Political & Elections

Even if this remark (Romney is the worst Republican in the country) was taken out of context, this is interesting...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DAmqXp-lU4

I wouldn't characterize that reporter as "out of line" but maybe that's just me.

I was free associating Ann Romney affinity to grits and Santorum's extemporus comments. 

BTW, I really hated grits when I was young. Mom always made the stuff as concrete, tasted like concrete. It was only until DW made grits/cream of wheat,rice,/couscous with milk, egg, in a consistency of a thick soup, did I really enjoy the stuff. 

No, they can't decide. But they can vote on it (ceremonial). They've (Puerto Ricans) voted on it many times.

It depends on who "they" is. Puerto Ricans or Congress?

mmmm, watermelon.

Why can't it be summer? I want summer fruit! Grumble.

thin skinned, all of you.

I was born in the south, and I like grits, love catfish, and watermelon. 

Hey, I feel the same about Obama, romani.

Not so easy to get away with that answer without a great deal of grief when directed at him, though.

I really just get angry when I listen to him speak

Romani, I'm going to ask a serious question about this, but all I ask is that you think about it. I don't ask that you answer it here. (But if you want to, it goes without saying that you're free and welcome to do so.)

The phenomenon you're experiencing is common, and it happens among people of all political stripes. The recently released book "The Righteous Mind" does a very good job of explaining why this happens. I highly recommend it.

Every person, and every political philosophy, holds certain values to be 'sacred.' This does not imply religious belief, it simply implies core values that are considered inviolable. Usually, when we have the visceral reaction you're speaking of, it is because one or more of our sacred values is being violated. In other words, the negative visceral reaction is an emotional, intuitive response to sacrilege (again, not to imply religion, only to imply violation of sacralized values). There's a great video presentation on this topic, called "When Compassion Leads to Sacrilege," here: http://ccare.stanford.edu/content/jonathan-haidt-when-compassion-leads-sacrilege

I get the same feeling you do whenever I hear Obama's voice. His connotations of the words "fair" and "just" and "equal" are in direct violation of what I, and most conservatives, consider to be the true meanings - the sacred values - of those words.

So, here's my question: Which of your sacred values are being violated to cause this reaction in you? Can you name them? Can you do this succinctly?

winchester, I can listen to most Republicans. Santorum just gets under my skin.

Probably how he talks about women, directly and indirectly. Or public education. There's a number of things.

No offense, but I really don't care to learn what it is about him that I don't like. I just don't like him. I don't like what he says, how he says it, etc. It's not a debate I'd like to have... he just makes me angry. It happens :)

-- Edited by romanigypsyeyes on Friday 16th of March 2012 03:02:52 PM

I don't want you to get the impression that my BIL has a genetic defect or that he can't speak. He's more like altistic/manic/odd. 

"I didn't want to bring up the fact that having children in your 40s dramatically increases the chance of having a child with genetic abnormalities considering that their youngest child is dying of a genetic condition. It would sound too much like I was blaming the mother and I don't want to get flamed."

I don't think anyone should flame you. The truth is the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. You have kids when you're older, the risks go up, that's just the way it is. People make a choice.

"Looks like his dad was a clinical psychologist and mom was a nurse for the VA. It also looks like their housing was provided by the VA."

Honestly, I'm sick of hearing about his grandfather the coal miner. Give me a break! How about his parents being well paid professionals, and himself making millions of dollars out of congress? Don't hear him talking about that. Jeez, it's like me constantly bringing up that my grandfather was a farmer and a fisherman. Leaving out that my parents were engineers and my profession. Just catering and sucking up to the voters. Every time I look at Santorum, I think well, if he's the candidate, it's 100% certain that we have 4 more years of Obama. I sure wish this guy would just go away.

I didn't want to bring up the fact that having children in your 40s dramatically increases the chance of having a child with genetic abnormalities considering that their youngest child is dying of a genetic condition. It would sound too much like I was blaming the mother and I don't want to get flamed.

I have a lot of thoughts and opinions about mothers having children at that age, but as that's a debate I'd rather avoid, I'll shut up now.

lp, it takes some very special people to take in a child like that. Hugs to you and your family. I have a close family member with severe Smith-Magenis Syndrome and I have enormous respect for anyone who has raised a special needs child, especially when that child is not even your "own" (for lack of a better phrase after midnight). 

-- Edited by romanigypsyeyes on Tuesday 13th of March 2012 09:24:14 PM

Weren't Santorum's parents medical professionals of some sort? Did he really come from humble beginnings?

He is only doing what he knows best

It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.

Adam Smith

Read more:http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/adamsmith136391.html#ixzz1p0zEFxWa

Bus, 

Hope you Never, Ever, have a speaking engagement. 

Wine doesn't count for the 12 (?) hour rule?

I could only get speaking engagements if I crash an airplane or have what we call a "Sully" moment. Neither of which I'd like to do. Nor would I want to speak to the press at any time, as they mangle anything you try to say. I think the politicians in earlier times had it alot easier, now they have a camera in their face every moment, with someone just waiting for that opportunity for them to slip up or make a comment they can slice up to make them look bad.

