mom knows that broken bones, high fevers, etc, teach moms to make critical judgements under pressure from the day the baby comes home from the hospital. Incidentally, MacDonald is unmarried and childless. MacDonald overlooked Palin's successful 2 years as Governor of Alaska and only payed lip service to Palin's conservative values: pro-life, pro-second amendment, etc. Instead, she obsessed on the motherhood question. Yes, having 5 kids is not a qualification for elective office, but it is not a disqualification either, and Palin brought two things much needed to the McCain campaign -- energy and a conservative backbone.
Then there is Peggy Noonan. Ms. Noonan once worked for President Reagan, whose charisma and values Palin shares. Nevertheless, Noonan has bludgeoned Palin, saying that Palin did not exhibit "the tools, the equipment, the knowledge, or the philosophical grounding one hopes for, and expects in a holder of high office." Noonan went further, denouncing Palin's candidacy as a "vulgarization in American politics." Why? Noonan also neglects the fact that Palin is a duly elected governor of a large and important state. Instead, she obsesses on the "mom" thing. Speaking of Palin's pitbull and lipstick quip, Noonan writes that "This is the sound of the American mama." In later writings, Noonan decries the use of "mom" and "dad" as "infantalizing." To sound like an adult, one must use "mother" and "father." What, then, should one make of her use of "mama?" Like MacDonald, Noonan complains of Palin's populist, hockey mom "pitch" but tries to claim that Palin didn't understand the crowds who obviously understood, and appreciated, Palin. Hockey moms can't connect with voters, in other words. Perhaps the vulgarity lies in the fact that Palin has as many children as Noonan has married years, (5) not to mention that Palin has actually been married for 20 years, four times longer than Noonan could hold her family together. Maybe I would not have come to that conclusion if she had not used the word "mama." How very condescending.
Palin has done what neither of these women could do, have a complete family and a career. She is not an empty suit; she is not out of touch; she is not ordinary. Mothers like me do not identify with Palin because she is a woman or a mom, but because we understand all the hard work she has had to put in to her family and her career to make both work. We appreciate her strength, her tenacity, her energy, and her spirit because we understand it, because it is ours. To relegate these attributes to the ash heap of insignificance is a blow against the conservative ideals practically demonstrated by these moms. Neither MacDonald nor Noonan, though she has 1 son, can ever fully understand just how proud we are of ourselves and our many accomplishments. We can have it all, like it or not, and if they want to feel angry, disdainful, or threatened, that's fine, go ahead. Eat your hearts out.
PS I was listening to Rush earlier and I heard that someone in the McCain campaign referred to the Palin family as "hillbillies." Hillbillies generally have more than 2.5 kids, you see. The leaker in the campaign is also complaining that Palin didn't know that Africa is a continent and did not understand the relationships between the various levels of government. Palin is a governor, for God's sake. Try a little harder to be believable, won't you dear leaker? Five will get you ten the leaker is indeed a woman.
PPS I won't deny that, with both my examples, there are definite leanings to the elitist snob section of the Republican party. Both work for the Manhattan Institute. Both are well educated. Nevertheless, I think I've struck a more deeply rooted nerve.
And of course, I know there probably are exceptions to the rule. Some career women loved Palin, etc. Don't email me; I'm just having fun.