Michel
2008-09-02 16:34:09 UTC
www.newsbusters.org
CNN's John Roberts: Palin Might Neglect
Her Disabled Infant?
CNN's John Roberts, after briefly alluding to the issue of
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's experience he
called into question earlier on Friday's Newsroom program, asked
correspondent Dana Bash about how the Alaska governor's newborn son
with Down's syndrome might be affected if she were elected: "There's
also this issue that on April 18th, she gave birth to a baby with
Down's Syndrome....Children with Down's syndrome require an awful lot
of attention. The role of Vice President, it seems to me, would take
up an awful lot of her time, and it raises the issue of how much time
will she have to dedicate to her newborn child?"
Bash deftly answered this question, which has the implication
that Palin could neglect her infant son, and made a possible counter-
argument that the McCain camp might use, that a question like Roberts'
would be sexist: "That's a very good question, and I guess -- my guess
is that, perhaps, the line inside the McCain campaign would be, if it
were a man being picked who also had a baby, but -- you know, four
months ago with Down's Syndrome, would you ask the same question?"
[This item, by the MRC's Matthew Balan, was posted Friday
afternoon on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]
For Roberts' earlier comment about Palin, see Lyndsi Thomas's
August 29 NewsBusters.org item, "CNN's Roberts: Palin Too Young and
Inexperienced" at: newsbusters.org
The CNN correspondent continued by briefly describing the Palin's
family situation and the thinking that may have gone into the
situation for both McCain and Palin herself. She concluded by
reporting on the Alaska governor's appeal to social conservatives
because she is "very staunchly anti-abortion," in Bash's words.
The full transcript of the exchange between John Roberts and Dana
Bash, which began 7 minutes into the 11am Eastern hour of CNN's
Newsroom on Friday, August 29:
JOHN ROBERTS: You know, there's one other issue -- we've talked
about her experience and what depth of experience she has; the fact
that maybe she tries to peel off a few women voters on the Democratic
side, who really wanted to see a woman in the White House in some way,
shape, or form. There's also this issue that on April 18th, she gave
birth to a baby with Down's Syndrome.
DANA BASH: Yes.
ROBERTS: The baby is just slightly more than four months old now.
Children with Down's syndrome require an awful lot of attention. The
role of Vice President, it seems to me, would take up an awful lot of
her time, and it raises the issue of how much time will she have to
dedicate to her newborn child?
BASH: That's a very good question, and I guess -- my guess is
that, perhaps, the line inside the McCain campaign would be, if it
were a man being picked who also had a baby, but -- you know, four
months ago with Down's Syndrome, would you ask the same question? And
that might be another way to kind of, you know, kind of close the
gender gap in trying to make the point that, yes, she not only has,
unfortunately, a baby with Down's Syndrome, but she has five children,
the oldest of whom is apparently going -- is in the Army and going to
head off to Iraq in the fall. So, you know, it absolutely is going to
be a question that she is going to have to answer, and there's no
question that she had to do soul-searching and figure out if she could
take this on when John McCain made clear that he wanted her to be her
[sic] running mate, and it is going to be one of the interesting
things that we are going to be able to hear from her when she finally
does speaks, whether she does address these things here or in
subsequent interviews.
That's going to be a fascinating thing, but it also does -- it
also does appeal to social conservatives in another way, and that is
that, you know, part of her story, if you read her discussions about
that baby, is that, you know, she knew before she gave birth to that
baby, that it had Down's Syndrome, and she chose to keep the baby. And
that is -- that is because she is somebody who is anti-abortion. She
is somebody who is very staunchly anti-abortion. That kind of story,
also, can help appeal to the social conservatives that John McCain is
still trying to win over in his own party.
CNN's John Roberts: Palin Might Neglect
Her Disabled Infant?
CNN's John Roberts, after briefly alluding to the issue of
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's experience he
called into question earlier on Friday's Newsroom program, asked
correspondent Dana Bash about how the Alaska governor's newborn son
with Down's syndrome might be affected if she were elected: "There's
also this issue that on April 18th, she gave birth to a baby with
Down's Syndrome....Children with Down's syndrome require an awful lot
of attention. The role of Vice President, it seems to me, would take
up an awful lot of her time, and it raises the issue of how much time
will she have to dedicate to her newborn child?"
Bash deftly answered this question, which has the implication
that Palin could neglect her infant son, and made a possible counter-
argument that the McCain camp might use, that a question like Roberts'
would be sexist: "That's a very good question, and I guess -- my guess
is that, perhaps, the line inside the McCain campaign would be, if it
were a man being picked who also had a baby, but -- you know, four
months ago with Down's Syndrome, would you ask the same question?"
[This item, by the MRC's Matthew Balan, was posted Friday
afternoon on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]
For Roberts' earlier comment about Palin, see Lyndsi Thomas's
August 29 NewsBusters.org item, "CNN's Roberts: Palin Too Young and
Inexperienced" at: newsbusters.org
The CNN correspondent continued by briefly describing the Palin's
family situation and the thinking that may have gone into the
situation for both McCain and Palin herself. She concluded by
reporting on the Alaska governor's appeal to social conservatives
because she is "very staunchly anti-abortion," in Bash's words.
The full transcript of the exchange between John Roberts and Dana
Bash, which began 7 minutes into the 11am Eastern hour of CNN's
Newsroom on Friday, August 29:
JOHN ROBERTS: You know, there's one other issue -- we've talked
about her experience and what depth of experience she has; the fact
that maybe she tries to peel off a few women voters on the Democratic
side, who really wanted to see a woman in the White House in some way,
shape, or form. There's also this issue that on April 18th, she gave
birth to a baby with Down's Syndrome.
DANA BASH: Yes.
ROBERTS: The baby is just slightly more than four months old now.
Children with Down's syndrome require an awful lot of attention. The
role of Vice President, it seems to me, would take up an awful lot of
her time, and it raises the issue of how much time will she have to
dedicate to her newborn child?
BASH: That's a very good question, and I guess -- my guess is
that, perhaps, the line inside the McCain campaign would be, if it
were a man being picked who also had a baby, but -- you know, four
months ago with Down's Syndrome, would you ask the same question? And
that might be another way to kind of, you know, kind of close the
gender gap in trying to make the point that, yes, she not only has,
unfortunately, a baby with Down's Syndrome, but she has five children,
the oldest of whom is apparently going -- is in the Army and going to
head off to Iraq in the fall. So, you know, it absolutely is going to
be a question that she is going to have to answer, and there's no
question that she had to do soul-searching and figure out if she could
take this on when John McCain made clear that he wanted her to be her
[sic] running mate, and it is going to be one of the interesting
things that we are going to be able to hear from her when she finally
does speaks, whether she does address these things here or in
subsequent interviews.
That's going to be a fascinating thing, but it also does -- it
also does appeal to social conservatives in another way, and that is
that, you know, part of her story, if you read her discussions about
that baby, is that, you know, she knew before she gave birth to that
baby, that it had Down's Syndrome, and she chose to keep the baby. And
that is -- that is because she is somebody who is anti-abortion. She
is somebody who is very staunchly anti-abortion. That kind of story,
also, can help appeal to the social conservatives that John McCain is
still trying to win over in his own party.