I don’t believe all the horrible rumors about Sarah Palin’s pregnancy and the birth of her son are true. I don’t believe that it was some grand cover-up, initiated to hide the fact that minor daughter Bristol was pregnant.

All the left has on their side are some photos that indicate Sarah didn’t show much until very late in her pregnancy. It’s clear to my why the Palins waited to reveal the pregnancy… For starters, they knew their child would be born with Down’s Syndrome, which was likely a sensitive issue. I don’t know if that makes the pregnancy itself “high risk,” but it definitely adds a different dynamic to it.

From the political perspective, I can also see waiting to announce the pregnancy. Palin no doubt knew that her political opponents would question her ability and desire to continue in her role as governor of Alaska while pregnant. It was smart politics to wait to announce it.

Besides… it’s Todd and Sarah Palin’s personal choice as to when they want to announce their pregnancy.

All that being said, what if the rumors are true? I don’t believe there is a shred of truth to them, but let’s suppose for a minute they are true. Let’s pretend that Todd and Sarah Palin’s teenage daughter got pregnant. Let’s pretend the family decided that Sarah would fake a pregnancy, and Todd and Sarah would raise Trig as their own child. What’s the result? What does that mean for our country?

I don’t condone dishonesty. I lead an honest life and want others to do the same. But while I would frown upon lying about the pregnancy, what would it really tell us about Sarah Palin?

It would tell us that she and her husband loved their daughter and baby Trig enough to provide them the best possible life. It would mean that they would be preserving the life of a baby, raising that child well, while offering their teenage daughter a chance to grow up on her own. It would mean that they love their teenage daughter enough to help take responsibility for her actions, and sacrifice for her so that she could grow up without having to be a parent at a very young age.

It would mean that the Palin family has a great deal of love and support for its own. It would mean that Sarah Palin loved her children enough to sacrifice for them.

That’s all it would really tell us.

But it didn’t happen. There was no cover-up. The left will continue to smear Sarah Palin, John McCain, and the Republican party in general from now through the four years that McCain and Palin are in office, and into the next election if they choose to run again.

Palin will be criticized. She’s been criticized for even responding to these hateful lies. After all, “why give such lies any attention if they’re not true.” She’s been criticized for not responding enough to the lies. “She should produce Trig’s birth certificate to prove whose child he is.”

Could you imagine the media outcry if the right made up horrible lies about one of Barack Obama’s children, and then demanded that he cough up a birth certificate or other documentation to prove them wrong?

Bristol Palin is now pregnant. Leave her and her fiance alone. They are doing what they feel is best for them and their unborn child. There was no cover-up. The current situation with Bristol is a private matter and should be of no interest to the general public. Let them get back to living their lives.

18 Comments

  1. Lisa 09/03/2008 at 2:31 pm - Reply

    I guess I just wonder if there is anything Palin could do that would be worthy od critique?
    She potentially abused power in the case of her brother-in-law: That is being framed as defending her family as any reasonable persone would.

    She has placed her children in a position to be without their mother’s personal attention for frequent and long stretches of time: That is framed as an ambitious mother who should be compared to any male politician.

    She is praising her daughter’s decision to keep a child conceived out of wedlock: That is seen as unequivocal proof of her commitment to her pro-life stance (I guess, how else would we know if she really meant it?).

    She has allegedly deceived the public in an elaborate pregnancy cover-up attempt: That is already being sold as a selfless mother’s sacrifice to protect her daughter. Why would not she say that the child of the current pregnancy would be adopted by her and Todd also if this is the case?

    I personally don’t have a beef with Sarah Palin. I would like to feel sorry for the way she and her family have been thrust into this circus of a campaign. However, it is one thing to forgive faux pas…yet another to re-paint them as signs of virtue! It feels like the McCain supporters have simply checked their 5 senses at the door… as well as the most important sense: Common sense!!

    Come on, people: Take off your Right Wing, Left Wing, Republican, or Democratic caps and put on your thinking cap! You should be offended at the snow job youare being offered!!

