Levin vs. Beck on Brown’s Daughter-Teasing
Mark Levin and Glenn Beck got into it concerning whether this is charming or creepy. Beck says creepy, Levin says charming:
I’m with Levin. I thought it was charming. The look on the one daughter’s face is priceless.
He was having a little fun with his daughters, teasing them. It’s clear they were embarrassed, but in a good-humored way.
Meanwhile, the Huffington Post is running pictures of the daughters in bikinis. Taken from Facebook, and now considered fair game to spread throughout the Internet, I guess. Sorry, no picture and no link. As Allahpundit says, the pictures were
taken at her grandmother’s birthday party, according to Ayla Brown — so if you’ve got any information that might even potentially embarrass this kid, I guess you’ll want to shoot that along to them. Her pop’s a Republican. She’s got it coming.
Yup, that’s pretty much the thinking, isn’t it?
There’s nothing wrong with a father looking to get husbands for his daughters. Or boyfriends even. And it was in fun and certainly looks like the sort of teasing he would have been giving them over their first grade “boyfriends”.
I think Glenn Beck is creepy, BTW. I don’t watch him, I don’t buy his books, and I think he’s Pat Buchanan light with more than a touch of Pat Robertson.
nk (df76d4) — 1/21/2010 @ 6:30 amGlenn Beck needs to lighten up.
Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (9eb641) — 1/21/2010 @ 6:44 amHer pop’s a republican, she has it coming? I love how they have raised the level of debate about ideas. Huffington Post, Daily-Kos, don’t they just make your skin crawl.
J (2946f2) — 1/21/2010 @ 6:45 amI’m with you, Patterico, this was charming and clearly in fun. And his daughters obviously thought it was funny.
Some chump (d97978) — 1/21/2010 @ 6:49 amThat wasn’t a quote (from what I can tell) for the HP. It was a line from Allahpundit.
But I suspect that it’s accurate as to what they are thinking…
Scott Jacobs (46e187) — 1/21/2010 @ 6:49 amThe Dems are just upset that it’ll be 15 years or so before Edwards can do that.
jim2 (a9ab88) — 1/21/2010 @ 6:57 amI heard the speech – I think it leans more to the creepy. Geez, he’s giving an acceptance speech and decides to announce his daughters are available. Well, ok, not both of them, only door number 2. ha ha ha ha. Come on. It is a bit weird.
Corwin (ea9428) — 1/21/2010 @ 7:00 amNot that I plan on running or being in the spotlight. But picturing being up there and saying something like that – it’s more than a bit embarrasing. And I would think my daughter would have more than a few choice words with me – after which may not want to talk with me for quite a long time.
It was a gaff, not charming.
I would think it’s their call, not ours.
jim2 (a9ab88) — 1/21/2010 @ 7:13 amIt’s one of a daddy’s jobs to emabarass his children as I tell my seven year old when I tell her not to hesitate but to go and steal and a kiss off the seven year old she likes. 😉
nk (df76d4) — 1/21/2010 @ 7:18 amI saw it and think it was a bit clumsy as humor but not creepy. I think he is very proud of them and that was a dad joke that wasn’t focus grouped, as you-know-who would do.
Mike K (2cf494) — 1/21/2010 @ 7:18 amWasn’t Beck raised LDS? That might make him a little stiff-necked about that kind of thing.
Brown was just having some fun, as the other commenters said, and his daughters are pretty used to be teased by their father, I would wager.
Besides, I suspect that Ayla can bring down the Pain Hammer whenever necessary; she is tough on the court.
But hey, if we want all of our politicians to be all formal and everything, all the time, I’m fine with that. We just need to make sure there are no double standards about it.
As for the PuffHo business, that is no surprise. PhotoShops will happen next.
Methinks some “tolerant Progressives” are grumpy these days.
Eric Blair (20b3a8) — 1/21/2010 @ 7:21 amWhen taken in the context of the entire acceptance speech it came across as real and charming and good natured in the way that healthy, loving families rib each other. Those who take the clip in isolation see only what they want to see and perhaps add in some of their own “projection”. Geez, some people need to get a life if they think this is worth criticizing Scott about.
elissa (7c666e) — 1/21/2010 @ 7:24 amI knew Arianna Huffington had no class. Kos is a bottom feeding reject. They would both support an active pedophile politically if they were beating a GOP candidate.
PCD (1d8b6d) — 1/21/2010 @ 7:35 amI think Liberal commenters should be confronted with I guess Obama’s daughters are fair game for anything as you can’t condemn your side for what they’re trying to pull with Brown’s daughters.
