The ‘Sarah Palin’s 17 year-old daughter is pregnant’ story is getting plenty of press coverage, and it’s spilling over into into the celebrity press and entertainment news because frankly it’s pretty good gossip. It’s controversial and polarizing and has sparked a lot of debate. There are pundits saying Palin is exploiting her daughter on one side, and others claiming she’s supporting her as well as a mom can.
The father of Bristol Palin’s unborn baby, Levi Johnston, 18, will attend the Republican National Convention in Minnesota to celebrate his future mother-in-law’s Vice Presidential nomination. That makes sense, because he’s about to join the family and Palin needs to show wary voters that her daughter made a mistake but that she and the father are accepting responsibility and doing their best. Sarah Palin insists that her daughter and the baby’s father were engaged before they learned of 17 year-old Bristol’s pregnancy.
While some say Sarah Palin is somehow at fault for not giving her daughter birth control advice and insisting on abstinence others hold up their hands and say that 17 year-old teenagers get up to all sorts of things and the best you can do is be there for them and help them live with their decisions, which Sarah Palin is doing. This whole incident makes Sarah Palin seem human by some people’s estimation.
Amidst all this controversy over her pregnant teen daughter, outlets are questioning Palin’s fitness for the job and arguing that we should be talking about that, not about her daughter. Her record and where she stands on the issues should be the focus.
US Weekly brings it down to a character issue and points out that Sarah Palin was less than courteous to the president of the Alaskan Senate, laughing along with a radio DJ who made fun of the woman, a cancer survivor, by calling her a “cancer” and “a bitch” and mocking her size. When it came time to apologize Sarah Palin did it half-heartedly, doing one of those “I’m sorry if you misinterpreted” type responses:
On January 15, Alaska governor Sarah Palin laughed along with an Alaskan shock-jock DJ who called her political rival Lyda Green a “cancer,” a “bitch” and ridiculed her weight. (Green is a cancer survivor.)
“People were so nice and were motified. Newspapers that were never Lyda Green-friendly, they demanded that [Sarah] apologize,” Green told Us.
“You know what she said? She said, ‘I’m calling to apologize. I hope you didn’t misunderstand the radio program,'” Green says. “I told her, ‘I didn’t misunderstand.'”
The Alaska state senator added, “It’s not a good way to behave. Why would anybody call a shock jock?”
So what did Green think when she heard Palin was John McCain’s vice presidential candidate? “It’s been very difficult to work with her,” she tells Us Weekly. “I wish there had been more vetting.”
Monday, Palin released a statement confirming that her daughter Bristol, 17, was five-months pregnant.
Mom-of-five Palin is antiabortion (even in cases of rape) and opposed to sex-education classes (she believes in abstinence instruction for teens).
In the wake of the announcement about Bristol, questions have begun to arise about the governor’s candor and McCain’s judgment (The New York Times reported that McCain’s camp vetted Palin only the day before her selection was announced.
“It’s conceivable a 17-year-old girl just screwed the GOP,” Democratic strategist George Lakoff tells Us Weekly.
Though hailed by many family-values supporters for standing by her daughter during her difficult time, Barbara Belknap, former president of the National Organization of Women’s Juneau chapter, is less glowing: “Here’s a textbook case of how abstinence – only doesn’t work in practice, even if your mom’s the governor.”
[From US Weekly]
It’s pretty clear where US Weekly’s allegiances are, and we can’t blame them. Most of us here are Obama supporters, and while we wouldn’t go about discrediting Palin in quite the same way we did run that ridiculous conspiracy theory story about Trig being Bristol’s son. Sometimes it’s hard to pass up such incredible gossip, even if it defies logic. Whether it’s helpful to Obama or not to go after Palin is another story, but the other side has been doing it for quite a while and it seemed to be wholly effective against Senator Kerry four years ago.
I don’t like it when people bash policies or programs by saying they failed one high-profile person so they must be ineffective. That’s logically a very weak argument and a sample of one. We have plenty of other better statistical evidence that abstinence education doesn’t work, we don’t need to hold up this poor girl as an example.
I am an Obama supporter, but my main concern if McCain should be elected president, is his age and health. It’s clear the office of president ages and stresses a person out. Any 72 year old that is running for president needs a vice president with impecible standards and abilities. I just do not see where a PTA mom, who was on City Council and Mayor of a town with a population of 6000, and only Governor for less than two years can fill the position of President of the United States. For that matter I am sure I could do the job as well. Bill Gates would give me much more confidence, and I mean that sincerely. I’m not crazy about Donald Trump but I would feel better about him. I am Very Araid of this ticket.
Me too, Jesa. Terrified.
why is it pretty good gossip to exploit a minor that is pregnant in the media?
when the character juno becomes pregnant it’s quirky, cute. she’s seen as an independent- minded 16 yr. old with an unplanned pregnancy and it’s a feel good movie that earned several oscar nominations and tons of money.
BUT in this case, commenters are portraying the 17 yr. old Bristol as a foolish, mono- afflicted, sex crazed teen with a horrible mother who doesn’t teach her the correct birth control.
enough with the double standard!
us weekly is a piece of trash that has sunk to a new low
why doesn’t hollywood or us weekly make a movie or cover story about girls like my friend in high school who had 3 abortions her senior year?
Just so I’m clear- you are AFRAID of the McCain/Palin ticket but are a.o.k. w/ Obama? A man who can talk the talk but has NOTHING, I say NOTHING to show for it.
That’s what I would be TERRIFIED over.
Anybody can talk a good game, but can they deliver?? Will they deliver??
