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Will Femia is a Weblog enthusiast who, through good fortune and dumb luck, was introduced to the form as his position as chat producer for MSNBC.com careered into obsolescence. On any given day, Will can be found having already spent an unhealthy amount of time squinting at a computer screen.

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Sorting out the Palin pregnancy Web rumors

Posted: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 2:40 PM by Will Femia
Filed Under:

The funny thing about the story of Sarah Palin's daughter being pregnant is that the Web was full of Palin pregnancy rumors and that wasn't it. The actual rumor, sparked, as far as I can tell, by this now-deleted Daily Kos item had Sarah Palin faking her pregnancy to cover for her daughter's pregnancy. What's ironic is that the most objectionable part of the story - the bald accusation that a teen's belly is actually a baby bump - turned out to be nearly the only true thing about it.

To be clearer, the matter has been settled as false in the minds of everyone still paying attention.

Using the kind of reverse scientific method (a.k.a. utterly unscientific method) found often in Web conspiracies, the cover-up theorists were using photographic evidence to support their theory rather than looking at ALL of the photos and then drawing a conclusion. Ultimately the photos Palin actually looking pregnant did surface.

What's great about this story is that it's a case where using "how do you explain" as a reason to come up with your own explanation simply doesn't work. How do you explain that she's not showing in those pictures? How do you explain her taking an ill-advised plane flight when her water had broken? How do you explain that even her closest staff members didn't realize she was pregnant even at seven months?

It turns out the explanation for all of those is the simplest one: it happened.

What's more, not everyone was unable to notice her pregnant state, and said so at the time
and bloggers could have been spared this whole exercise if they'd done a bit of traditional, non-Google research (like the telephone kind).

Meanwhile, one of the pieces of evidence confirming that Sarah Palin is the mother of her own son yields new blog gotchas. MySpace photo captions suggest that Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter is already married to the father of her unborn son! Gasp!

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"When you build a political career on abstinence-only education and evengelical support (which condemns premarital sex), having an unmarried teenage pregnancy under your own roof IS an issue."  
--Its only an issue if you are actually naive enough to think teenagers listen to their parents at all times.  Remember, politicians are human too ( I think...)

John Doe, Seattle, Wash (Sent Wednesday, September 03, 2008 4:56 AM)

that's funny, the matter wasn't settled as false in my mind. i don't really care who actually birthed trig paxon van palin, i just find the whole situation funny. i also don't see any evidence to fully corroborate the notion that trig wasn't bristol's son. nevertheless, the lulz have been supplied, and knowing the republicans as i do, there will be many, many more.

solidox (Sent Wednesday, September 03, 2008 6:24 AM)

Need I remind people that A) John Edwards is NOT a candidate for VP.  B) Teen pregnancy happens, it is not the end of the world, but should she spout off moral candor relating to premarital sex then this becomes an issue.  Really this is only in issue in as much as the GOP claims to have a moral high ground and thus having the child of a candidate being promiscuous is contrary to this claimed standing.  

Ed Foster, Scranton, PA (Sent Wednesday, September 03, 2008 8:22 AM)

IMO, Palin is talking out of both sides of her mouth. The Alaskan Governor is not shy about discussing her Down's baby. It illustrated how "Pro-Life" she is. It works to her advantage, so it's ok to talk about something as personal as getting pregnant at an age where the risk fetal of abnormalities is high and staying pregnant. However, Palin's 17 year-old daughter getting pregnant when she is a proponent of Abstinence-Only Sex Education (which has been proven ineffective by study after study) is not so good for PR. "Talking about Bristol is off-limits...but we're going to parade her and her baby-dady during the convention."

This doesn't speak well to her supposed "family values" IMO. You have a down's baby. You have a baby having a baby. Instead of throwing them under the bus, take care of them. Keep them out the spotlight and stop being a hypocrite.

CMC, Detroit (Sent Wednesday, September 03, 2008 8:46 AM)

Her positions on birth-control, abortion, and sex-ed, all make this an appropriate story.  

