Besieged by blog rumors about her 17-year-old daughter, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin — named Friday as running mate of John McCain — released a statement Monday saying her daughter is pregnant and plans to marry the father. The governor and her husband, Todd, said their daughter Bristol plans to keep the baby. "Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that, as parents, we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned," the Palins said in the statement.
"As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support." Liberal bloggers have drawn the ire of the McCain campaign for speculating extensively about the possibility that Palin's fifth child, born this spring, was actually her daughter's. Bristol Palin is said to be five months pregnant; Sarah Palin's youngest child, Trig, was born on April 18.
Palin's presence on the ticket has thrilled evangelical conservatives — many of whom are strongly opposed to premarital sex. But Palin also is revered by the conservative base for her fierce opposition to abortion and the decision to keep an unplanned baby likely will only bolster those credentials.
The Palins have five children: sons Track (19) and Trig (four months) and daughters Bristol (17), Willow (14) and Piper (7).
The statement from Sarah and Todd Palin:
"We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us. Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that, as parents, we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support.
"Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi’s privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates."
At a press availability in Monroe, Mich., Barack Obama said: "Back off these kinds of stories."
"I have said before, and I will repeat again: People's families are off-limits," Obama said. "And 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. So I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories. You know my mother had me when she was 18, and how a family deals with issues and teenage children, that shouldn’t be a topic of our politics."
On charges that his campaign has stoked the story via liberal blogs: "I am offended by that statement. There is no evidence at all that any of this involved us," he said. "Our people were not involved in any way in this, and they will not be. And if I thought there was somebody in my campaign who was involved in something like that, they would be fired."
So...do you believe that families of the candidates should be off limits? Why or why not?
21 comments:
The families of candidates should be off limits when voters are considering the merits/flaws of a particular candidate. This is generally because family relations/situations are not necessarily connected in any way to a candidate's viability or views. (Although they can be...)
Families should be off limits, but that doesn't mean they will be. It's human nature to fail when it comes to ignoring details like this. That goes for both parties. Anyone can pretend that he or she is not considering external factors such as this one, but I would guess that most people are actually not capable of doing so.
So because it should be off limits, but really isn't, I think this will have at least one major effect:
Sarah Palin will be admired for accepting the flaws of her daughter and will be lauded by the pro-choice community for supporting the development and eventual birth of the baby.
I find the extreme and dripping irony of this situation absolutely hilarious. Part of the conservative platform tends to include abstinence-only sex education... hilarity ensues. And while it is fair to point out that Sarah Palin is not necessarily in complete control of her daughter's actions, the irony remains.
I guess Bristol Palin is a Sunday only Christian.
Anyway, it's kind of unfortunate that such external and seemingly unrelated circumstances can be used to strengthen and bolster (or damage) a platform.
When it comes to family, there is no need to be intrusive into their lives. They have very little impact on how that candidate will perform and make decision in office. Although, every once in a while the family will express their opinions, and those opinions can make their way to the press and the public.
On the case of Sarah Palin, her daughter has done something that she is strictly against and has followers that agree with her. So if she can't follow through with her beliefs with her family, then how can she make a whole country follow those beliefs.
I believe that it will recognized that she is fully behind her daughter and puts family first. Thus showing that she is a family person, but how is that going to change much in her political beliefs.
The family does not need to be a part of the campaign in many ways, but it is impossible to leave them completely out of it.
So, for the most part, I agree with what Obama said about family has nothing to do with politics so they need to stay out of the headlines.
The families of candidates no way reflect the views of the candidate. Everybody is an individual and people simply can't impose their own beliefs upon others that's why the families of candidates should be off limits. However, the state of politics these days is so influenced by the media that every little flaw a candidate has is put out there for people to judge.
In the United States, people have the freedom to do what they want and Bristol chose to do what she did and as a result, she became pregnant. While this may have been a mistake on her part (or maybe she wanted a baby), this is her mistake and not Sarah Palin's. It is quite ironic that Palin advocates a abstinence-only sex education yet her daughter got pregnant but really, they are two separate individuals. Just because Bristol got pregnant doesn't mean that Palin can't continue to support abstinence-only sex education. However, many people are going to overlook this fact and view her beliefs as hypocritical simply because society still clings to the belief that "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree".
While people will continue to judge others based on external factors, you can only judge a person's character based on that person's actions, not the actions of others. Society is made up of individuals but events like this will continue to create controversy. Even though I believe that families should be off limits, I still think that this event has somewhat damaged Sarah Palin's image.
The families of candidates reflect the kind of morals the candidate has. When you raise your children you install in them the kind of morals and character that you have. The families of candidates should be off limits because of their personal nature, however; they give us incredible insight into the type of person the candidate is.
You are who your friends are and if you associate with people that you claim need moral adjustments, you aren't any better than they are.