Just everyone else is clear- I’m not exactly thrilled w/ these 2 choices- but who says we HAVE to vote dem or rep? There are other parties running, too.
Lili – I think what’s so attractive is the irony at play here. A die-hard anti-choice, pro-abstinence candidate just happens to have a child who is pregnant at 17. Hell yes, it’s juicy. But it will go away, and I’ll bet money it will go away faster than the Obama/Reverend Wright garbage, which was the leading story on every news station for 3 weeks.
She’s a public figure – she chose to push her family in the limelight. And can someone tell me why it’s OK for her to flaunt her Iraq-bound son and her developmentally disabled baby, but not OK for anyone to pay attention to her pregnant daughter? You can’t have it both ways, lady.
And HS, I’m so over people claiming that Obama has nothing to offer but eleoquent speeches with little to back them up. A quick trip to his website will give you all the information you need about the man, including where he stands on the issues and what he’d do as president. It’s not his job to inform us, it’s our job to inform ourselves.
What are your thoughts about Sen. Joe Lieberman (former VP canidate 2000) speaking at the RNC last night?
Yeah Kolby – but if we’re gonna talk about the ‘irony at play here’, how about we start with the fact Obama’s camp can’t shut up about this ‘unqualified woman being one step away from the Presidency’.
Yeah, vs an unqualified 1 term senator being President. You want your inexperience at the top or bottom of your ticket?
I think Obama has a huge problem with women who can challenge him, that is why he did not chose Hillary because despite what some people might think about Hillary or Bill for that matter, the truth is that she has alot of supporters that could have worked in Obamas favor, plus Hillary would have been a great vice president (even better if she became president in the first place but oh well).
Well Scott…All we heard from John McCain’s camp was that the choice was between experience v. inexperience. That was a major push of his ad campaign and his stumping. So, I mean, neither one have as much experience as I would like, but now I think the point is now neutralized by the GOP’s VP choice…so, in my humble opinion, it’s time move on to other issues.
kolby
one of my points was that “paying attention”(as you call it) to this girl’s pregnancy has not been neutral. this teen is being vilified and judged. does anyone know if this pregnancy was planned? i don’t live in alaska, maybe she wanted this pregnancy?
my 2nd pregnancy was not planned (granted i was in my 30’s) and it has turned out to be the greatest blessing of my life!
i’m tired of this story and people judging this girl and mom that they don’t know.
it’s just too personal and it doesn’t compare at all to the rev. wright issue.
Finally, we have seen that women’s liberation movement is only supporting liberal women and not conservative women. They vilify Palin and idolize Michelle Obama. I expect it and I am never disappointed. Frankly, Obama has gotten a free ride from the media. If it was a republican and not a democrap, there is no way that person would win their party’s nomination. People say Rome is burning but they are the one’s carrying torches.
Is it Obama’s camp talking about it or the evil liberal media, Scott? I mean, if you really want to look at it, she has more “executive” experience than Obama, Biden AND McCain combined. And why they’d tout her tenure as a less-than-one-term governor of our nation’s least populous state is beyond me. Executive experiences means jack squat – hell, our current president was the governor of Texas for crying out loud. Do you think he was properly prepared for the presidency?
Lili – if you are brought up in an abstinence-only household and you get pregnant, you can bet the farm that it was unplanned.
I don’t think the argument has been neutralized there Curly. See, here’s how I see the difference.
The argument vs. Palin is that she’s inexperienced, and since McCain is old and may die in office, that would mean an inexperienced person would be President.
On the other hand you have Obama, who is also inexperienced, but is actually running for the #1 job.
So, you can have the slight possibility (only happened 8 times in US history) that an inexperienced VP will have to step in and run the country vs the absolute CERTAINTY that you’ll have an inexperienced President with Obama. So yeah, there is a difference.
Going after private matters is low.
As low as you can get, actually.
If that is the best case they can make and that is the way they conduct themselves, I may not vote at all, or go for Palin just to protest what they turned this election into.
When I watched the DNC, I felt disgusted watching that cult of personality.
Those videos about Obama and how he went on a date with his wife and how they fell in love, as if we are not a democracy.
It reminded me regimes in which you have such cult of personality.
I think the path is wrong and the Democratic party has lost it’s true nature.
Would I rather have the “inexperienced” person at Pres or VP? Well, I guess that would depend on what I thought of their experience.
Palin is less experienced than some, as is Obama. But her track record (minus all the family stuff…I think it’s tacky to go after someone’s family) speaks volumes about the type of values she promotes.
Some go for amount of experience. I prefer to look at the decisions that each candidate has made, and then make my decision as to whom I will cast my vote. I tend to view this as the quality vs. quantity issue. Which is better? I lean towards the quality. Therefore, the amount of experience, for me, isn’t a major concern of my candidate, what they’ve done with the time they had is.
And I don’t think the democratic party is the ONLY party that goes after private family matters. Unfortunately, when you step into the political arena, the press (which has become such a joke…they don’t report facts, they skew them in both directions, left and right, depending on which station you watch) considers everything open game. However, they wouldn’t do that if the American public didn’t eat it up. It’s sad to say but it is a sign of the times…
BTW…Obama has told people to back off of Palin’s family, saying that family matters are “off limits”
HS I encourage you to look into Ron Paul or Bob Barr.
😈
This woman is less qualifed for VP than I am. And I’m not qualified to be on a national ticket.
