I had wanted to make this blog post before announcing our new discussion board "Team Truther," but I did not get to it. Please read the post below this one as well, if you have not - on the announcing of our new board.
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In the last 2-3 days, there have been two comments made by players in this drama to press that have been noticed as - perhaps - being indicative of what we believe the "real story," may be, specifically that Bristol Palin is the mother of both Trig Palin and Tripp Johnston.
One comment, I believe, is NOT significant, but the other may be. First, let's talk about Levi's comment, as quoted in the Daily Beast, that his "boys" were going to be "so mad" when they saw the new clothing he'd acquired in Los Angeles. While it's easy to jump on this, and say, "Boys! He said 'boys'!", I believe that in this context Levi is referring to "male friends." My daughters frequently say that they are doing somthing with "my girls," to mean that they are socializing that evening with an all-female group. (Not large groups of granddaughters that I am somehow unaware of!) Infants and toddlers are not going to be "mad" about parental clothing choices, and I find the idea that he was talking about babies when he said this implausible.
The second comment, however, is, I think, far more worthy of comment. Buried deep in the transcript of Sarah Palin's interview with Wolf Blitzer is the following sentence, regarding the identity of the daughter that David Letterman's joke referred to: It wasn't my older daughter, who's in college and taking care of her young family.
"Family." That word choice is very very interesting.
Long Long Ago and Far Far Away, I was a student. I studied, not medicine or science (areas of endeavor that would ultimately have helped me in what I ended up doing professionally) but history and linguistics. Linguistics is, as we always tried to explain to other tipsy undergrads in bars, the study of "Language" with a capital "L" NOT languages, with a small "l." Although as an adult, I have never done anything with my linguistics degree professionally, nuances of language and grammar have always fascinated me.
To a native speaker of English, I believe "family" in this context implies more than one child. It's a collective noun that implies a group. Now, if someone says, "John and Sue are starting a family," we all know that this means they are having their first baby, because they are having the FIRST member of what might become a group.
But when someone is staying home, taking care of a "young family," this means children. If she had ONE baby, I believe a native English speaker would say, "at home with her baby." The natural way for Gov. Palin to have expressed this would have been: It wasn't my older daughter, who's in college and taking care of her new baby. Or even: It wasn't my older daughter, who's in college and taking care of Tripp.
Of course - this proves nothing. Those of us who doubt Palin's birth tale need no more proof; those who think she walks on water will find this - at best - an insignificant slip of the tongue, and at worst we'll get the typical comments: "Oh, I say 'family' all the time when I mean one child." Yeah, right. And I'm sure you say this to your friend who is nine months pregnant with her fifth eight pound child and who doesn't look pregnant at all! Amazing.
A nail in the coffin? Probably not. An interesting slip o' the tongue to file away? Definitely.
No Time for Tuckerman
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Time. It is precious, they say. It flies, they say. And former Republican
Party Chair, former Dunleavy Chief of Staff, and now former University of
Alaska ...
1 year ago
51 comments:
Family would not sound weird if she was talking about mother, FATHER and baby. Then, taking care of her young family, makes sense. But with a mother and ONE kid, family is plural that usually refers to three or more.
but, Palin has buzzwords she uses all the time and her base loves FAMILY values, whatever the hell they are to republicans. She also can't put thoughts together into sentences with the proper usage and grammar, so while it is a slip, Palin's words don't mean much ever!!
I found the "family" comment interesting for another reason: it implies that despite whoever officially adopted him and publicly declared him as their "son," the Palins still see Trig as Bristol's child. She is his caregiver. She is the reason we haven't see Sarah grandstanding with Trig since the birth of Tripp: Bristol is taking care of him, and while she could run around with mom and stand in the shadows while Sarah "walked her walk", now that Bristol has another infant to deal with, she is staying home and taking care of her "family."
I keep thinking about the long term. Bristol takes care of these two little boys, one of whom calls Bristol "mom." Isn't Trig going to slip into calling her mom, too? Even if he doesn't, he's going to see her in that role. So what happens in 3-4 years when Bristol gets married and wants to move out of the house with her "family"?
