Well, Levi Johnston is making "Joe the Plumber" look like "Joe the Flash in the Pan" as he tries to turn having knocked up Bristol Palin into a career.

He's still here.  He's still got a publicist, I'm guessing, who is finding ways to rake in the "do-re-me."

As nauseating as it is to see this guy in the media, his latest ploy in capitalizing on Sarah Palin's fame reveals some very disturbing claims about her.

Among other things, Johnston said Palin joked about her son Trig's Down Syndrome, calling him her "retarded baby."

"I was just in shock the first time I heard it," he said, when host Maggie Rodriguez expressed disbelief. He also said Bristol took care of the baby much more than her mother: "Sarah was never home."

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/27/levi-johnston-on-cbs-earl_n_335866.html

Well, you have to consider the source.  Disgruntled guy from his own dysfunctional family, using Palin's fame to make a career out of personal "fame."

Something of a sleazebag himself.

But still, is he telling the truth?

Sleazebags may tell the truth for their own gain; but, if it's the truth it should be considered when assessing Palin's own character, or lack thereof.

JF: }}}}} But still, is he telling the truth? {{{{{

E: Why do you care?  I find it very strange that using the word *retarded* has somehow become unacceptable.

The real question is why you don't care.

I don't know of a family with special needs children who don't find the term "retarded" degrading and hurtful, not to mention such folks themselves.

I care, since you ask, because they care.

I find it very strange that using the word *retarded* has somehow become unacceptable.

I find  anything Levi Johnston says and caring about it is retarded.

gary

JF:}}}}}}} I don't know of a family with special needs children who don't find the term "retarded" degrading and hurtful, not to mention such folks themselves. {{{{{{{

E: [shrug]  I grew up with an uncle with down's syndrome who was only 4 years older than me, and it was never an issue in our family.  But we were just poor country folk.

You know, I don't much care whether you shrug it off or not.

I know lots of good people, with problems and without, who are seriously hurt by people for whom the word "retarded" was/is not an issue.  My wife works with those families every day.

Doesn't matter if you had a family member with Downs Syndrome or not.

That word is hurtful, often viciously applied, and folks who use it these days deserve to be answerable to those they hurt through the using it, in my view.

Anyone who wants to rail about "political correctness," I don't much care about either.

It's a question of basic human decency and personal empathy as far as I'm concerned.

And, while it's fair to examine politicians for those qualities, no matter what party, I'm not at all impressed by those who are cruel, and repeatedly so, in their attitude and language, and try to justify themselves by bologna about fighting "political correctness."

Yeah, I know you didn't mention "political correctness."  But, if you didn't someone else would.....

JD: I wouldn't take anything that Levi Johnston has to say seriously.  Sarah Palin herself has given us plenty of reasons to think poorly of her, but the words of a disgruntled ex-future-son-in-law looking to cash in and extend his 15 minutes of fame aren't among them.

There's nothing you said that I really disagree with.

But, sometimes the sleazebags tell the truth because it's in their best interests.

Sometimes they aren't telling the truth.

If apparent character were a foolproof way to determine factual accuracy, life would be easier. 

But, pillars of the community are known to have lied through their teeth sometimes. 

So, it's not always that easy to accept or reject the factual accuracy of something based only on the character of the speaker.

Skepticism is warranted, a lot of it in fact.  I certainly wouldn't make any real decision about Palin based on anything this guy would say.

But, he's definitely in a position to be telling the truth.  So, an open mind is warranted as well.

And, the issue isn't a small one; because, if true, it's revealing of a streak of cruelty and lack of empathy that would impact fitness for political office.

Let her deny it, as I think she should, then see what happens.

If true, there's a good chance someone else will step forward to bolster his claims; because, it there is that character flaw in Palin it's doubtful Johnston was the only one to have seen it.

If no one can lend credence to him, then the probability that he's just fishing for glory and abusing the truth is all the greater.

I find  anything Levi Johnston says and caring about it is retarded.

I do too.  Why doesn't he just go away?

If I were young, single and stupid....I'd ride that wave as long as I could. Believe me...the cameras follow him around.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/05/levi-johnstons-tv-commerc_n_309738.html

gary

<<<Or, if it's not true, to call out this Johnston clown for the creep that he is, and a liar also if he's that.>>>

I didn't see the program where Levi Johnston was interviewed by Maggie Rodriguez and am sorry I missed it. But--Johnston has made these very same claims several times before. He spoke, in a past interview, of Palin arriving home one day while he and Bristol were taking care of both babies and he reported that Palin, instead of picking up her own child said, "I don't want the retarded baby, I want the other baby." She then disappeared into her bedroom as was her habit and left Bristol to continue taking care of both babies. Levi has said many times before that Bristol was the one taking care of Palin's baby along with her own the majority of the time and that Bristol was the one left with the responsibility of taking care of the household, the cooking and helping her little sister with homework.

No, it is not a flattering picture. Would I be surprised if there were lots of truth to it? Not at all. Perhaps eventually, other people will speak up to either deny or corroborate Johnston's claims.

To those who ask WHY we should be interested in such claims----this is a woman who plans to launch a new organization around the same time her book appears on the market and, according to those in the know, this new organization is expected to be seen as a forerunner to Palin's run for president in 2012. If that is the case and this woman has her sights set on a run for president, we ALL need to know as much as we can about her character.