Obama Tells Press to "Back Off" on Palin

[Mark E. Smith]

Source: Washington Post

MONROE, Mich - Sen. Barack Obama told reporters to "back off"
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her family, following the GOP vice
presidential candidate's disclosure that her unmarried 17-year-old
daughter is pregnant.

"I have said before and I will repeat again, I think people's families are
off limits," Obama declared after attending a labor Day picnic here.
"People's children are especially off limits. This shouldn't be part of our
politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as governor
or her potential performance as vice president. So I would strongly
urge people to back off these kinds of stories."

Read more: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/01/obama_tells_press_to_back_off.html

[Booster]

1. What do you want to bet Palin votes for Obama in November?

[habitual]

5. ummm anything you like

that is a bet i'm willing to take. of course, we would never know the truth, but i seriously think you may be mistaken about that.

She seems to care just a little to much about numero uno - herself.

[connecticut yankee]

45. Only if

McCain dumps her.

[Tarheel_Dem]

55. I don't know about Palin, but I'm sure this is exactly the response her

mother-in-law expected from Obama. She seems to really like him, and said that she still hasn't decided who she's voting for. She is, afterall, the great grandmother.

[Wabbajack_]

59. Everthing you own

You need my email to set this up properly?

[patrice]

2. Agreed.

[Ellen Forradalom]

3. Good for Obama

I thought we settled that question during Chelsea Clinton's childhood.

[yorgatron]

7. subtext;there's plenty of other Palin mistakes for us to talk about.

:hide:

[progressivebydesign]

17. yes, and it absolutely dilutes the stuff that makes her unqualified.

Why make her a sympathetic character?

[JerseygirlCT]

28. Duh. I didn't need to post below...

You said it better!

[JerseygirlCT]

27. Exactly. And going here weakens those arguments and makes

us look bad.

There's all sorts of legitimate stuff. Let's focus on that, and not give the GOp and any potential voters excuses for writing those off as just more partisanship.

[pokercat999]

39. Except for John McSame who called Chelsea ugly while

telling a "joke" at a rethug fund raiser. I think Chelsea was about 14 at the time.

John McCain...not much of a man by any standard.

[Virginia Dare]

4. Too bad McCain didn't have that kind of class..

when the swiftboaters were tearing Kerry's military service down.

[Igel]

15. So what you're saying is that

any Democrat who intends to run for president in the future should be defending Palin now? Or perhaps all previous dems who ran in the presidential primaries?

Oddly, I don't hear much from Biden in the last few days. Nor other Senators, Congressfolk, or governors. Why? Because Biden's not in charge of the Obama/Biden campaign, and because the others simply aren't running. How's this relevant?

Kerry/Swiftboat: 2004. Wasn't swifboated in 2000.

McCain presidential campaign; 2000, 2006. He didn't run in 2004.

Had he run in 2004, he should have spoken up. Otherwise, he was on the sidelines, as are many appropriately silent politicians today.

I have the same standard for decency for both sets of politicians. Obama's doing good in this. Those who weren't running and did nothing to defend Kerry in 2004 are in the same boat as those who aren't running today and didn't preempt Obama. They get no special award for going above and beyond any expectation of duty; however, doing nothing is exactly proper, as well, and gets them no demerits.

[Virginia Dare]

21. No I'm saying McCain should have stood up for what he knew was right

back then. I'm saying he should not have hired the same assholes who smeared him and Kerry to run his campaign. Paybacks are hell. Karma is a bitch.

[progressivebydesign]

16. or when McCain called Chelsea ugly, and said Janet Reno was her father.

I guess the republican rules are much, much, different. But that's what makes them assholes -- not us.

[treestar]

6. OK, very classy and right

Please oh voter gods, make the idiot morans in this country who vote not see this as a sign of "weakness." How many minutes before O'Hannity claim that?

[trthnd4jstc]

8. Fine Enough.

We do not have to make a big deal about the Palin's Family issues, but we do need for Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden to become the next Pres. and VP of our nation.

