I have to add my voice to those who want the attacks on the candidates' children to stop

[bigtree]

Knock it off, please. The children aren't responsible for these candidates. I hurt for the children and the families every time a poster here gleefully takes to their computer keyboard and tears into them with their ridicule and abusive insults. The attacks will achieve NOTHING of value for our candidates and may well backfire, as most unwarranted meanness usually does in the end.

To me, these posts about the family members are lounge material, at best. How about it?

[damntexdem]

1. Discussion of Bristol Palin is important and necessary.

Mom talks her 'family values' talk, slashes money for programs for pregnant teens, claims the plan was for the teens to be married all along (but the father is recorded as saying that he doesn't want children) and so on. The contrast with the reality of her family is just too great, must be discussed. The attack is not on Bristol, it is on the true miscreant: Sarah.

[bigtree]

5. It's been discussed

We know this family is dealing with these particular problems. I don't happen to think Palin is the best choice for VP, in view of the challenges she faces in her family (among other obvious partisan reasons). But, I think we should take special care and responsibility for the effect of these attacks which highlight the children. They are in no position to retreat from the public glare and they didn't put themselves there in the first place. You are perfectly capable of exercising comity and respect when referring to them and still make your point. I do think, however, that we've already highlighted the relevant points of her family situation. The rest, the minutia, really isn't any of our business.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

2. What attacks on kids?

I've seen lots of discussions about Bristol Palin's pregnancy, which is terribly relevant when a candidate extols "family values" and good old down home Christianity but has a kid screwing her brains out right under the parents' noses, but nothing about the other kids.

I don't think anyone has attacked the Palin family - although I might have missed those posts - but I have seen quite a number of posts appropriately calling out the Palin family hypocrisy.

If Sarah Palin is that hands-off and careless with her kids, how's she going to treat my country?

[bigtree]

8. I don't think her child's pregnancy is important at all, in that context

. . . except as a cynical wedge against Palin and McCain. From where I stand, that tactic belies any concern you express for the kids and sounds too much like the attacks the Right has made on children and families in urban settings who face similar challenges.

[REP]

10. Abstinence-only education failed in HER house; it will fail in yours, too

That's a pretty big deal.

[bigtree]

15. We don't legislate like that

There are plenty ways to fight the abstinence-only initiatives without dragging these candidates' children through the muck. It's a cheap and dirty shot to make these candidate's kids part of the debate.

[norepubsin08]

19. Haven't you noticed that

cheap and dirty shots have won the past two elections?

[REP]

26. Some guys feel better puffing out theirs chests and feeling righteous about something

I think we may be seeing an example.

[bigtree]

35. how arrogant

your argument is sincere and, conveniently, mine is vanity?

[REP]

36. It is arrogant of you to tell others to stop attacks that aren't happening

But I'm sure it makes you feel good.

And yes, I am quite sincere.

[bigtree]

37. you've reduced yourself to ridiculing me

inspiring

[REP]

22. I didn't drag her 17-year old unwed, pregnant daughter into the public square

WHO did that? Hmmmm. Was it .... SATAN? No. It was Sarah Palin and John "The Courage to Cheat on a Disabled Wife" McCain.

Your tantrum should be aimed at them.

[Athletic Grrl]

30. The disgruntled BF is 18.

He's fair game. Fair game who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was last night. He didn't even applaud when Palin hit the stage (at least when the camera cut to Bristol and him).

Bristol's pregnancy is an adult one and speaks to the failure of Sarah and Todd Palin to teach their kid abstinence-only "sex education," so in that context it certainly IS relevant. One condom and this isn't an issue.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

12. I disagree

It speaks to the essential character of the candidate - she's one who wants to make her choices, but would withhold that right from other women. That her child is the vehicle on which this clashing corruption of beliefs must travel is unfortunate, but it is also very, very telling.

They are having no trouble parading that poor infant all over the place when he should be home in his crib, and they are obviously delighted to show off the boy who knocked up their teenage daughter, so they're clearly putting their family in play, and shouldn't be surprised when people comment on them.

[Mind_your_head]

3. The Republican nominee for the President of the United States

stands on the tarmac and shakes the hand of the boy who *knock up* the daughter of his VP selection!

It doesn't get ANY more fetid than this!

