Ein schöner Redneck aus Alaska
TAGES ANZEIGER: Levi Johnston, der beinahe Palin-Schwiegersohn, hat einiges zu erzählen.

Ein Bild aus glücklicheren Zeiten: Levi Johnston mit seiner einstigen Freundin Bristol Palin. Bild: Tages Anzeiger
Vor Jahresfrist noch war es wie im Biedermeier, und Spitzweg hätte seine helle Freude am Motiv gehabt: Die werdende Mutter, jung und rehäugig, daneben der werdende Vater, ein muskulöser Eishockeycrack mit einem herb-hübschen Gesicht, in Liebe ineinander versunken. Das waren noch Zeiten, damals auf dem republikanischen Präsidentschaftskongress in Minneapolis, als Levi Johnston der von ihm geschwängerten Bristol Palin schöne Augen machte, derweil die Schwiegermutter in spe die republikanischen Getreuen in Verzückung versetzte und dabei sogar den Kandidaten John McCain überstrahlte.

Idylle ist implodiert

Die Idylle ist in der Zwischenzeit implodiert: Levi würde es nicht im Traum einfallen, sich auf einer Bühne mit der ehemaligen Gouverneurin von Alaska zu zeigen. Sie ihrerseits würde ihn aus dem Saal werfen lassen. Denn Levi, dieser Redneck aus Wasilla in Alaska, bewirft sie mit publizistischen Handgranaten. Im Hochglanzmagazin «Vanity Fair» packt er über Sarah Palin aus. Erst machte er sie zur Grossmutter, nun zum Gerede der Nation.

Palin habe geheimhalten wollen, dass Bristol schwanger war, behauptet er. Sie habe das Kind selbst adoptieren wollen, damit niemand herausfinde, woher es in Wirklichkeit stammte. Überhaupt sei Palin keine gute Mutter und Hausfrau gewesen, behauptet Levi weinerlich: «Sarah hat nicht gekocht, ihr Ehemann Todd auch nicht – die Kids haben alles selber gemacht: gekocht, saubergemacht, die Wäsche gewaschen, sich für die Schule fertig gemacht.» >>> Von Martin Kilian, Washington | Freitag, 04. September 2009

Levi Johnston: Money Prompted Palin to Resign

Levi Johnston, Sarah Palin's son-in-law. Photo: Google Images
Levi Johnston's Mother Sentenced to Three Years in Prison
THE TELEGRAPH: The mother of Levi Johnston has been sentenced to three years in prison for dealing in prescription painkillers in the latest twist for the young man who fathered Sarah Palin's grandchild.

Sherry Johnston, 43, received the jail sentence after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors. Her son, who was engaged to Mrs Palin's daughter Bristol during her Republican vice-presidential run last year, was in court in Alaska with his mother.

Mr Johnston, 19, has been in a deepening feud with the Palins amid arguments over rights of access to his son Tripp since the end of his relationship with Miss Palin.

He has claimed that he has information that could "destroy" Mrs Palin, a popular figure on the Republican right. The former Alaskan governor is currently on a swing across America on a campaign-style book tour to promote her best-selling new memoir Going Rogue.

Mr Johnston is meanwhile in the headlines after posing nude, with some well-placed props such as an ice hockey stick, for Playgirl magazine. >>> Philip Sherwell in New York | Saturday, November 21, 2009

Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin. Photos: People.com
Bristol Palin to Levi Johnston: 'It's Over'
PEOPLE.COM: And just like that, they were off again. "It's over. I broke up with him," Bristol Palin tells PEOPLE exclusively of her second try at an engagement to Levi Johnston, father of her 19-month-old son Tripp.

Palin, 19, says the relationship soured on July 14, the very same day they announced their marriage intentions to the world. Palin says he told her that evening he might have fathered a baby with another teenage girl. (Palin did not name the young woman, but a pregnant former girlfriend of Johnston's has since publicly denied his paternity.)

In an emotional phone interview with PEOPLE, Palin spoke through tears about feeling heartbroken, humiliated and trapped – while Johnston acted cool. "There's been no remorse," she says, adding that she's seen him only once in the past three weeks.

