Please check out Dr K's post Searching Myself for Praise of Sarah Palin.
Dr K had taken me up on my offer to make a wager on who Barack Obama would pick as his running mate. Biden was one of my three, so Dr K lost. The loser had the challenge of having to pen a post praising McCain's pick. Of course at that time, we were thinking it'd be someone like Pawlenty, Romney, or Crist--slightly easier targets of praise. Little did we know! But Dr K did what he could.
There's been some discussion on whether the recent news about Palin's 17 year old daughter will have a negative impact on the electorate and whether it is "fair game." Even though I was among some of the voices that said Palin's own family choices are relevant to her seeking the office of the vice president, I got to say that--duh!--her daughter is NOT fair game.
This is a young person who has not chosen to put herself in the public eye. It is an unfair and unhelpful standard to hold a politician accountable for the mistakes of their children--particularly for such a common mistake. My response to this news: whatever!
But will socially conservative voters respond to this? Are you kidding? These people didn't turn away from Bush-Cheney even though Cheney has a gay daughter as John Kerry inartfully reminded us. If that didn't change their vote, then the 2008 running mate's 17 year old daughter carrying a pregnany to term won't matter much. Except maybe to Alan Keyes.
