Bristol And Levi Save America

Levi Johnston, boyfriend of Bristol Palin and father of her child, is going to attend the Republican convention. Let that sink in for a moment.

McCain campaign manager Rick Davis says that "this election is not about issues." Well, this much is true: his convention won't be. It won't be about the war on terror, drilling everywhere, ridiculous smears on Democrats, or anything else that he wanted it to be about. Not with America's hottest celebrity couple -- the governor's daughter and the self-described "fuckin' redneck" who didn't want kids, right there in the audience. The rest of the convention will be trapped in their orbit. The standard question for interviewers to ask conventiongoers from now on is going to be, "What do you think of Bristol and Levi?" Sure, some people will go with the party line about how it's great that she's getting married. More interesting answers will compete for a prime-time spot on national TV.

Steve Schmidt was very effective at winning news cycles for McCain, but he no longer controls media coverage of the Republican ticket. That control is now in the hands of a teenage girl and her boyfriend. Who knows what kinds of things they'll say and do between now and November 4? I don't, yet -- but all of us will.

I can't imagine that this will be entirely pleasant for the young lovers. But I hope they have the strength to enjoy it in whatever way they can. Even after a McCain defeat, they'll emerge as celebrities, and that's much less of a reward than they deserve. Everyone whose future is imperiled by climate change, everyone who cares about women's right to bodily integrity, every American child who needs health care, and everyone who might die in the unnecessary wars of a globally polarized McCain future will have them to thank.

Comments

[Stephen]

Ok, are we still going to get lectured by the sanctimonious wing of the party about "respecting their privacy?" Or do we need to wait for the inevitable press conference at which Bristol shares her sonograms with the world for people to stop worrying that talking about the Palins' Dysfunctional Family Circus is somehow overly intrusive?

What genius made this decision? They can't really think having this kid there is going to help.

[oddjob]

Even after a McCain defeat, they'll emerge as celebrities

God, I never even considered that. They're going to be tabloid fodder for years........

:-(

[oddjob]

I find it absolutely eerie the way Team McTantrum brands Obama "a celebrity" while McTantrum is the publicity hound.

[Sir Charles]

I am sure the hockey hunk can't wait to hear Fred Thompson. What redneck jock high school kid (dropout?) wouldn't be all kinds of fired up about that.

[oddjob]

Hoo boy........

...Levi Johnston, a hockey player for Wasilla High School, is not listed on the team roster for 2008-09, and his mother wouldn't say if he graduated. She said simply he's no longer a student and any further information would have to come from him.

The intense media scrutiny has stunned this suburban community about 40 miles north of Anchorage, with reporters camping out near the Johnston home.

"This is out of my league," Sherry Johnston said. "I'm just a country gal, and I want to keep it that way."

[Lisa Simeone]

So they're not only going to drag the daughter onto the stage, after having already plunged her into the international spotlight, they're going to drag him, too??

The mind boggles.

These people are shameless.

[Corvus9]

That whole thing about the shamelessness of liberal bloggers is looking more and more like utter bullshit. I mean, really, if you don't want to talk about the kids, don't bring them to the fucking convention!

Sure, they brought Sasha and Malia, but nobody went much further into their stories than to go "How cute!" You bring a pregnant teen mother and the teen father what is basically a 24/4 infomercial, you are basically asking for it to be part of the news fodder, part of the national conversation.

It's really kind of sick, but for almost reassuringly cynical, as well.