his family had asked Barack Obama to stop wearing the bracelet with their son''s name on it

[vespergirl]

I am an Obama supporter, but I did think his "I also have a bracelet" line was lame during the debate.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 9/30/2008 11:03:33 AM
Author: vespergirl
I am an Obama supporter, but I did think his ''I also have a bracelet'' line was lame during the debate.

Vesper, I agree . . . it did come of as kind of lame. But, I think it would have been even more lame if Obama had not mentioned his bracelet after McCain made a big deal out of his. If I were the mother who gave Obama his bracelet, and I heard McCain make that remark and then Obama didn''t come back with the "I have a bracelet too" comment, I would have been like, "Come on! Speak up!" I guess there really wasn''t a "right" answer in that particular situation. And I understand that the father didn''t want Obama to wear the bracelet, but the mother obviously did. So what should he do . . . honor the mother''s wishes or the father''s? I really think he was just kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place.

 

[HollyS]

Date: 9/30/2008 1:38:23 PM
Author: Irishgrrrl

Date: 9/30/2008 11:03:33 AM
Author: vespergirl
I am an Obama supporter, but I did think his 'I also have a bracelet' line was lame during the debate.

Vesper, I agree . . . it did come of as kind of lame. But, I think it would have been even more lame if Obama had not mentioned his bracelet after McCain made a big deal out of his. If I were the mother who gave Obama his bracelet, and I heard McCain make that remark and then Obama didn't come back with the 'I have a bracelet too' comment, I would have been like, 'Come on! Speak up!' I guess there really wasn't a 'right' answer in that particular situation. And I understand that the father didn't want Obama to wear the bracelet, but the mother obviously did. So what should he do . . . honor the mother's wishes or the father's? I really think he was just kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Both of these guys need to keep those puppies under their shirtsleeves and shut up about them. It's lame and cliche, no matter the candidate. And whenever one of the candidates has to do a "me, too" moment, it's even cheesier. But then, I also don't like trotting out the war heroes/veterans/families of the fallen at the State of the Union adresses. Can you say 'Velveeta'? Schmaltz doesn't play as well in Peoria as the politicos think.

Let's stick to the issues, boys. As Clinton said in 1992, "It's the economy, stupid!"

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 9/30/2008 1:51:50 PM
Author: HollyS

Date: 9/30/2008 1:38:23 PM

Author: Irishgrrrl

Date: 9/30/2008 11:03:33 AM

Author: vespergirl

I am an Obama supporter, but I did think his ''I also have a bracelet'' line was lame during the debate.

Vesper, I agree . . . it did come of as kind of lame. But, I think it would have been even more lame if Obama had not mentioned his bracelet after McCain made a big deal out of his. If I were the mother who gave Obama his bracelet, and I heard McCain make that remark and then Obama didn''t come back with the ''I have a bracelet too'' comment, I would have been like, ''Come on! Speak up!'' I guess there really wasn''t a ''right'' answer in that particular situation. And I understand that the father didn''t want Obama to wear the bracelet, but the mother obviously did. So what should he do . . . honor the mother''s wishes or the father''s? I really think he was just kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Both of these guys need to keep those puppies under their shirtsleeves and shut up about them. It''s lame and cliche, no matter the candidate. And whenever one of the candidates has to do a ''me, too'' moment, it''s even cheesier. But then, I also don''t like trotting out the war heroes/veterans/families of the fallen at the State of the Union adresses. Can you say ''Velveeta''? Schmaltz doesn''t play as well in Peoria as the politicos think.


Let''s stick to the issues, boys. As Clinton said in 1992, ''It''s the economy, stupid!''

Yeah I was actually acting that scene out with one of FI''s friends last weekend (who is an Obama supporter) because we found it amusing in the end. It was like an SNL skit.. "Well I have the bracelet of a fallen soldier.." "Well so do I! I have one too, see!!" "Well my fallen soldier''s mother doesn''t want us to leave right now." "Well mine does, so there!"

