Voters do not question how McCain and Obama will do it all because we expect their wives to make the career sacrifices that may be necessary, and they will not be asked to do so. Biden’s biography indicated that he did sacrifice for family by returning home every night on the train to be with his boys. If the “first dude” is the one making the career sacrifices as parent in chief of the family, then they should make that explicit. Michelle Obama has been on TV discussing the kids and telling us that her mother helped out in keeping the situation normal for them. In the movie shown at the convention, McCain’s wife was shown doing charity work, but not working a full-time job with little children. All of the first ladies have been featured with pet causes, but I don’t know one who has held a job when they had small children. So, is Todd going to take care of the kids? We have heard very little about him. The voters know that raising a family with small children is more than a full-time job, especially if one is a baby with special needs. We also know that the job of president is more than a full-time job. I don’t think it is unfair of us to ask how Palin and her husband plan to divide up the responsibilities should she become president because taking care of the kids has been largely her responsibility, at least up to the point that she became governor. According to the little I’ve read about her husband, he worked a job away from home on oil rigs and fishing for most of their married life.

I’m not picking on you and what you want to evauluate or not.

What is this about exactly? What I write and who I write about?

Or the bigger issue about whether Palin put the mom part of the working mom into play?

Please – stop being so concrete.

You are really betraying your strengths here.

I raised Gillibrand because great attention was given by some to whether she’d be able to handle being a pregnant member of the house of representatives. There have been a couple of others who’ve had babies while in the congress recently but I don’t track them – because they didn’t say that being a working mom was what qualified them for the job.

Here’s what you wrote in your first comment here: “The spotlight you wish to shine is too intrusive, and you are too selective on where you choose to shine it. In other words, you do not uphold the same standard in all instances.”

I didn’t say I thought I was or wasn’t being intrusive – what I then wrote was that I believe Palin has put the mom part of working mom in play unlike the other candidates because she and the GOP and McCain say that that status makes her qualified. If you put that status in play as the basis for your qualifications then we get to ask about that.

If you are saying that I am wrong and that other candidates have put their parenting status out as what qualifies them to be VP or P, then please – name those candidates and let’s look at that.

But to do all this other fingerpointing, sheesh.

So far, I haven’t found posts you’ve devoted to Gillibrand. But I can find many posts about Palin. It does look like you are singling out Palin.

I can remember a candidate who ran for the U.S. Senate who touted motherhood, and only motherhood, as the experience she needed to be elected to the Senate. She was never governor. She was never mayor. Her name is Patty Murray. Do you care to rip her apart?

Please.

When candidates put their efforts as parenting on their resume as why they are qualified , that qualification doesn’t get a pass as far as being the subject of scrutiny.

To the extent that Palin has put her parenting skills in play – and I believe she and McCain and the GOP have by pushing the hockey mom as pitbull meme among several other things this candidate has said on the trail so far – she is responsible for all sides of that image they want to push – and that includes, how she does that all.

If it’s not been the subject of scrutiny before or at this level, then it’s because no candidate at this level has cited their parenting pitbull abilities and nature as part of what qualifies them for the elected office.

I would never tell you to admit that or plead with you. If you don’t see it, you are an adult – then you don’t see it.

I do.

I can’t see how your standards are being applied fairly across the board. Please just admit that you are singling Palin out for special treatment.

I disagree that Palin hasn’t put her family out there any more than any other candidates – though I agree that’s the threshold at this point in the way candidates campaign with waving photos of their family.

I believe she has baited everyone by making this statement about her daughter’s pregnancy and impending marriage, says it’s a private marriage, and then has the fiance flown in.

That’s a lose-lose because if you say that she didn’t know there’d be much interest, you’re being disingenuous, and if you say that of course she knew about the attention that would bring, then you admit that she is in fact baiting everyone.

Dan – this candidate is as calculating and maybe more calculating than most, based on what we hear from people who worked with her in Alaska.

Again – listen to the WCPN piece from this past Thursday with the Alaska public radio reporter.

I appreciate if you want to support her, but I disagree with your analysis.

I’ll be a broken record if I have to be: Palin should be sharing her parenting choices and processes because she and McCain and the GOP have placed her working mom and hockey mom credentials on the table as being part of what qualifies her to be a VP.