Main Entry: fet·id
Pronunciation: \ˈfe-təd, especially British ˈfē-tid\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin foetidus, from foetēre to stink
Date: 15th century
: having a heavy offensive smell <a fetid swamp>

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fetid

------

If you don't understand this point, mebbe you are a NCLB kid.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. And please let's stop attacking these poor innocent strawmen.

Won't somebody please think of the strawchildren?

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Stop attacking my children.

How dare you, sir!

[REP]

9. Oh Puhleeeeze

1. I'm not a member of the HappyFluffyNiceyWiceyPrettyPony Party.

2. I haven't seen anyone attacking the children. I have seen appropriate attacks on hypocrisy, double standards, insensitive (at best) parenting and a plethora of other issues, but I haven't seen the children attacked.

[bigtree]

11. so you didn't see them and you think that means they don't exist

you have kids?

[REP]

14. Your argument is THAT weak?

Wow.

[bigtree]

16. I don't really need to argue it.

I've expressed my opinion pretty well.

[REP]

24. Not really

You were trying to us my children (or lack thereof) to make a point, depending upon how I had answered your bait question.

[seemslikeadream]

13. Sarah brought this upon her family IT IS HER FAULT SHE IS TO BLAME

and it is up to her to apolozie to her family for doing this to them

[bigtree]

18. that's just a cop-out

you are responsible for your own behavior.

[seemslikeadream]

23. This woman wants ARMAGEDDON

She believes in it and that it will happen. This is extremely dangerous and I will do anything to make sure she does not become a heart beat away from the presidency

[seemslikeadream]

25. It is not my behavior that got Bristol pregnant

[REP]

31. Nor your 'education' policy that denied her information and/or contraceptives

That would be mommy's doing.

[REP]

34. Nor your 'education' policy that denied her information and/or contraceptives

That would be mommy's doing.

[MarkInCA]

17. Wouldn't you say she is bringing her family into it

For instance, I find it odd that one of her daughters is listed as a contributor to the "Capital CIty Republican Women" at the age of 5 years old.

https://webapp.state.ak.us/apoc/contributions.jsp?name=PIPER+PALIN&pagesize=20

[bigtree]

21. does listing that open the child up to anything?

At what point do we take responsibility for our own behavior?

[Wednesdays]

27. Show me the attacks on the daughter, please.

Other than ones posted by obvious trolls, that is.

[uppityperson]

43. I would like to see what bigtree is talking about also. Aside from obvious trolls.

[seemslikeadream]

33. The link doesn't work and welcome to DU

:hi:

[Wednesdays]

20. No one's attacking Bristol

If someone said, "Bristol's a slut" then yeah, that would be an attack on the kid. But I've hardly seen anything like that.

Rather, the Hockey Mom began this dialogue with her press conference, in which she announced to the world her daughter's pregnancy. And then expects no one to talk about it? :eyes:

What does that say to people about Palin?

[bigtree]

28. I think she announced because she saw the shitstorm coming

and tried to manage it, like any mother would.

If you're not using her children as a wedge against their parents, then how about leaving them out of the debate? If Palin drags them in, it's still wrong. That doesn't make it open-season on them, though.

[Wednesdays]

38. She still made the decision to put the news out there herself

She could have right then say there are rumors about her family, and that it is wrong to dig up dirt about them. At that point, she could have taken the high road. But no--she trotted out the whole story, making her daughter nothing more than political chattel.

It's the hypocricy, not the pregnancy...and you're just swallowing that RW talking point, hook and sinker.

Anyway, we are going to go on discussing this whether you like it or not. If you don't like it, find yourself another forum to rant on. Because every time you post your nonsense, I'm going to start another thread about the pregnancy--and its hypocrisy. The most you can do about it is put me on ignore.

[seemslikeadream]

41. She uses her Downs baby as a prop

[bigtree]

32. dupe

[seemslikeadream]

29. When she advocates absence

her daughter gets pregnant it a blessing

when a unwed black teen gets pregnant it's immoral


Palin vomits on the poor and we're supposed to be kind, fuck that

[Matariki]

39. "I hurt for the children"

that's all kinds of silly.

[seemslikeadream]

40. How about the hurt for these children?

How many have died in Iraq at the hand of the United States in our name?

[bigtree]

42. what a bullshit argument

you can defend against the occupation and militarism without dragging the candidates' children into the debate.

I'm sure, though, you'll think of some other asinine reason why these children should be the subject of our scorn and politics.