… But not in a good way. [Read more...]
My Top Ten Blog Posts of the Year
December 26, 2012 By 9 Comments
Hey Guys! After an (almost!) full year of blogging, I thought it would be fun to go back and see what my most popular posts were of the year. [Read more...]
Hang In There
November 8, 2012 By 61 Comments
I know many of you are so upset that Barack Obama is going to be our President for the next four years. Me too. [Read more...]
Democrats Should Stop Despicable Ads Against Mitt Romney, Allen West
August 10, 2012 By 57 Comments
I Built This: The Video
July 20, 2012 By 118 Comments
“I Built This, Mr. President”
July 19, 2012 By 627 Comments
President Obama recently said, “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” [Read more...]
Alaska Road Sign Hacked
July 8, 2012 By 59 Comments
No, Obama Didn’t Eat Him
June 14, 2012 By 68 Comments
Thank you so much for all of the concern about my dog Charlie. He was missing from Wednesday morning until Saturday night, and my heart almost broke! Thankfully, Willow and her friends put posters up with her friend’s phone number on them. They also put photos of him on Craigslist. Though Willow’s friend got a few calls about Charlie, the descriptions never matched.
Finally on Saturday the description was exact.
Thank goodness, we got him back!!
Here’s a photo of Charlie with Tripp and Trig. Aren’t they all adorable?
Also:
- Today at the Park
- For the Welcome Homes That Never Happened
- Hate in the Name of Love, Bullying in the Name of Tolerance
- I Made a Mistake About Down Syndrome Abortions
- I’m No Victim
- On this one, I’m Team Hillary
- Mr. President, When Should I Expect Your Call?
- Hail to the Chiefs: Malia and Sasha Obama
Occupy Lovitz
May 24, 2012 By 87 Comments
I frequently get comments below my blog posts which go something like this:
Why do we care what you think? Aren’t you just some girl in Alaska?
(Okay, so usually there’s more profanity in the comments I receive!)
In other words, people question my ability to have a political opinion simply because I’m not some pundit living in Washington, DC. And they’re right – I am just a girl. I don’t eat, breathe, and live politics like some. I’m actually glad my life doesn’t revolve around political debates and the latest on CSPAN.
However, I am seeing a trend. I’m beginning to see normal, every day people speaking out against what’s happening in Washington. You know, people who aren’t supposed to have opinions. People like me. People like Jon Lovitz. Have you heard this famous Saturday Night Live alum talk about the President? It’s a powerful statement against President Obama, and this is coming from a man who actually voted for Obama in 2008.
(Warning: Language! He uses more F words than you might hear in a year, but it’s nothing new for those of you who have been reading my comment threads lately!)
You might also enjoy:
- Hail to the Chiefs: Malia and Sasha Obama
- Hate in the Name of Love, Bullying in the Name of Tolerance
- What’s Better than Being a Palin?
- I’m No Victim
- On this one, I’m Team Hillary
- Mr. President, When Should I Expect Your Call?
- A Mom’s Love for Her Child, One Paper at a Time
- Defending the “Palin Pick”
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I’m No Victim
May 22, 2012 By 142 Comments
I’m puzzled at the lack of reading comprehension by internet pundits. There are a few stories popping up – in The Advocate and one or two on HuffPo on a recent Google alert — claiming I’m playing “the victim card” over here on my blog. However, anyone who actually read my post would know that I simply made two claims:
1. Those who claim to be loving and tolerant certainly are hateful and bullying.
2. But despite their efforts at name-calling and even their threats, I won’t be deterred from speaking out.
Here’s what I said:
“Here’s a news flash, guys. Your hate and bullying don’t work. People see through it, and they don’t like to be pushed around. You think it’s completely obvious that you’re right, but this younger generation is more pro-life than their parents, and voters just keep defending traditional marriage. Why? Why would we if you’ve been telling us what to think for all these years?
Because we think for ourselves. And we’ll keep thinking for ourselves no matter what you call us. So keep sending the hate, but realize that hate doesn’t win arguments.”
So, this is what professional pundits are calling “playing the victim?”
To paraphrase The Princess Bride: that word does not mean what you think it means.
You might also enjoy:
- Hail to the Chiefs: Malia and Sasha Obama
- Hate in the Name of Love, Bullying in the Name of Tolerance
- What’s Better than Being a Palin?
- How I Got Over My Very Public Mistakes
- On this one, I’m Team Hillary
- Mr. President, When Should I Expect Your Call?
