Is it our business how someone balances family life and career?

[Pacifist Patriot]

You bet it is! There are two reasons why I think Palin's balance of family and career are not off limits. In fact, they are indeed relevant.

If an individual, a ticket and a political party are going to make family values (patriarchal and conservative ones at that) an issue, than it is certainly valid to inquire how a candidate lives those values. Incongruence between stated principles and realized action have much to tell us. What is the mental and emotional state of an individual who violates his or her core beliefs at the very foundation of their family structure?

Secondly, we are not talking about a janitor, teacher, lawyer or CEO. We're talking about POTUS and VPOTUS. I don't care whether the candidate is female, male, wife, husband, mother or father. I do care how the individual treats their family and balances the incredibly demanding career of public service with the decision to have a family. One of the things that has long struck me about both the Clintons and the Obamas is the seemingly strong relationship between the fathers and daughters. Clearly time is spent on those relationships.

I have no idea how Palin balances her career and her family life so I cannot comment one way or the other. I have no problem with parents utilizing extended family, day care, or nannies to help raise their children. But the question itself is not remotely off-limits when it comes to candidates for the highest offices in the land.

I have not the need, the right nor the interest to inquire about such things as how much television a candidate lets his child watch, how many times a candidate makes love to her husband, whether or not they eat at the dining room table or on the run, bottle or breast, crib or co-sleep....

But I do consider it my business to know how candidates balance their families and their careers. Character and judgment matter to me and this issue helps define both. McCain's balance of family and career speaks volumes to me.

[rzemanfl]

1. Of course not, what's important is that they aren't flat busted-even

though a lot of us literally are.

[cali]

2. bzzzt. this is just stupid. The point is that Sarah Palin is an

extremist Buchanan clone. I could give a shit about how she balances family and work.

[LeftishBrit]

5. Agree- the fact that she supports a near-fascist LePen-defender

is one of the most worrying things about her. In fact, the Buchanan support is probably the thing that concerns me *most*, out of a lot of things that concern me seriously about her! Because supporting Buchanan is not an intrinsic part of being a Republican, so in doing so, she was not just going along with the flow without thinking; she was *actively* going out of her way to give aid and comfort to a borderline fascist.

[Pacifist Patriot]

10. But this is part of the point. If she is, what is she doing leading rather than her husband...

or is she?

[terrya]

14. EXACTLY

If we harp on the family stuff, we'll lose.

Sarah Palin is as extremist, as right wing as they come. It was no accident that Buchanan was overjoyed about this selection.

[LeftishBrit]

3. I think it matters inasmuch as it affects their ability to perform their job..

but this should be equally an issue for males as for females.

'If an individual, a ticket and a political party are going to make family values (patriarchal and conservative ones at that) an issue, than it is certainly valid to inquire how a candidate lives those values.'

My point here is that 'family values (patriarchal and conservative ones at that)' should NOT be at the core of political campaigns. If pointing out that the candidates themselves are not acting in accordance with 'family values' is going to make them shut up about their 'values', or get voters to be more sceptical about such issues, then all well and good! But I think it's possible to risk getting into a situation where, rather than quelching the 'values' police, and the intruders into private life, one is encouraging them all the more.

Thus, I think it is perfectly justified to argue: "Palin is taking on a full-time and intensely demanding post when she has a baby and other young children. Yet she is supporting religious groups that would deny such choices to others. Isn't that unfair and hypocritical?"

On the other hand it seems to me less justified to argue "I don't trust someone with five children as VP - she'll be worrying about her kids' school events when she should be worrying about foreign policy"; or "It's wrong for a mother of a young baby to take on a high-level political post that will take her from his side" - unless similar arguments are made about fathers (actually I do think that there is something a bit strange about going on the campaign trail when you have a baby under 6 months - but I would think that of a *father* too, and such issues are rarely raised with regard to fathers!) Such arguments don't just affect the person targeted; they feed into the still-prevalent negative attitudes to ALL career women with children; and into the patriarchal 'family values' that we're all trying to oppose.

[Iris]

4. you're last para. is dead-on. My family values don't include rigid roles for family members.

And she can do what she wants as long as she and her ilk don't tell me how to run my family.

[Berry Cool]

6. Exactly. You don't see people saying "How dare Obama go on the road without his kids

and leave them in their mother's care"? Yet if Michelle Obama were the one running for president, you know the Repugs would talk about nothing but how selfish it was for a mother of two to go running around the country campaigning when her children needed her--even if Barack was staying home taking care of them.

Yeah, I know it's the Repugs who have this stupid notion that mothers need to stay home and take care of their kids, while fathers can have careers and work full time and nobody bats an eyelash--therefore, it only seems right to point out how Palin is defying the role her own conservative values dictate for her. But people, this is nothing new. Married conservative women with children have been running around having careers while preaching to other women to stay home and be happy as wives and mommies for a long, long time now. Phyllis Schlafly was one of the great examples.

We're never going to evolve in this country until we get past the notion that mothers bear the primary responsibility for care of their children and for fathers, it's a mere option.

When's the last time you heard someone described as a "working father"?

[Balderdash]

8. When's the last time you heard someone described as a "working father"?

Right on!

[jazzjunkysue]

13. The Obama kids are older. And there's only 2 of them. Sarah's gonna have more.

She doesn't believe in birth control, people. That's established.

[Pacifist Patriot]

12. Thank you for eloquently restating my position.

That is exactly what I was saying.

[Motown_Johnny]

7. If they make family values an issue then yes, it is our business

[KittyWampus]

9. Go ahead and rail on this. You're making Palin MORE sympathetic. DU'ers can be really moronic.

all you're doing is pushing a line that comes across as attacking working mothers.

If you can't see that basic truth, you are blind.

[Pacifist Patriot]

11. As a working mother...bullshit!

Are you sure you didn't skim my post? I hold parents of both genders to the same standards.

[Berry Cool]

16. Good for you. But others are not using your standards

They're all too eager to jump on a "mom who isn't looking after her children properly" when they would not act the same way about the father.

And you know damn well Michelle Obama would be harangued by people for it too, even though her kids are older.

And that's not right.

[Pacifist Patriot]

17. I remain amazed at the number of people around here who do not read with diligence.

Did anyone understand my post? I have seen this happen with way too much frequency when it comes to matters of gender. Blatant sexist posts go unchallenged while even-handed comments are blasted as sexist. I'm beginning to wonder if anyone realizes what sexism is anymore.

I absolutely agree with you. If Michelle were the candidate rather than Barak you can bet your bippy sh e'd be called on the carpet for abandoning her children. Even if her husband was a full time stay at home dad.

Love your avatar by the way. Our area had a chapter go defunct about 10 years ago and we've been working dilligently to build it back up over the past year.

[DailyGrind51]

15. Your boss probaly doesn't care if your job intrudes on your family time,

but don't even think about your family time intruding on your job!