Getting (forced to be married so mommy can run for vp) married at age 17 eh? Nice. I'm sure that will be a stable, love filled marriage.

If I had a pregnant 17 year old, I might think twice about exposing her to the glare of national publicity. Especially if I were just 44, in my first term as governor, with lots of time left in my political career.

Seems like that might be the family values thing to do.

I dunno; maybe that's just me.

Times have changed. When I was young 'abstinence only' meant telling teens that premarital sex was a ticket straight to hell.

We didn't listen either, so many things would get you there and a lot of those things we saw the deacons and their kids doing.

In the 1988 election Pat Robertson got all bent out of shape because a nosy reporter challenged his 'family values' by mentioning the fact that his wife was several months pregnant when they were wed (something that was simply not done in the fifties). He raved that it was appalling that the press would get so personal.

Of course it all goes back to that biblical bit about casting stones doesn't it?

I wonder if the father is over eighteen. If a divorce from the Gov's sister can get you canned, putting her daughter in a family way could really be a problem had he not agreed to this marriage.

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Good question. How old is the father? If he is 18+ is he being prosecuted?

be sure she will NOT abort the baby(ies) like a liberal would do.

Obama has reiterated that candidates' families are off limits. I tend to agree, and also think this is a private matter they need to deal with privately.

That said, it does put the "abstinence only" debate front and center, and the Republican VP nominee is Exhibit A.

Because Palin is now a major political candidate, this is also legitimate information for the news media to report in terms of her policy positions. It is not, however, a license to attack her or her daughter personally for choices they have made. Better to have a legitimate debate about the policy, not the person.

But, this is yet another example, and a very high profile one, of people supporting policies contrary to their own self interests.

It's also a commentary on people who promote legislating morality with the goal of forcing others to adopt their religious views. All of this stuff should be left out of politics and government except for guaranteeing people's right to practice their own faith however they want as long as they don't try to force it on anyone else.

The GOP should be happy the media is concerned about the natural disaster, otherwise it would be focusing on McCain's choice for VP which is quickly becoming a political disaster.

It was a bad choice by McCain, and the folly of it will only be made clearer as time goes on.

I agree the kids should be off limits (not that the right would leave it alone if Obama had a 17-year old pregnant daughter...). That doesn't mean we can't discuss the efficacy of abstinence-only education. We just have to leave Palin's daughter out of the discussion.

There are other issues that I've heard people bring up- how fair is it to question whether Palin has the time to be VP and be a parent to all those kids? As one person said to me today, "if you have all those kids, you need to commit to take the time to raise them [and by accepting the VP candidacy, she's not doing so]."

Do we treat Palin with kid gloves? Or by accepting the VP position, isn't it fair to question her decisions and stances on national issues as evidenced by her personal life?

To me, as long as the question relates to a national issue that she takes a public stance on, it's fair game.

You can keep it out of debates or discussions, but you can't keep it out of the voters' thoughts.

The other issue will be McCain's judgement in choosing Palin to be his VP, and that issue is in question...especially among many Republicans at this time, no matter what the core may argue.

Unlike some we really need to take the high road on this.

Ms. Palin's child is a much the victim as any other teen who is subjected to this Puritan crap.

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for this being publicized,,which is not only a lie but flat out silly...
The young woman and her boyfriend made a decision to do this..if this were a dem the repubs would be calling this poor young woman immoral and Karl Rove would be calling her "fair game"....

I do hope libs and moderates leave her alone...we aren't like that slimelizard Rove and don't have to sink to their level..so we need to let this be...

Here are a few questions:

If Mrs Palin can't take care of her home, how is she going to step up to help run the US? Believe me - I don't wish to judge her for her daughter's actions, but her daughter is STILL a minor! When Jamie Lynn Spears got pregnant - everyone asked: "Where was the mother?" How is this any different?

OK, so the girl kept the baby...that's wonderful, why make Bristol marry? Everyone knows the baby was conceived out of wedlock. Getting married doesn't change the fact that the baby was not conceived within the bonds of marriage. This has always amazed me...it doesn't change a thing...what will happen is that they'll get married and be divorced in less than a year.

