The Housewife Pundit

August 1996, a new Political Science graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, I had an invested interest in the upcoming Presidential elections. The incumbent Clinton/Gore ticket was being challenged by the Dole/Kemp offering of the GOP. I had spent some time in 1992 in Washington DC, where I attended meetings with Jack Kemp, so I found myself following his campaign with interest and hoping for his success. It was in this 96 election cycle, the term Soccer Mom seemed to hit the public political news consciousness. The idea that the soccer mom was a key piece to not only consumer demographics, but political success, gave a new important connotation to the old adage: the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. It appeared that while housewives were outside pushing the swings of their children, they were also pushing the swing of the electorate. In 1996, housewives differed in political ideals than their husbands, giving the vote to Clinton, as their husband supported Dole.

Twenty-three years later, I find myself entrenched in the life of the soccer mom. I often joke, I am not a stay-at-home mom, but instead a stay-in-the-car mom. I still find myself very invested in the political posturing of our nation. In 1996, a young, conservative woman of 21, with career aspirations and no interest in marriage, nor children, the Soccer Mom demographic seemed a foreign caucus to me. Yet, here in 2019, a stay-at- home, homeschooling, mom of five children, my politics have stayed conservative, a bit more nuanced, but completely influenced by the understanding I have of the world now that I wear Mom Goggles.

Politics has fallen a few notches down the list of most important things to me over the past couple of decades, but I find myself more invested in the success of the nation. The foundational health of our society and economy  are more  important to me than they have ever been, mainly because I want those things for my children and their children. As it so happens, one thing that has not changed in the past twenty years is my confidence in my opinions and my willingness to share them. While this format will not be one totally devoted to politics, for it to be a proper representation of my interests, it will be included often.

I will readily admit to my conservative leanings. It is with no shame, I will share that my faith is a large determinant of my political understandings. However, I am not a party loyalist, nor am I unwilling to admit I have room for understanding and growth. With this in mind, I invite all ideas and discussion, even heated debate, with the hope of gaining said growth and understanding. I have encouraged my children to disagree with me with the caveat that if they are going to take a stand for something, I want them to have a well thought out reason for that stand. Because of this, there are certain aspects of political conversation I choose not to participate in. The reasoning is that either, I don’t care enough about those things to fully educate myself on them or I can not in good conscience take a public stand based merely on a feeling I have. With those disclosures, I dedicate Tuesdays to political thoughts. I hope you will feel free to join in the discussion. On Tuesdays, you can call me Soccer Mom, but I prefer The Housewife Pundit.