That's simply reprehensible. He's insulting a religion so that he can gain votes.
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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
Instead of correcting mom he just distances himself with a disclaimer. How many people watching that actually now think it is true because McCain's mom said it. Not only that but the host never corrected her either.
I felt that by Mccain stating that his mother's opinion were not necessarily his in a calm and collected way that he acted in an appropriate way. She is quite aged. He was respectful to his mom, which is very important. I did not go to the video posted her, but assume it is the same segment that I saw on Hardball recently.
This isn't a matter of opinion it is a matter of fact. Imagine if she had said this about blacks, muslims, hispanics, etc. But because she said it about Mormons we just let it slide as "her opinion". I think the right thing to do would have been to correct the record, if not by McCain then by the host.
I'm letting it slide for John McCain because he is not responsible for what his mother said. The same would be true whether she said this about blacks, muslims, hispanics, etc. It is not relevant whether I let it slide for John McCain's mother because she is not a public figure.
Like Zealia, I like the fact that McCain is respectful of his mother. Politicians who bully their mothers will never get anywhere.
McCain issued a statement that he has no problems with Mormons. That is sufficient. Had he made those same remarks it would not be sufficient. But that is not the case.
The area of the brain that prevents us from thinking the thoughts that we desire not to think has recently been shown to shrink with age. This is one reason why older people seem to be less concerned with political correctness than we young 'uns.
Hubby is a nurse in charge of a Medicaid wing in a facility that deals with many end stage illnesses (hospice)... he get "propositioned" practically daily these days... wait, more than once daily he says... by a patient of advancing years (soon to be 88) who according to her daughter was VERY prim and proper in her younger days, and married to a minister... This elderly lady says things to hubby in front of her daughter that are humiliating for the daughter... Fortunately hubby is very compassionate and has been able to help the daughter understand this is not "her mom" talking, but misfiled information that now is coming to the front... It's that whole watch what you put into your mind, cause later you may repeat it!!! It's a problem cause the brain never erases anything, it just stores it... even if you can't remember it... I understand she had one single soap opera she watched many many years ago... but she gave it up because she said it became too naughty... I guess she quit watching a bit too late
Even though hubby knows that she is not serious about anything she says he is very careful that he only takes care of certain needs this woman has, because she sees his care in a very different light and he doesn't want any problems. Imagine what an inscrupulous person could do to take advantage of someone like that???
Anyway, a few months ago I was at hubby's work to see him and this woman said some awful things about "those Mormon women"... to ME... Cause I kissed hubby good-bye and she saw it... and was jealous... (somewhere in her brain she connects that hubby is a Mormon and it was probably the worst thing she could think of to say to me, it was pretty bad...) Later the daughter heard about the comment and called me to apologize. I never gave it any thought at all, after I left so her call surprised me, but she explained that one of her mother's BEST friends during her young married years was a member of the church... She stated that she knew her mother would never say those things on purpose. I am sure she is right...
I would hate for anyone to take her actual words at face value... Fortunately she is an unknown and no one pays much attention.
I don't particularly care for McCain... but really... I have to agree that his mother's words are not his...
What is more likely: McCain's mom suddenly started exhibiting the behavior PollyAnna and others describe, or that she had been showing such behavior and McCain decided to take her on TV anyway, or that she really holds that opinion and McCain didn't mind her expressing it.
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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
Honest guys... I am not saying that her expressed opinion is not highly erroneous... But if someone agrees with it don't you think they already wanted to agree??? She was not at all articulate during that interview... She was much more together in other interviews from that same list above...
2nd point: I think she really love the limelight, up until that time she had said all the right things, how many people could a candidate get that could get that much press time to rave about the candidate besides an elderly mom... Still in this video, she looks and sounds tired to me. She may very well personally believe what she said... or she may be exhausted.
Think about Sister Hinckley and remember how fast she went down hill and passed away after their trip to Russia. When you are talking about elderly people, you cannot hold the same standard that you would, with say a 50 yr old. That is one of the reason age keeps getting brought up when it come to McCain... NO?
My Aunt was a completely independent, sharp, woman of 98... she still lived alone in the house she raised her family in... one day after her walk around the block that she took every morning, she got very confused... her son (my cousin,) took her to the doctor the next day... There did not seem to be anything wrong, but she was very confused... it came on suddenly. She was gone 2 weeks later. The day after the funeral the lab work came back from her tests done a week before she passed. She had leukemia, and she went that fast...
I've had lots of exposure to elderly people, I have a tons of elderly family (over 80,) geriatrics is hubby's specialty... I can tell you that when the elderly become overly tired, stressed, or even just excited, they say things they sometimes shouldn't... If you watch the other video with the complete interview it shows a BIG sigh right before that comment.
Now... does that mean I am willing to let John McCain off for not later making a public comment expressing his regrets that she used his campaign to state such opinions? No... He should have done more to correct the issue, but "he" didn't say the words himself and, he did not just let it pass... He was embarrassed by it... and I am not willing to blame him for something I have no idea if he knew she was likely to say or not...
He wasn't going to get my vote anyway, so maybe I just have a hard time caring what his mother (or he for that matter) thinks about my religion.
So, what are you saying then, that it can / should all be chalked off due to age so we should not express our thoughts on the matter? Yeah, of course those who already think all sorts of false things and are hateful towards LDS people, culture, the Church, and it's teachings are going to already be open to thinking this sort of stuff... but the thing is this is like pouring lighter fluid on charcoal... just makes it that much hotter.
Whether or not he agrees with it, whether or not it was something like age onset tourettes, whether or not she was in best form or not, Senator McCain was the one who agreed to have his mother in on the interview... for whatever political points and votes he could win over to his camp. And, it seems to be okay to let go when the bigoted remark is made towards a minority religion (particularly that of one of her son's opponents), but had she even come close to saying something like that towards another religion or ethnic group, it would have made front page news with outrage just like it does when any sort of celebrity gets caught using an anti-semitic word or politically incorrect word that denigrates african americans or asian americans or native americans or hispanic americans or alternative lifestyle following americans or (fill in the blank).
The point is, sure it can be let slide for her, but not him. He needs to do more than just giggle and put a tongue in cheek disclaimer out after the mild and bemused look of surprise that her views do not represent his own.
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It seems to me the only thing you've learned is that Caesar is a "salad dressing dude."
I realize that things get said or done in campaigns that is unintentional and embarrassing. But McCain should have come out more strongly against the position his mom espoused. The candidates are human, of course. I realize that, for instance, Romney probably didn't intend to advertise his campaign on a website for gays. But when that sort of stuff happens, be a real man (or woman, depending on the candidate) and admit what went wrong. Don't try to sweep it under the rug.
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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
Cat Herder wrote:so we should not express our thoughts on the matter?
Not at all... Only that these comments should not be taken "point blank" as a given, that McCain supports them...
I don't care how anyone slams a candidate for his/her own words... I simply know that I have quite a few elderly relatives (my own mother having been one of them, who was a good woman that lost control of her own thoughts, and gradually did not even know my father, who she was married to for 71 years...) I would NOT want to be "quoted" as agreeing with some of the things she did or said... I could give you dozens of examples... but really it's not necessary, cause all I am saying is that I am will to give "him" the benefit of THAT particular doubt... that he may not agree with his mother and that he did not actually say anything like unto it, personally...
...ntil a time in which he sticks his OWN foot in his OWN mouth, which he seems to do regularly about a mirade of topics... from what I see.
At best McCain displayed really, really poor judgement having his mom a part of the campaign and then puting her on a political talk show knowing she would be asked questions like this.
