In the wake of news that Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter is five months pregnant, both McCain and Obama said families were "off limits." Shortly after reporting the story as "breaking news" the cable networks sent out their talking heads to decry the stories. They were disgusted that such a thing would be discussed during a presidential race.I don't actually disagree. It is a fact, and I don't have a problem with it being reported, but it should not decide how people vote. But I was furious at the people who said this delving into a candidate's personal background was unprecedented. My first thought was all the people who made jokes about Chelsea Clinton. In 1992, Chelsea was 12 years old. Her appearance (perm, braces, ugly dresses) was fodder for the late night talk shows. There was no MSNBC or Fox News at the time, but it's not hard to imagine the kind of off-hand remarks that would have been made about her.
Then I was reminded of an incident in 1998. At a Senate fund-raiser that year, John McCain said the following:
"Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno."
Families should be off limits. 12-year-old girls should be off limits. Pregnant teenagers should be off limits. But, as he has done throughout this campaign, McCain is pretending to play by rules that he doesn't actually follow.
3 comments:
Wow. John McCain picked on a 12-year-old. What a war hero he is.
I agree that the facts of Bristol Palin's pregnancy should not be a deciding factor. However, the fact that Ms. Palin doesn't support sex-education, favoring instead "abstinence-only" education for teenagers is something that can be discussed, in light of this news. Abstinence only doesn't work, and her daughter is clear proof of that!
It's not just the media who has brought Palin's family into the discussion. Palin herself has used her family for political gain. She's been parading her 4-month-old son around to emphasize her anti-abortion rights stance, and her son's deployment to Iraq as proof of her investment in the fate of American soldiers. AND if she didn't want her children subjected to national scrutiny, she didn't have to enter politics.
Post a Comment