"The final straw was him flying to Hollywood for what he told me was to see some hunting show but come to find out it was that music video mocking my family," she says. "He's just obsessed with the limelight and I got played." Continue reading and comment >>> Sandra Sobieraj Westfall | Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Hockey Mom? Sarah Palin Stayed at Home, Says Levi Johnston
TIMES ONLINE: If her estranged potential son-in-law is to be believed, Sarah Palin is not just the vice-presidential candidate who lost and the Governor who quit.

According to Levi Johnston, who nearly married her daughter, Mrs Palin was the supermom who did not cook, the hockey mom who almost never attended her son's hockey matches and the fearless outdoorswoman who had never touched a fishing rod and did not know what sort of gun nestled in a box under her bed.

Exhausted - or just bored - by her duties as head of Alaska’s state government, Mrs Palin would return home most days by 5pm to take long baths and watch her favourite home improvement shows on television, according to Levi Johnston, who fathered her first grandchild and nearly married her daughter.

Mrs Palin argued frequently with her husband about the idea of divorce, insisted that she was going to adopt the baby her daughter was about to have with Mr Johnston and rapidly lost what enthusiasm she had for the Governor’s job on her return to Alaska last November, Mr Johnston claims.

Most woundingly for a woman portrayed by the McCain campaign as a doting supermom, the former high school ice hockey star writes: “There wasn’t much parenting in that house. Sarah doesn’t cook, Todd (her husband) doesn’t cook - the kids would do it all themselves: cook, clean, do the laundry and get ready for school." >>> Giles Whittell in Washington | Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Levi Johnston Grabs for Sarah Palin's Old Job in Wasilla Mayoral Run
THE TELEGRAPH: Levi Johnston, the former fiance of Bristol Palin, will follow in Sarah Palin footsteps by running in the mayoral election of the Alaskan town of Wasilla.

The 20-year-old father of the grandson of Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate in the 2008 US election, will run for mayor in his hometown as part of a reality TV show, his manager, Tank Jones, said.

Wasilla, population 10,250, is where Mrs Palin, who is widely touted as a potential candidate for the Republican presidential ticket in 2012, got her start in politics, moving up from city council to mayor before winning election as Alaska's governor in 2006.

Mr Jones said Mr Johnston, whose career thus far has included stints in the Alaskan oil fields and posing nude in Playgirl, is serious about politics. >>> | Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Levi Johnston, the 20 year-old high-school “drop-out” for mayor of Wasilla? Give me a break! If the voters of Wasilla vote for this guy, they’ll need their heads read – they’ll need a phrenologist!

Don’t the Americans have any standards in politics anymore? Doesn’t one need a certain level of education, doesn’t one need to have a modicum of experience of life, doesn’t one need a mature intellect to enter into the political arena? This is really depressing! Before long, they’ll be telling us that Levi is running for president! – © Mark

Johnston nackt im "Playgirl": Happy Birthday, Mrs. Palin
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Ein republikanisches Vorzeigeleben kann hart sein: Erst schwängerte Levi Johnston die Tochter der Politikerin Palin, dann nahm er Reißaus und stritt ums Geld. Jetzt lässt der 19-Jährige auch noch Aktfotos veröffentlichen - kurz vor dem Geburtstag der Ex-Gouverneurin.

New York - Levi Johnston, der Vater von Sarah Palins Enkelsohn, hat sich hüllenlos für "Playgirl" ablichten lassen. Der 19-Jährige sei nackt in dem aktuellen Magazin zu sehen, melden US-Sender am Mittwoch - einen Tag vor Palins Geburtstag.

Dabei kennt der Jäger aus Alaska allerdings eine Grenze: Einige wichtige Körperteile bedeckt er auf den Fotos mit seinen Händen. Er hatte schon vor Wochen angekündigt, er wolle stilvoll in dem Blatt erscheinen. >>> jdl/dpa | Mittwoch, 10. Februar 2010

Related / Verwandt:

Levi Johnston's Mother Sentenced to Three Years in Prison >>> Philip Sherwell in New York | Sunday, November 22, 2009

Sarah Palin Is Resigning Over Money, Says Levi Johnston
THE TELEGRAPH: The teenage father of Sarah Palin's grandson has claimed she is resigning because she wants to make money.

