Detroit

“I am shocked,” says Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), after learning of top Democrats’ remarks that Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is selfishly seeking office at the same time she is mother to a Down syndrome baby. “Their comments are contrary to what women have fought for,” continued McMorris Rodgers who 16 months ago gave birth to a son, Cole, diagnosed with Down syndrome. Of all the attacks against Sarah Palin since John McCain named her his running mate August 29, the most vicious have been accusations that Palin is sacrificing family for career–remarks that conjure not signs of change but the reactionary language of a bygone era.

The accusations have been all the more extraordinary because they have come from Democrats and media allies closely identified with women’s independence. Republicans have angrily responded that the Democratic offensive is sexist. Fearful of a backlash from women voters, the Obama campaign and others distanced themselves from such remarks–even as Democratic surrogates continued to plant the poisonous seed in the media.