Texas Two-Step

7/1/2011

Is this the magic moment in Texas, April 17th, 2008 when the mythical big laughs and bigger contractions were about to become a big, fat fib in American political history? Is Perry's plane parked outside? Is Todd toting carry-ons to the curb?

Or is she pulling our lariat? Because had it been me, my swollen piggies would have been propped up on Rick's custom interior suede seats and the flight attendant would have been serving me something medium-rare over Seattle.

88 Comments

lilly lily

7/1/2011 01:08:35 am

No pregnant sway back. Empathy belly padded front and fleshy back.

Since when has free loading Sarah Palin, ever, ever refused a freebee?

Especially a comfortable private jet all to themselves? One that could be diverted with no problems to a large hospital if things got hairy?

Floyd M. Orr link

7/1/2011 01:11:26 am

Laura, you mention Rick Perry's private plane in this post in a context in which I tried diligently to confirm before I did the final edit of Paradigm Shift. Have you found something I was not able to verify? As just another reason not to believe the silly Wild Ride story, I had read somewhere several years ago that Rick Perry had offered Palin the free use of his private jet for the return journey of a "pregnant" woman back to Alaska. I lost exactly whatever source I had for that statement, so I had to wiffle-ball it a bit in the book. I SO much wanted this little detail to be true because since when has Sarah turned down a free private jet ride? I left this issue as an unconfirmed rumor in the book, but I would be ecstatic if it is true. Have you, or anyone else here, been able to confirm this little gem?

lilly lily

7/1/2011 01:20:51 am

I only recall a statement somewhere, purported to be by Gov. Perry that he had (chivalry isn't dead in Texas), offered her the state Jet, which the Palin couple graciously declined.

comeonpeople

7/1/2011 01:24:02 am

So much is wrong here.
-Where are the open toes slippers as her feet should be swollen.
-Panty hose or tights?? hahahahahahah. yeah oke dokie.
-She must be very hot in all that get up. Hope the air was cranked up.
-When my water broke and was having contrsctions the only way to be comfortable was to stoop slightly forward. She seems quite comfy here.

Trish

7/1/2011 03:08:14 am

What gets me is the shoes. Who wears heels when 8 months pregnant, especially when knowing you will be standing for a long period while giving a speech?

Olivia

7/1/2011 03:14:22 am

Oh, come on, y'all. All those things don't apply to her. Please remember that she is the one chosen by Gawd to lead our nation to Jebus. Gawd wouldn't let her suffer through normal pregnancy issues. She was almost also surely impregnated by the holy ghost also, too.

Ron

7/1/2011 03:16:16 am

She sure shrunk down from how big she was in the Gusty photos.

I would think someone who was already feeling weird sensations "down there" would want to have a stool or chair next to the podium just in case she needed to sit for a second. As I understand it, no one at the conference knew she was "leaking" so I can understand why the conference organizer didn't put one there.

How could she be standing there comfortably? There is no way.

Man, I would love to see some photos of her at the airport(s).

7/1/2011 03:18:12 am

Very interesting! Especially that bulge in the back.

Is there any way to lighten this in order to get more detail and definition?

7/1/2011 03:21:10 am

@Olivia -she even writes letters for Gawd, dontcha know?

Melly

7/1/2011 03:21:33 am

I think she looks completely pregnant here. But it doesn't matter one whit to me, because I know that about 2 weeks earlier she had a flat belly, and about 2 weeks before that she had a square shaped thing under her top, and about 2 weeks before that she had a flat belly, and when she announced her pregnancy she "simply does not look pregnant." Not to mention that in the days and weeks after the "delivery" she had no signs of a postpartum woman. So this particular pic, meh. The only pregnancy looking pic I've ever given a second look at is the one from Feb 08, with Todd, with scarf. But that too was an anomaly compared to entirely nonpregnant looking pix at the time.

The other jk

7/1/2011 03:22:02 am

When I was 8 months pregnant, I attended graduation for the university where I was teaching at the time. That meant full regalia and a lot of (ahem) pomp and circumstance. As part of the ceremony, everyone has to stand for a very long time.

As I said, I was 8 months pregnant with my first child, nearly 10 years younger than Sarah Palin was at the time of her wild ride. I wanted to stand as much as possible out of respect for the students, but standing still in one place for a long time is very hard, when you're that pregnant. You have to sit down every now and then, sway from foot to foot, etc, to relieve whatever pressure arises. There's also the fact that the baby kicks and hick ups and moves around as much as it can in its confined space. And I was wearing comfortable flat shoes!! (and no pantyhose or tights!!!).

A month later, when I went into labor, there was no way my face could have avoided registering "more contractions" (as Sarah calls them in her book) on my face.

So here we have a woman who stood without fidgeting for a speech while having "more contractions," which suggest that she was having them throughout the day.

Can any woman who was already leaking amniotic fluid (was Sarah wearing a towel between her legs or did she send Todd out for some ultra-huge maxi pads?), who hadn't gone to the hospital to make sure everything was alright, possibly be calm and focused enough to give a speech while having contractions that had begun hours before, with her beloved special needs, "I prayed to god he would be ok" baby's life on the line?

Sarah of the Great White North apparently could!

Phyllis

7/1/2011 03:41:04 am

Picture was taken in Feb. 2008.
It was taken at the Hoover Institute in Washington,DC.

