Completely Unnecessary

I won’t lie and say there isn’t a certain deliciousness in the knocking up of an anti-choice, anti-sexed candidate’s teenage daughter.

It does, however, present a delicate situation (so to speak) for the Democrats. They can’t look like they’re slamming Palin as a woman, whilst also trying to make hay from the obvious conservative fallout.

Let’s hope the media doesn’t screw them up in their response. For instance, by asking questions like this - which conservatives will equate with ‘liberals’:

Asked if Ms. Palin would be able to juggle the demands of the vice presidency with her complicated family life, [McCain's chief strategist] Mr. Schmidt said, “She’s been a very effective governor and again I can’t imagine that question being asked of a man.”

That’s the right answer to that question - and it’s not the right question.

The NYT went right out and interviewed a cavalcade of Republican women (only) to gauge their reaction to the story:

When Pam Younggren, 61, of Fargo, N.D., was told the news of the 17-year-old’s pregnancy, she shrugged. “Well, she wouldn’t be the first one,” she said.

“We can’t control what our daughters do,” she said. “I don’t see it as a problem. She will have appropriate care for her baby.”

And herein lies the question that we should be asking the McCain/Palin ticket.

Bristol Palin and her soon-to-be-husband are a perfect example of why abstinence-only, ‘wait until marriage’ programs don’t work.

While I don’t think we should be asking Sarah Palin if she can handle the rigors of the campaign trail, we should be asking if she thinks the policies she supports are effective.

It’s a fine line, granted. But it’s one the Democrats need to walk. This is a policy issue illustrated in a candidate’s life - we should discuss it the same way we would discuss John McCain’s POW experience in terms of his position on torture.

I’d also like to point out, as Republicans call for respect for privacy, that Democrats’ touch on the issue is likely to be much lighter than their own. Imagine the firestorm if the daughter had been named, say, Chelsea.

The depth of conservative understanding (and a fair amount of hand-washing) would not be the case if this was a Democratic daughter. It would be yet another case of liberal values as a detriment to American society.

And we have here a case of conservative values and Republican policies as a detriment to American society. It is an important discussion to have.

But it is a little delicious. Mary Helen would like to weigh in with a helpful slogan for Republicans: ‘Conservatives are liberal, too!’

Sphere: Related Content

Vaguely Related

• Privacy and Publicity at the GOP Convention
• Reflections on Palin’s Convention Acceptance Speech