What if Palin were a black woman governor from, say, Illinois?

[Christa]

Palin's family is dealing with an issue that millions of families confront every day in this country, and they're doing it the best they can. It's their business. It's their choice. I don't see how anyone else can sit in judgment.

But I also can't help notice the narrative spin the Republicans have put on this story -- that it's a wonderful example of pro-life family values because the teens will keep the baby and get married -- and wonder how different that narrative would be if the situation featured characters of a different hue.

What if Palin were a black woman governor from, say, Illinois, who had been added to the Democratic ticket? What if her 17-year-old daughter had been impregnated by an 18-year-old, basketball-playing black kid from Chicago with no college plans or discernable means of income?

Bet the house that we'd have seen a number of insulting and demeaning stereotypes invoked -- by some of the same folks praising the Palins' handling of the situation -- over and over again.

How many times would we have heard about the evils of the "rap culture," its focus on promiscuity, and its influence on young people?

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