Why does a mother bring her 4months old baby

[MissHoneychurch]

to a place like the convention? Isn't it way too loud for a baby? I think it was totally uncalled for and bad judgement on her side.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Toher, that baby is the same as her Chihuahua is to Paris Hilton...merely an accessory.

[MissHoneychurch]

4. Says a lot about her

as a mother. Thanks, but no thanks.

[Libby2]

2. I know it. She's a stupid ass.

[MissHoneychurch]

6. And dangerous

I am as scared of her as I was of * in 2000.

[grasswire]

3. some of us think it's child abuse

Late at night, ungodly noise, bright lights, being passed back and forth, and not even a little blanket to put over its head. I think it's cruel.

[MissHoneychurch]

5. Exactly

every reasonable woman would leave the baby at least backstage or even at home with a nanny or grandma. She doesn't care about her children, it is all about her and the pictures it produces.

[grasswire]

8. sure......bring the baby out at the beginning....

...and then send it back to some comfortable space with a sitter; she could even say so: "Little Trig is going offstage for a nap; say goodnight, everyone."

[KharmaTrain]

9. AllThe Kids Are Being Abused

There's Track whose MOS is being waved around (I've only heard Biden refer his son's deployment once), the there's the Bristol circus that is a living example of what life without Roe v. Wade is like...humiliating her daughter in front of the world (a trauma I'm sure that will have long-lasting effects) who appears to have other problems as well...symptoms of someone alienated by their parents and looking for acceptance and comfort in other places.

And then there's the baby...her abuse of that child outrages me no end. From the story of her flying all over creating while in labor to going back to work 3 days after giving birth to a special needs child (all children at that early age have many needs), and now dragging this child around like a prop.

I hope many women are watching this closely...as well as moderates and independents. They can see which party NOW (and has always) stood for true family values.

[JeffR]

10. Says it all!

:toast:

[KharmaTrain]

12. Thanks JeffR

Do I get an honorary DUzy? :rofl:

Cheers...

:toast:

[malaise]

19. LOL

:hi:

[KharmaTrain]

22. Well I Tried...LOL

I'm listening to Stephanie Miller...she's hillarious this morning

http://www.wcptam.com/about/

She's alread ripped on the new "Preachergate" mess.

BTW...we're getting remnants of Gustav here this morning...we could use the rain.

:hi:

[KharmaTrain]

23. Well I Tried...LOL

I'm listening to Stephanie Miller...she's hillarious this morning

http://www.wcptam.com/about/

She's alread ripped on the new "Preachergate" mess.

BTW...we're getting remnants of Gustav here this morning...we could use the rain.

:hi:

[lynnertic]

13. what is his MOS- that describes his specific job you know

I've only heard he was 'army' and 'about to deploy'.

[knitter4democracy]

18. I entirely agree.

I really do try not to judge other moms, as I know I'm no perfect mom myself by any stretch. Still, there's no way I'd have taken my babies to that thing. Especially not my daughter, who would get so overstimulated just from family get-togethers that she'd just shut down and pretend to sleep only to be up all night screaming and nursing.

The story that she put out about her labor shows her to be incompetent and dangerous. What she did to her daughter was horrifying and all to silence some bloggers (when she could've done that with just herself and not involved her daughter at all). The woman disgusts me.

[emmadoggy]

24. Ditto. To everything you said.

[KharmaTrain]

31. My Situation Is More Personal

I have an older sibling who is mentally handicapped. My mother spent the rest of her life caring for my sister and now I'm her guardian. I've grown up around people with many disabilities and work with the center my sister is affiliated with...and watching Palin's "parenting" skills with that baby make me sick. She's put her ambition ahead of the bests of interests of that child...in a very critical time of its life...and is now using this kid as a prop? That People magazine cover sickened me more as she's trying to get sympathy...I feel so bad for those children.

[knitter4democracy]

34. She's used him as a prop since she was in labor.

She had to fly back to Alaska to make sure he was born in the right state--putting his life at risk for a damn political stunt. It's too bad her kids seem so nice and are so cute--they really ended up with questionable parents.

When I see him, I just want to swoop in and take Trig and cuddle him and take care of him instead. Her older girls make me want to open up my home and be a host family for them, too. Why can't she ship them here to Battle Creek--it's not that much further than where they shipped Track off to (he was sent to Portage, MI, half an hour away, to finish his senior year with some "host" family).