It's like, what happens if Trig is ever enrolled in school? They'll have to show his birth certificate, over and over again. People will begin to talk. Of course, I guess Sarah thinks that by then she'll be PROTUS. God save us.
I raised an eyebrow when I heard that too. When I hear the word 'family' my immediate thought was of a mother, child (or children) and a father. Obviously we know the father isn't a part of Bristol's life any more (although he tries to be with Tripp--and who knows...maybe Trig, too--I like to think so, at any rate). SP's wording was very strange, including her mention of Bristol in college now. College isn't in full session. There are summer courses of course, but wouldn't Bristol like to take this summer and be with her child--erm children--and register for college for the fall term instead?
Bristol said she was going to attend community college. That probably started right after high school ended. So I think Sarah may be telling the truth there.
The Mat-Su Community College Classes started May 18 - graduation at Wasilla High School was May 17. Dunno that she would start her classes the day after graduation - most people want a break by then.
I wonder, too, how soon DS children vocalize sounds like "da-da" and "ma-ma" - I remember my children said Da-Da first, but I don't recall at what age.
My younger daughter called her caregiver "Mama Kelly" (she took care of her from 11 months to 26 months).
I think it's natural for a toddler to name their caregiver. If Tripp calls her Mama, TriG is going to call her that, too.
I also agree that while SP probably slipped, she would easily wave it away letting others claim her 'word salad' characteristics.
Hey Audrey - I started out in Linguistics, too, before moving to Science. Nice to know that about you!
You had me right up until "To a native speaker of English..."
We all know SP can't speak English...
I think the family comment was deliberate--she might have said it twice?--and, as usual, motivated by defiance. I did that when I was a young single mom with one child. I called us a family just to sort of dare people to question it in the absence of a dad or other kids. I don't think it was a slip on SP's part...though maybe a tease for us truthers!
Audrey, I like your plans but I urge you to focus almost exclusively on Trig truth. There are plenty of other sites on top of SP's other deceptions, and even if the deceptions are all of a piece, this site should be the blog of record on Trig.
To anyone who lives around Wasilla: Does anyone see Bristol out with her child(ren)? Is there someone at "home" taking care of them while she runs to College, the tanning salon, doesn't she ever go shopping or hang out with her friends?
It think this is still part of the huge debt that Bristol owes her mother (I saved your butt and covered for you once, and I showed you who was boss that other time. I think that you still owe me). Midnight cajun raises very good questions. Does Bristol have a social life? What happens if she wants to marry? Isn't Tripp legally named Johnston or did they take care of that privately??
When a single mother refers to her child, I don't think that the first word that comes to mind is "family." Bristol may be like that daughter in "Like Water For Chocolate" where the tough, managing mom allowed some of the sisters to marry, but kept one single and at home so there would always be someone to take care of Mom and the major household duties. At some point, Bristol may want her own life. Maybe the "contract" expires when Sarah leaves office and doesn't have to keep up appearances. Oh, wait a minute, I forgot that Sarah has long range plans for a different office. Poor Bristol.
Somewhere in the past, someone mentioned that maybe Bristol and Levi were actually married. The reason that Levi hasn't pressed his claim to shared custody is clouded by Sherri-- yet to be sentenced, and the legal difficulties in untangling from Bristol. And, this may be why Bristol has not had a visible active social life. What are you guys in Alaska hearing???
Really dumb idea to create another blog. You've effectively cut the input in half now. All you had to do was stop being stubborn and modify this blog to be more like what you want teamtruther to be. Duhhhh!
I heard that comment, too, but then figured the "family" comment was to satisfy her evangelical base. Trig has been in Juneau with SP all winter and spring, and when she made that comment he was with her in Texas. While she was in NY with the dud and Willow, Piper and Trig were in Texas with the grandparents so he wasn't with Bristol.
ohio mom,
check the blog post prior to this one.
audrey and co have expanded our means of communicating.
it's called TEAM TRUTHER
I'm sorry - I just have to respond to Sarah Q. Why post in that tone? Anonymity doesn't mean that we can't be civil to each other. Jeez.