In addition, one of the reasons that Daily Kos speculation began is that the Alaska blogs were already discussing the fact that Bristol was pregnant.  And whenever Bristol appeared before the cameras, she was carrying. . . a baby!  So it's natural that people began to wonder whose baby it was.

Finally, all the people who think this is all O.K., and what a great family, do you really want Sarah Palin turning teen-age pregnancy into something that is accepted?  Now she is bringing the baby-father to the convention!  Shoving the situation down everyone's throat.  I can't wait to hear everyone saying how great it is tomorrow, what a great family.

I just won't let my daughter watch it!

SFC, NJ (Sent Wednesday, September 03, 2008 9:35 AM)

Wait, so is she pregnant or not?

Lost (Sent Wednesday, September 03, 2008 10:05 AM)

Okay, so we have established that the Palin family is fertile and McCain chose a mother of five to help run a pretty big country.  As a teacher, my biggest question right now (will probably change after her speech tonight) is who is going to raise her kids while she is running the country?  Who is going to strap the little one in the car seat every morning and where will he spend his days?  Who is going to give him the special attention Down's kids need?  Who is going to help the middle kids with their long division homework and science fair projects?  Who is going to attend their little league games and parent conferences?  Will Mr. Palin assume these duties and roles?  Will he give up his carreer to follow his wife to D.C.?  Kids need at least one parent.  While she doesn't know exactly what a VP does all day, I happen to know the job requires a full time commitment.  Mrs. Palin has decided being a politician is more important than her kids (in the long division/science fair department which also requires a full time commitment).  Who will put her five children first?

ajani57 (Sent Wednesday, September 03, 2008 10:52 AM)

It would be nice if the article offered more substantial evidence than pictures and diagrams on various free image hosting websites.

star146 (Sent Wednesday, September 03, 2008 12:32 PM)

"At least Governor Palin is sticking by her family - Obama lets his brother and family in Africa live in poverty while he lives the good life."
David Yount, Rock Hill, SC

You could at least get your facts straight. Same old toeing teh party line & beleiving all you're told.

http://www.thenational.ae/article/20080827/FOREIGN/164501803

The article implied that Barack, 47, had abandoned his half-brother. The Republican campaign picked up on this and used it to attack the presidential candidate, saying he does not care about family.

“They were portraying the wrong story,” Mr Obama said. “I’ve pretty much had a good life. I think I’ve lived OK. There’s not much I’ve lacked in life. I don’t live on a
dollar per month, that’s not logical. I’ve never lived in the streets. Those guys were tarnishing the Obama name.”

Mr Obama, who is studying to be a mechanic, said he dislikes it when people compare him to his older brother.

RMDownward, Oakland ca (Sent Wednesday, September 03, 2008 1:10 PM)

IF, and I stress, IF Sarah Palin is not the mother, at least one legal document, the birth certificate, was falsified.  And THAT (besides the lack of morality in conspiring to carry out a lie like this for 8 months) is, I would think, of interest to everyone.  

That is a NOT, as has been mentioned here, a convincing photo of pregnancy.  It is only one--I presume you have more?  May we see them?  And calling a guy from the National Review is not my idea of a method of laying to rest a story like this.  Maybe we could ask Sarah's mother, as well?  That should do it.. c'mon.  The other story was just from a gushing fawning teacher, about whom we know nothing, and not very convincing.  

IF she had the baby, then the explanations for the points mentioned in the article (he forgot some, including Bristol's longer than normal mono disappearance) aren't as interesting, for sure. But don't be confused here: having the baby does NOT, from the standpoint of logic and critical thinking, do ANY explaining.  Like I say, at BEST, it obviates the need for giving the explanation.  

Why don't we have a) lots of photos from various periods after it should have become obvious to anyone that she was pregnant, and/or b) lots of testimony from numerous sources of different political backgrounds as to the Governor's pregnancy?  (Sorry, one National Review guy won't do.)  

Do you see how, purely from the standpoint of logic and critical thinking, one might not take this report to close the matter?

