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Palin's Terrible "Executive" Family Decision
Barack Obama's response to the news that GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's 17 year old daughter is five months pregnant is crystal clear: The families of candidates, especially the children, are off-limits. Period.
It's the right position to take. The fact that Alaska Governor Palin's teenaged daughter made the tragic mistake of having pre-marital sex at such a young age--and got pregnant in the process--has nothing whatever to do with her mother's qualifications (or the lack of them) for public office. Nor do the mistakes our kids make always define the caliber of our parenting skills. At a certain age, our kids do what they will no matter how carefully, how lovingly they were raised. They may break the rules and break our hearts, but their lapses are no reflection upon our judgment as parents or as people.
None of us has the right to judge and condemn Sarah Palin because Bristol Palin failed the "abstinence only" test.
There are, however, issues of judgment involved.
First: Governor Palin slashed Alaska's legislative funding for social programs, including Passage House, a transitional home for teenage moms. The mission statement for Passage House: "To provide young mothers a place to live with their babies for up to 18 months while they gain necessary skills and resources to...create and provide a stable environment for themselves and their families." In other words, a pro-family safe haven for kids whose parents aren't as accepting as the Palins of an unwed mother and her baby. When, like Palin, your pro-life stance extends to banning abortions even in the cases of rape and incest, there is an undeniable judgment gap here. Pro-life agenda should not stop the moment a baby draws its first breath. Pro-life means adequate services for that child and the mother who chose to keep it.
Second: Palin says her daughter will marry the father of the baby. She's fine with that.
Meet Daddy: 18 year old Levi Johnston. Like millions of other high school kids, Levi had a MySpace page. Here are his own words about who he is:
"I'm a fuckin' redneck who likes to snowboard and ride dirt bikes...But I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some shit and just fuckin' chillin' I guess...Ya fuck with me I'll kick [your] ass."
Levi goes on to say he's "in a relationship" but "I don't want kids."
Pro-life. Absolutely, no exceptions, take-no-prisoners pro-life. If that's your core belief, then you protect that baby's life. You protect your own child, the one who is already paying a very high price for passion in the back seat of a car. You fail to protect either one when you compound one costly mistake with another. Marriage is a sacrament, no? Marriage is a bond, for life, of love and faith and commitment.
None of us knows whether or not Bristol Palin is equipped for such a sacred responsibility. But clearly, Levi Johnston has some growing up to do -- and that painful process is not one that should be inflicted on a child bride and an innocent baby.
Marriage is not a convenient solution to a parental pride problem. It is not punishment for doing the "nasty". It is not a morality bandage we slap on the wounds of "sin" or "shame" to make them publicly acceptable.
And any parent, Ms. Palin, who thinks marriage is any of the above lacks judgment. Good judgment: The criteria for a credible candidacy and for sound governance.
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Ooh, boy. So we're not just going after the kids of the candidates, now we're going after other kids? Big surprise that this teenage hockey playing boy, a senior in high school, uses swear words on his m y s p a c e page. The Palins' crisis with their teenage daughter is none of our business, unless the daughter possesses nukes or owns a mortgage and loan. Just walk into the voting booth in November and vote for the candidate of your choice. If Sarah Palin's parenting displeases you that much on so many levels that you believe she's demonstrating unfitness for office, PULL THE OTHER LEVER. And stop gossiping about her children, and her children's friends, and stop stalking her children's friends on m y s p a c e. That is creepy, #1, and totally irrelevant to Sarah Palin's candidacy, #2, and none of your business, #3, and let the parents of teenagers without faults cast the first stone, whether or not you have The Nerve to run for public office, #4.
The article about Levi's facebook entry was shown here on Huffingtonpost. One didn't need to go to facebook to find it, so your accusing this person of being a "stalker" is out of line.
I think it is a shame that Huffpo thinks the Palen daughter's boyfriend's facebook or myspace page is worthy journalistic fodder.
I have a niece who by way of a bad decision based on being a teenager with hormones got pregnant at 15. No shotgun was used and no marriage made to happen. My sis-in-law took some responsibility for being an absentee mom for a few years previous and says she didn't give Amanda what she needed as guidance when she should have. Niece and child 7 years later are doing great. Palin has cut away at the programs for unwed moms and their babies. Palin has cut away at the programs for special needs kids and she has one. Funny thing though Palin believes in the teaching about condoms which should give the GOP seizures....but I doubt she will have a problem changing her mind about that just like the other things she has said and done mere months ago now being not what she believes today. If she forces the kids to marry then she will be the cause of much misery and yet I doubt she will see her decision as wrong.