PCD (1d8b6d) — 1/21/2010 @ 7:37 amHey, I thought it was CREEPY. So does that make it wrong???? That’s an individual decision.
There’s nothing wrong for BECK to say it was wrong as it was LEVIN to say it doesn’t matter, but it is clearly wrong for LEVIN to say BECK is WRONG especially for something completely inconsequential.
LEVIN, give BECK a break. Or maybe everyone should calm down.
Debatable (ea4bfa) — 1/21/2010 @ 7:53 amI think Beck went overboard in his response. Everyone has been embarassed at something Mom or Dad said. Not usually on national TV, but well, there it is.
It was playful and obviously a family thing. Heck, my family scares people all the time because of how we play.
When Beck said we need a chastity belt on this guy (Brown) and that this would end with a dead intern – he lost me. What. An. Ass.
Vivian Louise (eeeb3a) — 1/21/2010 @ 7:54 amThe perversion of some on the far left to gleefully reduce females to their biological parts at every opportunity attests to their mental deficiency regarding themselves and women. These perpetual juveniles slather and drool on their computers as they turn good family fun into soft porn are in serious need of psychological counseling. They are long overdue the necessity to deal with their arrested development. No recommendations from Coakley for elegible psychologists. We saw how they presided over the 80’s version of the Salem witch trials.
These folks need serious help!
vet66 (9d1bb3) — 1/21/2010 @ 8:00 am“There’s nothing wrong for BECK to say it was wrong as it was LEVIN to say it doesn’t matter, but it is clearly wrong for LEVIN to say BECK is WRONG especially for something completely inconsequential.”
Whoa. I think I got a little bit of whiplash from reading that.
But regardless, I can only speak for myself – Beck was wrong. Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, WRONG. Stupidly wrong. Wrongly stupid. Incredibly, mind bogglingly wrong.
And if you can look at what was obviously a strong, comfortable family having a moment of “Oh, Dad” levity and see something creepy, then it was *you* who brought the creepy to the table, not them.
Just my opinion, of course.
RC (16af59) — 1/21/2010 @ 8:23 amI am not sure why Beck thinks he is qualified to comment on this, unless he knows well the Brown family dynamic. Perhaps constant teasing is a family tradition.
Meanwhile, I am much more interested in finding out what Alya Brown’s grades in school are, provided Senator Brown can use them to make a political point.
JVW (48cbba) — 1/21/2010 @ 8:27 am“The look on the one daughter’s face is priceless.”
Charming huh?
imdw (89ba95) — 1/21/2010 @ 8:36 amIf Brown had not been who he is, and fought on in spite of the odds against him, the outcome of that election could have been quite different. I would think Glenn Beck might be just a little more grateful to the man who stopped the nightmare named Obamacare but when you are a purest like Beck, you cannot see beyond your own pointy nose. Gratitude is not one of Beck’s strong points. Odd for a man in reocvery.
Zelsdorf Ragshaft III (57cae1) — 1/21/2010 @ 8:53 amBeck is a moron and a buffoon. He’s an embarrassment to any political movement that accepts his support.
He’s a graduate of “Morning Zoo” radio, and the depth of his political discourse is consistent with that.
I know from personal conversations with people in the business that he’s not well liked, and widely thought of as a lightweight.
His bit on Brown yesterday was beyond objectionable for a couple reasons — first, I guess it escaped his notice that the Chandra Levy murder turned out to have NOTHING to do with the fact that she was an intern, and Gary Condit wasn’t involved.
Second, it was preachy moralism and presumptuous on his part to interject himself into the relationship between Brown and his ADULT daughters.
I don’t listen to the guy, and I share my opinions freely about Beck with anyone who tells me they like the guy.
WLS Shipwrecked (3d3fb8) — 1/21/2010 @ 9:01 amI would think Glenn Beck might be just a little more grateful to the man who stopped the nightmare
Actually, I think it’s a sign of basic objectivity when a person is able to criticize a politician he or she might otherwise admire. I say that after observing the groupie mindset of all the liberals who just about wanted to proclaim that Bill Clinton (or Michael Jackson, etc) could have raped some person and, as long as the perpetrator was of the left (and the correct skin color), that would have been no BFD.
Mark (411533) — 1/21/2010 @ 9:06 amthe look on Mom’s face is also hysterical…..and if Beck gets any stupider, he’s going to turn into a liberal.
