Gross.

OMG! LOL!

I watched this with my eye on that hand, thinking “what’s the problem?” and then….ack!

I thought, Oh, another overreaction to innocent grandfatherly touching until that last second boob grab! Awwwww, that IS creepy! And then they post this one and not a re-take?!
Gotta go watch it again and look at the little girl’s face….

Who is campaigning for Martin? Seems like there should be a concerted effort by Democrats including Obama to get Martin elected. WTF are they waiting for?

Holy shit! What a skeeezola. And that family is ugly. doesn’t do him any favors. and what’s that painting over the fireplace?

OH. My. Gawd.

Perhaps by so soliciting votes he is admitting that he is dependent on the kindness of strangers. Not to mix metaphors, or anything.

Martin’s campaign ought to run this ad as often as they can afford to.

Uhm. By watching this aren’t we guilty of downloading child porn? In fact, isn’t Big Daddy guilty of distributing child porn? Someone should try to file a formal complaing. Bush’s DOJ has broadened the standards for child porn far enough that this has to fit in.

cute accents though.

Hey BT! You hand us that, and you expect us to worry about how firm the media censor be? We need to have a little chat.

I wonder if the Moose cheesewhiz will straighten everything out Monday by sacrificing a turkey.

I fear for the citizens of this fine state of Hooterville.

gosh darn.

WTHIO,

Where the hell is Obama? A personal appearance would seal the deal for Martin. Too busy appearing non-political?

Whut u sittin’ there like a director? Git hup & find the “go” gear. Them as has the idees carrs ‘um out, y’hear? Now g’wan.

I have to wonder how far behind the rest of the country the majority of the citizenry of Georgia is, and I’ve wondering that ever since Max Cleland was defeated by Sexby Saxby Chambliss six years ago.

You have to imagine that if Georgia didn’t have a large black population Obama would have lost the state by 40%.

Will these people ever grow up and quit pouting about the fact that their joining in the treason that the Civil War represents was defeated by people (like Lincoln) and soldiers (like Sherman* and Grant) smarter, and, frankly, more patriotic and determined than they were?

(This’ll bring out the Deep South hate, but W.T. Sherman is a forebear of mine.)

I do believe he’s doing important things and, hopefully, finding a few quiet moments to enjoy being with his family. Dear man. He can’t do EVERYTHING for everybody.

I dunno. Georgia’s a relatively progressive “New South” place by SE standards, I think, at least relative to points west and east. Some of their neighbors are a lot worse.

I glad you all told me to keep watching. He is undoing all the years we’ve been teaching about “bad touch.” Guess he didn’t have an editor.

ouch. *snaps mouth shut almost without uttering a sound*

Can you imagine what the Fox/NRO/Limbaugh shills would be SCREAMING if an elderly Democratic Party Senator did that on the airwaves? Like dosido, I started watching, as Chambliss sorta holds his granddaughter’s right breast, with her lags straddling his right leg, thinking, “Well this isn’t quite over the line…”

Then those last few seconds.

Looks like Sarah’s kind of candidate. eewwww

Presser question for Palin on Sunday – Gov. Palin would you mind If Chamblis put his hand on your daughters chest?

I just listened again. I’m pretty sure the kids said “Pig Daddy”.

ewwwww

That too. But, in an ideal world, isn’t a seasoned (brine-cured?) politician supposed to have a modicum of common sense?

watching him together with sarah may be a virtual car-wreck.

Has anyone checked that mans computors

Remember, never ask the question when you don’t know the answer.

From Palin any answer would be a hoot.

omg. it’s official by gumbo. note the saxby.org in the upper right corner.

i think i’m going to be sick.

Well, yeah, a modicum maybe. But I live in TX…you know, Tom DeLay, W…so you never know.

Blue Texan’s post and the ensuing comments are absolutely out of line. He’s just a grandpa, and he’s not doing anything at all wrong. Turning this into something disgusting is using a page straight out of the Republican playbook–out of Chambliss’s playbook, in fact.

