I usually keep my mouth shut about politics. That is partially because I spent a lot of time around Americans the past few years and realized it was just easier to be quiet, and partially because I don't really care enough to have more than just a surface opinion about most subjects.
There is one thing in the current election race that has stuck out to me tho. Normally, I find it repulsive when opposing parties try to bring up dirt about the past, family or personal life of their competitors. Unless it relates directly to the issues at hand (and it rarely does - people are allowed to change their minds over time), it isn't relevant.
But now there is this controversy involving Sarah Palin and her family life. Her seventeen year old daughter is pregnant and her son has Downs Syndrome. On a forum I'm a part of, it was brought up that perhaps spending more time with her children during this time would be wiser than running for office.
My first reaction - leave her family out of it. Honestly, unless she feels politics are interfering with her family (or vice versa), then it shouldn't be an issue - we shouldn't even know about it unless she's the one who tells us.
Then I got thinking. She (and McCain) have built her up as such a family woman. A hockey mom etc. It's obvious her family is important to her, and they're trying to use that as a selling point to get more votes.
So now, what becomes worse - using your family as a bargaining chip (and thus leaving them (justifiably) open to exposure, or trying to find dirt on your competitor?
Either way, Obama gets points for considering the whole thing off limits. I wonder if McCain/Palin thought about that.
4 comments:
I don't think we can accurately predict how much time she'll get to spend with her children. We don't know the dynamics of their family.
Of course, Obama has children too. And Michelle portrays herself as a busy woman.
I think that if Palin feels comfortable running for office, then she has set up a system and plan for keeping her family healthy.
There has been no mention about what her husband is going to do- and there isn't a specific set of expectations for the spouse of the VP like there is with the first lady. He could be taking the reigns of the home life for this time. Why is it always assumed that if the mother is busy the kids are automatically neglected? Father's can parent too!
This is all pure speculation of course, maybe she is a power hungry career woman who has no problem ignoring her kids for the next 4 years.
About the teenage pregnancy- many locals in Alaska don't seem nearly as phased about this as the rest of us do. Aparantly kids grew up a bit faster in Alaska- so I'm not going to let it freak me out.
If she takes them on the road with her she's actually just created a lot more family time, at least till November. After that who knows.
about the teen pregnency thing... I just don't think it is a reflection on the mother. mostly because it happends all the time and is not a reflection on her not spending enough time with her daughter. to me it makes her a more real mother who had to deal with issues of not so good things happening in her family. she is not trying to potray her family as perfect, like some parents do by hidding the things that are not so good in them. I mean no family is perfect, why should we expect the vp's or president's family to be so?
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