And her positions on the issues are downright terrifying. I don’t give a rip how many kids she has or that one is special needs or blah blah blah. What I care about is the fact that she is against abortion in all cases, even rape and incest. What I care about is she belongs to a church that preaches about converting Jews to Christians and is anti-Semitic. What I care about is the fact that her ethics seem to be in shambles and/or nonexistent (come on, WHY would you choose as your VP someone embroiled in an ONGOING ethics investigation? I mean, WOW, McCain, great choice there).
There’s a betting pool where I work on when she’ll drop out. The speech will start off with “after speaking with my husband, my pastor, and my Lord God, I’ve decided to spend more time on family issues and as such cannot devote the time needed to run on a national ticket…”
Bet.
And Ethan, Reagan is all but made to be a deity by some republicans, so that type of charisma is not limited to this campaign or the democratic party.
Apparently McCain’s first choice was Joe Lieberman, by the way. But he couldn’t stand up to the religious nuts in his party and so he backed down and they pulled Palin’s name out of a hat.
How do you go from Lieberman to this?
And if you can’t stand up to the religious nuts in your own party, how are you going to stand up to people like Putin, the leader of Iran, Osama bin Laden, et al? 🙄
Ethan –
Part of the reason the DNC spent so much time on Michelle Obama and Barack Obama is because the RNC has spent so much time attacking their patriotism. So they needed to show they loved America and where a part of the American story.
Remember Cindy McCain stating “I’ve always been proud of my country.” after Michelle Obama stated that “She was proud of the US for the first time.” Which by the way was taken out of context and misquoted.
What I wonder is what the RNC will say about Palin’s husband who was a member of an Alaska secessionist group whose motto is Alaska first, Alaska always. I bet there is no question of her or his patriotism over that.
To me, it’s Obama to be scary. For one, being an activist for many years means and tells NOTHING about being a good President (more or less like being a PTA mom!). For two, growing up as priviledged as he has been, means you know nothing about poverty, hunger, disability and all those sort of things he supposedly runs to protect people from. Heck he is even black but knows nothing about it, being no African American but just the son of an African man (a real African), hence no connection with the “African American” culture. Everything he speaks about he has no connection with but somehow he keeps on pretending he knows what he is saying. I have no clue how pragmatic Americans can pretend not to see it… I just think Democrats think that putting a black person to run for President is a “guarantee” that he will be elected for “change”, as if change would be putting a black in power regardless of his priviledged unusual non-black non-American upbringing!!!!
So many wrong things in that post, Rosanna. The assumptions you make about Obama are mind-boggling. Not to mention insulting.
Rosanna, you apparently don’t know much at ALL about Obama.
There was a serious length of time in which his mother had to get food stamps so they could eat.
There was a period of time his single mom couldn’t take care of him and he had to go live with his grandparents.
And he’s MARRIED to an African-American woman, how can he NOT know about African-American culture? Growing up as a mixed race kid, his friends assumed he was black, treated him as a black peer, how could he NOT know about African-American culture? He saw his African dad exactly ONCE at the age of ten when he came to the US to visit. It’s not as if Obama grew up in Kenya. 🙄
Get a grip and get your facts straight, please. Do yourself a favor and educate yourself about this person you claim so many untrue things about.
So no one is going to going to talk about the god-awful media strategy here?
Fine, I’ll do it. Maureen Dowd’s column this morning called this Palin drama a “soap opera” – but I think Dowd’s missed the mark. This isn’t a soap opera, it’s a Jerry Springer episode.
Having the Palin family splashed across the tabloids with screaming headlines of “LIES! SCANDAL! BABY DRAMA!” doesn’t help the Republicans, or America. McCain effectively picked the Alaskan Britney Spears. Now the media and we the people have to vett this woman’s insane drama instead of talking about the real issues.
The “experience” argument is idiotic on both sides – what bothers me about Palin’s nom is that McCain has just proven to his critics that he is an intemperate, senile old fart who lacks good judgement and who couldn’t be bothered to vett this woman properly.
Rosanna – Are you fricking kidding me? Obama’s mom was hardly privileged. There were times when she was on food stamps, and his white grandparents, who helped raised him, struggled their whole lives to make ends meet. And a community organizer is a bit different than a PTA mom.As for being an African-American as an asset politically, maybe you could explain that to me a bit more? After all, we have had five AA Senators total, so it must be a huge asset right?
Kaiser, I read a great description of this as a “McCain campaign Hail Mary pass.”
She was spontaneously chosen right after Obama’s speech, in the panic that ensued over it. And now they are most likely regretting it.
Seriously, regardless of where you stand on the issues, can’t people see how incredibly stupid it is for Democrats to be focusing on some of these issues? Rule number one in campaigning for public office is the ‘glass houses’ rule – because drawing attention to an area where you can be criticized is obviously a bad move.
A lot of Clinton supporters were pissed off at what was perceived to be (justified or not) a sexist assault on her by Obama’s campaign. So hearing Democratic pundits tell a woman she has too many kids to run for office, or that she should stay home and ‘get her house in order’, is NOT the best way to bring those voters back into the fold right now.
Bringing up her history with a ‘church that preaches about converting Jews to Christians and is anti-Semitic.’ Is a REALLY bad idea when the Obama campaign has just now managed to shift some focus away from his history with an equally racist and arguably more psychotic, conspiracy-filled church.
Attacking Palin’s experience is just as bad an idea – because if we’re gonna start comparing experience balance sheets, McCain has about 3 decades more than Obama. Obama, who wants to be Commander in Chief, but was never in the service in any capacity. Something that seemed to be a rather large point of contention by Democrats when Kerry was running for office, no? That Kerry had REAL combat experience, and Bush flew planes in the States? Funny how that’s not an issue with Obama.
