Yes, the Juno pun is a little too clever to ignore completely. And besides being a nation of whiners, America is also the nation of tabloids, blogs and TMI regarding celebrities and the kind of shits they've been taken recently. But this Labor Day weekend was all about Sarah Palin and her daughter and the states of pregnancy they might have occupied at one time or another. Is Sarah Palin's youngest son Trig actually her grandson by way of her 17-year old Bristol? The same Bristol that was just revealed to be five months preggers? Alaskan politics is more Days of Our Lives than anyone gave it credit for.
But isn't it just so misogynistic to have, within two days of a historic nomination of a woman on the White House ticket, a giant can of theoretical worms open on the topics of body rights, abortions, and teenage mothers?
The problem with Palin Preggersgate is that it's very easy to play Devil's Advocate and be all "Leave the Palins alone!" instead of "Sarah Palin would make a horrible VP for reasons that have nothing to do with her personal life."
Yes, you can realistically call out Palin for supporting abstinence-only education while she was clearly unable to enforce that plan under her own roof. But unlike a daughter marrying someone else's daughter, a child having another child is not officially outlawed in almost all the states. The point being: Neither Sarah nor her daughter Bristol are going against the ideas that Palin and McCain and the entire Republican party stand for. Not family values or abstinence-only sexual education, but the big one: the decision not to terminate your pregnancy no matter how difficult or unsavory the scenario may be.
It would be one thing if Palin was running on a pro-life ticket and her daughter had an abortion. Then you would be able to make a case for a difference in public legislation vs. personal life. But neither Palin nor Bristol are secretly visiting clinics in their spare time, and as far as anyone knows (unless the Trig rumors turn out to be true) the governor is not trying to cover up her daughter's pregnancy, or even the identity of the father, insomuch as it took the paps about five minutes to figure that one out.
Sarah Palin is, for all intents and purposes, being a good mother; she is supporting her daughter through a difficult period. Especially compared to how ole' how ole' Dick C tried to shovel little Mary's lesbo tendencies under the rug during the 2004 elections.
But as good a mother she may be, it's dangerous to turn a close political race into a maternal melodrama, because it works as a smoke-screen to hide what the real problem with Sarah Palin is, like her lack of experience in public or foreign policy. Rebecca Traister summed it up nicely;
How we got from the dispiriting political and ideological record of Sarah Palin — that she is adamantly pro-life and anti-gay marriage, that she is a lifetime member of the NRA, that she has no foreign policy experience and supports the teaching of creationism alongside evolution in schools — to the uterine activity of her family, makes perfect, human sense: Who wants to talk about boring policy when we can talk about teens and sex and pregnancy?
So sure, let's keep abreast on real-life Juno and discuss it like Jamie Lynn Spears all over again, but not forgetting the fact that the difference between celebrity pregnancies and Bristol Palin's is that some day one of them might be used as leverage to overturn your right not to have a child.
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What was John McCain thinking? Did he know anything about Sarah Palin before he picked her to be his VP?
I think it is very relevant that Sarah Palin supports shotgun weddings but not gay weddings and parenthood, not as a choice but a consequence of teenage bahvior. This I think demonstrates that she supports failed policies even in the face of their failure.
The situation has nothing to do with sara palin being a good mother or not. there are so many people out there who have had kids young and made out just fine. the only way you to stop your child from having sex or getting pregnant would be impossible unless you didnt give them that chance. shes damned if she does and damned if she doesnt. everybody is making a big deal about her being pregnant so what its her resposibilty not everybody elses. if she were to not allow her children to have a life people would complain about that.she is able to care for the child then more power to her. sara palin has done alot for our state and would do a hell of alot for the nation its self. get over what cant be changed. live your life not theirs.
She is NOT a good mother. A good mother would not agree to become a vice presidential candidate when her family obviously needs her soooo much. She has a 4 month old baby and a seventeen year old pregnant daughter. A good mother would make the right choice for her children and her family. Why on earth would a 42 year old woman who already has 4 children and is the Governor of Alaska choose to get pregnant again? When she is at a huge risk of having a child with downs syndrome or other issues and obviously does not have the time to devote to a newborn? She seems like an egomaniac to me and a very bad mother.
Kelsey, you're an idiot. "If she were to not allow her children to have a life people would complain about that." Really? Are you seriously making that argument? First of all, there is a pretty undeniable difference between "having a life" and getting knocked up at 17. Secondly, how exactly would Palin be criticized for standing by the beliefs she has so vehemently supported? In other words, Kelsey, how would we complain about Palin not allowing her daughter to "have a life" when she's opposed to anyone else "having a life"?
"the only way you to stop your child from having sex or getting pregnant would be impossible unless you didnt give them that chance." You're right, she gave it a chance, and it clearly didn't work.
Give me a break…
Forget the personal issues / smokescreen - It's all about getting at Alaska's OIL fields, folks.