I find it hard to believe that that boy wants to get married, judging by what he is posting on myspace. I would suspect there was either pressure put on him, or he is seeing stars, or fame, either way its wrong. If they are in love, let them handle the pressures of having a child and do a little more growing up, and then decide if they really love each other or if it is just young lust.
By the way, that is only one of the reasons I question the judgment of both the people on the ticket. Sarah has been caught in how many lies or half truths and it has only been a week. McCain has done so many flip flops on issues in the past 8 years, most of which have moved him closer to the Bush positions on all the issues. He is not a maverick, anymore, he is just more of the same and he is bowing down to the hell and fire right wing religious fanatics by his pick of a woman that is no more qualified to be a heartbeat from the presidency than I am.
Levi's My Space comment that he is in a relationship, but does not want kids, creates a strong presumption that he does not want to get married.
The problem I am having is for a woman who doesn't believe we should even have a choice, she sure is saying the word "choice" and "decision" a lot. Gov. Palin and others like her don't even realize the hypocricy of this. Her daughter gets comfort and support in her "decision" to have her child yet if she had her way my daughter wouldn't even get to make that decision. She has an adorable infant that she made sure to tell us about and promised parents of special need children that they would have a friend in the white house. But what I want to know is how do you pay the medical bills and education for that special needs child if there is no health insurance? She praised her son in the military, and rightly so, for his service in uniform to his country. But what I want to know is how are we going to get out of these 2 wars that we are waging. I don't care how Gov. Palin takes care of her family but when her policy positions affect my children then yes, we can learn a lot from looking at her family.
What a ridiculous commentary. You are impuging Sarah Palin's "judgment," but you have no facts to go on. You treat the marriage as if it was Palin's decision, but you have no basis for assuming this. You don't know whether the decision to marry was that of the teens, that Palin applied pressure to marry, or that the decision had anything to do with Palin. It is quite possible that Palin had nothing to do with the decision, that the two teens love one another, and that the marriage is not a shotgun affair. For all you know, Palin and her husband oppose the marriage but respect their daughter's choice. You just don't know, you don't have enough information to make a judgment, and it's irresponsible to pretend you do.
LINDA HANSEN HERE.
Let me share a little parental wisdom with you, Mnewman:
I sure am impugning Palin's judgement. And I have solid grounds on which to do it. I'm way ahead of her on the parenting curve--with two daughters of my own (and one son), all in their 30s. Obviously, I'm ahead of you as well, or you'd have given at least some marginal thought to what kind of additional suffering you were willing to inflict on your own child--and your unborn grandchild.
Had one of my daughters gotten pregnant so young, by such an immature (and let's face it, vulgar) boy, there's no way I'd have allowed my 17 year old child to marry a kid who's clearly unfit for either marriage or parenthood. Not his fault. He's a KID.
You may find it morally acceptable to sacrifice your own child/grandchild; you may find it morally correct to allow a 17 year old, who's already demonstrated your "abstinence" values are irrelevant, to announce she's "in love" and allow her to make a bigger mistake.
I don't. I wouldn't. And I pray God most mothers who have some real time experience raising children, whose welfare we place ahead of our own ambitions, know exactly where this 60+ year old mom is coming from.
Amen.
Let's hear it for mothers who love their daughters enough to spare them the train wreck decisions of life.
Keep the baby? Good for you.
Marry Levi? Not on your life.
When introducing the concept of her daughter's pregnancy, Governor Palin was quick to add that the young couple will be soon marrying. From that, we can understand that the Governor considers the marriage to be an important part of the story. Otherwise, why mention it at all?
If i may interject here...forget the fact that we DON'T know what went on in their house...maybe it was the girl's and boy's choice, or maybe it was the mother's doing (and yes...I WILL call them girl and boy because that is what they are)
The hypocrisy is crystal clear - basically these kids HAD a choice...they HAVE the support of their families...some girls are not so lucky. Ms. Palin seems that it is HER decision to make sure these women/girls don't HAVE a choice...EVEN in cases of rape or incest.
However, back to the original point...the fact that this woman is parading her pregnant unwed teenager around as a "blessing" well, would it be a "blessing" if it were one of Barack's daughters....
or would it be irresponsible parenting?
Things that make you go hmmmmmm?
Are you saying Palin should force them to NOT get married? I guess that makes you anti-choice. I personally think the young woman should be allowed to make her own choice.
Indeed. Choice. Yes.
She is choosing to marry Levi the eff-you-up MySpace poster. Other girls may not make that choice. And I believe that would probably be a good thing...
actually, the girl is still a minor...so according to the law i guess it would be her MOTHER'S choice.
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Posted September 3, 2008 | 07:46 PM (EST)