[lapfog_1]

7. Like a money shot in a porn movie

the fundies had to SEE that baby... the one SAVED from the clutches of raving post birth abortionists. That had to see that Sarah made the right er, um choice by having this baby. Not that they are pro-choice... but Sarah made the right choice..er well, she really didn't HAVE a choice so she made the right DECISION... yeah, that's the ticket.

[leftofthedial]

11. they use their uteruses, fetuses, and offspring as props

it's sickening.

[Hubert Flottz]

14. They use "God" as a prop too

And "God" is pissed off just like we are I think..."God" disrupted their convention.

The republicans are Studio Patriots and Studio Christians. They might fool the fools but it looks like the rabid "religious" Reich wingers may not be fooling "God" I guess they think "God" is just another chump.

Stagecraft and Diebold are the only cards the rats have left to play.

[Connonym]

15. The father let it happen too

we can't just blame Sarah Palin for this. Mr. Nameless Palin didn't stop it either. Plenty of blame for both parents here, let's not single out just the mom.

[NNN0LHI]

21. Father looks pretty well kept to me

I suspect she has had him on a short leash since his drunk driving days.

Don

[knitter4democracy]

28. Oh, the guy who couldn't hack it being the SAHD?

She promised, during her run for governor, that her husband would stay home with the kids. Well, he didn't like it much, so he went back to work, and the kids were farmed out (son sent here to Portage, MI to finish his senior year, Bristol sent to live with Grandma in Wasilla, and we all know how well that went).

Yes, Todd should've put his foot down and not allowed their baby to be up that late in the bright lights and surrounded by all those disease carriers (sorry, but since he's at higher risk of infection, he shouldn't have been there). It doesn't sound like he's the guy who'll do it, though.

[Kitty Herder]

46. So true.

Fathers are responsible for their children, too.

[radfringe]

16. can you say photo op prop? n/t

[Karenina]

17. Sarah Palin = Das Vorwand.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

20. if she didnt bring the child she would be accused of ignoring the child

either way, there would be criticism of what to do with a small child

[cali]

26. nonsense. no one would criticize her for that.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

27. yes, they would

[Kitty Herder]

48. Not if they had any sense and could understand that child's greater risk for infection.

Of course, there are a lot of people who don't have any sense, so you may be right.

[knitter4democracy]

29. Not if she handled it right.

If she made a small joke about how it was past the kids' bedtime and they were asleep already, people would've thought nothing of it.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

30. agreed but had she just left kid w.nanny at home, without explaining

there would be criticism about it

[knitter4democracy]

33. I'm not so sure about that.

I don't think I'm alone in not really liking to see the children forced to sit there like props (I didn't like seeing Obama's kids up so late and surround by the crowds, honestly). She would have to say something, though, since having the kids there is the norm, and everyone would've respected her for it.

[Retrograde]

37. Obama's kids are 7 and 10 (i.e., not infants)

and with a parent. IIRC, they were back stage for Obama's acceptance speech, and only came out at the end, along with Michelle, Biden, and his family (watching Sasha chase balloons with one of the Biden grandkids close to her in age was precious). The speech was over by about 9 MDT, so it wasn't that late for their age.

They weren't sitting in the audience holding an infant.

[knitter4democracy]

56. That's true. It wasn't all that late, I guess.

Even so, I know my kids (ages 6 and 8) would've had a hard time sitting still and looking nice and smiling right, especially later at night when they're tired but too wound up to sleep.

[Obamanaut]

25. Mainstreaming at an early age. nt

[Sisaruus]

32. Let's find the substantive reasons to go after Palin and refrain from bad-mommy accusations.

The left's obsession with good mothering/bad mothering and working moms is going to bite us in the butt. Frankly, she would have been vilified by us for hiding the child/children. There's plenty of substantive reasons to go after Palin. Let's not give the right the public voice of equal opportunity for women since they don't deserve it.

[MissHoneychurch]

40. I don't care about her older children

they are old enough to say yes or no if they want to be there at the convention. The baby is my main point. I would never take a baby to such a noisy place.

[Sisaruus]

59. Babies go to noisy places all the time.

Traffic, airports, family high school football games, shopping malls... babies are actually quite adaptable. Find a valid reason to criticize her.

