Obama: 'Back Off, Families Are Off Limits'. He Mentions His Own Mother Pregnant At 18

[KittyWampus]

Obama: 'Back Off'

Politico's Carrie Budoff Brown reports: At a press avail in Monroe, Mich., Barack Obama on Palin: "Back off these kinds of stories."

"I have said before and I will repeat again: People's families are off limits," Obama said. "And people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as a governor and/or her potential performance as a vice president. So I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories. You know my mother had me when she was 18 and how a family deals with issues and teenage children, that shouldn’t be a topic of our politics."

He also vows to fire any campaign staffer that stokes this story, and obviously isn't happy with the implication his campaign had anything to do with the story:

"I am offended by that statement. There is no evidence at all that any of this involved us," he said. "Our people were not involved in any way in this, and they will not be. And if I thought there was somebody in my campaign who was involved in something like that, they would be fired."

Now, let Obama never speak of this again. But how does the media get off charging that Obama had anything to do with this story? There is no evidence to support it. In fact, The Fix reports that Obama has taken great strides to stay away from it:

Some Republicans have already insisted that the Obama campaign is behind the rumor-mongering about Sarah, Bristol and Trig -- although in our experience the campaign has not pushed the story AT ALL, in fact they have been encouraging reporters to focus on the issues of difference between the two candidates rather than personal stories.

[psychopomp]

1. Link?

[BeyondGeography]

2. He doesn't have to fan the flames, that will happen naturally

Meantime, he can play nice and siphon off more votes from Gramps.

[Lucinda]

11. Play nice? You dont think he means what he says?

Interesting.

[Crooked Moon]

3. good thing he doesn't post here.

he'd be accused of being a mccain and palin apologist, perhaps a closet freeper, be put on ignore by the chattering classes and threatened with juvenile pizza references.

[JohnnyLib2]

10. So true !

[IndianaGreen]

4. The federal government did not decide for Obama's mother whether to carry pregnancy

That's why we won't back off, because people like Sarah Palin want to ban abortions, even in cases of rape and incest.

[BlooInBloo]

5. Did his mother preach religious extremism and abstinence only education?

Just checking.

[KittyWampus]

8. You realize you're essentially asking the Democratic candidate that question? Just checking

[BlooInBloo]

9. Yes, and he's bright enough to recognize a rhetorical question when he sees one....

Would that everyone were so bright.

[Ishoutandscream2]

17. Obama's right to take the high ground. But you are absolutely correct

It's the hypocrisy.

[Beregond2]

6. And I'm very glad he made this statement.

He and his campaign SHOULD stay away from this kind of thing. Leave that to those of us with nothing to lose.

[NYC_SKP]

7. Recommended. Obama is right. There are more legitamate issues at hand.

And these's kinds of things (family, personal business) can backfire.

It's not like there aren't plenty of other faults to be found in Palin and McCain.

[mokawanis]

12. Obama has the right idea, but

I'm not a campaign official and I intend to use the story against Palin.

[DeschutesRiver]

13. I expect Obama to say this

and am proud that he is doing so. I expect no less from this man.

However, the issue isn't about teenagers who get pregnant. Nor is it about picking on people's kids.

It is about a vp candidate to an eldery 4 time cancer survivor, making her likely to actually BE president, who is comfortable lying. About her stated policies on abortion and family control vs. her actual views on it, at least for her privleged family. What she gave to Bristol in allowing BRISTOL to choose, either having or aborting the child (per the McCain camp), is something she plans to vigorously and fiercely fight to deny to every other american family.

Yes, this some esoteric argument if you support Obama, a thing very unlikely to happen or concern you much, if you are an Obama supporter and believe he will be our next president.

The nightmare scenerio is that this Palin person could not only be our VP but maybe our President. So if her family is a living example of why abstinence and this whole no-choice deal works, and further an example of the Bush doctrine of "do as we say, not as we do, and you betcha the rules we apply to you will not apply to us", there is no choice other than to continue to outline this issue. Am I supposed to feel bad because this candidate has given me the exact example of my argument for pro-choice? Should I be sweet and not mention it? Maybe it is the trial lawyer coming back out in me, but it is an issue that needs exploring.

If Ms. Palin didn't wish for her family to be used as a counter point example, might I suggest she withdraw from running? That is within her power to do.

[kestrel91316]

14. It isn't about the daughter. It isn't about the family. It IS about

Palin campaigning as "a mother of 5" and explicitly saying that that was one of her qualifications and that it showed what a great executive she is.

Her failure to fulfill the most basic of parental responsibilities, giving her girls the necessary tools to avoid unplanned pregnancy, speaks to her skill as an executive.

She can't have it both ways, touting her great family skills only until evidence comes out that those skills are lacking.

[cliffordu]

15. And yet, the "democrats" pushing the story continue the slime...

This is the payoff for all the screeching some folks on this board need to do about the pregnancy.


Disgusting.

What about the Dominionist Pentacostal stance??

What about the stevens 527??

IF you want to slime a 16 year old girl, fine. Your candidate has asked you not to.

[azmouse]

16. kick