WASHINGTON, Sept. 2, 2008
McCain Opposed Funds For Teen Moms-To-Be
GOP Candidate's Record Examined In Wake Of News That VP Pick's Teen Daughter Is Pregnant
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Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, left, smiles after introducing his Vice Presidential running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, in Dayton, Ohio., Aug. 29, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
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Bristol Palin, 17, at the campaign rally where Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced Bristol's mom, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, as his vice presidential running mate in Dayton, Ohio, Friday, Aug. 29, 2008. (AP)
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Play CBS Video Video Behind The Palin Pick Democratic strategist Joe Trippi, who was involved with vetting Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, tells Maggie Rodriguez that Sarah Palin's statements may offer clues about McCain's VP selection process.
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Video Reactions To Sarah Palin Nod Alaskans are proud of their governor as John Blackstone reports. But Democrats are questioning John McCain's VP choice, Bob Schieffer tells Maggie Rodriguez.
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Video Palin Family Friend Speaks Karen Rhoades has known the Palin family for a decade and shares some of her insights with Maggie Rodriguez.
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Photo Essay Sarah Palin Alaska's youngest and first female governor tabbed to be McCain's running mate.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's announcement Monday about her daughter, Bristol, was aimed at rebutting Internet rumors that Palin's youngest son, born in April, was actually her daughter's. Palin said her daughter intends to raise her child and marry the baby's father, who was identified only by his first name, Levi. The baby is due in late December.
McCain's record on issues surrounding teen pregnancy and contraceptives during his more than two decades in the Senate indicates that he and Palin have similar views. Until Monday, when the subject surfaced in a deeply personal manner, teen pregnancy and sex education were not issues in the national political campaign.
Palin herself said she opposes funding sexual-education programs in Alaska.
"The explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support," she wrote in a 2006 questionnaire distributed among gubernatorial candidates.
McCain's position on contraceptives and teen pregnancy issues has been difficult to judge on the campaign trail, as he appears uncomfortable discussing such topics. Reporters asked the presumptive GOP presidential nominee in November 2007 whether he supported grants for sex education in the United States, whether such programs should include directions for using contraceptives and whether he supports President Bush's policy of promoting abstinence.
"Ahhh, I think I support the president's policy," McCain said.
When reporters pressed McCain whether the government should provide contraceptives or counseling on contraceptives, he replied, "You've stumped me." McCain said later that he was sure he opposed government spending on contraceptives.
The McCain campaign on Monday did not respond to repeated requests for information.
In Senate votes, McCain has opposed some proposals to pay for teen-pregnancy prevention programs. In 2006, McCain joined fellow Republicans in voting against a Senate Democratic proposal to send $100 million to communities for teen-pregnancy prevention programs that would have included sex education about contraceptives.
In 2005, McCain opposed a Senate Democratic proposal that would have spent tens of millions of dollars to pay for pregnancy prevention programs other than abstinence-only education, including education on emergency contraception such as the morning-after pill. The bill also would have required insurance companies that cover Viagra to also pay for prescription contraception.
McCain voted for the Family Support Act in 1988, which passed overwhelmingly in the Senate and required teen mothers who receive public assistance to remain in high school and, in some cases, to live with their parents.
"Young parents who have not completed high school will be required to stay in or return to school to complete the basic education so necessary to a productive life," said President Reagan, as he signed the law in October 1988.
McCain cited abortion, sex education and birth control as some of the issues on which he differed with Joycelyn Elders, former President Clinton's nominee for surgeon general. He quoted Elders as telling lawmakers that abortion has had positive health effects, including reducing the number of children "afflicted with severe defects."
"As a father of a number of young children, including an adopted daughter who was born with a birth defect, I am deeply, deeply troubled by these views," McCain said in a 1993 speech opposing Elders' confirmation.
Palin's fifth child, a son named Trig, was born in April with Down syndrome, a genetic abnormality that impedes physical, intellectual and language development. Conservatives supportive of Palin as McCain's running mate have praised her choice to deliver Trig even after the family learned about his condition during prenatal testing.
McCain said the country unarguably had a problem with teen pregnancy, but said Elders' approach would only make it worse. He said Elders started a program to distribute condoms in schools, but the rate of teen pregnancy actually rose in those counties. When it turned out many of the condoms were defective, Elders decided to continue the program rather than halt it or inform the public of the risk, McCain added.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 326 Commentshahaha
McCain/Palin at 47%, compared to 45% support for Obama/Biden.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071565/posts
Just like John McCain said about the Hurricane that it was time to take ''off'' the Republican hats and put on the ''American'' hats.
