The question was whether it was relevent to the election. Now, it’s not relevent to me and would not effect how I vote, but I know poeple who, I’m fairly sure, would be effected in their opinions, and thus it may be relevent to the election through people like them. After all it seems that a large portion of the appeal of Palin for many people is simply in the way she presents herself and her image, rather than a deep interest in her policy positions. If that presentation and image becomes tarnished, you would think that such people would react negatively.
They were right about Edwards. Palin is running on her image at the moment because on policy shes far out of mainstream, anything that hurts her image is a blow to their campaign.
That’s what I’m saying - a large amount of her appeal among at least a portion of the voters is her family image. People are impressed that she has a large and seemingly happy and healthy family. The fact that she is a mother is a big deal to some people. If her mothering skills appear to be poor, that will affect their opinion of her.
It wouldn’t affect my opinion of her if I agreed with her political views. If all that’s appealing to a person about her is how she’s governed Wasilla and Alaska and her stances on the issues, then it probably won’t affect them. I just wonder how much of her support is due to her image, which this would affect.
Governing in a state that basically runs on free money from oil/gas royalties and federal subsidies is so easy that, really, screwing that up is more damning than screwing up the considerably more difficult task of raising a family.
The state of Alaska isn’t doing drugs and isn’t a pregnant teenager, though. The subtleties of what’s corruption, what is corruption, and what’s merely corruption may not be obvious to everyone, but even the most down-home bloke knows out-of-control kids when they see them.
Man that Bristol is getting hotter ever day! Move over Bush sisters! How long til she’s 18?
Seriously … I think her children’s behavior is entirely relevant. Sarah was pushing her family as an example of her wonderful judgment and character from her very first appearance. If she wants us to be proud that Track is joining the army and that she is so brave to look out for a special needs kid … she wants credit for being a good mom as if it offers an example of her leadership… Then we also get to be ashamed of the bad behavior, and point to that as an example of her leadership too.
And that quote would indicate to me that you don’t have a hot clue what these people think.
You don’t know who I know. My wife is involved in the PTA, and both of us in our church, and I know a lot of people who fit this description, and have heard a lot of them gossiping about each other’s families. There is a lot of shaming of people whose kids misbehave. I’ve seen a mother lose popularity and be gradually displaced from her roles in community activities because her teenage daughter got pregnant and nobody knew until she went into labor and everybody was snarking about it behind her back. I’ve seen another woman unoficially be asked to step down from her role in the church because her son was busted dealing drugs.
It’s usually unfair and not something I approve of, but it’s a very real factor. To accuse me of not having a clue about how people act when I’m basing what I say on my personal experiences is not fair.
The fact that they may use drugs and act promiscuously, hell no. Even the best of parents can have bad kids - or even good kids who make bad choices and/or mistakes. They’re kids!
The ONLY thing that would disturb me about some of these rumors – should it turn out to be true – is the allegation that Track’s enlistment was not the act of honor that his mother is trotting him out on the campaign stage for, but ordered by a judge to avoid jail time. That would be a level of deception on the part of the candidate that I would find repugnant. But as with all the other personal rumors that have been swirling around, I’m withholding any judgment at this time.
Teenagers that may be experimenting with drugs and have a more than passing interest in sex? The horror…the horror.
Broken clock. Twice a day.
I think it makes perfect sense though. In fact, I bet this is the tip of the iceberg. Bristol Palin is Trig’s mother, and Track is the father! Down’s syndrome is just a cover for the huge variety of birth defects the kid has from being the inbred child of two crackheads. Wouldn’t be surprised if they got the drugs from Rush Limbaugh and the whole thing is a plot to tank the election so that Obama will have to clean up the mess, fail, and send the nation running back to the republicans for good. We’re through the looking glass people, and the sky is falling!!!
Seriously, let’s try to stick to the issues and not this half baked unconfirmed gossip.
Did Track get a special waiver from the Army for his past drug abuse, or did he lie about it on the questionaire in his enlistment packet?
