Posted by
Glenn Flowers on Sunday, September 07, 2008 8:11:26 AM
The September, 2008, edition of The Ladies Home Journal, (published in August before McCain chose Gov. Sarah Palin, mother of five, as his VP) contains an interview of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In the single question excerpt below Ms. Pelosi tells the value of having five children as preparation for the daily struggle of politics.
Work-Life Balance
LHJ: You are a mother of five and were a homemaker for many years before entering politics. You say in your book that the skills you honed doing those
things were the same ones you needed when you got to Congress. How so?
NP: Absolutely, and this is what I want women to know, so they recognize the value of their own path, their unique experience. I've been in politics a
while, over 20 years in the Congress of the United States, and this is a very rough-and-tumble.... I shouldn't say 'rough,' let me say a very challenging
arena to be in. But as challenging as it is, nothing is as challenging as raising a family -- nothing. That experience forced me to be disciplined, diplomatic, focused, and successful, and I brought that discipline and focus to the Congress. Also, having a family keeps you focused on the future, which is the biggest inspiration in politics. In order to do what it takes to succeed in politics, you have to be inspired by your constituents, the power of your ideas, and the fact that you speak on behalf of children and their future, whether you have children of your own or not. It makes all the difference in the world.
(Reprinted here under Common Use of Copyright privelages)
It is refreshing to see that Ms. Pelosi disagrees with those who are criticizing Sarah Palin for running for political office while having five children.
Glenn Flowers