You don't need a briefing book on being a mother to answer this one:
What do you do when your daughter comes home complaining that she wants to drop off the swim team or quit the play or, with the little ones, never go to school again because the other kids are being so mean, calling her names and saying unbelievably terrible things about her family and especially her mother?
Easy, right? Sure, the first few times, you want to beat up the bullies with your own bare hands, and call their mothers and tell them what terrible children they've raised. But you don't. These are life lessons. You tell her about "sticks and stones," you tell her to swim even faster, sing louder, laugh in their faces when they say mean things and prove by her success that she's better than they are. Listen to your mother, you say, mothers know about this.
Sarah Palin didn't just take a political risk when she quit the governorship of Alaska without completing her first term. She took herself out of electoral politics for good. Alaskans will never again elect her, at least as long as the people who are around right now are still voting. And half a term as governor of Alaska will never be seen as enough to qualify for the presidency.
Especially for a quitter and a sore sport.
Was Palin treated unfairly by the media? Sure. So were Geraldine Ferraro, Hillary Clinton and Katie Couric. Most "first" women are. They also get much more attention, fame and celebrity, and better seats at Yankee Stadium. I have the utmost respect for women who decide that the fame isn't worth the candle and put it aside to raise and protect their children.
Your children only have one mother.
Problem is, I don't think for a minute that Palin's goal is to give up the limelight. You don't wear a television red suit jacket if that's what you're doing. Quite the contrary. I think she thinks she's heading for places where the lights shine much brighter than they do in Siberia-adjacent.
We don't know exactly what the issues will be in 2012 or 2016, but in every presidential election, character and judgment are critical. Palin, as a candidate, will forever be the quitter. In tough times, she walked. Faced with harsh critics, major budget problems and investigations into her own ethics, she skedaddled right out of there. If she can't stand the heat in Alaska…
And judgment? I had to laugh when I saw my old buddy Dick Morris quoted as saying he wouldn't have advised Palin to resign. Talk about an understatement. Dick would have barred the door and made the bullies sound nice. It's easy to feel like a little girl when it's your ethics and your kids being attacked. That's why kids need mothers (and fathers), and why politicians need advisers. I have no doubt there were many people around Palin who told her (or would have, had they been asked) not to quit. Judgment is about listening.
The question Palin answered incorrectly this weekend didn't require her to study up on Supreme Court decisions, or even to remember names of newspapers. It wasn't a liberal trick or an unfair ambush by the mainstream media. It should have been a softball for a woman who sold herself as bringing the wisdom of motherhood to high office. And getting it wrong is not a mistake voters are likely to forgive anytime soon.
To find out more about Susan Estrich and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
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8 Comments | Post Comment
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Remember this line?
"You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference"
She is young. Who knows how she will be viewed in 1010 or 2024?
Comment: #1
Posted by: ghardin
Wed Jul 8, 2009 3:08 PM
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Susie good thing you Mom wasn't pro-life
Comment: #2
Posted by: Paul
Wed Jul 8, 2009 3:18 PM
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Dear Susan. Yes you think that voters will never forgive Sara. True of Conservatives, but for a Liberal you can kill a lady; Ed Kennedy; join the KKK; Senator Byrd; Not show your birth certificate; Obama; and Never be proud to be an American; Michelle; and not pay your taxes; Obama's cabinet and people understand! What did the bumper sticker say: "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder"
Comment: #3
Posted by: Ronald Thomas
Wed Jul 8, 2009 3:29 PM
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Sarah Palin is a national joke. The media or Tina fey didn't make her that, she did it all herself. That rambling and incoherant Friday news conference to announce her resignationbelonged right up there with Mark Sanford's incoherant and ramblings about his "Soulmate". The Republican party deserves these two "leaders" of that cabal.