Let’s be better than that.

He probably doesn’t grope his granddaughter but it looked so wrong – why in the world didn’t they see this and re-make the ad? It is certainly eeeeeewwwwww.

so. you’re in de state of denial, eh. bigger than life. awl country. cockroach killers who begin resembling their prey.

Stay safe, dear RevBev.

This has got to be the opener on SNL on Saturday.

I’m 100% with DW5000 on this one – I have no use for Chambliss but I don’t see anything wrong with this. If she were 16 and he grabbed her tit it would be different. But unless you have some excellent reason to believe he’s a perv (haven’t seen/heard of any evidence), all you have is grandad hugging a little (note “PRE-pubescent”) grandchild.

Sweet chocolate covered Jeebus with sprinkles and goober clusters! I really cannot believe they let that go out. I am totally creeped out.

DW5000 – grabbing a young girl’s tits is by definition inappropriate, especially if you are her grandfather.

they won’t touch it. imo

this whole thread has me ROFLMAO. you guys are great company, lol.

Yikes!! They’re airing this? Ewwwww!

cuz all grandpas do this?

oh. here honey. i found your glasses. they fell behind the couch.

Thanks. It was easier to be careful when Molly was with us to be the serious sS*kicker. She has not been replaced…not even slightly.

speakin’ o’ Palin, how’re Bristol’s wedding plans comin’ along? anyone know?

suggest we don’t go there. i sense deep pain. and why won’t that momma stay home and do some motherin’?

Levi’s holding out for more $$$

@ Adie – I was wearing my glasses (even wiped them off just before viewing clip). I’m absolutely no fan of inappropriate touching – it’s just not here.

If 12 is pre-pub, that is still a time to be free from grabbing. Assuming his grab was inadvertent, why wouldn’t they re-do the shot.

DrDick:

1) She appears too young to have tits.

2) It looks more like he has a hand on her stomach, especially seeing as how he tickles her at the end of the spot.

Listen: I hate these guys as much as anyone, but there are enough real things to bust them on for us to bother with this crap.

Both of us! I was thinking of her also. I miss her so….

@ RevBev – I can see why they should have redone the shot – just don’t buy that he intended to touch her inappropriately.

Well I see your point, but I’m just laughing at this faux pas esp. in a choreographed TV ad in which there is the opportunity for a do over. I’m also laughing at the recognition of many Ick moments with Icky relatives that don’t have a clue.

fine. eye of the beholder, kinda? whatever.

and DW5000

What planet did you guys grow up on? no snark.

This discussion is off the rails. Girls are born with “tits” and are aware of that at an early age. An inappropriate touch is certainly any time it is unwanted, a very salient factor. This little girl did not have a choice.

It’s not that it’s perceived pruriently by us. It’s just something that makes the flesh crawl. Stomach turning. However, the fact that it would be put out for airing without a fix to that, is really really dumb.

Seriously?

And to fellow firepups…I really don’t mean to pile on, I was just wanting to know if it was still on or not. That’s all.

Don’t think she has to have tits to be respected and to learn about inappropriateness.

“What planet did you guys grow up on? no snark.”

Really, Adie? No snark? You mean, then, that you’re literally asking what planet I grew up on?

This is just a grandpa. Nothing perverse going on. If something perverse were going on, he would have set things up a different way, or he would have reshot the thing.

Use your brains, people.

@ Adie – I’m well aware that young girls are far too often sexually abused by relatives and that is inexcusable and should be prosecuted – I don’t think that was happening here. Dosido is right, too.

“Don’t think she has to have tits to be respected and to learn about inappropriateness.”

Sure, mike. This is not inappropriate touching, though. Was she laughing at the end when he tickled her, or was she looking scared?

I think what you say is part of the discomfort here. There are icky relatives…without either a clue or a concern….then, they get a pass b/c that’s just “ol’ grandpa” or Uncle Joe, etc. Shouldn’t someone from the Senate be expected to have some sensibility or have we already dissed that expectation?