But yeah, other than all that, they’ve been dealing with the Palin thing swimmingly.
@Beaverhausen – Yeah, I saw that, but I don’t follow sports (obviously, because I am reading CB, not espn.com) – I have no idea what a “hail mary pass” is.
But then Peggy Noonen was on Scarborough this morning and she said something that stuck – either this nom will really work or it really won’t. No in-between. In my opinion, this nom is a total failure.
I don’t get it, when I curse like a sailor with his good leg in a wood chipper, my comments go right through. When I actually try to play nice, I always manage to get moderated.
It’s maddening I tell you.
Those of you who’d like to compare Obama’s “inexperience” with Palin’s, I think you know you’re making quite a stretch:
Obama – Harvard Law Degree, community organizer, civil rights attorney, US senator (4 years)
Palin – bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Idaho, TV sports anchor, mayor of town the size of a large high school, governor of Alaska – 47th most populated state in the US (2 years)
Is this Peggy Noonan an optimist, kaiser? Because suggesting that Palin’s nom could yet be a goer is nothing short of blind optimism/stupidity in the face of unrepentant good sense. I’m all for optimist but this comes under d for delusion.
One of the great GOP heroes Ronald Reagan had the meager experience of being a (terrible) governor before being elected president. California is still reeling from the half ass policies he put into place. No one questioned his lack of experience to be president.In fact GOP history will tell you he was a great leader. You can’t have it both ways.
I’m voting for Obama because my hope is he will lead us all to make some changes. Michael Chabon put it very well in this column :http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/03/AR2008020302526.html
Senator:
Obama had a reputation for voting “present,” thus avoiding controversial decisions that could be used against him later. In the U.S. Senate, he has missed more than one in five votes.
Only one of the measures Obama has sponsored as a U.S. senator was enacted: a bill to “promote relief, security, and democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
Contrary to Obama’s portrayal of himself as a unifier, on every bipartisan effort in the Senate to forge compromises on tough issues, Obama has been missing in action.
It disgusts me that McCain gave in to the far right and nominated this utterly unqualified woman for VP. After talking for months about the importance of experience, about being to step into the role of President as being the #1 job qualification…
Shows me that he’s a power-obsessed and probably senile, someone who cares nothing for his country and only about himself and his cronies. Some patriot!!!
He would jeapordize the future of America and truly the world by putting this hillbilly in line for his throne.
Finally – so much for that ridiculous “maverick” narrative…he clearly has no intention of actually running this country if his first major executive decision was to hand the #2 slot to the extreme right in exchange for some votes.
@Geronimo – 😆 😆 Actually, I wouldn’t put Noonan in the “optimist” catagory. She was a speechwriter for Reagan and she’s a columnist for The Wall Street Journal. So, she heavily leans Republican, but she’s written a couple of pro-Obama columns and a few “McCain is insane” columns.
I do think Noonan’s right-on about Palin – you have no idea how insane some of these American evangelical voters are. Those people are already behind Palin – everybody else sees the trainwreck.
If anyone bothered to really inform themselves about Obama, they would know why he did not choose Hillary Clinton and I for one am happy that he didn’t. IMO, Hillary and Bill’s politics and shady past do not have a place on Obama’s ticket.
I’m a republican crossing party lines for the very first time in a presidential election and voting for a Democrat.
McCain picked Palin out of desperation and it really truly shows how out of touch he is with the American Public.
I also have to question a woman who supposedly spouts such family values if she really thought about her family before choosing this nomination. She has a 17 year old and a newborn that really require her full attention as a mother and instead will be focusing much of her time and attention on the upcoming election and the office of the Vice President. I truly feel sorry for her children right now – they didn’t ask for this and the skeletons have just begun to surface as another web site had tons of pictures of the young daughter drinking – that will be next week’s headline – underage drinking.
enonymouse, what is it with you and thinking men always have problems with women that challenge them? first you are convinced george clooney hates strong women and now obama?
he made a smart decision not chosing her. as many people love hillary clinton, there are at least that many and more that hate her even stronger than hillary supporters love her. she was and continues to be a polarizing figure for many many people. i personally have nothing against her, but her nomination for president would have galvanized so many people to make sure she didnt get elected. and it is more about not knowing what to do with the narcissist bill clinton in role as the husband of the VP. those two could not have been on a ticket together, for so many clear and political reasons so I dont see why you are surmising that it is something as petty and pathetic as obama sitting around and pouting during the selection process and not being able to stand women who challenge him. after all, he married a harvard educated lawyer who is clearly a strong independent woman, so how can you even say that with a straight face?
Oh yeah, re: the whole Palin fiasco, I cannot wait until John Waters makes a movie based on it. This is a scenario made in heaven for him. You could not make these characters up, no one would believe it.
Sarah Palin ought to be on the endagered species list because the left is engaged in an all out effort to take her down.
She is connecting with right-of-center Americans who have a belief in a higher power, thus believe in preserving life and that family and the individual will most effectively deal with life’s problems.
For the left-of-center, faith is often reserved for a belief in the ability of an ever larger government to solve problems.
The left is trying to destroy Sarah Palin because the choices she and her family make threatens their world view.
And despite their rhetoric, the left is extremely intolerant of differing viewpoints.
A Hail Mary pass is a desperate, last second, can’t do anything else but throw the ball long and hope to GOD the receiver gets it move.
It got its name from the joke that the quarterback who throws it simultaneously starts in on a “Hail Mary, full of grace” prayer as he lets go of the ball.
