Bristol Palin: Why Did McCain Put Her in This Position?
A word from a reader:
People seem to miss what I think is the real issue with the Sarah Palin debate/scandal. Judgment and sensibility are my concerns and people who will be given the power of president and vice president should have these qualities.
The issue is not how the media is handling this or about this child being pregnant. The real issue is that a family and a presidential candidate would choose to put a 17 year old child in a position to be raked over the coals by the media and the country. John McCain should never have had the poor judgment to put the family in this position and Sarah Palin should have had the good sense to turn the offer down to save her daughter from the media blitz that was sure to happen. They should both be ashamed and ask the country to forgive them for having such poor judgment.
Andrew Eaton
Nashville
Comments
This is exactly analogous to blaming rape victims for being raped.
Who exactly has been responsible for smearing the Palin family and demanding DNA tests on Trig?
By the same analogy, the Democrats should not have nominated Obama, cause you KNOW it's going to stir up racist attacks on his family...
Posted 09/05/2008 at 04:06:47 PMThere were rumors that Trig wasn't Palins baby, but Bristol. Why didn't Palin just prove it, which would have been very easy, instead of saying that she needed tell about her daughters pregnacy because of these rumours. Strange.
Posted 09/05/2008 at 06:31:17 PMAndrew Eaton amen to your comments. Not to mention the manipulation of this child to her mother's advantage--"Family is off limits" versus "Except when family works to my media advantage. And let me show you my family now! But never ask questions."
This speaks volumes about Sarah Palin's character. Or total lack thereof. And how voters ought to consider what they're electing in a package. Among many other issues, but this to me seems to be the most fundamental. If you want to claim truth, be honest. Don't play your children in your game.
Regarding RedHatRob, media does their job. Grow up. It's what they're there to do. If they weren't we'd end up with a lot worse in office than we already have. If anything blame them for laziness, not watching out for the voting public.
Vote well and sleep well.
Posted 09/05/2008 at 09:32:50 PMThat's exactly right, Andrew. Bristol is the victim here - of her mother's unrealistic expectations that telling your 16 year old daughter to save herself for marriage is adequate sex education and her mother's willingness to place her unwed teenage daughter on the national stage.
RedHatRob: Its not analogous. Obama's daughters should be proud of their heritage. If people make racist remarks about his daughters that reflects badly on the racist who makes the remark, not on Obama's daughters. I don't think anyone here though thinks that a 17 year old unwed teen-aged mother should be 'proud of her accomplishment'. Moreover, while Obama's girls didn't make bad judgments that resulted in them being African American, there were several bad judgments that resulted in Bristol's pregnancy: not the least of which was her mother putting her head in the sand about sex-ed.
Posted 09/05/2008 at 09:54:57 PMSex Ed. for Bristol? I would imagine she is WELL educated. The irony here is to beleive it is better to prepare your child for premarital sex so that she can live a life SAFE from pregnacy and STD's. We might as well teach our children HOW to play with guns! And you hyprocrites condemn Mrs. Palin because she failed to mention the consequences of sex to her daughter? How do YOU know she didn't? You act as if poor Bristol had no choice in the matter; that poor Bristol didn't know she could get pregnant with or without the use of contraceptives.
My suggestion, if you really want to know the measure of Bristol and her mother, is to see how they handle this change. from what I understand Ms. Bristol is going to keep the baby, marry the father, and raise a family... with the unconditional love and support of her family.
What is wrong with this?
Posted 09/06/2008 at 02:15:15 AMWhy do the Republicans get to say "leave the kids out of it" then fly Levi Johnston down to the tarmac to greet McCain? Isn't that exploiting a child or was an 18 year old Alaskan self described redneck kid who got his girlfriend pregnant always scheduled to be part of the Republican photo op? Clean up the boys blog, where he gets to express himself honestly, then market him to the far right. Isn't that exploiting a child not to mention screwing with his head? It will be interesting to see what these young people think of their manipulative parents in twenty years. And I wonder how much all of the people surrounding the Palin family feel about being dragged in to their drama. Ambition can be an ugly thing. Seems to me Sarah Palin has more than proven she is one of the self absorbed - not someone I want in power.
Posted 09/06/2008 at 11:29:37 AM"Raked over the coals..." by who??
By you! In this article! "Save her daughter from the media blitz.."? That is absurd. The only people who have a problem with Palin's situation are people not involved with the matter and to whom this is matter is *none of their business!*
So shut up and let the family deal with the situation as they see fit.
Funny how I never see any of you flaming hypocrites mention that Sarah Palin was a member of the group Feminists for Life that DO support the teaching of contraception.
Posted 09/06/2008 at 02:58:21 PMAre Bristol and Levi married yet? If not, are they still sleeping together?
I was just wondering.
Posted 09/07/2008 at 04:06:54 PMIs Bristol married yet?
If not, are she and the "f***ing redneck" who said he doesn't want kids still sleeping together?
I was just wondering.
Posted 09/07/2008 at 04:11:47 PMWho cares, dude? I certainly don't give a rats ass, I've got better things to worry about.
Posted 09/08/2008 at 09:33:51 AMSarah should should have her doctor call the press and the Trig scandal will be over. BUT the doctor has a million dollar license and only gave the press "doctor-speak" about the birth. I know, i'm a doctor myself! That is how they speak in depositions. Check out some of the story right here.
http://www.sarah-palin-photos.com/
Posted 09/09/2008 at 07:31:19 AMI am not happy that Sarah Palin's daughter got pregnant, but it happens to Christians and Non Christians those using birth control and those not. What I am happy about is the way the family handled the situation.. with unconditional love and support.
Posted 11/01/2008 at 09:51:48 AMJim, the sun must be shining in Williamson County too.
Posted 11/01/2008 at 09:58:21 AM