Am I a sexist?

So...politics have consumed many of my thoughts lately an peppered many conversations of late as well. My best friend and I speak almost daily about the presidential campaign, and our conversations are deeply satisfying, too, since we feel the same way about almost everything. (We're so smart, aren't we bud?) Much of our convos lately have been about McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin. Last Friday, as soon as I saw the news online that McCain had chosen his VP, I looked her up and started reading up on her. A lot of it sounded good (which made me nervous, of course), but then I reread a line of her bio: "five children, the youngest born in April." Back up. Wait a minute. April? Let's see, that would make that child four months old! A woman with four other kids and a four month old (with special needs, no less) actually wants to be Vice President of the United States? I'm sorry. But that really bothers me.

And I'm trying to be fair about it, I really am. As I told my mom, I'd like to think my feelings are bipartisan and that if a Obama had picked a Palinesque running mate I'd feel the same way. And I really think I would. The problem is, I would not be nearly as hard on a male candidate with an infant and four other children. Clearly, a male candidate would not get to spend as much time with those children just like a female. So why am I being so hard on Palin about it as a woman?

It's difficult to explain, I guess. Obviously, gender roles in our society play a huge part of my feelings. Women are the traditional caretakers of children, after all, and those stereotypes are hard to get over. But I also think my new role as mother is playing into my feelings. I see what I am doing as so important and wonder why Palin would give that up for such a time consuming job. Bear in mind I am certainly not saying that mothers should not work, but I cannot imagine working the hours Palin will as VP with an infant or other young children at home and being able to balance well. Women are capable of amazing things, no doubt, but let's be realistic. She is not going to take her baby (or other children) with her on trips to Georgia or the Middle East, is she? And her trying to be Supermom and Vice President just to prove she can do it (but I dont' think she, or anyone, can) seems very unfair to me. Her older daughter, the pregnant one, is already suffering with the media storm that has hit.

And I guess it makes me really angry that she's running on this conservative, family values ticket. What about taking a HUGE job with a special needs infant screams family values?

And as long as I'm ranting, why is it that every conservative Republican is using her Downs Syndrome baby to say how wonderful Palin is because she chose not to abort her child? Come on! Just because you're pro-choice doesn't mean you would always choose abortion! Pro-choice does not equal pro-abortion, and to insinuate that all or most pro-choicers would have chosen to abort a child with DS is just plain ridiculous...and insulting.

I don't love that I feel this way. I know it's a sexist opinion, and I really hope (if elected - grrrr) she proves me wrong.

Off to watch her speech...