Brad Kelley (Sent Wednesday, September 03, 2008 2:55 PM)

John says:  "Stop! Please, Dear God, Please Stop! Enough about Sarah, Bristol, and whose pregnancy is whose. What has this to do with the State of Union? Nothing!!! Just drop it!"

Honey, pray tell, what are you doing clicking on this story/page??

Mary, DC (Sent Wednesday, September 03, 2008 3:00 PM)

The thing I don't get about the original rumor is this:  first they say the whole family is lying. Then the same family announces that the daughter is pregnant, and everyone believes it?  Whatever reasons existed for the orignial rumor are still standing, since -- wonders never cease in this case -- suppose that just after the election the family "announce" that the daughter has unfortunately miscarried, before actually presenting much sign of being pregnant, besides some heavy McDonald's eating and some well-placed padding?  Now I am not saying this is the case -- I am just wondering why the family that was supposedly lying in the original rumor is now taken entirely 100% at face value (by those same bloggers, apparently!) as they announce this new "pregnancy."

frank burns (Sent Wednesday, September 03, 2008 3:40 PM)

beauty pagent winner trying to preach Family Values to her state and my country but fails to explain these to her own daughter.... Go HOME lady! That is where you are needed.

nate (Sent Wednesday, September 03, 2008 6:22 PM)

Rock on Mike from Anchorage !!

Bert, Ontario, Canada (Sent Thursday, September 04, 2008 1:48 PM)

Politics aside, Bristol is a just a teenage girl.  She should be left alone.  

Just like young teenage Chelsea Clinton should have been left alone when John McCain said in a preplanned speach "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father." and when Rush Limbaugh called her the "White House dog".  

Anna, Lakeland, FL (Sent Thursday, September 04, 2008 2:10 PM)

Will
In all this pol craziness, there's one prez candidate who meets two of your interests, Sci Fi and democracy 2.0. She's at y-2008 and be sure to read her Tralfalmadore Gambit for the sci-fi angle.
Enjoy

Alice Home, San Diego,CA (Sent Thursday, September 04, 2008 5:41 PM)

The more appropriate and simpler way to dispell this rumor is for Sarah Palin to provide access to the medical documentation generated during her delivery.  Instead, she "outs" the news of her daughter's current pregnancy to try to dispell the rumor.....which it really doesn't.

It is a legitimate conspiracy theory because the side with the real answers are not letting them known.......hence speculation will continue.

Randy, Santa Cruz, Ca. (Sent Sunday, September 07, 2008 1:45 PM)

Umm, Will, if you are going to link to a picture that proves she was pregnant in 2008, make sure that the picture wasn't taken in 2005, OK?

Not taking sides one way or another, but if you can't even look at the EXIF data on the flickr page, how much investigation did you really do?

SRC (Sent Tuesday, September 09, 2008 9:47 PM)

Those photos you linked to at the bottom of your article are fascinating and confusing.  Because they are taken in the same room as the Alaskan TV station that was there at 6:30pm the day of the birth.  But we have both Sarah and Bristol(is that possibly Willow?) standing over what appears to be Trig, and both of them, although in sweatshirts looks like they just gave birth.  Certainly Sarah doesn't.  

Sara.hoax (Sent Tuesday, September 16, 2008 6:53 PM)

Okay, before people go off stating things, please have evidence to back it up. I understand how people could believe these rumors but to spread them without a shred of evidence to back it up but your own belief is ridiculous. And obviously you can't trust a website, you can get photoshopped pictures of Bush doing illicit activity with Osama Bin Laden for goodness sakes. So go ahead and blow off steam but don't act like you alone have divine understanding of the world.
Personally, I don't think saying if our party had suspicious candidate you would do it too is a good esxcuse. Are you saying because a Republican jumped off a bridge, a Democrat should to? Both parties get so wrapped up in their differences they don't try working together on their similarities. It's not possible that both Republicans and Democrats enjoy a huge national deficit. So let's stop acting like squabbling school children and shift our focus from smearing each other to working with each other.

Sarah, Cool, California (Sent Sunday, September 21, 2008 8:08 PM)



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