Baby used as a prop

[LuckyTheDog]

Seriously. What kind of person drags a 4-month-old baby into a scene like that -- just to use the kid as a prop?

Was anybody else bothered by that? It was disturbing.

[mscuedawg]

1. There are countless things about this woman that

seriously disturbs me...where to begin???

[ronnykmarshall]

2. It was horrible

They passed that poor little boy to Cindy and then all around. I'm sorry, but that little boy should not be there.

[LSparkle]

3. I kept wondering about the loud music and crowd noise ..

And the fact the baby was passed from her daughter to
CINDY (WTF?) during the pre-speech coverage just made
me SICK.

[greguganus]

4. Oh come off of it.

Complaints she won't be spending enough time with her kids.
Complaints now because she had her children with her.
There are way more substantial things to bring up than her family.

[LSparkle]

9. She used the baby as a PROP ... to bring "oohs" from the audience

when they saw first Cindy and then the father holding
him! For God's sake -- we've had EIGHT YEARS of that
RatBastard using OUR TROOPS as props and now a MOTHER
is going to use her child -- HER SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD
AT THAT -- as a prop?

I am SICK of any LIVING BEING being used as a prop
for political purposes! Use camera angles, tears of
an adult, other things but not FUCKING PEOPLE!

[complain jane]

10. Eh... it's pretty valid. Different things matter to different people

and I thought it was horrible to see that tiny new baby up there on that stage.

[LSparkle]

12. Delete -- dupe

[LuckyTheDog]

13. It's not a criticism of the baby, silly

One has to wonder about the judgement of somebody who would subject a baby to a scene like that. It was borderline child abuse.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

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

[complain jane]

32. Exactly. It's common sense.

[Frances]

5. She may have given birth 5 times, but she's not a mother

[greguganus]

8. More bullshit. Let's attack her record in Alaska, not her family. n/t

[LuckyTheDog]

17. Get off it

When she uses her status as a "hockey mom" as a credential, it is legitimate to ask how good she is at the job.

[blondeatlast]

31. She's a mother all right; she just isn't a "mom." nt

[mscuedawg]

6. There are countless things about this woman that

seriously disturbs me...where to begin???

[rl6214]

20. You already said that

Let's have a serrious discussion about what really disturbs. you about her.

[mscuedawg]

38. My bad...

I mustve hit the post button twice...it was kinda clogged in here last night...

[truthisfreedom]

7. I kept expecting someone to drop it, with it being handed around like a lap dog.

Someone who has never been responsible for a baby made that decision.

[rl6214]

22. Drop IT?

You aren't a parent are you?

[truthisfreedom]

26. I haven't paid any attention to what sex the baby is, if that's your question.

And no, I'm not a parent.

[greguganus]

11. I give up. Hiding this stupid thread. Idiots. n/t

[ronnykmarshall]

25. Poor thing ...

Can't win so you slink away.

Prick.

[greguganus]

37. ...

Fuck you.

[apocalypsehow]

14. Not really - politicians (including Obama with his daughters in Denver) have been doing it forever.

What really bothers me is the far-right tone & tenor of her beliefs - and what they bode for the country should the McCain/Palin ticket prevail in November.

[LuckyTheDog]

19. Obama's kids are not BABIES

That baby was not old enough to be out of the house that late.

[apocalypsehow]

24. Sez you. History more accurately reflects that such use of kids as props has been going on forever.

Especially in democratic (small "D") political contests.

[LuckyTheDog]

27. You don't get it

That was a FOUR MONTH OLD BABY in a room of SCREAMING people! It was on a whole other level.

[LuckyTheDog]

28. You don't get it

That was a FOUR MONTH OLD BABY in a room of SCREAMING people! It was on a whole other level.

[apocalypsehow]

30. Oh, I "get it" alright - you just don't know very must about the history of Democracy in general or

political campaigns in particular.

But that's okay: nothing a few trips to the local library couldn't cure. If you want a recommended Bibliography to aid you in educating yourself, don't hesitate to ask. :hi:

[LuckyTheDog]

33. Look up how to care for babies

You will see that I am right.

As for your snarky tone: Fuck off.

[apocalypsehow]

15. Not really - politicians (including Obama with his daughters in Denver) have been doing it forever.

What really bothers me is the far-right tone & tenor of her beliefs - and what they bode for the country should the McCain/Palin ticket prevail in November.

[rabbits4love]

16. kinda my first thought too n/t

[Metric System]

18. After that nasty speech when she was holding the baby on stage, all I could think about was how she

was practically using him as a shield. I mean, how DARE anyone say anything bad about a woman with a special needs baby. God, what she did was the equivalent of throwing a baseball at someone's head and then picking up a child knowing full well that no one in their right mind would hit back.

[gal]

23. The same as she is using Bristol as a prop.

[rebecca_herman]

29. It bothered me too

All that noise and had to be germs there too. Seemed cruel. Should have left him with a sitter imo.

[BklynChick]

34. I was too. That baby should be in bed.

[BPAW]

35. Yes, but...

This is not one of those things that would allow for an effective counterpunch.

All politicians use whatever they've got to prove that they are "one of us". Yes, it bothers me. No, I sure as hell wouldn't use my kids in a similar circumstance (at least until they turned 18). But they all do it, even Obama, and then claim their children are off limits. I find this unbelievably hypocritical, and wish they would all just stop it.

As far as I'm concerned, everything used by a candidate, including their children, is fair game. An opponent would be foolish to go after 'em, but they're in bounds once they're put on the playing field.

[Frances]

36. I don't think Obama or anyone in an official position

should touch this.

I'm the mother of two, grandmother of four, and I personally would never take a 4-month-old into an arena that crowded at that time of day. Too much risk of exposure to colds,etc. Too much noise and light stimulation.

I personally would not have subjected my pregnant teen daughter (whom I had given no sex ed except abstinence) to this spotlight.

But Obama's right not to make this a political issue.

But for those of you who say it's OK to put the baby and pregnant teen in the spotlight, what will you say if McCain's adopted dark-skinned daughter isn't at the convention tonight? What about his children, especially the daughter, from his first marriage?

Shouldn't all of McCain's children be present if all of Palin's were present?

[mamalone]

39. I have 2 kids with Down syndrome...

and when they were infants their immune systems were very very weak. I did bring them out places, of course- by that age they were getting several different types of therapies. But, I was extremely careful about where they went, and who they were in contact with. Never... and I do mean never, were they handed around from person to person, and the largest crowd they were ever in was a church service. I would occasionally let others hold them, but only after they had carefully washed their hands, and they always had a blanket between themselves and the baby. You might think I am over protective, but I wasn't all that unusual. If you have a kid with a health concern, you do what you need to do to keep them healthy.

Well, at least most of us do:(

[progressivebydesign]

40. Thank you, you speak from experience. And I agree with your take on it.

A baby that young even without a compromised immune system should really not be subjected to all of this. They hold him like a prop at all these events... and it gets weird. Someone here keeps talking about Obama's daughters and Edwards' kids, but the kids come out after the speeches, and are tucked away somewhere backstage until that time. They are not handled like a sack of potatoes at every single event.