Maybe you can feel the earth
trembling as the stampede of “pink
elephants” comes thundering toward
Washington, DC, their arrival slated for
election-day November 2, 2010. This is Sarah
Palin’s vision out in her new
(beautifully-produced) 2-minute video found on
SarahPAC. Palin seeks to rev up women to vote
for conservative candidates this fall. She
tells us there is a “mom awakening”
happening across America, so watch out! But I
want to know, toward what end?
I’m all for moms. I myself have a great mom, and my wife is an incredible mom to our two children. But when Palin talks about moms in her video, she means only “conservative moms.” She tells us that she speaks for those conservative moms who are “rising up” for “common sense solutions,” moms who are as strong as “mama grizzlies” and who are weary of anyone who might “attack their cubs” and “do something adverse.”
I’m off to Chicago today to
spend two days with folks who belong to the
National Legal Aid Defenders Association.
These individuals work tirelessly to make sure
every American can get legal aid, especially
those most vulnerable among us. From there I
will go to Las Vegas, where I will be with
business, non-profit, foundation, and social
service leaders, among others, who are part of
an initiative to ensure that all children and
families in Southern Nevada can live healthy
and safe lives.
Within these two groups alone,
I’m sure I will find moms who care deeply
about children – not just their own
children, but all children. Indeed,
throughout my work I have met thousands of moms
who have risen up to fight for vulnerable
children and families. I have met caring moms
in our Kellogg Foundation-supported work in
Detroit, Battle Creek and Santa Fe. And I have
found inspiring moms in our efforts with local
United Ways and public broadcasting. I have
been contacted by such moms via personal
emails, phone calls, and when they come up to
me to talk after speeches.
My point is this: I have seldom
met a conservative mom or a liberal mom who do
not hold similar aspirations for their
children. When I close my eyes and listen to
moms talk, I often cannot tell the difference
between a wealthy mom and a poor mom. When I
travel along our coasts, or through our
nation’s heartland, I hear moms of all kinds
speak about their children in similar ways.
Our country is facing tough
challenges nowadays and kids are paying a hefty
price. Too many kids still go to bed hungry at
night. Too many kids still go to substandard
schools. Too many kids don’t have adequate
health care, while many of their health
problems could have been prevented through a
simple visit to a primary care doctor. Too
many kids cannot afford to go to a four-year
college, or a community college.
Now, I know Sarah Palin is out looking for donations to her PAC and votes for those candidates she has endorsed; she’s no different than any Democratic leader who seeks to position their cause and themselves. But rather than try to stoke an uprising of conservative moms, rather than spark a stampede of pink elephants, why not reach out across dividing lines and mobilize moms for a kids’ agenda that we all can agree on. Why not bring people together rather than divide them even more. This is the awakening we need.