Here's the link to the Wayback Machine.

http://tinyurl.com/3fl89j6

curiouser

7/1/2011 03:50:34 am

Laura - Sarah wore pants for her speech in Dallas. I believe this photo is from a speech she gave to the Hoover Institution Board of Overseers at the Willard Hotel in Washington DC on Feb. 26.

Molly

7/1/2011 03:52:07 am

Why would Bristol need a physical early in 2007? This is from the released emails.

"I took Bristol to
get her physical yesterday, and I was thinking it
might be a good idea
for you to give me information for your family so
that if you and the
Governor are busy and don't have access to it, I'd
have back-up copies
of their SSN, Insurance Group numbers, etc.... Just
a thought, but it
might be helpful to have a /family information/ file
just in case it's
needed over the next four years (or eight).
Have a good day, and have fun training!
Thanks,
Erika"

http://rawdata.sarahsinbox.com/393.pdf

Laura Novak link

7/1/2011 03:57:23 am

Thanks for correcting me. Yet, she looks SO LARGE for someone who was not yet publicly pregnant. THIS bulk is what she was able to hide? THIS is what the reporters and co-workers didn't see?

Still, I have flown on private jets and I would have taken up Rick on his kind offer. Hell ya!

Laura Novak link

7/1/2011 04:02:14 am

Allie, RN, has some great new comments/info on previous thread. Don't forget to hop on back over there if you can. Unless of course you are very pregnant and can't hop or run up hill.

Phyllis

7/1/2011 04:05:21 am

@ Molly
Kids have to take a physical if they play sports at school. Bristol played basketball that year.

silver

7/1/2011 04:08:51 am

There is a video of Sarah giving a speech at Alaska's Republican Convention on March 14, 2008.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQe3JFWPbEo

She is wearing fairly high boots and can be seen at the end of her speech stepping away from the lectern and walking fairly quickly down some steps. As she steps back she doesn't seem to have a noticeable baby bump, more like a pillow that she may think makes her look as if she's pregnant?

Here is a picture of her on that evening.

http://alaskareport.com/news31/z49194_republican_convention.htm

Rationalist

7/1/2011 04:27:23 am

It's kind of hard to tell where she ends and the black lectern begins. If this is February, then she's just wearing her usual maternity black coat and scarf and the angle makes her mid-section look huge.

Further reason why people are skeptical of the photos that to us are so glaring - they can say "it's just the angle" when they only look at one picture. It's when you see her ever-changing belly that the big picture emerges.

mitch

7/1/2011 04:43:55 am

I've been following this blog for awhile and it occurred to me that all of this speculation, as thoughtful and logical as it is, is somewhat analogous to the parable of the blind men describing an elephant. What is needed to finally expose the truth about this sick woman is a piece of uncontested, verifiable evidence from an unimpeachable source. Perhaps some of the more well-connected posters could put together a dossier of what has been gathered and provide the information to a major media outlet. Keith Olberman, Rachel Maddow and Laurence O'Donnell come to mind. Or maybe Bill O since he seems to have some disdain for $arah Payme!

silver

7/1/2011 04:45:09 am

Sarah looked fairly slim at the NGA in Washington DC on February 25, 2008.

http://www.subnet.nga.org/centennial/Images/GovsPortraitNGA2008Large.jpg

So one day later, on Feb 26 she porked up to be as big as she looks in the picture Laura posted? Surely Sarah or the ones who decided she should fake a pregnancy wouldn't run out and get an empathy belly and she'd start wearing it or a pillow instantly on that very same trip? And then come home and announce the pregnancy only days later?

comeonpeople

7/1/2011 04:51:26 am

@Mitch
I'm pretty sure these dossiers have been submtted ad infinitum to no avail. i have submitted to KO and Rachel and I'm sure i'm not alone. My emails with info were not even acknowledged.

Karen

7/1/2011 04:53:00 am

Floyd,
I have noodled around trying to find verification of the private jet offer by Texas Gov. Perry but can't find the original source. It is mentioned in many blogs as if it is fact. Could it be from one of her stupid books?

curiouser

7/1/2011 04:55:51 am

silver - That pic is the same day - same outfit - as the front view photo of her with Parnell that shows a flat belly. I suspect she wore some type of fleece vest or shirt as an undergarment. I also think she gave away her trick when she added a new twist to the 'heroic pregnancy' speech on Sept 14 2010 in Waco Texas:

"How long could I go without telling anybody I was pregnant? And I made it 7 months! (audience gasp) (inaudible) But here in Alaska, though, remember it’s so doggone cold you’re just puttin’ on more and more layers. (laughter) And I know that my staff, especially, they were so nice and respectful. They never said anything about me getting all chuncky and everything (inaudible)."

http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2010/09/now-sarah-claims-t-ohave-given-birth-to.html

She repeated the 'more fleece, more layers' line in speeches in Kentucky and Iowa over the next few days. (This was also the same time Bristol was starting DWTS.)

Well, we know her staff wasn't being respectful; they were SHOCKED to find out she was pregnant. And layers can be used to hide a pregnancy or to create one.

Allie

7/1/2011 04:56:53 am

The flip side of your parable, mitch, is,
"A picture says a thousand words." Alas, that hasn't been the case YET.

One thing I have finally convinced my of is that the evidence exists and it cannot hide indefinitely.

The tricky part will be to recognize it when it begins to appear. JMHO

anonfornow

7/1/2011 05:00:36 am

So on 22 April 2088, three days after giving birth to a special needs child in fragile health, she goes to give a speech to some middle school honor society inductees? Really?

http://web.archive.org/web/20090502132705/http://gov.state.ak.us/large_photo.php?id=119

curiouser

7/1/2011 05:02:09 am

Floyd and Karen - I also tried to find the source for Perry's offer of his jet awhile back and came up empty. I think I first read about the private jet offer when Sarah made an appearance in Texas for Perry's 2010 campaign.

