Change I can believe in?!

Change I can believe in, you say? How the hell would YOU know Democratic Party members and Barack Obama? What change do you offer? Economic? How so? You mean equal outcomes for all- regardless of effort, skills, or time spent? Umm, no that is NOT the change I was thinking of, but my change will bring that about, I HOPE.

Change in Washington? How so? A more balanced perspective, how so? You have a campaign of change, but as yet, I see no change from business as usual. . .that mentality of needing Washington based experience in order to be taken seriously as a leader. . .which means that many of us who are looking at Sarah Palin with pride and kinship are not qualified either. Despite my time on the job of raising the future, and the methods and skills I have fine tuned in order to make our life work, I am not worthy. I had an unplanned teen pregnancy myself, I kept the baby, I have a special needs child and I work outside the home. . .with the blatant sexism spewing forth from those Democratic mouths. . .I realize that the party I most identified with has no clue who I am and what I want, but still thinks it can tell me what to do. Ignore the messages of the parties and JUST VOTE DEMOCRAT. . .even if they did dismiss the front runner candidate in favor of the delegate choice. Popular vote says that the wrong candidate is running for president on the Democratic ticket, do not think we have not noticed how gender bias and cronyism have stolen this facet of the election process.

You rail against Palin as if her close proximity to us common people was a mark against her character, and her children have been savaged in the news, and on blogs rabid in their support of Obama and the candidate for Change has piled on insult after insult of his own, and this is the politics of change?

Change I can believe in values the role and status of mother. . .woman. . .and rewards the skills that come with raising baby humans. So long as gendered measures are used to determine worth and acumen for the public sector, there will be no change for women like me. The ones who made career choices based on family obligations, the ones who continue to suffer from the tacit sexism that CONTINUES to tell a SAHM "oh, so you don't work?" or worst of all telling special needs kids to do their best, while expecting the mothers of those kids to somehow accept something less. . .

End to the gendered measures of "success" and experience" and a FULL appreciation and respect for a working mom's life education and skill set. . .THAT is change I can believe in!