Rush, Liberal Trolls, and the Conservative Woman

I came across a post yesterday at Caffeinated Thoughts on Sarah Palin and Rush. Rush got a caller from Virginia who took issue with Sarah Palin's possible run for president due to her young children. She went on to explain how she couldn't support a woman who has very young children being POTUS. Rush didn't take to kindly to this caller and viewed her as a liberal troll. What makes me believe that she isn't a liberal trying to stir up trouble is because when he asked who she would support she said Mitch Daniels. Daniels isn't exactly on the liberal radar from what I can tell. If she had said Romney or Huckabee it would be easier to believe that she may have been a fake caller.


Rush dismissed her and her concerns out of hand

RUSH: You’re not disappointing me. You’re just a sexist.


CALLER: Am I? Well, that could be it, too.


RUSH: A little sexism going on here, but that’s fine, everybody has, you know, boundaries to allow some of that stuff to happen….

Is it really sexist to think that small children need their mommy? Jill from Pundit and Pundette doesn't seem to think so. She is the mom to a large family and has made being there for her children her priority. That doesn't make her sexist or a Neanderthal. There are plenty of women in this country who honestly believe that being a mother is the most important role they will ever have. My Gosh, even Natalie Portman called it her most important role. They believe that being there on a consistent and daily basis is the preferable way to raise children to become healthy and happy adults.


When the caller brought up Mitch Daniels Rush then went onto to say that he is a father. Yes Rush, Mitch is the father of four girls. But, they are not girls, they are women. The youngest is about 25. Sarah Palin's youngest child is about three. There is no comparison between the two. A 25-year-old woman has her own life and the daily parenting work is now over. A three-year old who was disabilities and a child in elementary school have needs that his daughters do not. Frankly, I am little shocked that Rush would even say something like that unless he doesn't know how old Daniels' children are. Which is entirely possible, because I had to go online to look it up.


The women who believe that being there for your children are not ignorant enough to not realize that being a stay at home mom is possible for all women. There are plenty of women out there who must work. Some due to being single parents others due to the financial realities that don't allow them the luxury of staying home. The issue becomes when a woman like Sarah Palin's knee jerk reaction was to put people down for wanting that or preferring that. Calling someone a Neanderthal isn't going to win over people. When I did my original post on this many of the comments that followed was the fact that Todd Palin stays at home with the children when she is traveling. Ok, fine, but then that would make what she said even more perplexing. She can do these things because there is a stay at home parent. She should be embracing that instead of putting it down.


The idea of running a national campaign for the presidency of the United States and then spending four years doing a very stressful and all-consuming job when you have a three-year is going to turn some people off. One of the things that I actually did respect about Michelle Obama during the campaign was the fact that she refused to be away from her children more than two days at a time, and the girls were kept at home with a regular schedule. The day after their father was elected president they were in school. She still goes to her daughters activities. I respect that. She has made giving her daughters a childhood her priority. I don't agree with the Obama's on virtually anything, but they have tried to give their children the most normal childhood that they can considering they live in a fishbowl. Also, for the record, I did say way back when that I didn't think someone with very young children should be president. I don't think it is a healthy environment to raise children in. If that makes me some nut, then so be it. When you bring a child home from the hospital you have made a choice to be a parent. That choice comes with major responsibilities and yes it includes putting your desires on the back-burner at times.


Rush also went on to bring up Hillary Clinton

RUSH: It seems to me all this hating going on on Sarah Palin, for whatever reason, there are a lot of people who just don’t like the idea of a strong woman. Well, isn’t that what we heard in explaining the criticism of Hillary? We did.

Rush, this isn't about liking or disliking strong women. This is about the fact that Sarah Palin has two children under ten, one of which has yet to start school. Again, Chelsea is a grown woman who actually went out and campaigned for her mother. There are people in this country who believe that a mother of small children should put the needs of their children before the desire to be the most powerful woman in the world. There is a distinct role for mothers in the lives of their children. A role that fathers simply cannot provide.