The political world was rocked when Sarah Palin announced that her 17-year-old daughter Bristol, was 5 months pregnant.
“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,” the statement said. “We ask the media, respect our daughter and Levi’s privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates,” Sarah Palin stated.
When asked if his campaign had helped add fuel to the fire, Obama responded with frustration. “Our people were not involved in any way in this and they will not be,” Obama said. “And if I ever thought there was somebody in my campaign that was involved in something like that, they’d be fired, O.K.?” He went on to add that this “has no relevance to Governor Palin’s performance as a governor or her potential performance as a vice president. My mother had me when she was 18. How a family deals with issues and teen-age children — that shouldn’t be the topic of our politics.I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories.”
Yet, the press, especially the bloggers, refuse to do anything of the sort.
Monica Guzman, an on-line reporter for seattlepi.com, wrote: "The debate about Bristol Palin isn't really about Bristol Palin. It isn't even about teenage pregnancy. The most angry exchanges in this conversation are about political consistency."
"Liberals are mad that social conservatives, who have so often linked teenage pregnancy with social decay, are giving their blessing to the Palin family. And conservatives are mad that liberals, who have so often linked conservatism with intolerance, are not praising the Palin family for supporting their daughter," laments Guzman.
Yet, still others raise another issue: "How can Governor Palin preach abstinence when her own daughter gets pregnant so young, obviously an unplanned pregnancy," asks "William" on an on-line fourm.
Megahn McCain "supports Bristol" in a emotional blog post. "The first political convention I ever attended was when my mom was pregnant with me in 1984 and the Republican Party nominated Ronald Reagan for a second term as President. I have been on political stages and in campaigns since before I could walk or talk. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that it is difficult to establish your identity and independence as the son or daughter of a politician. When I was 14 years old, a reporter questioned my father about me having a hypothetical abortion, had I been pregnant at 14. This reporter's question single-handedly changed my life. This story comes up in almost every profile written about me and in almost every interview. It's a rough go being the son or daughter of a politician. I have not known Bristol Palin very long, but there is a certain kinship I feel to her as I do other political daughters such as Chelsea Clinton, Jenna and Barbara Bush and Mary Cheney. You can't fully understand it unless you have lived it. So I just wanted to let it be known that I support Bristol and the entire Palin family."
Still others are disgruntled that McCain "chose Sarah Palin in order to lure in women voters." The New York Times on-line asks: "Can you cross out 'Hillary' and write 'Sarah?'"
Of course not.
On the battles rage. Tonight, Palin will speak at the RCN. Good luck, Palin. You have a lot ahead of you.
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