Trig Palin

Olbermann: Pro-Life Advocate Seems To Imply Palin Had An Abortion
By Noel Sheppard | February 23, 2010 | 12:02 PM EST

The media's Palin Derangement Syndrome hit new lows Monday when Keith Olbermann used a remark by a little-known Virginia state Delegate to suggest the former Alaskan governor had an abortion.

In his "Worst Person in the World" segment, the "Countdown" host recognized Bob Marshall (R-Va.) for his comments about abortion increasing the likelihood of handicaps in children born after the procedure was performed on their mother.

Much as the notorious "Family Guy" episode did recently, this reference to handicapped children disgustingly led Olbermann to bring Palin into the equation (video embedded below the fold with transcript, h/t Story Balloon):

ABC Gives Credibility to Claim ‘Queen of Fake Outrage’ Palin ‘Overreacting’ to ‘Irreverent’ MacFarlane
By Brad Wilmouth | February 20, 2010 | 9:18 PM EST

Now that actress Andrea Fay Friedman of the Fox television series the Family Guy has spoken out publicly against Sarah Palin’s criticism of the show, ABC News has aired a story on the controversy, which ran on Saturday's World News. The Family Guy episode in question not only treated Down’s Syndrome as something to laugh at (credit to NB reader Birch Barlow for emailing in the link as a tip), but also made a reference to the former Alaska Governor being the mother of a character – voiced by Friedman as both she and the character have Down’s Syndrome – presumably to suggest that Palin has a tendency to give birth to such children and that doing so would be funny.

As he began the piece showing scenes from the episode, and a clip of Palin saying that the jab at her family felt like a "kick in the gut," correspondent Jeremy Hubbard understated the level of obscenity that Seth MacFarlane has a history of employing on the show as he simply described the show's creator and producer as "irreverent," and informed viewers that fans of the "button-pushing" show would find the episode "hardly shocking."

The ABC correspondent went on to give credibility to the view that Palin may be "overreacting" as he cited what he referred to as "half-hearted" praise for the show by "some" advocates for those with Down's Syndrome, and relayed the argument that the show actually delivers a positive portrayal. Hubbard: "Although there has been criticism, some Down's Syndrome advocates have given half-hearted praise to the cartoon for including a well-rounded character dealing with the disability, which leads Palin detractors to ask: Is she overreacting?"

Behar on Anti-Palin Family Guy Scene: ‘I Agree With Sarah on This One’
By Brad Wilmouth | February 19, 2010 | 10:43 PM EST

On Friday’s Joy Behar Show on CNN Headline News, the normally anti-Palin Behar and most panel members – all left-leaning – sided with the former Alaska governor in the aftermath of Family Guy producer Seth MacFarlane's controversial depiction of a character with Down's Syndrome on his Fox television show, intended as a swipe at Palin whose son has Down's Syndrome. Behar declared that "I agree with Sarah on this one," and, after showing a clip of Palin on FNC’s The O’Reilly Factor denouncing MacFarlane, Behar concluded the segment: "Okay, that’s one for Sarah."

Panel member Mo Rocca of the Daily Show on Comedy Central was unusually straight as he praised Palin: "I’m with her. I mean, look, if there’s one thing to admire Sarah Palin for, it’s that she’s raising a special needs child, so, yeah, it’s a virtuous, irreproachable thing."

Comedian Jessica Kirson also labeled MacFarlane’s crack at Palin as offensive even as she admitted to also finding it amusing:

Family Guy's Down Syndrome Actress Responds To Sarah Palin
By Noel Sheppard | February 19, 2010 | 10:09 AM EST

The actress that did the voiceover for Ellen, the Down Syndrome Girl on Sunday's "Family Guy," has responded to her critics including Sarah and Bristol Palin.

As NewsBusters previously reported, the hit Fox cartoon series took a swipe at the Palins by making a joke involving Down Syndrome and the former Alaskan governor.

On Tuesday, Sarah and Bristol posted their feelings about this segment at Facebook.

Now, Andrea Fay Friedman, the actress behind Ellen's voice, has responded in a Q&A posted at the New York Times ArtsBeat blog (h/t HotAirPundit):

Maher: Palin’s Job at Fox Equivalent to Talking to Her Down Syndrome Baby
By Rusty Weiss | February 18, 2010 | 12:01 AM EST
How does one prepare for an upcoming appearance by Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy fame?  If you're Bill Maher, you follow up the Family Guy/Sarah Palin/Down Syndrome attack by doing an 'exclusive rant' for the Huffington Post which includes - you guessed it - a joke about Sarah Palin's son, Trig.

Maher appeals to his lower-intellect audience by stating:

"...while we were off, Sarah Palin agreed to do commentary at Fox News.  Which is actually very similar to her day job - talking to a baby with Down Syndrome."