If a waiver, did mom help him get it?
If a lie, who tought him his morality?
I know it’s pretty easy to get in the Army if you say you “experimented” with drugs. I knew a guy in high school who applied, and he told the recruiter that he smoked marijuana, and the recruiter said “So, you’ve EXPERIMENTED with marijuana, right?” and the guy says “No, I’ve smoked pretty much every day since I was 11” and the recruiter repeats “So, you’re saying you EXPERIMENTED with marijuana” until he got the point.
If it’s true the’s done coke and used drugs intravenously, that is pretty hard to get around, though.
There’s a joke somewhere in that about Track having tracks, but it’s probably not worth excavating from the manure the story is encased in.
Yeah, they’re supporting her because of her massive knowledge of foreign affairs.
A lot of her support comes from her being a hockey mom just like the average woman. Voting against her because her kids are druggies is no more stupid than voting for her because she brought her kids to the hockey rink. And they are both stupid reasons.
It’s Alaska. They even smoke salmon up there.
My take on the kiddies: it’s really not anybody’s business unless, as mentioned, Palin goes after Obama/Biden’s kids or sets herself up as mother of the year or recommends death penalty/prison sentences for all drug users (and to my knowledge these things she hasn’t done). OTOH, she’s a public figure now, if it’s true it’s going to come out; the National Enquirer is sleazy but also completely non-partisan- to quote the Monty Python blackmail sketch “We don’t morally censure, we just want [the tabloid buyers’] money”.
I’ve known kids from families that make Howard and Marion Cunningham look like the Bundys who’ve done drugs, and I’ve known kids from families who make the Manson family look like the Cunninghams who are clean living. I really don’t see it as a parental failure necessarily. But, if it’s true the best thing she can do is not comment.
Well, she does support a party that opposes drug decriminalization and supports prison vs. rehabilitation for those with drug convictions. Palin was still supporting Murkowski when he tried to recriminalize marijuana possession in Alaska. Palin was governor when the state of Alaska challenged the State vs. Ravin decision of 1975 that decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana. There is some hypocrisy here.
Once again, does Al Gore support drug legalization or decriminalization? Hell, does he support reckless driving?
I mention him not because he has done anything wrong - he hasn’t. But I think it is instructive to note that not many politicians or pundits of any stripe went after Gore because of the behavior of his son. And they shouldn’t have.
That sort of standard ought to be observed across the board, IMHO, unless there is a compelling reason why it should not be.
Al Gore isn’t running in this election. If he was governor of a state that was actively fighting to strengthen their own drug criminalization laws, against the opinion of the majority of the citizens of his own state, I would consider it a strike against him if he had a minor child abusing drugs unpunished.
Of course, Al Gore III is not a minor, and he’s been arrested for drug possession, and he faced typical penalties for this.
EDITED TO ADD: I’ve also never supported Al Gore, due to his views on global warming (one of the few things I agree with Palin on).
I think her kids should be off-limits–both ways. In other words, if she wants us to give her credit for being a mother of five kids, I think it’s fair game to make the case that she’s not a particularly good mother should the evidence point in that direction.
For an analogy, let’s say I’m running for office, and I say that people should vote for me because I’m a doctor. But it turns out I’ve settled multiple malpractice claims in a few short years, I’ve had my hospital privileges suspended more than once, and I’ve had trouble keeping a practice going despite living in an area with high demand. Any of those things could happen to the best of doctors, but if you put it all together it would be a decent argument that I’m not a very good doctor.
If I weren’t running as a doctor–say, I admitted that medicine was not a good fit for me and I was moving into public service instead–I don’t think that would be a very good argument against me. But if being a doctor were a big part of my image and one of the reasons why I say people should support me, I think it’s totally relevant.
If she and her surrogates don’t make a big deal about what a great mother she is, then they should leave her alone. Otherwise it’s like counting her hits, ignoring her strikeouts, and lauding her stellar batting average.