You’ll note the post begins:

What media genius in the Chambliss campaign approved this spot?

Clearly, it looks creepy. Now obviously Chambliss doesn’t know it looks creepy, and maybe he wasn’t aware of the position of his hand. But his media people should know better.

Piling on?

I suggest the Hon. Mr. Chambliss not try to become a teacher in any OH grade schools.

And no. We’re neither hysterical nits, nor prudes. Although, for the sake of truthiness, I should confess that some of my ancesters did indeed help burn witches in Salem, according to family lore. …not a proud moment…

She was absolutely in a position without an option…on camera, she is not going to say stop it, grandpa.

Aw heck. I thot mebbe you joined those of us who took that national civics test last week. Must ‘a been on there somewhere on the 16th page.

OK, peace everybody. Isn’t it great we can disagree on the same board? yay. In fairness, I just showed this to my teen daughter (without telling her what to look for) and she was more focused on what people were saying than anything else. She didn’t notice. Then I asked her if she’d like to be hugged like that and she said “oh. no!” with an embarrassed smirk. No way.

And she’s too old to be sitting as she is. Laps are for little kids. JMO

so… if it’s done, it must be o.k.

did i just DREAM the past 8 years???!?

We can be better than that!

Thanksgiving Message from Chambliss Family redux
video

hoo boy. Where’s Pach when we need him…

agree. I really think it’s a case of a busy old man without a clue. I do think he or at least his handlers should be more savvy.

Anyone in Georgia who is mandated to report child abuse, report it!!! You have the proof right here. And you are legally obliged to report this! The state is then legally obliged to initiate an investigation.

And voters… do you want a senator who has been investigated for child abuse and who shows it to you on tv?

Where are this child’s parents? Oh, yeah… right there in the picture.

And what is a child this age doing on anyone’s knee?

I think this candidacy is going down….

Big Daddy? More like Big Grabby. Even assuming his intent is innocent (and I am making no assumption either way myself), I think we should apply a variation of the “Clinton test”: what would happen if a Democratic candidate did the exact same thing? Right.

Lay off the child abuse meme. Even if its true, and there is no evidence it is, its bad politics. Hang around his neck the necklace he himself chose:

Thanksgiving Message from Chambliss Family redux
video 1:11

You stay classy, Saxby.

My grand dauter will be 6 in a couple of weeks. I feel it would be inappropriate for me to clutch her that way. Chambliss and his clan may not see anything wrong but many do.

Thank you for your comments.

I’m going to hazard a not-too-wild guess that you have never been called a prude in your life. Correct?

I guess I’m about to be. Yikes.

Who is campaigning for Martin? Seems like there should be a concerted effort by Democrats including Obama to get Martin elected. WTF are they waiting for?

Here’s my fantasy. They are doing it under the radar, and will bring out the vote on election day. It would be the correct play, if true, because the polling lead lulls Chambliss’s support into staying home, whereas an overt play brings them out in droves, like it did in November. If Obama’s people were to pull this off — which I strongly doubt — it would be the shot that sinks the pirate ship Republik. None of the f*ckers would feel safe, and that’s exactly where we’d like them to be.

Lay off the child abuse meme. Even if its true, and there is no evidence it is, its bad politics. Hang around his neck the necklace he himself chose

I like that approach. Quite possibly, he just spent his hard-earned campaign money to run an attack ad against hisownself. Poetic justice.

/s if you wish, or not if you don’t

Would like to suggest that we refrain from namecalling or asking about people’s place of origin as we discuss the Chambliss- Martin election, coming up this Tuesday.

Much appreciated.

Thanks Adie. Wouldn’t it be cool if the redux version went viral instead of the orginial? Now where could I find a renowned progressive blog that might be interested in featuring the poke in the eye, that he so justly deserves?

so… if it’s done, it must be o.k.

