Obama should call Ashley Todd, if he hasn't already

[sampsonblk]

She is a confused, sick child. Despite what she has done, she is far too young to be tossed in the wastebasket.

Obama could at least call and offer encouragement for her to seek help and become a sane, productive citizen.

That's my two cents.

Edit = typo

[Bicoastal]

1. Are you kidding?

I don't buy for a SECOND that she is confused and sick. Judging by the evidence, she seemed to know EXACTLY what she was doing when she did it--this whole "I don't remember doing it, therefore I'm crazy and blameless" stuff is BS.

As for Obama, he shouldn't take a second of his time to get involved with this story. The whole thing is MILES beneath him.

[K Gardner]

78. Exactly. This post is a perfect example of why Obama doesn't take campaign advise from DU :-)

[AlCzervik]

2. no.

[Desertrose]

5. Make that Hell NO.

[VeraAgnes]

3. I don't think so............

Let's just move past that thought. That is my 2 cents as well.

[doublethink]

4. ........

[RagAss]

6. You know he would..... that heart of his is pure.

[abumbyanyothername]

7. Well I agree.

I would not make it the world's highest priority or anything.

But I am definitely of the "rise above it" school of thought.

And so are Obama and Axelrod, from what I can see.

After the election, remember that Obama has to lead the whole nation, and he is not walking into easy circumstances.

[Heather MC]

8. WTF!!!!!!!

All black people should stay as far way from that stupid bitch as humanly possible

What if her lied had led to an innocent black man being arrested or killed
If she lied about the attack, she is also lying about being Mental
Fuck her

[RagAss]

9. Yes, agreed. But what if he called and told her that?

[sampsonblk]

18. I am not afraid of Ashley Todd

She is the one who apparently is afraid.

Ashley Todd did something stupid and dangerous out of some irrational fear of an Obama presidency.

[kestrel91316]

50. How do you know she didn't do it out of SHEER MEANNESS?

I mean, really. She's a Republican and they consider meanness a sacrament.

[uppityperson]

82. Hi kestrel, thank you. I am getting tired of the assumptions.

"she didn't mean it", "she didn't know", etc. Maybe she did. Being mentally unbalanced is NO excuse since that could be used for ANY crime. The only reason anyone does bad things is they are unbalanced and we *should* feel sorry for them. Well, other than feeling sorry for every human being, I don't find holding people responsible is wrong.

There are lots of projections, lots of assumptions, being posted today. Maybe she did know. Maybe she did mean it.

[rvablue]

10. She's been proven a liar and also that she doesn't care who she hurts with her lies, what if:

Obama called her to be nice and caring and then she turns around and tells the media that he said something untoward or mean to her.

No way. No how. Stay away from that looney tune!!!!!!!

[SunsetDreams]

16. rvablue, I totally agree with you

[oldcoot]

20. Exactly

Obama and his campaign need to stay as far away from Todd as possible. The Freepers would also take this as a sign that she was an Obama campaign worker posing as a McCain campaign worker.

[adamuu]

11. what? without "preconditions"?

:sarcasm:

seriously, though, if she admits that she is a racist, a liar, and blames no one but herself, then maybe...

[KingFlorez]

12. No, he shouldn't

She is a racist liar and calling her would only be excusing her disgusting actions. We don't know if she even really has mental problems, a lot of people who get in trouble claim mental illness, it's not always true though.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

13. Are you

a fucking idiot?

That's rhetorical. The answer if fairly obvious.

[FLyellowdog]

14. No, they put out a statement...NO CALL.

[SKKY]

15. If I thought it were a question of blue v. red, I'd agree. But, my gut tells...

...me that this is probably black v. white, and if that's the case, she can pack sand.

[MNDemNY]

17. Have you seen medical evidence that I have not?

Just 'cus she "seems" and claims to suffer from a mental problem, does not mean she does. She may be just a zealot who made a calculated decision that back fired. At this point all I see is a criminal, one who should be pursued under hate crime laws.

[sampsonblk]

28. That's textbook GOP thinking

Its foolish to go by what she says. She is obviously not reliable.

Its her actions that make me think she is very sick and very confused. Plus I saw the YouTube video of her. She has some serious issues, in my opinion.

In any event, we Dems generally tend toward rehabilitation. The "lock them up and throw away the key" stuff is usually reserved for the other side.

This girl is 20 years old. Far too young for me to hate. I have seen too many 20 year olds in big trouble, only to grow up later and really be productive.

Hell, 10 years from now she could be a Dem congresswoman. You just never know with kids!

[MNDemNY]

45. So, by your reasoning...

any one who commits a crime, especially a young person, and claims they have a mental disorder, we should just believe them and get them some help, and let them go on with their poor, misunderstood lives??? That's crazy talk. And even sillier is your sarcastic statement that " It's foolish to go by what she says. She is obviously not reliable" , Just after you claim she is certainly mentally unstable. Your talking in fuckin' circles!!!! Sheesh. Put a band-aid on that heart of yours.And I said nothing akin to " lock her up and throw away the key" all I want is her crime to be prosecuted for what it is.