Why are the Republicans acting as if this isn't bothering them? They know it's killing them! Has there EVER been a situation like this ever amongst Presidential or VP candidates?

Why would Governor Palin expose her daughter to the white hot spotlight of the WORLD media. I've seen media coverage of this by the BBC and at least three other international news organizations.

What the heck was John McCain thinking? Why didn't he choose Kay Bailey Hutchinson or Senator Olympia Snow? This pick is an absolute joke and to see how the Republicans are lying just to save face is pitiful! They are all speaking from the same play book - it's so sad!

Finally, I can only imagine what other nations are saying about this. They are probably laughing their butts off - particularly countries that don't condone out of wedlock births (Muslim Nations). If McCain thought this was OK - he's even more out of touch than I originally thought he was. There's no explaining this situation away - it's just a darn right shame! America and this VP pick are both the laughing stocks of the world!

This issue is no different than Al Gore's pot smoking son, it is not something that any of us need to worry about but instead let them deal with it.

The U.S. Constitution, it is what makes us free and makes us American. Let's treat it as such and with care.

it is not something that any of us need to worry about but instead let them deal with it.

That's true. What is worrisome though, at least to me, is how Sen. McCain came to the decision to choose Palin.

As someone noted last night, Palin was legally vetted, but was she politically vetted?

Did the majority of McCain's advisers agree with this decision, or did McCain make it largely on his own?

On a number of levels, Palin seems like a bad pick, not because of family issues specifically, but because of the ability of those issues to distract voters from the campaign message and to overshadow whatever attributes the candidates would bring to the White House.

I can't see campaign officials not seeing this happening with the choice of Palin. Did they see it and warn McCain, and he failed to heed their warnings?

The issue surrounding Palin's daughter is one that too many Republicans have made for the party, and that is being one of national moralizers.

If the party had remained focused on ideology and governing philosophy, it could have avoided this issue.

Instead, for almost the last two decades, it has focused on espousing it's superiority on "moral" issues, in the interests of the Christian right, and it has created the situation it now finds itself in.

“We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents.”
- Sarah Palin

”I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.” - Barack Obama

And the more the lunatic-left fringe attacks the Palin family, the more is solidifies the social conservatives/Repubs for McCain, which was already at 100 percent after he picked Sarah anyway.

solidifies the social conservatives/Repubs for McCain, which was already at 100 percent after he picked Sarah anyway.

And this matters how in a general election? I'm not sure which social conservatives you've talked with, but the ones I've talked with believe this choice will cost McCain the election. And that was before the daughter issue.

Are you talking about the social conservatives who blog, or the ones that really matter, the ones who vote?

The Dems are immune to criticism about their lack of morals since they’ve never claimed to have any.

A national party should have interests, and nothing else.

A party, or rather a part of a party that claims the high ground in moral terms should not be surprised when what goes around, comes around.

I don't care if he refuses his Sociable Security checks when the time comes as long as he keeps paying that FICA 'cause he just bought me a new lawn mower.

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Is this her second child? And only 17? Geez, you'd think Alaska was East Tenn.!!

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Hunter S. Thompson

_________________________________________________
"You can't fix stupid..." ~ Ron White"
"I never said I wasn't a brat..." ~ Talidapali

These 50 million (link...) ?

I appreciate your take on the 1980 election, but, sorry, it wasn't so.

Exit polls in the 1980 Presidential election showed that only 11% of voters had voted for Reagan because he was a "real conservative." The majority of voters said they voted for Reagan because they wanted a new leader or a change.

Carter's demise wasn't due to his "atheist liberalism;" rather it was due to his handling of several crises and his low approval ratings.

One of the better local perspectives you are likely to read on this:

(link...)

The issue is this: McCain bowed down to the pro-life evangelical wing of the party. They threatened a floor fight if he picked Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman because of their belief in abortion rights.

This from the supposed "Maverick" of the party.

The problem with his strategy is that by allowing the evangelical wing to take over the party, he now has people calling the shots in the campaign who actually believe that the general election will turn on the pro-life/pro-choice debate.

It won't.

McCain/Palin family picture from (White) People magazine

(link...)