This is a discussion with Salon's Justin Elliott on the subject of Trig's birth and the possibility that Sarah Palin faked it. Which of course all of us know she did.
Part One
Part Two
Not terribly satisfying to me. Especially how my crush Tina Dupuy seemingly dismisses it out of hand, without given much credibility from the outset. (I guess she WON'T be the future Ex-Mrs Gryphen then.)
But once again, at least it IS being talked about.
It also showed up over at Business Insider today. They handled it in a much more serious fashion than did either Justin Elliott or Tina Dupuy, in that they actually read Scharlott's research paper and paid attention to the evidence presented.
Now that the ball is rolling, let's see where it rolls to next.
Update: Joe McGinniss is not very happy with the media coverage of this story thus far either.
unfortunate, he doesn't know the details enough to be trying to present this case. He made so many mistakes in what we do know--saying there was only 1 10-hour flight to Alaska rather than 2 and a 2 hour drive once they landed and bypassing the NICU hospital to go to the teeny Mat Su hospital that doesn't handle premies---among many other things---that he just sounds like, oh wow, she didn't look pregnant. He didn't know enough about it to counteract her rebuttal points--and she of course had ridiculous rebuttal points--no, maybe McCain hand't vetted her yet, but we know that the hardcore right wing behind-the-scenes politcos were pushing for her from early on--and she knew full and well that she was up for it.
ReplyDeleteanyway, a shame, this didn't do much to convince anyone, however, it did help to at least get a discussion going.
these videos are garbage.
ReplyDeletethey are idiots and didnt even know the facts.
What a huge disappointment!
ReplyDeleteTim really dropped the ball. Why would he tweet like crazy about exposing Sarah and then have a naysayer on? He wasn't prepared at all and should have had Gryph as his guest instead of Elliot.
We need to keep this story out there. Palin herself seems to be less prominent, but I don't want another ill-qualified candidate thrust upon our country.
ReplyDeleteI just sent an e=mail to NPR's On the Media, which casts a critical eye on the media, with a link to the story. I doubt it will go anywhere (they mentioned Palin in a story on rumors that won't die), but it is worth a try. Are there other talk shows which might be contacted? Get the word out, and point out that we need to find out why the media never questioned her story so that we can make sure the media questions candidates as we gear up for the 2012 election.
Very frustrating. Waiting for McGinnis and (please) Dunn.
ReplyDeleteWhat a weak interview! Either they wanted to do their part to try and launch a national discussion or they were trying to boost visits to their site/radio show. Either way, they failed miserably at making what could have been funny, exciting and pretty entertaining tv. Instead they just created a big waste of time and space.
ReplyDeleteThe lady was bulldoggish and dismissive, the guy with the "proof" was weak in making his argument, and the guy on the phone was extremely ignorant of what conditions and events happens when a woman prepares to deliver a baby once she starts leaking amniotic fluid. Am I right to say that the lady on the show framed and almost sabotaged the guy's interview by shooting it down before he uttered a word which again shows she was trying to cover her ass. Talk about the "cone of silence" or whatever the professor called it regarding the media totally missing the point of the paper and exposing the fake pregnancy hoax to begin with.
Lastly, for anyone to say, "So what if its true. What's in it for Palin?" Duh!!! She's already made millions, influenced policy and national debate, and nearly won access to the most powerful position in the world. Screw them if they don't see how dangerous the impact this hoax HAS NEGATIVELY MADE to the collective mental state and detriment of this entire country's conversation and actions over the past 2-3 years. Could you imagine the kind of policies and behavior she would enact should she get elected to govern the country?
. I keep saying, it's going to take a conversation of women to make the case. Not two men and a bulldog that's scared to state the obvious.
Thanks for that bag full of nothing!
The question of why links back to covering up the fact that one of her kids got knocked up. I wonder if this is Bristol's 2nd kid and her Mom went apeshit when she got knocked up a second time. The bad part is that the first baby, as identified by Gryphen, wasnt good enough so they had to upgrade to another model. The first lie was to protect her daughter, the second to protect her political future. We can understand out of wedlock kids better than the lies.
