Yes, we’ve all heard it.
It is not news.
It is the same old tired double standard as the last one hundred years, only now we’re hearing it from women, too, in increasing numbers.
And as long as the media refuse to ask Biden (and since you insist on referring to Governor Palin as just “Palin”, I’ll refer to her opponent as just “Biden”) how he plans to balance his work/life issues it will continue to be the same old double standard.
Nobody asked it of Al Gore. No one asked it of John Kennedy.
Sarah Palin has a spouse! And a uterus does not make you the defacto better parent!
The one with the penis can and often should be just as responsible for full-time parenting (not “babysitting” as so many unenlightened jerks refer to it) as the one with the vagina.
Being a good parent has nothing to do with genitalia.
Neither does being a good public servant.

Aisha, I know nothing about you, or your parenting skills, if you have children. You can not possibly know about Sara Palin’s parenting skills! If I want liberal left wing drivel, I will just read the regular editorials! “Life Style” magazine is no place for politics!
Funny how, on the next page of your very biased political rant, there is a nice article about a working mother. Why not blast her for not staying at home to raise her kids?

Bob, I’m a working mom, myself. I wrote that story on the next page, as well. I was not “blasting” Palin for being a working mom, I was raising the question of how the notion of motherhood has changed, and the interesting questions Palin’s nomination is raising among moms and others.
Dirty Laundry is a parenting column, and a good place to start a discussion about these issues. Thanks for writing.

Aisha,

Today was the first time I came across your column. Your first paragraph made my husband and I laugh out loud. No question you were loading your gun for a hit job.
We have grown daughters/daughter-in-law, working and raising their families. They are so excited about Governor Palin (you might want to use her title next time).
That you are surprised that Phyllis Schlafly, lawyer and working mother of five, would support Governor Palin shows that you miss her authentic nature and principles. She walks the walk.
You miss the same with Dr. Dobson, Rush Limbaugh and other conservatives. The “femi’Nazis” Rush refers to are the prominent lecturing unhappy feminists. I had small children when Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan were in their full ranting days. They were strident man haters.
As far as your “sidelines her family and whose ambition clearly trumps housewifely duties”. How arrogant! Where to begin!
Are you snidely referring to her pregnant daughter? That situation happens everyday. Theirs is obviously a close family. I think her accepting the VP nomination was the whole family’s decision.
The liberal feminist seem to be most up in arms that Bristol is keeping her baby.
I’ve know quite a few people who’ve dealt with a daughter’s pregnancy and helped both mother and child to adulthood. They worked and managed. With family support they attained an education, married had more children. Their lives were happy and productive.
Specifically, this is not the end of the world for Levi, Bristol and her baby. Did you ever consider the guilt Bristol would feel down the road if her choices and actions were the cause of her mother refusing this historic opportunity? In a position and duty that she knows her mother is qualified to serve this country? Governor Palin may even be on the road to the Presidency.
I would never want to saddle my daughter with the possibility of shouldering that guilt.

Kate,
Thank you for your post.
The liberals HATE Governor Palin for being exactly what they could not make Hillary out to be - a real, middle-class, authentic, honest, down-to-earth working mom with a working class husband, middle-America values and more than the obligatory one child.
Sarah Palin looks like us.
And so they hate her.
GO, Sarah, go! All the way to Washington!!!

Aisha,
I read your entire article again, and I’m sad to say that you can put lipstick on a liberal, one-sided, personal attack, but it’s still a liberal, one-sided, personal attack.
Please Google the “New York Times” article about Govenor Palin, Fusion of politics and motherhood, to see how Govenor Palin has managed. Maybe you will pick up some ‘how to’ pointers for working moms.
Your entire article could have been written in a single sentence:
We liberals didn’t think that you conservatives wanted women to work, or achieve personal goals.
Respectfully,
a father that never thought of changing dirty diapers, etc, as “grunt” work, just parenting, along side my hard working, parenting wife.

Civil Discourse,

You are so right. The libs hate Governor Palin precisely because she is the real deal. Sultan’s article highlighted the total lack of understanding about what motivates conservatives, I think.

I was particularly disturbed by this swipe that Sultan wrote: “sidelines her family and whose ambition clearly trumps housewifely dutes”. I know Christian people and they, like Palin, step up to the plate when called upon out of humility and service.

I don’t know if the “tolerant” liberals even understand that concept.

Bob,
You sound like a real American man.
So, um, do you have an eligible brother? Ha.
Keep the faith.
Go, Sarah, GO! All the way to Washington!!