[humbled_opinion]

9. NOPE...

Sorry I just won't let it lie... This is stupid.... Sure Obama should not say anything about it but we need to talk it up, up, up..... After what Hanity did to Michele Obama taking her words out of context and trying to make her look like she hated America.... Nope... If this was Obama's Daughter and she had opted for an Abortion this would be all over every billboard in America and it would get all thos evangelical's stirred up to do their god's work by voting against Obama... So no I won;t let it alone and I don't suggest anyone else let it alone either.

My bet is once Mcstain loses in Nov... Pailins kid will get the Abortion she really wants but is too afraid to get because it might cost her mommy some votes...

Idiot self loathing Repukes make me sick:puke:

[SpookyCat]

19. Exactly.

Obama did the right thing to call it out, keep his hands clean. We don't need to.

As long as the refrain is against the positions the right wing and esp this religious nut takes, it's fair game.

No personal attacks on the kid, but on the hypocrisy? Oh you bet!

[tpsbmam]

65. I'll continue to refer to it.....

as one more glaring example of how the McAddled/Bush/Palin policies are, well, McAddled. Obama is absolutely right -- he needs to stay away from this. But I won't -- I'll cite her daughter as an example when I note that both common sense, experience and studies show that this policy advocated by the right-wing fundies and the Rethugs just plain don't work.

[w13rd0]

10. Sarah Palin...

...believes in abstinence only "sex ed" and home schooled her children. We can only come to one conclusion, that she is an EPIC failure, poor in judgment, and a liar. I feel for their children, but seriously, she home schools them, and believes in abstinence only...obviously, she has personal experience that abstinence only education does NOT work. Will she change her tune?

[connecticut yankee]

46. How could she home school them

if she was working?

Something got short-changed.

Obviously, it was the kids.

[bluestateguy]

11. Smart strategy

But we on the internet are not the press, and he didn't say anything about us.

[jimshoes]

25. Exactly my thoughts

Keep digging up evidence. No one else is going to.

[Trajan]

12. I am glad he is saying this: It is what he should be saying ....

But I would expect the two nets to take this and other similar issues up with much vigor ....

Supporters of Obama need not BE Obama .... We arent going to be President .....

Obama should not dive into the mud ... But the mud is there, and his supporters should feel no compunction about jumping into it and slinging some around ...... The GOP deserves it ...

[progressivebydesign]

13. Too bad that Bush/Rove don't have the same rules... GOP is funny that way.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/03/21/the_anatomy_of_a_smear_campaign/

I agree with Obama that children are off-limits, but these stories are discussed whether it's at the local market in Wasilla, or over the internet. Brilliant move on Obama's part. By forcing the media to back off of the family stories like this, it also prevents them from garnering sympathy for them.

There is OODLES of problems with that choice of VP. We don't need to utter a word about that family. Usually that's the milieu of the republicans because they have nothing else.

We have plenty.

Looks like the threads about it are starting to sink to the botttom, where they belong.

[BearSquirrel2]

37. It's a topic for the Enquirer or Larry Flynt to flush out ...

No, the Obama campaign should not get involved. And Obama rightfully should say that Bristol is off limits and the election IS about issues. At the same time, something is fishy about all of this and it's really too juicy for the press the press to ignore. So I expect to see some investigation on the matter and printed timelines. If something does get tripped up that Sarah Palin DID fake her pregnancy, it will show up in MSM. Again ... it's too trashy for the media to NOT cover.

[Plaid Adder]

14. Well, he has to say that.

The fact is nothing is off limits now, for him or for anyone else. I personally would prefer for people to lay off Bristol's pregnancy; sure, you can blame it on her mother's fundiehood, but the fact is you can't necessarily hold parents responsible for everything their kids do, especially once they're teenagers. Plus think of how much life must suck right now for Bristol. In fact it probably sucked pretty bad before all this even happened. And once she marries the father and the baby's born and they find out what they're in for, it's almost certain to suck worse!

However, there is one thing that I do feel good about, and it is this: the amount of stuff that's come out since the Palin pick (and I speak now of legitimate issues, not the "OMG Trig is really her baby" story) indicates that the McCain team's "vetting" process is so scanty as to be functionally nonexistent. What else can we look forward to them dropping the ball on?

The Plaid Adder

[rdublue]

20. Can we talk about her not knowing

the pledge of Allegiance wasn't written by the Founding Fathers?

