One Hockey Mom's Vote

[Kate Tuttle]

Sarah Palin, we barely know you. (Though we will soon enough – I’m already sick of her shrill inflections and “gee whizzes” after only one speech.) But of the things we do know – that she’s a “pro-life” hunter, calls her husband the state’s “first dude,” brings her baby to work with her – the item I find most compelling is this: She’s a hockey mom.

I’m a hockey mom, too, having spent the last nine winters ferrying my now-15-year-old daughter to and from one frigid ice rink after another. I’ve been there, rising in the dark to guide a warm child into a cold car, both of them balky and cranky in the pre-dawn hours, then hurtling down the highway in a mad dash only to spend the next two hours huddling in a sports facility warm room under fluorescent lights, sipping Dunkin Donuts with the other pathetic hockey parents, all of us looking at least a decade older than we appear to those who see us in the hours after nine a.m. It’s a bonding experience, the same way prison must be.

And yet for years we’ve been sorely overlooked, overshadowed by the more popular and telegenic soccer moms – hey, it’s easy to look good when your kid plays an outdoor sport during daylight hours! You can’t blame a hockey mom for feeling ignored, invisible, and underappreciated.

So I figured, when Republican presidential candidate John McCain picked Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and it was revealed that she’s a hockey mom, too, that we must have more than a thing or two in common. And that must be what McCainn figured, too. Women like me – white, 40ish, married with children – are considered to be one of this election season’s swing demographics. Granted, I was never a Hillary supporter, though I would have voted for her if she had won the nomination. But even though I’m a solid Obamaniac, I wanted to see what Palin would have to offer a voter, a mother, a hockey mom like me.

Let’s start with the things we don’t have in common:

1. Palin doesn’t believe global warming has been proven.

2. Palin is in favor of teaching creationism alongside evolution in public schools.

3. Palin believes abortion should be illegal, even in cases of rape and incest, except in limited cases in which it might be necessary to save the life of the mother (presumably so she can go on to have more children!).

4. Despite saying she has many gay friends, Palin does not support gay marriage.

Even on just one cup of cheap hockey rink coffee I can figure out that Palin would never gain my vote. And I’m guessing other mothers, whatever sports they ferry their small charges to and from, will mostly share that view.

Still, it turns out that I was right; we do have a few things in common:

1. Neither one of us has any foreign policy experience, but seriously, we are willing to learn.
2. We both have kids.
3. Through forced experience, we both have learned how to wake up at ungodly hours, wash and dress in total darkness, and attend to whatever needs doing, from finding lost shoulder pads to fitting new mouthguards, all while charging up lonely highways to points north (or at least, points cold).

All of which leads me to ask, if Palin’s candidacy falls through, could we round up another crew of hockey moms and find another one? Maybe a pro-choice, global-warming-and-evolution believing one? Trust me, there are more than a few of us out there.

[SAEBausch]

Wow...the fact that someone want's Palin for President sends shivers down my spine. You can believe in God and Life and not support this woman. I love my child but do believe in choice, I believe in God but don't think evolution is garbage. I am insulted by the McCain campaign. That they think all women are going to rally behind Palin, that they think that women in general are stupid enough to not see this transparent political move is insulting. Palin is a frightening person to put in any sort of power. Nice post KateKilla. I agree with you and hope you are right about there being more of you out there.

[Tobey Rodriguez]

I question Sarah Palin's connections to Jack Abramoff lobbyists..and in turn the connection between Senator Ted Stevens and Veco which appears to be a Russian Mafia front company..could we start to look at real issues instead of obscuring the discussion with the Christian religion which should have a minor role in our electoral politics..?? Is is possible that the so called Christians among us are to myopic in their world views to really grasp what is happening to our country right now .. ??

Sarah Palin is an unknown quantity..she needs to be vetted and vetted very carefully by us..because it is obvious that the corporate media won't do it..

[Kate]

I don’t want to be insulting but I can’t see how not to. I’m sure she’s a nice woman but I’m a nice woman and no one is asking me to be the vice president. I understand that Palin has been the governor of Alaska but while all people and communities have challenges, Alaska’s are slightly different than most of the country.

I’m supposed to be pleased that she is a woman but I can’t wrap my brain around statements that she has been making. For me to be comfortable with a woman in a high level position I have to believe that she can respect the needs of other women, even if they are against her own opinions.

She hasn’t thought much about Iraq? Well her eldest son is heading there so I hope she starts thinking about it.

She’s a life member of the NRA which in Alaska is likely requisite but there are parts of the country that don’t see that as a positive.

Of course she is in favor of drilling in Anwar. I don’t think you can get elected dog catcher in Alaska if you’re not in favor of drilling in Anwar.

