I am a strong, confident woman. I struggle to balance motherhood and working. I have made many sacrifices and worked very hard to be respected in a field that includes both men and women. And, I am contemplating having another child at 39.
On the surface, you would think that I would be thrilled to have Sarah Palin as a choice for Vice President of the United States. That is, if all I concerned myself with was the surface of things. That must be what the McCain camp thinks of women. Why else would he choose someone whose values, politics and demeanor fly so boldly in the face of everything women today, and those before me, tried to accomplish?
Not only am I wholly opposed to her views on abortion, church and state and sex education; she clearly doesn't have the experience. For example, she says that she is ready to deal with foreign leaders because she can see Russia from her home state. I can see the moon when I stand outside of my house, but that doesn't make me qualified to be an aerospace engineer.
Why didn't McCain choose someone like Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Condi Rice, Olympia Snow, Christine Todd Whitman? I don't care for their politics much either, but at least I wouldn't be wondering if, somehow, I've become the butt of a joke.
John McCain's lobbyist-turned-campaign manager said that this campaign wasn't about the issues. With his pick of Sarah Palin, I believe that John McCain has done more than tried to sideswipe millions of Americans who are trying to pay for a gallon of gas without sacrificing a gallon of milk. I believe that his actions are threatening every advancement that women have made since we were granted the right to vote.
As women, let's act on that right and send a message to John McCain and Sarah Palin just exactly what it looks like when women reform politics--we make our voice heard through our vote. Obama 2008!