  2. Tracy Coenen 09/03/2008 at 2:41 pm - Reply

    Lisa – First of all, the allegations aren’t even TRUE. But if they were, I guess I wonder what all the critics would do if they were in Sarah’s position? All I’m saying about the false pregnancy rumors is that even if they were true, I wouldn’t crucify her for doing what’s best for her family.

    And I have NO PROBLEM with her having a career. Children are raised with one or more working parents. Get over it.

  3. Lisa 09/03/2008 at 2:52 pm - Reply

    A career? Yes.
    I’m a working mom myself.
    And, frankly, if a woman wants to brag about not having any desire for maternity leave when there was no requirement to return to work, that’s her business.
    But, you can’t quite promote “family values” and “supermom” attributes when your value stops at having the child. Does anyone need to see empirical evidence that children require/ thrive off the presence of a mother figure? This is not sexism. This is nature. Even a dog does fine if the daddy dog is gone as long as the mommy dog stays around.
    Women as good as men. And we are as competent as men. And we are as strong as men. But we are NOT men! Our children know the difference,adn anyone not determined to see their political platform forced to the White House does too.
    More importantly than what Sarah’s critics would do, is what would Sarah’s same supporters have done if Chelsea would have turned up pregnant at 17. If anyone dares say they would spare even a modicum of the grace being heaped upon Palin…I guess I’ll just say, “I beg to differ.”

  4. Tracy Coenen 09/03/2008 at 2:54 pm - Reply

    Well seeing as the Democrats wear Bill’s repeated infidelity as a badge of honor, I suspect that Chelsea would be hailed as a hero.

  5. Michael 09/05/2008 at 4:53 am - Reply

    Underage teen pregnancy is a problem in this country. Perhaps once all the electioneering is over a more reasoned discussion about the topic might occur.

  6. Barbara 09/06/2008 at 2:08 pm - Reply

    I would like to see people actually find the truth to anything that has been said about Palin. It is known that Down Syndrome is likely to accure more often in mothers over the age of 35. And as they get older the odds of having a child with Down Syndrome increase even more. This to me is enough to tell people to Shut up about it not being her child and why she kept it as a family matter longer than most would expect. It is a tough thing to deal with.

    As for the stories about her abusing her position in the case of her brother-in-law. Wait till something is proven before you start bashing someone. If it is true there will be a trail to find that leads back to her.

    As for her daughter. Leave her out of the political headlines. This is a family matter and none of the rest of the worlds business. We see articles about Jamie Lynn Spears claiming she will be a great mother and also see them claiming her fiance had an affair on her while she was pregnant. Who cares about all of this. If the Media would stop harping on things like this maybe the teen pregnancy rate would go down. They make it out to be a great thing to be a young mother. How many of those teen mothers would like to say they had their lives to live over again and actually get to do the things they never got to do. Sure many would say they would not change anything about raising their children but how many would like to have waited a little longer???

    Leave Bristol alone and lets look at what really matters. What can these canidates do for this country. Democratic or Republican…. Look at what they have done and what they have not. Look at the experiance and look at the lack of experiance. I don’t want to hear that McCain voted with Bush 90% of the time I want to know what he voted against. I want to know the facts not statistics. Once someone shows me this then I will be happy.

  7. Audrey 10/02/2008 at 10:31 am - Reply

    Whatever one’s political leanings are, make no mistake: there were valid and credible questions about whether or not Sarah Palin had actually given birth to Trig Palin in April 2008. There was and is a whole lot more “on their side” that just a few photos of her not looking pregnant.
    1. The story she told about the birth (specifically the 24-48 hours leading up to it) had holes large enough in it to drive a school bus through.
    2. There were rumors all over Alaska (verified by her own spokesperson) that her daughter was pregnant, rumors that dated to before the announcement of her pregnancy in March of 2008.
    3. Yes, she did not look pregnant (and this IS significant for a 44 year old woman on her fifth pregnancy), and not one person suspected it (leading one writer in the Anchorage Daily News to say: “Where is she hiding that baby? In her pocket?’)
    4. By her own admission, she did not even tell her parents (whom she is supposedly close to) that she was pregnant until it was announced publicly at seven months.
    5. There are no family photos at all from around the time of the birth, even though Palin has said that all three of her daughters were at the hospital. Who doesn’t take pictures of that?
    6. She was SO unpregnant and SO noticeably NOT in labor on the flight that she was on 12 hours before the birth that Alaska Air actually called a press conference two days after the birth to tell people that.