[annabanana]

23. WE can talk about everything! We don't want Obama doing this

stuff. I, for one, am delighted that the McC campaign had to come out and talk about the unwed preggers kid of the Big Fundy momma.. We put them on the defensive for once..

[BearSquirrel2]

38. SHHHHH ...

Don't you know that's a secret and we've been keeping it from the fundagelicals for laughs !!!! At least, that's the way they act.

[Joey Liberal]

18. Show no mercy. McCain picked her. Too bad. nt

[nels25]

70. God help you if ever need mercy

[Joey Liberal]

71. I wont go begging to a republican OR you. nt

[impresently]

22. Integrity...

He could easily jump on this, and most politicians (democrats included) would, but he has the integrity to state that this really is a non-issue, is peronal, is none of our business, and should be left alone. Some days Obama can piss me off a little, like on the FISA bill. And then there our days that my faith in him is restored, like today.

[northernlights]

24. Good on Obama!

Nice win/win!

Asks press to stop talking about families, thereby drawing classy attention and getting positive press on the taboo subject!

And we are not the press. We can spread it far and wide, until the next juicy tidbit arises!

Seriously, given what we already know about her track record, how long will it be before this story is replaced by an even better example of Palin's incompetence and McCain's stupidity in choosing her?!?!

If she's not toast yet, she will be by week's end. Meantime, please pass the :popcorn:

[JerseygirlCT]

26. Good for him. nt

[daleo]

29. Smart move by Obama

He is taking the high ground. The story won't go away, so he can afford to do this, getting the best of both worlds. I suspect the story will get even weirder.

[Paladin]

30. Perfectly Proper Approach By Obama

His "back off" instructions are exactly what he ought to be issuing.

Meanwhile, the rest of us need to continue to nail Palin for this, 24/7. Have your right-wing "friends" been inundating you with "Obama Is A Muslim" emails over the last few weeks? Throw the Palin soap opera back at them---over and over again. Contrast the sort of family values exhibited by Obama and Biden---compared to those of McCain and Palin. I intend on doing this, effective immediately. It's going to feel good.....

[0rganism]

31. This is perfect strategy on his part, and if we're lucky, it'll tie the press in knots

Obama comes off as a classy, considerate guy who places family privacy above attack politics. Nice move.

The press gets to contemplate their activities. If there's anything the press corps likes to talk about as much as celebrity sex scandals, it's themselves, so if they get all pretzeled up over whether they should report on this or that, they'll be giving secondary coverage to Palin's scandalous family situation by proxy. They'll do some incidental Palin-smearing, Obama's hands are clean, best possible outcome.

In addition to many other fine qualities, Obama is a SMART POLITICIAN, and we sure could use some of that in the white house.

[creeksneakers2]

32. I'm glad to oblige, after this

McCain tried to blame Obama and this whole thing looked like it could backfire big but there's a ton of news out there today and they'll have a tough time getting to the stuff about bloggers, at least outside of the right wing net and media. It will probably end up hurting the GOP because it drives them off message on a big day.

We never made this about her family. It was about whether or not Sarah had a baby. Her daughter was just a piece in the puzzle. If Sarah really wanted to protect her daughter, she could have ended all the speculation about her baby months ago by producing a birth certificate. They are the ones who made the announcement about the daughter.

]Why not share the birth certificate?

"What a thing to request -- prove that this is your baby," McAllister said. "I mean, my god, that's horrifying to think that she would have to do that."

I said one reason is to put it to rest.

"In my mind, there's nothing to put to rest," he said.

http://community.adn.com/node/130178

[and-justice-for-all]

33. Good on Obama...

I also think Children are off limits. However, this is a hypocrisy and people should be made aware of it.

Repigs need to practice what they preach, but they never do.

[ckramer]

34. Looks like Obama take my vote for granted

Why doesn't he just shut up and grab a front row chair?

[JeanGrey]

51. Because he has CLASS, Integrity, Ethics. Little things like that.

We might try it.

[krabigirl]

35. Good strategy by Obama.

[fascisthunter]

36. whatever...

[Political Heretic]

40. He's absolutely right. DU supports Obama but then embraces "Old politics" at every turn.

Think about that.

[tama]

52. DU

has become disgusting with the surge of old politics of mindless partisanship and knee-jerk reactions of worst kind of group thinking. It's hard to see any hope for America in this kind of environment.

