Sarah Palin - To Start a New Thread

Thought I would throw some new meat out there since there's a limit to dishwasher and book list and split personality former-banned member stuff I can read...

So how does Sarah Palin's situation figure into your perspective on the SAH/WOH debate?

I believe that WOH definitely works for my family, and for the most part, tend to favor it in general as a path that is more likely to secure financial stability for families. I'm just stating that as a glossing over of my basic place in the 'debate' to set the stage for my response.

I find Palin interesting. As a fairly liberal feminist, I applaud any woman who reaches that level of Government, particularly in, shall we say, a more 'rugged' state. At the same time, as a fairly liberal feminist, most of her social views tend to scare the bejeezes out of me. But that has to do with the political.

Politics aside, if you merely treated her as a case study, in our own little imaginary sociology class, how does her situation affect/impact you or cause you to react? She is a mom of 5, with a son shipping out to Iraq, a pregnant teen aged daughter, 2 other daughters that are younger, and an infant special needs son.

I do not think any of those things should or should not impact her decision to WOH, in general. However, I *do* have a somewhat negative reaction to the idea of pursuing the VP slot. In her current role, in theory she is also in a high stress job that demands long hours. But I get the impression that her husband is in the more day-to-day family management role. One could posit that living in a small town with lots of family allows her the benefit of a wider net of support.

To me it is one thing to work and find the best thing to work for your family. But I really question the decision to expose my family to the degree of tumult, scrutiny, and change that this degree of position entails. They will have to move to a completely foreign environment. They have no insight as of yet to the degree of care and attention their son may require - it could vary greatly. I just cannot reconcile in my mind a parent making that kind of choice, particularly when she is relatively young and probably has a rising star that promises years of opportunity to come.

I question myself on whether a double standard is being applied - would I have the same reaction given all this news if her husband was the nominee? Hmm - probably not - and that's hard for me to admit. But I also believe that I *should( have the same reaction even if the father is the one making the choices versus the mother, and making things 'equitable' doesn't mean that I should expect less from women - I should start expecting MORE from men.

I don't think any of this has a direct impact on her ability or readiness to govern (although I have tons of opinions on that unrelated to the SAH/WOH thing). But it does give an insight into her judgment, priorities and choices - and I really feel like these apparent choices are ones I just can't support.

I am interested in other opinions and views.