My late beloved mother always believed that a True Feminist was actually a HUMANIST because they want - EVERYONE - to have equal rights and opportunities.
People are under the Delusion that if one can bear children and hold a job, then they are a feminist. Nothing could be MORE INCORRECT !

I can call myself the Queen of Sheba, but that does make it so. Ms. Palin can call herself a Feminist, but anyone -with half a brain - knows that this is not true.

Her narrow and dark thoughts include believing that gays / lesbians should not have equal rights AND can be ‘cured’ by of their malady.
Women who have been the victims of vicious acts of brutality, rape/incest, do not have the right to control their reproductive rights.
Censoring books in a public library is acceptable.
Denying special help, in the state of Alaska, to mothers of special needs children, is a great way to help cut the budget.

As a Jewish woman, these beliefs and many others that she holds, scare me.
These ‘moral values’ are the same ones held dear by the Nazi regime.
We have had 8 years of governing by a ‘decider’ who has left us with a horrific scenario that my grandchildren will still be dealing with.

Ms. Palin IS Not and SHOULD NOT, ever be referred to as a Feminist.
There is ‘no Delicious Irony’ occuring here, only a duplicious agenda by those who view women as something to be manipulated

Ms Palin is NOT AUTHENTIC - any woman of intellect knows this.

In 1920, Margaret Sanger, the woman who championed for comphensive birth control in America wrote - ” NO WOMAN CAN CALL HERSELF FREE WHO DOES NOT OWN AND CONTROL HER OWN BODY.”

John McCain’s choice of Ms. Palin shows that he is either unable or unwilling to provide a VIABLE Candidate. His first big decision, is to select someone whose views are compatable with those held during the Dark Ages.
Women and children are first in line to be losing ground in America. We are the ones who are hardest hit by the economy, health decisions, poverty and poor schooling.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

OBAMA got it Right -Enough!!! I am moving forward and that does NOT include an old man who votes against child health insurance and a woman who believes that the state owns her body. NO WOMAN OF WORTH WOULD EVER TOLERATE SUCH A VENUE.

ND

I don’t think there is any question as to the impact that Gov. Palin has had on the McCain campaign and the entire election. The fact that Sens. Obama and Biden have been pushed from the front page and watercooler talks since she’s been announced, says something about this VP choice.

What I find curious is how it seems hypocritical of most people who are really for her or against her and their reasonings. If Gov. Palin was running on the democratic ticket, she’d be raked over the coals by the religious right with regard to her teen, unmarried daughter having a baby. We’d hear nothing but the questioning of family values.

On the flip side, I’m hearing those against her talk about the issue of her accepting the nomination being a mom of 5…she’s neglecting her family. Serving her country over being there to shuttle the kids to hockey practice. And not only in the media, but working moms that I know of…how one working mom can criticize her for her decision while they too are working moms is WAY beyond me. You either are part of that working mom team or not…and if you don’t agree, where do you draw that line? Even in cases where a working mom has only 1 or 2 kids, most that are not working moms view that as being bad moms anyway. There’s a bigger divide between working/sahms than there is between republicans and democrats.

Meg commented that being a good parent has nothing to do with genitalia…My belief is being a good parent has nothing to do with if you decide to work or stay home. SAHMs may spend more time with their kids, but if they are terrible parents in the first place, you are doing more damage anyway. On the other side, the decision for a woman to work should not be viewed as someone that neglects their family, or for whatever reason is not as good as someone that doesn’t work. There are way too many good parents (or bad ones) that are on both sides to even make that argument. Also, I will say I found Aisha’s opening paragraph and wording very curious in how she described Gov. Palin…but maybe I read more into it than I should.

To completely screw with this whole analysis of Palin and what effect she will have on the religious right or Clinton’s women…there’s a group of women - all sahms - that I know of that came out to us last week and said they can’t vote for Palin - despite the fact she carries EVERY credential of the far right - simply because she is a working mom. What gives there? Aisha hit it on the head when talking about this strange paradox.

I, for one, think it’s awesome we see a powerful woman with a family in this position. There’s too many other issues she believes in that people can go after her on legitimately - but the working mom issue is ridiculous…from both sides.

Civil Discourse - what are middle class values? And your comment that she looks like “us”…I can assure you she probably doesn’t

Cynthia - McCain chose Gov. Palin for several reasons - to completely turn this election on its head…pick up some independent women that vote on the fact she’s just a woman - although I don’t think many of those are the Clinton votes people have talked about…but most importantly she was selected to motivate the single biggest voting block on either side that is luke warm at best for McCain…the religious right.

I think, as a person, people like Gov. Palin, in general. I just think there’s way too much politics involved with WHY they like/hate her so much.