Say bye-bye to the polar bears and hello to cheap gas and more smog. And that's a (campaign) promise!
How could anyone say Trig is her daughter's child??? If her daughter is already 5 months pregnant and the baby is 4 months… the numbers wouldn't add up.
You can tell 5 of the 6 above posters either don't have children, or if they do, they are under the age of 8. Anyone with children older then 8 know that they will sometimes do exactly opposite of what you tell them, and if they are over 15, will rarely talk to you much less listen to you.
Barack's mother got pregnant unwed at 17 … I don't see you bashing her people. I wonder why the left is so afraid of Sarah Palin that they have to go after her 17 year old daughter to try and find something wrong with her.
Do your research people, most other articles state that they were talking of getting married BEFORE she got pregnant.
OMG ppl ur freaking dumb. Why judge her because she is from Alaska??? I just moved back to Texas from Alaska and she was great. I had the privlege of meeting her and shes a sweetheart!! Most of u ppl out there talking crap about her daughter being pregnant prob. got pregnant when u were a teenager, why is it any different. Or ur parents prob got pregnant at an early age!! Dont think were gonna get there gas because its more expensive there than it is here, u think it'd be cheaper considering we were right by the pipe lines…
It is OK to have sex as a teenager. Why else teach sex in middle/high school? After all, it is natural…kids need to get in touch with their sexuality. TV shows portray non-sexually active persons as geeks. The movies show kids having sex and the audiences love it. Young boys are applauded for scoring with a girl. BUT…heaven forbid that a teenage girl gets pregnant. OMG!! What a 'ho' and she should get an abortion. She should know better than to have unprotected sex. However, Angelina Jolie, Katie Holmes, etc. are all treated as cool celebraties even though they give birth to a child outside of marriage. I thought that adults should know better. Hypocracy all over the map. American society can't have it both ways
Sarah Palin is damned because of her lack of political experience as well as her own family issues. The fact that McCain basically pulled her out of nowhere to have as his VP and now the publicity she's getting from her daughter's pregnancy, it wouldn't be suprising to me if she backs out altogether. Sarah Palin isn't a bad mother. You cannot control teenagers. You can tell them right from wrong till your blue in the face, but they'll inevitably do what they want. Leave the personal family issues out of it!
"Yes, you can realistically call out Palin for supporting abstinence-only education while she was clearly unable to enforce that plan under her own roof."
Give me a break. So you're saying every parent whose child breaches a family value should be "called out"? Seriously? So you never did anything your parents taught you better than to do? And are you implying just because Gov. Palin supports abstinence only sex education that her daughter couldn't possibly know about or have access birth control? SERIOUSLY?????
SLH
R u kidding??? The issue is that abstinence only sex education as a policy doesn't work. This is a policy that Palin supports which exposes her weakness (and the weakness of the right) on this issue. Now all of a sudden the right is saying teens do what they want no matter what adults say. So why not educate them and equip them with tools to prevent this situation from happening in the first place?
Just one question…what kind of mother places her pregnant 17 year old unmarried daughter onto a world stage during such a vulnerable stage in her life….does she really think that Sarah and her "redneck " boyfriend will be tabloid fodder that will make Lindsey and Brittany coverage look small. She lost my vote with that huge ego that must be under her bee hive hair!
Well I see the plan worked! Although Im not a republican.. McCain is a genious! He managed to pick an unexperienced gov from Alaska.. who has all of these issues and turn it into the topic of discuss in every household across the world! Funny! I love it! Personaly, I think the so called "grandchild" is in fact, Bristol's baby.. do your research people. Other than that, the man is very clever.. Do u people honestly think he had no idea about this $hit, yeah right.. He may be old, a cancer patient even, but no idot! lls
Any One Who Could Honestly Blame Sara Palin For Her Daghters Choices is Insane! How Many Teenage girls Or Boy Listen to there mothers when they tell them not to have sex? At least she is Accepting and loveing and not forceing her to kill a innocent child. Yet Even she Had a Gay Daughter it would be more widely excepted. Thats insane. Yeah she isnt married and it is wrong,but granted that she is makeing the rigt choice in not killing the baby. Atleast her mother raised her enough to know that abortion is Wrong.
I think that the main matter here is simple. What kind of an example does this set for the teens in this country. Especially the younger teens at 13 - 15. The Palins could be the "Second Family" of this country and should therefore be expected to set an example. A pregnant 17 year old, married or unmarried is a very poor example. Let's face it, Bristol Palin obviously did not practice abstinence. This is the message to young teens, it will be ok to have pre-marital sex, when you get pregnant it will be celebrated as long as you don't have an abortion. This is a very poor example. Very poor example. There are many qualified persons for this position, many of them woman. McCain needs to ask Palin to step aside and bring in another qualified person who has their family business in order. A teenage pregnancy is not the end of the world but it is not something that should be celebrated. What are people thinking. Now the teenage dad and his family are coming to the convention, this is just inappropriate. Are we now going to celebrate this teenage dad as well? This is tragic. I am glad to see that the family is going to support these children but they should be supporting them in private. Sara Palin had no business accepting this nomination knowing that her teenage daughter is pregnant. Our party needs to set a better example for our children if we really expect them to respect our support of abstinence only until marriage.
