Bristol Palin&#39;s Double Payday Provides Inspiration For Our Own Pregnancies

It's old school today with Moe Tkacik and me weighing in on recession spending, New Orleans' new Congressmen Cao, and what we would do for the money Bristol Palin's getting for pictures of her spawn.

MOE: I wanted to enter on some funny note incorporating Sully's reax to Bristol Palin having a kid after all, but he has been posting pictures of people's windows. It doesn't look like he has posted actual content in days —- GAY.

MEGAN: Presumably he's on vacation? Besides, I'm sure he would be happy to argue that Tripp (my God, girl, seriously, the kid has to live with that name!) is her second kid anyway.


MEGAN: She is selling the pictures of him for $300,000 to People, since Levi's mom got arrested and people started giving a shit again. Which is a nice start in life for two high school drop-outs, which I'm sure they won't squander at all.

MOE: Yes which I am sure they will both give to charity with Sarah Palin's outfits etc. etc.

MEGAN: Ha, there's no word that they are giving a dime of it to charity. I mean, I wouldn't, but I probably wouldn't sell pictures of my kid to People either.

MOE: How awesome would it be if they totally used part of the money on a Japanese light truck ? Oh please, 300 grand? Yes you fucking would.

MEGAN: Who are you kidding? Monster truck, baby, it's Alaska in the winter. Also, women in my family put on crazy baby weight, unless they would Photoshop me, I'd need $500,000, minimum.

MOE: You're not laid off enough yet lady.

MEGAN: One more day, and then I'll be on the phone with Christie Hefner pitching a "Women of the Blogosphere" spread, I know. I mean, that's obviously only if David Paterson goes with an actual politician instead of taking me up on yesterday's offer to fill Hillary Clinton's Senate seat.

MOE: This is not relevant, but I'm pretty sure she stepped down. She was on the CNBC the other day, because obviously Playboy is really important to our economy. Incidentally, um, Caroline Kennedy, why, sick of it, find a real candidate, etc. etc.

MEGAN: Hefner is stepping down in January, but she's remaining in a non-executive board position until they find a successor. Caroline Kennedy, Camelot, history of celebrity candidates in the state, anyone but Andrew Cuomo, Paterson not pleased by her campaign, etc.

MOE: Now here is a public servant I can relate to…why let hundreds of dead Palestinians ruin vacation? Ughhjesus. Speaking of, you're in town right?

MEGAN: I often vow not to allow breaking wars to interrupt my vacations, not that I've had one since September 2007. Yeah, I'm in Queens, watching Morning Joe and drinking coffee that my incredibly awesome friend actually brought up to me from the kitchen, Splenda and all. Yeah, Virginia, there is a caffeinated Crappy Hour going on.

MOE: Uh speak for yourself. I'm all true to the name today. Ran out of beans. Spent the morning fixing router. "Fixing." Anyway, slow news week, except I guess for all the "world events" like killings and reverse walks up the path to democracy and things. Did you discuss this guy yesterday?

MEGAN: No, we didn't get around to discussing the man that finally brought down Bill Jefferson, but he sounds kind of awesome. Catholic seminarian turned politician to enact social change as a Republican.

MOE: It's sort of an incredible story. My little sister's boyfriend is a teacher in New Orleans and my dad was trying to convince him to go work for this guy instead (although, from the sounds of his stories, seems like the district could use some good teachers.) He was an independent until recently. And not just a Catholic seminarian a JESUIT seminarian hello.

MEGAN: Well, obviously, are there that many other seminarians that go teach in Mexican slums? Plus I feel like crises of faith and quoting Kierkegaard is uniquely Jesuit.

"That's what happened to me in Mexico. I was working in extremely poor conditions, and I wanted to promote social change. I came to believe, over the course of two or three years, that the best way to do that would be to enter public office. It would also allow me to have a family — the celibate life can be quite lonely. So I drafted a course of action for myself to enter politics. But it was a quite painful discernment. It implied I would have to leave the seminary. I would have to start life over again. I would have to make that leap of faith."

MOE: He married his old catechism student! That seems similarly old-school. Anyway this guy and Bobby Jindal are the "faces of the new GOP" maybe. If that is the case Barack Obama has sure ushered in a lot of change already! How do you feel about the cabinet thus far?