[bamacrat]

41. I understand that it is the good classy thing to do but when it isnt reciprocated and hurts you...

is it worth it? While the mean sleazy personal attacks are a scumbag thing to do should we stop praising their effort and the fact she is a woman and he is a "hero"?

[rainman99]

42. Can we spell 'no'?

This is what they'll be doing to us and we have to fight to win. I'm not having another 2004.

[Political Heretic]

60. Ah, so you're happy to play the old politics that Obama is supposed to change?

?

[onehandle]

43. Lay off the fact that Palin's bad parenting and bad judgement resulted in teen pregnancy?

Yeah. It's about the mom, not the child. Palin is a joke.

[HughMoran]

44. Excellent move!! He looks good and when you tell the press to do one thing...

(unless your Bushco), they will do the exact opposite.

Great for Obama to wash his hands of this.

[barbtries]

47. a misleading headline

back off on the family - surely he didn't suggest that her lack of experience, ethics and intelligence should be off limits?!

whew. i was almost really pissed.

[BreweryYardRat]

48. That's damn decent of him. (Smart, too.)

Barring orders from the oligarchs at the top, the corporate-owned media will rip Palin to shreds, because that'll bring BIG ratings.

The only thing we should do now is point out Ms. Perky Fundy Mom's hypocrisy. Do not, under any circumstances, verbally attack the kid.

[JeanGrey]

49. Wow. Our next President has Class. Which is more than I can

say for a lot of people in here.

(I knew I loved this guy)

[asteroid2003QQ47]

58. You are a ray of sunshine in a very dark sky, JeanGrey. n/t

[JeanGrey]

68. Why thank you!

:blush::blush:

[npk]

50. We all know the republicans wont do the same

They have no honor and will stoop to any low necessary to try and secure a victory come November.

[Strelnikov_]

53. "If The Enemy Is Destroying Themselves, Don't Get In The Way" n/t

[EFerrari]

57. "Choose your enemies wisely, you will become them."

[rayofreason]

54. Folks on the other Palin threads...

...should read this one.

They might learn something.

[fujiyama]

56. Since the convention

I am even more impressed with Obama at every turn. This guy is just awesome. Cool. Classy. And has exactly the kind of judgment needed for the top job. His pick of Biden showed the kind of seriousness we haven't seen in politics in a while. It was the best pick since Bill Clinton's pick of Al Gore. The team is great. We NEED this guy in the top office! And Biden by his side.

[HopeHoops]

61. I agree - WHAT a refreshing CHANGE!

Obama is right about Palin's family, at least with respect to the children. As far as her husband is concerned, I think the BP connection is legitimate news.

The GOP has been attacking the children of Democrats since at least Amy Carter (the extent of my political memory). It is refreshing for a candidate to reject this and it also helps by keeping the focus on the problems with Palin herself!

[pokercat999]

62. Of course, what ever you do "PLEASE DON'T THROW ME IN

THAT BRIAR BUSH", said the rabbit.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

63. Good for him. He has to take the higher road - or at least disassociate himself

from the media frenzy and personal attacks on a person - and especially PARTY- that deserves every bit of what they are getting.

[SmokingJacket]

64. If the situation were reversed, the GOPers would just say No Comment

That's what they always do when confronted with the lies that are spread about Dems.

I'm so proud to have Obama to support. The guy's a through and through gentleman.

[slackmaster]

66. K&R

That's leadership.

:kick:

[fjc]

67. Funniest line so far about this!

"This is a moral line of decency that must not be crossed by Democrats, Republicans or human beings," he said".

Mark Swiger of Jonesboro, Georgia

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/02/palin.daughter.irpt/index.html

[kwolf68]

69. Obama HAS to say this

Obama has to get out in front of the propaganda machine. If he were to stay silent, the media and the right would essentially roll up a big wad of non-sense that would eventually have everyone in America believing everything being said about Palin is coming directly from Obama.

He needs to get out there now and say this to effectively nip it in the bud. It's a brilliant political move and only the most obscene (Hannity, Rush, etc) would dare to make the "Obama is trashing their family" play, at lets face it, the only people they will influence are already under the influence.