You’re making less and less sense as the thread wears on.

Saying that something bad is not happening is not the same thing as saying, “Ignore the bad thing that’s happening.”

did i just DREAM the past 8 years???!?

I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean.

They say they are praying for president-elect Obama? What excatly do they want their God to do to Obama?

She was absolutely in a position without an option…on camera, she is not going to say stop it, grandpa.

I have dealt with scores of kids each day for the past nineteen years, and I have seen, all too often, kids under a compulsion to say that nothing was going on–bullying or whatever–when it actually was. This little girl didn’t give that vibe.

Of course, I’m basing this determination on the same scrap of video that the pro-molestation posters are using, so none of us are dealing with the best possible evidence.

I am not talking about vibes…she really did not have an out. If you’ve been dealing with kids, you surely know about boundaries…the unwanted touch, asking permission. I do not know how old you think she is. Putting a stop to where he puts his hands should not be up to her. To think he can just grab her all over, so to speak, is a liberty he, the adult, should not have.

As discussed above, his hands may be inadvertently stupid, that is to say, not purient. That does not abrogate his duty to know better.

I do not actually think it was necessarily an intentional grope (I have no way of knowing), but it was a grope (innocent or otherwise) none the less and right on her breast. For what its worth, I rechecked at the larger video at YouTube and it does appear that she is starting to develop breasts (not that this is particularly relevant), which was my initial impression. The basic point here is that this is not the kind of image you want associated with a political campaign (at least not if you want to win).

Oh come on, BT…it’s his GRANDDAUGHTER!

Good grief! I mean, sure, old men molest their family members and yes, he’s a creep, but please. Grow up.

Bill Clinton goes to the heart of it -
Republicans feigned outrage over the Patreaus ad,
Swiftboating Kerry,
Swiftboating Sen. Max Cleland.

Saxby Chambliss not trustworthy VIDEO 1:11

Really? I’m impressed. Sherman’s my hero, and my only criticism of him ever is that he didn’t [Mod: no] would have been my preference.

Some people really need to read the post more carefully.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

If the Saxby ad is “gross,” and the GA citizenry are as backward as most of these posts suggest, then how would you characterize Barney Frank’s characterization of Fannie a few years ago as “solid” vis-a-vis the Mass electorate?

Sounds like anti-South bigotry to me. That’s not very progressive.

Oh come on, BT…it’s his GRANDDAUGHTER!

Good grief! I mean, sure, old men molest their family members and yes, he’s a creep, but please. Grow up.

Sure old men molest their family members? Grow up? What the f*** was your point? Because it’s his granddaughter it’s okay for him to grab her chest area?

Just because it’s his granddaughter doesn’t mean that is normal. They felt completely comfortable sending out the ad like that. I would not be comfortable with my father or father-in-law grabbing my daughter that way. I would have had a talk with them.

Yep, that’s GOP Senator material right there. I wonder if he has any felonies to applaud.

It is not only that Chambliss probably accidentally and nervously inappropriately touched the girl, but being such a patriarch, and all about him existing on the patriarchal kool-aid, this commercial would actually get produced with that moment included! I think sadly of the girl re-living the moment every time she sees it. Not only being betrayed by the perpetrator of said accidental, probably, groping, but the people-pleasing kool-aid drinkers that fill Saxby’s world and are willing to DENY what should not, in this day and age especially, be easily deniable!

Just having a little girl sitting on the lap of a republican whether it’s her grandfather or father is creepy to me.

They felt completely comfortable sending out the ad like that. I would not be comfortable with my father or father-in-law grabbing my daughter that way. I would have had a talk with them.

Maybe they felt completely comfortable because they know nothing is happening.