Deb

7/1/2011 05:10:20 am

Leaking amniotic fluid and having contractions as a keynote speaker? Any woman in her right mind would not risk having amniotic fluid running down her leg at a professional conference while serving as the keynote speaker. And as I recall contractions, they contorted my face in pain, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Sarah, of course, could let a waterfall drop from her uterus while experiencing gut wrenching contractions and not even worry about a grimace crossing her face. COMPLETE AND UTTER BS!

Deb

7/1/2011 05:24:52 am

Th photo with all the governors was taken 1 day before the photo posted of her giving a speech (Feb 26, 2008). It is important to note that her jacket is actually zipped in the photo with the other governors.

DebinOH

7/1/2011 05:37:45 am

So then why does she have no baby bump when she is not in layers and layers of clothing? When was it that she was wearing a pair of jeans with her body guards and they never noticed she was pregnant? I believe she was also pretty far along there too.

Molly

7/1/2011 05:41:52 am

@Phyllis. Thanks, I wasn't aware of that.

Laura Novak link

7/1/2011 05:50:50 am

All kinds of people lie for personal gain:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/07/01/nyregion/20110701-Strauss-Kahn-letter.html

lilly lily

7/1/2011 06:12:05 am

I recall her security guard, a experienced officer saying he had no idea that Palin was pregnant, though Palin was wearing tight jeans on that trip. His wife was astonished that he didn't notice a pregnacy.

Believe you me, he would have noticed a baby bump, because men do notice, even if they aren't interested in the details of pregnancy.

It was one of those oddities, a man talking about a lack of a baby bump.

Mhurka

7/1/2011 06:50:50 am

The bulge in her back area kind of starts between the shoulder blades and goes down over her posterior. (This would approximate the length I think of a maternity suit.) Also the back of the skirt is higher up than the front -possibly indicating a bulky undergarment lifting the skirt in the rear. I have always wondered if the front padding of a maternity suit is adjustable(i.e. removable) because it might be easier to ship/transport it etc.
Food for thought.

Punkinbugg

7/1/2011 06:56:16 am

Let's take a look at the travel schedule for March 13 - 17, 2008:

Thu 3/13/2008
MEETINGS
JNU-ANC
AS#67
DEP JNU 815P
ARR ANC 1002P
WASILLA

Fri 3/14/2008
ANC
WASILLA ON DUTY
REP PARTY SPEECH CAPT COOK HTL
MEETINGS

Sat 3/15/2008
ANC
WASILLA ON DUTY
ANC MCCAIN AND INTERVIEW AND ?

Sun 3/16/2008
ANC
WASILLA
OFF (NO PER DIEM)

Mon 3/17/2008
ANC-JNU
AS#64
DEP ANC 1138A
ARR JNU 120P
GOV. MANSION
MEETINGS

Meeting with McCain...? Is that why she was so padded up that particular day?

K.M.R

7/1/2011 07:14:30 am

anonfornow wrote above:

" So on 22 April 2088, three days after giving birth to a special needs child in fragile health, she goes to give a speech to some middle school honor society inductees? Really?

http://web.archive.org/web/20090502132705/http://gov.state.ak.us/large_photo.php?id=119 "

This email is kinda interesting considering the date of the National Junior Honor Society event.
On Jan. 28, 2008 she was asked by Ross Gregory if she could speak @ the Mears National Junior Honor Society.
He says he would like her to bestow some inspirational wisdom on the kiddos, his son being one of them.

Her response was, "I'd love to - but don't know if we can get out of Juneau at that time." (see the series of emails below).
I would think that a normal pregnant woman would think ahead, knowing she'd be big with child by then and send a "sorry, no can do."
She was still keeping her (faux) pregnancy a secret at the time...but still...it seems strange to me that she just wouldn't say no.

Then she ended up going anyway. I guess she is a super woman after all.

emails:
From: Ross_Gregory
Sent Monday, January 28, 2008 12:23 PM
Subject: Re: Question

Dear Governor Palin -

I was wondering if you would be willing to be our Mears National Junior Honor Society Speaker. We are planning the ceremony for April 22, 2008 at 6:30 at Mears Middle School, Anchorage, Alaska. We would love to have you come and provide some inspirational words to our group.

Let me know what your thoughts are on this matter.

Sincere thanks,
Greg Ross

-
From: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2008
To: Mason, Janice L (GOV)
Subject: Fw: Question

I'd love to - but don't know if we can get out of Juneau at that time.

Original message
From: Wayne Anthiny Ross

Date Mon., 28 Jan 2008 12:29:59
To: "Palin, Sarah" <[email protected]>

Re: Question

Sarah: Greg is our oldest son and we are quite proud of him. Could you check your calendar and get back to him about this

curiouser

7/1/2011 07:55:19 am

Mhurka - She may have bulked up a bit but she couldn't have been wearing a maternity suit. Look at Laura's post with Brad Scharlott discussing the March 14 photo which shows a flat belly.

Mhurka

7/1/2011 08:19:27 am

curiouser-She might have been wearing the maternity suit with the front padding removed -that is if the padding was removable or adjustable but I don't know if it was.

curiouser

7/1/2011 08:20:34 am

Apologies...my last post doesn't make sense since the photo above isn't March 14.