And actually, about 1/3 of the flying I do is as a passenger, because my airline leaves airplanes all over the place and sends us there to pick them up. Thankfully it's almost always first class, because I fly so often with the same airline. I have found a method that works, wearing comfortable clothes, always earplugs, have an interesting book, project, movie or laptop. And most importantly, make sure and drink a sufficient amount of wine so it's takes the edge off of listening to that crying baby, or sniffing, yapping passenger next to you. You know when you have a toddler who bangs and kicks on the back of your seat the entire flight? With a glass of wine or two, I can pretend it's a back massage.

"but for politicians, they have a different lens about what they think is appropriate than most of us. That's why they are wiling to spend countless hours on buses, planes, eating crappy hotel food and living out of a suitcase - all in the nature of running for political office. It sounds like a horrific scene to me just getting there."

Hey, that sounds like my life. But I don't get those $50K a pop speaking tours afterwards. Nope, I don't understand wanting to be a politician either. Maybe a small time one where you can fix local problems, but all the scrutiny and face time on tv? Yuck. I heard part of that interview too, and he really downplayed his daughter's disease, made it sound far less serious than he had before.

"wow...some shocking posts...I guess by this logic, any 2 parent family that both work are doing wrong."

Since that's obviously not what any single person said on this thread, I guess you're using faulty logic.

I heard Santorum on an interview the other day.  He said Bella's condition isn't terminal - sometimes she gets an illness that becomes much more serious than for other children.  A cold can turn into pneumonia, and it did.  

I agree that we all should be there for our children.  I gave up a whole decade of earning power and retirement so that my kids could have me there.  My husband did miss out a lot on stuff.  My husband would have made a great legislator. There was a time I thought he would head down that road, maybe running for our state assembly or senate, then moving up to Congress.  He is sharp and intuitive, with great ideas on how to fix things that need fixing, namely most of our very broken government.  His path went on a different course, and he opted to do something very different. Yet, I think if he ran, he would have been a winner.  

I don't think I would be too thrilled if my husband wanted to run for President, but for politicians, they have a different lens about what they think is appropriate than most of us.  That's why they are wiling to spend countless hours on buses, planes, eating crappy hotel food and living out of a suitcase - all in the nature of running for political office. It sounds like a horrific scene to me just getting there.  Then once you do, everyone hates you or is trying to unseat you. You have to constantly hit the fundraising circuit so you have the money to get from point A to point B and hope that at the end of the campaign you are victorious.  For Presidency, it's not about the money. At least not while you are there.  (Hit the speaking tour afterwards and you are golden, though!)

So why would a man with a bajillion kids, one of whom had this birth defect, a chromosomal anomaly, want to run for President?  Why leave his pregnant wife behind (who then had a stillbirth)?  Because, for him, it meant something bigger than himself or his family to run for this office.  

By the way, with regards to Bella's illness, when it comes down to it, all of us are terminal.  We just don't know when.

Santorum isn't my guy for lots of reasons, but they don't include him leaving his child with a disability at home to run for higher office.  

 

 

-- Edited by SamuraiLandshark on Saturday 4th of February 2012 07:42:17 AM

That's very kind of both of you. I truly appreciate it. It's been almost 25 years since we lost him as a baby, but it's a loss a parent never really recovers from.

I am so sorry, Artemis. I cannot possibly think of anything in this world that would be harder than that.

Chelsea was a "big girl" of 15 in 1995 when Monica (22) was doing Bill. Of course, she was a little younger than that when Gennifer was providing his favors during their twelve year affair. 

 

 

"

I'm sure certain parts of his anatomy would have agreed he was doing what was best.

I don't understand other people's family dynamics. 

Why would I expect other people to understand my family's dynamics. 

Rick is doing what he thinks is best. I respect him for that, As I respect Obama's, Bush II's, Clinton's, and Reagan's. 

Whatever is this reaction about people having opinions about others lifestyles? What is wrong with that? We make judgements about things all the time....whether right or wrong, we're entitled to our opinions. Now, I'm not going to say anything personally to any of these people that might hurt their feelings, or try to legislate how people must behave, but sure I'll voice an anonymous opinion online, or make a comment about it to my kids or husband.

And soccerguy, yes I am disgusted at Obama. But it's for a very long list of reasons.

"If someone is in a heterosexual marriage with a kid, then realizes that they are really attracted to people of the same sex and get a divorce, do you judge those people too? After all, they aren't putting their family first. They are putting themselves first."

Yep, that's for sure. Had a sister in law who did that. She could have put it off for a few more years, and not had to move away from them and put them through so much pain. But I would never tell her that because I love her dearly and it would hurt her. So I've never said anything critical to her. But she should have waited just a little bit longer until they were out of the house. It was truly ugly and all I can think is that she must have been in complete misery to subject her kids to that.

"Even you admitted that you put your own career ahead of your kids. (For the record, I don't that both parents working is selfish at all. I think it is the smart decision if the parents are capable, but obviously you don't feel that way)."

No, I don't have a problem with two parents working. For us, it basically allowed us to both work part time and for my husband to see his kids more than most dads do. But I dearly wish I'd had the sense to get out of the military before my husband was deployed and I was sent on constant trips. That is what I regret. It wasn't selfish, it was stupid.