Missing the most important factor within the lurid Palin pregnancy story

[Stop Cornyn]

From the Star-Telegram:

Governor's water breaks in Texas, gives birth in Alaska

Despite being very, very pregnant, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was in Grapevine Thursday for a forum held by the Republican Governor's Association.

We were kind of preoccupied by our own governor's announcement that he plans to run for re-election, so we missed the other big news of the conference.

From Alaskan NBC affiliate KTUU:

Just yesterday, Palin was in Texas at a forum on energy with Texas Gov. Rick Perry and executives from four other states.

The governor's water broke during the energy conference but she stayed and gave a 30-minute speech before boarding an Alaska Airlines plane home to deliver the baby.

Palin gave birth to Trig Paxson Van Palin Friday at 6:30 a.m.

No word on why Palin was so determined to make sure young Trig wasn't born a Texan.

http://startelegram.typepad.com/politex/2008/04/governors-water.html

Also:

http://www.ktuu.com/global/story.asp?s=8194634

http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/apr/22/palins-flight-labor-falls-under-scrutiny/

ASK THIS:

What 44 year old woman, 8 months pregnant with a Downs Syndrome child destined to be her 5th child, would fly from Alaska to Texas, give a speech AFTER her water broke, THEN board a plane for an 11 hour flight rather than going straight to the OB unit of the nearest hospital?

SERIOUSLY?

These additional points make the story somewhat more interesting, but ultimately distract from the key issue:

1. Palin did not publicly disclose her pregnancy with her 5th child until her 7th month of pregnancy, and despite the fact that Palin is slender, she did not appear pregnant prior to the announcement.

http://www.kxrm.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=183049

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-69834

2. Palin's 16 year old daughter Bristol missed months of school prior to the birth of her littlest brother due to mononucleosis, and in photos before the child's birth, Bristol looks more pregnant than her mother.

3. Palin returned to work 3 days after giving birth to a Downs Syndrome child.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-05-10-4082128881_x.htm

Did rabidly anti-choice, anti-birth control, abstinence-only sex education proponent Palin cover up her unwed daughter's pregnancy and childbirth?

I doubt it, but the circumstances are indisputably fishy.

But here's the key point we're burying with the lurid details:

Do we want anyone a heartbeat from the most powerful position in the world when she shows such poor judgment that she chose to fly from Alaska to Texas 8 months into a high risk pregnancy, chose to stay and give a speech AFTER her water broke, and THEN chose to board a plane for an 11 hour flight rather than going straight to the OB unit of the nearest hospital?

[Ichingcarpenter]

1. Nice post but many of things have been posted in the Kristi1696

Post by doctors, OBWn, psychologists and investigators who looked at the time line with photos.

But you added your own sources.

[Stop Cornyn]

3. The other discussions are bogging down on the lurid details. We should focus on the lack of judgment

Palin exhibited. If the other stuff turns out to be true (which seems unlikely), it would be a historic political blunder, but regardless of the truth of the alleged pregnancy cover up, we ought not miss the overriding lack of judgment which is true if the cover up is false.

[Ichingcarpenter]

6. The milk maid story is true and the budget crisis she left is true

are you saying we don't investigate?

[Stop Cornyn]

8. Of course I'm not saying "don't investigate" -- I'm saying that even low information voters can see

how this is an example of stunningly poor judgment. At a time when few have any knowledge of Palin, this is a story that will cement an image of a person who lacks common sense. The other stuff distracts from that simple story of someone so ambitious that she stayed at a political convention and gave a speech after her water broke in the middle of a very high risk pregnancy and then jumped on a plane for an 11 hour flight. This lack of judgment is easier for a low information voter to understand than the dairy scandal or the busted budget.

[Ichingcarpenter]

18. Great Point too........ we got them no matter what is the story

I like your logic and play of the game

Nominated post.

[VolcanoJen]

2. Don't take the bait

Go after Palin because she is recklessly unprepared and untested to be a mere heartbeat away from leading a nation.

You really don't need to say anything else. Because that's what matters.

[Ichingcarpenter]

4. hell, this is the internet

And this site is not the Obama campaign

We are vetting a VP candidate, which the republicans wouldn't do.