Video can be found here:

Sarah and Bristol Palin Respond to Sunday's 'Family Guy'
By Noel Sheppard | February 16, 2010 | 4:00 PM EST

UPDATE AT END OF POST: Palin discusses this matter with Fox's Bill O'Reilly.

Sarah Palin and her daughter Bristol have responded to Sunday's disgusting episode of "Family Guy."

As NewsBusters reported that night, Fox's cartoon comedy hit disparaged the Palins with a joke involving a girl with Down Syndrome.

Tuesday morning, Sarah and Bristol took to Facebook to share their thoughts. 

Not surprisingly, the folks at Entertainment Weekly aren't taking their side, but before we get there, here's what the ladies had to say (h/t Hot Air):

WaPo’s Parker Channels Palin Son: 'Might Trig Someday Read His Mother's Abortion Thoughts and Find Them Hurtful?'
By Erin R. Brown | February 16, 2010 | 12:22 AM EST

It's no surprise that elitism and a pretentious point of view have a place on The Washington Post editorial page, but even this is a little much.

Pseudo-conservative columnist Kathleen Parker asserted that Trig Palin, the Down syndrome son of the 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin might one day find his mother's abortion comments "hurtful." A Feb 14 column published in the Post focused on the delicate art of criticizing Palin's recent political and personal defense of the special-needs community, stemming from White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's controversial comments involving the word "retarded."

Parker recounted Palin's brief mention that she understands how women entertain the thought of abortion when learning about the special needs of an unborn child.  Instead of praise for Palin's honesty and candor, Parker seized the opportunity to criticize Palin's outspokenness and attempted to speak on behalf of her son. 

'Family Guy' Attacks Sarah and Trig Palin With Down Syndrome Joke
By Noel Sheppard | February 14, 2010 | 11:51 PM EST

The media attacks on Sarah Palin continued Sunday as Fox's hit cartoon comedy "Family Guy" made a joke about Down Syndrome involving the former governor of Alaska.

In the most recent episode, Chris Griffin, the overweight and largely unintelligent son of the family, took a very rude girl with Down Syndrome out on a date.

With a little prompting, Chris asked her, "So what do your parents do?"

She responded, "My dad's an accountant, and my mom is the former governor of Alaska" (video embedded below the fold, h/t The Immoral Minority via Twitter's @Cubachi):

NBC Revives Barbara Walters' 'Disturbing' Label of Palin
By Matthew Balan | January 15, 2009 | 5:34 PM EST

Norah O'Donnell, NBC Correspondent | NewsBusters.orgDuring a report on Thursday’s Today show, NBC News correspondent Norah O’Donnell replayed Barbara Walters’ characterization of Sarah Palin’s recent interview as “disturbing” from Tuesday’s The View. O’Donnell highlighted how the Alaska governor’s comments about how the media treated her versus how it treated Caroline Kennedy “drew a reaction” from the ABC host, and that it was “one more sign that as Palin tries to quiet her critics, she is sparking another loud debate.”

Co-host Matt Lauer introduced O’Donnell’s report: “During the campaign, handlers tried to keep a tight lid on Sarah Palin, but as Barack Obama’s inauguration approaches, she’s speaking out more and more. But how much is too much?” The correspondent then began by highlighting “Sarah Palin’s latest target -- her online critics,” focusing on the governor’s counterattacks against those spreading “smears” about her family. The NBC on-screen graphic hyped how Palin had become “unleashed.”

Wonkette Suggests Trig Wishes He'd Been Aborted
By Mark Finkelstein | November 1, 2008 | 7:05 AM EDT
There really are no words, though I suppose we'll manage to find some.  Wonkette, which bills itself as "the DC Gossip," and is the creation of Ana Marie Cox, now gone on to bigger things at Time, has this photograph up of Trig Palin, dressed for Halloween as an elephant and being held in the loving embrace of one of his sisters. [H/t Damian at Conservathink.]

Wonkette appends its comment, suggesting—and there really is no way to sugar coat it—that given the choice Trig would rather have been aborted:
Suzy Shuster: Sarah's Son 'Her Favorite Prop of This Campaign Season'
By Mike Bates | October 3, 2008 | 1:18 PM EDT
Just when you think mainstream media people can't stoop much lower in their final stages of Palin Derangement Syndrome, they plunge to new depths.  Suzy Shuster works as a sideline reporter for ABC Sports.  She also blogs at the Huffington Post.  Her most recent contribution is,"Say It Ain't So: Trig Palin's Post-Debate Pho
‘Objectivist’ Writer: Trig Palin a Financial Burden Who Should Have Been Aborted
By Rusty Weiss | September 17, 2008 | 4:14 PM EDT

Trig PalinIn stunningly self-centered, cruel fashion, Nicholas Provenzo, writer for the Center for the Advancement of Capitalism suggests that Sarah Palin’s decision to give birth to a child with Down Syndrome, is a financial burden that others are forced to suffer with.