This whole thing is so bizarre. For me it’s the “family at the table” picture that is extra weird. Who takes that picture? If it’s posed, the people on the other end of the table crowd in. If it’s not, and the photographer isn’t a ten-year-old who just got a camera, why such a bland backdrop and fake laughs?
Bear with me on this digression, but I was watching The Birdcage this weekend, wishing it didn’t have the troubling and often violent interactions between Armand (Robin Williams) and Albert (Nathan Lane) because without those it would bear rewatching without having to take deep breaths of “good god, why did we tolerate DV even if it’s not as bad as the French version.” And this time, I spent way too much time thinking “why didn’t they just go out to a restaurant to eat? Why didn’t they just nip downstairs and get food from the restaurant? Why did they conceal the pool?” but most importantly, when Calista Flockhart lies about her fiancés parents and name, did she think that was never going to come out, say, at the wedding, or if they ever had children? How long would the ruse work for? Are rich people really so distant from their children that they don’t have parties with their in-laws?
So, Mr. Borrows-Friend’s-Wife-and-Kids, how exactly would this information not come out? Who convinced you this would play better than photos of you in action or playing with your dog? Because if your wedding goes through, voters are going to be hella confused and angry. Get a grip and tell the publicist “no.”
You know, in that movie, Gene Hackman is “conservative like half of America is conservative” despite being the head of some loopy moral order police. Remember that? When they had awful ideas but we just shrugged our shoulders that they were just another viewpoint and catered to them by demanding our loved ones lie about their sexuality in order to make nice? And that’s what they’re actually so mad about, we stopped making nice and demanding that the people who are flexible cater to the people who aren’t. So now they have to insist their candidate look like he has a wife and kids in conformity with what they say are their values because we pointed out their hypocrisy. Gah. They’re ridiculous.
“Demonstrating why his approval ratings rival those of herpes”. This is just wrong. Vance is worse than herpes. At least with herpes, there’s medicine. With Vance the only relief is to Vote Blue 💙
“ it (having children) changes your perspective in a pretty profound way.”
Of course it does but not everyone wants that or through no fault of their own have that. Let’s also consider what “family” means especially when you have gay children rejected by their parents who get lucky and find another form of familial love and support.
There is a huge portion of families who only have one parent (I was one) who may have gotten there through fate such as a tragic accident like dying in the military, illness and other causes.
To declare that one mom, one dad and the 2.5 children is the best model is stupid, cruel and tragically ill informed.
These idiots are so transparently hypocritical, Mr. Childless-rent-a-family is ignored by Mr. Only-Biological-Parents-Can-Be-Elected in the same fucking party.
Walz, you've been given a gift for the upcoming debate
Maybe it's just me, but I want to live in an America where pretending to have a family in a campaign photo, and then attacking the press for reporting on your shameless dishonesty, would be totally disqualifying. Unfortunately, we now live in a country where GOP politicians feel no shame at all.
<< Anderson’s campaign spokesperson argued that “Derrick’s opponent and every other candidate in America are in similar pictures and video with supporters of all kinds,” and the family cosplay video just showed Anderson “with female supporters and their kids.” >>
And also:
“A spokesman for Mr. Anderson criticized The New York Times’s decision to focus on the footage”
Clearly, this is all a fake-news construct by the NYT. It’s not Derrick Anderson’s use of a faux family that’s wrong here; it’s the media’s pointing it out. So tediously disingenuous and so laughably insulting to voters’ intelligence.
That really IS weird. The two unreconstructed party senators from South Carolina have no kids; does the pubic hair golem want to pressure them to pose with some?
I guess this is yet more runoff from the really weird, creepy obsession with “gotta make sure there are more precious babbys.” Yet the unreconstructed Republican party goes out of its way to make life miserable for people in general. They strive for life to be nasty, short and brutish.
Because all Republicans offer you are dead bodies and hatred.
That said I hope Spanberger (on edit: ooops I mean Vindman) beats this weirdass creep because I would hate to see someone with a creepily weird decision like this be in position to make laws.
FYI, Spanberger is not running for re-election this time, as she plans to run for governor in 2025. The Democrat facing Anderson is Eugene Vindman, brother of Alexander.
Our weird bugbear is the way we go back and forth between Republican and Democratic governors...We've been solid on sending dem senators to DC for a good while now, and the expected reps to the house (always a mix because smaller districts)
It's hard to decide which I despise more; the immense weirdness of a pol appearing in photos clearly intended to suggest he has a happy white suburbia standard issue family when he doesn't, or the penetrating hypocrisy of someone from his campaign trying to brush off criticism of that very strange effort by saying that lots of politicians pose for pictures with their female supporters (who just happen to look like Carol, Marsha, Jan and Cindy).
I'm not knocking stereotypical white families--any picture of my wife, sons and I from a few years ago would've looked eerily similar (at least we never posed for Christmas cards brandishing gratuitous firepower). But as far as I know, they ARE my wife and children (not able to fully discount the possibility that I live in some sort of hypnosis-induced simulacrum of real life).
Hopefully those girls will be able to laugh about this when they get older...
Of course! They’re weird creeps.
Dude has the gayest beard I’ve ever seen.
And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful house"
And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful wife"
...And you may ask yourself, "Am I right, am I wrong?"
And you may say to yourself, "My God, what have I done?"
And now that's my earworm...
This whole thing is so bizarre. For me it’s the “family at the table” picture that is extra weird. Who takes that picture? If it’s posed, the people on the other end of the table crowd in. If it’s not, and the photographer isn’t a ten-year-old who just got a camera, why such a bland backdrop and fake laughs?