While I firmly believe that Palin did not give birth to Trig and think it is very likely that Bristol did, I do not find much significance in Sara's use of the word "family" to refer to Bristol and Tripp. I agree that most native speakers of English would not use this term to denote a single Mom and one child. However, Palin is not most people. She continuely uses words in odd ways. Her grammer is atrocious, her utternances frequently non-sensical and she loves to insert buzzwords and phrase even when they are completely inappropriate and often times even bizzare. In short Sara's lack of command of the English language does not lend itself to authorative analysis.
I'm not a frequent commenter here. I did and then I didn't, but I have always, always stayed current on Audrey's posts and everyone's comments. The blog works because of determined moderators and Audrey's insistence on research and rational thought. It's frustrating for all to have not nailed SP's fraud yet for the world. But, having visited the new blog several times now, I want to say that I think it's not the way to go at this point in your work. It's a concession to frustration and pack mentality. Just another pile-on SP site that's fodder for her campaign against bloggers and media. It could taint the integrity of what you've put together here. I truly believe that this is one of the few sites that are more than a passing concern to her. Don't risk it's power by diluting it with gossip and venting and tweets and chatting. Just my take.
Although it wasn't my major or minor, I did take some linguistics classes because I was fascinated by it and I too, was struck by her use of the word family and agree with you, Audrey.
As a counselor, that phrasing could take me in all kinds of interesting directions!
Drew from lil ol texas said...
I really like the work you do here and I find myself geting excited everytime I find a new post!
But I must say that I think this topic is pretty weak!
The reason I say that is because after spending close to a year listening to and reading stuff written by gino, this is way beyond her capacity.
I do like to look for freudian slips, etc..., but really now, she can't comprehend and/or speak english.
I bet if someone asked her the first thought that pops into her head when she hears the word "Linguistics" she would say something along the lines of "I love that stuff with clams and a good wine sauce, You Betcha"
Bristol has grandparents in Texas? Is it possible she stayed with them while pregnant and delivered Trig there, and could have been on the "wild ride" flight?
I don't have an opinion on Team Truther yet, but I really like branching out and doing mini-posts here about the Sarah Palin story du jour. I think this could bring many new readers to the site when they google the Palin controversy du jour. I think it would be very effective if you had thumbnails of some of the most damning "pregnancy" pics next to the blog post (on the right hand side where there's space). That would pique a person's interest into exploring previous blog posts or the website.
WV: Wingnie - perhaps "a good wingnut" who has the truth on their side?
I don't have any problem with Sarah Palin using the word "family" to represent "Bristol and Tripp," except that in this case she used it to say that Bristol was taking care of her "young family"-- so Bristol was already in that sentence in another place, leaving only Tripp for "young family." However, as has been noted, clear communication is not among Sarah Palin's skill set.
"Sara's lack of command of the English language does not lend itself to authorative analysis."
I've never studied linguistics, but I would think her lack of command of the English language would make it unusually amenable to authoritative analysis. She's not going necessarily use the "correct" way to say things- but she gets them said in language that is meaningful to her.
Off topic, I know, but for kicks & grins I went out to C4P, clicked on Sarah's Twitter link. Love this recent tweet: "NOTHING more important than safety of our babies: Life's most precious ingredient"
Except not having a "fish picker born in TX."
lilmssunshine89,
How do you find out these details of who is where? Was there a news article I missed? Do you know who the Palin's were staying with in Texas and where they were? I wonder why they took Piper out of school for this trip if she didn't have a role in the public appearances.
I found this on a blog in Immoral Minority. Does anyone know if it is true?
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Livvy said...
Did anyone see the "Playboy" picture of SP that was on the official site the day she was announced? I did, but didn't think to save it and by the next day it was gone.
Sarah was dressed like a bunny with her tailfeathers showing because all she was wearing was a thong. She looked back at you over her right shoulder with a come hither smile. Under her eyes were the black marks that football players wear.
