Palin's Daughter's Pregnancy [Split and Merge]

[JLTucker]

Palin's 17 year old daughter is pregnant. So much for the abstinence Palin is so fond of.

ST. PAUL (Reuters) - The 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is pregnant, Palin said on Monday in an announcement intended to knock down rumors by liberal bloggers that Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child.

Bristol Palin, one of Alaska Gov. Palin's five children with her husband, Todd, is about five months pregnant and is going to keep the child and marry the father, the Palins said in a statement released by the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Bristol Palin made the decision on her own to keep the baby, McCain aides said.

"We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us," the Palins' statement said.

"Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support," the Palins said.

The Palins asked the news media to respect the young couple's privacy.

"Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media, respect our daughter and Levi's privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates," the statement concluded.

Senior McCain campaign officials said McCain knew of the daughter's pregnancy when he selected Palin last week as his vice presidential running mate, deciding that it did not disqualify the 44-year-old governor in any way.

In the short period since she was announced last Friday, Palin has helped to energize the Republican Party's conservative base, giving the McCain camp fresh energy going into the campaign for the November 4 election against Democrat Barack Obama.

McCain officials said the news of the daughter's pregnancy was being released to rebut what one aide called "mud-slinging and lies" circulating on liberal blog sites.

According to these rumors, Sarah Palin had faked a pregnancy and pretended to have given birth in May to her fifth child, a son named Trig who has Down syndrome. The rumor was that Trig was actually Bristol Palin's child and that Sarah Palin was the grandmother.

A senior McCain campaign official said the McCain camp was appalled that these rumors had not only been spread around liberal blog sites and partisan Democrats, but also were the subject of heightened interest from mainstream news media.

"The despicable rumors that have been spread by liberal blogs, some even with Barack Obama's name in them, is a real anchor around the Democratic ticket, pulling them down in the mud in a way that certainly juxtaposes themselves against their 'campaign of change,'" a senior aide said.

[FSTargetDrone]

Having had several members of my extended family become pregnant at a relatively young age and seeing how well those marriages worked out, I can only hope Palin's daughter knows what she is getting into. First she's pregnant, now she is looking at marriage at (presumably) 18? Or, sooner?

Yeesh...

[Darksider]

Having had several members of my extended family become pregnant at a relatively young age and seeing how well those marriages worked out, I can only hope Palin's daughter knows what she is getting into. First she's pregnant, now she is looking at marriage at (presumably) 18? Or, sooner?

Yeesh...

Not to mention she might just be marrying him due to familial pressures.

[FSTargetDrone]

Not to mention she might just be marrying him due to familial pressures.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

[Justforfun000]

Isn't it sad how the more things change, the more things stay the same? The Republicans would have us living in the 50's for the rest of eternity. Shotgun weddings, fudged birthing dates. Ridiculous. No wonder the divorce rate is so fucking high.

[CaptainChewbacca]

From CNN

ST. PAUL (Reuters) - The 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is pregnant, Palin said on Monday in an announcement intended to knock down rumors by liberal bloggers that Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child.

Bristol Palin, one of Alaska Gov. Palin's five children with her husband, Todd, is about five months pregnant and is going to keep the child and marry the father, the Palins said in a statement released by the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Bristol Palin made the decision on her own to keep the baby, McCain aides said.

"We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us," the Palins' statement said.

"Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support," the Palins said.

The Palins asked the news media to respect the young couple's privacy.

"Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media, respect our daughter and Levi's privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates," the statement concluded.

MCCAIN KNEW

Senior McCain campaign officials said McCain knew of the daughter's pregnancy when he selected Palin last week as his vice presidential running mate, deciding that it did not disqualify the 44-year-old governor in any way.

In the short period since she was announced last Friday, Palin has helped to energize the Republican Party's conservative base, giving the McCain camp fresh energy going into the campaign for the November 4 election against Democrat Barack Obama.

