CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
Sept. 1, 2008 – 5:16 p.m.
News of Bristol Palin’s Pregnancy Stirs Sympathy and Support
By Jonathan Allen, CQ Staff
Republicans rallied around newly named vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin Monday after the Alaska governor revealed that her 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant.
After days of rumors about the Palin family swirling around the blogosphere and press, the campaign of presumed GOP nominee John McCain released a two-paragraph statement from Palin and her husband Todd saying, “We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents.” The Palins said Bristol had their “unconditional love and support.”
Social conservative leaders and delegates at the party’s national convention in St. Paul, Minn., praised Bristol Palin’s decision to carry the pregnancy to term and to marry a man identified only as Levi.
They said they view the situation as confirmation that the elder Palin understands the challenges faced by American families, and they applauded McCain for choosing Palin anyway. A McCain aide said the Arizona senator knew about Bristol Palin’s situation before selecting her mother as running mate but declined to say specifically when McCain found out.
“I’m very, very pleased that her daughter has chosen to carry the baby to full term. It shows a commitment to pro-life values,” said Linda Hansen, a Wisconsin delegate and the mother of five children. “It helps people who are going through hard times to identify. It’s not a great thing, but they’re just handling it with class.”
The revelation of her daughter’s pregnancy reinforced Palin’s place as the central conversation piece of a convention that has been truncated and overshadowed by Hurricane Gustav, which pummeled the Gulf Coast on Monday.
Her surprise selection has energized conservative activists, and news of Bristol’s pregnancy appeared to do little to dampen that enthusiasm. Indeed, Bristol’s decision to keep her baby immediately became an article of faith for many Republicans.
Several of the nation’s most prominent social conservatives — some of whom are ardent supporters of abstinence-only sex education — were among the first and most fervent advocates for Palin on Monday.
“Mistakes are made, and when that happens, the important thing is to love that daughter,” said Gary L. Bauer, a 2000 presidential candidate who heads an organization called American Values.
“Fortunately, Bristol is following her mother and father’s example of choosing life in the midst of a difficult situation,” said Family Research Council President Tony Perkins. “We are committed to praying for Bristol and her husband-to-be and the entire Palin family as they walk through a very private matter in the eyes of the public.”
Asked about the Palin story during a stop in Monroe, Mich., Democratic nominee Barack Obama said, “I think people’s families are off limits and I think people’s children are especially off limits. This shouldn’t be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin’s performance as a governor or her potential performance as a vice president and so I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories,”
Obama, who has two daughters, had said last March during the primaries that children should learn about contraception and should have the option of having an abortion should they become pregnant.
“When it comes specifically to HIV/AIDS, the most important prevention is education, which should include abstinence education and teaching the children, you know, that sex is not something casual,” he said. “But it should also include other, you know, information about contraception because, look, I’ve got two daughters. Nine years old and Six years old.
News of Bristol Palin’s Pregnancy Stirs Sympathy and Support
“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.”
Obama’s campaign almost immediately issued a clarification after those remarks.
“What Senator Obama said and what he believes is clear — children are ‘miracles,’ but we have a problem when so many children are having children,” the statement said. “While he understands the passions on both sides of this difficult issue, Senator Obama believes we can all agree that we should be taking steps to reduce the number of teen pregnancies and abortions in this country.”
The nearly uniform support for Bristol Palin sounded coordinated at times because the reactions were so similar and widespread — but even those who said they were just finding out about the situation reacted with sympathy for the governor’s daughter.
McCain’s continued support for Palin did not appear to be in question.
“Nothing has changed,” said Eric Fehrnstrom, spokesman for Mitt Romney, who had often been mentioned as a possible McCain running mate before Palin was picked.
“Sen. McCain obviously believes that her rightful place is by his side on this ticket,” said Todd Harris, a Republican strategist who worked for McCain during the Arizona senator’s 2000 presidential run.”
Republican delegates said that the situation demonstrates that Palin’s family is like many others in the country.
“It seems to make her kind of a regular person,” said Greg Schaefer, a Wyoming delegate who has a grandson born out of wedlock. “We all have had it happen to us or know somebody who has.”
Sen. Norm Coleman , R-Minn., and others said that it is a mistake for critics to wonder whether Palin would better serve her own infant son and her daughter’s soon-to-be-born baby by not running for vice president.
“I would love to have the debate about whether women, moms and dads who have things going on at home, can make contributions and do things,” Coleman said.
Many parents said they felt sympathy for Palin.
“I have five kids, and I say ‘There but for the grace of God go I,’” said Barbara Nash, who was traveling with the Texas delegation.