What is more revealing than anything either of them had to say, was how so many ethically challenged politicians and pundits of the right-wing rushed to defend them. As they all babbled out their support for these two they revealed how challenged they were themselves. It was amazing to watch Rudy Guiliani babble on about Mark Sanford when he left his wife for HIS mistress. One after another of the tv and radio pundits for the right have defended BOTH of these governors. And jumped through huge hoops to do it. It lessens whatever credibility they have left. It is sad that real commentators and columnists are afraid to put into print what most Americans really thought of Palin last fall. I sat in many coffee shops and diners in Western Pa and eastern Ohio last September and time after time I heard Palin described by these voters as "...a complete AIRHEAD" Voters are not dumb. They rocognize a person of substance and they also recognize the straw men (or in this case Woman) and vote accordingly. The thought of Sarah Palin accidentally becoming president scared the daylights out of the swing voters. The fact that most Republicans , who are a srinking minority, still support this woman , shows how shallow they are. They just refuse to look ahead and come up with ONE a realistic solutions driven agenda, and TWO candidates who can effectively bring that agenda to the voters.
Comment: #4
Posted by: robert lipka
Wed Jul 8, 2009 7:36 PM
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Sorry, you lose. I don't mind Sarah quitting for now. She is being slammed by a very scared liberal media. They are scared because, she is smart, attractive, conservative, plain spoken, and has at least some executive leadership (Note: Obama had zero). They are also scared because she can fill a room with people waiting to hear her, and they are passionate about it. And they are scared because she can win.
Comment: #5
Posted by: Darek
Wed Jul 8, 2009 7:43 PM
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I should note that the media is in "wishful thinking mode" right now. They want her to go away... the more they talk, the more obvious it is, they are concerned. The media doesn't talk endlessly about people that aren't making an impact!
Comment: #6
Posted by: Darek
Wed Jul 8, 2009 7:45 PM
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Susan Estrich is a hypocritical Liberal feminize hack that is clearly entitled to her opinions but such does not make her opinions less stupid. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First, I will provide some insight into her “compassion” and “logic”. When a Freestyle motocross, Jeremy Lusk, died in a sporting accident, this compassionate tolerant liberal call Jeremy stupid, his sport stupid, call his family and friends stupid, said that such friends were no friends at all, called his fans stupid, and said that Jeremy wasted his life engaging in a stupid high risk activity. All before Jeremy was even buried and his family and friends grieving. Talk bout compassion. And what about her logic. Unlike rock climbing, she reasoned, freestyle motocross had no redeeming qualities. Talk about delusions of grandeur, like most “liberals”, Susan is full of it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Second, consider the present article – any signs of “delusions of grandeur”. You bet. Consider the title - “What Mothers Know”. Such a title should is the first warning of the liberal feminize crap one is about to read. Why not use the title “What Parents Know”? The answer, such a title gives men credit for knowing something. Susan does give “lip service” (no pun intended) to fathers later in the article, but Liberals typically feel compelled to do such things at least once, typically buried in the writing to provide plausible deniability about some bias. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Third, consider her take on Sara Palin. Sara Palin has more integrity in her little finger than any Liberal will ever have especially Susan Estrich. No one knows why Palin quit, yet. But such does not stop the Liberal haters from beating their drums. There is no evidence that Palin quit because of all the defamation pilled on her by those caring, compassionate Liberals. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fourth, the “unfair” media treatment of Palin went far beyond anything Feraro, Clinton, and Couric received. To even suggest Palin was treated the same as Feraro, Clinton, and Couric (or any other Liberal) goes beyond ridiculous, such is a lie. Indeed, anyone contending such is either a liar or and idiot (or both). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fifth, Susan goes on to make the laughable statement: “We don't know exactly what the issues will be in 2012 or 2016, but in every presidential election, character and judgment are critical.” That is funning coming from a member of the political party that gave use Bill Clinton and the current wacko called Obama. Two less honorable presidents one cannot find in the history of this country and there has never been a president more stupid than Obama. Admittedly, Susan does have a point here, however, as integrity does matter to people who vote for conservative candidates. Liberals would vote for Hitler (an may have) as long as he said the right things. Conservatives vote for honorable people. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enjoy your delusions of grandeur, Susan, and continue to be a legend in your own mind. When it comes to Sara Palin, she has my vote any day.
Comment: #7
Posted by: William Simmons
Thu Jul 9, 2009 3:52 AM
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"And half a term as governor of Alaska will never be seen as enough to qualify for the presidency." Yet zero terms as anything with executive responsibility qualified Obama for the presidency? How come?
Comment: #8
Posted by: Mike in Boston
Thu Jul 9, 2009 9:23 AM
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