Bracelet Wars - Jake Tapper ABC saying Obama asked not to wear bracelet by family

[RamboLiberal]

It was meant as a sign of respect, but now conservatives are saying Sen. Barack Obama's invocation of his "hero bracelet" bearing the name of a fallen soldier is being done against the family's wishes.

Is it true? What's the reality here?

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But a month later, Ryan's father Brian -- who is no longer married to Tracy -- told Wisconsin Public Radio that his ex-wife had misgivings about Obama wearing the bracelet and mentioning their son on the campaign trail. It seems as though just as Tracy Jopek supports Obama and wants to end the war, Brian Jopek has a different take on what should happen in Iraq and may be more inclined to support McCain.

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After pointing out that he and Tracy are not married anymore, Brian says that "from what I understood from email exchanges with Tracy….she wanted to put a name, she wanted Sen. Obama to know Ryan's name...She wasn't looking to turn it into a big media event...She just wanted it to be something between Barack Obama and herself."

Bryan Jopek went on to say that "because of some of the negative feedback she’s gotten on the Internet, you know Internet blogs, you know people accusing her of… or accusing Obama of trying to get votes doing it… and that sort of thing, she has turned down any subsequent interviews with the media because she just didn’t, she just didn't want it to get turned into something that it wasn’t. She had told me that in an email that she had asked, actually asked Mr. Obama to not wear the bracelet anymore at any of his public appearances."

Conservatives are now criticizing Obama for exploiting a fallen soldier whose mother has asked him to stop wearing the bracelet or mentioning her son's name. I'm not sure what the reality is behind this story -- I have a call into the Obama campaign and Tracy Jopek to find out more about this story, and will let you know what they say.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/bracelet-wars.html

Wingnut bastards sure try to turn everything around - and I would bet they are doing their best to hound the mother into not backing Obama wearing her son's bracelet.

[Kdillard]

1. duplicate post.

[Kdillard]

2. Those people have no conscience.

[tularetom]

3. Obama doesn't have enough arms for all the bracelets he will be offered

by families of dead soldiers as a result of this story.

[texasleo]

11. Yup

[alphafemale]

14. Really. Everytime I think rw nuts can't possibly be anymore despicable an low...

they surprise me again with the depth they eagerly go to.

Don't they realize this is going to blow up in their face?

[progressivebydesign]

4. I'm just in shock that assholes on the internet would harrass the mother of a fallen soldier.

That must have been awful for the Mother. She is not a public figure.. those people have no right to attack her for doing something like that in honor of her son.

I fucking hate the republicans. They don't care who they hurt.. just as long as they win.

[babylonsister]

5. Is ABC now getting their talking points from newsbusters?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3515839

[GrizzlyMan]

9. I've suspected Tapper leans right for awhile n/t

[RamboLiberal]

10. We all know the wingnuts have their way of getting MSM to bite

on these stories and turn them in to talking points.

[patrice]

6. I don't recall him saying that he was wearing the bracelet, but that it was given to him.

[Mad_Dem_X]

34. True - he said, "I have a bracelet, too, John."

I was only listening (not watching) at that point, so I don't know if he showed the bracelet?

[patrice]

7. And oh yea, how about the father trying to make political hay for Crash off of his own son's death?

[DainBramaged]

8. McCain didn't wear his flag pin, Obama did

fuck them

[AspenRose]

12. Hey, McCain started this bracelet crap

Why isn't anyone jumping down HIS throat for capitalizing on this like he's been doing for THE ENTIRE CAMPAIGN?

This was the only time that I can recall Obama even bringing it up.

Oh, yeah: IOKIYAR.

Jerks.

:banghead:

[Left Is Write]

26. Exactly. Why is it "exploitation" for Obama but not "exploitation" for McCain?

[TwilightGardener]

13. It's all good--Tapper updated, the mother was "ecstatic" that Obama

brought up her son at the debate. 'Nuff said.

[Virginia Dare]

16. What changed her mind, or was Tapper full of shit in the first place?...n/t

[TwilightGardener]

17. Tapper didn't notice that the mother in question had already given interviews

yesterday giving her approval to what Obama said in the debate. He only ran with what the swiftboaters were feeding him, and apparently the father of this dead soldier wanted to score some political points for McLoon.

[AspenRose]

19. May this be a lesson to him, then

Irresponsible a**hole x(

[Fluffdaddy]

21. Link please

[TwilightGardener]

24. It's the OP's link--scroll to the bottom.

[Fluffdaddy]

28. Thank You

[RamboLiberal]

31. Tapper updated the story after I had OP'ed

Adding the AP story with the response from mother that she was estatic Obama mentioned her son.

[Virginia Dare]

33. I'm glad we were able to shine a light on his assholery before he did that...n/t

[Cha]

22. Good on those very important UPDATES that

are 180 degrees opposite of said repukes' LIES.

