Sex, Lies, and Republican Hypocrisy

Posted on September 2nd, 2008 by Moe White

A friend whom I like and admire wrote me:

but for Democrats to smear someone for getting pregnant before marriage (which is the way the Republicans may spin it) is playing into their hands. I think they will try to turn it into a positive for the anti-choice crowd. It is a constant challenge for me — as much as I CAN’T STAND them — not to be as nasty as they are.

Here’s what I have to say about that:

Of course the Republicans and the out-of-the-ballpark-right-wing Christian dominionists are already spinning it that it would be a “smear” to point out that the Palins’ teenage daughter is pregnant before marriage. They’ve managed to convince Obama and Biden that “families are off limits.” The fundie spokespersons have also already spun Sarah Palin’s decision (on her daughter’s behalf) as a portrait of “someone who lives their convictions.”

So the Palins and their daughter are “living their convictions” in terms of not aborting the fetus — and demanding a halo of self-righteousness for doing so. For the moment let’s overlook the fact that these same people also insist that the rest of us live by THEIR convictions, regardless of our own beliefs.

What’s more to the point is that as they SIMULTANEOUSLY ignore their own convictions about “no sex before or outside of marriage,” they want — they demand, and for the most part the media gives them — a FREE PASS for that. And that’s where the hypocrisy becomes part of the political game.

Remember, Mommy Palin was pregnant when she had to marry Todd, her high school sweetheart, 20 years ago. Now her daughter is pregnant and has to marry her guy, too. But if the Republicans and, particularly, the dominionists have their way, NOBODY ELSE should ever be allowed to have sex before or outside of marriage, or to know the consequences of it — because, in Sarah Palin’s words, “explicit sex education” is wrong, and sex outside of marriage (and before marriage) is sinful, and ONLY abstinence education works to keep children pure. How well it worked with her own daughter!

These people are instantly ready to forgive all the “sins” that Republicans commit, because “everyone is human” and “has human failings.” But just let ONE DEMOCRAT have even the most minor sexual encounter outside of marriage, and watch him get impeached!

I simply can’t consider telling the truth and pointing out their lies and shameless hypocrisy to be nasty.

Tags: Election 2008, Ethics, Other Political Thoughts, Party Politics, Religion // 20 Comments »

  • http://www.blogstitution.com Joel_

    Well, the left’s hypocracy is evident here as well. It was OK for Bill Clinton on lie, cheat around… all democrats came to HIS defense…

    but whenever REPUBLICANS sleep around… they are viciously attacked by Democrats (the flag-bearers of tolerance) and kicked out of their offices– see Gingrich, Larry Craig, Mark Foley…

    Wouldn’t you agree that your activities as a teen-ager should not be held to the same standards as your activities as a President? I think there SHOULD BE a different standard… and am shocked to hear you don’t seem to think so…. you so easily equate the two…

  • TCB

    Sen. Obama tells the attack dogs to quiet their yapping. But Palin’s family is too irresistible.

    Andy or Citizen X apparently didn’t get the memo:

    “They’ve managed to convince Obama and Biden that “families are off limits.” The fundie spokespersons have also already spun Sarah Palin’s decision (on her daughter’s behalf) as a portrait of ”someone who lives their convictions.”

    So the Palins and their daughter are ”living their convictions” in terms of not aborting the fetus – and demanding a halo of self-righteousness for doing so. For the moment let’s overlook the fact that these same people also insist that the rest of us live by THEIR convictions, regardless of our own beliefs.”

    ME:
    Families have been off limits. Remember Billy Carter. We knew that he wasn’t Jimmy.? Remember Roger Clinton? I don’t think that Billy or Roger or Al Gore’s troubled son was relevant to anyone’s vote. Billy and Roger were seen as amusing first family stories and everyone has amusing families.

    Andy apparently believes that the Palin women are not “living their convictions” for having children under difficult circumstance.

    Did they fully live up to their convictions? Writers to this blog seem to know more about the Palins than I do, but I assume that no one fully lives up to their convictions. I admire their fortitude.

    BTW, I also admire Barack Obama’s mother’s fortitude. Obama could be a pro-life icon considering the circumstances of his birth.

  • http://www.whereistheoutrage.net ecthompson

    TCB –

    Are you suggesting that because Barack Obama says something we should follow it without thought, without question?

