When Kathleen Parker Suggests You Go

Although it sometimes leads to butting head with many feminists, I like the idea of feminism being the simple idea that women are human beings deserving of equal treatment under the law and equal pay. Everything after that is debatable. Today feminists from both parties can come together as Kathleen Parker suggests that Sarah Palin bow out of the race. Palin's candidacy insults all women. It's not having a woman nominee for any office that matters. It's having a qualified nominee. If that nominee is a woman, then so much the better for our democracy's ability to expand the number of voices in the conversation. Palin was nominated because of her gender, not because of her policies (although that whole praying for the pipeline thing probably excited the base) or because of her qualifications.

I keep hoping that when the glass ceiling is finally smashed, it will happen because the candidate is a qualified, poised, smart elected official who happens to be a woman.

Priceless

A small apology from the media directed at Gov. Palin.

Why Bristol Palin's Pregnancy Matters

Obama may have declared family off-limits, but his opponents haven't. Bristol Palin's pregnancy could just be a footnote in this election, had her mother not promised during her 2006 gubernatorial campaign "explicit sex education courses will find no support from me" in the conservative Eagle Forum (that page has recently been "rectified", but you can still read about it here).

Palin also slashed funding for housing programs for teenage mothers.*

So while the Obama campaign might "take the high road" and not mention Palin's hypocrisy, she seems to have gotten a free pass. Her daughter made a mistake (or not, who cares?) and Palin appears supportive. It's a shame she couldn't be supportive of all young women faced with unplanned pregnancies, or you know, support programs that teach young men and women alike to prevent them.

Make no mistake, there are other issues at stake here, such as Palin supporting the "Bridge to Nowhere" before she was against it, her possible abuse of power involving police enforcement, and her lobbying for earmarks while campaigning as a "fiscal conservative." But I am a little disappointed in the media backing off on the issues brought to light by Palin's daughter's pregnancy. If she's going to campaign on family values, she ought to be held accountable when she doesn't live up to them by truly supporting all teenage mothers.

*Apparently, she failed to fully fund the program. I apologize.