Not to be left out of the buzz and noise surrounding our Governor’s so-called conspiracy pregnancy, I thought I would chime in. When we travelled to Juneau this February, we fully intended to take a hike to Mendenhall Glacier, then do some urban hiking (walking) around downtown Juneau. Sadly, the weather was crap and the snow leading to the glacier was nearly impassable. Anyway, on to the point…
When we met Sarah at her house to begin the video shoot, she was in a rush but extremely polite and willing to work with us. We staged the coffee delivery just for fun and totally pre-planned the hike to her office. Regarding her pregnancy, all I can say is that it was not obvious to the three of us who were there during the filming. At this time she would be somewhere in her 7th month of pregnancy, which could be hidden with clever clothing, jackets, etc. Remember, it was February in Alaska.
It’s been interesting to read all the theories, conclusions and conspiracy talk about Sarah and her daughter being involved in some pregnancy cover up. While I can’t confirm or deny any of that, there are a few things I would like to make clear:
- Sarah did not drink much of the caramel latte we brought her, which if I recall was decaffeinated.
- In the video, she talks of “thrashing her legs and guts”. Clearly this is what she likes to do in the summer months, not while she is 7 months pregnant!
- The pin on her lapel was not an Israeli flag, it’s the service flag or “son in service” emblem.
- Sarah is a very gracious host and was sincere in all her comments both on and off camera.
It’s almost humorous how the rumors grow exponentially and overnight. As for me and for the rest of us who visited Sarah back in February - I’m fairly certain we can say that we had no idea she was pregnant, nor do we think there is some huge scandalous cover up taking place.
All of that aside, we hope you enjoy(ed) the Alaska HDTV Hike of the Week with Sarah Palin!
Scott with Sarah Palin
Closeup of the pin on Sarah’s lapel
Kevin with Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin on Alaska HDTV
Hike of the Week Urban Hike with Sarah Palin
We take a hike (walk) from the Governor’s house to her office.
Another politician on Alaska HDTV
2008 Iditarod Ceremonial Start
We talk with Lisa Murkowski at the ceremonial start of the Iditarod in downtown Anchorage. (10:25)
-Kevin
August 30th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Wow. I don’t know… it does seem really fishy. Maybe not as fishy as a fresh catch of scrod, but hey — still, I don’t know!
It seems plausible that indeed, there could have been a coverup. The images of her daughter taken around that same time seem to suggest that the daughter COULD have been pregnant. The question that I have is: Can anyone see medical records of Sarah Palin? If she isn’t forthcoming with hospital documentation, the whole thing will get REALLY big, really fast — a lot bigger (and a lot faster) than any pregnancy…
August 30th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
People…she’s been vetted I’m PRETTY sure this HUGE and obvious “evidence” has been checked out. They aren’t going to put someone with something THIS fishy in as the VP! Plus do you REALLY think that the Palin family would put Bristol with her obvious “baby bump” on the far left outside of the family picture wearing a tight shirt, knowing it would be out in the public or used for the public to see?! Come on…that baby bumps SHOPPED!
August 30th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Sorry but it’s easy to stuff your shirt and then throw a jacket or sweater on to appear pregnant. However, when you look at Bristol’s photo’s from 2006 she was skinny. Then fast forward to when Sarah was supposed to be pregnant and it’s Bristol who looks pregnant, and by the way Bristol wasn’t wearing a jacket you could see it in a fitted shirt. So until I see a picture of Sarah wearing just a regular shirt instead of big jackets, or sweaters then I do believe it’s her daughter. Sarah Palin pulled her daughter out of High School and the public eye due to mono, but I don’t know any kid that gains weight ONLY in the boobs and belly from mono. PEOPLE WHO GO TO SCHOOL AND OTHER PEOPLE IN ALASKA HAVE BEEN TRYING TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS STORY!
August 30th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Actually, as a pro-choice Dem and Palin for VP detractor, I think she could be in her 7th month of pregnancy there, especially with an unhealthy baby. I have a coworker with a long, straight torso, and I had no idea she was pregnant when she was 8 mths along, and I’m a woman.
August 30th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Thanks for your insight and great video, I used to live in Juneau as a teenager and enjoyed the trip down memory lane. Heritage Coffee was the only place in town worth hanging out at back then, looks like it still is.
And no I don’t believe Sarah Palin was pregnant in the least. While this is a personal matter, it raises questions about her honesty and further clouds her role as a potential VP of the United States.
August 30th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
As a mother of a child with Downs, I know how much extra love and care they require. My husband and I both worked so hard to take care of our little boy, and at the end of the day we were exhausted but he was our number one priority. I can’t see her giving that 4-month old child, not only born with downs but also born premature, the love and care he needs right now. I don’t see how she could allow herself to leave him- I know I couldn’t. Her running for VP would actually make more sense to me if this child is her daughter’s.
August 30th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
As a doctor, I don’t want to add to this discussion other than to clear of misinformation. Just this year a study came out and proved that having a child with Down Syndrome is not at all linked to age. I was at a conference last winter where the study was presented in full, and it has been published in many journals since then. A woman of any age can half a baby with downs at any time.
August 30th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
I find it interesting are the fact that her daughter was out of school with “mono” for 4-5 months, leading up to and shortly after the baby was born. There are several photos of that daughter during that period looking like she’s the one with the bump.
And finally, WHO IN THERE RIGHT MIND FLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN THEIR THIRD TRIMESTER? AND EVEN MORE APPALLING, WHO DOES FLIES BACK ACROSS THE COUNTRY ON A FLIGHT WITH A STOP-OVER A HALF DAY AFTER YOUR WATER BROKE A MONTH EARLIER THAN YOU WERE SUPPOSEDLY DUE?
August 30th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
If this is true it raises a LOT of questions! A woman who says that abortion is wrong even in cases of incest or rape, and who says that she would want her daughter to have a child even if she were raped….THEN, this Down’s Syndrome child? Are you thinking what I’m thinking? All I know is 44 year old Mom’s often have children with birth defects but teen moms very seldom do….EXCEPT in cases of incest
August 30th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Ok, let’s end the debate and speculation, show me a picture of Sarah breast feeding her 4 month old infant..that should do it, don’t you think?
If she is the “earth mother” they say she is there has to be someone that has caught that delightful picture (for the “Inquirer”) or will shortly. Then again with all they can do with computer photo’s these days, will we ever know for sure?
Of coarse we will, because it won’t be long before everything there is to know about Sarah will be floating around online and out on the air waves. If she has something to hide. she better have figured out how to bury it before she left home for the convention. We all know that while she is away, Alaska will be having plenty of visitors to all the vital records and much more.
The bottom line, I’m not so much concerned about whose the mother of the down syndrome child, what does concern me is Sarah’s confessed unwillingness to allow my 44 yr old daughter, or my 18 yr old grand daughter “the right to choose.” After all Sarah had “the right to choose” and made her choice, but she doesn’t believe other women should have the right if they don’t make her choice.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Scott hopefully you have the server capacity to handle what I’m guessing will be a gigantic bump in site traffic for this video. I’d suggest viddler.com otherwise, since you can logo and permalink to your own site w/ it. This innocent video could make you end up being the Woodward and Bernstein of the 2008 campaign, as everything else people are pointing to are still images. She made an appearance for the Iditarod on March 1st, again wearing a coat, but again showing no bump.
http://gov.state.ak.us/photos/ap080301034213.jpg
This could never happen in NYC or DC, advantages of holding statewide office in a lightly populated state
August 30th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Sara,
I am sure that you know better than most how much care a child with Down’s requires. My sister and brother-in-law are about to find out. She is 39 and under the care of a high risk doctor and concerned about the possible health problems. Right now they just hope that he will be healthy and will have no significant health problems. What I find unbelievable is that Sarah Palin would have gotten on an 11 hour flight after her water broke, knowing she was going to deliver a baby one month prematurely that had special needs. My sister would never make that choice. She will stay near her doctor and the hospital to make sure that she takes no risks with the baby’s health. I can’t imagine many women about to deliver a baby would make this choice (are there any women out there who would chose to labor in an airplane for 11 hours?). Something is just not right with this story. Either it isn’t her baby or she made an incredibly risky choice that most women would never make.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Katie - I agree, with some women it’s hard to tell they are pregnant, even at 7-8 months. Look at pictures of super-skinny models and celebrities for proof. BUT, it’s highly unlikely that an average-sized, 44 year old woman, who has had FOUR PREVIOUS PREGNANCIES would not be showing at 6 or 7 months. Possible, but very, very unlikely.
The flying while in labor thing really gets me…as it is, women with high-risk pregnancies (and in her case this is doubly the case, a Down’s baby AND advanced maternal age) are not supposed to fly that late in their pregnancies. And a commercial airliner probably has rules about these matters, particularly if her water had already broken.
Also, Down’s babies are usually 10-20% below average birth weight. This baby was Down’s AND premature and still managed to weigh in at 6 pounds 2 oz? To a mother who wasn’t showing at 7 months? Again, VERY HIGHLY UNLIKELY.
This does sound like a coverup. And their reaction to it (i.e. taking down all the pictures from the internet instead of leaving them up as they would if they have nothing to hide) adds to my suspicions.
Of course, no one will ever admit to this or be able to prove it, and anyone who brings it up for political reasons will be bashed and attacked mercilessly. Alas, this is how politics works.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Yesterday, when Palin appeared in public, her daughter was the one carrying the baby. Not Palin. Not Palin’s husband, the alleged dad. Bristol.
Today, when Palin gave a speech, she introduced the family members who were on the stage. Then she mentioned that Trig and her daughter were in the trailer, because it was Trig’s nap time.
Why is Trig inseparable from Bristol, his alleged “sister”?
I’d like to see the following:
DNA testing to prove it is Sarah’s daughter, and Bristol’s sister.
and
an explanation for why Palin chose to fly at an extremely dangerous time in the pregnancy, with a high risk pregnancy, and then went to a hospital that had no NICU or other facilities for dealing with a high risk pregnancy?
August 30th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
I should add to my last comment that Sarah, of course, doesn’t have to prove anything. But if she wants to shut me up, and get a very sincere apology, it would sure be an easy way to do it.
Until that time, I will speak my mind, and my opinion, which is that I don’t believe that child is her daughter but her granddaughter.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Think about it - McCain has admitted he did not vet this woman. Said they didn’t feel it was necessary. That is going to bite them in the ass.
August 30th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Either she wasn’t pregnant, or she took a plane trip to Texas at the age of 43 with a Down’s syndrome fetus while 7+ months pregnant with her fifth pregnancy.
And then she flew back AFTER her water broke, according to an Anchorage Newspaper story. There’s not an Obstetrician on the planet that would approve of either trip. And the trip back showed horrible disregard for her baby. And no airline would allow a woman in potential labor to board. Especially a 12 hour flight that goes up 30-40K feet where the air is thinner.
