Those of you trapped in a cave may not have heard that new GOP veep contender, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, has a 17-year-old daughter who is pregnant and unmarried. As a member of a pro-life, conservative-values family, the girl is keeping the baby and marrying the father. But that's not what this blog is about.
While watching this story unfold (and unfold and unfold) on the news last night, I was getting increasingly frustrated with the attention being paid to the private, family matter, and with the talking heads on a certain 24-hour news program who found it necessary to really hammer at the issue and spend the entire evening consulting with their band of merry political analysts on what this means for McCain, conservatives, the election, the country, zebras, and the continued success of humankind as we've come to know it. The "Breaking News: She's going to marry the father" bulletin nauseated me to the point of choosing to instead watch Geraldo Rivera and his mustache blow around in the hurricane.
For the record: This rant isn't about being a Democrat, a Republican, a woman, a man, or even a womanish man. Some things are personal, and it's my belief that children of public figures shouldn't have their lives exploited to an excess on the news. Find something else to talk about, Soledad O'Brien random, unnamed talking head.
The McCain campaign says they were aware they'd have to reveal the details of 17-year-old Bristol Palin's pregnancy sooner or later. But they ended up having to do so sooner, in an effort to dispel other Palin-baby-related rumors floating around the Internet... e.g., that Palin's four-month-old baby with Down's Syndrome is not really her baby at all: It's actually her daughter's baby, and she is simply covering for her.
This unfeeling, disturbing, and false rumor originated on the Daily Kos, a left-wing blog site that openly supports Barack Obama, (you can see the seeds of the rumor here). This is the same Daily Kos that, after the death of former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, wrote, "When a bad guy dies, we should rejoice" -- and some other nasty words. Despite its coming from a disreputable source, the Palin rumor soon was picked up and devoured by other left-wing blog sites and publications. Due to the fast spread of this unsavory rumor, and in an effort to put it to rest, the McCain campaign felt it necessary to come out with the truth about Bristol's current pregnancy earlier than it planned.
We can draw several conclusions from this incident, but for our purposes it's worthwhile to note how this proves the incredible power of the blogosphere and of the Internet.
Regardless of any damaged brains that might reside at the Daily Kos helm, the entire situation is demonstrative of the viral blogosphere's level of control and its ability to steer the election to an extent, despite its own lack of accountability. The only "evidence" the Daily Kos had in starting this rumor in the first place was a picture of Sarah Palin not looking too fat in her sixth month of pregnancy. Nevertheless, the blog felt justified in spreading the rumor, and the rest of the world followed along.
In some instances, the Internet's viral power has had a positive impact on this election -- holding the candidates accountable for their frequent slips of the tongue. But the Internet has also become a haven of unresearched libel with a unique power to divert the attention of the media and the American people, and force the politicians to waste time swatting away falsified and damaging rumors.
Thanks to the Internet, Barack Obama has wasted countless hours and resources defending himself against secret Muslimism. Thanks to the blogosphere, the entire nation now knows that young Bristol Palin is with child (her first) sooner than she planned to tell us.
Together, the blogosphere and "old media" make quite the team: The blogs start the inane rumors and the old media carry them out, incessantly beating them to a pulp with the help of their "experts." This new, virtual tag team ensures that the personal is indeed the political, and issues of restraint and taste needn't be impediments in this 24-hour news cycle.
I got a new version of the concerned Alaska letter...here is an updated link to the letter on snopes...it is slightly different from the original letter that I linked to in my previous post, and it's authentication has been verified. I for one am glad to find out everything I can about someone who is running for a very important office. Since this was the BEST :( possible person John McCain could find, I want the cable news talking heads and the bloggers to educate Americans on her views, legislative experience and history in public office. Since she came out of the blue, and the election is only 2 months away, she either needs to go on a reputable news interview show like Meet the Press, and answer these questions, or we need to rely on collusions (or collisions) of whatever media sources will bring them to us.
I enjoyed Mitch's article. I think it put a cap on the topic. Was I seeing things or did I see:
"Together, the blogosphere and "old media" make quite the team: The blogs start the insane rumors and the old media carry them out, incessantly beating them to a pulp with the help of their "experts." This new, virtual tag team ensures that the personal is indeed the political, and issues of restraint and taste needn't be impediments in this 24-hour news cycle."
