Why is it sexist to ask what job of Gov. of Alaska is like?

[Anonymous]

I am not trying to minimize the job -- I know being a governor is never simple. But I get the sense it is not the most rigorous governorship in the country. Yet every time anyone tries to ask or talk about Palin's duties and experience, they are called sexist. I don't care if the Governor is male or female -- I just want to get a sense of what it like day to day.

It is my understanding that Alaska has no income tax, most of their revenue comes from oil profits (and taxes on oil paid by the rest of the country), they get more per capita from the federal budget than any other state, and the biggest budgetary issue is how much of a rebate from the oil profits to send to each family. Not exactly the problem facing most states today. So telling me the budget is balanced is less than overwhelming.

Over 19 months, Palin spent 312 days in Wasilla, compared to 265 in Juneau -- where the state capital is. I wish I could "telecommute" like that! Do people come to her or is the job pretty "hands off" when the legislature is not in session?

I don't get it. Am I missing something? Anyone ever live there? Can anyone explain what the job is like -- compared to other governorships in particular?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Over 19 months, Palin spent 312 days in Wasilla, compared to 265 in Juneau -- where the state capital is.

No wonder she could manage four or five kids along with the highest office in the state. The national government could sure use the extra 212 days per year that she's arranged!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Over 19 months, Palin spent 312 days in Wasilla, compared to 265 in Juneau -- where the state capital is.

No wonder she could manage four or five kids along with the highest office in the state. The national government could sure use the extra 212 days per year that she's arranged!

That calculation is over 19 months -- not a year -- as stated in the original post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Over 19 months, Palin spent 312 days in Wasilla, compared to 265 in Juneau -- where the state capital is.

No wonder she could manage four or five kids along with the highest office in the state. The national government could sure use the extra 212 days per year that she's arranged!

That calculation is over 19 months -- not a year -- as stated in the original post.

Oops. My face is red! The 19 was staring me in the face and I was so gung ho to make my little joke that I overlooked it. E-jokes are hard enough to pull off without the complication of premature e-joke-ulation!

[Anonymous]

"premature e-jokulation" -- Love it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not trying to minimize the job -- I know being a governor is never simple. But I get the sense it is not the most rigorous governorship in the country. Yet every time anyone tries to ask or talk about Palin's duties and experience, they are called sexist. I don't care if the Governor is male or female -- I just want to get a sense of what it like day to day.

It is my understanding that Alaska has no income tax, most of their revenue comes from oil profits (and taxes on oil paid by the rest of the country), they get more per capita from the federal budget than any other state, and the biggest budgetary issue is how much of a rebate from the oil profits to send to each family. Not exactly the problem facing most states today. So telling me the budget is balanced is less than overwhelming.

Over 19 months, Palin spent 312 days in Wasilla, compared to 265 in Juneau -- where the state capital is. I wish I could "telecommute" like that! Do people come to her or is the job pretty "hands off" when the legislature is not in session?

I don't get it. Am I missing something? Anyone ever live there? Can anyone explain what the job is like -- compared to other governorships in particular?

It's not sexist to ask what the job entails. She tries to live in Wasilla when the legislature isn't in session in order to minimize disruptions to her family life and keep her family support network intact. She commutes to work in Juneau. She's still going to work each day; she just chooses to live at home rather than in the governor's mansion, and make the drive each day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She tries to live in Wasilla when the legislature isn't in session in order to minimize disruptions to her family life and keep her family support network intact. She commutes to work in Juneau. She's still going to work each day; she just chooses to live at home rather than in the governor's mansion, and make the drive each day.

My geography is not great, but I think there are over 550 miles between Wasilla and Juneau. That is a long drive. Where did you hear that she drives to Juneau each day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not sexist to ask what the job entails. She tries to live in Wasilla when the legislature isn't in session in order to minimize disruptions to her family life and keep her family support network intact. She commutes to work in Juneau. She's still going to work each day; she just chooses to live at home rather than in the governor's mansion, and make the drive each day.

I try not to judge her decision that being governor (or VP) is not too much of a disruption, but moving to Juneau would be such a disruption that it justifies making the state pay for a 600 (crow-flight) mile commute. Nevertheless, I do think it should make her hesitant to brag about herself as an expense-cutter for the state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Yet every time anyone tries to ask or talk about Palin's duties and experience, they are called sexist. I don't care if the Governor is male or female -- I just want to get a sense of what it like day to day.

quote]

It's like the Bush administration's campaign to call you unpatriotic if you questioned his policy decisions and decisions to go to war, to initimate people into silence. Same tactic and strategy here. It gets the media to back-off, soften their questioning as it relates to Palin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She tries to live in Wasilla when the legislature isn't in session in order to minimize disruptions to her family life and keep her family support network intact. She commutes to work in Juneau. She's still going to work each day; she just chooses to live at home rather than in the governor's mansion, and make the drive each day.

My geography is not great, but I think there are over 550 miles between Wasilla and Juneau. That is a long drive. Where did you hear that she drives to Juneau each day?

Now my face is red. I shouldn't have said each day; I misread the NYT story. Apologies! I'm a little distracted today.

[Anonymous]

Why is it sexist? Um, it is not. If you can't handle, what, 1 WEEK of questioning, maybe you should not be running for VP. I remember similar questioning about experience of both Bush II and Clinton and no one claimed sexism.

She was unknown on the national scene until one week ago. We have the right and obligation to demand information about this woman, her background, her stance on the issues.

And, don't for one minute that the people now coming to her defense would not be SKEWERING Hillary if she were the nominee on the other side.