Sarah Palin should have made sure that she installed the values that she wants America to have when she was raising her own daughter.
No matter how hard any of us tries, we are not perfect. In fact, we are far from it. With this being said I believe that in the harsh race of politics families and each candidate's personal life should be kept seperate from the issues at hand. Even though we should look at the whole package, lifestyle, and history of a person decisions of their children should not be exploited or be mocked.
This pregnancy is just one more factor that proves that the Palin family is human. They are an American family. A family that has the same rights as our own families that their lives should not be exploited.
But we should note that through this real life expierence the Palin family has embraced this situation, as should we.
The moment we find it right to "bash" a politcian's daughter we put our own daughters on the line for judgement.
Politics should be left for podiums and discussion tables, not the tabloids or family dinner tables.
The families of candidates should be COMPLETLEY off limits to the media and public. They have nothing to do with the candidate's campaign, I mean they aren't the ones running or participating in it.
But then again I can see where it's a lost cause to keep their families out of the media and public eye. Because when a person enters into camaign as closely watched and advertised as one for presidentcy, they are put under a microscope, as well as their families.
Candidate’s families should in no way reflect on the views of the candidate. Even though sometimes an especially in this case when Sarah has negative views on something that her own daughter has done she could get the blame.
This could be a way to have people come into your life and judge you by what your family does. Because now the country will say how a woman who looked down on this can have one of her own daughters do this.
But I liked how she stands completely behind her daughter and this shows that she is always there for her family and puts them first before a race. I believe that this should be ignored when they decide to vote but I think that this has already created some controversy that will not be forgotten. I believe family should stay out of politics or all we will be voting for is the better family.
When people are considering whether or not to vote for a candidate, their families should be kept off limits. Sarah Palin should not be judged by the mistakes of her daughter.
Although Leena said that families reflect the kind of morals the candidate has, thats only true to a certain extent. Sarah had only so much control over Bristol's actions. I'm sure Sarah instilled her values and morals in Bristol, but there is only so much of it that Bristol will absorb. This mishap only proves that the Palins are faced with the same issues as the average American family.
Sarah, strongly supporting her daughter and the development of the baby, will definatly get perks for putting family first. Her image shouldn't be faultered as a result of Bristol's blunder.
Families of candidates should definitely be off limits. In the modern world of mass media, a small flaw, even coming merely from the families of the candidate can propagate and reach a huge audience therefore change the general opinions of the public about the candidate.
It can be seen that these familial ties are undeniable and the mass media will publicize quickly and effectively, even if the opposition party claim that the familial ties should not be taken into account of the reputation of the candidate.
However, Sarah Palin, instead of letting the effects of the negative ties of families harm her reputation, choose to grab this opportunity and substantiate her strong conservatism in anti-abortion and state that this child will allow her daughter to learn and have a early adult exprience.
The negative effects of families of candidates is almost inevitable in the modern world, however, the effects does not necessarily have to have a negative impact on the reputation of the candidate in Sarah Palin's case.
Families of the candidates should be off limits. Even if they should or shouldn't be off limits, many try to dig as deep as they can to uncover anything that will be a hindrance in the opposite party's success. I agree with Obama's statement, "I have said before, and I will repeat again: People's families are off-limits,and people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov."
"It has NO relevance to Govn't."
Sarah Palin's daughter has made this choice, as has so many other youth of her age. That doesn't mean it's right, but in her case people are jumping all over her and her mother like it's the first offense they've seen.
With Sarah's views on this issue, and then having her own daughter have a baby, it makes it look like she doesn't care, placing all the blame on Sarah. Though the way Sarah puts all confidence in her daughter shows her strength in dealing with issues like this. Even with what everyone is saying about this, it should be ignored in this election. Even so, the controversy is already set.
People should vote on what the candidate can do for their country, not for anything they can dig up about their families.
An individual’s governing ability is in no way affected by their parenting ability. Running a family takes different values and a whole different mindset than running a country. The way a candidate’s family acts isn’t entirely up to them and many family situations are just reality and are unavoidable. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a line to be crossed. I mean if a person can’t control their own children and instill in them the same beliefs and morals they live by, then how are they supposed to motivate and run a country with them? Is the family just a predecessor to what we can expect our country to look like?
Regardless of whatever benefits the media might think they are delivering by invading a candidate’s personal life, it is, in my opinion, tacky, invasive and unnecessary.
Conclusively I think that candidate’s families should be off limits…..
I think that candidate's families should be off limits, no matter what the situation is. Most people, after hearing something that isn't par with the candidate's good image, pass bad judgements on the candidate.
These days, it is a common misconception that our candidates are absolutely perfect, having the exact same views as us, and of couse, having that family that everybody envies. I think Bristol's pregnancy and decision to keep the baby was a huge wake-up call for the voters. I'm sorry to say that even our presidential and/or vice presidential candidates aren't perfect.
