Levi Johnston's Mom On Bristol Palin Pregnancy: "This Is Just A Bonus"

WASILLA, Alaska — The boyfriend of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's unwed, pregnant daughter will join the family of the Republican vice presidential candidate at the GOP convention in St. Paul, Minn.

Levi Johnston's mother said her 18-year-old son left Alaska on Tuesday morning to join the Palin family at the convention where Sen. John McCain will officially receive the Republican nomination for president. The boy's mother, Sherry Johnston, said there had been no pressure put on her son to marry 17-year-old Bristol Palin and the two teens had made plans to wed before it was known she was pregnant.

"This is just a bonus," Johnston said.

The young man's presence could set off a media frenzy around the young couple as photographers and cameramen scramble for pictures of the two teenagers. On Monday, Palin and her husband, Todd, said their 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, planned to have the baby and wed a young man identified only as Levi. The family asked the media to respect the young couple's privacy as has been the tradition with children of candidates.

Sarah Palin is scheduled to address the convention Wednesday night and traditionally her family would join her at the conclusion of her speech.

Sherry Johnston said she was worried about her son dealing with all the attention. She said it was difficult enough for teenagers to deal with any pregnancy, having the entire nation watching made it worse.

Levi Johnston, a high school hockey player for Wasilla High School, is not listed on the team roster for 2008-2009, and his mother wouldn't say if he graduated. She said simply he's no longer a student and any further information would have to come from him.

The intense media scrutiny has stunned this suburban community about 40 miles north of Anchorage, with reporters camping out near the Johnston home.

"This is out of my league," Sherry Johnston said. "I'm just a country gal and I want to keep it that way."

She spoke Tuesday while standing in the driveway leading to her pale gray, two-story home situated on a densely wooded country lane. The home, like many in Alaska is adorned with moose and caribou antlers outside.

Many social conservatives have rallied behind Gov. Palin and her family's troubles. The McCain campaign has said the Palins are like any other American family and that "life happens."

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said that Palin's family and her daughter's pregnancy were not relevant to her potential performance as vice president. "I think people's families are off limits," Obama said. "And people's children are especially off limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics."

Just days after she was picked as McCain's running mate, Gov. Palin has become a lightning rod for attention. Aside from her daughter's pregnancy, it was disclosed that a private attorney has been retained for her in a legislative ethics investigation for her dismissal of Alaska's public safety commissioner. It also was disclosed that Palin's husband had been arrested on a drunken-driving charge two decades ago.

(This version CORRECTS SUBS last graf to correct spelling of lightning.)

Comments

[waitforme]

Just listened to Palin speak. She lied in so many places. The 'bridge to nowhere' was first promoted by Sarah Palin -- she didn't say, 'Thanks, but no thanks'.. Even after she left that 'cause' half the money for it came anyway to Alaska.

She is in league with many lobbyists as is John McCain. What are lobbyists? People who represent large companies who WANT SOMETHING from the candidate they lobby and whose campaigns they fund. This makes for a toxic stew, which means we all lose out.

There were other lies that went by and I leave it to other commentators to list them......­.

[luzmejor]

You are correct. They didn't build the bridge because of the controversy, but they did accept the money. I wish someone would ask her about that little detail, on camera.
In addition to that, she received about 1.9 million for a bus service for her small town, Wasilla, while she was Mayor. She is known in Washington for her earmarks record!

[Sparty1]

I don't know if you saw her speech when he selected her, but it was pretty much the same speech with the Obama zingers added in. How was that an awesome speech?

[righttip]

What are lobbyists ? Maybe this will help:" Biden's Lobbyist Son & Brother Named In 2 Lawsuits"

[bygollymissmolly]

Do you know how stupid you sound. Just like all of your ilk who excuse everything that Bush did by saying "Clinton did it too". Two wrongs DON'T make a right. If Biden's son has done something terribly wrong, it will come out in the news. The right isn't going to give Biden or his family a pass.

But the truth is Sarah Palin is beholden to as many lobbyists as is John McSame. And "we the people" are sick and tired of corporations and lobbyists running and ruining this country.

Your days are numbered. Enjoy the few you have left because your world is going to change radically in January.

[Monkeytime]

It's a little confusing that on the one hand they indignantly demand that the media respect privacy of the children, but on the other hand, they have them (including the boyfriend) in the front row at the convention.

McCain must be roiling. This thing is a circus.

[circusfifthfloor]

You're screwin with me now, right?

[tbrnotb]

Just a thought...­if he's 18 and she's 17,isn't this called "statutory rape"? I mean, don't kids go to jail for things like this? This is a bonus? Hmmmmm

[williamina]

Weird.

