Sarah Palin under glass

Two things I must confess upfront: 1) this is totally from my gut…no research involved, which is odd for me because I usually don’t write on anything I haven’t researched, and; 2) I am a Sarah Palin fan.

I have been watching the coverage of her announcement to resign as governor of Alaska and am troubled by it. Regardless of what you think of her or her politics, it seems to me that she is taking more heat than the average politician for her decision.
Again, put aside politics and ideology because my purpose for this post is not to champion a point of view but looking through the gender lens. My question is: would a male politician who did the same thing Sarah Palin is doing receive the same scrutiny or criticism, regardless of party? I don’t think so.

Take John McCain, for example. Over the years, he’s positioned himself and been labeled as “a maverick” for making decisions and taking stands that have been seen as risky or against the grain. President Obama has branded himself as being an agent of change, doing things that are not the norm in politics. He is lauded for doing so.

Sarah Palin makes an uncoventional move and she’s lampooned. All the talking heads on the newschannels with their political
experts shake their heads with disdain over Palin’s decision.

For all the talk out there for the advancements we’ve made as a country – such as now having the first black president in American history – it’s still apparent that some people are supposed to know their roles.

And now we are on the road to repairing the cracks in the glass ceiling Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton created during the 2008 presidential campaign.

One step forward, two steps back.