Palin's pregnant daughter...

[Anonymous]

Thank you 13:53!

[Anonymous]

I was not/am not a Hillary supporter, in part b/c I thought her constant refrain about '30 years experience' was BS (altho I thought I heard a reference to 35 yrs at the DNC convention -- maybe now she's counting high school??) Resume inflation is so petty and ridiculous. FWIW, I also thought that it was nonsense to put Chelsea out on the campaign trail this time around and then expect that she'd still be accorded a privacy bubble (how ridiculous that a 20-something who has an Ivy League/Oxford education and works in NYC finance refused to take questions from any media, including grade school reporters!)

Every political family is going to get a photo op, and every candidate needs a personal introduction - so I'm not offended that political spouses are paraded or the kids get a 10 second applause line on stage. But whatever you may think of Obama's politics or his preparation for the presidency, no one is arguing that he should be president b/c he is a 'soccer dad' or b/c of his fortitude (or recklessness) in flying while in labor. He has made his case based on his professional experience and his knowledge of the world, and can and should be judged solely (or hopefully at least primarily) on that. Same goes for Biden, same goes for McCain.

Contrast this to Palin, whose entire narrative has been a personal one since she was introduced last week. But that's b/c she has no experience that qualifies her for the second highest position in the land, so to compensate she plays the supermom card. Live by that line and you'll be judged by that line.

And as for her experience, please. Bravo for her anti-corruption bonafides (altho they're far less impressive than initially pitched), but someone who has never left the country and has no views on the major foreign policy challenge facing this country (Iraq, her words) should not be a heartbeat away from the presidency (particularly when it's a 72yo heart.) And the plain reality is that no man with her resume would have been given 10 seconds consideration for the VP slot by any party or candidate. If you don't believe that, take a look at the much more qualified Gov Bobby Jindal, who was touted early on but then dismissed as "too inexperienced" (Rhodes scholar, successful private sector career, sucessful state health commissioner, congressman and now governor.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After reading this, I guess I should thank my lucky stars that I wasn't a teen mom.

My mother told us everything we needed to know about how babies are conceived, and never discussed birthcontrol with us. She told us that we shouldn't have sex until we were 25 or married. However, before the one class in HS that covered how to use a condom, I knew everything they were teaching about condoms and the pill. I didn't hear about this from my parents, but I did have access to after school specials, and a library card.

I think that Palin is going to appeal to more people than you would think. I think in some ways this is going to make her appear more "real", and many are going to drawn to her.

I think as a mother, there is only so much control you have over what a teenager does. You can try and set limits, but teenagers test them. I remember how my friends would sneak around so they could spend the night with a boy. Their parents would drop them off at one friends house, only to be picked up later by the boyfriend.

Who is to say that Bristol didn't use birth control? I have twice gotten pregnant while trying to prevent it. Once a condom broke, and the other time I was on the pill.

I agree 100% with this poster.

So she has 5 children. Her DH is on leave from his job, DS1 is in the Army, DD1 is getting married (or would have gone on to college/life within months anyway). So that's two of them gone/going to live their lives.
DD2 is in high school.
DD3 is in elementary school.
DS2 is an infant with downs syndrome, hardly a terminal illness, and while his needs may be 'special' they are not substantially different than any other 4 month old. Feed me, change me, love me. She is nursing, obviously she spends time with her child.

I went to college, my two sibs didn't. Both are happy, gainfully employed, parents, spouses... you get the picture. College is good, but not the be all and end all of life.

At 17 my parents could no more have stopped me from sleeping with my boyfriend if I wanted than they could lasso the moon. Anyone who thinks Palin should have/could have controlled her daughter in this respect is seriously deluded.

So what does Palin do - she offers her daughter her unconditional love and support (without ever approving of DD's actions). Some lousy mom she is.

Get over yourselves - whether McCain wins or not is anyone's guess, but this was a brilliant pick from a strategic viewpoint. These highly educated, affluent DCUM's don't have a clue how this will play in Frederick MD, Roanoke VA and Harrisburg PA.

[Anonymous]

you must not have a special needs child, because they very much do need an extra amount of attention from caregivers to be able to reach simple developmental milestones.

For what it's worth, I am happy to report that some of my friends from more rural areas who were initially swing voters are now voting for Obama.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still can not get over the double standard to which many of the posters are holding Palin. If she were a man, I am quite certain that there would be no debate about whether she should run for office or stay home to tend to her family. Sickening -- especially coming from a group of so-called feminists. Women are their own worst enemy.

I agree. It's like cannabalism.

But...she's not a man. So your point is, well, pointless.