Her relationship with her daughter is only our business when she is
a public figure that may hold the button on the fate of the planet.

We have had only 17 hours to find out about this person and many of the facts
don't add up.


"YOU' don't need to say anything sorta of ruins
DU's intellectual and investigative arm.

[VolcanoJen]

10. I know, I know

My gut is just telling me to give it a week, and then crush her with the oppo. }(

[Stop Cornyn]

5. We ought not take the CONSPIRACY bait; the poor judgment inherent in flying 11 hours after her water

broke is a stunning lapse of judgment which resonates with every couple who has rushed to the hospital immediate after the water broke.

At a time when 95% of America has no impression of Palin, this story cements a picture of someone who has extremely poor judgment.

[LongDistanceRunner]

7. even more stunning if she didn't even have a water

[enough already]

30. Throw the fucking kitchen sink at her

I'm sick of these fucking pukes. They play dirty all the time. We need to crush the bastards.

[Stop Cornyn]

31. But remember Bush's desertion of his National Guard duty? Instead of rebutting the story, they

rebutted the documents associated with the story and it weakened the effect of the substantive facts of the story.

This Palin pregnancy issue has the danger of veering that direction.

[Barack_America]

9. A couple of things...

1. The photo where the daughter *looks* pregnant is from 2006. I am sure of it. I posted a caption I found to it in the Moderate Voice thread where it says it was taken in 2006. There's also a similar photo of the family included in an article from 2006. The photo was just unfortunately added into that March article announcing Palin's pregnancy. (all of these articles were from the Anchorage Daily News.
http://www.adn.com/)

2. Someone at the Moderate Voice just posted this link.
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/mb.asp?cmd=display&thread_id=2637322&pg=4

A woman at the end of the page claims that her daughter knows Palin's daughter and that the daughter went to another high school in Anchorage for a while.


I think it's great that this gets looked into (considering it doesn't seem that the McCain campaign bother to vet Palin), but it's probably best not to let speculation run wild. Facts are good, smears are not.

[Stop Cornyn]

11. None of those lurid details (which could be true but probably aren't) change the lack of judgment

inherent in (1) flying during the 8th month of a high-risk pregnancy, (2) indulging your political ambition to stay and give a speech at a political convention AFTER your water has broken, and (3) getting on a plane for an 11 hour flight after your water has broken.

The side story about MAYBE (but probably not) the baby is not Palin's simply distracts from the more important story that DEFINITELY Palin showed extremely poor judgment that would cause any parent to scratch her head.

[Barack_America]

13. Then perhaps you could edit out item #2?

That's what I was responding to.

I agree the larger issue is the bizarre birth story and what that means about her judgment and values.

[Stop Cornyn]

15. To edit it out would miss the point. Internet chatter on the not-her-baby substory is overshadowing

the real story -- which isn't based on unauthenticated photos or conjecture about whether or not Palin's daughter missed months of school but which is a story about poor judgment that has already been reported and confirmed by the MSM months ago and never disputed by Palin.

My point is the while we debate the finer points of a conspiracy theory, there is a real story of poor judgment that we're glossing over and muddying up.

[Quantess]

12. As I see it, it's obvious 16 year old Bristol was the pregnant one.

As she was already elected governor at the time, she was given enough respectful privacy to pull off the lie without it blowing up in the media. It wasn't worth raking the governor over the coals about.

But being a VP nominee is a whole different ball game. She can't get away so easily this time.

[Czolgosz]

35. It looks that way, but Palin's cover story is nearly as damaging,

[JI7]

14. it could be that she didn't reveal the pregnancy because she knew

of the problems the baby may have and that it might not survive. she wanted to deal with it all in a private way rather than everyone knowing and congratulating her while she knows there may be a problem with the baby's health.

also, someone said that babies with downs syndrome are smaller than most babies which could explain her lack of showing. plus she is wearing a jacket in most of those pics where we can't tell whether she is pregnant or not.

and if they have such a huge secret like this, why would they agree to run for national office ? especially so close to the whole thing ? and while health workers do have to keep some privacy, she is still a major figure in her state and now a national candidate so something would come out.

