I’ve been listening to convention speeches for two weeks now.
“Vote for my candidate! He’s the best! He’s better than the rest!”
This from many of the people who a few months ago were saying “Vote for me!”
And then the peanut gallery chimes in. The journalists. The commentators. The talking heads. It all seems to add up to a lot of nonsense.
And yet, these are important times. The person chosen for President this fall with have the potential to impact my life and the lives of my wife and children significantly over the next four years and beyond. So I need to pay attention. I need to know how the candidates are different. I need to know where they stand. But I don’t think I’ll figure that out listening to the peanut gallery–or watching political ads on TV.
Those TV ads started in full force during the Olympics. They were everywhere. It got so bad that my three-year-old started walking around the house saying, “I’m Rocko Bama, and I prove this message.” At least I don’t live in a battleground state; I can’t imagine what people in Ohio and Florida must go through!
Insincere speeches, the peanut gallery, and TV ads. Gotta love Presidential elections.
Where to go from here? Well, a real analysis of voting records and stated positions would be a good place to start. Later this fall, we’ll have a comparison right here in The Father Life. Trying to figure out what that means for my family is the next, and arguably more difficult, task.
It may seem obvious, but actually voting is important, too. It can be easy to discount the importance of your vote, but don’t fall into that trap. Your vote does count, and your responsibility to vote–for you and your kids–is very important. If you haven’t yet registered, there’s still time. You can contact your state board of elections, or check out rockthevote.org.
Your challenge, then, should you choose to accept it, is to decide who should lead the free world for the next four years. But don’t worry; we’re all in this together.
Ben Martin is Editor-In-Chief of THE FATHER LIFE. He lives with his wife and four children in the Rochester, NY, area.
Ben Martin is the CEO of THE FATHER LIFE. He lives with his wife and five children in the Rochester, NY, area.
I definitely relate with you on this one Ben.
Although I really try to stay neutral with regards to political parties, there’s one aspect of the Sarah Palin story that’s really bugging me.
She’s an active professional with a full schedule and five kids at home. It seems the spin is that she is doing this all on her own is the super woman of the future.
I doubt she’s doing it on her own.
In my case, I just have one happy and healthy two year old to take care of. My time to work on my own projects is quite limited, and I can’t imagine trying to run a state at the same time.
Where is the mention of her husband and the father of the kids who in no small measure must be helping to enable her rise in political power by taking on more than the “traditional” share of family responsibilities.
Isn’t that a story in itself?
I see it as yet another case of the dad’s role in taking care of kids and the household being minimized.
Ladies, if you want more time and support to follow professional lives, then give some credit to the husbands and fathers who are taking on their own non-traditional roles and fighting a set of stereotypes and prejudices that have yet to show up on the mass media radar.
Or is he not really helping?
If it’s the case that he has his own full time career, then who is raising the kids? If they’re outsourcing this responsibility 100% is that the kind of “family values” the social conservative folks try to be so smug about?
That’s part of the story that is yet to be told, though I doubt it will take long for everyone to find out. Commercial fisherman/oil company employee/extreme sportsman doesn’t sound like the type of role that leaves lots of home time available, but I don’t know if he’s active in any of that right now. I’d love to do an interview with Alaska’s “First Dude” to find out!