ReplyDeleteThe only necessary "alternative theory" to what has been reported by the media so far is: Sarah Palin was not pregnant. Since the only strong, consensus-based assertion so far by people who don't believe Mrs. Palin's story is that Sarah Palin is not Trig's biological mother, THAT is the only thing to be proven. THAT HAS BEEN PROVEN to the satisfaction of most of us who have paid close attention for the last 2.5 years. The photos tell the story. There IS NO EXPLANATION for some of the photos on record, unless Mrs. Palin was not pregnant when she said she was. If I have not TOLD an alternative story of Trig's birth, I don't have to PROVE ONE. I haven't seen anything that is completely convincing about who gave birth to Trig Palin. I only assert that Mrs. Palin did not give birth to that baby. Why should I have to prove who his mother is? I don't claim to know that. Did this guy go to journalism school not that long ago???
ReplyDeleteWhat about the third lie? The purported rumor that Sarah had her tubes tied about Piper was born?
ReplyDeletePoor Sarah. It doesnt matter anyway.
Gryphen - come on! You can do way better than Tina Dupuy!
ReplyDeleteWow, I am SO surprised. No, not really.
ReplyDeleteGee, members of the LSM (no matter how peripheral - sorry, Young Turks) is dismissing babygate out of hand and have no idea of the facts of the issue? Shocking!
I'm just super psyched that Joe McGinniss is obviously all over this scene. Uh, Fatal Vision, anyone? If you don't have a change of undies on hand, Sarah, you should probably get on that, because you are going to have a little accident once Joe's book comes out. It doesn't matter if he proves that you're not Trig's birth mother. He is a legitimate author and even his examination of the inconsistencies in your stories will shed light on the fraud that you perpetrated on this country. Ever heard of authors promoting their books in the media? Not gonna be good for you in this case. Sorry!
No one has argued that Sarah started out TRYING to pretend to be pregnant so as get Trig for a prop. We have argued that once the scandal - or whatever the unacceptable-to-Sarah circumstances that "necessitated" the hoax around Trig's birth - were "solved" by the hoax that he was Sarah's instead of someone else's, he became a super anti-choice, supermom prop as the governor's biological Down Syndrome child that she knew about ahead of time and didn't abort. BULLSHIATT
ReplyDeletep.s. - Sarah, you're already irrelevant, politically, but that's not enough for me. You brought out the absolute worst in many Americans and karma is a bitch. You're such a wretched piece of crap that I want to see you humiliated.
ReplyDeleteSo NOT knowledgeable all three were!
ReplyDeleteThe one piece of proof: How can she have a flat profile and give birth to a 6+ pound baby 5 weeks later?
The next piece of proof: how can her pregnant belly be nonexistent, watermelon-sized, small, and too small to notice just before delivery?
No fake birth certificate or eyewitness to the alleged birth can explain this away.
I think maybe the reason palin went forward with this is she's a liar and that's what liars do is lie.No other reason then just the gratification that they got over on someone.These videos of TYT are crap.It looks like some dorky kid running his mouth because he can.I don't buy palins story but you're going to need a lot more than this to debunk it.I want to see Tri-gs birth certificate.
ReplyDeleteWhat Anonymous 6:46 said.
ReplyDeleteWe may never get Palin's medical records released, but I think the thought of having to release them or own up to the fake pregnancy is enough to keep her from running for any national office.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember the movie, but I think it was a Steven King novel made into a movie...someone was going to assassinate a pres candidate but it ended by the candidate grabbing a child as a shield thus ending their election hopes. Trig is Sarah's shield and without the truth she will never get into nat'l office.
While I like most of us, would like all the details, we may have to be happy with the country just being out of her reach.
What a disappointing bunch of blather from people who, clearly, have not done their homework on this story. Why bring it up at all if they weren't going to present what has been discovered and verified by the various researchers? And is Tina's main job on this show to be the ever-skeptical Dana Scully (ala X Files) -- interrupting repeatedly and saying "no proof"?
ReplyDeleteWho has the additional photos from the spouses luncheon and what are they doing with them?
ReplyDeleteIf people would just stop getting lost in the tulies!
ReplyDeleteHere is what we don't know, don't care about:
--Who, then, are Trig's bio-parents?
--Is Bristol the Mom?
--When, exactly, was Trig born?