News of Bristol Palin’s Pregnancy Stirs Sympathy and Support
When asked about Bristol Palin’s pregnancy, Rep. Dan Lungren , D-Calif., said he believed Palin and her family had been thoroughly vetted by McCain campaign consultant Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr.
“I’m sure he was aware of all of this. He is as detailed and as thorough as anybody, but also he can keep a secret,” Lungren said.
Culvahouse, who is chairman of the Los Angeles-based law firm O’Melveny & Myers, served as legal counsel to President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, and was a chief legislative assistant and counsel to former Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr. (1967-1985) in the 1970s. Lungren, a McCain surrogate, said there was widespread support for Palin among Republicans, and that the pregnancy of her daughter would have little effect on the McCain campaign. “This is a real family. They had real challenges. The important thing is they vote for life,” Lungren said.
The revelation of her daughter’s pregnancy was not the only Palin-related news to break on the first day of the Republican convention.
The Associated Press reported that an attorney was hired by the state of Alaska to defend Palin in a state investigation into whether she improperly dismissed a state official for refusing to fire her former brother-in-law from his job as a state police officer. The officer, Mike Wooten, had violated a series of departmental policies and used a taser on his pre-teen stepson, the governor’s nephew, according to AP.
John M. Donnelly, Alan K. Ota, Libby George and Catharine Richert contributed to this report
Comments
How typical of GOP hypocrisy. It's only a "private" matter when it's the child of a top official. Otherwise it's very much their concern. Not too mention that is just more proof that abstinence-only education does not work, even for the ultra-right wing.
The Vice Presidency of the United States is a 24/7 job. What is Sarah Palin going to give up if John McCain is elected and she becomes the VP? How is she going to give adequate attention to a 4 month old special needs baby, a pregnant 17 year old daughter and, oh yes, her job? Something has gone horribly wrong here.If Mr.McCain knew about this, he might want to have spent five minutes thinking about the implications to our great country.
How sad for a 17 year old to be thrust into the national media concerning a very private and personal matter. Sadder still that an ambitious mother of a pregnant 17 year old decides to expose her daughter to the media blitzgrig so that she can run for vice president. If she did, indeed, know prior to today's announcement, if she indeed, knew while she was getting vetted, she should have passed, simply stating that her place was with her family now !
You gotta love it--the woman who doesn't think birth control should be taught in schools, who doesn't think that even married couples should use condoms has an underage unmarried pregnant daughter. What do you want bet that the unnamed father is over 18 and could be charged with statuatory rape? And what are the bets that Palin will plead family first and drop off the ticket? Of course, we'll all know that the real reaon is that the Republicans can't afford another controversy on top of Palin's being investigated by the Legislature on an ethics charge. Hahahahahahaha!!! So much for the cynical misgyonistic John McCain who just wanted a pretty woman on his arm.
The father's name is Dylan Kolvig. Do your research!
Do you suppose the McCain people were going to try to keep this a secret until after the election? I honestly can't believe what a foolish choice McCain made in choosing this woman! She is obviously an egomaniac who puts her own ambition above the needs of her family. If McCain truly thought that her candidacy would attract moderate women voters, it has now backfired on him in a BIG BIG way. I am disgusted with Sarah Palin. What an irresponsible mother!! And yes, if she were a man, none of this would matter... but she isn't. She is a MOTHER to five kids, one of whom is a special needs newborn, and now she is saying she is PROUD to be a grandmother of a baby born to her underage, unmarried daughter? NOT impressed, Sarah. I feel sorry for your children. They deserve better than this. Hypocrisy reigns supreme... business as usual with the Republicans. Guess who I WON'T be voting for? The Republican Party is imploding before our very eyes.
A Front Porch View -- Sarah Palin represents middle America. A great many American women with "special needs" as well as "normal" children work. And a great many American women with pregnant teenage daughters work. If she were a physician, nurse, teacher, retail worker, or cashier would she be less qualified because of her personal situation.....I think not. It only makes her more qualified and definitely more human.
Those who preach rightousness must practice rightousness but for the hypocrit dying GOP, it is okay any deviation by the rich and powerful but an evil thing if it happens to be by the avaerage Joe. It is sickening to have a governor who abandons her rebelous ideology just to run for a governor and also someone who preaches abstinence and moral value but encourages and teaches her children to have a liberal life against the very ideology she preaches in public. Anyway, Mccain's idiocy to choose her in the hope of grabing Senator Clinton's supporters shows how poor his judgment is and how opportunist he is.
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