So either she disobeyed her doctor or her doctor wasn’t asked.
This is horrible judgment. And we are supposed to trust her with the country?
Pretending to be pregnant to protect her daughter actually shows greater judgment, though less honesty.
August 30th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
In response to Brandi’s comment, the oldest son Track enlisted in the Army on September 11, 2007, right around the time this pregnancy would have been confirmed.
Yes, Down’s Syndrome is greatly increased when the parents are closely related.
If nothing else, Gov. Palin’s decision to take flights back to Alaska after her water breaking, being a high-risk pregnancy (at age 44, regardless of her health) and knowing that she was carrying a special needs child shows very poor judgement. It is not the sort of judgement that lends itself to a Vice President, first in line to the Presidency.
If Sarah Palin was so quick to lie to the airline about her imminent delivery, putting herself and her child at great risk, what makes us doubt she’d lie about other things too?
August 30th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Out of curiosity, I did a google search for images of what someone would like like in their 28th week of pregnancy. Here’s the link:http://tinyurl.com/5ht2mj. Sarah Palin seems far too slim to in the videos, to have delivered a baby on April 18th.
August 30th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Republicans are good. they are putting this silly history for us to bite. So they can say ” what a shame, they hate her because she is a woman, oh the liberals are putting dirt on a teen and on a wonderfull mother”
palin was a very smart pick. i just hope wont work.
August 30th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
I would expect a doctor would know how to spell a little better. You people are insane. You think you can make judgements about a person’s condition based on photos and videos. You want there to be something scandalous. The girl that insinuated incest? What is that all about? Pathetic…and I’m an Obama supporter!
August 30th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Breastfeeding does not confirm pregnancy. Some medicines can be used to induce milk production. Adoptive moms have done this.
August 30th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
She looks larger in the video and stills taken at that time than she does now. At the end of the video, it looks like she touches her stomach, and it sticks out. In answer to other statements here, I don’t think she’d treat the baby any differently if she were the real mother or not, and I don’t see where incest comes into this.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:20 am
Sarah doesn’t look pregnant; Bristol does. Bristol is out of school for mono. Sarah flies across the country when she’s 8 months pregnant. She insists on flying home even after she goes into labor. She’s delivering a premature child with Downs Syndrome and goes to some tiny clinic instead of a hospital with a baby ICU?
Individually it doesn’t mean much but everything taken together it looks like one gigantic lie.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:20 am
Bristol Was Clearly Pregnant. Have you seen the pictures? The “Baby bump” is more than clear in those pics of the family and I have yet to see a recent picture of Sarah Palin where she looks pregnant. http://www.bristolpalinpregnant.com
August 31st, 2008 at 1:23 am
She wasn’t vetted. That’s the problem. I am sure McCain and his staff had no idea of this.
“Phillips has been active in the Ted Stevens re-election steering committee and remains in close touch with Sen. Lisa Murkowski and other party leaders, and she said nobody had heard anything about McCain’s people doing research on his prospective running mate.
“We’re not a very big state. People I talk to would have heard something.”"
August 31st, 2008 at 1:34 am
Kevin,
How long was that walk exactly? I do not recall my wife wearing small heeled boots when she was 6 or 7 months pregnant. Flats all the time.
Do you know, as being an Alaskian resident, why she did not announce her pregnancy to the public?
August 31st, 2008 at 1:56 am
She looks pregnant to me. Remember, the baby was born a full month premature so it was due in late May. Meanwhile there is a photo of Bristol near the time of the baby’s birth and at most she looks slightly chubby. Some stupid blogger claims she is pregnant!
Is this a Karl Rove trap to make democrats look stupid and distract us from the actual issues??
Give it up!
August 31st, 2008 at 2:18 am
Something is up with this story. I don’t know what it is, but the story of the hidden, invisible pregnancy, and the flying across the country on a commercial flight AFTER she knew her water had broken and the returning to work after 72 hours….something is wrong with this. And if she is the mother of a preemie Downs child who is just a few months old, my God, what is she doing running for VP? My cousin - God rest her soul - had Downs and it was constant work and worry for my aunt and uncle. Something is very, very wrong here.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:22 am
HOW could Sarah Palin think she could get away with something like this, unless she is totally insane?!
On the video she walks briskly, in HEELS, through snow, and never even gets out of breath?
WHY would she allow those damning photos of Bristol to be taken and to appear on the internet, if she was trying to cover up her daughter’s pregnancy?
Bristol DOES seem to have a swollen abdomen and breasts–plus she has a rather coy smile on her face, sort of like “the cat who swallowed the canary”!
SO WHAT IS THE TRUTH? Is Bristol the real mother, and Sarah just insane to think this would work? or what??
August 31st, 2008 at 3:43 am
Here is a YouTube video of a state GOP convention meeting in March that very clearly shows a very pregnant Governor Palin. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQe3JFWPbEo
August 31st, 2008 at 4:16 am
It would be a long pregnancy for Bristol… The picture of the family is two years old…
August 31st, 2008 at 5:49 am
I don’t think the you tube video shows she’s definitely pregnant-she’s wearing a jacket. I just think there are so many questions and that some of her behavior is not that of an intelligent, caring woman (flying across the country for hours when your water broke…) perhaps the McCain camp screwed up by not vetting her or not vetting her well enough. McCain has admitted that he doesn’t even know her-only met her twice. They chose a woman to try to get the Hillary vote. I would like to see pictures of her daughter immediately after the birth.
August 31st, 2008 at 8:07 am
She was pregnant. Even in the video of her hike she could well be pregnant. Some women don’t show as much as others.
I also hate to tell people some women can have “bumps” around the hips. I did at Bristol’s age and still have it, and I have NEVER been pregnant.
I really believe people should stop peddling this garbage.
August 31st, 2008 at 8:16 am
“Sarah doesn’t look pregnant; Bristol does. Bristol is out of school for mono. Sarah flies across the country when she’s 8 months pregnant. She insists on flying home even after she goes into labor. She’s delivering a premature child with Downs Syndrome and goes to some tiny clinic instead of a hospital with a baby ICU?
Individually it doesn’t mean much but everything taken together it looks like one gigantic lie.”
You Obama supporters need to stop peddling this filth. The YouTube a couple of posts above clearly shows Sarah Palin is pregnant.
As somebody above pointed out, her baby was born premature.
August 31st, 2008 at 9:02 am
The swift removal of all photographs pertaining to the family from the Alaska government website, literally overnight, seems to put the nail in Ms Palin’s political coffin.
August 31st, 2008 at 9:18 am
Ezri, I don’t think it clearly shows anything. It’s a distant shot obscured by the podium and this was after her announcement, and after the chorus of “she wasn’t showing” comments came from the media. She could’ve simply added more layers of clothing to appear thicker.
August 31st, 2008 at 9:21 am
She announced her pregnancy on March 6th:
http://www.adn.com/front/story/336402.html
As the article indicates, it was a complete bombshell, surprising everyone who worked with her. No one had any idea she was pregnant, let alone claiming to be 7 months along.
That GOP convention meeting is the only time I’ve seen that she appears pregnant. She’s also wearing a lot of clothing, which means she could get away with putting a pillow under her shirt.
What I’d really like to see are pictures of her in April in Texas. After all, she flew on Alaska Air while her water leaked, and she had contractions…yet all the flight crew said that she never looked pregnant or in distress to them.
http://www.adn.com/626/story/382864.html
August 31st, 2008 at 9:22 am
Hey Kevin,
Well the one positive thing that came out of all of us Americans visiting your site to do some investigating was watching a learning about you city. I liked your response to the allegations. You kept it fair and objective.
Chuck From Atlanta Georgia
August 31st, 2008 at 10:18 am
I must say that this is completely apalling. This is just outright nastiness, and will probably scar her poor teenage daughter for life. So she is a little full-figured. Not every teen is as rail thin as a super model. This video shows a 5 month PG Palin, what she would have been since she was due in May, but delivered a month early in April. It is easy to see. Anyone who has been around pregnant women before for any length of time can see her obviously pregnant abdomen in this video. Equally clear is her “pregnancy waddle” - glaringly apparent in this video.
I happened to be in a situation almost identical to Sarah Palin’s. My water started a slow leak in the wee morning hours when I was 8 months pregnant - a full month before my due date. I called the doctor, and they said not to worry, it was probably nothing. That was on January 10th. I worked all day long. My water was still leaking the next day, January 11th. I finally decided I just needed to go to the doctor’s to be safe. They determined my amniotic fluid was leaking, I was admitted to the hospital, and had to have pitocin to induce actual active labor, exactly the same as what happened to Sarah. Finally, many hours later, my son was born. A full 48 hours after my amniotic started the slow leak. You KNOW when you are in active labor. She was not, and preferred to go home by plane to deliver her son.
August 31st, 2008 at 10:24 am
My wife is thin, and I can promise there was no way she could hide her pregnancy at 5 months, much less 7. Having said that, every woman is different.
It’s time the journalists start doing the work McCain obviously didn’t do. Even if it’s not true, a reasonable vetting process should have seen this coming and had a plan in place.
She says she’s a fisherwoman, and this sure sounds fishy!
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August 31st, 2008 at 10:39 am
Ezri, Palin is wearing a long, drapey cardigan in that video, and there’s not clear front shot of her belly. To say that is “very clearly shows a very pregnant Governor Palin” is quite the, um, stretch.
August 31st, 2008 at 11:29 am
I can’t believe that teenage mothers aren’t explaining the “Muffin Belly” syndrome. This is a humurous jibe at teenagers who wear hip huggers that are too tight. Bristol is obviously caught in this fashion trap. Try wearing these sometime and you’ll understand what “Muffin Belly” is.
August 31st, 2008 at 11:40 am
Ezri, I watched the video. I saw a woman wearing a coat giving a speech. Pregnant? I did not see it in that video.
August 31st, 2008 at 11:43 am
Scott, we have left the world we once knew as reality and embarked into a brave new realm of utter chaos, speculation and madness. From McCain’s selection of Palin to the reaction of the selection, none of this makes sense to me. It’s crazy.
It’s like I’m back in Florida. Unreal.
By the way, I wonder what mysteries shall still be revealed from the Running of the Reindeer video…? (I’m fairly positive the guy in the yellow wrestler costume was actually a gal… Did anybody vet him/her?)
August 31st, 2008 at 11:48 am
I looked at the video. I see her standing at the podium wearing a long jacket but I don’t see anything that would confirm that she’s wearing maternity clothes. Also, when was the Hiking video taken? This seems like an easy rumor to confirm or quell.
