Take a look at this New York Times breakdown of the VP candidates’ positions on the issues. I think it says a lot about Sarah Palin that half of her positions aren’t even filled in. Guess being well-versed in the issues that a national leader deals with wasn’t something that McCain was looking for in his VP choice.
Also, Palin’s children are named Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig. Um, that’s just weird. The youngest son, Trig, has Down syndrome, a fact that Palin has used to bolster her pro-life beliefs. Of course it takes a strong and compassionate person to raise a child with Down’s, but one commenter on Timothy Egan’s opinion article about Palin made a good point: “She’s a woman governor with a newborn. How motherly is that? Who exactly is caring for her child?” And maybe that’s a little harsh, but if she’s going to be exploiting that fact to paint herself as a such a nurturing and relatable woman and mother, it’s worth thinking about. I can’t imagine she’d be doing a ton of hands-on parenting if she held the second-highest office in the country.
McCain’s going to need all the luck he can get.
[Posted by Mallory]
six words to change the world. 
[about the “how motherly is that?” section]But could that not be sexist, as well? I don’t like the heifer either, but that’s an attack that says once a woman is a mother, her life’s ambitions end–and who she is can ONLY be defined by her relationship with and duties for her child.
I don’t know if I’m comfortable with that notion.
My career has suffered because I have one child. I don’t take jobs that require me to work 55 hrs. per week or travel extensively.
I think a woman can have children and a career, if she can afford good help and/or a lot of family support. It was easier for me when I still had my mom . . .
But, a woman makes a choice when she has five kids. I’ve read that she “farms them out” a lot in Alaska to family and I can’t help but wonder if having her mother more active in her life might have helped her teenage daughter make better choices.
I also worry about that tiny baby. Babies should be cared for by people who are “in love with them,” not just people who love kids or them. I was really lucky to have my parents around when mine was tiny.
I don’t know if a woman who “chooses” to have five kids has the right to “choose” to be VP too.
It worries me . . .
Sarah Palin Slashed Special Needs Education by 62%
For those of you who seem so enamored with Gov. Sarah Palin, it might be worth noting that she oversees the budget for the Department of Education and Early Development Special Schools in Alaska.
These funds provide supplementary educational services to students with severe disabling conditions and the Alaska Challenge Youth Academy. The resident school where the child would normally be placed does not have the resources to provide an adequate educational program. Without the supplementary services the child’s needs would not be met by the local school district in most cases.
The following programs are included within this component:
Special Education Service Agency (SESA)
The Annual budget for 2007, which preceded Gov. Palin was $8,265,300.
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/…
The Annual budget for 2008, enacted by Gov. Palin is $3,156,000.
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/…
The Annual budget for 2009, enacted by Gov. Palin is $3,156,000.
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/…
This is a cut in special needs services to children in Alaska of 5,109,300 , or 62%.
So, as the Alaska State Budget description states, “Without the supplementary services the child’s needs would not be met by the local school district in most cases.”
Did 62% of all of the special needs children in Alaska stop having needs once Gov. Palin took office?
Before we get so excited about Gov. Palin bring her “Reformer” agenda to Washington, perhaps we should get to know a little more about what exactly that means to our children, and the opportunities that she would “Reform”.