I say they should be wearing ''AMERICAN'' hats ALL THE TIME.
Like the Democrats - they are the ones that really LOVE America - if it was not for Liberals you would not have weekends off, vacation days, holidays, freedom of Speech etc.......
You owe all of your freedoms to LIBERALs. Or it would be just like before the Unions came into being - we''d all be SLAVES to the corporations.
Now the Govenor of Alaska will not inforce this federal law, therfore any person arrested and charged with same crime should be set free since now the federal govenment has decided only cetain people should be charge with this crime. Sorry the law applies to no one or all there is no halfway point. I guess Minnasota will not inforce it either, when the boyfriend of a underage girl come to the state. Do you really want a govenment that lets certain people skirt the law while other must pay for the same crime?
Not just McCain ...
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/02/palin_slashed_funding_to_help.html?hpid=artslot
"I don''t know where you got that"
She has no experience in foreign policy, more experience I think fishing and dressing moose than she''s got in politics. And it sounds as though she''s got a lot, a whole lot, of skeletons in her closet. Like I said before, God help us if McCain and Palin get in.
Obama has no experience in Governing, which is what the white house is all about.
------------Posted by asillydummy
EHHHHH!!!! Wrong!
Obama''''s federal and state experience is MORE than NINE YEARS LONGER than this Palin''''s TOTAL experience in ONLY *state* government.
What''''s worse: She has NOT ONE day of federal government experience. What''''s even worse: She has ZERO foreign policy experience. She just got her passport LAST YEAR.
Obama has just as much pre-presidential experience as Abraham Lincoln.
Average life expectancy dictates that McCain will be dead before the end of his first term. McCain thinks this woman can be the head of the United States, including our military and nuclear weapons.
He thinks we can give Sarah a chance to show shes capable to deal with guys like HASSAN NASRALLAH from Hezbollah, AHMADINEJAD from Iran , MUQTADA AL-SADR, HUGO CHAVEZ and all the rest of Americas enemies and she just got her passport.
I will never vote for that kind of leadership.
Oh, and Palin is also currently under federal investigation. Obama and Biden are scandal free.
The %u201Cmarriage%u201D will be a farce, just a respectable showpiece to preserve Sarah%u2019s reputation and Bristol%u2019s %u201Cvirtue.%u201D And Sarah, as we all know, DOES own a shotgun! His MySpace web page has been prudently deleted. Just wait for the next disgusting Republican media freak show when Levi is trotted out, clean shaven and coifed, ready to declare undying love for Bristol and eager to become a responsible family man. Poor guy! He%u2019s gone from swaggering Alaskan teenage tough guy to Sarah%u2019s poodle. And believe me, he will do what he%u2019s told. Foiks, what we will see in the next few days will not be pretty. Shame, shame, on Sarah Palin!
oh for pity''s sake! clearly teens are having ***. (the gov''s daughter sure is--not to mention the gov herself--baby 8 months after marriage) wouldn''t we rather that they not have children before they''re ready, and/or spread diseases which might kill them? or to put it in terms that republican''s always seem to understand; would you rather pony up for birth control or child care? which will raise your taxes more?
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You won%u2019t like what you see. Levi Johnson is a crude, bad tempered little ape. He describes himself as a %u201CFu*king Redneck.%u201D He claims not to want children and threatens to %u201Ckick your as*%u201C if you ****k with him. Of course, The McCain folks are busy cleaning him up and making him media presentable. Boy, Bristol sure can pick %u2018em!
The %u201Cmarriage%u201D will be a farce, just a respectable showpiece to preserve Sarah%u2019s reputation and Bristol%u2019s %u201Cvirtue.%u201D And Sarah, as we all know, DOES own a shotgun! His MySpace web page has been prudently deleted. Just wait for the next disgusting Republican media freak show when Levi is trotted out, clean shaven and coifed, ready to declare undying love for Bristol and eager to become a responsible family man. Poor guy! He%u2019s gone from swaggering Alaskan teenage tough guy to Sarah%u2019s poodle. And believe me, he will do what he%u2019s told. Foiks, what we will see in the next few days will not be pretty. Shame, shame, on Sarah Palin!
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