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 1/21/2010 @ 9:13 amjust watched part of the clip, and the younger one is going to be a helluva doc: she didn’t even flinch.
its obvious from the body language that this is a normal sort of thing with them, and only a moron would try to spin it any other way. its also apparent that neither of those young ladies is a shrinking violet. one would cross them at their own peril.
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 1/21/2010 @ 9:18 amNEWSFLASH: Father embarrasses daughter in public by trying to find her a fiance!
NEXT NEWSFLASH: Father embarrasses daughter in public by pushing for grandkids!
If Beck gets any stupider, he’ll turn into Charles Johnson or Andrew Sullivan. Mark my words…although the staffer sitting by the White House BatPhone is comedy gold.
furious (71af32) — 1/21/2010 @ 9:20 amWhat next he’s going to pick on kids comments on facebook? Dad’s never embarrass their kids by doing that either.
imdw (017d51) — 1/21/2010 @ 9:28 amI don’t know about creepy, but I thought it was definitely inappropriate; when I saw that in the transcript I flinched. There’s a time and a place for that sort of stuff, and Brown should be savvy enough to understand that in this modern media age, these kinds of remarks are going to stand out, particularly given the venue in which it was said. A Republican that took Ted Kennedy’s spot in the Senate should know better than to give his opponents that kind of ammunition.
In the grand scheme of things and in the context of the family relationship it’s not a big deal, but I certainly wouldn’t have said anything like that in such a public and hyper-visible forum.
Another Chris (2d8013) — 1/21/2010 @ 9:33 amI definitely wouldn’t be telling a crowd that my daughter is “available.” Any other dads out there that feel otherwise?
trentk269 (7d6bc1) — 1/21/2010 @ 9:35 amI would also like to point out that Brown was able to get away with his creepiness by being so attractive. It is clearly a family matter, which belongs in a private setting. It’s just too much information and inappropriate especially for a public person to offer his daughters.
Joking? Right. So it makes the comment less creepy?
No, STILL CREEPY.
Recall the Saturday Night Skit with Tom Brady, who was able to get away with behavior that lesser men was not.
Debatable (4ff715) — 1/21/2010 @ 10:04 amI’ve gone through all the videos and quote lines and it’s pretty much a case of much ado about nothing, either in favor of or against the statements of both Brown and Beck.
For one thing, it comes down to the full context of Brown and his family. IOW, if his daughters have a history of being loose and fancy free, that would be one thing. If they’ve been just the opposite — the flip side being behavior that comes closer to that of a so-called old maid — that would be something else.
With all the politicians who’ve been snagged because of their behavior behind closed doors — John Edwards, for one, being in the news today, or that politician (forgot his name) who was caught trying to diddle dudes in a Denver airport restroom (not to mention the publicity involving celebs like Tiger Woods) — Beck isn’t without reason to be concerned about the potential foibles of a person he’d otherwise be rooting for, certainly since Beck’s comments appeared to have been done in a partly jocular, glib way.
The bigger issue is whether Brown’s speech gave a hint of his being rather liberal on social matters. For instance, does he tend to like the idea of same-sex marriage, of underaged, single girls being able to have an abortion without parental consent?
Of course, when you’re dealing with a Liberalville like Massachusetts, you take what you can get and be relieved that at least some sanity and common sense peeked through among enough voters there on Tuesday.
Mark (411533) — 1/21/2010 @ 10:06 amDon’t care what Beck or Levin think about this or each other. But it seemed to me Brown made a joke he thought a misstep almost immediately, and then kept talking in an effort to minimize the criticism he knew was to come. Not sure that worked, but the whole thing will go away soon enough.
Matador (176445) — 1/21/2010 @ 10:08 amMy daughter are not, and will not be available. But, it is pretty painfully clear that it was a family joke, and the girls took it in good stride. I would never have said that, but you would have to be dense, or on MSNBC (redundant) to not see it was a playful joke.
JD (842c05) — 1/21/2010 @ 10:17 am“I think it’s a sign of basic objectivity when a person is able to criticize a politician he or she might otherwise admire.”
Au contraire, it is a sign of a shallow talking head trying to assert his *independent* cred.
cassandra in MT (5a5d33) — 1/21/2010 @ 10:20 amI did not see the Beck comment. In general, I like him but haven’t seen much so maybe I need to see more before I decide.
I did think the comment was a bit awkward but not creepy. The girls are not shrinking violets as Ayla was entertaining the crowd with the Doug Flutie band before her dad took the stage. Maybe they don’t date much as they both seem to have heavy schedules.