 

[ladypirate]

This is all I could think about during that whole part of the debate:

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Haha!

So cute!

 

[zhuzhu]

Date: 9/29/2008 12:30:04 AM
Author: luckystar112

Date: 9/29/2008 12:00:34 AM

Author: brazen_irish_hussy

Actually, when he first got the bracelet, it was VERY clear he was supposed to wear it

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-02-16-2200549395_x.htm


Why should he stop wearing it if the mother had it made and gave it to him and it clearly means a lot to her? I think it would be disrespectful of him not to wear it. I don''t think the ex husband hets to speak for the entire family in this case and unless the mother says otherwise, he has the right to wear it. What about the sister, in the article it is clear that she was ok with this as well?

Sounds to me like the father has sour grapes because his family thinks he is wrong so he is making a fuss.

If it was such a big deal, why wait til now rather than in Feb when Obama got the bracelet? Cycincal me suspects to make as much political impact as possible and he isn''t outraged at all.

The mother herself admits that, in February (I am sure directly after that rally), she contacted Obama.

From the link I posted:

''Jopek acknowledged e-mailing the Obama campaign in February asking that the presidential candidate not mention her son in speeches or debates.''


So, as Indy said, I don''t think that it has to do with him wearing the bracelet.

I mean, we''re on a jewelry forum so I think we all understand the ridiculousness of being given jewelry and being told not to wear it.

But since I posted that follow up, they have since added more to that article...particularly this part:


''She wouldn''t directly say whether she wanted Obama to refrain from mentioning the bracelet again, but said she hopes the issue will just go away.''


I agree with her, this is kind of silly. But I do think that perhaps she doesn''t want her son''s name being used in this light.

The reason why the soldier'' name is "being used in the political light", is because some people, continue to turn a private exchange that was sentimental and innocent, into a political game to support their own agenda. Sort of like how McCain has manipulated data into accusatory TV ad against Obama.... Of course McCain does not have the same pretty smile those people have..... Big difference there.

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 10/1/2008 3:28:05 AM
Author: zhuzhu

The reason why the soldier'' name is ''being used in the political light'', is because some people, continue to turn a private exchange that was sentimental and innocent, into a political game to support their own agenda. Sort of like how McCain has manipulated data into accusatory TV ad against Obama.... Of course McCain does not have the same pretty smile those people have..... Big difference there.

You''re talking about Obama, right?

 

[luckystar112]

My argument still stands that this is not a political issue but a moral one. Being specifically asked by the mother to not mention her son''s name, and then using it anyway is not cool. As I said earlier, despite what some people believe, Obama doesn''t have magical powers and was not able to predict how the mother would react before he said it. I''d say the same thing if this was McCain.

Now...politically speaking, if Mccain is "exploiting a dead soldier" for political gain. That''s wrong.
Obama calling him out on it doesn''t make HIM right. It makes him look like he TOO is willing to exploit a dead soldier for political gain. McCain BAD, Obama GOOD doesn''t make sense in this scenario, no matter how you spin it. Either they are both okay or they are both wrong.

 

[starsapphire]

I''m surprised SNL didn''t do a skit on this!!! Oh wait, that would''ve made Obama look bad, and SNL does not do that. Only Sarah Palin, and Hillary Clinton.......

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 10/1/2008 1:18:53 PM
Author: starsapphire
I''m surprised SNL didn''t do a skit on this!!! Oh wait, that would''ve made Obama look bad, and SNL does not do that. Only Sarah Palin, and Hillary Clinton.......

OH yeah there are SOOO many possibilities for a skit - but perhaps they, unlike others, wanted to be respectful of the fallen soldiers and their families.

 

[MoonWater]

Date: 10/1/2008 1:18:53 PM
Author: starsapphire
I''m surprised SNL didn''t do a skit on this!!! Oh wait, that would''ve made Obama look bad, and SNL does not do that. Only Sarah Palin, and Hillary Clinton.......

Did you actually watch SNL during the Dem primaries? They did make fun of Obama, Hillary even used this to her advantage at one of the debates.