Bear with me on this digression, but I was watching The Birdcage this weekend, wishing it didn’t have the troubling and often violent interactions between Armand (Robin Williams) and Albert (Nathan Lane) because without those it would bear rewatching without having to take deep breaths of “good god, why did we tolerate DV even if it’s not as bad as the French version.” And this time, I spent way too much time thinking “why didn’t they just go out to a restaurant to eat? Why didn’t they just nip downstairs and get food from the restaurant? Why did they conceal the pool?” but most importantly, when Calista Flockhart lies about her fiancés parents and name, did she think that was never going to come out, say, at the wedding, or if they ever had children? How long would the ruse work for? Are rich people really so distant from their children that they don’t have parties with their in-laws?
So, Mr. Borrows-Friend’s-Wife-and-Kids, how exactly would this information not come out? Who convinced you this would play better than photos of you in action or playing with your dog? Because if your wedding goes through, voters are going to be hella confused and angry. Get a grip and tell the publicist “no.”
You know, in that movie, Gene Hackman is “conservative like half of America is conservative” despite being the head of some loopy moral order police. Remember that? When they had awful ideas but we just shrugged our shoulders that they were just another viewpoint and catered to them by demanding our loved ones lie about their sexuality in order to make nice? And that’s what they’re actually so mad about, we stopped making nice and demanding that the people who are flexible cater to the people who aren’t. So now they have to insist their candidate look like he has a wife and kids in conformity with what they say are their values because we pointed out their hypocrisy. Gah. They’re ridiculous.
PS Love me a Doctor Who reference, well done.
“Demonstrating why his approval ratings rival those of herpes”. This is just wrong. Vance is worse than herpes. At least with herpes, there’s medicine. With Vance the only relief is to Vote Blue 💙
The only true thing he said:
“ it (having children) changes your perspective in a pretty profound way.”
Of course it does but not everyone wants that or through no fault of their own have that. Let’s also consider what “family” means especially when you have gay children rejected by their parents who get lucky and find another form of familial love and support.
There is a huge portion of families who only have one parent (I was one) who may have gotten there through fate such as a tragic accident like dying in the military, illness and other causes.
To declare that one mom, one dad and the 2.5 children is the best model is stupid, cruel and tragically ill informed.
Ha, ha. Dalek... Exterminate! Exterminate!
Sounds about right.
I love the almost sweet innocence implied here.. "Maybe no one will find out"... in what universe could this NOT backfire
Hey, Sarah Sanders, if you are bragging about being humble, you ain't humble.
These idiots are so transparently hypocritical, Mr. Childless-rent-a-family is ignored by Mr. Only-Biological-Parents-Can-Be-Elected in the same fucking party.
Walz, you've been given a gift for the upcoming debate
Maybe it's just me, but I want to live in an America where pretending to have a family in a campaign photo, and then attacking the press for reporting on your shameless dishonesty, would be totally disqualifying. Unfortunately, we now live in a country where GOP politicians feel no shame at all.
Sarah Sanders' family gives her a LOT to be humble about.
Yeah, but she ain't got nuthin' on Boebert or MTG...
<< Anderson’s campaign spokesperson argued that “Derrick’s opponent and every other candidate in America are in similar pictures and video with supporters of all kinds,” and the family cosplay video just showed Anderson “with female supporters and their kids.” >>
And also:
“A spokesman for Mr. Anderson criticized The New York Times’s decision to focus on the footage”
— https://bluevirginia.us/2024/09/new-levels-of-weird-and-creepy-va07-gop-nominee-derrick-anderson-trying-to-mislead-voters-by-renting-a-family-in-his-pictures
Clearly, this is all a fake-news construct by the NYT. It’s not Derrick Anderson’s use of a faux family that’s wrong here; it’s the media’s pointing it out. So tediously disingenuous and so laughably insulting to voters’ intelligence.
That really IS weird. The two unreconstructed party senators from South Carolina have no kids; does the pubic hair golem want to pressure them to pose with some?
I guess this is yet more runoff from the really weird, creepy obsession with “gotta make sure there are more precious babbys.” Yet the unreconstructed Republican party goes out of its way to make life miserable for people in general. They strive for life to be nasty, short and brutish.
Because all Republicans offer you are dead bodies and hatred.
That said I hope Spanberger (on edit: ooops I mean Vindman) beats this weirdass creep because I would hate to see someone with a creepily weird decision like this be in position to make laws.
FYI, Spanberger is not running for re-election this time, as she plans to run for governor in 2025. The Democrat facing Anderson is Eugene Vindman, brother of Alexander.
Oh ooops! I forgot about that!
As a virginian myself I think Va is gonna go hard blue all the way down ticket
Let us work for that glorious victory!
Our weird bugbear is the way we go back and forth between Republican and Democratic governors...We've been solid on sending dem senators to DC for a good while now, and the expected reps to the house (always a mix because smaller districts)
The one thing these so called Christian Republicans fail to display is Christian charity.
Plus how many children did Jesus have?
None that he KNEW of...(insert knee slap here)
It's hard to decide which I despise more; the immense weirdness of a pol appearing in photos clearly intended to suggest he has a happy white suburbia standard issue family when he doesn't, or the penetrating hypocrisy of someone from his campaign trying to brush off criticism of that very strange effort by saying that lots of politicians pose for pictures with their female supporters (who just happen to look like Carol, Marsha, Jan and Cindy).
I'm not knocking stereotypical white families--any picture of my wife, sons and I from a few years ago would've looked eerily similar (at least we never posed for Christmas cards brandishing gratuitous firepower). But as far as I know, they ARE my wife and children (not able to fully discount the possibility that I live in some sort of hypnosis-induced simulacrum of real life).
Hopefully those girls will be able to laugh about this when they get older...