Mike #8 Are you serious to find refuge in the statement "they were already planning to be married before she got pregnant". When? When she was 16? Or was it a long term relationship dating back to when she was 15?
Where was Mom or the snowmobile champ Dad while the teens were planning their family and engaging in self=help sex education denied them in school by the ultraconservative Moose hunting GoverMom? LOL !!!!
Hey ananh have you ever thought that maybe they are lying about how far along Bristol really is? Bristol could be about 3 months or something. Sarah Palin is a prime example why most men say women should never run this country. As a woman myself I believe women can run this country & anything else, but NOT THIS WOMAN. Also if McCain & his camp knew about all Palin issues then he is dumber than I thought. Take a good look people if Palin is a McCain's idea of a perfect VP then I would hate to see what he would do if he was elected.
I don't know why this pregnancy thing is an issue with everyone. frankly its no ones business except for the Palin and Johnston families. Its almost impossible to totally control your teenage children. I think Sarah Palin is a couragous woman to come into this election with all of her personal life coming under the spotlight. People need to get over others lives and let them do their jobs instead of judging them on how well or not they raised their kids..
Palin doesn't believe in sex education, which i think is unrealistic. She thinks that we should just teach our children to abstain. I bet she wishes her daughter would have gotten a "how to…the right and safe way" in sex ed!
It's all just an example of how "out of touch" she is…what she believes clearly doesn't work ( not even for her own privileged daughter)…..THAT IS WHY IT MATTERS.
PALINS ACTIONS SHOW THAT SHE IS A SELFISH MOTHER. Not for her daughter getting pregnant, but for forcing her to get married. Not for deciding to have another child at 42, but for parading that infant around for a political purpose.
in response to #8 I dont think people would have anything to say about Bristols pregnancy if her mother wasnt so die hard against sex ed and outspoken about "morality". It seems likely that Sara Palin was pregnant herself before getting married according to the dates. she eloped August 2,1988 and her son Track was born April 20,1989 which again i dont think anyone would have a problem with if she wasnt preaching morality and being a hypocrite. I think it is obvious that not teaching sex ed isnt really working for the Palin family.
What is the deal with bashing Sarah Palin?! She has had more experience than Obama and his running mate put together. You can always find something wrong with somebody. That's life. That's why we are called HUMANS! Plus sex ed doesn't always work. It's common to have a oops and why bash her daughter about it when there are others out there too? Keep shit to yourselves. Why start a civil war? Shut Up, Relax, Give People A Break!
Okay. I really dont care if Bristol is pregnant or not because I have my own problems and I myself was pregnant at the age of 16 and had my first child at the age of 17 unwed. My whole thing of it is it looks as if Bristol was covering in up and she didn't want anyone to know that she is pregnant. It's not going to sway my decision on who I am voting for. The world has enough to worry about rather than her being knocked up and not married. For one her mom is not experienced and managing 6 thousand + people is way different than managing about a million or billion. Sarah has alot on her plate. and my big question is IF SARAH CAN RUN 4 VP WITH A SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD & A PREGNANT DAUGHTER WHY CANT AN AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN HOLD THE FORT DOWN? WHAT MAKES THE HOCKEY MOM EX BUEATY QUEEN LIP GLOSS POPPER SO SPECIAL. and Sarah may want to teach her youngest daughter that your right hand goes over your heart during the Pledge of Alligence and that it's not nice 2 lick your hand and put it in your baby brothers hair on national TV!!
Michele's comment from above is RIGHT ON THE MONEY:
"I think it is very relevant that Sarah Palin supports shotgun weddings but not gay weddings and parenthood, not as a choice but a consequence of teenage bahvior. This I think demonstrates that she supports failed policies even in the face of their failure."
TO NICOLE: Examining who Sarah Palin is, what she stands for, her extreme right wing conservative views and her limited experience in politics and world affairs IS NOT BASHING. It is simply looking into things to determine what a wise choice will be in the upcoming election. Palin is a candidate. We must hear her speak and find out what she stands for so we can vote intelligently.
What was macain thinking? Sarah palin shows us how not to act and be. She is the wrong influence for our country!!! Save America and vote for Obama!!!