--Where was Trig born?
--Who else is involved?
--Why did she do it?
--How could they possibly keep it secret?
All we know for sure is SP WAS NOT PREGNANT before Trig was "born."
That's all we need to know, and the photos of SP's body tell the story, prove it. Sure the rest would be interesting but is not necessary to know in order to establish that SP hoaxed us. Hoaxed the U.S. electorate. Used a disabled child for political gain, as a political prop.
I keep thinking about that poor little baby. Is he even the center of anyone's attention? Ever?
ReplyDeleteHerny Blodget at BusinessInsider has it covered right. Check it out. Very extensive post with lots of pictures and analysis. Prof. Scharlott and Blodget are having it out with the bots and doubters.
ReplyDelete46,000 page views and 250 comments in just a few hours.
PROFESSOR: Sarah Palin Probably Staged A Gigantic Hoax About Being Trig's Mother
ReplyDeletehttp://www.businessinsider.com/sarah-palin-baby-hoax-2011-4
How well would any of us have done explaining this clusterfuck on short notice. Especially if it was new news to you. That's one reason why it has lasted this long.
ReplyDeleteIf it doesn't get buried soon the right people will start getting interviewed. People much more familiar with the material, and all the sorry excuses that have helped to distract from the topic.
It is hard for media people to admit that they are not qualified to discuss a complex story due to a lack of background or preparation.
If Palin were a little browner, the media would have jumped on this story in 2008. What am I talking about. McCain wouldn't have picked her in the the first place.
ReplyDeleteI'll get my hopes up and get happy when Palin is cornered and has to either come forward or act stupid and wage a public battle.
ReplyDeleteTina was sounding like $arah herself with the "sexist" talk about "not telling co-workers, etc. of being pregnant" because of the whole sexist line that the "men will criticize her for getting pregnant" while playing governor. As if men never knew women could get pregnant. But nicely done on playing to the $arah Palin Pregnant women/Workplace Victim Syndrome.
ReplyDeleteTo begin with Tina, as a normal pregnancy progresses, there's weird things that start happening to a woman's body like morning sickness for one. Like the nose goes crazy with bothersome smells. Like the body starts to change as well as eating habits. And if you don't think that fellow co-workers, especially female co-workers will not notice these changes even though you haven't said boo about being preggers. Then I'm lead to believe that you've never been pregnant before.
To this day, 26yrs later from my first pregnancy, I still can't stand the smell of Halston perfume.
GypsyGirl
What about the third lie? The purported rumor that Sarah had her tubes tied about Piper was born?
ReplyDeletepffft - if it's a lie, then SP was the one lying when she couldn't pull car pool duty because of her "OPERATION".
I really wish people wouldnt argue: grandchild or child?
ReplyDeleteEARTH TO EVERYONE OUT THERE. TRIG IS NOT BRISTOLS. AND THE REAL MOTHER DOESNT MATTER. THIS IS ABOUT SARAH PALIN FAKING A PREGNANCY WHILE GOVERNOR.
Bristol was indeed mad that people were gossiping that her "brother" was hers, as most teen girls would be mad. I was in the exact same position, except my mother wasn't Gov. AND Bristol was already on several girls shitlists because Lanesia's a bitch and a half.
I don't think a birth certificate is going to be much proof of Trig's birth, IF $arah and Todd adopted him. Adoptive parents in AK can request a "substitute birth certificate." I don't know if it is identical to the original and/or if it has the original birth date, but this would be important to know. If they did adopt him, and she has the certificate, she will try to present that as "proof." So we need to be asking for something else (unless the substitute certificate shows he was adopted).
ReplyDeleteSee Rule 16(c) on this link: http://www.courts.alaska.gov/adop.htm
6:46, I agree. Also, Tim is just a bad speaker, in general. Frankly, if I didn't know the real story, I wouldn't believe anything he said, just because of his hesitant and halting speech, and reading off his paper. Sigh. But at least the story is out there, and the Business Insider story is better.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the TYT video was an epic fail. The guy (Tim?) was unprepared and got hammered by Elliot and Dupuy. I don't know why Tina Dupuy is so suspicious of the possibility of the story being true, but it was frustrating to watch. The real problem is that the guy who had been "convinced" did not review the totality of the evidence. He almost does more harm than good by not having all the facts at his disposal. This was terribly disappointing and I don't think would have been even done if Cenk Ugyur was still there.