While I don’t believe that Saxby Chambliss has any inappropriate intentions toward his granddaughter, that sure is one creepy political advertisement. My guess is that Sexless or one of his genius Republican strategists thought it would be cute/grandfatherly to have Saxby hold one of his grandkids as he made his little speech but surely someone should have reviewed that footage afterward and realized how inappropriate that looked. And that “vote for Big Daddy” line was totally bizarre

The whole political advertisement is terrible. It is obviously meant to poject the image of a warm and loving family but it actually conveys exactly the opposite. Half the family looks like they don’t want to be there, the dialogue is stiff, forced and cliched and the shows of affection don’t even look genuine. Saxby must have produced this ad on his own, it has about as much charm as he does

Im am thinking about an Oxdown discussion of the tensions in this debate. But, to DW, I find your completely inflexible, if not closed minded, position on this very perplexing. As they say about lawyers, ;), sometimes wrong, but never in doubt.

I agree with RevDeb (couldn’t cut and paste): this was, likely unintentional, but nevertheless extremely inapropriate touching. You do not touch young girls on their privates, their butts, or their chest, breasts or no. Nor do you touch boys on their privates or butts. Sorry, it’s just not okay to touch, pat, or grab children there, grandfather or not.

And possibly, his hand landed there, too high, one time, but then he does it again, and he had have been aware it wasn’t her stomach he was touching.

Also, this girl was too grownup to be sitting on anyone’s lap, grandpa, dad, or funny uncle.

Finally, kids are not comfortable saying cut it out, particularly to family members who touch inapropriately.

This isn’t about “what is happening.” No one knows “what is happening.” It’s about the way it looks — it’s about a public relations ad attempting to score votes for Saxby.

What does the ad show us about Saxby? That he’s insensitive to the feelings and objections of people who wouldn’t mind seeing his grand-daughter on his lap, but really do mind that he wasn’t careful with his hand placement.

Little girls, at that age, don’t mind being hugged. In fact girls of any age don’t mind being hugged by daddy, granddaddy, big daddy and all the other loving daddies in their lives. But everyone has to be careful of where they place their hands.

Just like they would have stopped an add if she accidentally touched his dick, they should have pulled an ad where he accidentally touched her tits no matter how small either of them might be.

the South will rise again!

‘cue banjoes’

But, to DW, I find your completely inflexible, if not closed minded, position on this very perplexing.

Not perplexing at all. I’m in a profession where the slightest hint of what you guys are dead sure is being perpretrated by Chambliss (who I think, by the way, is one of the bad guys–just so we’re clear where I’m coming from) means the end of one’s career. I’m also a guy whose daughter was, in fact, molested by dear old grandpa. I’m very sensitive to both sides.

If I honestly thought for a second that that’s what the guy was up to, I’d be screaming for his head. It’s clearly not, and the truly perplexing thing is the torch-and-pitchfork mentality on display here. I might as well stick to trolling over at Flopping Aces or Confederate Yankee if I’m going to have to deal with rabid knee-jerkism anyway; at least I know that those posters over there are dumbasses. I’m just surprised to find Lefties displaying the same approach to political debate.

There’s no percentage in being flexible and saying, “Yeah, you might be right,” if, in fact, I don’t think that you’re right and, further, that you’re making horribly damaging accusations based on, frankly, nothing at all.

The end: Mostly I think you have not understood the concerns in those who do not see this discussion as you.

The end: Mostly I think you have not understood the concerns in those who do not see this discussion as you.

Sure, I do. I’m not retarded. “Understanding” doesn’t necessarily equal “agreeing with.” I understand the fears you and others have about what is revealed in this video in much the same way that I understand that “Obama is a Muslim” and “the Flight 94 Memorial is a tribute to Islam”; that is to say, the words you are writing make sense in English, but I don’t share your fears.

Compare the two ads:

The Chambliss attack ad on Jim Martin: video

and the Jim Martin campaign response…

Jim Martin, trying to keep Saxby Chambliss out of jail, video

“Georgia’s a relatively progressive “New South” place by SE standards, I think, at least relative to points west and east.”

I have a friend who is a lifelong Georgia resident. He says Georgia is pretty much lost — except for Atlanta.