[lamp_shade]

15. He doesn't wear it !!!

[ourbluenation]

18. The deceased soldiers parents are divorced. Mom, who gave Obama the bracelet is an Obama supporter

Dad is a McCain supporter. That goofballgasbag Jonah whatshisname at The Corner has called for Obama to take the bracelet off, saying that "the family" doesn't want him wearing it. "The Family" didn't give it to Obama, the mom did. Everything Obama said in the debate about Sgt Jopek's mom was 100% true.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/16/AR2008021601951.html

Feb 16, 2008...

"...She gave me this wristband, which I'm very grateful for," Obama told the Green Bay audience, halting and lowering his voice from his normally upbeat presentation. "I meet mothers and family members all over the country who are still mourning their children but are also thinking about the young men and women who are still over there and wondering when it will end."

Obama has not made a point of showing it to reporters or others on the campaign trail. A campaign staffer described it as black metal band with silver lettering.

Mrs. Jopek said she and her daughter briefly met the Illinois senator at the rally and showed him a picture of a smiling Ryan dressed for battle. She said the senator hugged her and her daughter, asked a couple questions about Ryan and told her how much he appreciated the bracelet.

"I wanted him to know my son's name for one thing, for when he's commander in chief," Mrs. Jopek said during a telephone interview in which she frequently grew emotional. She said she was somewhat uncomfortable getting so publicly involved in the war debate, but felt the issue was too important for her to remain silent during this campaign.

She said she's a Democrat who will vote for Obama in Wisconsin's primary Tuesday. Like Obama, she said she was against the war from the start and had a hard time watching her son go to war.

"My son loved this country very much, I love this country, but I don't feel that staying in Iraq will vindicate my son's death," she said. "And it's not over for us until this war is over. I just don't want any more soldiers to die in vain for something that we can't solve."

[Hope And Change]

20. Here`s a update....

Conservatives are now criticizing Obama for exploiting a fallen soldier whose mother has asked him to stop wearing the bracelet or mentioning her son's name.

I wasn't able to get through to Tracy Jopek, but http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-obama-bracelet,0,6413408.story">she spoke to a reporter at the Associated Press today. She confirmed her ex-husband's recollection that she'd emailed the campaign to ask them to request that the senator not mention her son on the stump.

But she said she was "ecstatic" that Obama mentioned her son's hero bracelet during Friday's debate. That's because he was responding to McCain citing a different griveing mother's hero bracelet as a way to back his political views of the war in Iraq and citing the bracelet she'd given Obama was a good and appropriate way to remind people there are different views on this issue.

-- jpt

* This post was updated with the AP report on Tracy Jopek.

-- jpt

[Fluffdaddy]

27. Thank you. I have a wingnut co-worker that was freaking out about this.

This will shut his ass up.

[LiberalFighter]

23. How many wouldn't offer their child's or spouse's bracelet to McCain?

[hlthe2b]

25. The mother has already dubunked this to AP: see link below

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7234504

[Median Democrat]

29. Nice Link! I Guess The GOP Is Just So Use To McCain Exploiting War Dead

That the idea that a parent of a deceased soldier might not be crazy for the war is difficult to accept.

[RamboLiberal]

30. Tapper has updated the story since I originally posted it

I wasn't able to get through to Tracy Jopek, but she spoke to a reporter at the Associated Press today. She confirmed her ex-husband's recollection that she'd emailed the campaign to ask them to request that the senator not mention her son on the stump.

But she said she was "ecstatic" that Obama mentioned her son's hero bracelet during Friday's debate. That's because he was responding to McCain citing a different griveing mother's hero bracelet as a way to back his political views of the war in Iraq and citing the bracelet she'd given Obama was a good and appropriate way to remind people there are different views on this issue.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/bracelet-wars.html

Soldier's mother ``ecstatic'' about Obama's bracelet
By DINESH RAMDE | Associated Press Writer
4:28 PM CDT, September 28, 2008
MILWAUKEE - The mother of a Wisconsin soldier who died in Iraq says she was "ecstatic" during Friday's debate when Senator Barack Obama mentioned the bracelet she gave him in honor of her son.

Tracy Jopek of Merrill told The Associated Press on Sunday she was honored that he remembered Sgt. Ryan David Jopek, who was killed in 2006 by a roadside bomb.

She criticized Internet reports that suggested Obama exploited her son for political purposes.

She acknowledges e-mailing the campaign in February asking that Obama not mention her son in speeches or debates. But she says Obama's mention on Friday was appropriate because he was responding after Senator John McCain said a soldier's mother gave him a bracelet.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-obama-bracelet,0,6413408.story

[HughMoran]

32. Good stuff

Nice when the story has to be changed to reflect reality :D

[No Elephants]

35. The mom gave him the bracelet and she is thrilled with Obama's mention. That is her right. The Dad

does not own his son's name. Bad enough Republicans try to claim the deed to God, religion, family values, morals, etc. The Dad needs to sit down and shut up.