Feminism is not about arguing the unwinnable and truly useless idea that men and women are the same, because they are not. It's about acknowledging the differences and creating a world where those differences are accommodated. But Republicans, including Sarah Palin, do not believe in accommodating the realities of those differences, so now they cry "sexism." I love it! Every time liberals use the words "sexism" and "racism" we are makign excuses; now that the Republicans need to, they are having a blast calling every legitmate refutation to Palin's resume "sexism." I cannot stop laughing.

I can't stop shaking my head. The R's start calling names on the very sins that they are committing to throw dthe public off. It seems to work with a public that has blinders on.

[Anonymous]

I'm a feminist and a mother and totally offended by the statements that begin with "if she were a man"...she's not, I'm not, and I dont want to be assessed by how "manly" I am.
http://www.naturalchild.org/peter_cook/feminism.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After reading this, I guess I should thank my lucky stars that I wasn't a teen mom.

My mother told us everything we needed to know about how babies are conceived, and never discussed birthcontrol with us. She told us that we shouldn't have sex until we were 25 or married. However, before the one class in HS that covered how to use a condom, I knew everything they were teaching about condoms and the pill. I didn't hear about this from my parents, but I did have access to after school specials, and a library card.

I think that Palin is going to appeal to more people than you would think. I think in some ways this is going to make her appear more "real", and many are going to drawn to her.

I think as a mother, there is only so much control you have over what a teenager does. You can try and set limits, but teenagers test them. I remember how my friends would sneak around so they could spend the night with a boy. Their parents would drop them off at one friends house, only to be picked up later by the boyfriend.

Who is to say that Bristol didn't use birth control? I have twice gotten pregnant while trying to prevent it. Once a condom broke, and the other time I was on the pill.

I agree 100% with this poster.

So she has 5 children. Her DH is on leave from his job, DS1 is in the Army, DD1 is getting married (or would have gone on to college/life within months anyway). So that's two of them gone/going to live their lives.
DD2 is in high school.
DD3 is in elementary school.
DS2 is an infant with downs syndrome, hardly a terminal illness, and while his needs may be 'special' they are not substantially different than any other 4 month old. Feed me, change me, love me. She is nursing, obviously she spends time with her child.

I went to college, my two sibs didn't. Both are happy, gainfully employed, parents, spouses... you get the picture. College is good, but not the be all and end all of life.

At 17 my parents could no more have stopped me from sleeping with my boyfriend if I wanted than they could lasso the moon. Anyone who thinks Palin should have/could have controlled her daughter in this respect is seriously deluded.

So what does Palin do - she offers her daughter her unconditional love and support (without ever approving of DD's actions). Some lousy mom she is.

Get over yourselves - whether McCain wins or not is anyone's guess, but this was a brilliant pick from a strategic viewpoint. These highly educated, affluent DCUM's don't have a clue how this will play in Frederick MD, Roanoke VA and Harrisburg PA.

I couldn't agree more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After reading this, I guess I should thank my lucky stars that I wasn't a teen mom.

My mother told us everything we needed to know about how babies are conceived, and never discussed birthcontrol with us. She told us that we shouldn't have sex until we were 25 or married. However, before the one class in HS that covered how to use a condom, I knew everything they were teaching about condoms and the pill. I didn't hear about this from my parents, but I did have access to after school specials, and a library card.

I think that Palin is going to appeal to more people than you would think. I think in some ways this is going to make her appear more "real", and many are going to drawn to her.

I think as a mother, there is only so much control you have over what a teenager does. You can try and set limits, but teenagers test them. I remember how my friends would sneak around so they could spend the night with a boy. Their parents would drop them off at one friends house, only to be picked up later by the boyfriend.

Who is to say that Bristol didn't use birth control? I have twice gotten pregnant while trying to prevent it. Once a condom broke, and the other time I was on the pill.

I agree 100% with this poster.

So she has 5 children. Her DH is on leave from his job, DS1 is in the Army, DD1 is getting married (or would have gone on to college/life within months anyway). So that's two of them gone/going to live their lives.
DD2 is in high school.
DD3 is in elementary school.
DS2 is an infant with downs syndrome, hardly a terminal illness, and while his needs may be 'special' they are not substantially different than any other 4 month old. Feed me, change me, love me. She is nursing, obviously she spends time with her child.

I went to college, my two sibs didn't. Both are happy, gainfully employed, parents, spouses... you get the picture. College is good, but not the be all and end all of life.

At 17 my parents could no more have stopped me from sleeping with my boyfriend if I wanted than they could lasso the moon. Anyone who thinks Palin should have/could have controlled her daughter in this respect is seriously deluded.

So what does Palin do - she offers her daughter her unconditional love and support (without ever approving of DD's actions). Some lousy mom she is.

Get over yourselves - whether McCain wins or not is anyone's guess, but this was a brilliant pick from a strategic viewpoint. These highly educated, affluent DCUM's don't have a clue how this will play in Frederick MD, Roanoke VA and Harrisburg PA.

