Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin is a polarizing figure.
She’s beloved as much as she is mocked. Palin fills the seats for her public speechs … and she was the prime target of late night comedy for the last part of 2008.
But Sarah Palin recently took a stand and told the media to ‘leave my kids alone.’
Palin said: “I can take the shots. But any mother would want to protect their children from lies and scandalous reporting.”
Regardless of where anyone stands on their criticism or support of Sarah Palin, maintaining a broad and general media spotlight that also scrutinizes her children is wrong.
Chelsea Clinton enjoys minimal public exposure – except when she stepped out to stump for her mother, then-Sen. Hilary Clinton. The Bush twins (Barbara and Jenna) decided to have some underage drinking irresponsibility.
Public figures are fair game. Sarah Palin deserves every bit of media exposure that comes her way – both the good and the bad.
But her children must remain exempt from public scrutiny with two exceptions – if they break the law (or are alleged to have broken the law) or if they willingly step out to speak/support a cause.
Chelsea Clinton deserves no protection from reporters when she takes the stage to drum up support for her mother. Standing on stage, alongside her political power couple mother and father, is one thing — but when she is trying to persuade the people to vote for or against something, then she’s using her credibility to sway public opinion. Then her credibility is fair game.
Barbara and Jenna Bush should enjoy all the rights and privilages that private folk enjoy … except when they are accused of breaking the law … and underaged drinking is, by definition, against the law.
The Palin children should be able to live their daily lives safe from public scrutiny. They should remain shielded as private citizens and not be subjected to the public flogging that any public figure, like Sarah Palin, should expect.
(Quick sidenote: Todd Palin should not enjoy or expect any such shield from public scrutiny. Adults — especially as one who is reportedly CC’d on all his wife’s gubernatorial e-mails — are fair game.)
That said, Bristol, Piper, Willow and Trig Palin are only as safe as they decide to be. Should any of them step out from their mother’s shadow to rally for their mother, then that child effectively forfeits any expection of living a private life. Should any of them find themselves arrested or convicted of any crime, then they forfeit the same rights.
1 Comment
January 27, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Main stream journalists forfeited any sense of decency long ago.