ReplyDeleteBTW, from over at Politicalgates, someone created a Twitter hashtag:
#whybabygateisrelevant. For those of you who tweet, you may want to contribute to this discussion. This was another point that Tina and Justin just didn't get.
~physicsmom
The tweet was misleading. To tweet THAT, you'd have to have DNA. Now that would be impressive.
ReplyDeleteHate to break it to you, but obama's skin color brought out the racists. Sarah's never promoted a racist mentality, only a don't believe those liars in the WH mentality. BEcause THAT is what the country should be outraged over, the fact that Obama is playing us like fools.
ReplyDeleteDid these guys forget that a pregnant woman who starts leaking any amount of amniotic fluid should get to a hospital ASAP? Why? Because she needs to be examined by an obstetrician. Why she never went for an examination is beyond the scope of understanding. If she had been examined in Texas before boarding the plane, they would never have sent her again on her way to the airport to board a plane for a 10-hour flight back to Alaska, with a stopover in Seattle. NO WAY.
ReplyDeleteIt's well known that a leak could result in infection to mother and baby; this is the reason a woman needs to notify her doctor at
once. Amniotic leaking also means labor has started. If it's premature, get to a hospital ASAP. Umbilical cords can wrap around baby's neck, all sorts of things could be happening without the pregnant woman's knowledge - THIS IS WHY a woman who leaks any amount should immediately notify doctor. The doctor will also be able to see if the woman has dilated (cervix begins to open) - no licensed doctor would allow a woman to continue on a flight in these phases. Amniotic leaking or dilation.
Sarah Palin's story is that she did NOT get an examination at all in Texas. What father, (Todd) would permit his wife and his unborn baby to go on this risky 10-hour trip, not know if the baby was in distress or not. What father would permit his wife to say, I'm leaking, and "contractions", but I insist on traveling anyway. What loving concerned pregnant mother would do such a thing?
Putting airline passengers in danger, herself and unborn child in danger. The full content of the amniotic fluid could have decided to expel while she was sitting in a plane next to a stranger, a breach birth could have resulted at that moment, the baby's heart and lungs could have gone into distress, anything and all things could have gone wrong.
No doctor or medical team on board? Who would take such a chance.
What idiot journalist does not comprehend any of these things?
We need a Rachel Maddow or Keith Olbermann to break the babygate story once and for all. What is the holdup. As long as outlets like Young Turks are the only ones discussing Babygate we are doomed. The sooner Joe and Geoffrey's books come out the better.
ReplyDeletehttp://sarahpalinhasaserpentsheart.blogspot.com/
At the very least, Sarah Palin needs to apologize to all women for even admitting to her Trig birth story. Others might think it's ok to do the same.
ReplyDeleteDr. CBJ also should have made a statement to reporters and the public that even though she delivered Trig at Matsu that morning, that she would suggest to any woman NOT to proceed the way governer Sarah Palin did.
It was her civic, ethical duty to tell the public that no one should ever board a plane and travel in the circumstances that Sarah Palin described.
Very disappointing. one minute she wants to say that it's not a story because Palin isn't running for office, the next, she wants to get into the story, saying she understands why anyone in office would hide a pregnancy. I've never seen TYT before and I'm not interested in watching them ever again.
ReplyDeleteGryphen - check this out...
ReplyDeletehttp://politics.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979222622
But geez---it's great to see the comments on the Business Insider. There are a kabillion of them! It's got to be good for clicks. So, maybe some of the other media outlets will pick the story up too.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing after Joe and Geoffrey's books come out, there will be some coverage. Please god.
Why can't someone have people familiar with Sarah and the surprise pregnancy appear on national tv or radio. Remember when Shannon went on Rachel M? She knew what she was taking about because she lived it. It is so much easier for people who have been following Palin over the years to explain why the evidence points to fraud.
ReplyDeleteall this drama and that's what it was. It's like getting all dressed up to go to dinner and a show and then when you get there you look at the stage and see a seal catching a fish and dogs dancing, then you look at your plate and see a lonely carrot. What really ticks me off is this was the downfall of Wacko Sarah, this only gave her more ammunation. what really makes me more mad is a build up for a dud. One more thing, thank you Gryphen for not having dog shows and giving carrots out.