Mike K (2cf494) — 1/21/2010 @ 10:32 amAu contraire, it is a sign of a shallow talking head trying to assert his *independent* cred.
I never get to watch Beck’s show, certainly ever since he switched over from CNN to Fox. I do vaguely recall his saying on one occasion that he’s not into the politics of party affiliation, implying that he’s not loyal to Republicans merely for the sake of being loyal. Or something like that.
You’d be correct to say he was being independent for the sake of being independent if his tone about Brown’s speech didn’t seem sincere or honest. However, again, with all the scandals involving so many public figures over the past few years, I think anyone would be naive to not wonder (and worry) about the behavior of a politician behind closed doors as to its potential impact on his candidacy or political office.
Mark (411533) — 1/21/2010 @ 10:44 amfor pete’s sake beck and debatable he’s just joshin’ em! That’s what parents do to their kids. If they have a good relationship with them which brown apparently does. He teased and embarrassed them a little all in good fun for all, oh noooooooes!!!!1111oneone~
chaos (7c068a) — 1/21/2010 @ 11:04 amIt’s incredibly lame and judgmental to stand between a man and his healthy relationship with his children.
The kind of people who see pervert or incest in this are fucked up or alarmists. Oprah convinced the idiots that all men are potential rapist murderers. And the nude photo from law school that Beck hammers Brown for makes it hard to take his position as satire.
What gets me is that Beck holds his awful past up as a trophy while condemning anyone who made far, far, more benign mistakes. I’m not gay and don’t get anything out of his centerfold, but I don’t hold it against attractive girls who pose artfully so why would I hold it against a dude? Anyway, Beck is being ridiculously unfair.
Did he cry again? Is this the end of liberty and the death of our nation again? Every single time I watch a program with him, he cries and tells me the sky is falling. He bashes the Mao enthusiast commies in the White House, and that’s just lovely if he’s not lying about it, but that’s a convenience of circumstance that he attacks people I already have a beef with. He’s a doom and gloom seller, and he’s not worth my time.
What Rush Limbaugh does: point out terrible things in an uplifting and intelligent way, is really, really hard to do. What Beck does: judge everyone, cry, tell us who the enemy of humanity is, and demonize? That’s much easier and much more common.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am happy he’s on the air. Might as well have some balance to the doomday sellers on the left. Some people need that kind of crap.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 1/21/2010 @ 11:16 amSo, out of all of these fine comments, which ones to pick on, hmm?
A Republican that took Ted Kennedy’s spot in the Senate should know better than to give his opponents that kind of ammunition.
Comment by Another Chris — 1/21/2010 @ 9:33 am
— What kind of “ammunition” is this, AC? This is a one-day story with no legs. Nobody is going to bring this up when he runs for re-election.
Anybody think this is worse than what’s to come in a few years? “Uh, I just want to announce that today we took steps so that Sasha was NOT punished with a baby.”
Icy Texan (d9d97d) — 1/21/2010 @ 11:25 amIcy, Republicans should know they are to stand silently with their hands in their pockets and frowns on their face. Anything resembling humor or acknowledgment of happiness, sex, life, or reality is sole province of democrats. Republicans who know their daughters date in college are pervert hypocrites.
Brown gave ammunition because he thinks about his adult daughters having a happy dating life, while Obama thinking of his little kids having an abortion is totally different. I don’t want politicians who are so polished they can’t even bust on their family and smile a little. Things are bad enough as they are.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 1/21/2010 @ 11:34 amBeck wasn’t raised LDS, he is an adult convert.
bonhomme (d737be) — 1/21/2010 @ 12:00 pm> Her pop’s a Republican. She’s got it coming.
OK, I’m officially demanding 2 cents for every media usage of “skank”, “slut” and “ho” in reference to Brown’s daughters.
I figure that ought to be worth a cool million or two.
I (79d71d) — 1/21/2010 @ 12:01 pm> Not sure that worked, but the whole thing will go away soon enough.
Yeah. Right. This will get Palinated for two weeks unless Iraq fires off a nuke beforehand. That might get them off it a little early.
IgotBupkis (79d71d) — 1/21/2010 @ 12:07 pmI joke around with my daughter. I can tell by the daughter’s reaction that this is a playful family with a loving relationship.
I know some people are desperate to find something, anything, wrong with Scott Brown, but this ain’t it.
