Note, there is a diary posted on Daily Kos with a stunning revelation of BabyGate. Apparently Sarah Palin kept her pregnancy secret from her entire staff, and was never actually photographed pregnant. I don’t mean nudes! I mean at the numerous public appearances made by a governor. I say apparently…I would be happy to publish a photo of a recently pregnant Mrs. Palin if anyone can cowboy one up. Thanks, Jamie, for this link.
This was sent by Joan. Don’t worry, I don’t think it’s real, just hilarious.
One of my blogger friends, a real blogger, the political kind, wrote to me at about midnight last night and suggested that I follow the Sarah Palin story from hour to hour. I’m home today writing horoscopes and I lapsed in my tracking of the news. In that time, an interesting story popped out of the ethers: Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old-daughter Bristol is pregnant. This apparently came out when the elder Ms. Palin was accused of faking the birth of her latest child to cover for her daughter. No, they are both in the family way.
Now, you may be thinking, why should we care? It’s their business. Here is why. So much of Republican “domestic policy” is so domestic that it goes right into the bedroom. That is the basis of it. If you could make a law that said politics had to stay off of our bodies, there would be no domestic platform.
Let’s see, it all starts with abstinence-only sex indoctrination, which makes a moral issue out of sex. No, it’s not about morality, it’s a biological and social issue. Then there is the high-pri agenda item of getting a justice on the Supreme Court who is willing to overturn Roe vs Wade, the landmark decision granting women the right to privacy, and the corresponding right to choose an abortion if that’s what your values system allows.
Certainly, it would not be any of your business what Bristol Palen and her family do about her pregnancy. Why should your pregnancy be any business of theirs?
[Note, CNN is reporting that Palin said when running for governor in 2006 that she would support funding for abstinence-only education in schools, according to Eagle Forum Alaska, a conservative group that sent a questionnaire asking gubernatorial candidates their views on a range of issues.]
Per the magus’ advice, Googled and found this, for anyone else interested. It was what I had pulled up on Daily Kos:
http://suzieqq.wordpress.com/2008/08/30/sarah-palin-is-not-the-mother-video-and-photos/
Apologies, no idea how to post hyperlink in this program.
Tried the babygate link on the daily kos sight just now; whereas it worked perfectly a few days before, it’s now reading like the article doesn’t exist — did they pull the article?! Wanted to share with friends. Anyone know where I can find it again?
M.
Looks like a pretty normal American family to me.
you’ve gotta see this…
http://flickr.com/photos/30128128@N04/sets/72157607061462256/
c
someone mention Jon Stewart and I suddenly had flip and silly thoughts … forgive me.
my original point was that we are all less for piling on here, the bloggers can’t help themselves with the juicy story but we can.
I see how easy it is to get caught up in it.
m.
marymack:
I think the VP pick came as a total surprise for the family and unfortunate timing for Bristol. To the point where the family had absolutely no time to prepare or get ready for the vetting or the public scrutiny.
is this site for democrats? I’m begining to think it is. Sorry but the issue of both Palin and her daughte are not issues for political discussion no matter what the Gov. pushes for legislation. I’m disgusted with the way everyone is jumping on the wagon – I’m sure the family is hurting no matter what the media or you think. give them a break. I’m with you Tachikata what a gift to give to both new babies.
I’m not detecting any hypocracy at this point, but give it a little time, Fe … these are conservative republicans after all!! Young girl gets pregnant without benefit of marriage is not a particularly unusual situation though it feels JUICY and “pregnant” with potential.
Poor girl must be FREAKING OUT as she’s caught in this intense spotlight. Can you just imagine what she is going through?? From Wassila (or something like that) and now in the middle of serious political throwdown. The pressure from on high (Karl Rove) must be mind-numbing as he’s booked the church and minister for the northern exposure wedding this October.
mm.
Hypocrisy seems to be a drug widely used and indiscriminately dispensed these days.
I might add – – the Republicans are actually LUCKY that they have a hurricane to distract people from this.