- A Mom’s Love for Her Child, One Paper at a Time
- Defending the “Palin Pick”
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Hate in the Name of Love, Bullying in the Name of Tolerance
May 14, 2012 By 705 Comments
Well, I stirred up a hornet’s nest. You know you’ve struck a nerve when even J-Woww tweets insults at you. But the thing that most amazes me is how few people actually addressed the points I made in my recent blog post. They were pretty simple. Conservative women like my mom get grief because people think they can’t make decisions without their husband, but Barack Obama gets applauded for changing his mind on a huge issue after consulting his wife and young daughters. The double standard amazes me.
Oh, and in that post I also said generally kids do better with mother/father families – the kind of family I’d like to have for Tripp one day.
That’s it. That’s pretty much the post. (Yes, I made a little joke about Swiper the Fox, but anyone with a brain would know that wasn’t serious.) You see arguments like that all the time in political magazines. It’s not a big deal, and the people who make arguments like that don’t stir up much controversy.
But I’m not a pundit. I’m just a mom made famous in one of the most intense and embarrassing ways possible – by having your teen pregnancy announced in the middle of a presidential campaign. Oh, and I was a finalist on Dancing with the Stars, one of the most-watched shows on TV. But all that means I’m more a part of pop culture, the culture that creates the television we watch and the music we listen to. When real pundits write blog posts, they don’t pop up in Us Weekly… but mine do.
And I’m glad. Why? Because pop culture needs a little bit of debate. It needs a little bit of disagreement. Because not everyone who watches their shows or listens to their music thinks the way the directors, producers, and actors think. When you’re in Hollywood you’ll meet some great people, some terrible people, and many somewhere in between. In other words, they’re people just like everyone else. But what you won’t find is any disagreement about things like gay marriage or abortion. For those folks, there’s one way to think, and anyone who disagrees is stupid, hypocritical, hateful, or bigoted. (Of course, I’m not the only one facing the wrath of the Hollywood-type sheeple – there are some celebrities bold enough to speak out, and they get attacked and ostracized too.)
If you read the almost 3,000 comments after my controversial post, or read the entertainment magazines, you’ll see some of the most terrible words against me, my mom, and my entire family.
You’ll see hate in the name of love. People claim they’re just trying to protect the right of two people to love each other – a right I don’t contest, by the way – and then spew the worst words imaginable at someone they disagree with. If the agenda is love, why do you hate so intensely?
You’ll see bullying in the name of tolerance. Bullying is in the news lately, for good reason. It’s horrifying to see stories of young people taking their own lives because they can’t see past the hate of others. Around Hollywood, there’s lots of concern and great initiatives to try to encourage more kindness in this world. Then why do I get so many messages telling me I should die? Here’s a sampling that we didn’t put up on the blog:
And if you read the comments we let through, the only word that really sums them up is “bullying.” They treat me as if I’m not human, as if they are somehow proving how great they are by (always anonymously, the cowards) tearing me apart with their words.
Here’s the thing. In the articles and comments, I saw a lot of hate and a lot of bullying, but you know what I didn’t see much of? Arguments. In fact, this reminds me a little bit of the incident in an L.A. bar that went viral several months ago and will be shown in its entirety in my upcoming new reality tv show. There, a guy started yelling at me and called my mom terrible names, but couldn’t tell me one decent reason why he was filled with so much hate.
Here’s a news flash, guys. Your hate and bullying don’t work. People see through it, and they don’t like to be pushed around. You think it’s completely obvious that you’re right, but this younger generation is more pro-life than their parents, and voters just keep defending traditional marriage. Why? Why would we if you’ve been telling us what to think for all these years?
Because we think for ourselves. And we’ll keep thinking for ourselves no matter what you call us. So keep sending the hate, but realize that hate doesn’t win arguments.
You might also enjoy:
- Hail to the Chiefs: Malia and Sasha Obama
- What’s Better than Being a Palin?
- How I Got Over My Very Public Mistakes
- On this one, I’m Team Hillary
- Mr. President, When Should I Expect Your Call?
