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Bristol Palin letter to Obama on Rush/Maher/Fluke
Mr. President, When Should I Expect Your Call?
Dear President Obama,
?One of the things I want them to do as they get older is engage in issues they care about, even ones I may not agree with them on,? you said. ?I want them to be able to speak their mind in a civil and thoughtful way. And I don?t want them attacked or called horrible names because they?re being good citizens.?
And I totally agree your kids should be able to speak their minds and engage the culture. I look forward to seeing what good things Malia and Sasha end up doing with their lives.
But here?s why I?m a little surprised my phone hasn?t rung. Your $1,000,000 donor Bill Maher has said reprehensible things about my family. He?s made fun of my brother because of his Down?s Syndrome. He?s said I was ?f?-d so hard a baby fell out.? (In a classy move, he did this while his producers put up the cover of my book, which tells about the forgiveness and redemption I?ve found in God after my past ? very public ? mistakes.)
If Maher talked about Malia and Sasha that way, you?d return his dirty money and the Secret Service would probably have to restrain you. After all, I?ve always felt you understood my plight more than most because your mom was a teenager. That?s why you stood up for me when you were campaigning against Sen. McCain and my mom ? you said vicious attacks on me should be off limits.
Yet I wonder if the Presidency has changed you. Now that you?re in office, it seems you?re only willing to defend certain women. You?re only willing to take a moral stand when you know your liberal supporters will stand behind you.
But?
What if you did something radical and wildly unpopular with your base and took a stand against the denigration of all women? even if they?re just single moms? Even if they?re Republicans?
Re: Bristol Palin letter to Obama on Rush/Maher/Fluke
I actually agree with her sentiment. She almost ruined it for me with that snarky final paragraph, though. But she has a point.
I also don't understand the whole "return the money!" thing that people keep throwing around because, as I understand it, Obama has no control over the SuperPAC money, right?
He doesn't control that money, but if he said publicly he wanted them to return it, they certainly would do so.
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I don't think she has to go after Rush to point out that Obama's acting with a double standard here.
What exactly was "bratty" about this letter that "makes her hard to defend against sexism?" Am I reading that right that you're saying she's asking to be treated in a sexist way when she writes stuff like this? I hope not.
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I like this letter. Except this line-- that's the part that strikes me as bratty: You?re going to need every dime to hang on to your presidency.
This question may be flameworthy, though: do you think Obama knew about the Maher thing when it happened? The BC stuff was a front-and-center national issue at the moment, which *might* be why Obama heard about it. Was the c'nt episode part of something at the forefront as well?
eta: the more I think about it, thought, I'm not sure... how old was Bristol? Was she a minor? He couldn't very well call her (literally) if she was. Also, it was Fluke herself who was called, not Fluke's daughter. A more apt comparison would be Obama calling Palin herself to say he was sorry that happened.
It is absolutely within the law to coordinate by making public statements--You just can't coordinate behind the scenes.
This atlantic article explains it in the context of your Newt Gingrich example: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/01/did-newt-gingrich-just-coordinate-his-super-pac/47414/
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Um, the FLuke thing happened when? Almost a month ago.
Bill Maher called her whatever when? Last summer, right?
Do you think this could have anything to do with her reality show starting this week?
This family is a bunch of fame whores. Whatever it takes to get themselves out there, they'll do. This is false outrage-- although she should be outraged. we all should when women are treated like this-- and small minded politics.
And for anyone in the "real" political realm to help her wave her banner, it's just a red herring.
Theyre like the Duggars. Only the Duggars still have a crapload of kids. The Palins aren't relevant these days.
Because Obama called Fluke after she defended his rule to Congress he should defend Bristol because.....? She didn't win Dancing with the Stars...?
Wrong is wrong is wrong, but what the hell is this letter supposed to do?
Oh right, call attention to herself. Again.
Good God, this to infinity. What exactly is she after here? I suspect it's a word that starts with a, but it's not an apology.
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As she herself points out, Obama publicly decried the attacks on the Palins, and particularly Bristol. Fluke put herself out there and was subsequently attacked for defending ObamaCare...it actually seems pretty reasonable that she'd get a more personal outreach than Palin would.
What an absolutely pathetic cry for attention. When people started being snide about Bristol during her pregnancy, he told people in no uncertain terms that children were out of bounds and as the child of a single mother he didn't appreciate that crap.
Has she ever sat down to write a letter thanking him for that? No, thought not.
But he should get busy right away, looking for her phone number to apologize for something Maher said. And every other woman in the world who is insulted, ever? And then she can criticize him for wasting his time as President.
The difference with Fluke is she was taking a stand and leaving her privacy behind to testify in favor of a position he espoused, and was viciously attacked for it. I can see why he felt he owed her one.
Bristol certainly knows better than to think it's the President's job to call everyone Maher insults and she certainly SHOULD know better than to think that Obama could return Maher's money when it was donated to a separate SUPERPAC.
Soontobe - this last part about the kids being off limits was what I was coming in here to say. Obama made it clear during the campaign that he would not participate in dogging out Bristol and her pregnancy. Does she want a call now on this or did she forget about this altogether?
Please scroll up. You are incorrect, and I've explained why above.
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This is pretty much the exact point that I would make too. Fluke put herself out there, in a professional manner to stand up for her rights to a government panel. She wasn't publicly making an a** out of herself, or being an AW, she was doing what she felt necessary for a legitimate cause.
I love Bill Maher, and don't agree with some comments he makes, but he's a comedian, and he has his own show on HBO, so people pay for those premium channels to watch him or not. Unfortunately in the real world comedians and regular people are going to make fun of you and probably make some harsh comments when you put your business out there.
Should comments like this be made about children period? No, doesn't matter whether they are a politician's kid or your next door neighbor's kid. But both of these women are grown adults and it's pretty much comparing Apples to Oranges.
The President can't make a call to every person, man or woman, who gets offended by someone's comments, but Fluke's situation and testimony was pertinent to a huge political issue in our country. I'm sure Bristol is just trying to scrounge publicity!
Willow called someone a f*ggot. Bristol just called everyone fat.
http://tmz.vo.llnwd.net/o28/newsdesk/tmz_documents/1116_palin.pdf
Updated September 2012.