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Palin, who's Governor of Alaska and is scheduled to be declared the Republican Party's candidate for Vice President announced her daughter Bristol's pregnancy on Monday.
The announcement followed a weekend in which articles on several websites alleged Palin's own 4 month old infant son, Trig, was actually her grandson. The sites suggested the Governor may have covered for her daughter's pregnancy by claiming the child as her own. Trig has been diagnosed as having Down syndrome. Sarah Palin who's a vocal opponent of abortion, even in cases of rape or incest has been applauded by many abortion rights opponents for "keeping" the baby.
But bloggers and other sources have noted that Bristol missed several months of school in the past year, and that Governor Palin never appeared to be pregnant. Photographs show a trim Governor taken when she would have been seven months pregnant. Palin on Monday emphatically denied the allegations and asserted that Trig is her son.
Bristol Palin's pregnancy and the impact on her mothers campaign is being viewed by some in the Fresno area as simply a sign of the times.
A shopper at the Sierra Vista Mall in Clovis, Anthony Velez; told us, "In the culture we live in nowadays, I don't know how many people expect perfect families. In some ways it's perhaps ironic insofar seems the Republican Party positions itself as the traditional party that upholds family values, but it seems to undermine that on some level." His mother Marion Velez; said," I think it makes them seem like a normal family. Though, we hope not too many families are that way." She says.
In Minneapolis, The head of California's Republican delegation, former secretary of State Bill Jones of Fresno acted like the pregnancy was no big deal. Saying;" I think it's a family matter. We're very proud of our nominee for Vice President and I look forward to having her on our ticket." Asked, " Do you think there will be any impact on the election?" Jones responded,; "Again, I think it's a family matter."
And, on the campaign trail, Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama said he doesn't think Palin's daughter should be an issue.; He said, "My mother had me when she was 18 and how a family deals with issues, and you know, teenage children, that shouldn't be the topic of our politics and I hope that anybody who is supporting me understand that's off limits."
Locally, Republican Party Activists Tal Cloud says he doesn't think Palin's family issues will hurt her with the voters saying, "I think it does make her seem like everybody else, I mean every family has issues to deal with. It's unfortunate that her daughter is 17 and pregnant but she loves her daughter and they're going to continue on as a family, I think it humanizes her a bit."
But there is another issue with Palin's family that could be damaging. An official investigation is underway in Alaska over allegations Palin abused her power as Governor. She's accused of forcing the states top law enforcement officer, the Director of Public Safety, out of office because he wouldn't fire Palin's former brother in law. The brother in law is a state trooper, a highway patrolman. He was involved in a custody dispute with Palin's sister.
Palin has denied the allegations, but has hired a lawyer to fight the case.
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