Represent

I understand the desire among moderate progressives to back off of the Bristol Palin story. Insomuch as I believe a pregnant teenager shouldn't be brought into the public sphere and offered up for scrutiny, I agree. But let us be clear. Her mother did that, not the press, not the Obama campaign, and not the progressive blogosphere. If there was any question in the mind of Sarah Palin that her daughter would become an issue in the campaign, then it is only evidence that her political savvy is even less sophisticated than it would appear. I have to believe she did know, and it was decided that the evangelical right, which she was brought on to court, would flock to her support while critics could be deflected with horrified shock that anyone would dare criticize a young girl as part of a presidential election.

The fact is, however, that Sarah Palin stands on a platform of family values and right-wing extremism. Part and parcel to that is the implied notion that Sarah Palin is better qualified to decide what decisions are available to you as a parent than you are. Sarah Palin believes she is qualified to be the National Parent. She should decide what books your children should not read. She should decide what your children should not be taught about procreation in school. She should decide whether or not your teenage daughter should have access to birth control and abortions. She should decide how your children should be molded into responsible, sexually healthy adults. This is at the very heart of evangelical politics, and Sarah Palin is neck deep. So it is very, very relevant that Sarah Palin's own parenting choices fall well within the scope of reasonable criticism. Because she has applied for the position of National Parent, we are entitled to see her resume, and question what appear to be gaps in her job performance to date. This is not fair to Bristol Palin. I would never argue that it is. But to simply ignore the facts of Sarah Palin's background would be a dereliction of duty, especially when those facts paint her to be unsuitable for the specific position for which she has applied.