Country First or Family First

By: stev99
Published On: 9/3/2008 8:15:15 AM

The vice president nominees have two stories.  And the Republicans have a slogan of "Country First."  

Joe Biden's story is well known as someone who lost his wife and infant daughter in a car accident that left his two sons critical in the hospital.  Biden just elected to Congress was struck with the tragedy staying the hospital not taking the oath on Capital Hill.  But he remained by the side of this sons in the hospital.

Sarah Palin's story is that she has has had five months ago had a baby born with downs-syndrome.  Her son has special needs.  Her teenage daughter then becomes pregnant.  Sarah Palin has now absent from her family on the campaign trail with McCain and work for the country.

I know the stories are very different, but focusing on one point, the family.  Does Palin look like an opportunist who sacrifices the needs of her family for personal gain?

This is not meant to attack Palin's family or Palin's career ambitions.  But more of a questioning of the slogan "Country First" when there are a lot more important things such as God and family that I would put before it.


Comments



This is dangerous ground to tread on. (Tiderion - 9/3/2008 1:50:43 PM)
I get the feeling from everything I have read about or heard from Palin that she is an opportunist, which is fine. But even I question when one crosses the line from being supportive to being selfish. Biden kept his job supposedly to keep the health care his family needed. I am okay with that. Mark Warner chose not to run for President citing his daughters. I'm fine with that. If Palin decided to stay governor for now and potentially run for senate and get the experience we all think she needs and cites her family as the reason, then I would be fine with that too.

I'd love to say we all put country first but country first is a slogan for those who have grown up children or no children at all. To be good parents, you frequently have to put your children above other concerns. Plenty of successful statesmen and stateswomen have had families at the same time as keeping their career. I'd like to hear from them about their experience. As much as I would love to run for office and win, I probably won't change my career by going for a vastly different office when my kids are little. That just doesn't seem healthy for my family.