Palin was McCain’s Hail Mary pass and it doesn’t seem as if the receiver got it.
I’m probably the only person here old enough to remember Eagleton being asked to step down as vice presidential candidate because it was learned he previously suffered from depression and had consulted a psychiatrist about it.
We’ve come a long way, and not necessarily for the better.
I don’t understand this woman putting her family through this. She not only has a pregnant teen daughter to deal with, but a handicapped baby – and she’s exposing them to the stress of a presidential campaign? This alone shows pretty poor judgment on her part.
And for you people saying how low the Democrats have sunk – trust me, if a Democratic candidate had the same problem, the Republicans would be on it like white on rice. Go on and vote Republican, hell, I don’t care any more, they’ve already destroyed the country.
@Syko – The MSNBC people were talking about Eagleton last night… was that in 1972? Was Eagleton McGovern’s first VP choice?
I guess I could look it up, but since you ZOMG VOTED FOR NIXON, you could just tell me! 😛
Tess
Sarah Palin as an endangered species??? I hope she is – I hope that many mothers out there take a look at what putting your career first does to the other family members. I hope that Sarah Palin serves as an example to all women out there that motherhood is and should be the #1 priority, that your children should come first and career second.
Oh Tess, it’s not peoples religious beliefs that are objectionable. It’s when those people use their evangelical beliefs as the basis for legislation that affects us all whether we share their belief system or not that is. I think you’re ascribing intolerance to the wrong group here. For example, I for one would not dream of forcing any woman to have an abortion but I’d fight to the death to keep every woman’s choice to have one legal.
Who’s intolerant?
actually rosanna you are correct
obama grew up very privileged with a largely Hawaiin background.
at age 10 he went to live with his grandparents (his grandmother was one of the first female bank vice presidents in the us).
hawaii was and is a very multiracial place with very little prejudice.
his grandparents sent him to the famous Punahou prep school. It is a school known for absorbing a very high proportion of the young elites in Hawaii.
you won’t hear him speaking about this part of his life in his speeches.
breederina—
how do you support your statement?
Millions of Americans who sincerely believe that abortion, especially late term or live birth, are morally wrong, are forced to pay for them with their tax dollars. Check on the money that flows to pro abortion groups.
I don’t think Palin was vetted properly and I don’t think she sounds like the ‘hockey mom’ turned govenor and that’s all that the GOP are plying. Her radio comments make her sound like a real bitch (and if it was a guy he’d sound like a wanker). She announced her daughter’s pregnancy on the Monday night a major hurricane was hitting the Gulf Coast. She has some ethical problems currently being investigated. She’s apparently a maverick but there’s a fine line between getting rid of deadwood and getting rid of people who your campaign contributors don’t like. While her family “persons” are off limits, their life circumstances are not because she decided to accept this very public role. The GOP are lauding her daughter as a role model. Pity they didn’t have the same idea when the likes of JL Spears got preggers. And as for Bristol being engaged before she got pregnant? If you believe THAT you’ll believe ANYTHING. Why bother to lie? It would have been better to say nothing. What a waste of an historic moment. Is Sarah Palin really the best woman they had. Apparently they liked the look of her public speaking abilities. I think they just liked the look of her.
LiLi, just Google Obama Punahou and you’ll find he’s all too happy to talk about his days there and what they meant to him. Geez, enough with letting bias cross over into bullshite.
FYI a friends husband attended Panahoe, not every student there is wealthy. Punahoe has a needs based financial aid policy.
did he talk about it at the DNC or in any of his speeches?
or are you referring to him talking about it in interviews?
there’s a big difference
obama’s grandmother was rich, btw
breederina—
how do you support your statement?
like this Tess,
Millions of Americans who sincerely believe that wars, especially the current war, are morally wrong, are forced to pay for them with their tax dollars. Check on the money that flows to pro war groups.
LiLi I wasn’t aware that talking about ones high school or college for that matter was a part of most campaign speeches. Does John McCain even remember where he put his high school?
I am not sticking up for anyone here, but I do question some of the views about women’s roles.
I thought that we were past the “Moms should stay at home & take care of the kids’ bit.
Michelle Obama works for University of Chicago Hospitals, I don’t hear anything about that here. Is she a bad mom like Sarah is being accuse of because she ‘leaves’ her kids instead of staying home with them?
Why is it wrong for Sarah Palin’s husband to take care of the kids? Is he unfit?
Just asking…..
obama leaves out his elite prep school and colleges in his speeches bc he doesn’t want to hinder his i am a typical black man perception.
my neighbor is 10 years older than mccain and still working and living a very active full life in his 80’s. i can’t believe how ageist you are- breederina. good luck in your old age.
I would personally rather have my tax dollars pay for a poor destitute woman’s abortion, should she choose to have one, than to have to pay for the welfare payments, food stamps, and possibly prison terms on down the road.
I’m against the Iraq war, always have been, from the first I knew it would be another Vietnam (and I’m no political analyst). This is not to say I do not support our kids over there fighting it. But my tax dollars keep on going to fight it, no matter what I say. Besides, anyone speaking up against the present administration is regarded by that administration as committing treason, and I’ve got no desire to have my phones tapped and my computer confiscated.
And yes, Kaiser, Eagleton was McGovern’s first choice as VP. Within days of the announcement, they learned that he’d had psychiatric treatment at one time, years before, and asked him to step down. It was a travesty, because he’d been a good senator from my home state for years, and probably would have made a good VP. If McGovern had won.
That smile on the cover is so forced it appears her face may crack from the exertion.