    As a politician, Barack Obama said he needed to. As someone who is a critic of social conservatives, it is important to note the actions of Sarah Palin. She is the one under the spotlight. If you are a social conservative, which she says she is, then you believe that the parents role in a child’s life is paramount. Am I wrong? I’m questioning her ability as a parent, as a leader and as a role model. It is clear that parents were involved in their children’s lives can affect the rate of pregnancy. Isn’t this true? It is a central tenet of social conservatism.

    I look forward to your comments.

  • YST

    The Republicans are lying. It is just hard for me to believe that people are buying this garbage.

    The daughter is not pregnant. She has already had the baby. Look at her stomach, it is flat, not round like when a woman is pregnant.

    What they will do is say she lost the baby and then people will feel sorry for them and vote republican because everybody was talking about the mama.

    I have had four kids myself, I know when there is a bun in the oven and when it has already been toasted.

    Bill Clinton was a cheat and a liar, that has nothing to do with the way the republicans are constantly lying and having the nerve to dare people to call them on it.
    Can we not find one OBGYN who can look at someone who is suppose to be preg and tell if they are not?

  • dave r

    @ecthompson

    You ASSUME that because Palin is a crazy, right-wing conservative that she CONTROLS her daughter and therefore any mistake by her daughter is somehow PALIN’S MISTAKE TOO (or, at least, shows a problem with parenting). (right?)

    You know, if her daughter would have LISTENED TO her mother… this pregnancy wouldn’t have happened… I FAIL TO SEE HOW EVEN UNDER YOUR LOGIC, this is a parenting failure.

    I didn’t know if you realized this, but her daughter is a independent human being who makes her own decisions. you can’t force children to obey, you can’t make every decision for them. Palin isn’t DAMANDING ANY SPECIAL KIND OF TREATMENT… she is just showing her CHARACTER by forgiving, accepting, supporting, and encouraging her daughter to do the RIGHT THING in a difficult situation. Why don’t you see this?

    Get off this stupid smear on her kids… listen to your man Obama….

  • JeffLeon

    Obama just hit 50% for the first time. The Perils of Palin may be sinking McCain in the polls. Best Dems just clam up and let the Repugs screw-up. A few discreet laughs are cool too because by any reasonable standard, Republican moralists defending out-of-wedlock pregnancy is a hoot.

  • http://www.blogstitution.com Joel_

    Jeff, if the media (and this blog) were not attacking the pregnancy of a poor 17 year old girl… acting like high-school journalists instead of NATIONAL REPORTERS… we wouldn’t NEED to come to this poor girl’s defense.

    Republican moralists are defending her poor choices… (we) are defending her as a human being from this VISCOUS, unprecedented political attacks on a candidate’s underage daughter. We are trying to protect her emotionally from the untold damage the left is trying to do to her by exposing her so nakedly. I have 2 younger sisters… and I can’t believe the callousness in which this girl’s mistakes are being paraded around on national television for political purposes. it’s SICK.

    Liberals have really crossed the line. They want the presidency SOO badly… they are willing to dig up dirt and plaster a 17 year old girl all over the media in order to hurt a political candidate. it’s SHAMEFUL. They did it to Cheny’s daughter too… it’s shameful. What kind of party does this? What kind of media does this?

  • http://www.whereistheoutrage.net ecthompson

    Dave R –

    You don’t see it because you don’t want to see it. i know many people who were not pregnant at age 17. Why is that? An accident? Or parents staying on top of their children? No late nights. Who are you with? Bring him by before you go out with him so that your father can chat with him.

    Accident? Hardly.

  • http://www.blogstitution.com Joel_

    FYI. – Via WashingTimes

    …courtesy of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unwanted Pregnancy, is this: The teen pregnancy and birth rate in Alaska is below the national average and, since the early 1990s, has declined more steeply than the national average…

    All those sex-ed classes Palin so heartily endorses, no doubt.

  • YST

    I guess we must have a higher standard for our kids than some people. My husband and I stayed on all 4 of our kids behinds. 2 boys and 2 girls. 2 have graduated from college and are working, our baby is a Sr. in college now, and our other son has a good job and is working and taking better care of himself than the ones who graduated from college.

