The Republican Convention, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Word that Sarah Palin is to become a grandmother, aged 44, is spreading rapidly through Minneapolis. Should it matter? James says no, but personally I can’t see how it can avoid being an issue. Just three days ago, Palin was on a stage introducing her entire family to America. The system here involves the candidates invading their own privacy to an extent unheard of in Britain. The tradition of spousal speeches strikes Brits as bizarre and it is tough to work out where the line is drawn between political and private life. Character is king in American politics, and voters like every metric they can get to gauge character.
Is this damaging? It raises Palin even higher in my estimation. It is easy to be against abortion in theory. But she walks the talk, both in having her Down syndrome baby and in offering her teenage daughter every support when she became pregnant.
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