ReplyDeleteThe woman said (in the first part of the interview) something about her siblings being "as close as you can get" at being 15 months apart. I call BS on that....my own brother and sister are 10 months apart, which IS about as "close as you can get". If the Palins lied about the birth date of either Trig (I believe Trig) or Tripp, then Bristol could have given birth to both babies.
ReplyDeleteThe disappearance of evidence from the original source certainly raises additional suspicion.
ReplyDeleteThe Juneau Empire ditched the AK History Week photo of Palin at the museum bill signing ceremony and replaced it with a random Palin campaign photo. The original photo description is still there. Awkward. This was the photo that helped verify the date of the 'nail in the coffin' pic.
http://juneauempire.com/stories/032808/nei_262629787.shtml
O/T - Thought Rachel had a great Debunktion Junction segment tonight.
ReplyDeleteOK Senator Inofe being an absolute moron of a pilot. 'Aviation near miss' reported by The Smoking Gun including audio reported by witness.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3096434/#42581385
Damm - it was a chance to take him 'out' as it could have been seen as a terrorist landing - and we know Inofe is one!!!! A homegrown one!!!
Yeah, that was pathetic. Tweets got us all hopeful for THIS? Yeah, it's being talked about, but this gave teeth to those who deny it. This was a fail IMO.
ReplyDeleteYou know, another thing I just realized is very odd. $arah says that Todd personally switched their flights. Having been an executive assistant for many years, I find this highly suspect. Todd or $arah would have made one call (or text or e-mail) to the person who arranged travel for her, and THAT person would have switched the tickets. People at this level don't do their own travel arranging. They just don't. (I also read somewhere recently that the actual travel documents had been released through FOIA, and the tickets showed they had not been changed.)
ReplyDeleteIt looks as if the powers that be have told even the fringe journalists such as the Young Turks to "put this issue to bed". Palin has done herself in for 2012 but she is still seen as a force in 2016, thus, no one is still allowed to speak of "babygate". It is not really the most glaring example of Palin's lack of ability to lead, but the fake pregnancy is certainly a very strong indicator of her weak mental health and lack of intelligence. Either way, by the time the run up to 2016 happens in 2014 Trig will be a 6 year old Down kid. Given the care he has received he will not likely be a wonderful prop as he will be a hard to deal with a 6 year old that cannot function even on the most basic level. He will no longer be a prop kid and the powers behind Palin are hoping he will just be forgotten. The media does have a short memory.
ReplyDeleteDo you miss paintchip eaters and the pooflingers tonight?
ReplyDeleteWhere did they go?
This was HUGELY disappointing and frustrating to watch. It was cursory research at best and poorly articulated by Tim. Inappropriate questions and remarks from Tina, demonstrated that she had no grasp of the pertinent issues in this story.
ReplyDeleteThere is an upside. Because this presentation was so highly touted, and, then, SO off the mark, people will just dismiss it, making future endeavors that much more credible.
I also think that calling her a "dirty liar" over and over again is completely counterproductive.
I am not a "believer" but I have reviewed Babygate and even I know TYT Now did not do a good job either presenting the case or critique-ing (sp?) the case. Palin is shady and people have valid questions. Nothing will be resolved until she releases her verified medical records. She would only be pressured into doing that if she ever runs for public office (esp. at the national level). Knowing what happened last time, maybe not even then.
ReplyDelete3:45 AM Thursday - Gawker is rolling with a fairly expanded spread from the BW.
ReplyDeleteThings are starting to roll now...
