COMMENTARY | Bristol Palin believes President Barack Obama should call her to apologize for the comments made about her by Bill Maher just as he called Sandra Fluke about the comments made about the law student by Rush Limbaugh, according to ABC News.
Palin has blogged about how the cases are similar, but the president is not calling her since she is a Republican and Maher made a $1 million contribution to the Democrat-run super PAC. As a political scientist, I have to applaud Palin for setting up a perfect catch-22 for the president.
Palin used her blog to point out how President Obama has not made statements about what was said about her by Maher but condemned Limbaugh for what he said about Fluke. She pointed out how the president made comments condemning the media during the last election for going after her but has stayed silent on this issue. She has taken herself from being mentioned in this controversy to being a player in it.
Due to Palin's blog, the ball is in President Obama's court. If he calls her, it will appear to be due to the pressure by the right to treat her the same way he treated Fluke. The former vice-presidential candidate's daughter made a statement in her blog about the president being the president of all Americans and not just Democrats.
If the president does not call her, it will solidify the thought he let Maher get away with the comments made due to the donation and the comedian's political leanings. It will show a double standard of how it is OK for a public figure to say anything he or she wants as long as he or she is a liberal and makes contributions toward the Democrat reelection funds.
We might see the buddings of a political career in the young Palin. She was able to send a challenge and set a trap at the same time for President Obama. While many politicians try to do this on a daily basis, few can be as successful as the young reality star could be. Bristol wins no matter what happens.