I saw more of her tush that I needed to see. And remember, this was on the official Governor's page.
Some random thoughts...
Bristol was wearing an engagement ring at the convention. Who paid for it: Sarah or the RNC? Where would Levi get the money for a diamond?
Levi is supposed to be supporting his child(ren). Does anyone know if he has a job since having to quit the job on the slope? Or does he just get money for all those magazine & TV interviews?
Was the engagement real or staged to promote "family values"?
Some people have suggested that Trig's bio parents are Track and Sherry Johnston. Sherry claims to have had a hysterectomy, making that impossible, but do we know if this is true?
Way of Peace, I love your "Nope" graphic. Did you create it yourself or get it from somewhere?
The GOP knows that they screwed up by choosing SP as the VP nominee. Now, don't you think that some of the higher ups in the party know the truth about Trig? I would guess that Sarah would have had to 'fess up to the McCain camp. Sarah may try again to be the VP or--heaven forbid--president next time. One of the columns linked to from this site gave reasons why Sarah won't make it. (I hope the columnist was right.) One reason given was that she'd have to debate other GOP candidates. Does anyone besides me think that the truth about Trig would be exposed (by the GOP) if her candidacy got too serious? Just a thought.
Audrey ~ i am so totally with you on this!
Sarah probably thinks in pictures, and when she was speaking on this subject, the images that came to her mind were of Bristol taking care of her boys.
I don't believe Sarah's image of Bristol's family includes Levi.
(this is humbly offered as my opinion and personal analysis)
wv: typelts (as in type up the facts, roll 'em up into a ball, and use 'em to pelt an ice queen)
Lynn said... Do you know who the Palin's were staying with in Texas and where they were? I wonder why they took Piper out of school for this trip if she didn't have a role in the public appearances. ***
Piper's out of school for the summer. I recall that Todd's dad and stepmom live in the lower 48 part of the year. Maybe sometimes that is Texas. Anything's possible, but I doubt Bristol and TriG were sitting in the back of the plane during Sarah's wild ride.
According to the current most likely narrative, if I understand it, Bristol had TriG in mid January, possibly at 35 weeks. She then was able to appear in court for her traffic ticket. She had been enrolled at Wasilla High for the fall semester but homeschooled with Levi rather than attending classes. After TriG's birth, she transfered to Anchorage West High and lived with Heather. TriG either lived with her or was in an NICU. Non-pregnant Bristol then was able to be seen by Misty at her home and by someone's roommate's sister at a hockey game.
A due date in late February meant Bristol's last period was in late May and conception in early June, after her return from Juneau. She was 3.5 - 4 months along when her final pictures before disappearing, the September Christmas pictures in Juneau, were taken.
But -- shouldn't she have been visibly pregnant when she traveled with Sarah to NYC and when she attended the event at the church building in October? I understand no one she knew may have seen her in NYC, but that's not true in Wasilla, where I think the church building is. So that's an issue.
Do I have that narrative right?
Ennealogic, thanks for collecting those pictures. Sarah is losing weight, which makes her look older and more tired. I suspect the weight loss is intentional, albeit misguided. "You can never be too rich or too thin."
Dangerous, wherever he is, must be enjoying the Letterman dispute as to whether the bad joke was about Willow being "knocked up."
I've checked out the new Truther forum, and it makes absolutely no sense. All I see is little twitter-like commentary, none of it interesting, and I don't know what they are responding to.
Windy City Woman
Bristol was wearing that ring in the September 2007 official family photo so I doubt that it was bought by the RNC.
"I've checked out the new Truther forum, and it makes absolutely no sense. All I see is little twitter-like commentary, none of it interesting, and I don't know what they are responding to."