She obviously used poor judgment even getting pregnant at her age when the chance of a Down’s baby is 1 in 50. I think it is irresponsible. She may see herself as some kind of hero because she now has another badge of courage: No abortion. I see her as a self-absorbed beauty queen who is looking for a gimick to keep her in the public eye. This is no qualification for VEEP of our country.
On the other hand the daughter cover up seems implausible given today’s access to information. Finally, flying to Texas during her third trimester at her age with her 5th baby is extrememly irresponsible and risky. Then to fly back with ruptured membranes is the height of arrogance putting her baby, herself and other passengers at risk.
I would love to see a poster of her with all of those animal hides on billboards across America. Although most of us are not vegetarians, we do respect animals and don’t kill them for sport. To this southerner from the lower 48, she is a low class Deliverance babe.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Does anyone in the Alaska media or otherwise have pictures of Palin during her pregnancy with her 4th child? Piper is 7 years old now. Would be a decent indicator of what she usually looks like during pregnancy.
On another note, I hesitate to speak of this because it’s all icky and personal. I understand that it’s private Palin family business. BUT, she STRONGLY supports getting into the private family business of every American. That makes this an uncomfortable, yet appropriate line of inquiry.
Either she made her 16 year old give birth and passed it off as her own, or she boarded a very long plane flight while in labor. Every American deserves to make their own decision about Sarah Palin’s judgment, for better or worse, since she has chosen to run for the second highest elected office in the most powerful country in the world.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:01 pm
First, count me as shocked at her as a VP pick - show’s McCain’s just a desperate gambler. I’m sure she’s a very nice person. There is NO WAY I’m voting for that ticket now - in fact, I just gave $100 to Obama as a first time contributor!!!!
Second, I DON’T believe this rumor about the baby not being hers for a nanosecond. As the husband of an Ob/Gyn, I can say that it’s definitely possible the baby’s hers. This whole thing is just a distraction. The real issue is McCain’s poor judgment, gambling, and obvious pandering.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:08 pm
The only issue I have with this whole “scandal” is how so many “Christians” deny reality. Ok so their teenage daughter had sex and got pregnant (she’s not the first and won’t be the last). Is that worth lying about or should you own up to that and address the real issues that teens (Christian or not) face. The world is a lot more gray than we like to admit.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Folks, what is abundantly clear is that Gov. Palin was NOT vetted. Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC made the case well on Friday.
With the insane crush of coverage following McCain campaign’s every move, and everyone focusing on Romney, Ridge, Pawlenty, there is no possible way Palin could have been vetted thoroughly w/ou it being leaked. To even be able to spring this surprise Friday a.m, tells you she has not been investigated.
I don’t really care if the baby is hers or her daughter’s, but the fact that this thing with her brother in law and now her pregnancy is evening coming up tells us she wasn’t really vetted. Thin line between ‘daring maverick’ and “desperate, irrational old man.”
August 31st, 2008 at 12:12 pm
If Ms. Palin was not pregant, and her daughter was, the following may have happened:
Ms. Palin made her trip to Texas, believing that the baby would not come for another month.
Ms. Palin was notified while on the trip that her daughter went into labor premature labor, throwing her into panic-mode and pitching the water breaking scenario, meaning she had to get right home, and not thinking ahead that the travelling would later not look so good.
She HAD TO BE with her daughter, because that is where the medical records will exist for the baby. Furthermore, how could she check into a Texas, or Anchorage for that matter, hospital if she had no baby to deliver? She might get cooperation for the cover-up in her home town, but tricky elsewhere.
I find the incest to be reachie, but the rest of this story sounds like one small lie (lets take you out of school and say you have mono) that has just gone crazier and crazier.
All that said, I think Bristol’s bump looks potentially photo-shopped and that photo in the red coat doesn’t prove for me she’s unbabied.
Regardless of the depth of Ms. Palin’s depravity, she is still an embarrassment for McCain and will go down in history as a punch line.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Down syndrome is most certainly not spread through incest, and that is terribly insulting to people with Down syndrome. 96% of cases with Down syndrome are not even hereditary (hereditary means “passed genetically,” not incest); it is simply a random condition that occurs during meiosis.
Boy, poor Bristol would have really beaten the odds by being seventeen and giving birth with an average chance of 1/18500 (even higher odds at her age) for a child with Down syndrome caused by a hereditary condition. Moreover, you are attributing the condition to a relationship with her father when there is no other family history of Down syndrome or indication of abuse. Seriously, does no one look up facts anymore? They’re more reliable even if they aren’t as exciting as hurling conspiracy theories.
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=downsyndrome
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/down-syndrome/DS00182/DSECTION=causes
August 31st, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Oh please. Palin was never pregnant. Her actions and look speak otherwise. She’s a phony.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:48 pm
QUOTE: “As a doctor, I don’t want to add to this discussion other than to clear of misinformation. Just this year a study came out and proved that having a child with Down Syndrome is not at all linked to age. I was at a conference last winter where the study was presented in full, and it has been published in many journals since then. A woman of any age can half a baby with downs at any time.”
I find this impossible to believe. Please leave a link to anything that can back up this statement. It is believed the father’s age is not a factor but the mother’s age definitely increases the risk of an INDIVIDUAL woman’s chance of having a baby with Down’s. However, what isn’t widely known is the fact that in the U.S., 75-80% of Down syndrome children are born to women under 35. The majority of mothers giving birth to Down syndrome children are still in their 20’s. This is because women in this age group have far higher fertility rates overall. So you are right about one thing - women of any age can have a Down’s child. I had one when I was 17 years old.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Sara and LP: my cousin was born Down Syndrome, and my aunt was told to do as little as possible during her last trimester because of the heart-related issues of Down Syndrome children, that increased activity could harm the baby. She was told to stay within 30 minutes of her doctor, and possibly to prepare for the baby to not even survive the stress of labor due to the cardiac issues. Like the both of you, I can’t imagine my aunt giving a speech during a “slow” leak and flying 11 hours, knowing she was carrying a child with special needs that includes serious heart problems…. she’d throw a fit and insist the hospital keeps her there and would do everything to ensure the health and safety of her baby.
Luckily for us, the baby was born healthy and is a healthy, active little girl today. Raising her is a full-time job and even with the help of her older siblings, she requires a lot of supervision… I’m sure the last thing on my aunt’s mind when the baby was 4 months old was running for political office or accepting a position of enormous political responsibility (and that still holds true today). My aunt and uncle’s priority has been, and always will be, making sure my cousin is properly cared for and is receiving the education she needs. In fact, the ONLY time that my cousin has EVER been out of their care overnight was when their oldest daughter died in an accident and my family cared for my cousin for a few days while my aunt and uncle came to terms with their daughter’s sudden death…they never asked us to, we begged them to let us help out by watching her… they can barely stand to have her out of their eyesight.
One would also think a governor with a state to manage would have announced her pregnancy sooner….you know, to prepare the administration to be able to manage things when she was out on leave. It does not seem as if she made much preparation for the possibility to be absent for an extended period.
I’m not saying the baby isn’t hers, just that she made some choices that MANY women, especially those in positions of power and pregnant with a special needs child, would not have made… and those decisions look very irresponsible to an outside view. Those choices also make it easier for people on the outside to say that the baby is not hers, and she’s covering up for her daughter. I feel bad for her daughter and the baby to be raked over the coals like this, though.
Truth will come out eventually, whatever the truth may be.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Youtube video above proves nothing. Palin’s belly is obscured by the podium the entire time, and she then turns away from the camera to exit stage. I’m not a big fan of wild speculation. So some REAL journos need to acquire Sarah Palin’s medical records so this can be debunked. Otherwise, the Inquirer, et al., will be running with this until the election. Either way, bad news for McCain.
Longview - If Obama runs essentially unopposed (if this story gets much more traction) will he have a mandate? Oh wait, man dates are for Republicans like Larry Craig.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Quote: “All I know is 44 year old Mom’s often have children with birth defects but teen moms very seldom do….EXCEPT in cases of incest.”
Oh and by the way, there was no incest involved in my pregnancy. Where do people come up with these ideas! 96% of Down syndrome cases aren’t inherited. They’re caused by a mistake in cell division during the development of the egg, sperm or embryo.
Translocation Down syndrome is the only form of the disorder that can be passed from parent to child. However, only about 4 percent of children with Down syndrome have translocation. And only about half of these cases are inherited from one of the parents.
If you really want to learn facts about DS, do some research.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:20 pm
The state of AK released some photos of her from Feb, where she looks pregnant. Please stop these sorts of attack, it is of no service to any one on either side… Real issues… attack her for that… she is well right of even Cheney
August 31st, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Thank you so much for this video and website. Great State, but looks like most Alaskans would rather sweep the question back under the bear rug as I mentioned on Juneau Empire site.
From what I can gather on internet, it would not be unrealistic for a teenager to give birth to a Down’s Syndrome child. It would NOT require incest and I suggest folks drop that line of thought.
I can’t figure out which is scarier..
Sarah Palin being plucked by McCain for VP in the first place,
Not properly vetting a VP,
getting on the plane in labor with a high risk pregnancy AND driving 45 minutes past the best hospital in Alaska back to the valley,
oR NOT one mainstream media picking up on it yet.
No matter which way you look at this, there is something very disturbing and scary about this.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Great show, I’ll check back for more videos!
I’m sure the truth about Sarah will come out eventually, it never hurts to investigate.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Incest wouldn’t increase the risk of Down Syndrome, which is caused by failure of the chromosomes to split up evenly when a cell divides. Extra genetic material from Chromosome 21 interferes with proper development of the fetus. The longer an egg waits before dividing, the more likely it is to divide improperly, so older mothers are more likely to have fetuses with chromosomal abnormalities. This happens before fertilization, and the status of the father (age, relationship to the mother, etc.) has nothing to do with it. If the same error occurs in development of a sperm cell, Down Syndrome could come from the father, but this is rare and also uninfluenced by incest. There are also uncommon cases of Down Syndrome resulting from translocation of part of Chromosome 21 to another chromosome. Men or women who carry such unbalanced chromosomes have a high risk of producing offspring with Down Syndrome, but incest would not increase that risk, either.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Just thinking out loud.
If she was not pregnant, why would she have in her cover-up plan to leak amniotic fluid before a big speech, then fly for many hours with a pending premature delivery? She’s smarter than that, knowing she’d be criticized and scrutinized every bit of the way (as has happened). If in fact she needed an excuse to rush home because “her baby” was coming, she had many reasons available to her without bringing attention to herself.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Ezri- that video clearly shows nothing. If no one knew she was pregnant and she hid it, how is it that you are the only one that sees she’s “clearly” pregnant?
August 31st, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Dear Sceptical,
Right. If it were her kid, she never even would have gone to Dallas.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Yesterday, the Daily Kos published this picture of Sarah Palin seven months pregnant with her first child:
http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/pooteeweet28/1stchild.jpg
Beyond that, I find Sarah Palin’s travel in her eighth month, and especially her explanation of her return trip while leaking anmiotic fluid, to be non-credible.