Levi Johnston, 19, whose wedding to Bristol Palin, 18, was called off earlier this year, says he believes the governor is resigning over personal finances.

Mr Johnston says he lived with the Palin family from early December to the second week in January. He claims he heard the governor several times say how nice it would be to take advantage of the lucrative deals that were being offered, including a reality show and a book.

"I think the big deal was the book. That was millions of dollars," said Mr Johnston, who has had a strained relationship with the family but now says things have improved. >>> | Friday, July 10, 2009

Sarah Palin Urged to Speak on Racist 'Barack Obama State-government Circulated Emails'
THE TELEGRAPH: Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska, was under pressure on Thursday to respond to the discovery that staff members in her state's government had received and forwarded racist emails about President-Elect Barack Obama.

Photo of Sarah Palin courtesy of The Telegraph
One of the emails asked about the outcome of the Democrat's victory and concluded: "Another black family living in government housing!" Another, entitled "Night Befo Crizzmus," was forwarded dozens of times, according to the state's information technology division.

Administration commissioner Annette Kreitzer said: "It's embarrassing to the state."

Mrs Kreitzer said she alerted the office of Mrs Palin, the failed Republican vice presidential candidate in the recent election, about the emails.

Bill McAllister, a spokesman for the governor, said that the matter concerned individual actions taken by a handful of state employees among thousands.

But the lack of a denunciation from the governor failed to satisfy critics who have suspected her of disrespecting the African American community or of holding racist views herself. >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | December 18, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: Mother of Sarah Palin[‘s] Daughter's Boyfriend Arrested on Drug Charges

Alaska state police have arrested the mother of Bristol Palin's boyfriend on drug charges. Miss Palin is the daughter of Sarah Palin, the state governor and defeated republican vice-presidential candidate.

Sherry L Johnston was arrested on Thursday after officers served a search warrant on a Wasilla home. The 42-year-old Johnston has been charged with six felony drug counts.

Troopers did not identify the drug involved in a brief mention on the agency's website.

Johnston is the mother of 18-year-old Levi Johnston. Sarah Palin, John McCain's running mate in last month's election, announced in September that her 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, was pregnant and Johnston was the father.

Sherry Johnston was released from jail on $5,000 bail.

Meanwhile, Mrs Palin was under pressure on Thursday to respond to the discovery that staff members in her state's government had received and forwarded racist emails about President-Elect Barack Obama. >>> | December 19, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback (US) Barnes & Noble >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Hardcover (US) Barnes & Noble >>>

Bristol Palin, reine de la communication et des tabloïds
LE FIGARO – BLOG – PEOPOLITIQUE: La républicaine Sarah Palin se retrouve à nouveau dans les pages people des magazines. Sans l’avoir recherché. Dans un rebondissement digne des meilleurs soap-opéras, sa fille aînée, Bristol, a annoncé jeudi ses fiançailles avec Levi Johnston, le père de son enfant… dont elle était séparée depuis deux ans.

Un scoop rendu public avec l’aisance d’une vétéran(e) de la peopolisation. Bristol, 19 ans, et Levi, 20 ans, ont réservé l’exclusivité de leur réconciliation à US Weekly. La jeune femme, fiancée depuis quinze jours, avait donné peu avant une interview au concurrent People, où elle était restée très évasive. Des rumeurs, démenties par la rédactrice en chef d’US Weekly, prétendent que l’hebdomadaire aurait versé 100.000 dollars aux tourtereaux.

