The way the GOP and McCain/Palin are hauling these kids around is really disgusting, but don't pile onto it going after them as well. MSM and the Republicans can sully themselves without us.

Palin chose to enter this race, these kids didn't, so let's keep the focus on her and her supposedly clean, maverick-liscious record. There is enough material there to have a field day without evening touching on her so-called family values!

http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/2008/09/02/D92USVF01_cvn_palin/index.html

...picture this: All those pastors AT the convention: Those kids are going to get married AT the Republican convention, in front of everybody, he will drop on bending knee, propose, she will accept, and they'll get married right there on the spot!

You see, family values!

We are in the twilight zone here.

Whitening strips are always a safe topic.

ATTA BOY...GIRL...Whatever!

Maintaining a level of discourse is as important as chuckles any day.

Now let's go back to Norm Coleman at the convention. It appears Norm has been using a lot of his term using whitening strips.

...K-Fed. Don't it?

Meant RNC... it's past 2 am where I am.

Play in the Cee-ment pond after the show?

As in: tell it to someone who cares.

Believe me, pal, Sean Hannity, Jim Lehrer or Keith Olbermann will not, repeat, NOT, be zeroing in to point out the pissy comments I'm making on this forum.

What we are doing here is called "motivating the base" (hey kinda of like what they're doing by raking poor Sarah Palin over the coals!).

But hey, I gotta go! Norm Coleman's speaking at the Repub Convention and I haven't had a good laugh since earlier in this thread.

Ciao, amigo.

Following Rance Spergl's lead, I was able to locate pretaped coverage from tomorrow's DNC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61BBtpXSTPI

You must be practicing the dirty-minded, discredited family systems therapy of the 1950s, and you are a woman-blaming, rapist-forgiving sexist asshole as well.

God pity any family -- especially those with incest secrets -- who visits you.

Anyone who would make a comment as low-minded as yours is not decent and charitable enough to be anyone's psychologist.

Close-ups of Levi should boost ratings, anyway. God knows I'd rather look at this kid's face than George Bush's.

I just hope there's plenty of napkins placed on the seats to wipe the drool off all those GOP closet queens. This kid is CUTE.

C'mon this is the same group of people that are claiming that Palin is perfectly qualified to be the President "on Day 1" and Obama isn't.

But I agree, this is really over the top, even for them.

They also planned to have a "really bitchin" prom night, and get "really loaded" in Cabo, and have "like a totally SICK post grad summer Vay-Cay." I can't beleive they are letting these poor kids get married. Who else thinks that the wedding will be called off as soon as they don't win the White House? This is the CRAZIEST shit I have EVER seen in my life.

@Harry Cheddar: "some dedicated young liberal woman"?? I say some dedicated young conservative man would be a more fun bet. You want a real story, let's have one of the Republicans' senators or congressmen invite ol' Levi to be a page! yeeeeehaaawww!

While I find the trotting-out of this high school kid into the convention spotlights to be exploitative and deeply repulsive, something else I find deeply repulsive is the disdain and mockery being directed at him in this thread and elsewhere on Salon and the blogosphere. Redneck-bashing is a form of bigotry. Yes, I know he referred to himself that way. Lots of rural Americans so self-identify as a matter of pride in the lifestyle they lead. Lots of rural Americans play hockey, hunt, and ride snowmachines. Lots of *non*-rural Americans do those things, too. (Lots of American high schoolers, rural and non-rural, liberal and conservative, have poorly-written MySpace pages). Making recreational activities enjoyed by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of ordinary Americans the subject of mockery is obnoxious. Moreover, "insult the voting populace" has never been a winning strategy. In a sane world, a guy like Levi Johnston (or at least, his family) should vote Democrat every time, as the Democratic party will best serve his interests, and the policies they implement are more likely to improve his life. Part of the reason he doesn't is because liberal Democrats like you all make fun of his lifestyle and the lifestyle of those just like him. This kind of mean-spirited, condescending, self-congratulatory (because the lettrists are just so much more enlightened, tolerant, and sophisticated than the stupid redneck bigots, see) obnoxiousness makes it easier for Republicans to paint Democrats as out-of-touch elitists. This *should* be a difficult case for them to make, as the Republicans are the party of big finance, big oil, and big industry in general. However, they have historically been successfuul in making the case, because of comments like the ones I've seen here. In other words, this kind nof derision helps out Republicans. Please stop it.

How. How? How!

How can these people say "Respect Our Privacy Please!" and then trot these kids out like trophies?!?

I think Sara Palin is an embarrassment and total disaster but I feel sorry for her daughteg,did you notice that she never smiled? and look very unconfortable.I'll bet her mother has spent very little time with her children yet the GOP says they are the family party. By picking Palin McCain shows that he has very bad judgment and is unfit to be president.

Look for Ryan Seacrest at the convention to try to sign up the Palin's for a new E! reality TV show.

BUT THAT'S JUST ICKY!

And needs no further reply. I don't think anyone has even suggested abuse in that family--well, except throwing them into a spotlight that is way too hot for them for your own ambition(and ruining their Labor Day weekend on top of it).

But what I do still wanna know is why the engagement was kept secret, when it would have pre-empted ALL of this. I know engagements are shameful things people often try to hide, but really...