    While the writer of this post obviously thinks that lying to cover for a daughter’s pregnancy is acceptable, even admirable, most Americans I daresay, would disagree. The questions that were raised were not a “smear” campaign. They were a continuation of something that had been simmering in Alaska for months.

    Make no mistake about what the McCain campaign did. Faced with some very credible questions about whether Sarah Palin had in fact given birth to Trig in April of 2008, they diffused the entire situation without releasing one shred of information about Sarah Palin OR the birth. Instead, we are told that Bristol Palin is now five months pregnant, thus precluding her giving birth in April. Of course, no proof is given… and to request any is “off limits” because, well, families are off limits. Ignored in THAT of course is that the McCain campaign brought Bristol into it to begin with.

    Wouldn’t it have been easier and better for this daughter (who is supposedly off-limits) to ask the doctor who was at the birth, accompanied perhaps by the CEO of the hospital, to give a press conference?

    Oh, but I forgot. One other thing. Her doctor refuses to talk to the press about the birth. Hmmmm….

  8. Tracy Coenen 10/02/2008 at 11:09 am - Reply

    Shame on you for trying to promote a smear site in your comment here.

    All that you have on your side is rumors, and I find it shameful that you’re smearing Palin on the basis of those. The bottom line is that you don’t agree with how Palin announced her pregnancy and you don’t think she looked pregnant enough. Too bad. You don’t get to dictate how Sarah and her family handle her pregnancy.

    Can you imagine the uproar if Barack and Michelle Obama were told they should prove the parentage of their children? How insulted would you and the liberal media be?

    And may I please introduce you to privacy laws? Apparently you’re not aware that it’s illegal for Sarah’s doctor to release information about her without consent. And I applaud Sarah for not giving consent. The details of her pregnancy and birth are none of your business.

    Now please find somewhere else to smear our next Vice President.

  9. Craig 10/02/2008 at 11:26 am - Reply

    The kids and their parentage have no place in a public debate, and Democrats don’t need to “Swiftboat” Palin. Leave those techniques to Karl and friends, who already screwed over McCain with the “illegitimate child” rumours in the primaries of 2000.

    Palin has already performed poorly in limited interviews. Despite what must be intensive preparation for tonight’s debate, it’s doubtful she’ll do any better against Biden.

    Democrats only need to give Sarah Palin ample opportunity to be Sarah Palin, and her inexperience will come shining through like the Northern Lights. I mean, she sold the state plane on eBay (actually, listed it and tried to sell it). That has been listed as one of the first examples of her “experience”.

    By going on about the parentage of the baby, you’re all sounding like righteously indignant Evangelicals. Take the high road and leave the kids out of it.

  10. Tracy Coenen 10/02/2008 at 12:22 pm - Reply

    The funny thing, Craig, is that Palin has far more experience than Barack Obama. So it’s cute to say she doesn’t have enough experience, but then all that does is make it more clear that Barack doesn’t have enough experience.

    There are a few questions that I think the McCain camp should have had Palin prepared differently on. For example, on questions of foreign policy… She wasn’t brought on for foreign policy experience and there is nothing wrong with admitting it. She’s a governor, just like the beloved Bill Clinton was. He didn’t have foreign policy experience in that job either. In fact, we have had lots of presidents whose primary experience has been that of governor. So to say she’s unqualified because of that is ridiculous.

    As for the other “gotcha” questions the media has had fun with… we all know what’s going on. They’re playing a trivia game and will publicize any perceived weak or inadequate answer.

    In tonight’s debate, Palin could answer 99 questions beautifully, but the 1 that she stumbles on will get all the press time. That’s our biased media for you. They don’t even pretend to do neutral reporting anymore.