Punkinbugg

7/1/2011 08:33:51 am

Schedule from 4/14/08 - 4/26/08:

Mon 4/14/2008
JNU-ANC AS# 65
1244P-231P
WASILLA ON DUTY
ANC / MILITARY DINNER
Hudson News?

Tue 4/15/2008
ANC-DFW
AS#154 DEP ANC 200A ARR SEA 616A, AS#812 DEP SEA 820A ARR DFW 211P
O/N FLIGHT
TRAVELING

Wed 4/16/2008
DALLAS
GAYLORD RESORT, TX
GOV RECEPTION & DINNER

Thu 4/17/2008
DFW-ANC
No DEP time/ARR 1100P
Speech / Wild Ride

Fri 4/18/2008
ANC
WASILLA INTERVIEW W/KTVA AND A.D.N. "TRIG'S BIRTH"
BRISTOL INTERVIEW ASSISTANCE
SET UP/W/KTUU WASILLA

Sat 4/19/2008
ANC
WASILLA
OFF

Sun 4/20/2008
ANC
WASILLA OFF

Mon 4/21/2008
ANC
WASILLA "ON DUTY"
Brings Trig to ANC office KTVA

Tue 4/22/2008
ANC
WASILLA SPEECH/NJHS

Wed 4/23/2008
ANC
WASILLA "ON DUTY" KTUU

Thu 4/24/2008
ANC
WASILLA SPRING CONCERT WASILLA
NANA MINING presentation

Fri 4/25/2008
ANC
WASILLA STEVE QUINN INTERVIEW

Sat 4/26/2008
ANC
WASILLA MOTORCYCLE BLESSING
VETS CELEBRATION

There are some names and events listed above that could be "mined" for pictures or videos.

notafaux

7/1/2011 11:25:13 am

Laura, I've been waiting for you to append an update to this post, stating that the above photo was taken at the Hoover Institution in February 2008 and not at the Republican Governors convention the following April. I'm totally "on your page" as the saying goes, but facts are facts.

Julia Brown

7/1/2011 11:44:03 am

I think that the explanation for her pregnancy appearance here is nothing more than the angle of the camera - behind her - and the fact that the jacket is hanging open.

However, it should be noted most sharply that it was on this trip to Washington that she began wearing the black jacket and floppy scarves consistently. She arrives in Washington and according to her security guard changes into jeans. Then she meets McCain. Then she starts dressing pregnant.

Hmmmmm.....

Laura Novak link

7/1/2011 12:18:22 pm

Notafaux, the correction was in my comment and those ahead of me. Anyone who reads them can see that people are commenting based on that. The points aren't being made about April. At least that seemed clear to me.

Who Knows?

7/1/2011 12:33:02 pm

ArcXIX did a follow-up post the Daily KOS on August 31, 2008. It might be worth perusing again or maybe the comments will hold a new clue to this almost three year old nightmare.

http://wizbangblog.com/docs/BabyGate%202%20-%20Daily%20Kos.htm

BabyGate: Explosive New Details [Photos+Video]
by ArcXIX

Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 04:39:54 PM PDT

Yesterday, the nation at large was introduced to Sarah Palin's fraudulent claims of maternity by numerous photographs, video, and a timeline that made even those accepting of the 'official' story turn their heads in confusion.

The revelation that had been whispered among the Alaskan legislature was explosive. Sarah Palin is not the mother of Trig Palin. Her daughter is the mother. Scarce if any refutations to the contrary have come forward, and now damning incidents and evidence has come to light.

Mothers of the world have reeled back in disgust and horror at Sarah's dangerous and possibly fatal story of flying 4000 miles even as she was supposedly in the process of entering labor a month early. Sarah needs to honestly answer for her lies, promptly.

Banyan

7/1/2011 12:48:13 pm

notafaux

7/1/2011 12:55:24 pm

@Laura. Thanks for the clarification. I did, in fact, read your earlier comment--something I do assiduously as a writer/editor (published but now retired)--so my apologies for not picking up on that subtext in subsequent reader comments.

Who Knows?

7/1/2011 12:59:42 pm

Here's an interesting coincidence -- a comment by Joe McGinniss, Jr. on the ArcXIX Daily Kos blogpost.

If this is credible...it does matter....someone (7+ / 0-)
this unknown thrust this close to such power -- a 50% chance of becoming the 2nd most powerful person on the planet in two months -- and what do we know about her?!

That's political and national security malpractice on McCain's part. We know nothing about this woman.

That's insane. How do you know she's not capable of pulling some kind of stunt like this? And if she is, and we elect her Vice President of the United States -- a heartbeat away -- this is like the friggin' Dead Zone.

Two months. That's how much time we have to figure out who the hell this woman is.

Obama's been vetted and tested and subjected to how many stories, debates, elections in the past two years?

Palin? Scary, scary shit.

The Delivery Man by Joe McGinniss Jr. [Grove/Atlantic January, 2008]

by joemcginnissjr on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 05:29:08 PM PDT
[

Viola-Alex

7/1/2011 01:13:47 pm

That Arc XIX link is a treasure trove. @Laura. You asked about a ring on Bristol. In the comments to Arc XIX link, several people mention a ring on Bristol (on her ring finger) in this photo:

http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/ksh01/?action=view¤t=Palin_family.jpg

I can't see it.

molly malone

7/1/2011 01:14:04 pm

@ Julia,

I don't think Palin's butt bulkiness can be attributed to camera angle. Reason being, her right foot is forward of her left foot, which would/should result in a slimmer profile (only one buttock showing instead of two). Plus, if you look at the width of her hemline in relation to her legs, we're talking a pronounced posterior here. And Palin ordinarily doesn't have one.