    Raising our kids was one of the hardest jobs that we had, but with God’s help, we did it. I had to cut back on church work at one point, to devote attention to raising my own kids and it worked. When parents take the time to actually raise their kids, the kids will usually turn out okay.

    Palin need to put her family first and raise her kids. They should be her first responsibility. Country First my behind, that is just crazy!

  • http://www.whereistheoutrage.net ecthompson

    YST –

    I would agree and congratulate you.

    I think that Sarah or her husband need to focus on the kids. It appears to me that no one is looking after the kids.

    thanks for your comments.

  • Chris

    The daughter is not pregnant. She has already had the baby. Look at her stomach, it is flat, not round like when a woman is pregnant.

    I have had four kids myself, I know when there is a bun in the oven and when it has already been toasted.

    That’s a silly argument. You could just as easily have said:

    “Thompson isn’t a surgeon. Look at him. He doesn’t wear a lab coat like a surgeon. I’ve been to four surgeons myself, I know when someone is a surgeon and when he just pretends.”

    Of course, my first question would be, “why would they lie?”, and, following quickly on the heels of that question would be my second, “what do they hope to accomplish by lying?”.

    YST, please elaborate. Why would they lie about her pregnancy? What would be the desired end result of said lie?

  • Mark

    I’ve been lurking for a while, and this discussion finally prompted me to comment.

    first:

    The daughter is not pregnant. She has already had the baby. Look at her stomach, it is flat, not round like when a woman is pregnant.

    What they will do is say she lost the baby and then people will feel sorry for them and vote republican because everybody was talking about the mama.

    This is utter speculation. If you have facts to support this contention, let’s discuss them. Otherwise, this statement is of little value to the conversation.

    Second:

    I think what many people fail to understand is that the religious right never claimed to be perfect. They believe such activities like pre-marital sex as a sin, and thus, Gov. Palin’s daughter has sinned. I don’t think anyone on the far-right would argue that she hasn’t. Furthermore, I don’t think it’s fair to question the governor’s ability as a parent, particularly when none of us know her. She can teach her kids right and wrong (maybe she did it well, maybe poorly, I sure don’t know) but at the end of the day, her daughter is 17 and capable of making her own decisions, even poor ones. The point is that while the Christian right preaches a multitude of things, they also accept that human beings fail. They simply urge us to be better (as defined by them).

    I also don’t think it’s fair to criticize Palin as a “bad mother” simply by virtue of running for higher office. The implication there is that a mother of 5 should focus on being a mother only, but that strikes me as grossly inconsistent with what the feminist movement was really about. My understanding is that women should be treated as equals as men, and afforded the same opportunities. Women should be able to chose the life they lead, whether it’s motherhood or the vice presidency. I don’t see anyone complaining about Speaker Pelosi being a bad mother for her 5 kids, and she’s been in politics for 20 years.

    Two more points, then I’ll stop.

    1) How is the Christian right insisting that people live by their their convictions any different than the left telling me what car I should drive, or (in the case of the ultra-far left) that I shouldn’t eat animals? It’s free speech either way and if you don’t like it, ignore it.

    2) I make no judgements on the Christian right and I readily acknowledge they can be sanctimonious jerks. So can any other person with deeply held beliefs. I am big believer in personal responsibility and not pointing to the wrongdoings of others to justify our own actions.

  • Mark

    oops, sorry about the excessive italics, i thought I coded that correctly. hopefully my comments are still legible.

  • YST

    Why would Sarah Palin lie?

    Well, she would lie because she did not want peopleto know her daughter was pregnant. Hence, removing her from school for 5 months for Mono. From a brief web search,mono may take you out of school for weeks not months.

    She would lie, because a lot of people, tend to blame the parents when their kids make mistakes, kind of like they are doing now.

    She would like because, she can.

    Why not lie, people will believe anything she says. It is all about image and people have been lying since forever to protect their image.

    What I can not understand is why she did not just tell the truth from the begining instead of letting this lie just grow and masterzie into this big mess. Especially in todays world. People would have understood, but she keeps adding lie, on top of lie, and on top of that pimping her kids and the grand baby.

    Say what you want, she should have told the truth fromthe beginning. Sarah’s situation is nothing new, I have seen parents lie like this for years, this is the first time I have seen someone try to profit from it though.