The whole situation with the pregnant daughter is all just a pitty me, i have a child who is having a child scheme to get sympathy votes, sorry but there are thousands of teens pregnant and i think blaming it on the baby daddy isnt gonna help things…what he says on his myspace page isnt something to base your judgment on…if you were to look on any childs myspace you would see at least one thing that isnt apealing…
well from a kids point of view if john maccain was to get president, and then died i would not get any sleep knowing that that women is in charge of our country…she hasnt even been out of the country…she only just got a passport,she knows nothing about foriegn affairs….in all the women sucks!!!!
Oh come on! Who cares if her daughter got knocked up at such a young age. In certain cultures it would be a norm and, besides, fertile myrtle is dealing with it quite well for a teen. And that says a great deal about her upbringing… in spite of the fact Sarah claims to be a devoted Catholic and preached abstinence for years as an elected official. Haha! That's not a hypocrite! That's good ol' American integrity!
Tammy, YOU are an idiot. Why the HELL should it be on SARAH to fix her entire family? Is there not a second parent in the household? Women like you make me sick because you devalue fathers and you devalue working women. Go to hell.
Do you not think that EVER, EFFING member of Congress isn't SCREWING his entire family over? And half the time, COMPLETELY purposefully? Where are you to tell Joe Biden to go home and take care of his kids? I mean, his wife died, and they have NO MOTHER after all, so WHY SHOULD HE BE IN CIVIL SERVICE?
This is a genuine, kind woman who has values and honesty. Let her have a go. At least she didn't send the girl off to the Netherlands, which is what HILLARY would have done with Chelsea.
Sarah Palin is doing what any good mother would do, standing behind her daughter. I look up to her for this and I think McCain made a great choice and I stand behind them 100%.
Hey guess what - kids who have explicit sex education get pregnant too! Nothing stops it people! Just because they get abortions doesn't mean they didn't ever get pregnant! No matter what kinds of education kids have - they will still get pregnant DUH!!!! Schools think sex ed can have some kind of control over this and they are sooooo wrong.
Pro lifers should step up and realized that they need to help get rid of the stigma of teen pregnancy and support pregnant teens if they want to have support of people with unwanted pregnancy and pro choice seem to be doing the opposite of 'tolerance' when they complain that Palins daughter is pregnant and just perpetuating that teen pregnancy is bad and it should be hidden behind abortion.
Does anyone think before they speak?
I BELIEVE IN ABORTION. PRO-CHOICE!!!!!!!!
Abstinence-only sex education? Right. Teach kids about sex by withholding the facts from them. It didn't work in the 60's when I was 17 and accidentally got pregnant, and it doesn't work now. And what a coincidence that Palin also promotes the 'loving option of adoption' as a backup, though not for HER superior family, and never mind that 99% of pregnant teens don't even consider surrendering their babies anymore if they have humane choices. Millions of American women have gone through this nightmare and been treated like dirt for it. I'd throttle anyone who came near my daughters or granddaughters with that lying pro-adoption propaganda. The evil scumbags bringing it into our high schools are buying and selling newborn babies. They grade children like so much meat, and discard their mothers. I've seen them in action and seen their obscene pricelists. They really value human life. LIARS. May they rot in hell for what they do to young mothers and their children. I'm off to the polls! The phony, simperng bimbo from Alaska and misogynist who dumped his crippled wife might as well start packing.
So, where is Bristol's baby ?
It was due a few days ago…
Is she going to show a Birth Certificate, unlike her Mom ?
So, where is Bristol's baby ?
It was due a few days ago.
Will she be showing a Birth Certificate, unlike her Mom ?
I also was pregnant before I got married. I love my son and my daughter with all of my heart. My grandma was a very devout Christian and you know what, she didn't beat me up about it. She just told me that I wasn't the first and I wouldn't be the last. I do not regret for one day having my children. My granny even got to see my son (her 1st great-grandchild) and she was so happy about it! My mom told me not to have sex before marraige, but she never told me why. I wish my mom would have explained to me why not to have sex before marraige because I know it would have made a difference. Parents, tell your kids about aids and the emotional consequences of having sex before marraige and talk to your kids. Mine are teenagers and I talk to them often about it. The biggest thing to tell them is to choose a good spouse to marry and have children with. Unfortunately, the man I married and had children with was and still is an alcoholic and he has put us through hell. To me what is more important is who you marry and have sex with. Think about it before you have sex with them! Like what kind of family background did they have and etc. In my case, his whole family are alcoholics. I should have done some research before I had sex with him. I still don't regret having my children!!!!
As for Bristol and Levi, I wish them the best and I hope they get married and raise their child with a lot of love and I hope they tell their child the truth about how he came about so he can learn from them and do differently. Isn't that what parenting is about teaching your kids better and wanting your kids to have a better life than you?
I am pro-life and I support the Palins! Go Palin in 2012!!!!! Abortion has been said as: A minute to make the decision and a lifetime to regret it! Anyone who is pregnant and scared, please make the choice to have your baby!!! I promise you that you won't regret it!!!!!!!!!