Palin's statement to the media, stating that she's happy for her daughter and her soon-to-be son-in-law, and that she's willing to help out the new parents with whatever they may need, gives her major perks and a thumbs-up for her concern and support toward her family.
The whole story behind Bristol's pregnancy is yet to be revealed - her decision to have sex, what provoked it, what her mother warned her about before...- if it is ever going to be. The question is: if some of the information is yet to be unveiled to the public, they don't know the complete details of the situation. Without the whole story, how is it correct to pass judgement on something?
Therefore, it is best to keep family matters out of the media, and out of our minds at the voting poll, since bias halves of the story are all we get, and those tend to make our opinions a little muddy.
In politics and deciding who you're going to vote for in the 2008 presidential election, the families should be off limits and should not affect your voting. The daughters and sons of these men and women aren't the ones working for your vote. So don't make your decision on them. Many people say that the children are a direct reflection on their parents. This isn't always true. No matter what morals and lessons you try to give your children, they will do what they want and make their own mistakes. In Sarah Palin's case, whether or not her daughter is pregnant and not married shouldn't affect your decision about her. And because the media is bringing it up and harping on it, they are swaying voters away from McCain and Palin's platform. So keeping the families out of it would keep the eleciton fair and let the candidates, not the media, fight for your vote.
I think there is a time and place for everything. I don't think that we should make the families of the candidates our main focus, but I do think that we should know about their families. I disagree with Obama when he said that the way families deal with issues and teenage children isn't relevant to politics. I believe that it is. Parents have power over their children and if they can't control their kids, how are they going to control a whole country? If they can't deal responsibly with issues that come up just within their family, how are they going to deal with bigger issues, between different countries for instance? On the other hand, we are all human. We are all going to make mistakes so, just because the kids of candidates aren't exactly perfect, doesn't mean that their parents aren't cut out for the job. I think families should be a minor factor in the elections, but without invading on their privacy
Families of candidates should be off limits.
Voters should be deciding which party to support because of what they stand for, not because of the actions of their family members.
A parent can only try their best to guide their children & instill the morals and values that they themselves have, but they cannot be in complete control of their childs decisions. Many of today's youth are in Bristol Palins shoes - does that mean every single one of their parents fail at their responsibility? That they are all bad people? I don't believe so. She's keeping the baby, which shows that she does have some of the conservative values her mother has.
As for her husbands DUI, I don't see how that's at all relevent to what this whole election is about.
I believe that trying to dig up dirt on a persons family is really tacky and unnecessary. I don't understand why this is the focus of attention when they are so many other more important issues.
I believe the families an the family members of the candidates should be off limits.
The candidates personal life should be left out of when it comes to judging them. It is not about what or how their lives are being ran, it is about what they bring to the work table. The only thing the media should worry about is how the candidates are trying to run our country.
Nobody can control their kids or family at all times! They should be responsible enough to control their own actions.
The families of candidates should be off limits to the voters, but this will never happen. Too many people look at candidates through what their family does.
Any person can in fact easily see who a person truly is when they are around the people they love, unless the eyes of an entire nation are upon them. This means that they may or may not support the same hot-button topic when they are out of the public view.
Taking Sarah Palin into consideration, she might only be supporting her daughter so much because of the type of supporters she has. The other choices she had were to either put her granddaughter up for adoption or abortion, both greatly looked down upon in the evangelist community.
Again, this information is easily assumable within the eyes of the public, but that does not make it accurate, and can in fact have nothing to do with campaigning. So even if somebody were to be appealing to the masses, two wrongs don't make a right. We have to believe that who we vote for is somebody who will truly represent the voters.
the media has no business digging into the personal issues of candidates family unless otherwise expressed by the candidate.
Although it does bring up the question if Sarah Paline can not even control her daughter does she even stand a chance of withstanding the pressure from being the vice president.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
I think that the media should stay out of peoples business. They make bigger problems out of things that aren't really that big. There are other teens (younger than her) that are getting pregnant, you don't see the media making a big deal about that. Teens getting pregnant has been happening for a while, its nothing new. She might be the Governor of Alaska's daughter, and its not be the right thing to get pregnant so young, but we shouldn't be making a big deal about it.
This action might affect McCain's votes but it could help him. They could see that this is setting a bad example for teens. But they could see the kind, loving, and forgiving side of Palin. It all just depends on the way you feel about this situation.
I for one think that candidates families should be off limits. When the people are considering the flaws of the candidates they should consintrate on them... Not their families.
Just because we want the families to be off limits doesn't meen there going to be, because people tend to like the drama. Our country needs to realize nobody is perfect, so we can't expect somebody's family to be. They aren't the ones running, they haven't wanted this to be their career in life. So they shouldn't be apart of the chaos.
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