The Mother of All Hockey Moms

Whoa! I listened to the Republican National Convention last night and I must say it scared me. Giuliani and Palin were out for blood and let nothing, including the truth get in the way of them thrashing their opponents and praising John McCain.

Now I don’t expect anything really important to be said at a convention, they’re mostly for rallying the troops, but I do expect them to be somewhat civil. Giuliani and Palin didn’t even come close. Baseless and hypocritical attacks that verge on the irresponsible are what I expect to read on poorly written blogs, not hear from a politician who wants to be vice-president.

Still the old white people in attendance really seemed to eat it up….which again scares me. The rising culture of mean spirited criticism that has risen with the anonymity of the Internet is not something I expect to be applauded at a political convention, unless of course that political convention is made up of barbarians or perhaps zombies. Then it would be okay.

What has pissed me off most during the RNC has been the calls by conservative politicians and pundits to “lay off” Palin and her family. Giuliani pinpointed what I’m talking about last night when he said, “how dare THEY question whether Palin will have enough time to spend with her children while vice president?” (I guess by “they” he is refereeing to bloggers because I have yet to hear a Democratic politician say anything resembling a snipe at Palin and her ability to mother.)

Listen guys, if I was to run around calling myself Will the Soccer Guy while always wearing shin guards, cleats and goalie gloves don’t you think people would begin asking questions about my soccer skills? These would be legitimate questions, just like the questions that might be asked about someone who champions herself as a “hockey mom,” continuously talks about her children and always puts them center stage.

Now, if I applied for a job to sell men’s suits I would expect the interviewer to ask me how much I knew about men’s suits including where they’re made, fit, quality, fabric and types of stitching. This would make sense, the same way it would make sense to question someone wanting to be vice-president about their foreign policy experience, their dealings with lobbyists and if they have ever used past positions for private reasons.

Turning away from the convention but not Mrs. Palin, I was asked if I did in fact think she was a good mother. Of course I have no way of knowing for sure, but from my point of view all signs point to no.

Now, I’m not sure of what to think about her returning to work 3 days after the birth of her youngest son. It sounds a little rushed and emotionally cold but that’s really hard for me to judge since I have never been a pregnant working mother. I’m also not sure of what to think about her 17-year-old daughter being pregnant. My questions around that would concern what, if anything, Palin told her daughter about sex and why her daughter didn’t listen. Still teens will be teens, but for better or for worse their actions do reflect on their parents.

Those issues aside, what leads me to guess that she’s probably not the best mother figure, is that she made her daughter the face of teen pregnancy for the entire country. Her daughter, Bristol , is now the butt of jokes, the subject of tabloids and the cause of town hall meetings. She’ll have to deal with what most people deal with in private on the public stage on which her mother knowingly put her. How did she feel when she read about her soon to be husband’s MySpace page that never mentions her and states that he doesn’t want kids? Will she think the Saturday Night Live skit about her is funny? What about the YouTube videos that are bound to lambast her? It really seems that Palin put herself before her daughter and that doesn’t read right in my book.

Random Web site: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bobcats5-2008sep05,0,2286826.story

Bobcats move in!

I couldn't resist giving a double post with more Palin goodness:
http://disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/8143/Daily_Show_on_Republican_hypocrisy/