I'm not getting it, either. I don't see why there can't just be topics and commentary that you just read, like a blog. I can't figure out what people are responding to and I can't figure out how to avoid rereading irrelevant comments and just get new comments that I haven't read before. I don't think it 's worth it. At least, I don't get the point. It's like Facebook. A bunch of my friends joined Facebook and every time I'm there, I read what scores they've gotten on different tests, what Star Wars character they are, and I have no idea what they're doing.No, that's not true. I understand that they're taking different tests. I just don't see why. The Truther forum isn't at all intuitive in its use.
As long as we're making random comments:
I have read some suggestions on other websites that Sarah may be taking a form of medication that allows her to keep her frantic pace and the side effects of weight lose and dry mouth (too many pictures show Sarah with her tongue licking her lips).
What did the McCain camp know during the campaign? I remember a set of photos that the entire McCain and Palin families posed for together (People Magazine again?). The first pictures showed Bristol, draped with that huge white blanket hold Trig. McCain was heard to snap angrily at her, something to the effect of "What do you want to do? Give truth to those rumors out there?" (not a direct quote). The final picture has Sarah holding Trig, and Bristol nicely hidden in a back row so we can't see what she really looks like.
(One place that might have had the set of pictures was the running blog that Meghan McCain kept during the campaign. Not the quote, though. I haven't checked to see what she's kept up there). The other possibility is Newsweek. They imbedded one reporter with the Obama campaign and one with the McCain camp. The reporters were not allowed to influence the election; they wrote their articles after it was over. They also ran photos with alot behind the scenes details.
I think linguistics clues are very good indicators of what someone is actually thinking and what they are are trying to get you to believe. I've studied the linguistic cues liars give, and they're very telling. I too think the word "family" is an interesting choice. There is also a feature of Palin's overall speech patterns where she fluffs her language a lot or uses words because of their political symbolism. Family can be one of those, too.
Windy City Woman, no, the NOPE across the SP face is not my design.
i periodically do a SARAH PALIN google/image search and that's how i found it.
it says it all, does not it?
BO=HOPE SP=NOPE
clever!
Ivyfree
At TT there are blogs with commentary and there is also a forum which has more open discussion. You can access these from the tab at the top of the page or you can find the most recent blogs/forum discussions on the right hand side of the page.
Not sure how many people have been tracking this. I listen to Air America most of the time and I've heard several comments that got my attention. Specifically, the hosts on several shows have mentioned how the GOP is trying to block Sarah and can't figure out why...there was that recent event where Newt G didn't want her there. Mario Solice Maurich (sure that's not spelled right) said they must know something about her that is making them try to keep her from running in 2012. I wanted to call and say of course they do, they know she isn't Trig's mom and are petrified she'll get the nomination and then the truth will come out and ruin their chances in 2012. Seriously, listen to some of these shows, they are all seeing the GOP sell her out but noone knows why since she is obviously the one getting the most attention and is one of the best fund raisers. I think the GOP knows.
I agree with the comments of Mel, Sarah Q, onething, Ivyfree and others who don't see the value of this new Truther blog. It's twitter and facebook comments and not easy to follow or enlightening like this blog. If the intention was to increase exposure, it may have the opposite effect of dividing or decreasing the smaller readership on this blog. Mel said it well:
"I truly believe that this is one of the few sites (Palin Deception) that are more than a passing concern to her. Don't risk it's power by diluting it with gossip and venting and tweets and chatting. Just my take."
B said on 6/20/09 at 4:54 am:
“But -- shouldn't she have been visibly pregnant when she traveled with Sarah to NYC and when she attended the event at the church building in October? I understand no one she knew may have seen her in NYC, but that's not true in Wasilla, where I think the church building is. So that's an issue.”
Bristol would have been about 4 ½ to 5 months pregnant with Trig in early to mid October 2007, easily concealed by sweatshirts and coats.
The church building you are referring to is the HUB Juneau Christian Teen Center, not in Wasilla but in Juneau. The Travel Authorization for Bristol shows 10/5/07 “Invitation to Palin family to tour the HUB Juneau Christian Teen Center”.