MEGAN: I'm ok, I think Geithner stuck his foot in it with his comments about Sheila Bair not being a team player, but otherwise, it seems pretty good. Diversity, smart people, etc. No one really unacceptable. You?

MOE: Yeah ditto not like I've done that much research outside the Bair issue. I feel like we'll learn a lot more about all this beginning next week. Too bad this feature will be over. But won't your life be less shitty? (Uh, actually I can answer that: sort of.)

MEGAN: Well, I would rather still have a full-time job, even if it meant getting up early, reading all the news and then writing this thing for 90 minutes. It's not like a get to sleep in, even.

MOE: Sleeping in is weird, because you just sort of lose all that time. Oh the end of the Cao story is kind of sweet:

Barbara Lacen Keller is one of those black voters whom Cao will have to sway.

An activist in city politics for 40 years, she voted for Jefferson, her fellow church member, in part because he'd come through the Democratic ranks and knew what black residents needed, she says.

But she lives in east New Orleans, not far from Cao. The area is still one of the poorest in the region. There are power lines and the interstate in the distance. There are the little shopping centers where every store has a Vietnamese name. There are junkyards and transmission shops and Gill's Crane and Dozer Services.

"This is my city. I love it. I want it to have the best," she says. "I look at the disparity Joe's been able to overcome, to come to a country where he was totally lost and had to fend for himself. He had to learn the language and culture, not just in America, but in New Orleans, a place that's so unique. To come out as successful as he is, that says something."

MEGAN: Maybe recognizing the contributions of immigrants to our economy and country is coming back into vogue? That would be nice. And the thing I like about sleeping in is losing time. It's like the oblivion of drinking heavily, but without the headache or dehydration.

MOE: Right and the best thing is how you can put off the inevitable headache and dehydration! So, like, should we talk about how we did not contribute to the economic activity this holiday season and how we don't feel bad about that assuming you don't? Because Bristolspawn is still like the biggest headline I can find.

MEGAN: Well, I don't feel terrible about spending less on Christmas what with the whole "need my money to pay my mortgage" thing in January, but I didn't fail to buy any presents. I just shopped a lot at Target, book stores and Bed, Bath and Beyond. Oh, and Sears. I also bought myself a sweater at Target ($12) and a T shirt at Old Nacy ($5) and a bottle of wine ($13).

MOE: Other than how much I hate people other than SamRon who look good in white jeans Sasha effing Obama

MEGAN: I feel like a combination of the red clay in the DC area and a puppy will end the era of white jeans for Sasha, have no fear. And no one will be buying clothes that aren't durable during the recession unless they are SamRon, so I think you won't have to worry about feeling obligated. I think it's all about dark jeans, black sweaters and grey T-shirts for the recession fashionista, so you'll be one of the most stylish women I know.

MOE: Yeah I bought books.. Like I bought the memoir about that pregnant "man" Labor of Love for my sister. and a book about St. Augustine and the Jews for my dad. And 2666 for my sister. I decorated them with Sarah Palin paper dolls and that was pretty much it. A new national savior was our Xmas gift!

MEGAN: I got a Sacco and Venzetti book for my brother-in-law and a oral history of early baseball for my grandpa, two mysteries for my dad plus a scifi novel he wanted because I'd borrowed it from my friend Eric, who had forgotten that he loaned it to me and picked up another copy at a used bookstore for a quarter, so he gifted his original copy to me and I gave it to my dad, who finally forgave Eric for picking me up for a date in high school in a puke green Gremlin with the license plate "Tailgunnr".

MOE: Haha dude Levi Johnston is taking notes right now. I'm reading a story about farming, and how it is not as profitable as it was when commodity prices were high (duh) and the subject is talking about how he used to assume he would make more money if he went back to banking, but then the ethanol subsidies came, and then there's like, this sidebar on Ethiopia, and you're left thinking, "First World Problems," but I'm not sure if that's partially because the guy looks like someone who could stand to lay off the HF corn syrup sigh. Wait also Rick Warren is a Melissa Etheridge fan? I am going to think about that when I go back to bed Love Me See you tomorrow. I will in the meantime try to determine what all to say about Ehud Barak and all that.