My 2 cents on Sarah Palin

Here is a little something that has been on my mind: Despite all there is not to like about Sara Palin, and I have had some strong feelings in this area, there are a few things I do like. I'd like to give voice to them amidst all the excitement of how bad she is.

1. She's a babywearer. She's the only celebrity/public figure I have seen wearing a baby, and as a follower myself of most of the tenets of attachment parenting, I am pleased to see someone bringing this to the public eye. Of course, I can't imagine she has much time to wear or even be with her baby, much less the other kids, so I'm not sure how much parenting she actually does. That said, lots of moms work away from home, and attachment parenting (babywearing, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, gentle dicipline, good nutrition) only helps to strengthen the bonds however much or little you are able to do. So it is a great idea for working moms, and I applaud her for doing any part of it.

2. She does seem nice in some ways. I thought she would seem like a total bi-otch because of the blind ambition she seems to embrace, and yet when her detractors meet her, they come away saying that she was very nice. The snippets I've heard or read of her private conversations also indicate that she really is a nice person one-on-one. Now I don't know how to reconcile the one who says such vile things on the campaign trail, with one being nice to your face. It would at first seem fake and eerily unprincipled. But I can imagine that perhaps she really believes the things she is saying, because she really is operating out of a center of fear on the national level, and yet actually be a nice person. I've seen this dynamic in lots of people I know.

3. It is good to see a woman, and a good looking, sort-of-normal one at that, excelling in politics. I do have sympathy that a good looking woman is going to be made fun of just because of that, not to mention the other inadequecies she possesses. I thought she was brave on Saturday Night Live. And though they also scare me when armed with such out of touch views, I do admire her cajones and her toughness at standing up to criticism and mockery. Not that she doesn't deserve it. She really is ignorant, and the American people have a right to know and talk about that. And it also scares me how her own ignorance is not a deterrent to her, but I do admire the toughness and courage it requires to do what she has done.

Well, I'm not much of a political writer or a personality interpreter, so I'll leave it at that. Just wanted to point out a few of my mixed feelings, while of course saying that I share few of her beliefs and don't respect someone who is willing to be a figure-head without real knowledge of important facts. Despite what she may think, she does not represent or understand most Americans, much less people from around the world.