So I guess my questions here are: Why the big butt? What circumstances dictated the need for this strange embellishment? (I haven't a clue) And if Palin were as pregnant as she looks in this photo--HT to Commonpeople here--how could she find pantyhose to accommodate her expanded middle without the darn things bagging around her knee? I've had my own wars with pantyhose and know whereof I speak. One size definitely does not fit all.

My other question is: Did Palin wear pantyhose for her speech in Texas?

A small thing. Yes. But avalanches generally begin with the loosening of gravel.

Viola-Alex

7/1/2011 01:16:20 pm

yep. the ring is there. on Bristol's ring finger. (link above)

Banyan

7/1/2011 01:17:58 pm

@Julia Brown

Thank you! YOU win the sweepstakes here.

OK, everyone, take out your book "The Lies of Sarah Palin" by Geoffrey Dunn, and turn to Chapter Three, "Hail Mary" (Think about that chapter title for a few minutes).

Then, turn to pages 157 -161. Take out your most fluorescent highlighter and highlight every mention of the names "Paxson," "Iseman," "McCain," "New York Times," and "Palin."

Now, turn to page 142, and highlight anything to do with "Gary Wheeler" and "Palin."

To connect the dots...

when Palin went to DC and met with McCain on Feb. 23, 2008, McCain was involved in a very dangerous game of chicken with his former Right Wing (Dominionist, head of Christian Broadcasting) "friend,"Lowell "Bud" Paxson who was essentially blackmailing McCain over the relationship McCain had allegedly had with Paxson's "employee," Vicki Iseman.

The first installment of this potentially lethal expose had just been printed in the NY Times, and more was on the way.

McCain gave in and decided to "play ball" with Paxson and his fellow Fundies who were threatening to destroy McCain's presidential hopes, life, and career.

McCain, at that point, secretly agreed to take on Palin as VP.

And the New York Times stories mysteriously and very weirdly halted, because the previous informants had shut down on them.

Palin then announced her "pregnancy" on March 5th, the day after it became conclusive that McCain won the nomination.

Now, go to Google.... enter the names "Paxson," "iseman," "New York Times," and "McCain." And see what you can find.

betsy s

7/1/2011 02:29:42 pm

Does that explain Trig PAXSON Van Halen Palin?

Ottoline

7/1/2011 02:40:51 pm

Here's the YouTube of Palin at the Dallas conference on Mar 17, 2008. The next link is some screengrabs, lightened. Can't see much except that she's smaller than the Gusty pix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iOa_5sOC_w

http://tinypic.com/r/358qhys/7

7/1/2011 02:41:21 pm

This video includes a clip of Palin on 4/17/08 at the RGA. She looks awfully calm for someone leaking fluid while presenting at a professional meeting, never mind the part about the contractions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iOa_5sOC_w

So was Trig named after Bud Paxson, in return for getting Sarah the VP slot?

Rationalist

7/1/2011 02:56:55 pm

still awaiting the PD. A ring! They were married. They had to be.

Banyan

7/1/2011 03:00:13 pm

@ Betsy S,

Palin claims that "Paxson" refers to a locale where she and Todd go to ride their "snow machines."

However it sure is a coincidence, that Paxson is also the name of the man who appears to have made her candidacy possible. And Sarah has famously claimed that there are no coincidences.

I think using Paxson's name was a snarky way for Sarah to lord her power over McCain -- as when Bristol chose "Tripp" for her baby -- naming the child after her father's prostitute (Shailey Tripp) to get even with Sarah?!?

The use of the name Paxson may also have been to acknowledge, honor, and thank one of the main perpetrators of the Hoax.

All of Trig's names seem to have double meanings. "Trig" or "Tri-G" is an old fashioned way of saying Down Syndrome (trisomy G).

The Van Palin (Halen is not actually part of his name) stand for VP or Vice President.

In Trig's birth announcement picture a little halo was drawn above his head with a VP included as the central part of the halo design.

7/1/2011 03:16:30 pm

I know that Palin had a good chance at getting the VP slot early on - she made it to the short list - but I thought McCain only picked her officially much later? The stories talk about how he wanted Lieberman (a former Democrat, and not a reliable one) and Rove wanted someone else and McCain finally went, OK, then, Palin! And then, later, the McCain campaign became horrified by someone who couldn't handle the gentlest interviewer of them all.

Ottoline

7/1/2011 03:29:41 pm

Hi Up, LOL -- what are the odds?!

curiouser

7/1/2011 03:43:10 pm

Banyan - I've heard Paxson's name before and never gave it any thought. You present an interesting scenario. But why bring up Gary Wheeler, Palin's security chief? I thought he was one of the good guys.

viola-alex

7/1/2011 03:47:14 pm

I just read that Gary Wheeler said that Palin changed into jeans on that trip to DC, and that she DID NOT look pregnant.

Who Knows?

7/1/2011 05:02:11 pm

This video is new to me - dated March 14, 2008. See the 2:40 mark for a good shot of a "seven months pregnant" Palin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQe3JFWPbEo&feature=player_embedded

This article (with Palin picture) was written March 15, 2008 and ties in with the above video: http://alaskareport.com/news31/z49194_republican_convention.htm
__________

This article talks about the Gusty photo and the camera used to take the pictures. Some of these things have already been discussed here but the comments are interesting none the same.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lee-stranahan/anchorage-tv-station-pali_b_123029.html

Who Knows?