I couldn't agree more.

Oh, you mean in the "real" America? At least, that's what the Republicans like to call the places they spend most of their time pandering to. What does it say about you and your party that you look down on the "highly educated"? That you think the viewpoint of educated people is somehow less valid than the viewpoint of perceived less educated people? My highly educated ass eagerly awaits Nov 4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After reading this, I guess I should thank my lucky stars that I wasn't a teen mom.

My mother told us everything we needed to know about how babies are conceived, and never discussed birthcontrol with us. She told us that we shouldn't have sex until we were 25 or married. However, before the one class in HS that covered how to use a condom, I knew everything they were teaching about condoms and the pill. I didn't hear about this from my parents, but I did have access to after school specials, and a library card.

I think that Palin is going to appeal to more people than you would think. I think in some ways this is going to make her appear more "real", and many are going to drawn to her.

I think as a mother, there is only so much control you have over what a teenager does. You can try and set limits, but teenagers test them. I remember how my friends would sneak around so they could spend the night with a boy. Their parents would drop them off at one friends house, only to be picked up later by the boyfriend.

Who is to say that Bristol didn't use birth control? I have twice gotten pregnant while trying to prevent it. Once a condom broke, and the other time I was on the pill.

I agree 100% with this poster.

So she has 5 children. Her DH is on leave from his job, DS1 is in the Army, DD1 is getting married (or would have gone on to college/life within months anyway). So that's two of them gone/going to live their lives.
DD2 is in high school.
DD3 is in elementary school.
DS2 is an infant with downs syndrome, hardly a terminal illness, and while his needs may be 'special' they are not substantially different than any other 4 month old. Feed me, change me, love me. She is nursing, obviously she spends time with her child.

I went to college, my two sibs didn't. Both are happy, gainfully employed, parents, spouses... you get the picture. College is good, but not the be all and end all of life.

At 17 my parents could no more have stopped me from sleeping with my boyfriend if I wanted than they could lasso the moon. Anyone who thinks Palin should have/could have controlled her daughter in this respect is seriously deluded.

So what does Palin do - she offers her daughter her unconditional love and support (without ever approving of DD's actions). Some lousy mom she is.

Get over yourselves - whether McCain wins or not is anyone's guess, but this was a brilliant pick from a strategic viewpoint. These highly educated, affluent DCUM's don't have a clue how this will play in Frederick MD, Roanoke VA and Harrisburg PA.

I couldn't agree more.

I agree also. The amusing part is that all the sniping just lowers expectations for Palin so much that with a strong performance Wednesday night she will end up impressing the very voters she's mean to attract -- those in Frederick, Harrisburg, etc.

Michael Barone, the U.S. News and World Report writer, has a great piece on how Palin may turn out to be one of those women who stay at home some years and then enter public life and excel at it. His other examples are Katharine Graham of the Post (one of my heroes), Nancy Pelosi, and Madeline Albright. If Palin handles this media storm well, her stock is going to rise immeasurably. Here's the link to Barone's piece. It's pretty thought-provoking, and he's usually free of ideological bias:

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/barone/2008/9/2/i...eleine-albright.html

[Anonymous]

I wish we had the right woman on the ticket with McCain. This is taking the focus off the presidency, and isn't good for the ticket. It's less than six degrees of separation to compare the public evisceration of Palin to the good old "Mommy Wars" seen so often on this site.

In the end, powerful black leaders turned on Obama (Jesse Jackson, Sharpton) for not being representative of them and now women (even Republicans) are turning on Palin for not being a good enough mom and/or candidate for office. I guess the "right woman" for the #1 or #2 job ought not to apply until her children are at least in college, but she better have some too in order to fit the perfect profile of a woman candidate.

I agree with the earlier PP; it's like cannibalism whether race or gender.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After reading this, I guess I should thank my lucky stars that I wasn't a teen mom.

My mother told us everything we needed to know about how babies are conceived, and never discussed birthcontrol with us. She told us that we shouldn't have sex until we were 25 or married. However, before the one class in HS that covered how to use a condom, I knew everything they were teaching about condoms and the pill. I didn't hear about this from my parents, but I did have access to after school specials, and a library card.

I think that Palin is going to appeal to more people than you would think. I think in some ways this is going to make her appear more "real", and many are going to drawn to her.

I think as a mother, there is only so much control you have over what a teenager does. You can try and set limits, but teenagers test them. I remember how my friends would sneak around so they could spend the night with a boy. Their parents would drop them off at one friends house, only to be picked up later by the boyfriend.

Who is to say that Bristol didn't use birth control? I have twice gotten pregnant while trying to prevent it. Once a condom broke, and the other time I was on the pill.