  11. Tracy Coenen 10/02/2008 at 12:24 pm - Reply

    Note to Audrey/Anna – We don’t allow sock puppeting on this site, so there’s no reason to carry on a conversation with yourself… having Audrey and Anna agree with one another. Your deception in trying to make it look like more people agree with your points isn’t going to be posted. Your deceptive intent is obvious and speaks for itself.

    🙂

  12. Craig 10/02/2008 at 1:13 pm - Reply

    Tracy, I never argued Barack had tons of experience, but Palin is simply out of her league here. Barack is poised, well-versed in many subjects, and confident. Palin was comfortable and confident speaking to the faithful at the convention, but less comfortable and less confident in the interviews, where she stumbled over more than one question. The debate will be decidedly less friendly than the interviews, and this will be Sarah’s opportunity to prove herself. She stands a lot to gain tonight, but less to lose. Even many Republicans expect her to fall on her face, because she has exhibited so little knowledge on not just foreign relations, but on the economy, supreme court decisions (except Roe vs. Wade).

    You can lack experience and still be qualified for a position. Barack is inexperienced in some areas. Palin seems more than unqualified to this observer of American politics.

    I expect she’ll come out swinging tonight, as is her supposed style. We’ll see if she connects on any of her points, or if her points are even cogent. Maybe she’ll prove a lot of people wrong.

  13. Tracy Coenen 10/02/2008 at 1:20 pm - Reply

    Poised? Have you ever seen the guy sans teleprompter? Barack is inexperienced in all areas. He’s never run anything. Has he ever had an executive job? Even if I accept what you’ve said about Palin (I don’t – you’re being unfairly harsh), you can’t possibly believe what you’re saying about Obama.

    The liberal media keeps playing Palin’s stumbles over and over. They choose to do that instead of playing any of her good material. And that’s because of their bias.

    Isn’t it interesting how the media never made a big deal about the fact that Obama said he’s visited 57 states. Bias?

  14. Craig 10/02/2008 at 3:09 pm - Reply

    The reason Palin’s stumbles get play is they’re funny in a “funny yet sad” kinda way. Same as Bush’s fumbles get play, because you just can’t believe he made President with his level of intellect.

    I’ve heard Barack speak on numerous occasions. No, he’s not as good without a teleprompter (who is), but he’s better than any candidate since Bill Clinton (who speaks as well as any world leader in decades), and miles better than Palin. I never got the sense Barack thinks there are 57 states. I do get the sense Palin thinks there are 57 countries.

    The “liberal media” stuff is crap. Conservatives have FOX and ABC in their back pocket. “Liberal media” is just a rallying cry, as is “conservative media”. If Palin doesn’t want her stumbles played over and over, she should stop tripping up.

  15. Tracy Coenen 10/02/2008 at 3:29 pm - Reply

    Oh how I wish the conservatives had ABC in their back pocket, but no such luck. Did you happen to see Charlie Gibson and how he acted when interviewing Palin? (I can’t argue about Fox, but we’ve got to have SOMETHING…)

    The only reason I got the sense Barack thinks there are 57 states is because he said so. It’s interesting, though that what Palin and Bush say makes them dumb in your eyes, but the things Obama says (like the 57 states) are ignored. Obama has made plenty of gaffes but you won’t find them in the media. You have to go looking for them. But for the conservatives… well, gee, that’s just fair game.

  16. Lee D 10/02/2008 at 3:37 pm - Reply

    I try to stay out of this for the most part, since it’s not my country, but I don’t know if you’ve seen this:

    http://www.nypost.com/seven/09292008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/os_dangerous_pals_131216.htm

    hat tip to Libertarian blogger WC Varones.

  17. Lee D 10/02/2008 at 3:39 pm - Reply

    I’d also like to point out that Bush has been tarred by his opponents as an idiot and a know-nothing, and yet he was elected twice. Media spin, either right or left, is largely irrelevant at the end of the day.

  18. Tracy Coenen 10/02/2008 at 4:07 pm - Reply

    Sweet article Lee. I may have to do a little ditty about that. 🙂

Leave a Reply