Why Can't I Relate to Sarah Palin?
Sarah Palin. Mom to a special needs child. 44 years of age. I can flip my hair into a buggle and I have similar glasses. And yet I don't relate to her at all. I heard a talking head on MSNBC say, "In New England, she looks like trailer trash. She plays well in the rest of the country." I don't think I'm quite that shallow. She doesn't remind me of a poor, white "Southern" gal living in an easily transportable domicile. Frankly, even with my "East Coast Elite" bias (and I do have some, I admit it.) that's not why I don't relate to her.
Let's see, I went to boarding school,a top tier college (go BC!), sat behind a Kennedy in economics class freshman year (I started at Tufts), hung out with Cabots and Saltonstalls in high school. Got dragged to countless Harvard hockey games with my family, my hunky cousin Eddie was Captain of the team. You know, even with that vowel at the end of my maiden name, I still danced at The Maugus Club in Wellesley Hills. (Lord, I gag just thinking of that night which I still remember clearly, right down to my Gunne Saxe dress which is under my bed in a storage bag as I type.) BFD. I'm still Kimmy from the block! LOL!
I have probably shared more real problems and concerns with a person living on the edge in a trailer she can barely afford than I've shared with Sarah Palin. I don't want a "sassy" gal who believes in Creationism in office. Sorry. My kids need SCIENCE. I don't want a 72 year old man who doesn't know how to use the "internets." Or "The Google." I want a fresh start. Obama isn't perfect - I have real concerns as they relate to my kids. But I think he's educable. I've contacted his campaign for a chat on a serious topic where he pretty much shot himself in the foot on Friday night. Vaccine choice for families.
I wrote another piece for HuffPo - and I expect to take some heat for it. That's part of the joy of writing for me. The clash, discourse, discussion and even some disgust. Doesn't bother me much at all.
Read it HERE.
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9 comments:
Kim, I was just saying this to a male blogger who felt embarrassed to say he hated Sarah Palin. I hate her with every fiber of my being. I am a feminist working mom of a special needs child, and yet I can't relate to her in ANY WAY. She's the wrong woman and she's on the wrong party. She's a liar (hello Bridge to Nowhere) and uses her kids as props, including her pregnant teenage daughter the baby with Down Syndrome who she didn't spend more than three days with before rushing back to working full time, even though he was a premature baby suffering from a genetic disorder that is usually prone to a series of health problems.
I wouldn't want her to be the principal of my child's school, let alone the vice-president (and possibly president) of this country.
I would worry about a parent who COULD relate to Palin. She cleary uses her kids for her own promotional purposes and sees them, as leila said, as props. Any parent who would put their own ego in front of their 17 year old daughter and humiliate her in front of the world, basically dump her Down Syndrome child into the arms of whoever will take him at that moment, has an affair with her husband's business partner and kills animals from a helicopter for sport is a sickening individual to me. I hope this woman takes her trash self and goes back to Alaska asap!
leila, hate is such a strong word it makes me sad that you can't just disagree and leave it at that.
Kim I get what you're saying about not relating to her. I am a conservative, 42, 3 kids and work a part time job and while I agree with her politics I know I probably could never find myself as a buddy of hers as she is more driven to the world of politics than I am. I'll admit, I'd be a snob and wonder whose taking care of the kids and I shouldn't be that way.
But like I said, hate is a strong word for not having met her or know anything more than what the media biased or not wants/lets you know - media can't be dumb on vaccines and correct on the candidates can they?
If it is simply that you don't agree with her politics than okay that's fine.
And I'm fine with not being able to relate to or seeing us as buddies, I want someone who understands the working mom but I don't want a buddy for VP so I'm fine with her.
Did someone teleport me back to the 80's? I thought we'd got wise to the have-it-all, motherhood-won't-stop-me culture and recognised motherhood for the valuable commodity it is. Either she's a throwback or she's hiding from her real responsibilities at home by burying herself in work. I know very little of the woman but what I do know scares the living crap out of me in the context of her being in power in the American government. In combination with Macain? Beam me up Scotty!
I think she has made it clear that her own kids are not her top priority. If her own kids are not a priority I find it hard to believe she'd be fighting for anything with regards to our special needs kids. Not only that, I am a conservative and I think her politics are horrible. Her beliefs and her beehive hairdo are from 1950 and both have to go. Let's all hope and pray that she does not get in-that would be disasterous in my opinion.
I read your post. I read the comments. This sticks out to me..
"Her beliefs and her beehive hairdo are from 1950 and both have to go."
And so is John McCain - although I really liked him as a candidate in 2000. The world is utterly different in 2008 though.
"Her beliefs and her beehive hairdo are from 1950 and both have to go."
So true. I wish the Obama campaign could use this slogan! It might work at least with women on big cities. : )
I can't believe people (who think Sarah Palin is SANE) are that stupid. Her uterus does not qualify her to be VP. if I hear 'I'm glad it's a woman" agian I will lose it! I'm a single mom of a child with autism. I DO NOT think our special needs kids will 'have a voice in the White House' as she professed. The kid is only 6 months old and I have not heard one thing about therapy or anything she's doing with him so, I think she's clueless as to what it will be like to raise a special needs child. I wish we could interview little Trig and ask him how much he really sees that woman when the cameras are off!lol. If they get into office I will consider moving to Canada or somewhere ;)
I agree with what you said about Obama. I support him and nobody's perfect. But he did stike a nerve with his stance on vaccines. He must not know how passionate Autie parents are are on this..he'll SOON find out.
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