The statement that Palin did not fake the pregnancy to further her Christian anti-abortion credentials because she had not been selected to be the V.P. candidate yet does not float. People had been discussing her being picked for a long time before it happened. It is possible the manipulators behind the scenes told her she was most likely the V.P. choice before McCain even knew. I remember it well because I was LMAO at the thought and believed there was no way it could happen. Also S.P. does not have to be the one to hatch schemes, she always has all kinds of staff for that, as well as Todd. As far as their not believing people would keep the story secret, she also has lots of people who are afraid to speak out against her on many subjects and she has lots of people retaliating for her. There is apparently a long history of that sort of thing in Alaska. Are they aware of the Todd prostitution story that only came out recently? Have they read anything about the JFK assassination? I guess they believed the Warren Commission Report. There are lots of stories where people don’t talk, just look at how the mafia works or even family secrets that are kept for a whole generation. These people sound really naïve, non-analytical and know nothing of the facts while appearing to be a bit air-headish. The woman clearly was just doing a "me too" with Justin Elliot. There is no way S.P. would have told anyone on McCains’s staff this story, oh no. The Ho-axe was also on them. What a waste of time, it just irritated me.
ReplyDeleteAnd please remind me why we should care about Joe McGuinnis' take on anything?
ReplyDeleteGryph - TMZ has a new story up saying that Palin has had to get another restraining order against her Pennsylvania "stalker", who Palin says is threatening to "rape her daughter".
ReplyDeleteNothing like trying to deflect from the new Babygate uproar! So damn typical, IF it's true.
http://www.tmz.com/2011/04/13/sarah-palin-stalker-willow-bristol-shawn-christy-restraining-order-rape-threat/
(h/t to 'themeeg' @ politicalgates)
I would be willing to guess that none of the reporters have ever had any children. I actually got a chuckle when Tina said, in defending Palin, "I would have hid a pregnancy too if I had been the governor of Alaska."
ReplyDeleteReally? For how long? I can assure you, it wouldn't be for seven months. Most women start to show between the fourth and fifth month.
I wish Tim had been better prepared. His reporting was very disappointing. He was also too willing to agree with Tina's condescending assessment of the reporting.
I wrote a post on my blog to show as well as I could, using science, that Sarah Palin was not pregnant with Trig. I think it is a mistake to say Bristol is Trig's mother. I don't know who the mother is. The focus is on Sarah Palin lying about her pregnancy.
People Lie, Science Doesn't.
Most gathered here know Trig isn't SP's by a long shot--I think the bigger questions are: who is his real mom, and how was he obtained? Where is she now? Was there any foul play involved? I truly don't think he is Bristol's.
ReplyDeleteWhy couldn't The Queen just come out of the gate saying that she and Tawd recently adopted a DS child, and was proud that his biological mom didn't chose to abort him? That Trig's mother preferred to remain anonymous? All of the SP-as-Heroine memes would have been neatly covered: anti-abortion, pro-adoption, Christian family values, championing the rights of disabled kids, etc. Instead we have a suspicious scenario constructed solely to have SP appear as an Xtain pioneer superwoman in keeping her pregnancy a "secret" for so long, opting not to abort after discovering he had DS, the Wild Ride and going back to work with "Trig" in tow practically right after giving birth.
Unfortunately, her handlers didn't count on intrepid bloggers and skeptical readers who can actually think and reason. 15 or 20 years ago, they could have gotten away with it by keeping the press quiet on the subject. Thanks to the Internet, the question will continue to be examined, no matter how her $backer$ try to trivialize it. There will probably be an MSM rush about it when SP finally becomes irrelevant to anyone but a narrow margin of her base. IMHO, this hoax will personally hound Teflon Tessie more than all her publicly excused shenanigans combined.
TYT were pathetic .. they sounded like Nancy Grace discussing a case when she does not even know the facts...
ReplyDeleteGawker did a much better job laying out the details.
"Sarah Palin's story is that she did NOT get an examination at all in Texas. What father, (Todd) would permit his wife and his unborn baby to go on this risky 10-hour trip, not know if the baby was in distress or not."
ReplyDeleteWhen I was JUST 2 MONTHS pregnant I had some "spotting". I called my DR and he had an ultrasound scheduled THAT MORNING. I called in sick to work and was VERY shaken that something might be wrong. And there is NO WAY my husband would support me doing what Sarah claims to have done on the day of the incredible journey. He would have been very protective of my health and our baby's. I'm sure of that.
"Given the care he has received he will not likely be a wonderful prop as he will be a hard to deal with a 6 year old that cannot function even on the most basic level."