TakeFive (7c6fd5) — 1/21/2010 @ 12:08 pmMaybe Scott Brown should have intoduced his daughter by saying she is about the same age as Mary Jo…
TakeFive (7c6fd5) — 1/21/2010 @ 12:11 pmThis is a one day story. There are, however, some serious warnings about what to expect for the next “Scott Brown.” This is good advice and we will see much more of this stuff later this year. Sarah Palin was only the first example if they think they can make something stick.
Mike K (2cf494) — 1/21/2010 @ 12:31 pmThe quip was inappropriate and Brown likely wishes he hadn’t said it. His daughters apparently decided to either let it go, or to take their revenge in private.
Brown’s spontaneous comment was somewhat similar to Trent Lott’s ill considered praise for Strom Thurmond, a silly commonplace blunder made in the confusion of the moment and both unintended to attract and unworthy of microscopic inspection.
If Democrats haven’t got anything better to do than to make a mountain out of a molehill, let them try. It’s about all they have left after the voters of Massachusetts smacked the dickens out ’em and put a fork in their agenda.
ropelight (1d3970) — 1/21/2010 @ 12:40 pm– What kind of “ammunition” is this, AC? This is a one-day story with no legs. Nobody is going to bring this up when he runs for re-election.
I don’t disagree that ultimately, this isn’t a big deal–and I said so in my comment, which I notice you studiously omitted in your rejoinder. But anyone who doesn’t think that Brown pointing out that his daughters are available in a venue where it wasn’t even relevant doesn’t understand how the media in this country works at all.
As I said, there’s a time and place for everything–that wasn’t it. The Browns surely don’t think it’s a big deal, and ultimately it probably won’t be in the long run. But the last thing he needs going into office is for the media and the Dems to construct a narrative that he doesn’t mind pimping out his daughters. Anyone that saw what happened to Palin during the last election ought to be cautious about what they say in such a hyper-visible venue. “One-day stories” have a habit of coming back to haunt politicians.
Another Chris (2d8013) — 1/21/2010 @ 12:50 pmBrown is said to want to turn rape victims away from hospitals and hates 9/11 relief workers and supports a second civil war.
Who cares what they say? They’re going to say it about any “teabagger” who comes along. The real risk is that they will actually locate some conservative who has a real scandal, and no one will believe the chicken littles because they kept screaming that the sky was falling.
With Brown, anyway, and probably with Palin, they are shielded from future attacks people everyone who isn’t crazy knows the old ones were lies. And Brown will have a very hard time winning reelection no matter what. He might as well be natural, have a normal family dynamic, and let the damn chips fall where they may. If Mass wants another Ted Kennedy or John Kerry, so be it.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 1/21/2010 @ 1:02 pmThe more Brown adlibs before television cameras, the better.
DCSCA (9d1bb3) — 1/21/2010 @ 1:09 pmThe more Brown adlibs before television cameras, the better.
Comment by DCSCA
Indeed. We need more Ws with megaphones and more candid fathers who have a stake in the middle class plight. We need more and more and more of that.
Less “Let me be clear, this is unprecedented” teleprompter lines.
If the only democrats and republicans we had were those who could survive a ban on canned speeches, the world would be a better place. And Beck is an enemy of this basic honesty. he wants politicians to be so scared of making a tiny gaffe that they stick to prompts. Well, that’s not true… Beck doesn’t really give a flip about that and just wanted some attention.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 1/21/2010 @ 1:19 pmAs the father of three teenage daughters (17, 16 and 15), I try to do the same thing to them all the time. Especially around their friends. If you don’t have girls, you may not understand it, but for us, it’s a way to keep things light and fun. And it’s a two way street too, as I get it from them all the time as well. Lighten up, folks.
Michael Hawkins (66834b) — 1/21/2010 @ 1:20 pmDCSCA has good advice. The more I see Brown ad libbing, the better I like him and the more I am impressed.
I would add that, during Palin’s big speech to the GOP convention after she was chosen by McCain, her teleprompter failed and nobody noticed. What do you think would happen to Captain Zero if that happened on a big occasion ?
Mike K (2cf494) — 1/21/2010 @ 1:37 pmThe people who are trying to gin up “offense” at Brown’s comment are many of the same folks who were horrified when little Piper gave Trig a spit perm during Mom’s convention speech. Both moments were, for my buck, goofy and endearing, and I can only laugh at those who try to portray them negatively. Ha ha, punks. Lighten up.
My suspicion in Beck’s case, however, is that he’s simply innoculating himself against that perhaps inevitable moment when we all find out what the “Massachusetts” part of “Massachusetts Republican” means. Will the RINO hunters come hunting?