Obama seems to a man of great integrity and compassion – just the kind of guy I would want running my country. Too bad he’s not running in Canada.
You don’t need experience to be president, that’s what experienced advisers are for.
**editing to add – it’s not like he was a CEO or something who decided to run for president, he has experience governing.
@Daisy – I don’t think any Obama supporter with any sense is really hitting Palin because she’s not a stay-at-home mom. We’re hitting Palin because she doesn’t practice her policy beliefs at home.
As for whether this whole debacle is sexist… seriously? Hillary Clinton cried sexism as a last resort, when her own horribly mis-managed campaign crumbled and she was caught in her own web of lies. And now the McCain campaign is going to cry sexism when they botched the vetting process and nominated someone with more issues than a month’s worth of Jerry Springer shows?
Both Clinton and Palin’s nominations and subsequent hissy fits have set back women’s progress for years. 😡
Edit: Syko – Thanks! Did you still vote for McGovern?
Daisy424
When the republicans stress family values and promote Sarah Palin as the poster woman for those family values, then one has to taken into consideration if this is the right time for a mother to devote her time and efforts OUTSIDE of the family that appears to require much focus at this time.
Over and over again, we hear the conservatives scream that liberalism is undermining the family – those liberals who believe in same-sex marriage and that gay people can adopt.
Well if the conservatives are going to talk about how liberals are undermining the family and core family values – then shouldn’t we take a look at the woman who will be second in command and look at where her values and commitment to her own family lie at this moment.
Kaiser, I understand what you’re saying. 😉
I was questioning some comments that have been made on CB by other posters, that Palin should stay home with her kids. I looked on all of the Palin threads here, alot of comments questioned/criticised that.
To me, that goes both ways. No one would dare ask why a male candidate is not staying home to tend to the kids.
Like I said; Just asking.
LiLi, it was a joke, lighten up. How do you know how old I am? You don’t so relax.
Who perceives Barack Obama as typical in any way? Not me. I’m hoping he’s every bit as extraordinary as he’s shown himself to be and more.
I think it’s safe to say that as a general rule the poor do not run for POTUS. So if you’re waiting for a true working class hero to be the POTUS get comfortable, it may take awhile.
@Daisy – Yeah, I saw some of those comments and kind of skipped over them. Because, basically, if you’re all “ZOMG WOMENZ PLACE IZ IN DA KITCHEN” you’re already going to vote for McCain. Or Bob Barr. Or Ron Paul. I just didn’t want you to think that Obama supporters are all up on The Working Mom’s grill. 😀
tess – minor clarification. it’s pro-choice, not pro-abortion, we’re not praising or encouraging abortion and nobody in their right mind would desire having one. i probably would not have one myself, even if i was in a bad situation. however, it’s not my place to make that decision for others. it’s not something you want to do, but unfortunately for some there is no other way out.
I am a true believer in womens lib and that a woman can do anything a man can do…and maybe better.
that we are hopefully past the age where a woman can be the bread winner while the husband stays home. but i have a problem with palin in the role of vp and comparing her to michelle obama.
1st michelle obabma is not running for office, she works, and raises a family but she will be first lady – not making critical decisions about our nation or 2nd in line to take over the position should anything happen to the pres.
Palin on the other hand obviously has family issues right now. issues that unfortualty happen to alot of families. i am sure that her husband is completely capable of taking care of the family if there were no issues. but i truely believe that a mother- whether she is working or stay at home has a super important role in her family dynamic. she should be the pillar of the families morals and values and when things go a stray she needs to be there to help her family. while i dont think her daughers personal life should be attacked her mother is running for vp of our country – her mothers values and morals will be under the microscope. and right now i think that palin should be supporting her daughter during this time and being with her young son and not as 2nd comand of our country.
beks, if you think a woman can do it better, why don’t you believe this woman can do 2nd in command better?
you said she has family issues? well guess what? every woman has family issues. so in your scenario, this country will never have a woman in the oval office unless she is single?
Kaiser – no, I didn’t. I thought what he did was terrible, and could not support him after that. I mean, I lived in Missouri, and Eagleton was MY senator!
Lili – all women have issues, yes. All people have issues. But Sarah Palin is having issues that most of us, thankfully, don’t have – a baby with a serious handicap and a daughter who’s pregnant and unmarried at 17. A big political campaign seems like a bit over the top to me. She probably should be at home right now – or at least in Alaska. I’m not saying the husband can’t handle it all. But sometimes you should have a united front. And I think it’s embarrassing for the girl to be exposed to the entire world like this. If the family is so puritanical as they seem, this has to be an embarrassment to her, as well as to the boy who’s being dragged into the campaign with her.
lili, why dont you go read last week’s newsweek. it had a long article about obama and his upbrining, and he did not come from a privileged family at all. his mom was a university student who had to resort to food stamps at one point. the grandmother that you disparagingly talk about being the first female VP of a bank started in that bank after WWII (obama’s grandfather served in the armed services)after she worked on an assembly line making boeing bombers. she started as a secretary and worked her way up over the course of many many years. it wasnt a case of her inheriting the job or being born with a silver spoon in her mouth. she WORKED for it, and so did obama, by going to good schools and getting scholarships and loans like the rest of us to get his stellar education. stop spreading lies about his upbringing. he comes from true blue collar stock from the midwest, just happens to have an african dad. so stop with the misinformation.
I would like to personally thank McCain for chosing Palin as his running mate, and for making what might have been a close race into a widening gap.
