During a segment on the April 5 edition of The View, the panel was discussing Bristol Palin’s new reality TV show about Palin moving in with her boyfriend and her decision to practice abstinence until marriage.
While the rest of the panel wanted to have a serious discussion about the show and on the issue of abstinence in general, Behar took the opportunity to doubt Bristol’s decision and to make light of the situation. Behar, who delights in mocking conservative politicians and their families, appears to have no “off switch” when it comes to discussing serious issues. [Audio here, video after the jump]
Behar, like many on the Left, think that it’s absolutely absurd to resolve to not have sex before marriage. “She’s going to be abstinent? But the toothpaste is out of the tube,” Behar quiipped of the young Palin, who has a child by her ex-boyfriend Levi.
Behar wasn’t the only one on the panel who scoffed at the notion of staying abstinent before marriage. When setting up the story, co-host Whoopi Goldberg started laughing when she told the audience, “She’s been vocal about her Christian values and abstinence before marriage and all that kind of talk.”
The full transcript from the April 5 show is below.
ABC
THE VIEW
4.5.12
11:01 EDT
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Whoo! Yeah. Hey! Hello and welcome to The View. According to the "National Enquirer" Bristol Palin is planning to move in with her boyfriend as part of a trial marriage that will play out on her new reality show. She's been (laughs) vocal about her Christian values and abstinence before marriage and all that kind of talk. And, You know, one wonders is this going to like damage her reputation in someway?
JOY BEHAR: She's going to be abstinent? But the toothpaste is out of the tube. How do you–not that I like to make sports references, but can you go from third base to first base? Can you go back?
GOLDERG: Oh wait, I want to see this.
ELISABETH HASSELBECK: I personally do believe in born-again virginity. I think that you can--
JOY BEHAR: Only after you’ve married for many years.
[Laughter]
HASSELBECK: It’s my form of birth control now, actually. Um, I do think, though, it could be a good message actually. You say the toothpaste is out of the tube. I always say, especially for teen girls. And Bristol’s now 21, she’s fully an adult, she's fine.
BEHAR: Hello?
HASSELBACK: For teen girls, if you are in a situation where you have said yes, can say no once you've said yes.. It’s ok to put the toothpaste away and start fresh.
SHERRI SHEPHERD: But you know what, Elisabeth?
BEHAR: But even if you’re going to be living in the same house with them?
HASSELBECK: Well, they’re going to be monitored, so everyone will know when she does and if she doesn’t, and maybe the pressure will-
SHEPHERD: No, everyone won’t know. How many times you been in the house and your mama been there have you done some stuff? Well, at least me.
[ Laughter ]
HASSELBECK: Share, Sheri!
(Crosstalk)
SHEPHERD: That concerns me, a little bit, I know, TMI. The thing that concerns me, a little bit, you know I don't think Bristol Palin has the margin of error that other reality stars have. Because, Bristol Palin. Remember when she was on Oprah, and Oprah gave her a chance to say, you know, you are you sure you're going to be celibate when you get married? And she was very adamant about the fact, yes, I am. And we know, I'm 40-huh-huh, and that’s hard for me.
HASSELBECK: It was hard for you. She should date Tim Tebow, and then it would be easy.
BEHAR: Can I just say one thing–ok finish your story.
SHEPHERD: You know, what I’m saying about Bristol, you know, you got a lot of responsibility because you've gone out and you're preaching abstinence to younger girls. So if you're going to live with this boy, you really don't have room for error because a lot of eyes, young eyes are watching you and they're following you because you chosen to–
HASSELBECK: Sure. That's nothing new, though, right?
BEHAR: The thing about Bristol, is she really can pick them. This boyfriend, his Facebook posts are so stupid he makes Levi Johnston look like you know Stephen Hawking. He uses the "n" word in his Facebook posts. Did you read it?
SHEPPERD: Oh wow? No.
BEHAR: The kid's an idiot.
SHEPHERD: Wow.
[ Applause ]
BEHAR: And she's living with him. That’s more to the point.
HASSELBECK: But, what about–would you have a different idea if she wasn’t having a child, right? Because, it’s also, he's not just moving in with her, he's moving in with the kid too. So, you know I always here women say, you know I’m really cautious about bring a man into the relationship, nevermind the home And that something she should be careful of? I don't know.
SHEPHERD: I said that. Well, why you do you want to do it on a reality show?
GOLDBERG: Well, that was, that's sort of my point, you know. If you're going to do all of this. go ahead and try it out. But I don't know that you need to do it in front of the world on a show. And you know, I did not read the boy's postings because you know I don't read any of that stuff. But, I–I–for this reason, because its like if you read everything that's out there, you–your head would explode. The stupidity that reigns --
BEHAR: It’s rampant,
GOLDBERG: It is so rampany, it makes you wonder, did anyone go to school?
BEHAR: No.
[Laughter]
SHEPHERD: Well, this boy, if you’re saying–
HASSELBECK: Don’t easily just dismiss that as just stupidity. If indeed, those are his statements, and that it a word he chose to use, it was used in a way to hurt somebody, then that's not ju stupidity, that's plain hatred, right?
(Crosstalk)
SHEPHERD: Well no, I think, I think
BEHAR: But he intended to use it–
HASSELBECK: (inaudible)
GOLDBERG: Well, given what everyone has said -- I always say this, given what everyone tells you, the word, people say, you might not want to – you know, do it at the house. If you gonna cuss somebody out, call them this and that, do it at the house where not everybody can see it. And you know what you mean. The second you post it, that's the stupidity.
SHEPHERD: But this is the thing–
BEHAR: That’s the stupidity.
GOLDBERG: That's the stupidity.
SHEPHERD: What I'm saying is, okay.
GOLDBERG: Alright, we will. Wow, okay. Kim Kardashian says she won't have any more relationships in front of reality cameras. Hey, you ought to call Bristol!
[ Laughter ]
GOLDBERG: But --
[ applause ]
SHEPHERD: That was good, go ahead. Go ahead.
GOLDBERG: But she's not giving up on love. Saying, quote, I think you have different soul mates throughout your life, that your soul needs different things at different times, and can you have more than one soul mate?
BEHAR: If she has a soul mate every 72 days, she could have like hundreds and hundreds of soulmates.
HASSELBECK: Like a record. Like a Guinness Book Record.
BEHAR: [Laughs] It’d be right in the Guinness Book Record!
GOLDBERG: I have had many, many soul mates, and I think-- yeah. Yeah.
[ Laughter ]
.
BEHAR: The inner slut’s coming out.
GOLDBERG: You know, I don't think it's slutty-- I know. It’s really sort of the way I think Americans think, and I’ll tell you why. Because when young men go out and they go from flower to flower to flower, there is no slut word for them. There is no word for them.