- A Mom’s Love for Her Child, One Paper at a Time
- Defending the “Palin Pick”
Connect with me further by:
Hail to the Chiefs – Malia and Sasha Obama
May 10, 2012 By 3,172 Comments
Is anyone really surprised by the fact that President Obama came out of the closet for gay marriage? What was most surprising is when he explained how his position (supposedly) “evolved,” by talking to his wife and daughters:
“It’s interesting, some of this is also generational,” the president continued. “You know when I go to college campuses, sometimes I talk to college Republicans who think that I have terrible policies on the economy, on foreign policy, but are very clear that when it comes to same-sex equality or, you know, sexual orientation, that they believe in equality. They are much more comfortable with it. You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently. It doesn’t make sense to them and, frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective.”
Let’s pause for just one second. When Christian women run for high office, people inevitably bring up the question of submission. Once, Michele Bachmann, for example, was asked during a debate, “As president, would you be submissive to your husband?”
People automatically assume that a Christian female President isn’t capable of making decisions without her spouse’s stamp of approval. (I should add female Republican candidates –liberal women don’t get the same kind of questions.)
So are all those reporters who feared excessive family intervention in the White House all up in arms over the President’s announcement yesterday? Um. Not quite.
Liberals everywhere are applauding him for his bravery and his wisdom.
So let me get this straight – it’s a problem if my mom listened too much to my dad, but it’s a heroic act if the President made a massive change in a policy position that could affect the entire nation after consulting with his teenage daughters?
While it’s great to listen to your kids’ ideas, there’s also a time when dads simply need to be dads. In this case, it would’ve been helpful for him to explain to Malia and Sasha that while her friends parents are no doubt lovely people, that’s not a reason to change thousands of years of thinking about marriage. Or that – as great as her friends may be – we know that in general kids do better growing up in a mother/father home. Ideally, fathers help shape their kids’ worldview.
In this situation, it was the other way around. I guess we can be glad that Malia and Sasha aren’t younger, or perhaps today’s press conference might have been about appointing Dora the Explorer as Attorney General because of her success in stopping Swiper the Fox.
Sometimes dads should lead their family in the right ways of thinking. In this case, it would’ve been nice if the President would’ve been an actual leader and helped shape their thoughts instead of merely reflecting what many teenagers think after one too many episodes of Glee.
You might also enjoy:
- Put a Ring On It (Why I’m Not Living with my Boyfriend)
- What’s Better than Being a Palin?
- How I Got Over My Very Public Mistakes
- I’m Team Hillary On This One!
- Mr. President, When Should I Expect Your Call?
Connect with me further by:
Defending the “Palin Pick”
April 30, 2012 By 412 Comments
Most of you know I’d rather post photos of my family and write about Alaska than talk about politics. But after reading and watching some recent commentary, I can’t help myself.
The chattering class is talking – endlessly – about Mitt Romney’s choice of a Vice Presidential running mate. Will he choose a Governor? A Senator? A Congressman? There are many good options for Governor Romney – and all of them have already been dissected in the media – with a list of pros and cons beside their names. One is too “northern,” another is too “boring,” another is too “white.” I’ve lived through the scrutiny the family will endure, and it can be a nightmare.
I don’t pretend to know the best pick for Governor Romney. But there’s one theme that keeps coming up, and it’s ridiculous: that Governor Romney should avoid Senator McCain’s mistake in his Vice Presidential running mate decision.
Chris Cillizza brought it up here:
If you buy that basic way of thinking about the race, it makes it more likely that Romney’s main criteria in picking a running mate will be to do no harm, to avoid the public relations debacle that Senator John McCain (Ariz.) courted when he named former Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential pick in 2008.
Later, he describes the GOP as a “party still trying to get out from under the Palin pick.”
Talking Points Memo in an article titled, “Why Mitt Romney Won’t Take GOP Down Another VP Rabbit Hole” quoted a strategist who said my mom is “a case study on what not to do. The McCain campaign really screwed up by going in and picking someone who was just gonna shake up the ticket when they should have picked someone who’s safe.”
In other words, the pundits say Senator McCain made a huge mistake. But where’s the evidence to back up this conventional wisdom? I’m not a pundit, but I remember the race. I was there. I remember the frenzied crowds after my mom joined the ticket. I remember the huge fundraising surge. I remember her convention speech. I even remember how McCain/Palin took a polling lead over Obama/Biden.
Then the economy melted down. You could feel people’s fear. You could see it in their eyes on the trail. McCain suspended his campaign to rush back to Washington to deal with the crisis. A lot of people criticized him, but he did what he thought was right. And guess what, the economy was melting down while Republicans were in charge.