I think I speak on behalf of the non-american world when I say we’re breathing a sigh of relief…
Oh please bros, do not make me sound like I have something against men and all that bullsh*t (that is the farthest from the truth, I would definitely criticize the woman if it was the other way around). As Scott F said in his previous post, Obama’s campaign had fired alot of sexist remarks against Hillary and they are doing the same thing with Palin (which has annoyed me very much how they have dragged this lady’s family into the mud), only people have invested alot of their emotions and hope onto him like he is the second coming or something that they seem completely blind by him. Also, I did not like the fact that Obama played the race card WAY MORE then Hillary ever did with the gender card (which I think this election should have NOTHING to do with race or gender in the first place). Does not matter how much people deny it, fact is it that this is the main reason why he won the nomination and the support from most of Hollywood (which, they always look for a chance to jump onto the latest ‘what’s hot’ media bandwagon).
As for George Clooney (which is think kind of silly for you to bring him up into this conversation), the reason that I mostly dislike him is, not from what he does in his private life (I could honestly not care less) but because he tends to be arrogant enough to shout his mouth publicly on various serious issues, like anyone would care what he thinks. I hate arrogant people (male and female) and I will always call them out on it.
I apologize to anyone if I seem meaner but it has been a very busy and stressful couple of weeks and I am trying to blow off steam.
what did obama say to hillary that was sexist? obama’s campaign isnt dragging her family into the mud-the press is and the rest of the internet commenting world is. obama specifically said to leave her kids out of it and even said he was born to an 18 year old mom as well, so I dont see how you think this is somehow all obama’s fault.
also I don’t understand why you would assume that perfectly reasonable, educated, successful people are somehow all duped by obama. I do take offense to the charge that we all cant see past the glamour or aura or whatever you want to call it. to me, obama has no aura and im not blinded by the rapture (thats the evangelical’s job). i just see a perfectly reasonable, educated person that I would trust to make sound judgements. im not worshipping him. maybe you should try to blow off steam some other way than insulting people’s intelligence and voting capabilities.
bros, CALM DOWN. I did NOT, as you say “insulting people’s intelligence and voting capabilities” so be careful what you say and do not take everything personally. All I said is that many (not all but most) people have such high hopes for this guy that they would do and ignore alot of things because they think that he is the only person that can bring true ‘change’, were in reality he is just any other politician that is playing a game (a dirty one in my opinion) and would never live up to his promise (I too would like to think that he would or could but I very much doubt it), the worst thing in this is that there will be alot of people that will be let down in the end.
what did i say disparagingly about obama’s grandmother?
fyi- his grandmother comes from white collar background, his grandfather was blue collar- it’s on wikipedia
obama’s mother always had her well- off parents as a safety net . i admire her trying to live on her own as a young mother and living on food stamps. she eventually had her parents raise obama bc they had the $ and her 2nd marriage was dissolving.
i never gave misinformation bros
Ha! Lili, you got your information on Obama from Wikipedia?! You mean the site that anyone can edit? Besides the fact that your information is from a less than credible source, what’s the big deal over the technicalities of Obama’s background (whether blue vs. white collar) – GW and McCain were probably spoiled little brats…
And I agree with those saying that it’s sexist to say a woman should be home tending to her family, whereas a man would never have such comments flung at him. However, I think it’s very insensitive of Palin to accept a nomination when she knows how the media will investigate her family as a result. I feel bad for her daughter, she made a mistake, and now, because of her mother’s ambition, her name is being raked through the mud (by the media, may I add, not by Obama). If that were my mother (or father) I would beg them to keep their current job and keep me out of the public eye, and if Palin really cared about family values, I think she would have accepted the honor of the nomination, but declined the position.
my apologies lili, it was meant to be directed at rosanna.
LiLi one could just as easily spin Obama’s history to make him appear a heroic underdog as you feel compelled to spin it to make him sound a son of privilege.
Please give it a rest.
@Syko – So you did vote for Nixon! 😆
@ breedarina – Thanks for that link to Michael Chabon’s column in the Washington Post. It wonderfully surmises how continually acting on the basis of fear can and will be the undoing of this country.
Enonymous, this is NOT a place where you come and blow off steam! It would be better if you calm down first, THEN post here.
There are so many people—-especially on other sites—-who are foaming at the mouth on this topic, and are attacking each other viciously for posting their opinions. It’s really sad. I agree with the poster above who said that Palin should have accepted the honor, but declined the nomination so she could protect her children.
Wouldn’t it be great if WE the people had the right to stand up and say, you know what? We don’t like ANY of the candidates, so instead of being forced to vote for the lesser evil, we call a “do-over”!
Just saying…
cheers stellapurdy, glad you liked it.
I don’t honestly remember, Kaiser. There were years that I didn’t vote at all. Somehow I can’t see me voting for Tricky Dick. My grandpa was Harry Truman’s cousin, you know.
All I can say is I want NOTHING to do with a party that focuses on the teenage daughter of a governor, as if we are about who will be on the cover of People and not about serious matters of policy.
That is so low that I am embarrassed to have been a Democrat.
I do not agree with Palin on any front (except fighting corruption etc.). However, there is a way in which the better argument should be won and there is a dirty- slimy way to go after private matters and family members that are not running for office.
If the party has changed so much and is now using dirty tactics I am sorry, but I cannot take part of this.
It goes to the core of why I am a liberal.
I can’t recognize my party anymore.
Linda,
Sounds like you are for the “change” candidate! Unfortunately you can not make the change of 60 plus years ago to the present time. This 17 years girl and special needs infant have a father as well as a mother!
The parenting and family responsibilities can be shared. Individuals with these attitudes must jump into the 21st century!