RC (af6c82) — 1/21/2010 @ 1:42 pmRC, Brown has a long, long record. He is easily within the “RINO” category. That’s what NE Republicans who succeed are.
Indeed, the purists are going to hate his guts when he ultimately supports some kind of government health care requirement (like he already did with Romneycare), and all kinds of other stuff. We need this wing to survive, and Obama’s praying that the RINO hunters come out in force.
He’s a fiscal conservative and he’s on the money on defense. That’s what matters. He’s against DOMA and he’s pro-choice and he’s certainly not gonna be president one day.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 1/21/2010 @ 1:58 pmA lot of people probably gasped when he praised that villain, John Mccain. Guess what: in your wildest dreams will Brown be as conservative as Mccain.
And I have no problem with that in today’s political world. Let’s just get the deficit down.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 1/21/2010 @ 1:59 pmI finally watched Beck a few months ago, and immediately thought he was nothing more than a huge drama queen. He also exhibits some of the strange behaviors of a few folks who’ve gotten out of rehab or AA – they sometimes exhibit messianic and/or manic depressive tendencies, and think they’re above mere mortals. At least that’s what I’ve observed from my own family and relatvies in this regard.
Dmac (539341) — 1/21/2010 @ 2:00 pmBTW, that last comment is definitely not a swipe at AA or any other drug rehab programs – just an observation.
Dmac (539341) — 1/21/2010 @ 2:01 pmBeck reveals himself yet again as being insincere in his motivations. Brown is a threat to his standing as the leading independent voice in the USA. He is about to launch a tea party-style movement led by, conveniently, himself.
Dead intern my ass. If he really believes this, he is looney tunes, in addition to being egomaniacal. It’s a damn shame, too. Much of what he does is quite excellent.
Ed from SFV (f6a87d) — 1/21/2010 @ 2:07 pmI thought it was fine–just a little family humor at a time when emotions were high. I think it’s creepy that other people think it’s creepy. It’s not as if Brown pulled a Letterman and was talking about a 4 year old, or something.
Rochf (ae9c58) — 1/21/2010 @ 2:31 pm“Dead intern my ass. If he really believes this, he is looney tunes, in addition to being egomaniacal. ”
This just in….
imdw (7c85b9) — 1/21/2010 @ 3:01 pmsee, imdw strives and strives to prove Beck right when he claims to be the victim of a machine that wants to destroy him and silence him.
That’s why it’s easy to suspect imdw isn’t a liberal at all… he’s a crazy right winger playing a parody of a liberal.
Read everything imdw says as though he wants to discredit liberals and democrats and glorify Glenn Beck. He instantly makes perfect sense. “never blame on malice what can be blamed on stupidity”, but can imdw possibly be that stupid?
You tell me.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 1/21/2010 @ 3:05 pmIrrelevant, as you’re lying. Your entire gig here is to insist that it’s no big deal while pontificating about how big a deal it is.
Or you’re just someone with an axe to grind because Scott Brown has an (R) beside his name on the news. Remember, this is no big deal! And the classic “you just don’t understand” line. You’re really looking good here.
chaos (9c54c6) — 1/21/2010 @ 3:07 pmIf you watch this video from the Brown party, you will see Ayla up singling and dancing with Doug Flutie’s band before her father came out. I don’t think those girls are going to be shrinking violets and this is a tempest in a teapot. I do wonder about Beck.
Mike K (2cf494) — 1/21/2010 @ 4:06 pmComment by chaos — 1/21/2010 @ 3:07 pm
Irrelevant, as you’re lying.
Since you are apparently blind, here’s what I said:
“In the grand scheme of things and in the context of the family relationship it’s not a big deal, but I certainly wouldn’t have said anything like that in such a public and hyper-visible forum.”
Christ, you even quoted this in your response.
Your entire gig here is to insist that it’s no big deal while pontificating about how big a deal it is.
My entire gig? You do know how long I’ve been commenting here, right?
Or you’re just someone with an axe to grind because Scott Brown has an (R) beside his name on the news. Remember, this is no big deal! And the classic “you just don’t understand” line. You’re really looking good here.
Wow, you really don’t know how long I’ve been commenting here. If you think I’m criticizing Brown simply because he’s a Republican, you really haven’t read anything else I’ve posted here.
Go ahead–go back and look at any of the comments I’ve left here. Where exactly have I come out in defense of Democrat policies, and relentlessly ripped on Republicans for theirs? Maybe if you can do that, your grade-school invective above might actually make sense, since it’s based off of the notion that I’m criticizing Brown based off of his political affiliation and not out of an understanding of our media these days.