Finally, I would that Mat-Su Regional Hospital, where Trig Palin was supposedly born on April 18, publishes no record of the birth on its website:
http://www.matsuregional.com/nursery/nursery_name.php?start=60&step=30&count=503
Remember, this was a baby allegedly born by a governor who had announced her pregnancy a month earlier, and which was covered the same day by all of Alaska’s media. I find it quite curious that the hospital where the birth took place does not list it.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:08 pm
What we know is this. 1. Palin couldn’t have been in labor in Texas if it was her daughter giving birth. So what she did or didn’t do by flying back and forth is irrelevant if it was her daughter giving birth and not her. 2. The daughter Bristol is the one who looks pregnant including her breasts. It would be nice to have photos when she was about a year younger to compare her physical traits. 3. It seems very suspicious that her daughter was kept out of school during this same time period and for an extended time period. Coincidence? Who can be sure. 4. Someone needs to view a copy of Trig’s birth certificate and note the following: a) Weight at birth b) Parents listed. c) Time of birth? Maybe the time of birth actually took place before Sarah could have gotten back to AK from TX??? And hospital staff at this time all need to be interviewed and questioned. And if Sarah and Todd are listed as parents, could the birth record have been altered and how easy would this have been for her to do in a small AK clinic? 5. If Bristol was being treated for mono there should be medical records and pharmacy records for this. 6. If fellow students of Bristol’s and people who worked with Todd heard about Bristol being pregnant, these people need to come forth and tell reporters what they know. 7. It would be extremely unlikely someone with a Down’s baby near term at her age would fly that far on their own and that the people she worked with would not have known if she was pregnant and airline personnel wouldn’t have suspected this. 8. It would be very unlikely that if her water was leaking or breaking she wouldn’t have checked herself into a local TX clinic or hospital just to make sure it was safe to fly home ESPECIALLY with a Down’s baby on its way. 9. None of the photos I have seen of Sarah Palin look like she is pregnant but since every woman is different the suggestion that photos of her pregnant with her other children would be nice to have to compare. 10. If she were pregnant with a Downs child I would think she would have been making many trips to her OB/GYN and office workers would have known this. 11. I don’t find any records or information that attempts were made to find Downs support groups or prepare herself for this child including not alerting her staff know about this pending birth. 12. If she was pregnant her routine would have changed accordingly including taking more naps, eating certain foods, wearing looser fitting clothing, buying baby goods, etc. yet I don’t find any evidence of this.
What I would also like to know is if her first child was conceived out of wedlock and thus the reason she and Todd eloped? I find it hard to believe a “Christian” woman getting married for the first time with family and friends in the area would elope. I know I am raising another issue here but if she is lying about the circumstances of her marriage, she easily could be lying about the 5th child’s birth.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:27 pm
So what she didn’t tell everyone she was pregnant, reports say she knew the child would have downs syndrome.
one of my daughters teachers has a downs child, and she was hesitant talking of her pregnancy knowing the risks, she really didn’t want to hear everyone making snide comments “oh how horrible, your having a downs baby?” and the “oh if I knew I was going to have a downs baby I’d just abort it” or “how can you possibly bring a child like that into this world?” and yes, people did make those comments when they found out.
And in reading many comments on various boards, that is the opinion of MANY people, sad but true.
and as Governor of the State, would she be required to make everyone aware of her pregnancy?
No where does it state her water broke, it stated her amnio fluid was leaking, there is a big difference between the two. I’ve known women whose amnio fluid leaked at various points in their pregnancies, they didn’t go rushing to a hospital when it happened, they called their doctor on the phone (as she apparently did) and discussed it with them, if they feel there is a huge concern they tell them to come in, if they don’t, they tell them not to worry about it, but if it gets worse then come in.
I am not privy to the conversation between she and her doctor, as is nobody else on this forum, but it’s possible her doctor if it gets worse go to a local hospital, or they could have merely told her to come in to see him/her when she gets back to Alaska.
And many teenage girls get that little stomach pooch some even looking pregnant, just go to many high schools around the country and you can see that.
And as far as Mono, my daughter had it last year, her case wasn’t that bad, however, one of my friends daughters contracted it while on a Missions trip to Mexico and she was out of school almost the entire school year and was on medical homebound for school she had relapse after relapse, which was something that concerned me when my daughter got it, after witnessing what my friend had gone through. So while it may be rare, relapses can happen and fatigue can continue for up to a year. What made it even scarier for me is my daughter has epilepsy and it triggered her siezures, so yes, I was doubly concerned knowing my friends daughter had so many relapses, I couldn’t imagine going through the series of seizures so often if she had that many relapses.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:29 pm
That fact that everyone seems to say that they did not know she was pregnant makes me suspicous. Usually it is pretty obvious. Even if it is not visibly obvious, thats the kind of thing people mention. Its seems like you would know if someone was 7.5 months pregnant. Right?
August 31st, 2008 at 2:30 pm
I’m surprised the McCain campaign didn’t pick this up in their vetting or didn’t think it was serious enough. All evidence seems to point to a cover up, especially the photos and the reports of her spending an entire day traveling after her water broke in a high-risk pregnancy. Photos taken in an earlier pregnancy show her huge. This is not a woman who hides pregnancy well. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I only have one question, when will Gov. Palin release her medical records?
August 31st, 2008 at 2:35 pm
A few blood tests will solve this whole controversy. Time’s a-wastin’ Sarah. One way or the other, the truth is going to come out.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:37 pm
How long do we have to wait for the National Enquirer to report this????
It is a really sad day in America when all mainstream media can’t even report there is at least an internet frenzy on the pregnancy question.
They can say there is no basis for rumors at this point, but at least they can report there are all of these new websites, factual or not.
Logician - can you forward your stuff to National Enquirer???? Heck, they even pay for good “gossip.” The first pregnancy picture and no listing in Hospital adds considerably to the inconsistencies! They probably have it…. but you never know.
They are our only hope - add to the scary list.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Now, this IS what a pregnanct Sarah Palin looks like. I have already made up my mind.
http://www.ktva.com/video?bcpid=1641243975&bclid=1632695727&bctid=1761990935
p.s. Someone should save before it gets removed. They seem to be removing evidence every minute.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:00 pm
McCain-Palin just lost another vote. They need to clear this up IMMEDIATELY. The poor judgement shown by McCain and the lack of ethics shown by Palin has driven me into Obama’s camp.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:00 pm
I feel sorry for her daughter and the fact that people are smearing her family. I myself am the same age as Bristol and keep myself in very good shape. Trust me, I know what my figure looks like. All teenage girls do, that is just the way it is, unfortunately.
I hate to tell you folks, but almost a third of the other girls I go to school with have these so called “baby-bumps.” Many of my friends are built just like she is in these pictures, which were taken back in late 2006 when her mother was elected into office as governor. And you know what?
None of them are pregnant.
Some girls just naturally have a little bit of extra tummy-fat. That’s the way it is. If an adult pointed out every girl they saw with a “baby-bump” then about one-in-four girls at my school would be accused of being pregnant. Everyone is built different, whether pregnant or not.
Besides, if my calculus-overwhelmed mind can still do simple addition and subtraction, then Palin’s daughter being pregnant in that picture and then giving birth in April of 2008 would simply be impossible.
Or a freak of nature.
And we teenage girls often wears jeans that are just a tad tighter than what is normally considered comfortable, and then wear shirts that are either tight or make us look rather pregnant. This has been the style for the last two years or so. And the combination of tight jeans with a rather skin-forming shirt will often result in a slight “bulge” along the bottom of our waistlines. This is normal!!
And has anyone ever heard of padded bras? I would say that almost half the girls I know at school wear them. When I look at that picture of Bristol Palin, I see a girl who is built very similar to myself and many of my friends.
Besides, I don’t know what most of you adults think, but us teenagers are not that surprised when we see a pregnant girl at school. There are at least three at mine. And there are also a small number of kids who are absent from school for extended periods of time. Most of us don’t even think twice about it.
And since they live in a frigid climate like Alaska, I would not find it surprising in the least if quite a few kids have had to take extended absences. One of my friends had a severe case of mono last winter (I’m sure Alaskan winters are even worse than Minnesotan winters) and was out of school for almost three months. I’m sure they would be even more careful about any long-term illnesses in a place like Alaska.
I’ve even read where people are saying that they saw her daughter wearing a wedding band in a recent picture. Here’s another revelation to people: many teenage girls wear rings on their left ring finger. I wear my class ring on my left ring finger and so do many of my friends. It’s typical and no teenager even thinks twice about it.
Also, what’s wrong with a much older sister carrying her baby brother. My little brother is much younger than me and I loved to carry him around when he was under one year of age. Truthfully, I was better at it than my own father was and I’m guessing that’s because my sisterly-maternal instincts kicked in. He sure as hell wasn’t my kid though. There are many teenagers out there like my older brother and I who were in our teens when our little brothers or sisters were born. And for a teenage girl, having a baby sibling in the house can be both exciting and exhausting.
But, boy, do we love to carry the little tykes around.
And as for Sarah Palin going into labor in Texas, my mother always tells other expecting mothers how she had started leaking amniotic fluid almost five days before she went into actual active labor with me. She also enjoys telling everyone how she then had me in less than three hours and how I was over 10 pounds too. My mother also continued to workout until she was well into her eighth month. I was not her first baby and she knew her body well enough to know what she could and could not do.
And like Alaskan mothers, many Minnesotan mothers live a good distance from hospitals or clinics. My godmother is from Alaska and she told me once that her mother, who lived in a remote village over a hundred miles west of Anchorage, had to fly in a plane in order to deliver one of her sons who was a high-risk baby. Traveling great distances to give birth or to go to the doctor is not unheard of in many of the northern territories of Canada, Alaska, and even states such as Montana and Minnesota.
My aunt just recently had her sixth baby (an “oops” baby, but who cares, he’s adorable) at the age of 42. In a state like Minnesota where it’s often below freezing for many long months at a time, it can frequently be rather hard to tell if a woman is pregnant during the fall, winter, and spring months due to the sheer amount of clothes you have to wear to stay warm. My aunt did not put on a lot of weight during her pregnancy with Kent and if she had not told everyone she was pregnant, I’m sure quite a few people never would have even noticed until her seventh or eighth month due to the heavy clothes she wore when outside or in public.
The same could easily be said of Sarah Palin, who lives in freezing Alaska.
Many people have already pointed out how Sarah Palin’s older age could have easily influenced baby Trig’s chances of being born with Down Syndrome. A woman 45 or older has a 1 in 20 chance of having a baby with Downs. You learn that early on in any genetics class. And albeit women younger than 35 make 80% of mothers who have children with Downs, this age group is also much more fertile, producing the majority of children, than women from an older age bracket. The chances of a teenage girl having a baby with Downs is less than 1 in 1500 at least.