[pilgrim7]

I was wondering if the two soon-to-be parents and married couple should still be referred as young adults or children? If children, why are they getting married? Who are the responsible parties, the children or the parents? Seems no one is putting the children above selfish agendas. The boychild's My Space page portrays a carefree child who admits to being "a f - - -in' redneck," doesn't want childen and who lives "to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some s- - - and just f - - -in' chillin' I guess." Nice character. NOT. He needs to grow up and is not suitable marriage material for any decent parent's daughter. The poor girl is apparently being used by her parents for political expediency. Not knocking the children but definitely knocking her parents for being class jerks.

[bobpomeroy]

Wow. So many people being labelled liberal or democrat because they express concerns of various sorts about Palin.
I thought it was well-settled that Palin's nomination arose from a dispute between McCain and Karl Rove over naming Lieberman or Romney, such that the criticism/­opposition was born within the republican hierarchy itself.
The same for the admission that the pregnancy issue is just a smoke screen. What we're seeing is cynicism devouring it's children.
Maybe focus will return to substantive issues. Maybe all the republicans want is sound and fury signifying nothing, so that partisan emotionalism takes over for the paucity of common sense.

[crontner]

Hi from p-ville bob

[suzonne]

If the GOP think I can identify with this woman who:

1. eloped and married because she was likely pregnant at the time
2. now has a pregnant teenage daughter
3. the pregnant daughter's boyfriend is a high school dropout
4. goes back to work in three days after her son is born

this family belongs on Jerry Springer!!!!

[justobserve]

By the way, don't know if the rumor that Bristol is the mother of the baby is correct but look at her, she looks more like a nursing mother than Sarah who not only so trim at 7 months pregnant, that no one knew about until she declared it, but now 4 months after the birth.
Vote for issues: EQUAL PAY, WOMEN'S CHOICE, UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE.

[mistlesuede]

I did not not that Palin eloped. That's another new tidbit. There are so many I cannot keep up. And I agree with you. These are the type of people I don't want to know exist.

[bygollymissmolly]

Her son was born 7 and a half months after she was married and he was not a premie.

[mistlesuede]

"know" was what I meant.

[LauraO322]

JERRY! JERRY! JERRY!

LMAO... yep, it has come to that.

[luzmejor]

There's nothing like getting to the point right away! Congratulations. Palin has proved she is a 44-year-old teenager still looking for "respect" from people who respect only money and power.

It seems to me that the older girl has been the family caretaker already, so she probably thinks she would be better off just caring for her own children and being queen of her own household.

[sowhatagain]

Leave them alone, why is everyone shocked? It's like a media feeding frenzy. Life is unpredictable. They look like a nice, young couple who will work it out like the rest of us.

[dsmyre]

They need to "work it out" far away from the White House.

[justobserve]

They shouldn't talk about "Family Values".
Vote for issues: EQUAL PAY, WOMEN'S CHOICE, UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE

[Sparty1]

'A nice, young couple'? She's 17 yrs old and he's 18 yrs old! They should be trying to graduate from high school and going to college. Their parents shouldn't be telling them that all they should do is get married and have babies.

[pipetoe]

Did anyone ever raise the point that Biden was a single father of two after his wife died. No one was dwelling on that when he became senator...­.It is sexist to imply that Sarah Palin can't have a family and be the VP....
It seems that B. Obama has disappeared all of a sudden....­.in the media.
All the talk is about the Palin's imagine that.

[ron071]

pipetoe: Barack Obama was at two town-hall rallies in Ohio today which were covered by C-Span for much of the day. Hardly " disappeared". It is the McCain lobbyist gal-pal Vickie Iseman who has " disappeared" and is not being sought by anyone. Focus on real disappearances.

[cnobody]

it is customary for one party to "disappear" when the other is having its convention. nobody is saying that she can't have a family and be a VP. however, it is questionable that she accepted the, knowing that she's be on the campaign trail for the rest of the year when she just had a special needs baby of her own and her oldest daughter is currently pregnant. a lot of people are just questioning her choice in that matter. i, for one, think it shows bad judgement on her part to put her ambition before her family.

[CranialRectalLoopback]

It is if you are a family values party. PLUS, he was elected Senator then lost his family. NOT the other way around. But why bother with the facts, when lies are soooo much easier to fit the meme.

[MMJones]

Obama doesn't have to show himself during this spectacle. McCain and Palin are doing the Republicans in just fine. The Republicans have devolved to ONE BIG SPECTACLE.
The gloves will come off ... but Obama doesn't have to address her attacks. He just has to focus on the REAL issues. And the REAL issues don't include the Palins and their dramas.