I assume that Trig is getting all the proper professional care and his progress will hopefully be good. What will become obvious, though, is if he feels any bond to Sarah. You can't make kids like Trig fake stuff like that and it won't happen unless she is interacting with him in the way a dedicated, loving parent does.
If Sarah Palin had not been chosen as VP, then we would have never heard of a fifth child! Sarah was not pregnant, end of story.
ReplyDeleteSarah lied!!!
Wow, three dimwits. Well, if this is how poorly the MSM would handle the story, then I can see how the professor's paper is correct. Which, BTW, they did not discuss. Now that paylin is finished the professor's theory/story should be handled with great interest, of course, if the professionals doing the work were qualified. These three should be embarrassed. What a missed opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are A LOT of people that believe Sarah's pregnancy was a hoax. I remember when I first heard about it, I thought it was a nutty claim by some nutty people. I have NEVER followed stories like this one appeared to be. I'm not into gossip mags, People, soap operas, etc. I'm a happily married, college educated professional with a couple of teens who are active and do well in school. I have never sat in my cellar and read blogs in my pjs or worn a tin-foil hat. But I have followed this story from one blog to another like some of you have and it just seems like there is no way that Sarah was pregnant with Trig. And I'm not sure what kind of proof she could give to make me think otherwise and she may be trying to think of some to give if this story continues to get mentioned and people start checking into it. Because the way things stand right now, the more people start seeing ALL the stuff we have been, the more people are going to be scratching their heads and coming to the same conclusion we have.
ReplyDeleteIf Palin had been in Alaska and gone into labor, there would have been a lot more scrutiny, media,more eyes.Perhaps this was the last trip outside and she had to pull of her hoax then,to spring a surprise.She also had to know that the baby was available to do so.
ReplyDeleteOver at Gawker the professor's article is available and has a ton of comments. First one is a troll who is wrong and stupid (thinks teenagers can't have babies with Down syndrome, spells it wrong, thinks the point of babygate is picking on Trig) but there are lots of rebukes. The point is she LIED.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, TMZ (pro-Palin, I know, I lived through Bristol on DWTS) is having Palin all up in arms about the "stalker," she always has the best timing doesn't she? Now that babygate is spreading far and wide? Quick Sarah... try to deflect! Activate victim card!
"To be clear: I am not at this point accusing Sarah of staging a hoax in regard to Trig." JM
ReplyDelete"At this point" That statement was disappointing. So he probably doesn't have anything new in his book about it, either.
I'm frustrated. When is someone going to have new info, other than what we've already found, to even keep this in the media?
When are we going to have our major TV celebrity talking about this issue on all the talk shows like Donald is doing for the birthers? The birthers are conspiracy theorists and it has been fact-checked and known to not be true. This seems all to real, and yet no one will touch it.
I wonder if there will ever be enough evidence. I've been waiting for years, I'm not holding my breath.
That was a very frustrating discussion for a lot of reasons. I am afraid that many people are going to agree with the reporters who argue that since Palin no longer seems to be a player it doesn't matter if she staged the pregnancy or not. They seem to forget that Palin, at the height of her influence, made Trig (not her other four children) the center of her political identity, going so far as to drag him across the country on a book tour. They forget that Palin chose to go into detail about her reproductive history in her book, that she repeatedly highlighted her pregnancy with Trig in her speaking engagements, and made her role as a Mama Grizzly her chief qualification for governing.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the truth does matter. It does matter that a woman who could have been next in line to the presidency was capable of acting in such an impulsive, dishonest way when presented with a difficult situation (a pregnant teen daughter).
Lastly, in the video, they argue that Sarah Palin isn't smart enough to pull this off. But imagine this scenario: Palin approaches CBJ with the very private news that her teen daughter is pregnant and CBJ, a specialist in teen sexual abuse, agrees to help her arrange discreet care for Bristol. CBJ and every other individual involved in Bristol's medical care is bound by HIPAA. They cannot speak up when Palin suddenly announces that she is pregnant with her fifth child.
It's not that complicated because everyone in on the hoax is legally bound to stay silent. Furthermore, in the beginning, anyone involved could have felt that they were protecting a vulnerable teenager. There is no way they could predicted subsequent events: Palin claiming the child and Bristol becoming pregnant again and ultimately Palin being tapped to run for V.P. By that time, imagine the pressure CBJ and others were under to stay silent. Those in on the hoax started with good intentions, but then found themselves involved in a national story that no one, especially the press, wanted to talk about.