My opinion: don’t bash until you know the facts.
One of the worst things that can happen to a teenage girl is to be accused of being pregnant when you really are not/were not, especially when said rumors do not hold true to facts. As a fellow teenage girl and older sister, I feel nothing but sympathy for Bristol and her adorable little brother.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Wow Dani,
I am really impressed by your comment. Honestly, I have never heard a 17 year old teen use the term “albeit.” Kudos and thanks for all the insightful info on teens. You have great schools in Minnesota - excellent grammar! Great job!
August 31st, 2008 at 3:07 pm
“The causes of Down Syndrome are not well known.” To clarify, the cause of Down’s Syndrome is known - it is caused by extra genetic material. The vast majority of the time it is caused by three copies of chromosome 21 instead of usual two. This extra genetic material changes the development of the body and brain. What causes this extra genetic material to originate is not fully understood. This whole story may be nonsense but at least people may learn more about Down’s which is a good thing. There seems to be alot of misconceptions.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Not only is this a vicious personal smear on a 17-year-old girl, it’s an ugly personal attack on a 5 month old handicapped baby, as well.
The alleged “baby bump” photo of Bristol was taken in 2006. Trig was born in April, 2008. How long of a pregnancy are you conspiracy theorists proposing here??
Trig Palin’s very existence is a rebuke to the pro-abortion Obama crowd, who believes he would be better off dead. That’s why this ugly pile of lies is being spread by people who should know better. Shame on you!
August 31st, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Out of everything I have read the one thing that is the most odd is the lack of the listing of Trig Palin at the Matsu Hospital.
http://www.matsuregional.com/nursery/nursery_name.php?start=60&step=30&count=503
August 31st, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Funny how Daily Kos chose to use a picture of Bristol Palin taken in 2006 as their “proof” - unless Bristol carried that baby for a couple of years, that picture proves nothing.
The Anchorage Daily News took that family picture back in 2006 when Sarah Palin was elected.
http://www.adn.com/photos/v-gallery/story/509850.html?/1521/gallery/509852-a509987-t3.html
August 31st, 2008 at 3:34 pm
The causes of Down Syndrome are not well known. Growing evidence seems to indicate that paternal age and maternal age both can contribute. Data on this is not readily available because women in their 40’s tend to mate with men their age or older, combining the effect, while women in their 40’s tend not to mate with men much younger than themselves, offsetting the dual age impact, as do men in their 40’s and older, whose younger mates can help to offset the chances.
That said, the vast majority of cases of Down Syndrome happen to younger women. The poster above who claimed that birth abnormalities in younger women are almost non-existent is flatly wrong. Getting pregnant at a very early age carries risks, as do late pregnancies.
Incest does not in fact appear to be a factor in Down Syndrome, but again, the data is not sufficient given how rare an incestuous pregnancy is, let alone being identified, and then yet again being researched. Add to this that there are at least three different types of Down Syndrome, and the puzzle further deepens.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:39 pm
The story does seem pretty far-fetched, but the hospital registry is also pretty odd in that it does not list the birth. I copied this section from it -
http://www.matsuregional.com/nursery/nursery_name.php?start=60&step=30&count=503
Apr 28, 2008
Kathleen Amor & Jeremy Loyd
Maria-Ann Louise
Apr 28, 2008
Amy Louise & Jason Alan
Natalie Ann
Apr 26, 2008
Desirae & Trevor
Sophia Nicole
Apr 25, 2008
Ashley Ann
Peyton Robert
Apr 24, 2008
Candice Joy & Shawn Robert
Jordyn Lisa
Apr 23, 2008
Kari Lyn & Timothy Louis
Maya Lena Belle
Apr 23, 2008
Laura Elizabeth & Alvin Jacob
Kassandra Marie
Apr 21, 2008
Jessica Lee & Ryan Alan
Hannah Grace
Apr 20, 2008
Heidi J. & Chris B.
Isaiah Travis
Apr 18, 2008
Erin Chantal & Justin Travis
Kayden Lexus
Apr 18, 2008
Amanda Frances
Christian Alexander
Apr 15, 2008
Leslie Ann & Adam Wade
Jayden George
Apr 13, 2008
Jessica Winona & Brandon Lee
Jianna Mai
Apr 13, 2008
Tasa & Primo Joseph
Rachel Marie
August 31st, 2008 at 3:44 pm
McCain tried o be too smart for his own good. He made his announcement on Friday which gave everyone a whole weekend for rumors to be started annd spread around. This was bound to happen with a running mate no one had ever heard of. If this isn’t cleared up quickly ir will be bad. Especially if it takes a long time to hit the mainstream. I came across it because I was trying to find out about the daughter; teenagers usually have a life their parents don’t know about online. I’m sure they had her delete her myspace and Facebook a long time ago.
McCain timed this badly and they need to fix it so very quickly.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:05 pm
The problem is AP reported the birth back in April. There are witnesses to her going into labor in Dallas at the governor’s conference.
Obama supporters need to give it up. It’s pathetic, and it makes me ashamed to be a Democrat.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Are all of you really that thin? I dare each and every one of you to take a good hard look at your stomachs, right now. For those of you who are perfect with no beelly fat, tell me honestly that you do not have a sister, friend, co-worker, etc. that does not have a tummy.
The damage this is all doing to a teenage girl who had one lousy pictur taken after eating a few too many french fries and malts with her friends is appalling. Go to a mall and take a look at some avererage teenage girls. Lots of them have tummies. Get a grip!
Further, the video shows Sarah Palin much heavier than she is now. Women 25 and under have a 1 in 1250 chance of having a Downs baby. Women age 40 have a 1 in 100 chance. At age 45 (Sarah Palin is 44) the odds jump to 1 in 30) Trig is obviously hers.
Sarah Palin’s judgment is questionable in having a 5th child at age 44 and flying to Alaska when she was in labor. However, the child was clearly hers. Leave Bristol alone.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:14 pm
THIS COULD BE TOTALLY BOGUS… BUT HEH… JUST FOUND IT VIA ANOTHER WEBSEARCH…
and Susan Nunes, please don’t blame us common folk. If just one mainstream media outlet or Gov. Palin’s staff had addressed this, all of the amateurs wouldn’t have to…
HERE IS THE EXCERPT…
The Father of Bristol Palin’s Child…?
Ah, the plot thickens… enter “C-Ray”, or Chris Ray.
Chris Ray is a 16 year old from a town called Palmer, AK. Population: 6,920.
…Who up until 2 days ago, had this as a MySpace page:
http://209.85.141.104/search?q=cache:bHNn_pcOQWkJ:profile.myspace.com/index.cfm%3Ffuseaction%3Duser.viewprofile%26friendid%3D59375496+%22Chris+ray%22+%22Bristol+Palin%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
Until it was taken offline. Of course, there’s Google, and when his page was indexed by Google on July 20, it captured:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Chris+ray%22+%22Bristol+Palin%22&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=
Snippet: “I LOVE BRISTOL PALIN MORE THEN ANYTHING IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!”
Interesting side note: When Sarah Palin supposedly gave birth, she flew from Texas to Anchorage, and then drove to Mat Su Regional Hospital to give birth.
Guess where Mat Su Regional Hospital is?
Why, none other than the town where Chris Ray lives, and goes to high school… Palmer, AK!
Tsk tsk tsk..Somebody call Maury. I think we have a baby daddy who needs a paternity test!
August 31st, 2008 at 4:15 pm
It is very possible that Bristol’s parents didn’t know that she was pregnant when the family photo was taken. My sister got pregnant at 16 and my parents couldn’t see the truth that was right before their eyes. I hadn’t seen my sister for several months, but when I did, I asked my mother how far along she was. My parents were shocked, and in horrified denial, until my sister finally had to confirmed it. She was five months pregnant.
If this is a cover up, it was done so sloppily that it’s clear they panicked. It leads me to believe that they did not know until it was too late, making it difficult to produce a detailed cover story. If they had known, the family photo would have been staged far differently. As for the “muffin belly” explanation, Bristol’s belly is high and round, her breasts are full and so is her face, symptoms of pregnancy that her mother does not have in either the video or the photos.
If Palin was just the governor of a sparsely populated state, she could have pulled it off. But now, the truth will come out and the hypocrisy of her so called “values” will be her downfall. That she would ask her daughter and grandchild to live a lie in order to save her political career is despicable. That she would gamble that this would not become known a political campaign for the presidency shows a lack of judgment and overreaching ambition that is staggering. If true, that lie deserves to be made public before the farce continues.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:16 pm
You all ought to be ashamed of yourselves. WATCH the video. Sarah is clearly pregnant in it.
I can’t believe the whole thing.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:26 pm
I’m amazed at how this story has yet to be looked into more closely by mainstream media. The details surrounding all of the events of this pregnancy are so shady that you could cool down the Sahara Desert with it. Lets look at this:
1) 44 year old mother, 2) Age = high risk pregnancy, 3) Alerted that baby will have Down’s Syndrome (remember now, she’s 44, 4) NOONE among her closest staff ever knew she was pregnant until her 7th month, 5) Went into early labor in TX, but flew home 11 or more HOURS to Alaska (did not inform the airline that she was pregnant and having contractions and none of the airline staff even noticed any signs) to give birth, 6) Die hard PRO-LIFE mother who believes in keeping all children no matter how extenuating the circumstances, to include rape (strong indicator that she wouldn’t be willing to put an unborn-child any ANY harms way), 7) Chose to deliver at a small hospital with absolutely NO neonatal intensive care unit, in case of complications or emergencies during delivery (did I mention that she is staunchly PRO-LIFE), 8)Neither her or her husband carry or care for the baby during ANY public gatherings.
I DO NOT believe anyone questioning this story means any harm to Gov. Palin’s daughter, but rather they are concerned about her integrity and her ethics for a vice presidency if she was willing to lie publicly to this entire nation at such a crucial time in our history. This country NEEDS to know it can trust their next leaders after everything we have faced throughout the last almost 8 years. NOONE can refute that argument, NOONE!
August 31st, 2008 at 4:32 pm
do you see the difference NOW????
pic of sarah’s FIRST pregnancy at 7 months
http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/pooteeweet28/1stchild.jpg
pic of sarah’s alleged FIFTH pregnancy at 7 months
http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/pooteeweet28/31408.jpg
August 31st, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Anyone who can’t see that there is somehing seriously wrong with all of the accounts of Sarah Palin’s “fifth” child need only answer one question for me, Did you vote for George W. Bush? If so, please, for all of our sakes, SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!!!
August 31st, 2008 at 4:49 pm
robin says: “It is very possible that Bristol’s parents didn’t know that she was pregnant when the family photo was taken.”
