Palin Calls the Question on Motherhood, Apple Pie, and Gender

Polls have been showing white women voters are closely divided between Obama and McCain. Looks like McCain was taking that white women demographic literally when he recruited a self-professed, once upon a time, “hockey mom” to be his running mate. Sarah Palin, McCain’s V.P. running mate, has called the question on gender, in the same way Obama called the question on race.

As he pondered his V.P. choices, perhaps McCain was thinking, that disgruntled Hillary supporters from within the Democratic party (mostly white women) who had threatened to vote for McCain in protest would actually carry out their threat if there were a woman on the ticket with him.

Even after the sensational unity theater that was the Democratic National Convention, it remained uncertain how dependable post-Hillary support for Obama was among Hillary supporters. After all, Democratic primary voters had chosen Obama over Hillary, and then Obama himself chose Biden over Hillary. A double dissing: Not the bride—but, not even the bridesmaid.

In the meantime, within the Republican party, there have been ongoing doubts about McCain. Was he conservative enough to keep the party base engaged? In making his V.P. choice, maybe he thought it could get a twofer-- if he tapped a candidate who is a woman AND right wing. Maybe he could pull in some of those waivering white women and Hillary supporters, and fix things up within his own party. Could it be?

So he does something kooky. He selects Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, to be his running mate: five-time mom; former city councilor and mayor of a small town in Alaska; NRA member who shoots automatic weapons and is comfortable with men in camouflage; wife of a champion snow mobiler; anti-abortionist; pro-creationist; beauty pageant babe, but one with a fierce, competitive streak and unbridled political ambition.

Her main contribution to the ticket has been her apparent authenticity. Regardless of her specific views on the various issues, she’s a compelling candidate in the eyes of the American electorate. She seems also to draw Democrats’ criticism away from McCain and to blunt Republican criticism of McCain by highlighting his maverick streak. After all, what ‘traditional’ Republican would have chosen a woman, let alone a working woman, let alone a working mother of five, let alone a working mother of five with a pregnant unwed teenage daughter?

In short, Palin’s candidacy has called the question on gender demographics—in the same way Obama’s called the question on racial demographics. Would, should anyone vote (or not vote) for Palin simply because she is a woman? Would, should anyone vote (or not vote) for Obama simply because he is black? Palin’s outstanding presence, down to her Lois Lane glasses in an era where contacts are the norm for celebrity women, excepting Palin’s look alike, Tina Fey, has forced the issue.

Historically, the women’s movement has endeavored both to honor traditional women’s work centered on mothering in the private sphere AND to promote equality and the expansion of opportunities for women in the public sphere; to end all forms of discrimination against women in our society. Part of that movement has included supporting women in government so that there would be more representation of women’s experiences in policy-making and more role models for other women to be agents of change in their homes and communities.

Now that she is the V.P. candidate, the intertwined narratives of Palin’s personal life and public service have forced candidates, voters, and commentators to sort out their views on gender and politics. Critics of Hillary Clinton, who said she would have been better off baking cookies than pursuing a legal career now find themselves touting Palin’s ‘independent streak.’

Feminist commentators who typically point out the inequity between the questions asked of male candidates and female candidates with regard to their personal lives now find themselves publicly questioning Palin’s ability to serve while caring for her 5 month old special needs baby. And then there is Palin’s own record on these issues that needs to be squared with her public persona. As governor of Alaska she cut funds for education and denied global warming. But she presents a public face of nurturing and caring and concern for our children’s futures. She has stated an extreme anti-abortion position, with no exceptions even in the case of rape, yet she tells the media that her daughter’s pregnancy is a private matter and the decision to keep the baby, her daughter’s own choice.

In short, Palin has taken the rhetoric of ‘women’s issues’ and tried to have it both ways. In that way, are either of the goals of the women’s movement being achieved via Palin’s candidacy? To whom is she a role model? What woman’s perspective does she bring to bear? In short, when evaluating Palin against her counterpart on the Democratic ticket, the question is this: Is it better to support a man with woman-centered views or a woman with male-centered views?

Palin, herself, threw down the gauntlet in her very first speech as the presumptive Republican V.P. candidate. Within seconds of being named, she praised Hillary’s success in cracking the glass ceiling (a metaphor for the often invisible obstacles to women’s advancement in the workplace and government) which helped to make Palin’s own candidacy possible.

In doing so Palin forced Hillary to respond, and Hillary did--- right away, and in classically Clintonesque terms:
“We should all be proud of Gov. Sarah Palin’s historic nomination,
and I congratulate her and Sen. McCain. While their policies would
take America in the wrong direction, Gov. Palin will add an important
new voice to the debate.”

Palin puts the demographic to the test. In much of the reporting on women’s reactions to Palin’s nomination, we hear that liberal women are insulted that anyone would think just any woman would do. Their point is, the political process ought not to discriminate against women, but that doesn’t mean a woman with the wrong politics ought not to be opposed. Black Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a staunch conservative, got the same reaction from liberals in his nomination process, “Sure we want a person of color on the Court, but not that Black man.”

The most current round of polling shows that men largely deem Palin ‘qualified’ to serve while women are of the opposite opinion. Palin’s resume (or lack thereof) is a fact, so how does one account for the differing points of view? Perhaps it indicates that women are looking at the matter objectively and men set the bar a bit lower for a female candidate. Perhaps it indicates that men are looking at the matter objectively and women set the bar a bit higher for a female candidate? Either way, it will be interesting to see how the demographics and ideology sort themselves in this race as we rapidly approach the finish line.