McCain officials said the news of the daughter's pregnancy was being released to rebut what one aide called "mud-slinging and lies" circulating on liberal blog sites.

According to these rumors, Sarah Palin had faked a pregnancy and pretended to have given birth in May to her fifth child, a son named Trig who has Down syndrome. The rumor was that Trig was actually Bristol Palin's child and that Sarah Palin was the grandmother.

A senior McCain campaign official said the McCain camp was appalled that these rumors had not only been spread around liberal blog sites and partisan Democrats, but also were the subject of heightened interest from mainstream news media.

"The despicable rumors that have been spread by liberal blogs, some even with Barack Obama's name in them, is a real anchor around the Democratic ticket, pulling them down in the mud in a way that certainly juxtaposes themselves against their 'campaign of change,"' a senior aide said.

(Editing by Howard Goller)

Its.... damn. I don't know what it is, but the pundits must be having seizures at this point. Good on the kid for keeping the baby. What's the age of accountability in Alaska?

[Cecelia5578]

Oh please, there was never any doubt the younger Palin was going to have the baby-the aspect of her having a "choice" is purely political, and is designed to make the Palin's not seem as anti-choice as they are. Its not "liberal bloggers" who are injecting politics here into her pregnancy. Of course, if the Mc Cain campaign had thoroughly vetted her beforehand, they could've handled this a lot better.

[FSTargetDrone]

Oh please, there was never any doubt the younger Palin was going to have the baby-the aspect of her having a "choice" is purely political, and is designed to make the Palin's not seem as anti-choice as they are. Its not "liberal bloggers" who are injecting politics here into her pregnancy. Of course, if the Mc Cain campaign had thoroughly vetted her beforehand, they could've handled this a lot better.

What concerns me most of all is the upcoming marriage. I don't know if any details have been released about the "young man she will marry," but if he's around the same age I have serious doubts he wants to get married, or will want to be married in the future to the daughter.

[Bounty]

I'm seriously confused about McCain's decision to pick Palin if he knew about the pregnancy. Her two main selling points were the fact that she's a woman and her conservative values, because, let's face it, it takes a lot of effort to present her as anything but a podunk town mayor who fell up through the ranks - and now one of those two meagre assets gets compromised in one hell of a way? I suppose they can milk the "didn't abort, will marry the daddy" angle for all it's worth, but I can't imagine it'll sit well with the fire-and-brimstone crowd. An underage daughter with a baby out of wedlock sounds like a typical liberal affliction, not something you want plastered on the front page with your Republican running mate's name attached.

It's a weird, weird week for the Republican campaign.

[Covenant]

Hey, no matter what, this is way better than some kind of nebulous fake-pregnancy story floating around. The girl will be treated with the respect of an up-in-coming mother, and that's way better for her. Getting pregnant young is often regrettable, but she seems to be doing everything right about it, and that's a way better story to have. Instead of a possible fake baby and an invisible husband, we get both and right out in the public.

And while this is a 'so much for abstinance' moment, it's much harder to have a problem with someone who has a kid early but intends to keep it and marry their partner. She'll have the full support of a big and well-funded family, so I bet she'll do fine. It may be inconvenient, but this is night and day with the other story.

[Cecelia5578]

Well, as someone who grew up in a small town, I can tell you that fundie teenagers often behaved very badly.

[Elfdart]

I love the way these people throw their arms out of joint patting themselves on the back because Palin's daughter chose to carry the pregnancy to term. If these fundies had their way there wouldn't be a choice. So the Palins are congratulating themselves for doing what they believe everyone in the country should be forced to do by the state.

[Guardsman Bass]

I don't suppose Palin taught her daughter to use contraception?

In any case, another factor that will probably help get the wedding going is the public image. If said unnamed young man were to run off, you can guarantee that at least the tabloid press would make a beeline to track him down and plaster it on the news (assuming the regular news didn't do the same).