Please read my post (and link) above…that picture was taken back in 2006…so unless Bristol was carrying this child for 2 years in her tummy…she was not pregnant in that photo! That’s what makes the whole story seem like a scam…the Daily Kos chose a photo from a couple of years ago and held it up as “proof” that the daughter was pregnant.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:56 pm
The truth is there are several stories months ago about Palin’s pregnancy, her going into labor in Dallas, her flight back to Alaska, and her giving birth to Trig.
People should be ashamed of themselves for spewing utter rot and damaging her daughter in the process.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:57 pm
I really want to travel to Juneau now, after seeing that video.
On the Palin rumors: If the story is true, then she should have turned down the VP slot, because anyone could have seen this secret might come out. That right there would make me question her judgment.
If the story is not true, why did she wait until 7 mos to let her staff know so they could prepare? Why did she fly so far away in her 8th month? How can she put her special needs infant son through the stresses of the national campaign? I wonder about her judgment here, too.
Either way, I don’t know how reporters could “prove” the story. I assume DNA would mean little (Palin is related to the baby either way). I assume the family would stick with the current story.
Which means that Bristol will need to endure all this insulting speculation about her morals and her figure for awhile longer. Poor kid.
August 31st, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Dear Bristol Defender,
Okay, this muffin top thing has got to be addressed.
The fact is a true “muffin belly” or “muffin top” extrudes over the jeans equally across the front and more or less so on the backside.
The photo of Bristol shows an extrusion in the area of the uterus, not the typical muffin top seen on many teenage girls wearing “way to tight” jeans.
So, please someone post a photo of an actual blueberry muffin (nice and fluffy) next to Bristol, so we can resolve this teenage overweight issue once and for all!
This can all be resolved so quickly with a birth certificate and an official statement from Matsu Hospital. But if instead, we should all be scouring the internet for chubby teenagers with muffin tops for comparison… welcome to Alaska?
August 31st, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I’m convinced she was pregnant after watching this podshow. She walks like a pregnant woman who is 6 months pregnant. Remember, she was only 6 months in February. She gave birth in April at 8 months.
When she leans back a bit (while standing), it’s obvious to tell she’s got a pooch. When she walks, you can tell too.
She was obviously trying to keep it a secret, as she didn’t announce the pregnancy until about 3 weeks after this video was shot - but I can tell she was definitely pregnant there.
August 31st, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Taller women can hide it, due to having a long torso. My wife is 5′10 she didnt show until 6 months.. 8 months into it she was a balloon… Sara is to short to “cover it up” its obvious she didnt gain any weight…
August 31st, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Im not sure if this is all true or not, But I noticed one other fishy thing. Palin has a head full of blonde highlights, and she doesn’t have any roots. It looks like she was pretty diligent about keeping her hair done even during her pregnancy, I thought that it is unsafe to highlight your hair if you are pregnant. Just an obscure observation, it might not mean anything.
August 31st, 2008 at 6:01 pm
I have free tin foil hats for all you Liberals and Democrats who are polluting this site.
Now all of you go back to mama and suckle her tits and stay off the computer.
August 31st, 2008 at 6:03 pm
The picture that supposedly proves Bristol was pregnant was taken in 2006. It is not humanly possible for her to have been pregnant then but not give birth until April of 2008. Get a grip.
You people should seriously be ashamed of yourselves. No one is allowed to criticize Michelle Obama but it’s okay to rip apart a 17 year old girl and accuse her and her brother of horrible things?
Palin’s water did not BREAK and she was not in active labor. Her amniotic fluid was leaking and she apparetnly had mild contractions. She also supposedly called her doctor whom I’m assuming gave her the go ahead to fly home, whereupon she received pitocin to induce labor because SHE WASN’T IN ACTIVE LABOR.
And there are plenty of working mothers in this world, and most of their children don’t get to come to work with them and be cared for by their fathers and sisters the rest of the time, they’re stuck in day care with strangers. Are you all going to judge them, too?
August 31st, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Like someone posted earlier: THIS is what a pregnant Sarah Palin looks like:
http://www.ktva.com/video?bcpid=1641243975&bclid=1632695727&bctid=1761990935
This is her last pregnancy - with her youngest daughter. Even sitting behind a desk you can clearly tell she is preggers as heck.
August 31st, 2008 at 6:08 pm
There’s one big reason jumping out at me why the baby’s birth wasn’t listed on the hospital’s website….Patients can be listed as “no info”. I’m sure most celebrities and other pubic personas choose to this in order to protect their privacy.
August 31st, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Whatever the truth, I am sure the National Enquirer will figure it out for us.
August 31st, 2008 at 6:15 pm
I said:
This is her last pregnancy - with her youngest daughter. Even sitting behind a desk you can clearly tell she is preggers as heck.
This is apparently 1989 - which would mean that’s Bristol she’s carrying, I suppose?
August 31st, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Her face looks fuller here as well as her hips. It’s hard to see under her jacket. However,when she folds her hands, she seems to be laying them on her extended tummy like a pregnant women would do. Her tummy would then be further out than her breasts. She could be pregnant…
August 31st, 2008 at 6:45 pm
And…
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/2814979078_4815e908a9_b.jpg
So can we just end this ridiculous ruse and focus on the real issues like Palin is more qualified than the top of the other party’s ticket?
August 31st, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Honestly, who cares? I certainly don’t care. One way or another Palin has lived up to her values and this little guy will be raised by a loving family. Give it up, folks! So, if Palin is the mother of this dear child, good for her! If she protected her daughter and is raising this child, good for her! This is a non-story. It doesn’t count except in the gossip arena. Sheez!
August 31st, 2008 at 7:25 pm
I’d rather have someone protecting her daughter and grandchild helping to lead the country than a muslim, non-bible believing moron who won’t wear a flag on his lapel or place his hand on his heart while having no part of saying the pledge of alligence. Don’t you guys understand what will happen to our country if we get a muslim in office. We already give our foreign friends more respect and money and help than we do our own US taxpaying citizens. And, besides, either way, we are in big trouble!!
August 31st, 2008 at 7:38 pm
This is so exciting! She is so prepared! The Alaska National Guard Commandant! A beauty queen! Obviously Ketchikan loves her! I am so proud to be an American!
2, 4, 6, 8 who do we appreciate - Sarah Palin!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 31st, 2008 at 7:49 pm
You people are sick
Can your evil, grasping, sick, little minds not see the damage you’re doing to an innocent teenager.
Attack the mother, if you need that to make you feel better about yourself, but leave this poor child alone.
August 31st, 2008 at 7:51 pm
this video from youtube shows a picture of Palin when she was 7 mos preg with one of her other children….she is HUGE. It also plays the pics from the day McCain announced her name. Bristol is holding Trig in every single picture.
Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-Es5aIJl1g
August 31st, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Am I the only person in the universe that remembers Gov. Palin’s reference to her use of a breast pump as part her remarks immediately after Sen. McCain’s announcement of her selection? Does anyone truly believe that she oh-so-cleverly worked that remark in as part of this Daily Kos-contrived conspiracy?
August 31st, 2008 at 8:17 pm
After the disgusting rumor-mongering spread by right wingers against Obama this spring, nobody is in any position to cry foul over looking into this. That said, the picture from the Alaska Legislative Session in April pretty obviously shows her pregnant. Case close, as I see it (though why she got on two long flights after her water broke is beyond me).
The problem with Sarah Palin is that she completely undermines John McCain’s entire argument for the Presidency. She is only a “reformer” in comparison to Ted Stevens and Frank Murkowski. That’s not saying much. On social issues she is a typical right wing Republican extremist. But the real kicker is that she has absolutely no position on any national or international issue.
To argue that she is “more qualified” than Obama because she is a Governor and Obama is a Senator is to reveal complete ignorance about what executive experience entails (and it undermines John McCain too). Executive experience at the Governor level does very little to prepare you for the Presidency unless you build the case that you can apply your experiences to the larger world. Palin has never even remotely given indication that she could or would do that. When asked about things like Iraq she completely punts. She might get Alaska issues just fine, but Alaska is a unique state with priorities often very different from the rest of the country (especially on energy, where Alaska is a producing state and the rest of the country consumes).
So give this pregnancy stuff a rest. Palin as VP is a sign of McCain’s dangerous temper and poor judgment.
August 31st, 2008 at 8:18 pm
They don’t want to be bothered with such facts, Leonard. They are on a mission. Sarah has them shaking in their evil little boots.
August 31st, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I am from Alaska. Sarah Palin’s face did CHANGE late last spring. It was fuller, slightly chubbier. If you aren’t from Alaska, you are listening to libel and beliving a smear tactic from people who don’t know anything.
I just had a baby in Alaska - A POINT: you can opt out of the listings on the hospital website - being listed on the hospital’s website IS NOT AN ACTUAL PUBLIC RECORD. For heaven’s sake - do you honestly think our governor would allow her son, already who they were protecting being that he was special needs - to be oogled by the public? They are protecting their family and privacy. I am astounded by all you people who take the absence of a listing on a hospital website as any sort of indication of anything.
POINT: I work with youth. I was a teen several years ago. The clothes I wore - and the clothes they wear are completely different. They show every bump and bulge and imperfection and youthful line in their clothes. Every teen I work with would be accused of being pregnant if this were the case. Plus - what others have said about the date of the photo - ‘Nuff said.
POINT: I was just pregnant. I had a completely different pregnancy than my first and gained MUCH less weight. (every pregnancy CAN be different. And no - not everyoen gains a ton of weight when they are pg and looks like cows like some of you are saying). I did not need to wear maternity pants until the last 6-8 weeks. Yep - that’s right - I was wearing regular jeans into my 7th month. I ran around and sucked in my stomach and wore heels. So there. I have friends that RUN until they deliver.
Alaska girls do kick ass!
Want to toughen up - come up to Alaska for a while!
August 31st, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Ok Folks, what is needed are pictures of Sarah Palin looking pregnant BEFORE she made the announcement that she was pregnant. After the announcement came, obiviously she would have looked pregnant. The suspicion here is that the Palins did not realize their daughter was pregnant until just before the announcement that Sarah herself was pregnant as made.
And pictures of Bristol looking pregnant between around September of 2007 until February of 2008, when her Mother’s pregnancy was announced, because after that, the cat was out of the bag, and she is going to be stuck behind a plant or flat out of sight. Got it?
There are two photos out there one with Bristol in yellow looking pregnant that was allegedly taken in 2006, although I could not get verification of that, and one where she is in a dark dress taken in 2007. In both she looks pregnant, but those could have been photo shopped. What is odd is that the originals were scrapped from the governor’s website, you would think they would want the originals up to combat photo shopping.
As far as the hospital website goes, it is odd that the Palins did not see fit to give premission to list the baby. It’s not automatic, the parents have to allow publication, but there was no secret about it, so what would the harm be?
