Did you stop and think that her husband may be the primary child raiser in the family? And there's no reason you can't be for "family values" and have a job. It almost sounds like you're advocating that women who are mothers should not work, or if they do they should have a job that doesn't have a lot of responsibility, i.e. something entry level.

I too was surprised that McCain picked someone who doesn't have a lot of experience, particularly given his age. She seems to be a pretty interesting lady otherwise.

dana, i wouldn't really go the route of criticizing a woman's ability to work and raise a child at the same time. not that i'd vote for her or mccain, but isn't palin married? fathers have been known at times to care for their children.

barack obama was raised by a working mother, and he turned out fine.

Her husband has a job with BP - so he hasn't been a stay-at-home dad yet after 5 children.

Although I think it's fair game (John McCain long forfeited any moral high-ground), I don't want to criticize her for how she raises her children. With her being a wing-nut who thinks teaching creationism in schools is a-ok, global warming is not man-made, there are other ways to go about attacking her. Basically, if you want abstinence-only sex ed, Roe overturned and the Christian Coalition operating out of the West Wing, you want Sarah Palin for vice president.

As a working mom, I agree with Dana. With kid number five, especially with special needs, it is not the time to undertake the heartbeat away from the presidency job.

But the thing I think is crazier is that she doesn't support the equal pay bill. So go ahead and crash through that glass ceiling sister, at 80 cents on the dollar. Hope you have day care included in your new job offer.

Cut 'n pasting a bit from my response to your last thread on Palin:

I find it hilarious that "what about her children?!" hand-wringing comes from the left now, with a woman that is truly proving we can "have it all." It's a remarkable display of hypocrisy, and highly entertaining to those who have recognized it for what is all along. Live by identity polics, and die by it, my friends.

/paste

I still think it is funny that you think this is a play for PUMA votes. I hate to break it to you, but there are way more middle and working class, "downscale Democrat," and, most importantly, INDEPENDENT voters than there are PUMAs out there. Your political analysis leaves a lot to be desired.

Thanks for all the comments, everyone!

To clarify, there are two thoughts going on in my post above:

1) On a personal level, I don't think it's possible to hit the campaign trail and care for a four-month old, especially one with special needs. While I support any woman's right to outsource raising a child in the interest of pursuing a career, I am just noting that it's impossible to raise a baby and also be Vice President without putting the baby's needs second (unless you put the needs of the country second). There's only so much bandwidth a person has.

2) My broader point is the hypocrisy of all these "Focus on the Family" groups extolling Ms. Palin as a bastion of family virtue when she is, in fact, abandoning the special needs child she chose to have to hit the campaign trail.

But then, we all know that "Focusing on the Family" translates to "not aborting babies." They don't actually care what you do with the little bundles of joys once they arrive. So, there's that.

Though really, her decisions at a parent are kinda the least of my concerns with her as a VP pick.

PS ~ What's a "downscale" Democrat?

Your comments regarding those who oppose abortion are offensive; there is nothing to support your assertion that "they don't actually care what you do with the little bundles of joys once they arrive." I'm not religious myself (off to Bumbershoot with the rest of the heathens in a few), but your by-the-numbers, uninformed, and highly stereotypical views of religious people is typical. It shows ignorance, as well as a dearth of nuanced thought about the things that motivate spirituality and actions emanating from that.

In a country where 90% of Down's babies are aborted, it is appropriate for those that are opposed to abortion generally to applaud her choice. See that word? "Choice"? Just wondering!

A "downscale" Democrat is the cute euphamistic term for all them white (racist?) union voters Obama needs in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and more. You know, the kind of people progressives need to win, but would rather not claim as their own. I read all the charming commentary about them on Kos when Hillary was still in contention for the nomination. The bigger media outlets called them "downscale" so that they didn't have to actually point out that they're not the arugula-munching type of Democrat that seem to be most enthusiastic about Obama.