[Annces]

35. I heard 3 women commentators defending her on CNN

yesterday, all of them had children too. It seems many career women think it necessary to have children. They all had sympathy for Palin bringing her children there.

[seabeyond]

36. my first thought, baby should be in crib asleep at home. loud noise and bright lights

neither of my kids endured

i think it is one more example of a growing list where her self interest overrides protection and care of her children

where i get so mad when they lecture me on family value and promote and sell her as "real mom" when from what i see, she is anything but

[cynatnite]

38. Even my RW mother commented on it and thought it was bad judgment...

I think that really turned her off to the point that she might stay home. She has not been happy about the repuke nominee at all.

[flvegan]

39. Is she breastfeeding?

I guess she could have pumped some and left it and kiddo with Bristol, who seems to be the littlest's caretaker.

Or...maybe Bristol, who has been purported to be the real mom, is breastfeeding.

Dum dum dum...

[MissHoneychurch]

41. I have no idea

but she didn't breastfeed the baby while giving the speech .....

[knitter4democracy]

57. She says she is.

I have no idea what the truth is.

[undeterred]

42. I thought there should have been an adult assigned to

or hired to take care of the baby during the event or else it should have been in the hotel room with a sitter. As it was the poor baby was being transferred around every few minutes and I am surprised he wasn't screaming. It just didn't seem like it was the best situation for him.

[Karenina]

45. Oh, the EXPOSURE!!!

:puke:

[undeterred]

51. just my opinion

you can have yours, and I can have mine and we'll act like grown ups who respect each other, ok?

[Karenina]

53. Hä? I agree with you 100%.

NO ONE touched my infants unless they'd washed up to the ELBOWS! NO ONE touches my infant Patenkinder while I'm around without following the same procedure. (Got a baby boom going on this year. The circle of college kids I met when I arrived 15 years ago are breeding like bunnies!) If anyone (other than a parent) sniffles, Babykins and I retire to the next room. The parents laugh and explain old Tante K. away as being super empfindlich and overprotective. I get time, the parents get time and my Babykins don't get showered with the latest shit that's going around, at least while I'm there...

Witnessing the circus surrounding little Trig is almost more than I can bear.

[undeterred]

54. Sorry, I don't have children, just a microbiology degree!

I saw the little girl spitting on her hand and smoothing Trigs hair; later she was wiping his boogers. And along the way he was passed to at least 3 other people. Dad, Mom, Mrs. McCain. It was a germfest.

[onenote]

50. but that's the point -- the baby wasn't screaming

If it was, this might be worth talking about. But as it stands, I don't see how you can make any hay out of a baby sleeping, being held by its sisters, being petted and kissed by its littlest big sister, etc.

[aikoaiko]

43. Damned if she did, damned if she didn't.

Its really the hallmark of their 2008 primaries and campaign. If they kept the youngster at home people would be saying they "hid" the baby and are ashamed of it. If they brought them -- well you see -- they used him as a prop and should have been in bed.

They're just damned.

[bdamomma]

44. baby used as a prop perhaps.

[onenote]

47. yes, the baby was used as a prop. Every candidate's kid is used as a prop

If the baby had seemed upset, and crying, and they didn't do anything about it, then I think there would be an issue. But the baby wasn't doing those things and a lot of folks watching were probably going ooh and ahh over the attention being given the infant, particularly by the little Palin child.

This is thin ice territory imo. In my experience, a lot of parents are very sensitive to people second guessing their parenting decisions and throwing the label "child abuse" around will rankle a lot of folks who have taken their kids to places where maybe it wasn't the best place for them but they did so anyway. Working class families in places like OH, WVA, PA often have larger families and rely on younger siblings to watch/hold/care for the youngest ones. Pushing the abusive mom meme is a mistake imo. Those that feel that way will feel that way and those that don't aren't going to be convinced because Democratic surrogates or bloggers say so.

[spanone]

49. it's a great prop

[AngryAmish]

52. Because she is a bad mother

Look at her slutty daughter.

[Iris]

58. are you for real?

[AzDar]

55. I think she and her husband are full-on lunatics. Maybe even more dangerous than

Cheney....(Jeebus, I never thought I'd EVER type THOSE words!)