Bristol, dont la grossesse adolescente hors mariage, si peu conforme aux valeurs conservatrices prônées par sa mère, avait défrayé la chronique lors de la présidentielle américaine de 2008, confie avoir renoué avec Levi Johnston au cours leurs rendez-vous destinés à trouver le meilleur accord de garde pour leur fils, Tripp, 18 mois. D’ailleurs la jeune femme n’a pas annoncé à Sarah Palin ses fiançailles. «Tout révéler à maman était intimidant. J’espère qu’elle se fera à l’idée. Se fiancer semble naturel même si nous n’avons pas l’approbation de nos parents», explique Bristol. Continuez à lire et écrire un commentaire >>> Par Constance Jamet | Lundi 19 Juillet 2010

Sarah Palin Electrifies Republican Convention and Launches a Blistering Attack on Barack Obama

THE TELEGRAPH: Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, John McCain's vice-presidential running mate, has electrified the Republican convention, declaring herself an "average hockey mom" and launching a blistering attack on Barack Obama.

After three days of scorn from Democrats and relentless scrutiny from the press, Mrs Palin came out punching, mocking Mr Obama, the Democratic nominee as someone who makes "dramatic speeches before devoted followers" and has "authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform - not even in the state senate".

In the Republican convention audience in St Paul were her husband and five children, including her son Trig, four months, who has Down syndrome, and daughter Bristol, 17, who is five months pregnant and gripped the hand of her fiancé Levi Johnston, 18.

To resounding applause, Mrs Palin, 44, Alaska governor for just 20 months and a virtual unknown on the national stage, said: "Ladies and gentlemen, I would be honoured to accept your nomination for vice president."

With just over two months to election day, Mrs Palin's selection has transformed an already gripping race for the White House.

Mr Obama and his running mate Senator Joe Biden of Delaware edged narrowly ahead in the polls after last week's Democratic convention but Republicans hope for a similar boost after Mrs Palin's speech and Mr McCain's address on Thursday night.

After Mrs Palin's confidently-delivered 37-minute speech, Mr McCain made a surprise appearance and asked to cheers: "Don't you think we made the right choice?"

He added, looking at the seven Palins and Mr Johnston standing beside him: "What a beautiful family."

Mrs Palin presented herself as a reformer and outsider who reveled in the disdain of the coastal elites.

"I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.

"But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion; I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country."

Mr McCain's senior campaign adviser Steve Schmidt had earlier denounced what he called a "faux media scandal designed to destroy the first female Republican nominee" for vice president.

Mrs Palin emphasised her humble origins and status as an "average hockey mom", ad-libbing a joke about the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull. Answer: lipstick. Sarah Palin wins over Republican Convention with attack on Barack Obama >>> By Toby Harnden in St Paul | September 4, 2008

TIMESONLINE:
This Is Alaska's Margaret Thatcher: Oh boy. I don't know what is going to happen next in the Sarah Palin story, but one thing is now for sure: John McCain has picked an Alaskan Margaret Thatcher to be his running mate.

She spoke for 36 pugnacious, stilleto-heeled, in your face, Barack Obama is a limp-wristed cover boy minutes. She blew the roof off. Sarah Palin has now shaken up a presidential race like no other nominee in modern times.

She took to the stage to the back-drop of a breaking National Enquirer story, flatly denied in a press release by the John McCain campaign, that she had had an affair with her husband's former business partner. If I were the editor of the Enquirer tonight, I might be locking my front door. Who knows what will transpire from Alaska in coming days, but Mrs Palin delivered one of the most mesmerising vice-presidential nights in convention history. >>> By Tim Reid in St Paul | September 4, 2008

LE FIGARO:
Sarah Palin enflamme la convention républicaine >>> 4.9.2008

eMARRAKECH:
McCain promet de capturer Ben Laden de sécurité: Saint Paul : Le candidat républicain à la Maison Blanche, John McCain, s'est engagé à attraper l'ennemi public n 1 des Etats-Unis, Oussama Ben Laden, s'il est élu >>> | Jeudi 04 Septembre 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
Sarah Palin Is 'the New Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan': American conservatives have reacted with near ecstasy to the Republican convention speech by Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, comparing John McCain's running mate with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan >>> By Toby Harnden in St Paul | September 4, 2008

TOWNHALL.COM:
Want Real Change? Quit Nominating Lawyers! >>> By Victor Davis Hanson | September 4, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US) >>>