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The AP Thinks Palin Teen’s Romance Woes is News?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Is it some sort of amazing, newsworthy revelation that teen romance is sometimes a rocky road? Is it news that family can be troublesome when it results in out-of-wedlock birth? The Associated Press seems to think it is, at least if one of those teens is Governor Sarah Palin’s daughter, Bristol.

Do you care that punk Levi Johnston is bawling to the press that Governor Palin is supposedly a controlling Grandmother? Especially in light of the fact that this kid is an uneducated, immature, unserious lout? Well, if YOU don’t the AP sure as heck does.

This time we have punk Johnston whining that Grandma Palin is a bit cross with him and closely watches him when he is with the baby. All I can say is, can you blame her? I wouldn’t think much of a grandmother that let’s a jobless, high school dropout have unsupervised visits with a child he casually fathered without regard for his girlfriend’s future or family. Would you?

But, on the other hand. I just can’t find a reason to care about Levi OR Bristol.

Maybe it’s just me, but I am not much interested in the families of political figures. I didn’t find Billy Carter’s exploits particularly interesting or relevant. I couldn’t have cared less that some of Ronald Reagan’s kids were so boringly compelled to tell the world about their personal angst. I had no interest in Al Gore’s ner do well kids. Didn’t care that Bush’s teen daughters liked to party once in a while. I have no interest in a story about Joe Biden’s drug using daughter. Similarly, I’ve got no interest in Bristol Palin’s woefully bad choice of the punk Levi Johnston as the accidental father of her child. But our Old Media seem to think that these tales are hot news that we should all know about.

I have always thought that in a meritocratic society that prizes individual success and effort, to saddle any citizen — famous or no — with every last peccadillo of their family members is illogical. Every last one of us have at least one family member that embarrasses us. We all have at least one family member that is a drunk, a criminal, a fool, or an idiot. But what do they have to do with us as individuals?

But, let’s realize something about why this “report” — or any report about politician’s kids — is all in the news, shall we? It’s an effort by the Old Media to diminish our politicians. If it were up to me stories about the trials and tribulations of politician’s kids would be far and few between. Of course, in this particular case, it is especially interesting to media outlets because it is an excuse to further diminish Sarah Palin and her family.

Me… it just makes me tired.

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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, RedState.com, Human Events Magazine, AmericanDailyReview.com, townhall.com, New Media Journal, Men’s News Daily and the New Media Alliance among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events and is currently the co-host of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Conservatism” heard on BlogTalkRadio. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston

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