Take a good look at this list of polls. Shortly after Senator McCain picked my mom, the polls turned favorable. But he lost the lead for good the week he suspended his campaign, and we never got it back. Not in a single poll.
But even then, my Mom helped. A lot. She raised millions of dollars that helped us fight hard until the last moment. And Senator McCain actually performed better among those for whom the “Palin Pick” was very important to their vote. Immediate post-election polling shows a large majority of Republicans thought my mom helped Senator McCain and more than 90% had a favorable or very favorable view of her.
(By the way, pundits, do you guys do much research before slamming my mom? It didn’t take me long at all to find the facts that refute your so-called “conventional wisdom.”)
OCTOBER 22, 2008: Mom greets supporters during a campaign rally at the Green High School Memorial Stadium in Ohio, with less than two weeks left before the election.
I don’t write this post to criticize Senator McCain – far from it. He and my mom had an uphill battle against Obama who promised to stop the oceans’ rise and heal the planet. I honestly don’t think any Republican candidate could’ve beaten Obama in 2008. It was the Democrats’ moment.
But 2012 is a Republican moment. Whomever Governor Romney picks will be better qualified to run the country than our current President. And this time around, we’re not running against the hard-to-pin-down “hope and change,” we’re running against a President who can’t stop rising gas prices, much less rising oceans.
Please.
Mom answered the call to serve her country, energized the base, and inspired millions. Plus, she did it with good humor and grace. I don’t know what else she could’ve reasonably be expected to do.
The economy was collapsing, and the Democrats had nominated “The One.” My mom worked wonders, and it was such a joy watching her connect with Americans from coast to coast. But she could not work miracles.
It’s been four years now since Senator McCain selected my mom, and he made the right choice. Who will Governor Romney select as his running mate? Well, we’ve still got several months before we find out.
Whoever it turns out to be, I don’t envy the next vice-presidential nominee.
After all… Sarah Palin is a tough act to follow.
You might also enjoy:
- Put a Ring On It (Why I’m Not Living with my Boyfriend)
- White Republicans Raising Black Kids?
- How I Got Over My Very Public Mistakes
- Celebrate Life Today
- Mr. President, When Should I Expect Your Call?
Connect with me further by:
Mr. President, When Should I Expect Your Call?
March 18, 2012 By 3,008 Comments
Dear President Obama,
You don’t know my telephone number, but I hope your staff is busy trying to find it. Ever since you called Sandra Fluke after Rush Limbaugh called her a slut, I figured I might be next. You explained to reporters you called her because you were thinking of your two daughters, Malia and Sasha. After all, you didn’t want them to think it was okay for men to treat them that way:
“One of the things I want them to do as they get older is engage in issues they care about, even ones I may not agree with them on,” you said. “I want them to be able to speak their mind in a civil and thoughtful way. And I don’t want them attacked or called horrible names because they’re being good citizens.”
And I totally agree your kids should be able to speak their minds and engage the culture. I look forward to seeing what good things Malia and Sasha end up doing with their lives.
But here’s why I’m a little surprised my phone hasn’t rung. Your $1,000,000 donor Bill Maher has said reprehensible things about my family. He’s made fun of my brother because of his Down’s Syndrome. He’s said I was “f—-d so hard a baby fell out.” (In a classy move, he did this while his producers put up the cover of my book, which tells about the forgiveness and redemption I’ve found in God after my past – very public — mistakes.)
If Maher talked about Malia and Sasha that way, you’d return his dirty money and the Secret Service would probably have to restrain you. After all, I’ve always felt you understood my plight more than most because your mom was a teenager. That’s why you stood up for me when you were campaigning against Sen. McCain and my mom — you said vicious attacks on me should be off limits.
Yet I wonder if the Presidency has changed you. Now that you’re in office, it seems you’re only willing to defend certain women. You’re only willing to take a moral stand when you know your liberal supporters will stand behind you.
But…
What if you did something radical and wildly unpopular with your base and took a stand against the denigration of all women… even if they’re just single moms? Even if they’re Republicans?
I’m not expecting your SuperPAC to return the money. You’re going to need every dime to hang on to your presidency. I’m not even really expecting a call. But would it be too much to expect a little consistency? After all, you’re President of all Americans, not just the liberals.
What do you think about the above video? Leave a comment to get weekly updates with the best of my blog!
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UPDATE: I’ve gotten over 1,700 comments since I posted this! Please keep them coming and see my response to some of them here.
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