[Aratech]

I love the way these people throw their arms out of joint patting themselves on the back because Palin's daughter chose to carry the pregnancy to term. If these fundies had their way there wouldn't be a choice. So the Palins are congratulating themselves for doing what they believe everyone in the country should be forced to do by the state.

Or something of that nature would probably be their of the record response. I've noticed that underneath their semi-calm exteriors, most fundies are a tad twitchy. It's kinda fun to poke and prod them, see how they react.

[Elfdart]

I don't suppose Palin taught her daughter to use contraception?

Remember, Fetus Christers believe the birth control pill = abortion = murder. The same goes for IUDs, sponges and anything else that prevents an egg from turning into a fetus and into a baby. It's not so much about preserving "life" as to make sure women don't escape Jehovah's ancient curse that women experience the pain of childbirth. As Katha Pollitt pointed out, it wasn't that long ago when fundies tried to ban pain killing drugs (even chloroform) from being used on pregnant women because it might allow them to dodge the curse.

It's not "life", but religiously inspired sadism that motivates these people.

[Broomstick]

So.... does this mean the story about Ms. Palin having her water break and, instead of going to a doctor/hospital like a normal women, she really did give a speech then board an airplane for a 6 hour flight back to Alaska followed by a 45 minute drive to give birth to a high-risk baby a month prematurely in a suburban clinic?

Like I said in another thread, either story makes her look bad.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

The age of consent in Alaska is 16, so there's nothing illegal that can be ascribed to this.

[cosmicalstorm]

I can only imagine the juicy headlines had this happened to the Democrats VP.

[Cecelia5578]

The age of consent in Alaska is 16, so there's nothing illegal that can be ascribed to this.

Was there?

[Aratech]

I can only imagine the juicy headlines had this happened to the Democrats VP.

Nonsense, everyone knows that the media is hopelessly liberally biased.

In reality, for someone who is by no means an expert at running a campaign, can someone explain to me why the above fact is not being slammed home by democrats, I'd love to see Hillary or Biden have a go with this.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

The age of consent in Alaska is 16, so there's nothing illegal that can be ascribed to this.

Was there?

Chewie asked "What's the age of accountability in Alaska?" -- I was answering the implied question in that as much as the literal one.

[Cecelia5578]

The age of consent in Alaska is 16, so there's nothing illegal that can be ascribed to this.

Was there?

Chewie asked "What's the age of accountability in Alaska?" -- I was answering the implied question in that as much as the literal one.

Ah, I see. I don't think anyone on any blog has even brought that up yet.

[Elfdart]

Sadly No! did, but that a satirical site. They also ran the VPILF picture.

[FSTargetDrone]

So.... does this mean the story about Ms. Palin having her water break and, instead of going to a doctor/hospital like a normal women, she really did give a speech then board an airplane for a 6 hour flight back to Alaska followed by a 45 minute drive to give birth to a high-risk baby a month prematurely in a suburban clinic?

Like I said in another thread, either story makes her look bad.

This is in some ways even worse, because not only is the business of her (Sarah Palin) possibly risking the well-being of her own child, she still accepted the vice presidency with the knowledge that her 17 year-old was pregnant. The daughter's private business is now out there and that is not fair to her (the daughter) at all. People will be trying to find out more about the father and I don't see any good coming of this as far as the daughter is concerned. I have my doubts that this marriage is anything other than, shall we say, "strongly suggested" by the parents.

I don't know, if I was in a similar situation, I would tell McCain, "Well, I am honored for the opportunity, but quite frankly, my family is coming first. I don't want to put my daughter in a position where she will doubtless be unfairly attacked by being in the limelight of my selection as possible vice president."

That of course is a highly personal choice. But I would never want to expose any child of mine to such public scrutiny.

[RIPP_n_WIPE]

I'm not going to lie, this new is fantastic, at least for my hopes for Obama. He keeps seeming to make himself stronger and stronger, shoring up his weaknesses, getting his campaign into swing. All the while McCain seems to be blundering. I love it from a political standpoint.