Palin's pregnant daughter...

[Anonymous]

I would never do that to my daughter.

VP is not a "behind the scenes" job. It is a job for which you must be on-call 24/7, and for which a lot of travel is expected. Apart from Bush, who works only like 7 hours a day, most Presidents work 10 - 12. And they expect their Vice to be working any time they are.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand all the pleas for privacy on behalf of the Palins - Sarah Palin foisted this whole drama upon her family, and paraded her children (evidently without much warning) at her announcement last week. Now the baby daddy is going to be on stage for her bravura speech tonight... and they want privacy? You can't have it both ways. I don't think Palin is a hypocrite because she has a troubled daughter - but it is absolutely hypocritical for conservatives to celebrate this sad story.

And while I'm asking questions, here's another: Why is it the subject of considerable national debate - much of it led by the family values crowd - when Britney Spears' sister gets pregnant as an unmarried teen, with all kinds of stories about whether her tween TV show should be cancelled. But when it's the teenage daughter of a putative VP, we're all supposed to think it's just grand? I can't figure out if all this glorificatin of the various Ms. Palins and their reproductive choices (emphasis on the latter word) is just a way for the Republicans to spin an unfortunate set of developments, or if there really is a large number of Americans who think teenage pregnancy is just dandy so long as everyone "does the right thing."

[Anonymous]

Isn't the difference between Jamie Lynn Spears (teen idol, tv star and self-proclaimed "role model") and the Palin daughter (private individual, off-limits, like Chelsea) clear?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you really blame her for running? Really now if you had a once in a lifetime chance to secure the financial future and social standing of your family and make history at the same time and maybe even set a good example for your kids for a 4 year tenure, behind the scenes type job, and you know your spouse would probably never have that kind of opportunity to impact your family, wouldn't you apply? Just because she has one kid who did something looked down on by society, what are the other kids like? Wasn't/isn't Al Gore's son less than perfect compared to his daughters? And remember Chelsea Clinton is the only child of two politically savvy ivy league educated lawyers with years of experience in politics.

Yes, he got a DUI. Good gracious, I'd like to hear from these judgmental women when their kids are teenagers.
Slam her politics (and it sounds like there's enough of that to keep us busy), but leave her family out of it.

[Anonymous]

Isn't the difference between Jamie Lynn Spears (teen idol, tv star and self-proclaimed "role model") and the Palin daughter (private individual, off-limits, like Chelsea) clear?

Not to me. Gov. Palin thrust her family in the public eye by introducing them all at her announcement last week, repeatedly referencing her parenting role in her discussions about her qualifications, and dragging them all back to the stage tonight, complete with baby daddy. And that's just in one week. If you want the lives of your children to be kept private, then don't use them as political props. Pretty simple. There are lots of cases that show this can be done, if the parents choose.

So bottom line is that if it's somehow a national scandal when a B-league tween actress has a baby in her teens, then the same applies to the publicity-seeking Palin brood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And DC has no electoral votes, correct?

Incorrect. DC has 3 electoral votes. The same as Alaska and the same as Delaware. For electoral purposes, we are just as important as the home states of the VP candidates.

Oh, good. I truly didn't remember. It's been while since I turned in my "taxation without representation" plates. Do the territories also get electoral votes?

The territories pay taxes and have US citizenship, but I don't think they get to vote in the US Presidential elections.

[Anonymous]

I must admit I can't stop thinking about this story. I wonder how it all went between Bristol and her mom when mom announced she was running for vp. Was Bristol excited, worried, anxious or all three? Did mom have a private talk with Bristol about how to handle this or was it discussed in front of the whole family? Maybe Bristol piped up and told her mom she would be okay and she was glad mom was running. Or maybe Bristol just went along with it like a good girl. At any rate, it sounds like she had roughly 24 hours to get used to the idea that her private life was about to be blown wide open.

And whose idea was it for Bristol to hold her baby brother while on stage to hide the fact that she was pregnant? Bristol's? Mom's? Dad's?

And whose idea is it to bring Levi to the convention? Did he insist on coming? Did Bristol insist on him coming? Or was this mom and dad's idea? Or the Republican handlers?

I keep wondering what I would do with my daughter in that situation. I guess it wouldn't matter if I were Obama's situation or Palin's. I wouldn't have even gotten close to running on the national stage until my children were much older. Nor would my husband because I wouldn't let him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure her 4 mos old infant is incredibly proud of his absent mother! Thank goodness for his pregnant sister who's giving him some TLC! I'm baffled that we arent able to tease out the following:

1. I thought Palin was a HORRIBLE pick even before I knew her family background, her policies and social conservatism scare me-provencal and dangerous
2. VP and possible president of the US is a "job" that is incomparable to any other job in the world
3. Stating the obvious that her five children including a baby and pregnant teen will not get lots of "mommy time" if she gets into office isnt sexism, it's a fact that doesnt bother all women, but it bothers me

As my husband reminded me, what a blessing it is that we can even have the discussion/debate about a female VP candidate, the country is opening up and diversifying in all aspects and for that I'm so grateful. I

So, how do you feel about Obama's decision to run for President while he has two young daughters?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure her 4 mos old infant is incredibly proud of his absent mother! Thank goodness for his pregnant sister who's giving him some TLC! I'm baffled that we arent able to tease out the following:

1. I thought Palin was a HORRIBLE pick even before I knew her family background, her policies and social conservatism scare me-provencal and dangerous
2. VP and possible president of the US is a "job" that is incomparable to any other job in the world
3. Stating the obvious that her five children including a baby and pregnant teen will not get lots of "mommy time" if she gets into office isnt sexism, it's a fact that doesnt bother all women, but it bothers me

As my husband reminded me, what a blessing it is that we can even have the discussion/debate about a female VP candidate, the country is opening up and diversifying in all aspects and for that I'm so grateful. I

So, how do you feel about Obama's decision to run for President while he has two young daughters?

Not the pp, but how can you compare? Neither of his daughters is a special needs infant and neither is a knocked up teen.

[Anonymous]

Obama's daughters are not babies.

Neither of Obama's daughters have Downs.

Big difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Not the pp, but how can you compare? Neither of his daughters is a special needs infant and neither is a knocked up teen.

"Knocked-up teen"? That's classy! With a "k," that is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Not the pp, but how can you compare? Neither of his daughters is a special needs infant and neither is a knocked up teen.

"Knocked-up teen"? That's classy! With a "k," that is.

If she had learned correct birth control, she wouldn't be described as knocked up. Get used to it.

[Anonymous]

I prefer, "up the duff/pole" but to each their own.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Not the pp, but how can you compare? Neither of his daughters is a special needs infant and neither is a knocked up teen.

"Knocked-up teen"? That's classy! With a "k," that is.

If she had learned correct birth control, she wouldn't be described as knocked up. Get used to it.

I forgot to mention, if Sarah, Jr. had practiced the all-time favorite of abstinence-only, she would also not be a knocked up teen.