This isn’t about what century it is. This is about parental responsibility. As a mother OR a father, you shouldn’t have an ISSUE with your parental responsibility to your children. It is NO BETTER when a man accepts a job that is so highly demanding that it takes him away from his family, no one has said it’s “OK” for a man to that, either.
Someone, please tell me HOW this woman can be expected to be taken seriously when two days ago she issued a statement asking for Bristol and Levi’s privacy, then, within 48 hours, because of the press it’s gotten, she has that kid on plane to the RNC???? The R-facking-NC… the most thoroughly press covered event of the election???
It’s business as usual for her, though, if you look into her past POLITICAL flip flopping… she says one thing and does another when it will benefit HER, not her constituents, HER.
Come on.
great point diva. i love that the republicans are injecting a little baby momma drama into the convention. nothing like a bunch of conservatives who have spent their lives trying to yank support away from the rest of the teen mothers in the country (but just LOVE and SUPPORT it when its the candidate’s daughter) cheer for this ridiculousness. the astounding level of hypocricy palin has brought to the campaign is flooring me. for any of you that need a good chuckle, go here: http://sarahpalin.typepad.com/
i am a Obama supporter..with that said i feel that kids should be off limits…
i also feel that Palin knew the level of scrutiny her daughter would face…she had to know, didn’t she?
😕 😯
Would anyone else just LOVE to sit an listen to the uncomfortable conversation that would ensue between the “f-ing redneck” and Jenna Bush’s husband Henry Hyde (think that’s his name)? I think it would be one a truly splendid moment of awkwardness.
I’ll just pop in here with a quote from Newt:
“It’s stronger than Barack Obama’s. I don’t know why you guys walk around saying this baloney. She has a stronger resume than Obama. She’s been a real mayor, he hasn’t. She has been a real governor, he hasn’t. She’s been in charge of the Alaskan National Guard, he hasn’t. She was a whistleblower who defeated an incumbent mayor. He has never once shown that kind of courage. She’s a whistleblower who turned in the chairman of her own party and got him fined $12,000. I’ve never seen Obama do one thing like that. She took on the incumbent governor of her own party and beat him, and then she beat a former Democratic governor in the general election. I don’t know of a single thing Obama’s done except talk and write.”
thanks for blessing us with that quote from newt gracie. now go see this from a less ridiculous source. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080903/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_obama_palin_comparison_2
Newt? Newt is an authority? 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
Regardless of gender, any politician campaigning for one of the highest and most public positions in the world ought to know the scope of the public eye and the scrutiny it entails. I think if Palin was a man and held the same core values 1) there’d be no way Palin would get the bid, obviously, but 2) if he did, people would still hold Palin accountable for preaching the evils of abortion and pushing an abstinence-only agenda while his 17-year-old daughter is five months pregnant.
I also think that it’d be inappropriate for anyone, regardless of gender, to run for such a public office on such a strong “Family Values” platform with such a precarious family life at home. But if Palin was a man and people voiced this concern, the GOP would scoff and say they’re “grasping at straws”. Lucky for the GOP Palin has ovaries, so for the first time ever, they get to pout and play the gender card.
It’s funny how Biden never gets mentioned.
Say something horrible were to happen to either McCain or Obama, who would you rather have in the Office?
Not for nothing but after listening to her speech, she sounds like she just walked off a set from the movie Fargo.
Hey Newt – Obama built a political campaign that took on one of the most powerful Democratic families, and beat them. He took over the Democratic party from the Clintons. He has co-sponsored the most far reaching reform legislation ever passed in the Senate.
I just wish the Republicans would quit lying to everyone. Up is not down, and down is not up. Sarah Palin was for the bridge to nowhere before she was against it, she raised money for one of those corrupt Senators she supposedly “took on”, and she has no command over the Alaska National Guard. Do you really think the military would allow a civilian to command their units?? That would mean there would be 50 commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I admire her for supporting her daughter, am glad financially the family has the wherewithal to help two teens who have not graduated high school, and am glad she had the ability, financial resources, child care help and private health insurance to have a Downs Syndrome baby. She is fortunate.
thanks for your comment @ AYC! and further to the McCainers ~ 1) governing in Alaska does not give you foreign policy credentials for being near Russia; 2) being a staunch pro-lifer who is against education of safe sex did not prevent your teenage daughter from getting knocked up (lucky she didnt catch a fatal STD); 3) last but not least, TRoopergate is one of many scandals and her mother-in-law is more than willing to TELL IT ALL….
OBAMA 2008
i just feel Palin seems more like a lottery winner then a qualified VP candidate! she STILL looks just as surprised as i think the rest of us are.
As Queen, I don’t discuss politics. But, if you must know, I support McCain.
If your screaming for privacy about your knocked up daughter, don’t parade them all over the convention center, for photo op’s. I saw those two alot on TV today, and each time they were photographed, the commentators had something to say about her condition, and/or the circumstances.
jon stewart had a rather devastating clip of palin, some time ago when she wasnt a hail mary, talking to reporters about how women shouldnt play the gender card, that she hates the whining (I think she was talking about hillary) and should expect the scrutiny, etc. dont know where they found the clip but its definitely worth watching.
“Going after private matters is low.”
I agree. Funny how all you republicans didn’t believe that when Clinton was in office.
Mayor of a small city and governor of Alaska for less than two years? Sorry, folks, but being an active member of the senate gives Barack a LOT more experience than this limited pit bull. I would move to Canada before I would EVER see someone like Palin step a heartbeat away from the presidency. A VERY stupid mistake on McCain’s part.