Go Home, Sarah

There are numerous reasons which I won't blather on about here about why Sarah Palin is not a suitable candidate to be a "72-year-old heartbeat" away from the presidency.

The one that irks me the most has nothing to do with her gaping lack of experience, her hideous beehive hairdo, or her advocacy of hunting animals from a helicopter.

It's an odd little quirk of mine that I can't like any public figure if they clash harshly with what I think is right vs. wrong. If an actor for example, is busted repeatedly for busting up the face of his wife--forget it. I won't watch him on-screen--ever. If a politician like Joe Biden gets hair plugs that are so obvious a legally blind person such as me can see them--and he lies about it--I won't ever take him seriously again.

See, I'm allowed to think any way I want and it doesn't have to be rational to you.

In the case of Palin, I think she's a bad mother. That's it. No bad mothers as Veep.

Is it a double standard to think that four months after giving birth to a child that will forever require vast amounts of time and attention that person shouldn't run for the second highest office in the land? I don't care if it is.

I've been extremely lucky that both my kids had no obvious birth defects. But I know quite well the day-to-day challenges of a couple of moms whose children do have birth defects with similar characteristics to Palin's son. These women are very hard at work trying to make biggest strides they can with their babies in these crucial first two years. Palin, who may not have even resumed her normal cycles yet has leaped at the chance to be in the White House despite the fact that there's no way that she will have the time required to raise a Down Syndrome newborn.

I can't speak to what her spouse is doing in his involvement with the baby. The press states that Todd Palin works two jobs. Has he taken a leave of absence for take care of his and Sarah's newborn boy? On this I cannot opine. But no matter what he's doing she does not need to be throwing these precious months away trailing after John McCain.

And then there's the matter of her pregnant child. Just as her mother took the increased risk of have a baby with birth defects by giving birth at age 43, Sarah Palin's 17 y.o. daughter's risk of complications are increased notably due to the fact that daughter is still an adolescent.

Sarah, go home. Your family needs you. Don't worry. The country can get by just fine without you.

Comments

[Cyn]

It's a campaign about character?
Not achievements?
Look what Biden has achieved (stolen from a comment made to me and not verified by me--though the source is pretty credible): "Biden has sponsored more damaging drug war legislation than any Democrat in Congress. Hate the way federal prosecutors use RICO laws to take aim at drug offenders? Thank Biden. How about the abomination that is federal asset forfeiture laws? Thank Biden. Think federal prosecutors have too much power in drug cases? Thank Biden. Think the title of a “Drug Czar” is sanctimonious and silly? Thank Biden, who helped create the position (and still considers it an accomplishment worth boasting about). Tired of the ridiculous steroids hearings in Congress? Thank Biden, who led the effort to make steroids a Schedule 3 drug, and has been among the blowhardiest of the blowhards when it comes to sports and performance enhancing drugs. Biden voted in favor of using international development aid for drug control (think plan Columbia, plan Afghanistan, and other meddling anti-drug efforts that have only fostered loathing of America, backlash, and unintended consequences). Oh, and he was also the chief sponsor of 2004’s horrendous RAVE Act."

The GOP should have drafted Biden!

Seriously though. Character? If I could vote it'd be on the illusion of character because there not much of the real thing going around in this election.

[Her Brother]

The most horrifying political comment I've ever heard came from McCain's campaign: this election is about character, not about issues. So who cares about how often McCain agreed with Bush, or how they'd punish women who get black-market abortions? Because, according to McCain, it's essentially a popularity contest.

Of course, you might have to give them kudos for speaking the truth. But I won't.