I am going to wait for more information regarding this story before I make a decision as to whether I think the governor faked this pregnancy, or whether I think she is just really stupid for taking a 11 hour trip across the country, leaking amniotic fluid across several states, without informing the flight crew of the situation, knowing that she was a month early with a Down’s syndrome baby, and was risking giving birth on a filthy air plane.
I myself began leaking anmiotic fluid at 31 weeks with my last baby, I was advised to drink extra water and go to the hospital. I haven’t seen any mention of her being told to drink extra water in all that I have read.
August 31st, 2008 at 9:15 pm
in a word, leonard johnson, yes.
except for the part about this being a “daily Kos-contrived conspiracy” — this question of truth came to the mainland by way of our friends in alaska.
August 31st, 2008 at 9:16 pm
“?Trig Palin’s very existence is a rebuke to the pro-abortion Obama crowd, who believes he would be better off dead”
Excuse me?! That is an insult, typical of what I’ve come to expect from a right-wing extremist!
Pro-Choice doesn’t mean we’re pro-abortion, rather… more pro-comprehensive sex education, and abortion wouldn’t need to be as big an issue if people were educated in sexual responsibility. We feel people who are pro-life should be advocates of comprehensive sex education, instead they advocate abstinance-only which results in irresponsible sex and unwanted pregnancies and…abortions. Teach people about safe sex, there’s fewer unwanted pregnancies and…fewer abortions. I’m sorry, is that too logical for an exteme right-winger to understand? I mean, abstinance should be SO easy with the glaring sexualization found in the entertainment industry, that we’re bombarded with every single day, and it’s easy to tell kids “Sex is bad, wait until marriage” because that’s SO easy to do, right? Let’s be realistic… how many parents who tell their kids “wait until marriage” actually waited themselves?
As far as a Down Syndrome baby being better off dead?! The fact you made such an accusation says more about how YOU feel about children with Down Syndrome!! I have a 9 year-old Down Syndrom cousin, every one of her relatives feels so blessed she survived…she wasn’t expected to survive the pregnancy and she’s been such a blessing in our lives! God knew what he was doing when he sent her to our family!!
August 31st, 2008 at 9:45 pm
There is a potential bureaucratic proof to this story that lies beyond the absence of a birth listing at the hospital. It’s a given that Sarah Palin knew she was supposed to give birth to a child with Down Syndrome. How did she know? There must have been some form of amniocentesis testing, such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS) which would have been a virtual requirement for any pregnant mother over the age of 35. CVS is given up to the 20th week and thereafter percutaneous umbilical blood sampling (PUBS) is recommended by an ob/gyn. She could always refuse to be tested since there is a slight chance of miscarriage with the testing, but she must have been tested in order to know for certain. My question: is there some documented proof that Sarah Palin had a CVS test?
August 31st, 2008 at 10:07 pm
I have a ton of photos of my wife pregnant at 7 months on a hiking and camping trip to Admiralty island and you would never even guess she was pregnant. Heck, we didn’t even tell our families until five months and no one had a clue. Oh, and our daughter when she was born was 7 lbs 15 oz. Way bigger than Trig. You conspiracy theorists are ridiculous. Find something intelligent to talk about.
August 31st, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Having two risky pregnacies there is one point that I have not seen discussed that I wonder about. By what method did Palin discover her baby had Down Syndrome? My last two children were born when I was 34 & 36. Due to my age, my ob/gyn discussed an amniocentesis test as a way to determine any possible birth defects, especially Down Syndrome. She said one of the reasons to have an amniocentesis is when a woman’s age is 35 or older on their due date. However, she pointed out there are risks. The question my husband I needed to ask ourselves was, would a child with a birth defect make the difference in carrying the pregnancy to term. When we told her no, she said then there is no need to have the test & take the risk of a miscarriage. So, of course I can’t help but wonder why a woman, especially Palin who is pro-life under any circumstances, would have an amniocentesis test in the first place?
August 31st, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Sarah Palin reportedly delivered Trig one month prematurely. So in this interview she would be 5 - 6 months pregnant not 6 - 7 months.
August 31st, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Just noticed filmjeff already addressed this. Didn’t mean to duplicate, just left mine toooo long on the screen before submitting (caught up in a phone call)!
August 31st, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Isn’t Sarah’s only 6 mos pg in above pic? If dated Feb. b/c she was due in May –but had the baby a month early.
I’m a marathon runner too with 5 kids & could hide the bump easily up to the 8th month.
However I’m not discounting the posibility of her daughter actually being pg. Nobody says out of school 5 months for mononucleosis.
VERY SUSPICIOUS.
September 1st, 2008 at 12:16 am
Additional photos or videos will NOT end this rumor. Every image we have so far is being analyzed like the Zapruder film, for crying out loud. For the sake of her family and her daughter’s integrity, Sarah Palin has to release a copy of the birth certificate and do it soon. If it’s legit (or they were smart enough to fake it), then they’re in the clear.
September 1st, 2008 at 1:51 am
It all seems wacky. But if it IS true (the rumors) then there’s one reason Sarah had a lot of motivation to fly from Dallas to Seattle to Anchorage and then drive to that small local hospital as part of Trig’s birth. She was an influential Board Member of that hospital prior to being Governor. I reckon they’d do whatever she wanted. Falsification of records? Done. Birth certificate? Done. Full discretion, tight lips? Promised. And so on.
And I have never heard of a case of “mononucleosis” lasting so long (5 to 8 months?!) in a girl who looks quite healthy in pics and videos before and after.
September 1st, 2008 at 2:12 am
Palin looks pregnant to me, especially when she is walking up the steps and into the office. Even in the views of her from behind she looks pregnant. (Extra weight through the hips).
September 1st, 2008 at 2:29 am
A side note: We were living in Seattle when then Gov. Locke and wife had two of their babies. It so happened that my daughter was born in the same room (birth-suit is what they call them) as his second one. It’s a big deal for the hospital, all the nurses knew and remembered the story. Once the papparazi discent on that poor medical center, I am sure they’ll get to the bottom of this story. Until then the Google sleuths can have their day…
September 1st, 2008 at 3:04 am
Another comment after looking at some of the pictures. That picture of the Palins where Bristol is supposedly pregnant:
1. It is absolutely certainly not from 2006! If you look at pictures from Palin’s inaguration (Dec 2006) the youngest girl looks much younger than on the picture that was supposed to be from 2006.
2. I think Bristol’s face is much more telling than that “bump”. It does look plumber than on other pictures…
September 1st, 2008 at 3:17 am
I have had three children all born prematurely, but thankfully healthy. One at week 35, one at week 34, and one at week 32. My pre-pregnancy size was a 4. My height is 5′7″. I was certainly more than obviously pregnant prior to the delivery of all my children. With the first pregnancy, at age 24, I did not show really until about week 30 with barely a need for maternity clothes. With the third pregnancy, I was showing at about three months and had little choice but to wear maternity clothes by month four. In all three pregnancies I gained between 25 and 32 lbs total, so I never really packed on the weight either.
It is highly likely that Bristol would have shown very little, being her 1st pregnancy, until close to her delivery. If rumors are true, this would have been the time that she was hidden away with mono. It is also highly unlikely that even the most fit woman in her fifth pregnancy at 7 months would not be very evidently, obviously pregnant.
Additionally, a pregnant woman at age 44 would be considered high risk, even if carrying a fetus determined to be healthy by amniotic testing. Labor and delivery tends to come quicker with subsequent pregnancies. I doubt there is a doctor on this planet that would have agreed to Governor Palin’s trip to TX in the first place at that late stage of her alleged difficult pregnancy, let alone fly home after her water broke, 8 hours earlier.
September 1st, 2008 at 3:28 am
Odd about the Israeli flag, because word is that she was a Pat Buchannon supoorter, had a button and everything when he visited Alaska, and his views on Israel, lol well, look it up.
Daily Kos wasn’t the first to report this, there were rumor blogs out of Alaska with it before that. Anytime a happily married woman waits until the 7th month of a pregnancy to announce, red flags go up, that is just how it is, in politics, and in real life.
For a 36 weeker, this baby wasn’t terribly small. I went term, 40 weeks, on my first one and he was 6lbs 11oz.
If she was advised by her Dr. to fly across the country leaking amniotic fluid at 36 weeks with a Down’s baby, she was very badly advised.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:41 am
What - no one mentions that her daughter was pulled out of school for almost 8 months for ‘mono’?
Hmmm….
September 1st, 2008 at 4:43 am
Oh- and three days after giving birth to a developmentally disabled child - she goes back to work.
If she did have this baby - she showed horrible judgment in flying 10 hours and driving 45 minutes to a hospital AFTER her water broke.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:48 am
What does the Isreali flag have to do with anything regarding that trackback? UGH.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:58 am
Why am I not surprised by this story…
I think Palin is a TERRIBLE choice for VP. McCain is clearly not in his right mind.
It’s unfortunate that this situation is equally an attack on Bristol Palin. Her rifle toting Mama can handle herself. Leave the poor kid alone. Kids today have emough self-esteem/image issues without the media adding yet again to their vulnerabilities.
Regardless of who’s baby it is, it’s a family matter. The skeleton won’t be in the closet for long.
For what it’s worth, I once had a friend who wore the same sized clothes throughout her pregnancy. The baby was 10 lbs when he was born. Anyone who did not know her would never have suspected her pregnancy.
As for this being the same case with Sarah Palin, I find that highly questionable…
September 1st, 2008 at 5:13 am
Be careful here folks. If she is the grandmother, she is “protecting” her daughter. Unexpected pregnancies happen quite a bit.
That said, hasn’t Palin supported abstinence-only sex-ed and is against birth control? How’s that working, Sarah?
I feel for Bristol - this “family shame” treatment is like the bad old days.
September 1st, 2008 at 6:13 am
Pimpin’ Sarah Palin: A Modern Trojan Horse
On Friday, following McCain’s announcement that Sarah Palin was his choice for running mate, like way too many others in America I allowed myself to indulge in the fantasy that this was the stupidest decision of a GOP presidential candidate since Dan Quayle was tapped for the role. Dan Quayle won the VP job. Now that my post-DNC sense of invincibility has worn off, however, so has my triumphalism. I woke up yesterday morning with a much different sense of the Sarah Palin, beauty queen governor choice. I think it’s a trap. The McCain campaign knew exactly how both Democrats and the traditional media would respond to the Palin announcement, because in retrospect, it was entirely predictable. Choosing someone this plainly unqualified wasn’t a mistake, and it wasn’t even a gamble. It was a trade-off. She is a woman.