[bygollymissmolly]

Biden almost quit because he worried about whether or not he could take care of his children. He stuck in there but he was home every night for his children. He spent 3 hours a day on a train so that he could go to work and be home for his children. He did not turn them over to nannies or other members of the family to take care of.

He also did not endanger the life of his child by doing something foolish like Sarah Palin did when she traveled 9 hours in labor just so she could have her baby at a backwater hospital near her home.

[Richard22]

That's the great thing about abstinence training..­. when it fails you get a lovely baby!

[thefringecenter]

Looks like they abstain from abstaining.

[luzmejor]

Abstinence doesn't 'fail." It is people who fail. Of course, that is the point of society's insistence on "abstinenc­e." The abstinence promoters are enjoying themselves tweaking and toying with people's lives, pretending that their stupid ideas are reasonable for married couples, and should be followed by everyone. Young couples are a target for such ghouls.

Haven't you ever noticed that jealous persons are terribly happy to see someone else get into "trouble?" And of course, churches promoting abstinence only are overjoyed to see their attendance rolls and financial support rising too.

Any church that insists on a celibate priesthood or a frequently abstinent congregation is just asking for trouble and turmoil, illegitimacy , marital strife, family violence and huge numbers of divorces.

[ElizabethMN]

What shocks me is the Assembly of God church that Palin belongs to... One of them near me, when their 18 year old part-time secretary, lifelong member and active missionary student wishing to pursue a career in youth ministry with the church got pregnant (from my friend) they were EVIL. They fired her AND booted her out of lifelong church. Except once when they really needed a band member (she used to be in the band) and then asked if she'd come back to play for one concert. (Shocking)

After the baby arrived, the pastor gave her a visit and said they would love to have her back.

So Jesus-like.

[InsectsRule]

I am just not getting it. Why is Levi Johnston not identified as Bristol Palin's fiance? Has he not proposed? They are getting married ... right? What gives?

Someone please explain this to me.

[dsmyre]

He may propose to her on stage tonight. Oh, drama, drama.

[valleygent]

I can just recall how Republican talking points have come down hard on teen pregnancy with the poor of the inner city. Of course Palin's daughter is WEALTHY, so that makes it OK with the evangalist right wing moral authority. These people aren't Christian, they are modern social terrorists. Are we to be governed by the American moral inquisition?? Give me liberty or give me death!

[Awakenedcitizen]

Sarah Palin cut funding for a home for unwed mothers. ????

[luzmejor]

That is true, so you can omit the question marks!

[dbindetroit]

They have come down hard on unwed mothers who have no intention of marrying the fathers and fathers who simply disappear never to take care of their child. Americans like me are tried of supporting deadbeat daddies kids. Bristol is going to get married and Levi and her will raise the child together, like in the good old days. More young people should follow their example if they end up in the same situation rather then getting an abortion or sucking at the governements tit. Also how do you know Palin is WEALTHY

[pilgrim7]

Deadbeat dads? Who's supporting _this_ baby? Are either one of them employed? Or will her mom find them both a nice "government" job now?

[ron071]

dbindetroit: Just check the Palin web site and add up all of the income. Perhaps not rich by the mcCain standard ( $ 5 million ) but certainly rich in the real world.

[rcn63]

dbindertroit--Get real! This kid does not want to marry Bristol. He will marry her because he has to. Sarah Palin is a lifelong member of the NRA which means she is mighty handy with a firearm. Ever hear of a SHOTGUN wedding?

[luzmejor]

Don't worry. You still have liberty. The present nutjobs in office are simply trying to make it seem reasonable to take it away from you.

Don't ever vote for this gang again, though. The longer they are in office the easier it will be for them to plot against you . Vote for the new guys in another political party and keep writing and calling them to keep them on their toes. (Write letters of complaint to the newspaper editors too. ) There are more of us than there are of them.

[duncansdad]

Adorable.
Sherry doesn't know that her son is a high school dropout?
I'd love to see/hear a journalist ask the gov why her beloved "abstinance only" program failed so miserably with her own daughter.

[luzmejor]

Mother has no choice now but to appear pleased with her daughter's failure. Perhaps she is glad to see her daughter tied down so she can have a free babysitter.

[springsm]

Wheweeee another class act! It is Palin herself that is taking advantage of this situation. And at 5 months, you know that vetting didn't go on with the Myfriends group. I don't care if the daugher is pg or whatever..­.I just wish that the GOP would admit that what is good for the goose is good for the gander. They have looked for and critisized every wrinkle in Obama's shirt...ye­t it is "okay that this happens cause after all the girl is going to marry the baby's father". Well whoopdedo. A double mistake I would think.