7/1/2011 05:59:03 pm

Here's a clear pic of the ring Bristol was wearing in Ohio on August 29, 2008.

http://www.reuters.com/article/slideshow/idUSN2944356420080901#a=1

Molly

7/1/2011 06:55:54 pm

@Who Knows, I saw another good picture of the ring during the week (can't find the link right now, however it definitely was an RNC pic). It looked like an engagement ring. I wouldn't be surprised if it was bought rather hastily, solely to reaffirm that the couple were engaged.

Sofydeb

7/1/2011 08:50:56 pm

I find it interesting that in the footage posted by Who Knows? of 3-14-08, that Sarah's back is bigger than her front. She has more back boob than front boob. Not my experience in 4 pregnancies.

Lidia17

7/1/2011 09:22:50 pm

Banyan, that is GREAT WORK. I have seen the Paxson => Bill Paxson connection made but never a rationale laid out for why… and McCain's affair could very well be it!! I never did understand why more wasn't made of that dalliance.

and yes, Palin loves the name games.
The halo art is modified from a Van Halen album cover: http://www.bigrocknroll.com/vanhalen.jpg

@V, as to the late announcement re. Sarah, I'm getting the feeling they did kinda sorta know that she might be a disaster, and were trying to limit her exposure even then. They were hoping they could just "flash" the American people with Sarah's super-Xtian StarsNStripes vajayjay and that a sufficient number of men like Rich Lowry would see "starbursts" and GOTV for Palin/McCain. I think it was a Hail Mary and they knew it from the get-go.

Making out like this was a last-minute choice takes some of the fault off of McCain and puts it on Sarah-the-unprepared, Sarah-who-couldn't-learn, etc. Like this was a big surprise when, really, anyone listening to her can tell that she is a dolt.

Not that his campaign was so extremely viable, but Sarah helped torpedo it with just two months of her erratic performances and (non)appearances. How could they have kept that up for EIGHT months?!?

Lidia17

7/1/2011 09:25:09 pm

The pieces are starting to come together, and it only makes the whole thing all that much more disgusting and treasonous.

Lidia17

7/1/2011 09:30:59 pm

ooops! Not Bill, but Bud (Paxson).

Molly

7/1/2011 09:49:12 pm

Wow, I hadn't made the Paxson connection either. Of course it could be coincidence, but....things like that make you go hmmm.

I remember trying to google Palin and Paxson and I couldn't find anything. I'd read the Dunn book and I wondered why he included that snippet from the Times and then promptly forgot about it. If it were true, it would explain a lot.

GREAT WORK EVERYONE!

kilob

7/1/2011 10:35:20 pm

I believe you have found the person (Bud Paxson) Chuck Heath inferred to when he said Sarah Palin doesn't call the shots. With all the other anti gay marriage and anti abortion laws being dumped out like bs from a livestock show, we can see the plan clearly!

comeonpeople

7/1/2011 10:53:10 pm

I have long beleived that Tri-Gs name has been a narrative..there is a part of me that even believes Bud Paxson helped in securing a Tri-g or two for Sarah to use. Sorry if this is redundant as I have posted it a bit over the years.

Tri-g Paxson Van Palin:

The DS child and Paxson lead to Vice President.
or
The DS child supplied by Paxson lead to Vice President.
The birth announcement (which if i recall loos more like ruffles than any tri-g we know) is really creepy. The VP logo over his head like a halo. They say it is a knock off of Van Halen logo , but there are no coincidences as Sarah says.

Molly

7/1/2011 11:09:16 pm

Interesting article here and look at the date it was written.

McCain Disputed On 1999 Meeting

By James V. Grimaldi and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, February 23, 2008

Broadcaster Lowell "Bud" Paxson yesterday contradicted statements from Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign that the senator did not meet with Paxson or his lobbyist before sending two controversial letters to the Federal Communications Commission on Paxson's behalf.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/22/AR2008022202634.html

Floyd M. Orr link

7/1/2011 11:23:22 pm

As far as I know, Banyan is correct about the details of the Bud Paxson story. I have always thought that the beginning of the fake pregnancy the day after McCain's nomination was anything but coincidence, and yes, the Bud Paxson connection has been around a while.

Molly

7/1/2011 11:34:33 pm

I wonder whether there was a little bit of blackmail going on?

KatzKids

7/1/2011 11:52:40 pm

I have the answer as to why Queeny's back is bigger than her front. She put the empathy belly on backwards. Maybe Toad helped dress her. We all know she just can't dress herself or comb her hair without help. :-)

Andrea

7/1/2011 11:55:17 pm

In my previous posts, I surmised that any possible prosecution of SP would turn around two issues; motive, and advantages accrued, and the link between the two. (After proof of deception, which is not treated here.)

Don’t think it will ever occur, this is an exercise of the imagination that may, I repeat may, help to explore some issues. In a sense, it is also an argument for the feasibility and ease of the fakery, counters the *impossible to imagine, couldn’t pull it off* stance.

Motivation. This is really the crux, cuts to the heart of the matter. As we do not know what in effect took place, we don’t know what the motive(s) were; however several have been suggested, here the vaguely plausible, in three categories:

1) Benevolent, altruistic ones, which thus by definition serve others than the deceiver (fraudster, criminal, etc.) him or herself, or serve both the liar and others.