The fact that you’re getting so bent out of shape because I happen to think that Brown could have simply left that part out of his speech because it wasn’t appropriate to the occasion, AND would open him up to unnecessary scrutiny from the media and the left (which it clearly has, like it or not, and in a TMZ world, that can make a difference), indicates to me that you’re far more invested in bludgeoning people into thinking like you than in actually putting forth a reasonable argument.
And spare me the lame argument that I’m “doing my best to construct and push forth the narrative.” It doesn’t take much more than an awareness of the media to see that Brown’s remark was going to be isolated and used to tweak him. Don’t blame me just because I seem to understand this better than you do.
Another Chris (35bdd0) — 1/21/2010 @ 4:51 pmchaos is an a**hole, Another Chris. Ignore the clod.
nk (df76d4) — 1/21/2010 @ 4:56 pmIt’s so unaffected. Put me in with the “it’s charming” contingency. I like when politicians do real stuff, even if it’s a little messy. They’re usually so carefully managed.
He’s proud of them and he’s having some fun. If this guy was anyone but the 41st vote, I’d probably like him.
He’ll soon be like the rest of them in Washington. I say enjoy this playful innocence while you can.
Myron (998393) — 1/21/2010 @ 5:27 pmNobody who wants power over the lives and property of other people is innocent, Myron, but what can we do?
nk (df76d4) — 1/21/2010 @ 5:35 pmThe more Brown adlibs before television cameras, the better.
Comment by DCSCA
Absolutely! This is what healthy love between a father and daughter looks like: affectionate, teasing, well humored and respectful. My husband and daughter have a similar relationship with each other. And it’s the foundation of trust that allows for such silliness and teasing.
Seriously, though, what really creeps me out is that Beck found a spontaneous and endearing moment, creepy. There’s something wrong with that.
Dana (1e5ad4) — 1/21/2010 @ 5:42 pm68.Nobody who wants power over the lives and property of other people is innocent, Myron, but what can we do?
nk: Ah, good point!
Myron (998393) — 1/21/2010 @ 5:51 pmWhen I heard the speech on the radio on my way home from work I cringed a bit. Of course, what he did was no worse than what my mother did to me or my sister on more than a few occasions. It’s one of those silly things parents do.
Fritz (b5b8d3) — 1/21/2010 @ 6:55 pmWhen I heard the speech on the radio on my way home from work I cringed a bit. Of course, what he did was no worse than what my mother did to me or my sister on more than a few occasions. It’s one of those silly things parents do. I could imagine a political enemy making hay, but what’s Beck’s problem?
Fritz (b5b8d3) — 1/21/2010 @ 6:58 pmBeck was not raised a Mormon; he converted as an adult.
Linus (f7bce5) — 1/21/2010 @ 11:00 pmI’m with Dana (#69)…what Beck read into this joking around was creepy. I thought the original comment was cute, and my husband and I (who have a 21-year-old daughter) both laughed. Brown and his family seem like fun — and fine – folks.
I am a true blue conservative (i.e., I’ve been a Limbaugh listener since 1992), and since he arrived at Fox News Channel (I’d never seen him before) I have never “gotten” Glenn Beck or his affectations and mannerisms. I don’t understand his popularity and frankly think he gives conservatives a bad name. With his emotionalism and overdramatization, he seems way out on the kooky fringe, kind of like Michael Savage. We may agree on some of the same issues, but I don’t care for his style at all. I really wish he’d just…go away, especially from Fox News Channel. Sigh.
Best wishes,
Laura (a0a90a) — 1/21/2010 @ 11:32 pmLaura
Comment by Another Chris — 1/21/2010 @ 12:50 pm
— Okay, dude. Consider the gauntlet picked up.
I don’t disagree that ultimately, this isn’t a big deal–and I said so in my comment, which I notice you studiously omitted in your rejoinder.
— I “studiously omitted” that part of your comment because I chose to respond to the other part of your comment, wherein you said that Brown “should know better than to give his opponents that kind of ammunition”. What do you mean by “that kind of ammunition”? Info that can be used for personal attacks? info that can be used to embarrass? info that could potentially render him a one-term Senator? If it “isn’t a big deal”, then what kind of real damage could this “ammunition” possibly cause?
But anyone who doesn’t think that Brown pointing out that his daughters are available in a venue where it wasn’t even relevant doesn’t understand how the media in this country works at all.