My suspicion is that the McCain campaign doesn’t really care that Palin undermines McCain’s case for experience, because they’re not planning to use that argument anymore. They’ve decided that the experience argument is ineffective against Obama’s change message, and they’re more or less giving it up. Moreover, they know how to respond to attacks on Palin’s total lack of qualification for the office, and are in fact inviting those attacks as a way to build sympathy with working class independent voters. That’s where Palin’s value lies. Instead of continuing on the experience theme, McCain is front-loading his “Country First” message, and his campaign is taking the competition for working class voters on economic issues much more seriously than they were a few months ago. McCain has finally figured out that this is not going to be a national security election, and that Iraq is a distant second to the recession as the central issue in 2008. So it doesn’t matter that Palin has no foreign policy experience. That’s not what they need her for - they need her for the debate over the economy.
Of course, Palin is useless for any actual debate on the subject that might require policy expertise and persuasive argumentation. In that, she’s similar to McCain, who is not identified as a Senator with any special knowledge on economic issues, and has been exposed as an out of touch multimillionaire. For all these reasons, and with GOP-style economics completely out of style, the McCain campaign is at a major disadvantage in any wonky policy debate on fixing the economy. Knowing this, and knowing that the election is going to be won or lost on whether their ticket is regarded as the best equipped to meet that challenge, the McCain campaign is doing what the GOP always does when it has to fight for working-class rural, white swing voters in a debate that Republicans can’t win on its merits: they are reverting to symbolic politics (America’s first female and soccer mom V.P.), a role for which Palin is tailor-made.
Palin was educated at a not-famous public university, received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and became a sportscaster before entering the political arena. She married her high school sweetheart, a commercial fisherman and oil company worker (not an executive, or even a manager). Her political career began at the PTA. She raised four kids while holding down her career, and recently had a fifth child with down syndrome. Compared to McCain, Obama and even Biden, her story is easily the most sympathetic to working-class voters, especially white women. While the McCain campaign whispers to voters in Peoria, Florida, W.Virginia, S. Dakota etc. that Obama is not ‘one of us,’ with Palin they will be able to present a face and a story that is reassuringly familiar - much more so than the top of the Democratic ticket.
The McCain campaign is going to trot Sarah out whenever they need to make the case that they feel America’s pain. They’re going to contrast her story to Obama’s, and even to Biden’s (not the part about being a scrappy kid from Scranton, but the part about being in the Senate for a million years). They’re going to have her stick relentlessly to her personal biography, and avoid at all costs any discussion of policy and just have her out there doing her beauty queen wave and smile for the media. And whenever any Democrat attacks her for being inexperienced, they’re going to turn to working class voters and ask why all these Harvard-educated, pointy-headed know-it-alls think that they know better how to help working families than a woman who worked her way through a demanding career while raising five kids, stayed married to her hard-working husband, and was so successful that she became a governor and then a VP nominee. They’re going to turn any question about Palin’s ‘experience,’ whether from a Dem or from a journalist, into another elitist attack on working class culture, another example of snooty, brainiac liberals condescending to ordinary Americans. And to boot, a bunch of good old boy Democrats picking on Mrs. Mom.
I don’t believe that this is a bid for Hillary supporters, I think it’s a bid for the same segment of the electorate that almost every tactic from both campaigns has been aimed at: white, working class swing voters. I think the inevitable attacks on Palin are part of the purpose of her selection. By turning her into a lightning rod, they will be able to deflect attacks away from McCain, his age, his 4x cancer survivals, his military disabilities and admitted lack of any economic training toward a far more sympathetic figure, and then use those attacks as evidence in a far more powerful counterattack against typical liberal elitism.
Smart Americans are best off not taking the bait and allowing poor Sarah Palin and her down syndrome newborn to be completely pimped for two months by the McCain/Bush team in order to retain the White House for the Bush Republicans.
Cindy McCain on ABC Today:
“Sarah Palin Has National Security Experience Because…
Alaska Is Close To Russia.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/cindy-mccain-on-abc-today_b_122759.html
September 1st, 2008 at 6:47 am
It’s probably been said already. But if she was willing to hike in winter, that is either an irresponsible pregnant woman - or an unpregnant woman.
September 1st, 2008 at 6:51 am
Palin is wearing 3 inch heels (boots) while walking in what appears to be icy slush while 7 months pregnant.
Not a smart idea. And a bit suspicious since women who are in their last couple of months of pregnancy take every precaution of keeping themselves safe against trip hazards, falls, etc.
The evidence presented thus far by the various outlets is starting to point to a very suspicious pregnancy. I’ve know people with mono who were not pulled out of school for 6-7 months. A few weeks…but not months.
September 1st, 2008 at 7:01 am
Palin - March 14, 2008
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0fcQ5EM7gafd9/4880x.jpg
Palin - April 13, 2008
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3049/2814199887_67e84850f4_b.jpg
Mama
http://www.mccainblogette.com/postings/083008_0928/55.jpg
September 1st, 2008 at 7:02 am
I believe that is the state flag of Alaska, not an Israeli flag. Good grief.
September 1st, 2008 at 7:10 am
You folks need to get a life! Sarah Palin was obviously pregnant. What an insult you folks are. Can you imagine how stupid you look to believe crap like this?
http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/2008/08/30/dailykos-rumors-debunked-here-is-sarah-palin-pregnancy-photo-on-feb-10th-2008/
September 1st, 2008 at 7:15 am
Well, I don’t know the truth, but it is VERY rare for a young woman to have a Down’s baby ( 1 in a 1000 ). It is much less rare ( 1 in 40 ) for a 44 year old woman to have a Down’s baby.
Just on those facts, it is 20 times more likely that it is Sarah’s baby.
September 1st, 2008 at 7:28 am
Palin just announced that her daughter is 5 months pregnant:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/us/international-usa-politics-palin.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin
September 1st, 2008 at 7:29 am
Bristol is 5 months pregnant now
September 1st, 2008 at 7:42 am
That picture and video of her at the state GOP convention is very convincing. She looks very, very pregnant. Huge.
So tell me…why did none of the flight attendants on the Alaska flight notice that she was pregnant? None of them ever suspected she was pregnant when the ADN interviewed them after the flight.
If you were working on that flight, and you saw the Governor of Alaska get on, it would stick in your mind. You’d think, wow, that’s the Governor!
If she was big as a cow, and could barely get her seatbelt shut, you’d remember that too.
So tell me that…why did no one on the flight notice or remember her being pregnant?
September 1st, 2008 at 7:46 am
This story gets more bizarre by the moment, and am almost a little ashamed that I questioned the amniocentesis test. Having said that, let’s give Palin the benefit of the doubt; this is her son. For me, she took unnecessary risks with her sons life. I’m left wondering what sort of risks would she take with ours? Decisions Sarah made towards the end of this pregnancy questions her decision making capabilities which is more of a concern (at least to me) than who’s child this is.
September 1st, 2008 at 8:06 am
Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson
Palmer, Alaska
(907) 352-6200 direct
In the spirit of internet fairness as an Obama support. I found the following info. That’s Sarah Palin’s doctor’s direct number in Alaska. Call and ask the medical doctor yourself
The doctor told the Alaska papers (see below) that she delivered the baby but call Cathy and ask for yourself “on the record.”
Who knows? It never hurts to find out for ones self. I am not a blind supporter nor idiot. This election is about the issues and qualifications - for me. That medical office in Alaska will be open on Tuesday morning after the holiday. Let’s be smart here people since we do have a real family here and a disabled child involved and internet rumors can be very nasty, fabricated and frankly hurtful. Personally I think savvy Republicans planted this story to gain sympathy for Sarah. So call and find out for yourself. I know I already spoke to their live answering service just now.
http://www.adn.com/front/story/336402.html
September 1st, 2008 at 8:14 am
She is wearing her wedding ring. If you are pregnant around 7months your fingers are too swollen for your rings to fit.
September 1st, 2008 at 8:15 am
Sorry to break the news for you guys, but there is no reason for me to believe that this woman is pregnant, actually 7 months pregnant, it’s clear to me, she’s very comfortable walking on high heels, you can see how they took a long distance walk but yet she didn’t appear to be tired at all, hmmm, i smell a big SCANDAL coming to the Republican theaters soon!!!!
September 1st, 2008 at 8:19 am
You people really need to get a life of your own!
September 1st, 2008 at 8:36 am
HOW MANY OF OBAMA’S CONSTITUENTS ARE SINGLE MOMS?
You know the Obama speeches about how fathers
need to be responsible and not abandon their
children’s mothers. What hypocracy for Obama’s
attack dogs to now smear Palin’s family for their
daughters pregnancy.DAILY KOS ARE SCUM BAGS !!!
All you small minded people who are crucifying Governor Palin over the question of her fifth child, are just fueling a vicious smear campaign. Besides, if you want to exhibit your holier-than-thou attitude … why don’t you get even more angry at Obama, Michelle, and their children, for spending 20 years in an anti-American racist church, as well as associations with Farrakhan, Wright, Ayers, Rezko, etc.. These facts are much more relevant to the next administration, than the possibility of a loving mother taking the heat to protect her child and grandchild.
September 1st, 2008 at 8:38 am
I am a photoshop artist and since the latest photo surfaced conveniently to coincide with debunking the rumors, I have to tell you that I can very easily add a baby bump to any woman, any man, any dog, cat or even add a baby bump to a car or telephone pole.
So for me, the evidence for this being true far (Bristol Palin being the mother of Trig) outweighs the evidence to the contrary. Why do we think she put out the story of the daughter being pregnant now.
Picture this… Bristol carried and had little Trig (because clearly she is the caregiver in all aspects and on every photo I have seen). Now a few months later, she is pregnant again by “old dude” and she knows it cannot be “mononucleousis’d” away. Bristol probably just told her in conjunction with all the press she is receiving about the first birth. So….. damage control kicks in and this is the solution. And they are saying that McCain knew of the pregnancy. So then what… He is certifiably insane? He would have to be to still choose this woman with this knowledge. So which is it?
Makes sense huh!!! Yes, more sense than the Repubs accepting the swamp land in Missouri and trying to convince us that we can build a sub-division on it.
Are we going to let Britany Spear’s Mom run our country. Nice lady, but not President material no matter what kind of hat or bow is placed on her…
I am not a fool… Maybe people who are buying the “crap” are…
September 1st, 2008 at 8:38 am
She certainly looks like she is showing to me. Look at 5:55-6:15. The best thing about this entire temptest in a teapot is that is will provide even more evidence that the liberals are reactionary fools. This will be fodder for the election when the facts are made clear. The democrats are now stupidly swallowing the hook with this republican trap. Like him or not, karl rove is a brilliant tactician.
September 1st, 2008 at 8:46 am
Thank you for the spirited debate, your thoughts and comments are always welcome here at Alaska HDTV. In the spirit of moving on (and the fact we’re tired of approving comments), we have decided to close the comments for this story. Thanks again!