I’m voting for Ron Paul if he’s on the ballot in California. He’s the only one I feel positive towards.

Matty

For me it’s not so much of her being a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ parent (if only we had that much control over teenagers), but the idea that you can legislate a very specific brand of morality. It is clear that when dealing with teenagers, they are their own people who are going to make their own mistakes.

Abstinence only education is a mistake, clearly, unless you can completely control your child’s environment until they get married. Bristol is lucky that she has a wonderful family to support her, a family that is not destitute.

Many teenage mothers don’t get this opportunity and it’s these children who are at the most risk for abuse or extreme poverty. It’s these children who end up perpetuating the cycle and most often grow up without a father.

Bristol doesn’t make Sarah a bad mom, it just makes it a little clearer that the abstinence only take on sex education is a mistake. And it isn’t Bristol who would be paying the highest price for that.

Want to know why I support Obama? Because I can’t support McCain.

I’m the same Lindsey and I just keep hoping that someday in my life I’ll have the chance to vote just once for a presidential candidate I can really stand behind and support. I’m growing jaded and weary of basing my voting on default.

And WHEN, for the love of GOD, WHEN DID I BLAME SARAH FOR BRISTOL’S PREGNANCY? I didn’t do that! I never did that! I said that I question her judgment on Abstinence Only Sex-Ed, I said that I question her choice to run in the midst of all of this happening right now- but I never blamed her for her daughter’s situation. In fact, I said that I am not capable of making that judgment.

I’m not.

Palin shows a history of poor judgment and foresight. She even needed an aide to do most of the daily governing when she was mayor of a relatively small town, and nearly faced a recall election. I believe I was clear in my post that I saw both a pattern of professional poor judgment as well as a pattern of personal, and that honestly the professional should matter more. It just doesn’t, because I’m human, and occasionally susceptible to these kinds of human failings like getting drawn up in gossipy clap-trap.

I REALLY debated whether or not to post this. It seems I only respond to things you write that I disagree with. (I’ll make a point to do the opposite after this, you wrote something the other day that I liked.)

Anyway, even after reading your clarification, I have to say I’m still very surprised by your feelings on Palin. I don’t want to rehash what mssc54 has already said since I agree with a lot of it, but I will ask you this: does having a bad kid mean you’re a bad parent? Bristol’s not even really a bad kid, just an apparently unwise one. Elders, pastors and other “godly” people are not immune from a rebellious teenager, so why should Palin? And why should it reflect on her ability to parent. I love the phrase, “God has no grandchildren.” It means just because you’re saved doesn’t mean your kids will be. And just because you try to raise your kids your beliefs, it doesn’t mean they’ll end up believing them. But that doesn’t make you a bad parent.

And I absolutely have to ask, would you have even written this post if Palin were a man??

Can I just say, though, that I really LIKE Huckabee. I thought it would have been interesting to see him get the Republican nod for President.