I agree 100% with this poster.

So she has 5 children. Her DH is on leave from his job, DS1 is in the Army, DD1 is getting married (or would have gone on to college/life within months anyway). So that's two of them gone/going to live their lives.
DD2 is in high school.
DD3 is in elementary school.
DS2 is an infant with downs syndrome, hardly a terminal illness, and while his needs may be 'special' they are not substantially different than any other 4 month old. Feed me, change me, love me. She is nursing, obviously she spends time with her child.

I went to college, my two sibs didn't. Both are happy, gainfully employed, parents, spouses... you get the picture. College is good, but not the be all and end all of life.

At 17 my parents could no more have stopped me from sleeping with my boyfriend if I wanted than they could lasso the moon. Anyone who thinks Palin should have/could have controlled her daughter in this respect is seriously deluded.

So what does Palin do - she offers her daughter her unconditional love and support (without ever approving of DD's actions). Some lousy mom she is.

Get over yourselves - whether McCain wins or not is anyone's guess, but this was a brilliant pick from a strategic viewpoint. These highly educated, affluent DCUM's don't have a clue how this will play in Frederick MD, Roanoke VA and Harrisburg PA.

I couldn't agree more.

Oh, you mean in the "real" America? At least, that's what the Republicans like to call the places they spend most of their time pandering to. What does it say about you and your party that you look down on the "highly educated"? That you think the viewpoint of educated people is somehow less valid than the viewpoint of perceived less educated people? My highly educated ass eagerly awaits Nov 4.

15:28, there was no mention of political affiliation - an assumption on your part I suppose because PP didn't agree with you? Where does PP "look down on" highly educated - pp just didn't equate higher education with social worth or happiness. You are entitled to your view point, have at it. I just don't happen to believe you are reading many other women's view points accurately either. Women are not some homogonous block that think exactly the way you do IMO. We will see, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After reading this, I guess I should thank my lucky stars that I wasn't a teen mom.

My mother told us everything we needed to know about how babies are conceived, and never discussed birthcontrol with us. She told us that we shouldn't have sex until we were 25 or married. However, before the one class in HS that covered how to use a condom, I knew everything they were teaching about condoms and the pill. I didn't hear about this from my parents, but I did have access to after school specials, and a library card.

I think that Palin is going to appeal to more people than you would think. I think in some ways this is going to make her appear more "real", and many are going to drawn to her.

I think as a mother, there is only so much control you have over what a teenager does. You can try and set limits, but teenagers test them. I remember how my friends would sneak around so they could spend the night with a boy. Their parents would drop them off at one friends house, only to be picked up later by the boyfriend.

Who is to say that Bristol didn't use birth control? I have twice gotten pregnant while trying to prevent it. Once a condom broke, and the other time I was on the pill.

I agree 100% with this poster.

So she has 5 children. Her DH is on leave from his job, DS1 is in the Army, DD1 is getting married (or would have gone on to college/life within months anyway). So that's two of them gone/going to live their lives.
DD2 is in high school.
DD3 is in elementary school.
DS2 is an infant with downs syndrome, hardly a terminal illness, and while his needs may be 'special' they are not substantially different than any other 4 month old. Feed me, change me, love me. She is nursing, obviously she spends time with her child.

I went to college, my two sibs didn't. Both are happy, gainfully employed, parents, spouses... you get the picture. College is good, but not the be all and end all of life.

At 17 my parents could no more have stopped me from sleeping with my boyfriend if I wanted than they could lasso the moon. Anyone who thinks Palin should have/could have controlled her daughter in this respect is seriously deluded.

So what does Palin do - she offers her daughter her unconditional love and support (without ever approving of DD's actions). Some lousy mom she is.

Get over yourselves - whether McCain wins or not is anyone's guess, but this was a brilliant pick from a strategic viewpoint. These highly educated, affluent DCUM's don't have a clue how this will play in Frederick MD, Roanoke VA and Harrisburg PA.

I couldn't agree more.

Oh, you mean in the "real" America? At least, that's what the Republicans like to call the places they spend most of their time pandering to. What does it say about you and your party that you look down on the "highly educated"? That you think the viewpoint of educated people is somehow less valid than the viewpoint of perceived less educated people? My highly educated ass eagerly awaits Nov 4.

Ummm, NO. Real as in flawed.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure who the "real America" poster is speaking to, when she says "you and your party" look down on the highly educated. But this Ph.D.-holding Democratic woman suggests that we are making a mistake to view Palin through the lens of NWDC, Chevy Chase, and McLean. Much of the country, if not most, sees things differently.

[Anonymous]

Is that the boyfriend of Bristol on stage at the RNC? Who is the second young man (not Track)?

[Anonymous]

Track