Don’t Touch the Baby
Even though I have been aware of this from the day Palin was announced, I haven’t blogged on this because I felt it was a non-starter. However, I want to quickly comment on it now since it’s generating attention at a few blogs. Yes, Sarah Palin’s reported pregnancy with her 5th child Trig, born with Down’s Syndrome, is riddled with strangeness: Palin didn’t show even into 7 months and possibly later; she took an 8-hour flight from Texas with a stopover in Seattle several hours after her water reportedly broke, an incredibly dangerous move with a premature labor; the flight staff on the airline didn’t notice her being in any discomfort; meanwhile, her daughter, who did show some early signs of pregnancy, was pulled from her school for 5-8 months that just happened to line up with the pregnancy. The best timeline is here.
Now, why not make a deal of this? The answer is because, frankly, it’s not that big a deal. Yes, it plays into Palin playing fast and loose with the truth, and could add to the vetting story, but this is something that is a lot more sympathetic. Furthermore, if the story is true, it harmed no one, unlike Palin’s vindictive firings of city and state officials, and would not have violated any laws that I can see. Moreover, it will only make her look better in many people’s eyes–a noble, caring mother–and the religious conservatives who usually frown on teen pregnancies will instead gush at Palin’s sacrifice and maternal protectiveness. I don’t see how she’ll get negatives from any aspect of this story; it’ll make a mom (or grandma) holding an innocent baby into a victim of heartless liberal attackers.
In fact, trying to make a deal out of this could seriously backfire. If it breaks as a “scandal” and Palin is successful at turning it into a sympathetic victory for herself, it could serve as her own version of the Dan Rather National Guard story. Remember that there was a ton of solid, convincing evidence showing Bush went AWOL, but the Rather story gave him a free pass on it and no one ever questioned it again. In Palin’s case, there are several very serious charges of abuse of power, but if the baby story explodes and she triumphs over it, she could get a free pass on everything else like Bush did.
In fact, if the other scandals do begin to erupt, the smart move for her would be to start fighting the baby story, even if no one of consequence was making allegations, hoping the media would pick it up for her so she could then win the easy one and dismiss all the serious ones.
So, leave it alone, even if she doesn’t. There’s more than enough other stuff to focus on.
I would be in general agreement with you on this. I would go perhaps a step further. I would almost ignore Palin. She’s not running for President. Ever time we attack her instead of McCain it’s waisted breath, time, energy and money. I would only bring her up in an attack directed at McCain for his poor judgment or his lack of concern for the country should he die in office, or for his general creepyness regarding beauty queens and women in general.
But always the attacks need to be on McCain. We need him having to explain himself against the attacks so (1) he’s too busy explaining to level attacks on Obama, and (2) he’s to busy defending himself to campaign effectively.
I think the jugdment and values things are fair game. What the hell is he doing down in Mississippi during a national emergency. People’s lives are at risk and he wants to capitalize on their misfortune?
He’s better off eating cake.
Actually, I meant to qualify what I said, don’t attack Palin until she says or does something really stupid.
She’s nearly there already with troopergate.
Amen. I believe that we need to leave children out of the campaign at all costs. There is more than enough to debate without placing kids in the media spotlight.
Holy Shiat, you don’t need to register to comment here? And you’re still buying the Dan Rather NG story? Wow.