In the SP case, that might include shielding a daughter from the stigma of a teen pregnancy, helping a poor person who was expecting, protecting her marriage and family from scandal in the interest of the children/everyone, providing care for a handicapped child, and so on.

The imagined court of law would have to examine the deception in the light of its presumed, or judged, felicity, necessity, etc. It would be asked, could not the desired end result have been accomplished by other, non deceptive (fraudulent, violent, etc. - not that SP was violent, this is the general case) means?

The question reminds us of classical moral dilemma vignettes, such as the father who breaks into a hospital to steal medication that could save the life of his dying child, while incapacitating a guard - should the father be imprisoned for stealing a class N drug? For breaking the arm of the guard? For both? Not at all? The alternative possible actions are important. (E.g. begging a doctor..)

Among the altruistic motives, the most common refrain “covering for Bristol” - shielding a daughter from the stigma of a teen pregnancy - is very weak and would not readily please or convince a jaded or naive judge. Not exhaustive:

a) a teen unmarried birth did Bristol no harm, as future events demonstrated, even upped her fame and earning power, and the accused - SP - would have understood that, or should reasonably have supposed it, as an educated, public personage.

b) the desired outcome, aka Trig safely under the wing of affluent adult adoptive parents could have been accomplished openly with no fuss.

Personally, I think her street creds, with pro-lifers and the like, would not have been affected at all, and she might even have been perceived as *more* valiant and noble. (Plus, an adoption was not really necessary, except perhaps for insurance and other financial reasons, or just the choice of the family) .... SP and Todd’s unfailing support for Bristol, their willingness to do all for Trig, to let BP develop her burgeoning life, and generally be a happy three-generational family would have been - stunning, lovely, wonderful. Exemplary! Note that this tale confers a clever modern, transparent, twist to the age old scenario of mother/aunt covering for daughter/niece, and removes the (to some) awkward fact that SP consented to being the VP pick when she knew she was carrying a baby who would need special extra care and attention. The adoption would have been a choice forced on her by a surprise situation out of her control.

c) the court might have considered the deception as detrimental to some of the actors involved - Trig would not know who his real mom / grandmom / father was etc.; Bristol as birth mother, and Levi (presumably) would have had to give up their parental rights entirely, why?

All the same, or roughly similar, arguments apply for a birth mother such as a niece, a Heath sister, a girl friend of Track’s, a long-time family friend.

The defense could only adopt one line: that the deception and the subsequent adoption took place through the imperative request, possibly accompanied by serious threats, made by the birth mother (father...) The mother might threaten suicide, thereby killing two precious lives, that kind of thing. This defense, I guarantee, were it credibly attested to, would help tremendously. SP would have been under constraint, and acted in the only way possible (as she saw it at the time.) Her half-hearted cushiony tummy would have been thrown in a positive light: “I hated fooling people and telling lies so I didn’t do it real well but I had to do it.”

Personal comment. I’m not enthusiastic about this reading as a putative real-life event. Would Bristol (or a niece, etc.), finding out her baby had Down’s (or possibly merely that she was pregnant) coerce or force SP to pretend pregnancy and secretly adopt the baby? It sounds beyond strange. Again, the adoption of a foundling would have hidden BP&rsqu

K.M.R

7/2/2011 12:03:00 am

copying a comment from Bobcat Logic made on Laura's For What's it's Worth post on Tue, 24 May 2011 14:36:10
Yes, the pieces are beginning to fit.

Bobcat Logic:
Laura,

You look like any other slender woman would at 5 months of pregnancy.

And now ...let's review where Sarah was at a much later date in her alleged pregnancy.

Remember that she announced that she was 7 months pregnant on March 5, the day after McCain became the obvious GOP nominee -- in other words, she would have been two months further along than you are in this picture.

But, on February 23, 2008, she reportedly attended a meeting of the National Governor's Association in Washington, DC, where she had a 20 minute personal meeting with John and Cindy McCain and dinner with him and other VP aspirants. And no one noticed?

Palin was accompanied on the DC trip in late Feb 2008 by a security detail, one of whom reported seeing her in jeans showing no sign of pregnancy.

Interestingly, only a few days before McCain and Palin met in DC, the New York Times had run a story about McCain's alleged romantic liaison with lobbyist Vicki Iseman.

Vicki Iseman, in turn, was employed by the very wealthy Fundamentalist Christian Broadcaster, Lowell "Bud" Paxson.

Paxson had previously been at the center of other ethical troubles involving McCain, who apparently accepted major favors and compensation from Paxson for his Senatorial vote on legislation favorable to Paxson's broadcasting interests.

Although the NY Times was soon to shut down their investigation on the Iseman/McCain story -- for reasons that remain unclear -- the NYT never retracted the story.

A month and a half later, Palin declared the birth of "Trig Paxson Van Palin"

Laura Novak link

7/2/2011 01:01:50 am

Fabulous comments; great open thread.

I've heard the Paxson story in the vaguest of terms, but hadn't seen it put together this tightly. I will read up on it more.

It could indeed be a way of naming someone in honor of a person who changed your life. To wit, we named a stuffed bear after my son's pediatric surgeon. :-)

I DO know someone who named their child after the kids surgeon. Changed the name and everything.

Someone else said something on this thread that made me think of one of the earlier emails. I'll try to post that now.

As for Floyd and Cracklin' Charlie: I hear what you are saying, but I am stymied about Ruffles having Ds too. So, I'm a little confused. It is probably worthy of its own post.