Gauri:
We agree about the right to privacy for all. But you and I don’t propose to make or enforce laws on others that would prevent others from having their own right to privacy or making a decision about reproductive rights. Nor would we place ourselves in a position to nominate judges on the Supreme Court who will rule for or against your right to privacy or what reproductive choices you make.
For the record, it was Sarah Palin herself who revealed her daughter’s pregnancy to contravene the report that was going wildfire on the blogs on whether or not she was Trig’s grandmother or mother.
When it finally reached Andrew Sullivan’s blog, a respected political blog for Republicans, Sarah Palin pushed her own daughter under the bus in order to save her political career.
That’s the meta-meme of today’s events. And it lays on McCain’s feet for the choice he made for VP.
And these are the Republican Party’s Family Values?
I wouldn’t vote for McCain & or the former Ms Alaska runner up even at gun point, but here’s my question: For those of us who believe firmly that all human beings have an equal right to privacy and that it’s none of anybody’s business what people do in their bedrooms, if we don’t extend the same courtesy to others, even to those who are hypocrites and don’t respect our views/privacy, then how are we different from them?
Marymack:
Agreed on that point, as Obama stressed. Leave the children out of it.
I am intrigued however by how many factors of the far right’s agenda for the last 8 years–woman’s right to choose, as well as other personal rights (as in Terri Schiavo), and humanistic causes, such as foreign aid funding for AIDS medicines to developing nations with abstinence-only provisions (and this is right off the top of my head)—have come home to roost on the nomination of their next leader.
Not only that, Governor Palin’s Dominionist, creationist and global warning-is-a-myth views are facing Gustav head on.
Jon Stewart couldn’t write anything like this.
RE: Bristol Palen
My first impression of the Palen family was that they looked so miserable. I am pleased to hear that one of them is having a good time somewhere … or HAD a good time at least once.
Thankfully, Obama refuses to make anything out of the personal life of a teen; I hope that Momma Palen refuses to use this challenge in her daughter’s life to further the political ends of far right. Piling on a disgusting for most of us out here and even more so when we’re talking about teens and such political neophytes. Resist the impulse and KNOW that there is plenty more to be discovered about Gov. Palen, notably how she responds to such tests in the spotlight.
mary
Eric:
Maybe the compartmentalized thinking that’s allowed a pass on such hypocrisy amongst the religious right is starting to break down. One can only hope.
By the way, rumor is that Palin was Dobson’s (Mr. Focus on the Family) choice. Are we feeling the apropos-ness of this yet?
and Eric said it more clearly (not surprisingly) – Palin and her ilk are trying to dictate the amount and kind of information that is available to MY child. not acceptable.
smilema, we are not holding Palin responsible for what her daughter decided to do. we are holding Palin responsible for what she failed to do for her daughter – which is educate her fully, and arm her with every resource possible to make smart decisions about her life. i, personally, think it is crucial for us to hold all adults responsible for providing all the information possible to our children to use to navigate this world, because even with all the info, pregnancy, addiction, and violence happen. anything we can do to prevent these things form happening, or exert some kind of control over when they happen (as in the case of pregnancy) – we should do, and we CAN do.
Nobody would be holding anyone responsible in the Palin family were it not their policy to mandate what others what do and think in the most private aspects of their lives. That to me is the obvious hypocrisy, but hypocrisy is a drug.
Fe, we are now holding parents responsible for what their children do or should we hold the children responsible for what their parents do. when or how does it all end??
I’m not putting out any hope that the evangelical wing of the Republican Party will come to their senses about a woman’s right to choose, but I’m wondering about those moderates and independents sitting out there on the fence about this election.
The double-take McCain and the Republican Party is doing is enough to make your neck snap. They laud Sarah Palin for accepting their Down’s Syndrom newborn, and yet Sarah’s daughter didn’t practice what mommy preached about abstinence. They walk a policy path on that gets narrower and narrower as each time and with each revelation, Sarah Palin approaches the podium to speak.