Very nice and objective article especially when it comes from someone who is professing to be a liberal Democrat. The only problem is I don't know if he is more Liberal than Obama!!
The only downside to the article is the way it exonerates the internet. We all know very well that the internet has placed 'old media' on a 'life support' situation and in bid to fight for existence and relevance, 'old media' is in the process of throwing away all the ethical foundation that has serve it well over the years. When 'Old Media' heavy weights like the NYT are skimping stories with more substance like the John Edwards case and then falsify a story on the Mccain's Lobbyist which has little substance, then you should know that something fundamentally flaw has catch up with 'Old Media".
Many people believe that the bloggosphere needs to be sanitize but sadly enough 'old Media' which should lead this process is constantly blurring the line between them. I don't know if the proposals you mentioned for saniting the bloggosphere are appropiate but I do believe that something will be done sooner rather than later to give ordinary folks like me a breath of fresh air!!!
If Bristol espoused abstinence and she got pregnant, that’s hypocrisy.
If Sarah espoused abstinence, and she (Sarah herself) got pregnant, (and wasn’t married) that’s also hypocrisy.
If Sarah espoused abstinence and Bristol got pregnant (she’s not really pregnant in the traditional sense, she was really artificially inseminated by an Obama looking Alien from outer space, this is true, it’s on the Internet!) then this is simple maternal short sightedness perhaps…not hypocrisy as Sarah still believes that abstention works, and it does, VERY WELL, when it's practiced. However, obviously Bristol did not abide by the abstention. If she had, she wouldn’t be pregnant.
Simple logic, distorted by emotive hostility for someone who you do not like (Internet Viral Propaganda anyone?).
although it's not about being a woman or of any particular political affiliation...as a woman, i find the hypocracy of advocating abstinance as a governmental policy yet proving the obvious flaws with that 'system' right in her own home is almost unbearable in someone who currently holds a pretty high public office, and who is looking for a MUCH higher one.
yes, Bristol isn't running. and yes, lots and lots of girls in their teens get pregnant, despite who their parents are or what their family believes. but, ms. palin should learn her lesson and stop advocating abstinance-ONLY education for the children of AK. it quite obviously doesn't work!
I think you may be missing the point here. Nobody is begging for anyone's personal symapthies for the Palin's family. The point is what political significance do leftist loons like the dailycos wanted to derived from this episode. I was shocked that you so hastily concluded that Palin has not taught safe sex to her family. Such misleading conclusion does not only advance the argument but rather show your lack of knowledge on pressing family issues like this one. How many good, God-fearing and decent parents hve has their reputaions battered by children who chose to defy parental instructions and ended up bringing the family to disrepute? You tell me the percentage of households that have not get any unwed child??
If the likes of Dailycos and other left leaning websites could have the audacity to ridicule a guy like Petraus who has been so efectively is serving this nation under very tough circumstances, then i won't surprise a little bit if they want to make life unbearable for a little 17 yr old girl.
I'd agree, Palin's daughter is fair game, but hey, "Politics Dangerous" (so is Bankok). RE: personal morality and the GOP: the big difference in b/w the Left & the Right (in which the Right has always espoused) is that generally speaking, the Left feels no guilt because personal morality is not very important when they err or sin. The Right, generally speaking, DOES does feel guilt because morality IS important, but that doesn't mean the Right doesn't err or sin.
RE: Nicole's comment:“but one would think a devastating hurricane would maybe have had them covered newswise.” This hurricane was not as devasting as Katrina, because they EVACUATED this time. Good for them! Brain power is at work down in the deep South – or is it once bitten, twice shy?
Yep that's righti said it, I don't feel sorry for Bristol Palin (or the rest of the Palin clan) and neither should anyone else. The bottom line is she is in the public spotlight now, and rather it was her choice of not, she was going to have to"go public" with her pregnancy sooner or later, and im willing to bet now that it's out there she is feeling alot better inside (although her family way wanna hide under a rock). This should be a lesson for her mother as well, that teaching safe sex as a form of birth control is something she may want to consider introducing into her house, and her political voice.
Although i still have my doubts that Palin's son is actually hers.....but that's a whole other blog!
Just re: "slow news day on Labor Day Monday" -- This would ordinarily true, but one would think a devastating hurricane would maybe have had them covered newswise.
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