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Bristol Palin on her family: ‘I think we have some of the thickest skin’

Laura Donovan Contributor
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“Not Afraid of Life” author Bristol Palin is often the subject of media criticism, but none of the naysayers bring her down.

“I think we have some of the thickest skin,” 20-year-old Palin said of her family during an interview with the Arizona Republic. “We’re really tough, and what people say negatively about us, it’s like, ‘OK, whatever, they are entitled to their own opinion.’ But at the end of the day, we’re a close-knit family, and we have God on our side.”

Bristol, a finalist for “Dancing with the Stars,” watched as mother Sarah Palin ran for vice president in 2008. During that time, Bristol was pregnant and Sarah had a harsh exchange with former “CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric.

“The biggest misconception about my mom that really irritates me is that she’s dumb,” Bristol told the newspaper.

During a Fox News appearance last week, Bristol said mother Sarah “definitely knows” whether she’ll seek the presidency in 2012. Last month, Sarah’s “One Nation” bus tour fueled speculation that she’ll run for office.

“She’s so smart, and if anyone had a conversation with her they’d realize that . . . she’s a whiz,”
Bristol said of her mom. (Bristol Palin says mom ‘definitely knows’ whether she’ll run for president)

In the same chat with the Republic, Bristol said her mother did not allow the kids to go in first-class on flights during the campaign.

“I wanted to note in my book that my mom wouldn’t let us ride first-class on an airplane; she got rid of the governor’s chef. There were no perks for her being governor,” Bristol said.

According to Bristol, the same perhaps could not be said for Daily Beast columnist Meghan McCain, the daughter of Sarah’s running mate John McCain.

“We still had to work, we had to do our own chores and wash our own dishes and all that kind of stuff that normal kids do,” Bristol told the paper. “I feel like Meghan McCain was brought up in a different way.”

This isn’t the first time Bristol has mentioned her qualms with Meghan, as the Candies Foundation spokesperson said last week that the 26-year-old Arizona native likely had a different upbringing.

“I just wanted to note that we come from two completely different worlds,” Bristol said during last week’s Fox appearance.” Her dad’s a politician and my mom’s a politician, but that never defined me. We don’t talk, we’re not friends, nothing like that. I’ve had a job since I was really little and, um, I don’t know if she does stuff like that.”