    Why would she lie indeed!

  • Chris

    As far as mononucleosis goes, I’ve known people who have had it for months. The Doc is probably a better authority on this, but it seems to met that the weeks/months argument is weak at best.

    You’ve jumped to the conclusion that she’s lied, but produced no credible evidence that she has done so. Further, suggesting that she would lie because she didn’t want anyone to find out her daughter was pregnant doesn’t follow the known facts:

    1) We’ve known she was pregnant since the beginning. Nowhere has there been any sort of lie told about her from the Palin/McCain/Republican camps. It has all been matter of fact. The child made a dumb decision and is now living with the consequences. Case closed.

    2) What extensive lie pattern are you referring to? The girl is pregnant. I’ve never heard anything saying otherwise.

  • http://n/a Bill

    I too have been a lurker on this site who has not commented until now, and I am shocked by the attack from the author of this blog. Then again, I guess it should not have surprised me that much, since Olberman is his favorite “journalist.”

    ecthompson – since you are questioning Palin’s ability to lead based on the mistake of her teenage daughter, did you support the impeachment of Clinton? Surely you must have.

    Do you have daughters of your own? I do, and I could never bring myself to pass the same judgements you and others have made, even if the situation were reversed and it was Obama or Biden who had a pregnant teenage daughter.

    What a gutless bunch of attack dogs you libs have revealed yourselves to be.

  • http://www.whereistheoutrage.net ecthompson

    Bill –

    Keith Olbermann is not my favorite journalist. He’s a commentator. He’s the only commentator that liberals can look to. No one else is even close to being unbiased or leaning towards the left. (I’m not saying that Keith is unbiased. He is the anti-O’Reilly that is what he is.) All the major journalists or commentators lean to the right or bathed in right-wing hypocrisy.

    What have I said that has offended anyone? I think that if you ask anyone in middle America – should one of the parents be responsible for looking after the kids, the answer is yes. Is that offensive? I’m not questioning Sarah Palin’s ability to lead based on her ability to parent (although there is clearly some of the same traits are needed to lead and to parent). Instead, I am pointing out the hypocrisy of the right wing. It is clearly evidenced by Bill O’Reilly who went crazy on Britney Spears’s sister who was 16 she got pregnant. Bill O’Reilly called her and her parents “pinheads.” He said, “But here the blame falls primarily on the parents of the girl, who obviously have little control over her or even over Britney Spears. Look at the way she behaves.” Now, Bill O’Reilly thinks that a 17-year-old pregnant out of wedlock is okay (see video), just as long as the child is not on welfare or some sort of government handout.

    To answer your other question, the answer is yes. I do have a daughter who is 26. I remember sitting down at meeting the “boyfriend” more than once. I remember talking to my daughter about protection. I remember talking to her about staying out of uncomfortable situations. I also talked to her about calling me if she got into one of those uncomfortable situations and wanted someone to help her out. We had a number of these conversations because it was my duty as a father inform my daughter about sex and men.

    Finally, this isn’t my post but it is my blog. And I’ve allowed Andy to post whatever he wants. I stand by an open forum for discussion.

    If you want to call that gutless well that is clearly your choice.

    I’m ecstatic that Senator John McCain has chosen Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. The contrast of ideas, of how to run the country, could not be any greater.

    Thank you for your comments.

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  • http://n/a Bill

    Sorry ecthompson – I totally missed that this was not your post.

    I cannot defend what Bill O’Reilly said. I get the hypocrisy in that. But I also draw a distinction between those 2 families based on the facts that are before us. If the Palin family had the same record as the Spears’, then my opinion of Palin’s ability to lead would be different. As it stands, I sympathize with Palin, and I would sympathize with Obama as well. I appreciate them both for their committment to family (as far as I can tell).

    I intend to have similar conversations with my daughters, who are very young. Do you assume that Palin did not have that conversation with her daughter? Just because she supports abstinence only education does not mean she did not have that conversation. Personally, my views on what a state employer should teach vs what I as a parent should teach are drastically different.

    I will not question her ability to parent based on this one issue. It seems like a rush to judgment.

    I apologize that my gutless comment was made in anger and overstated. Let’s just say that I am disgusted at what Liberals are doing to this family, to a 17 yr old child, and I was surprised to see it here.

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