The American Spectator

Reader Mail

(Page 3 of 15)

I am going to have to disagree almost totally with Robert McCain on his assessment of this issue. To put it bluntly, there is no down side for the McCain/Palin campaign because of this pregnancy. Why, you ask? Let me 'splain, please.

In the first place, the campaign did not attempt to hide the fact of this young woman's pregnancy. They simply did not notify the press about it. Neither did they trumpet the existence of a Down's Syndrome child -- they let the media do that on its own. They wanted it to be treated as a private family matter that had no bearing on the campaign. There was no possible way that this matter could have been kept confidential. The news media or Democratic political operatives would, and did, ferret it out in short order as it was fairly common knowledge in Gov. Palin's home town. And the media, in this era of "press release" journalism, would automatically assume that if they actually had to do their job and go out and find information, then someone was trying to hide it from them.

In today's society, this is a non-issue. Two children made a mistake. Apparently all parties involved are going to assume responsibility and bring the child into this world and attempt to provide a stable home and family for it. What is the downside for the campaign? There is none. Gov. Palin's family adheres to her stated values of anti-abortion, personal responsibility and family values. If she ran for President today, she just wrapped up 80% of the Conservative vote. And, by making this a private family matter with no bearing on the campaign, it takes both family off the campaign table and shifts the spotlight back onto the candidates and the issues. Which is where the McCain campaign wants it to be.

The only downside here is to the Obama campaign. Because of how this was presented as a "gotcha" of Gov. Palin by the media and liberal bloggers, Obama was forced to issue a statement supporting his adversaries' campaign and criticizing the actions of his allied media organs, or risk looking like a political thug. It also has served to highlight Obama's public stance in favor of unlimited abortion.

An added bonus is that it dramatically reduces the power of the liberal blogs, in this campaign. Many of them were touting the theory that Palin's youngest child, born with Down's syndrome, was in fact Bristol's child. Bristol's pregnancy effectively eliminated that possibility and will serve to cast doubt on the accuracy of future liberal blog reports by making the bloggers appear incompetent and petty.

Whether the handling of this issue by the McCain/Palin campaign was extremely good tactics, or extremely good luck, the results are the same; positive for McCain.

p>I have one piece of advice for campaign watchers. Do not analyze this battle using conventional campaign norms and wisdom. I am not a McCain supporter, but his campaign staff has been masterful so far. This campaign is all about Obama and his message of change. A message that, as yet, has little substance. Yet, outside of the bulk of the media and the liberal fringe, he has little actual support. McCain's people have built a ticket that just may get Conservative voters to the polls. They have managed to leave the media and lib bloggers with egg on their faces. And they have managed to gain a sympathetic response form their adversary, while pointing up his record on abortion in a backhanded way. I may have been wrong in my assessment of the coming campaign. This may not be such a yawner after all. br> -- Michael Tobias /p>

The only crisis precipitated is one that will identify who is and who is not a bona fide hypocrite.

That someone even posits that an election hangs on this issue with Gov. Palin's pregnant but unmarried teenage daughter is preposterous.

Equally idiotic, though cowardly as well as two-faced, is how the Demockacrats, liberals and leftists -- and their lapdogs, actually campaign propagandists, in the wrongly named MSM -- raise a standard to which none -- none -- of them have ever challenged one another to meet.

As for the ridicule that has already ensued and will follow? Please, are we now saying that late-night comedians have that much influence or moral authority?

p>What a sad day for America when, yet again, the unborn, who have no rights -- especially if they find themselves at the hands of the DLLs -- must endure the evil and cynicism that dwells in the already-borns' hearts and souls.

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