She is under investigation for abuse of power in her native Alaska. Here’s the basic story, her sister is in a custody fight with her ex husband who is a state trooper. She is accused of firing the Public Safety Commissioner because the Commissioner wouldn’t fire her ex brother in law.

She of course denies this but ladies, let’s really think about this. My sister has been known to make me crazy sometimes but if I thought I had the power to cause trouble to her ex I’d do it. Hell I don’t know a sister who wouldn’t. Protection is part of being a sister.

She has been in favor of abstinence education and now she has a pregnant 17 year old daughter. She stated that they were proud of Bristol's choice to have the baby. Really? I don’t think the first words out of my mouth if my teenage daughter comes home pregnant are going to ones of pride. Why does this matter? Because when you stand against comprehensive sex education, birth control and abortion, babies come into the conversation, especially lots of little babies. As it is she didn’t announce her pregnancy to her constituents until she was 7 months pregnant. Hell, I’m over weight and I couldn’t hide a pregnancy for that long.

She wants creationism taught in the public schools. She’s not sure what the position of vice president does. She’s had a photo shoot with Vogue, not 10 years ago but last month. She’s been endorsed by Ted Stevens (also under investigation).

So I wish I could support Ms. Palin but it just can’t happen. I don’t believe that she was nominated for reasons other than gender and willingness to parrot the conservative platform. And honestly, I can’t see many of Hillary’s supporters voting for her either. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

[Lori]

SHES NO HILLARY

* Gov. Sarah Palin Slideshow: Gov. Sarah Palin

Supporters of Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Reuters – Supporters of Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin display their support …

ST. PAUL, Minn. – John McCain touts Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a force in the his battle against earmarks and entrenched power brokers, but under her leadership the state this year asked for almost $300 per person in requests for pet projects from one of McCain's top adversaries: indicted Sen. Ted Stevens.

That's more than any other state received, per person, from Congress for the current budget year, and runs counter to the reformer image that Palin and the McCain campaign are pushing. Other states got just $34 worth of local projects per person this year, on average, according to Citizens Against Government Waste, a Washington-based watchdog group.

[The Griscom Volkman Family]

Hear hear Katekilla! McCain has gotten exactly what he deserved with this selection in the last 24 hours

Note that none of the Bible thumpers have photos uploaded ... it does feel orchestrated. I suspect the McCain camp has people do Google searches and flood the comments.

[Toni]

I think the only things Palin and I have in common are that we have kids and are woman. I pray she never becomes vise president. I am all for women in the white house but I am not going to vote for someone just because she is. And I hope that women all over don't make that mistake. I think teaching creationism in schools is very wrong. Our children have enough trouble getting a good education and do not need to complicated it with god into it. Besides not every one is christian (me) and believes in it. Oh and I love how people always have "gay friends". If someone is your "friend" wouldn't you want to see them happy and have equal opportunities? I guess to sum it up she sucks. :P

[erickaweb]

I am shocked at how intolerant other Christians are of other's views. If you recall in the New Testament, Jesus says over and over to be good to one another - not to judge one another. Which one of us has such a clean slate as to "cast the first stone?" Also, are Christian parents insecure about their ability to raise their children to believe in God? Do they need everyone around them to reassure their children that their parents are correct? And by the way, Obama is Christian.

[JulieP]

Pathetic and laughable, if it weren't so scary. McCain's calculated move to secure his base with our country and our lives hanging in the balance is despicable.... especially in light of the bevy of qualified candidates from which he had to choose.

[kendrabobendra]

I find Sarah Palin difficult to approach - as a SAHM I do judge women who have kids and then CHOOSE to work and spend more time with co-workers and papers and computers than with their children (and I'm not talking about HAVING to work, that's a whole other issue). If we're primary guardians of our children (as John May said above, and others), why would we choose to do that, especially if we had a child with special needs as Ms. Palin does?

OR - maybe she could job share with another hockey mom with some slightly different values (like those stated in the last paragraph of the article) and see that the world doesn't really revolve around issues like gay marriage and abortion, but rather show that two hockey moms agree that it revolves around children...or at least it should! Let her have the job AND let HER (not someone else) take GOOD care of her children.

[Leah in Minnesota]

I AM also a pro-choice hockey mom and I agree! Thanks Katekilla. I think this is affirmative action for beauty queens. She was not the most qualified Republican woman VP candidate by a long shot and think any Hillary supporter that is willing to sacrifice this country and vote for McCain/Palin simply because their person lost is crazy and lacks character. By the way- I kept my daughter who was born when I was 17 and I am still pro-choice and still apalled by the judgment I hear from all of you pro-life Christians.