— I’m afraid that I don’t understand how that sentence structure works at all. First of all, this makes for consecutive sentences that contain a double negative (at least I think this is the case; in the first sentence “don’t disagree”, substituted for the shorter positive statement “I agree”, is definitely a double negative), the first “anyone who doesn’t think” needing to be replaced by “anyone that thinks” (‘that’ being the correct pronoun usage, rather than “who”) so as not to clash with the second use of the word “doesn’t”. Second, a sentence fragment is obviously missing — presumably, between the words “relevant” & “doesn’t” (possibly “doesn’t have consequences” or “doesn’t invite criticism”, either one making it three uses of the word “doesn’t” in one sentence!); a fragment that might describe the particular delusion under which you believe me to be operating.
As for his comments being “relevant” to the venue . . . he was introducing his family, live and in-person, to his supporters during HIS VICTORY SPEECH! What could possibly be more “relevant” or appropriate than that?
As I said, there’s a time and place for everything–that wasn’t it.
— Okay, so when & where, in your opinion, is the right time & place for this personal revelation/introduction of the Senator-elect’s family to his supporters? on his website? in a newsletter? face-to-face with no cameras or microphones close enough to pick up what is said? Should he wait six years, and even then first make sure that his re-election bid is secure before daring to mention that he has offspring?
The Browns surely don’t think it’s a big deal, and ultimately it probably won’t be in the long run. But the last thing he needs going into office is for the media and the Dems to construct a narrative that he doesn’t mind pimping out his daughters.
— As of the time you read this response, has the scenario that you envisioned above taken place? Where the fuck is YOUR mind anyway? He mentions that his legal-age daughter doesn’t (there, now I’ve used it!) have a boyfriend, and you think the Dems can spin it as ‘pimping her out’?
Anyone that saw what happened to Palin during the last election ought to be cautious about what they say in such a hyper-visible venue. “One-day stories” have a habit of coming back to haunt politicians.
— 1) Brown has ALREADY WON his election! 2) For someone that stated “this isn’t a big deal”, and chastised me for not acknowledging said statement, you sure seem to be making a big deal out of what the opposition will try to make out of these comments.
The problem with your caution of ‘don’t give them anything they can use’ is that he doesn’t (I’ve said it again!*) need to “give” them anything. As shown by the false accusations made by the Coakley campaign: if it ain’t already there, they’ll invent it.
[* unabashed Monty Python & The Holy Grail “Knights who say ‘Ni'” reference]
Icy Texan (6e3930) — 1/22/2010 @ 4:29 amI think some people do not know what the word “available” means. It is the opposite of “taken,” or “married,” and is shorthand for “single,” and “unaffianced.” In other words, it is a thoroughly conservative notion, as is the idea that it would be the parents who spoke for their daughters availability.
It is only since the 60’s that approaching young women directly about their availability became the norm. If Mr. Brown thought it was a good idea to make this information public, he has pretty much every parent in human history on his side. Until the age of Ms, this information was contained in every woman’s name!
For a father in the spotlight to find such an amusing way to introduce his daughters to the world shows an amazing comic confidence. It’s brilliant. The only question of propriety is the risk he took with his daughters’ introduction. What if he failed to pull it off gracefully? But he knew he could do it and he did it. In this case, there was no risk. Absolutely brilliant, exceeded only by the Obama-truck-basketball riff that follows (which also had Ayla beaming and laughing throughout).
How Beck can watch such an awesome display of comic talent and not see it is bizarre, especially as he is a performer himself. Maybe as a matter of professional jealousy he does not want to see it. When he sees another talent, he instinctively sees a competitor and seeks to cut him down.
Alec Rawls (51d49a) — 1/22/2010 @ 4:44 pmActually, given Beck’s recent history of having death threats against him and his family- the point te FBI has investigated the threats- I took his criticism to mean that he felt it was foolish to expose them to potential threats. They even mention in the clip that there are a lot of nutcases out there that could take it as an invitation. I think Beck was thinking about that more than any concerns about the propriety of the Brown’s remarks. In fact it you listen to the rest of the hour of Beck’s program, that is stated. Directly. He’s concerned because of things happening to him.
On the other hand, I think the dead intern comment, while meant to riff on Beck’s instinctual distrust of politicians (especially after he practically endorsed Sanford prior to that guy’s sex scandal), was poor taste and he should apologize for implying Brown might do similar or worse, even if just a joke.
Steve Taylor (2b5897) — 1/23/2010 @ 9:30 am