They flew from Anchorage to Juneau the evening of 10/4, were in Juneau on 10/5 and left Juneau at 1:46 pm to fly back to Anchorage. I just now found it interesting that there is no entry for this trip on Sarah Palin’s “Schedule of Travel for Executive Positions Calendar Year 2007”. Once again, Sarah used taxpayer dollars for personal reasons, out-of-town counseling for her pregnant daughter.
The HUB Juneau Christian Teen Center is the church that received the $25,000.00 generous donation made by Sarah Palin using Alaskan taxpayer’s dollars. The political-religious “dominionist” connections to this “church” are, IMO, chilling. I googled a considerable amount of information on this “church” and frankly, if Alaskans do not object to their tax dollars being “donated” to this organization, then Alaska must already be a theocracy under the Palin Administration.
We do not know if Sarah knew before 9/14/07 that Bristol was pregnant, but I am sure she became aware of it after that First Family photo session! I believe that Sarah took Bristol to the HUB Juneau Christian Teen Center for counseling or penitence or whatever those people do about children who disobey the “abstinence only” preaching. I am sure this is where Sarah was advised to take Bristol far far away to NYC either for an abortion (where “no one would know”) or for amniocentesis to determine paternity.
Bitter Baker makes a good point, that "family" is a political code word for Sarah. She may be consistently referring to "Bristol's family" to put the unwed motherhood in a sympathetic light, even if she means Bristol's family of only one son.
Nevertheless, I agree with Audrey.
**From the Moderator**
To those concerned about or critical of Team Truther:
TT is just a supplement to this blog. Palin Deception isn't the only blog to have a complementary discussion board. This blog isn't being replaced by the forum, and even with members having blogs over there it's not going to supplant what's being done here any more than the forums at Mudflats supplant that blog.
A blot like this isn't the ideal forum format for everyone. Neither is a discussion board. If you like the blog, stick with this. If you prefer the forum format, then Team Truther is for you. I'm thinking many of our readers will enjoy both.
The beauty of having both is that it gives readers more choice. The two things aren't in competition and we've gotten enough traffic to support them both.
K
Welcome to Palin Deceptions....it's always nice when new people take the time to sign up and comment here.
TT is a new concept - it was launched three days ago and as such is in its early infancy. Over time we hope that it will develop and that the blog there will offer readers an opportunity to submit their own personal experiences and thoughts with regard to the various issues regarding Sarah Palin and as we see it her distorted values.
Palin's Deceptions is and shall remain THE place for well researched and intelligently written articles regarding Trig's birth. It will also be the main site for the collation of material relating to Sarah Palin's claim to have given birth to Trig.
Indeed Audrey and Morgan have recently added a wonderful new calendar that offers a day by day view of the information that has been collated so far.
http://www.palindeception.com/subpages/subpage1.html
This latest addition is a work in progress and will be updated on a regular basis.
As Morgan has suggested PD is evolving and we hope that in doing so both PD and TT will offer the best of all worlds to all Audrey's readers and supporters.
In my opinion it's a win, win situation.
Can anyone here either confirm or deny the "fact" that several people have mentioned elsewhere - I believe on Gryphen's blog and on the Mudflats forum, for starters - basically that Vanity Fair is working on an upcoming "Sarah is not Trig's mother" article for their magazine? If so, that would be very cool!
i agree with MORGAN.
i went thru the learning curve and now i am interacting more freely there.
but like i mentioned over there. the 2 have different functions. i always check here for more expanded and focused conversations.
AUDREY has also suggested topics that are raised there to blog it here for a more indepth discussion.
i also think we can bring a comment from here and posted over there as i am about to do with the latest from STAPLEIT. i hope that's OK with you.
Stapleit, can't those GOP'ers get the info out now, if they are worried it will come out right before the 2012 election? Or do you think her opponents believe she could recover from it by 2012?
There's been talk that the SS Palin is about to hit an iceberg that's not Babygate. Maybe that's it. But the iceberg seems overdue. Perhaps it doesn't exist.
DAN G,
re VF article: it's been reported that a VF writer has been in AK for a month, presumably to write on SARAH.
as to which of her sordid scandals, it's anybody's guess.