Thank you all for your great comments and community.

Floyd M. Orr link

7/2/2011 01:24:24 am

Laura, I do not think Ruffles has DS, but I do not think it is out of the question, either. I researched the likelihood of twins, one with DS or both with DS, some time ago, and the results were much as you would expect. The chance of twins born with DS is very small, with a much higher probability of a single DS twin. However, I generally do not think twins are involved in the scam in the first place. I think first there was Ruffles, then Round Ear Trig, then Tripp, and then (possibly) a second Batwing Trig, or as some of my readers prefer, Elfie. As I have communicated to Charlie, yes, I think some sort of Ruffles Is Tripp theory is generally my second choice of likelihood, but the big thing that blocks this viability every time I examine it is Tripp's big television debut. He is just too young in that video to be Ruffles. If you want to bring in the concept of borrowed or acquired babies with this scenario, then you are right back where we started with at least three babies involved. As Charlie has said, it is mostly the KISS Principle that brings up the Ruffles Is Tripp theory because the simpler solution would be only the two babies of whom we are publicly familiar, but go watch Tripp's debut again. How could that baby be Ruffles?

Laura Novak link

7/2/2011 01:30:53 am

I agree with you that the ear thing is a real problem with this story. Just yesterday, I was looking at the photos on you Picassa that you so nicely provided, and it amazes me how many ear changes Trig has shown or gone through!

However, Doc felt pretty strongly that Ruffles in Mercedes' arms had Ds. I think he looks like it too.

Brad and I will soon talk about that Greta interview.

Thanks for all your great thinking, Floyd.

comeonpeople

7/2/2011 01:57:44 am

@Andrea,
The only problem with any scenario you laid out is that Sarah never shut up about the situation. She went public and made alot of money on the lies, embellinshing them as she goes to suit her audience. If she ahd done this and shut the hell up about it, there would be an out for her for sure on the fakery. It is waaaaaaay to late now. She has milkded this cow too much. There is no way to spin it.

Laura Novak link

7/2/2011 03:12:25 am

Nota problem, notafaux (love your name).

Welcome to the site and the conversation. Hope you'll join in often.

Who Knows?

7/2/2011 03:26:35 am

Anybody ever find a connection between Andrea Gusty and the Palins?

The only thing I could spot as a possible connection is Andrea's mom has jobs that are both related to the State of Alaska.

Andrea Gusty is the daughter of Cheryl Jerabek of Aniak... www.kuskokwim.com/files/filedown.php?file=DriftNewsletter.pdf (page 4)

Cheryl Jerebek
Federal and State Programs Director
Kuspuk School District, Aniak, AK

Interior River Resource Conservation and Development Council
Board of Directors
Cheryl Jerebek, Secretary/Treasurer

Who Knows?

7/2/2011 03:34:26 am

I wish there was some way to edit our posts!

Her name is Cheryl Jerabek... with an "a".

Mhurka

7/2/2011 04:13:20 am

katzkids-Actually putting on the maternity costume backwards almost makes sense because the belly pad would explain the large posterior and consequent lifting up of the rear portion of the skirt and the breast cups would definitely result in some bulging seen in the upper back.

7/2/2011 05:02:40 am

There was discussion years ago, I forget which blog it as, about photos that show a "pregnant" Palin looking like a linebacker. I remember people theorizing that, in an early hapless effort to look pregnant she simply put on a bunch of bulky sweaters.

Banyan

7/2/2011 07:42:18 am

@ Lydia

Thanks for the kind words, which mean a lot coming from you, but I did not put this theory together just by myself or from any inside knowledge.

Someone on IM was strongly suggesting the connection of Paxson-McCain-Palin maybe a year or so ago. Wish I'd kept the blog posts.

I also remember the NY Times article during the campaign that started the McCain-Iseman revelation then abruptly stopped when the source mysteriously dried up, leaving the NYT in a very embarrassing position, and McCain looking like the victim of an attempted smear.

This led to many right wing attacks on the NY Times, and left the rest of us mystified.

Then Bobcat and someone else wrote about Paxson and McCain in a previous thread on this blog (reposted above).

As a result, I re-read what at first had seemed like random details in the Dunn book, and a lightbulb flashed! (Not that previous posters hadn't pretty well laid out the whole scenario, already.)

With some sadness, it occurred to me last night that the North Vietnamese tortured McCain and got him to denounce his country to make the pain stop. I totally understand that.

But the Dominionists, it seems, were even more successful than North Vietnamese torturers in forcing McCain into a REALLY treasonous act -- the selection of Palin to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

The whole last three years (on top of the entire Bush presidency) has been a terrible loss of political innocence for me.

Lidia17

7/2/2011 09:09:11 am

Yes, I see that Bobcat Logic had been thinking along the same lines. Just means that we have even more great thinkers!

As to your final comment, I concur completely. When I had first moved overseas, I was already a progressive, and fairly cynical, but I still believed in a degree of (cringe) American exceptionalism. I really believed that we were a smidgen more free, a smidgen more honest, that we believed in meritocracies and the marketplace of ideas and so forth, and that this had meaning. Now I see that it is all a hideous lie, a grotesque false construct.

KatieAnnieOakley

7/2/2011 03:01:07 pm

To Viola-Alex @ 20:13.47 Yes, Bristol is wearing a ring, and it looks like it has a stone... equals wedding ring! This is a very large photo - it's EZ to see the ring http://i.imgur.com/0BpvM.jpg

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