This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: Mon., Sept. 1 - 9:45 p.m. - Word spread quickly among the delegates Monday about Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter and her pregnancy. I believe that this is a personal matter; in our society today, situations such as this are part of life. I am glad that Bristol will be keeping the baby and marrying the father, but like her mother, I am sad that she must begin to live such a different life at such a young age. Those that I have talked with feel the same way.
I doubt that this revelation will have a dramatic impact on the election. If anything, this humanizes Sarah Palin all the more because now she can relate to parents who already have gone through this experience. And I doubt that anyone would vote against a ticket because the daughter of the vice presidential candidate became pregnant at 17.
Earlier in the day, the Missouri delegation savored lunch at Manny's in downtown Minneapolis. Speakers included Sen. Kit Bond, Rep. Roy Blunt and Gov. Matt Blunt.
Bond said that he's already heard of a Missouri Hillary supporter endorsing the McCain/Palin ticket. This statement was received with loud applause from the crowd. Bond is a favorite of Missouri Republicans and always gives a good speech.
Blunt talked about change and used a phrase repeated over and over again at the Democratic convention. He said that Sen. Joe Biden offers "more of the same," while Sarah Palin offers "major change." In Blunt's mind, Palin is "a fighter pilot's choice." Blunt just finished a nine-state campaign swing, discussing energy and experience, and planned on visiting several more states later this week.
Gov. Blunt did not speak at length, since he had spoken to the group earlier in the morning. He re-emphasized that John McCain is exactly the sort of leader we need on foreign policy, the economy and change.