As women, many of us have held the belief that if more of us were in positions of power, the world would be different. We have believed that the peaceful, safe, and caring world we want for our children is more likely to come about if mothers are making the decisions.
Yet, at this historical moment, when we see the potential for a women to be in one of the most powerful positions in the world, we must also accept the reality that she does not share the values that will serve us and our children. Instead, throughout her career, Sarah Palin has taken the same positions held by so many men in power. She has consistently supported an unjust war, even arguing that it is inspired by God. She opposes reform of our tax system to relieve the burden on working class families, and supports increases in military spending. She has ignored the signs that the quality of our environment is in grave danger, and has argued in favor of policies that put our planet in even greater jeopardy. She opposes reforms in health care that would improve the quality of life for the nation’s families. She has expressed opposition to measures that would protect basic constitutional rights. And, on almost all issues, she has supported a president, George Bush, who has left our children a legacy of war, debt, pollution, financial instability, and a declining global image.
So, at this moment, I regret that I cannot support the second woman in history to be nominated for the office of vice president of the United States. Our children and subsequent generations are counting on us to make good choices. They are counting on us to look beyond campaign slogans and hype and to make choices that will move this country to greater peace, health, and stability. I have seen or heard no evidence that Sarah Palin would make the choices that will secure our country for the generations that follow us.
So I may have to leave it to my college-aged daughter to help elect the first woman vice president. I see no reason to believe that it is in her best interests to elect one now.