[Stop Cornyn]

17. I'm suggesting that instead of debating the motives behind the late revelation of the pregnancy,

let's debate the poor judgment in giving a speech and getting on an 11 hour flight after having your water break prematurely during a very high-risk pregnancy. That shows screamingly bad judgment regardless of all the hoo-haa about the different elements of the conspiracy theory which distracts from the straight forward example of bad judgment.

[JI7]

19. i don't want to go there, it's her body, she can do what she wants

as for her judgement, she doesn't think global warming is caused by man. she does not believve in evolution. she knows nothing about iraq.

[Stop Cornyn]

20. It is her body, but if she's the world's champion advocate of fetus rights, she ought not recklessly

endanger her own fetus. I'm not questioning her morality vis-a-vis her right of sovereignty over her own uterus; I'm questioning her judgment when faced with a crisis.

[Ichingcarpenter]

22. Reminds me of Bodily fluids from Dr. Stangelove

the whole fricking thing as a bullshit story from a mad woman.........

. Night all

[TTUBatfan2008]

21. Why did John and Elizabeth Edwards run this year?

People's egos get to their heads and they think they can get away with these kinds of things. It happens over and over with politicians. I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt on this until someone does some serious investigation into it, but the question of "why" is so easily backed up with examples from the past (including the very recent past) that it's beyond the point of cynicism. It's to the point that politicians are complete caricatures of what they pretend to be.

[JI7]

23. but even in the Edwards case we had leaks from outside people

in this case don't have anything from anyone else other than just bloggers wondering based on what they are reading and seeing in a few pics.

[TTUBatfan2008]

24. John Edwards was a VP candidate 4 years ago...

and a Presidential candidate for this year's election. The man has been in the spotlight a hell of a lot more than Palin.

[Stop Cornyn]

25. The not-her-baby speculation is just speculation; the my-water-broke and-I-got-on an-11-hour-flight

story is 100% true and confirmed by numerous sources.

Leave all of the speculation aside, and this is an easy-to-understand example of stunningly bad judgment.

[BumRushDaShow]

33. Bingo.

And the Edwards family had been aware of their own ticking time bomb for 2 years before the primaries began. Yet they went forward anyway. And even opted to participate in the charade during the "who would Edwards endorse" media fiasco through the post-Super Tuesday primaries. They broke so many hearts of supporters, including the many here on DU. Can you imagine the damage that would have been done if the allegations had surfaced right after Edwards endorsed Obama?

I won't give her any benefit of the doubt. As a journalism major who managed to actually get jobs on-air, and who recently has taken to going on the RW lunatic fringe talk show circuit, means that she has a massive ego and has the RW-owned M$M to cover her back. I wouldn't be surprised at this point, if the same corrupt repukes who she targeted for removal, respond to her in kind (my enemy's enemy).

[iamtechus]

16. Palin can easily put an end to these rumors

DNA doesn't lie and the test doesn't cost much. Hmm, wonder who the father is?
:wow:

[SoCalDem]

27. cell phone records probably record a panicky phone call at the very time her "water leaked"

"Water" probably did leak.. from her eyes..knowing she was about to be a grandma who would be responsible for raising a special needs child for the rest of her life..:(

[SoCalDem]

26. They did not have a "trusted" family doctor who knew that the baby was in another uterus..in Alaskar

:rofl:

[Vinca]

28. This is one of the fishiest stories I've ever heard.

It's common knowledge that any woman who has given birth to a number of children may very well have a speed-of-light delivery.

[Stop Cornyn]

29. The conspiracy is fishy smelling; the "official" story that she got on an 11 hour flight after her

water broke is clear evidence of horrible judgment.

[Nine]

32. I essentially agree with what you say

And I know your point is that the other details are not what's important, however I don't think this

"in photos before the child's birth, Bristol looks more pregnant than her mother"

has even been established. The one pic floating around is claimed to be from 2006. I wish people would just forget about that one unless they can verify it's a later photo.

[Czolgosz]

34. Agreed. We should question Palin on her own account of events; not the rumors which only distract

from the real issue of bad judgment.