BUT they were the first national mag to publish a humorous piece on the FAUX PREGNANCY.
so we await...
PCGrandma,
Thanks for explaining the 10/5/07 church visit to Juneau. So is Bristol missing in docs and photos from then until her mid-January traffic court appearance, followed by her 2/15/08 AHA Go Red appearance?
I have not had time to visit or figure out all the new sources on Audrey's site or at Trig Truther. When I saw a Twitter there making an obscene comment about Bristol, I decided the site was not for me, but I will revisit and reconsider.
B said:
"There's been talk that the SS Palin is about to hit an iceberg that's not Babygate. Maybe that's it. But the iceberg seems overdue. Perhaps it doesn't exist."
and
"I have not had time to visit or figure out all the new sources on Audrey's site or at Trig Truther. When I saw a Twitter there making an obscene comment about Bristol, I decided the site was not for me, but I will revisit and reconsider."
Interesting....
The problem is that the Twitter log just scans Twitter and picks up all comments that includes something about the Palins. There is no filter for unfortunate comments that have no relationship to the Palin issues.
Stapleit:
Re GOP distancing themselves from SP:
I think it's premature to conclude that it's due to babygate. Why do I say this? Well, there are simpler explanations.
First, there persists a segment of the conservative Republican elite that has always been opposed to SP, because they think she's inexperienced/unqualified. Remember, conservative pundits Kathleen Parker, David Brooks, and Christopher Buckley (son of National Review founder, William F. Buckley, Jr.) all publicly opposed SP during the presidential campaign. So, within the party, while SP has her supporters, she also has plenty of detractors--having nothing to do with babygate.
Second, there are a number of Republican politicians who themselves are potential presidential nominees in 2012, and thus see themselves as rivals of SP: Newt Gingrich himself, plus Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Tim Pawlenty, Mark Sanford, Charlie Crist, and undoubtedly some second-tier folks who envision themselves as possible nominees. These potential rival candidates and their allies are naturally trying to marginalize SP--again, regardless of babygate.
Also, it's simply too early for an organized movement within the Republican party to attempt to take down SP, just because they think she'd go down in flames as the 2012 Republican nominee. That threat is simply too far off into the future. For the above potential rivals, there's a lot of risk in doing so: they'd be outcasts if it became known that they were responsible for a "dirty trick." Frankly, they'd be better of waiting a year or two and hoping SP self-implodes in the meantime, before even considering playing the babygate card.
Finally, it's just not certain how widely known babygate might be within Republican circles. That is, "known" well enough to be based on conclusive proof, as opposed to rumors. The most likely to be knowledgeable would be some folks associated with the McCain campaign. Given its explosive nature, though, the information might be very closely held, limited to just a few folks who are keeping it secret to preserve their own reputations.
For the rest of the Republican office holders, they'd want to have SP help them raise funds for and campaign in 2010 elections. So they're not going to go negative anytime soon. Quite the opposite: they'll be SP's biggest backers in the near term. Remember when SP went to campaign for the Republican in the GA senate runoff in Dec.?
Re Twitter at TT:
I started a topic at TT advocating that the Twitter feed be killed from the homepage, for reasons similar to the concerns mentioned here: Too many "tweeting twits;" too few interesting comments.
Patrick convinced me though that the Twitter feed could have some value. And it seems that a number of TT members very much like it.
I asked if the Twitter feed could be filtered down to substantial "tweets" from reputable sources. Unfortunately, Patrick says that's not possible. :-(
sg said:
"Patrick convinced me though that the Twitter feed could have some value. And it seems that a number of TT members very much like it."
I agree with Patrick and other TT members. Twitter comments could provide some missing pieces to our puzzle. We have got to take the bad with the good. We can't be too sensitive and self-righteous when dealing with Sarah Palin and her administration. It has been shown over and over again that she will lie, cheat and steal to get what she wants. We can't get down to her level but we have got to be in a position where we can use all resources to uncover valuable information.
The naked truth is always chasing a well-dressed lie.
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