LoveAndKnishesFromBrooklyn said...
ReplyDeleteWhy couldn't The Queen just come out of the gate saying that she and Tawd recently adopted a DS child, and was proud that his biological mom didn't chose to abort him?
L&KfB, remember all the discussions of this at Audrey's, about why did she and Todd need to be the bio parents? Was it to be sure he was covered by Native American health care for life? Was it that she felt voters would question her judgment in choosing to take on care of a special needs baby when she wanted to be in the White House, but would accept the situation if her only choice had been not to abort?
There were many more suggestions. As time went on, the idea that she was batchit crazy, wanted political points with voters for having marital sex, being young and fertile, and not aborting became more and more likely. And the focus was on that she did fake it, not why.
Why didn't they interview people who would know as much on the topic as possible to get the most out of the discussion. People are dancing around the edge of this story but still not quite ready to jump in. I am holding out hope that the media will recognize that this story is a money maker for them. That usually is all it takes.
ReplyDeleteL&KfB: I think Palin claimed Trig as her own (versus just announcing they had adopted a child with DS) because there were rumors circulating that Bristol was pregnant at that time. Perhaps Palin mistakenly thought the best way to kill those rumors for good was to claim the baby herself.
ReplyDeletePalin might have had dreams of national office at the time, but I don't think she knew McCain was going to pick her. However, when Palin realized that she could make political hay with Trig she ran with it and never looked back. She made an impulsive decision to claim Trig and it worked out really well for her. I think she believes it was all part of God's plan for her.
So many things didn't pass the smell test! Here are some pretty well known things about pregnancy:
ReplyDelete1) No matter how long the first labor and delivery is, subsequent deliveries are normally faster. In fact, the more deliveries, the faster. [h/t Monty Python's Meaning of Life -- Deidre, could you get that for me.] It's that stretching out and muscle-memory thing.
2) Subsequent pregnancies normally show earlier -- again the stretching out and muscle-memory thing.
3) Once your water breaks, you will be checked out ASAP, because even if that didn't signal imminent delivery in a previous pregnancy, each delivery is different, with it normally being faster, not slower, than previous deliveries.
4) Down Syndrome babies normally are lower birth weight than non-Down babies. If Trig was 5-7 weeks premie (her story changes), 6.2 OZ is pretty hefty for a Down S baby. Although subsequent babies tend to be larger, this is still huge considering the circumstances. Piper was 7lbs, 13oz. at birth. Babies tend to gain 50 % of their weight in the last two months. So Trig was on track (no pun intended) to be a 9-12 lb baby at full term, if we are to believe the circumstances.
All this, along with picture evidence and the Wild Ride story, creates a stench I can smell from my front porch.
Probably the only way for $ara to save any real credibility on this issue would be to come out and say something like: "Trig is my grandson. I took Trig as my son to protect my daughter Bristol from public embarrassment. Many grandparents do this for their children and I was hoping to keep this as a private family matter." and leave it that and not screech about how the LSM is treating her.
ReplyDeleteThat would raise her public cred and might even get her a couple more points in the poles.
Of course this will never happen.
"Do you miss paintchip eaters and the pooflingers tonight?
ReplyDeleteWhere did they go?"
They could be at the Wasilla compound working overtime around the Palin kitchen table trying to come up with an escape plan. That, and self-medicating.
Anon @7:41: I don't see how Palin could get away with the "I did this to protect my daughter, now move along nothing to see here..." excuse because she has milked her pregnancy with Trig for everything she can. She has made a big deal about her heroic choice to have him and focused repeatedly on her pregnancy and crazy birth story to build her political image and commercial brand. People were coming to her book tour events to see Trig because she made him into this little celebrity.
ReplyDeleteHad Palin kept her private life private and kept an innocent baby out of the spotlight she'd have a lot better chance of spinning this situation in her favor. I don't see how that's possible now. She could have kept her mouth shut, but the lies about her pregnancy and birth are in black and white in her book and on tape in her speaking engagements. There is no reason she needed to make Trig the centerpiece of her image beyond her own ambition.