Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2008 > July > 10 > Entry
Obama Really Shielding the Kids?
This is offered by Dayton Daily News photographer Chris Stewart, a jack of all trades who’s been doing a two-week stint as an editorial writer:
Now you see them. Now you don’t.
Barack Obama’s daughters took part in their first family television interview on July 4. Now the presidential candidate says it will be his daughters’ last; not because the kids weren’t utterly nice, well-behaved and cute, but because pops is getting questioned about the wisdom of putting Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, into the campaign spotlight.
“I think that we got carried away in the moment. We were having a birthday party, and everybody was laughing. And suddenly this thing cropped up. I didn’t catch it quickly enough,” the presumptive Democratic nominee told Matt Lauer on TODAY.
The interview, available at www.accesshollywood.com, was taped July 4 in Butte, Mont. at Malia’s 10th birthday party. The syndicated show, Access Hollywood, put together a four-part series that concludes today, Thursday, July 10.
Until then, Obama and his wife, Michelle, had kept the children distanced from the media. But the questions poured in after the first segment aired.
“We wouldn’t do it again. And we won’t be doing it again,” Obama told Lauer.
Access Hollywood’s Maria Menounos said on MSNBC that her interview with the Obama family was spontaneous and “kind of organic.”
You can understand it’s a chance occurrence when a candidate’s plane has to make an unscheduled landing due to an equipment problem. (Like what happened Monday, July 7 to Obama’s plane.) But in this day and age, when presidential campaigns leave precious little to chance, is Obama being a bit disingenuous when he says he simply let his guard down and let his children go in front of the camera because everyone was enjoying a party? Should a candidate’s children be brought into the campaign in the first place?
What do you think?
Permalink | Comments (13) | Post your comment | Categories: National politics
Comments
By Cara
July 11, 2008 11:22 AM | Link to this
“Access Hollywood’s Maria Menounos said on MSNBC that her interview with the Obama family was spontaneous and “kind of organic.”” What part of her statement is hard to understand? Of course they were giving the interview in context of the campaign, he’s running for President. But, as Obama stated, they did not like all of the attention the kids received. Maybe they thought a few clips would be shown, not a 4-part series spread over 3 days. I think it’s a delicate balance regarding children invovlded in a campaign. Obviously people are curious about politicians family and it shows a “warm and fuzzy” side of a politician. Should children be rotted out every day? No, and I don’t think that’s what the Obama’s are doing. Take him at his word and move on.By Heckofaman
July 11, 2008 6:30 PM | Link to this
Obama knew exactly what he was doing…exploiting his children in an effort to soften his aloof image. Cute kids, but dad’s still an elitist with no experience to lead our country.By BG
July 18, 2008 11:32 PM | Link to this
JFK had very little experience, as well. It has very little to do about experience; and much more to do about intellect/Judgment/and those picked to surround him with help. He won’t have to improve much on beating the present excuse for a leader/Cheney/Rice, etc.Barack will do very well as our next leader. Hell, even Kerry would have been an improvement on the joke in office now.By fedup
July 21, 2008 12:50 AM | Link to this
I love how people say “elitist” like it is a dirty word. I hate to point out to people that said that Bush was someone they wanted to have a beer with, he is the very definition of “elitist”. He is part of a very wealthy, privileged family from Connecticut. He attended Yale and Harvard. He “became” a Texan later in life to play oil man. And to cut down brush. He doesn’t want to miss the photo op. of looking ordinary.By Heckofaman
July 24, 2008 3:30 PM | Link to this
Actually, President Bush grew up in Texas as a son of a Texas Congressman…but I would agree that he has roots in “blue blood” elitist New England. It is interesting that “W” never acted like an elitist, as does the freshman senator from the south side of Chicago. Why Obama would suggest that he is superior to Clinton and McCain with regard to foreign affairs is a mystery to me…pure arrogance of the uninformed. That is my concern with “lord” Obama…he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know…and that will get him in trouble with our enemies [he doesn’t seem to even recognize clear threats to US national security].By Cassie
July 31, 2008 4:15 PM | Link to this
I don’t understand why intellect is viewed as a detriment by so many. If being able to construct a proper sentence is something to fear, then as a country we really have been dumbed down in the past eight years.By JH
August 2, 2008 11:05 AM | Link to this
It has nothing to with ‘intellect’. I admit Bush isn’t the best speaker, but I think he was the best person for the job at the time. The trouble with US politics is people get too wrapped up in personalities and not the issues. Obama is no better a speaker really, take away his teleprompter and he stumbles. His speeches really don’t say anything of substance. It’s hard to really get a firm opinion on him, really. You either get the over glorified version on the national media or the negative side from conservatives. What little I have seen I can’t say I’m impressed with, though.By Mark W
August 5, 2008 4:59 AM | Link to this
To BG re JFK’s experience… Actually JFK was in the US House from 1947-1953 and the US Senate from 1953-1960. That’s nearly 14 years in major political office compared to less than four years in the US Senate for Sen. Obama. For similar pre-presidential political experience, it is more accurate to compare Sen. Obama’s major office experience to Jimmy Carter (4 years as Georgia governor) and George Bush (6 years as Texas governor, but this was only 3 legislative sessions as the Texas legislature meets only every other year). When someone dismisses concerns over Obama’s lack of experience, I think about Carter’s utter ineffectiveness on most fronts and Bush’s disasterous presidency and shudder at the prospect of our country in the hands of yet another inexperienced politician at a time when the country has so many problems that need to be addressed.By Former McCain Contributor
August 5, 2008 10:09 PM | Link to this
The past few weeks have seen a change in McCain. He has opted out truth altogether. The hard truth is that the federal government can’t do much to lower gas prices. With just 5 percent of world’s population, America accounts for 25 of its oil use.By snail.skins
August 21, 2008 5:52 PM | Link to this
I completely agree with you; and not just regarding oil prices. McCain lied (at Saddleback) when he told that whopper about praying with his prison guard in VietNam. He lifted that from one of his favorite authors, Alexander Solzhenitsn. It’s right out of The Gulag Archipelago.By otimio vasquez
August 28, 2008 6:33 PM | Link to this
what hypocrisy coming from the republicans, AND JOHN MCCAIN CALLING SENATOR BARACK OBAMA ELITIST, THIS BLACK MAN HAS AN EXCELLENT FORMAL COLLEGE EDUCATION, COMES FROM A BACKGROUND OF AVERAGE WORKING PEOPLE AND HAS ACHIVE THE AMERICAN DREAM, BY EDUCATING HIMSELF AND ACHIVEING A PROSPEROUSE STANDARD OF LIVING, YET THE REPUBLICANS AND JOHN MCCAIN FIND FAULT WITH THIS MAN FOR ACHIEVING SO MUCH AT AN EARLY STAGE OF HIS LIFE.By BM
September 6, 2008 10:17 AM | Link to this
Obama has a black father an a white mother. But he is considered a black man? How is that? I think he’s a white man with a great tan. Of course that wouldn’t get him elected now would it.By sherry
September 7, 2008 5:09 AM | Link to this
Wow Obama is an elitist but who has seven homes ( if that is the correct number bacause he couldn’t remember) and is worth $100 million?