[sampsonblk]

54. Maybe your anger is blinding you

That whole thing about me talking in a circle is... well please re-read what was said. You talked yourself into the circle. That isn't about me, thats about your apparent rage.

Fortunately, I am not alone in my thinking.

[MNDemNY]

56. Fortunately, the courts will decide, not you.

[americanmaverick]

19. no way

If she was old enough to pull that off , she must be old enough to deal with the consequences.
The McCain campaign embraced her story, THEY should offer her encouragement to seek help.

[Lex]

21. hahaha

Um, NO.

Obama should stay away from that whole trainwreck.

[John Q. Citizen]

22. Why don't you throw her bail?

[DevonRex]

23. No way in HELL. God only knows what she would say or do

after such a call. Once you've been proven to be a unstable at best or sociopathic at worst, you don't get ANY calls from the guy you tried to hurt.

Should victims call their stalkers and ask them to seek treatment? Of course not. It feeds their obsession. Same thing here.

[KansasVoter]

24. FAIL!!!

[DevonRex]

25. I do think you have a kind heart, though. nt

[Essene]

26. absolutely not

maybe a month from now after she's had evaluations and the full truth is out, somebody in the campaign could send a personal message of good will... IF she has serious mental problems.

otherwise... no way.

[Blue Diadem]

27. Not a good idea.

She's a habitual liar, she would lie about why he called and what he said.

[CakeGrrl]

29. Nope; radioactive. Let the calls from McCain and Palin be the only ones on record. n/t

[Sodan]

30. Obama should continue to concentrate on winning the election.

Not calling bigots.

Can't fix stupid.

[TheKentuckian]

31. That would be black assailant could be 12

and there would be few calls for kindness and redemption.

He would be too young for the wastebasket too but fuck if anybody would care, there would be deafening calls for his head. Whites are quick to point to their young fuck ups as disturbed and confused but it is real easy for a minority to be a criminal.

Of course I believe in a path to redemption, a chance to earn forgiveness, and helping people become the best they person they can be but I'm tired of these sob stories for these evil douchbag rich white kids and the book for everyone else.

[TheKentuckian]

32. and no he doesn't need to call her

he said enough, that the person behind this should be brought quickly to justice. Well, that person is Ashley and I see no reason to amend that statement on her no good account.

[graywarrior]

33. And make it more political?

He's gonna be our president, not our therapist or our daddy.

[sampsonblk]

34. It doesn't have to be a big public thing

I am sure he could do it privately.

[Essene]

74. maybe in a month... it would be a great gesture... from michelle... IF...

If she turns out to be truly mentally unstable.

Not now.

Personally, until more evaluation is done of this woman's mental state... her past... and of the political dynamics around the story, he shouldn't touch it with a 10 ft pole. There's nothing honorable in reaching out to her under these circumstances.

If it turns out that she's just a really disturbed girl, then perhaps a month from now a lower level person from Obama's team could visit her and relay a message of forgiveness and good will. Or maybe Michelle.

[jberryhill]

35. Radioactive - BUT...

She needs to get home to her parents and get some counseling.

Bail was set at $50K and she was put in a prison psych setting, instead of being committed to a 72 hour observation at an appropriate facility.

I can see where the state would rather not hand her a competence defense on the one hand, but on the other hand it would be nice if her bail was taken care of by a responsible adult, and she gets the help she needs.

I can't see the point in a 50K bond here.

[TheKentuckian]

48. Bullshit, she has demonstrated herself to be a danger to the larger

community and needs to fucking cool her heels and think about how she could have gotten people killed or set off a riot.

I can promise you that people are under much higher bonds, that endangered no one and certainly far fewer people, and that are less of a flight risk.

Ashley Todd is a criminal a notch below a murderer or a rapist. Far worse than any thief or someone busted for selling contraband or sex to another willing adult. Where's the compassion for people that have set out intending far less harm that come from much tougher spots?

Ashley Todd is scum and if she wants to stop being scum then she needs to change who she is and EARN her second chance because too many young people sure as hell go down the toilet without a second thought, even by many that hold out hope for this blackhearted bitch.

[jberryhill]

69. She is a demonstrated danger to herself

Which is sufficient for a psych referral for observation.

If you are asking about my compassion for some individual, then start a thread where the conversation is about that individual.

Yours is selective, mine is not. Sorry for you.

[terrya]

36. He should stay as far away from this as possible.

Nope.

[gblady]

46. Agree....

....ignore....

[nomaco-10]

37. Her family, friends, the proper authorities and a mental health....

intervention is what this young woman needs, not a phone call from Obama. The kind thing to do would be for him not to acknowledge it so that she can move on and get the counciling and or punishment she needs without drawing more attention and negative notoriety to her at this point.

Knowing Obama, I think that's exactly what he will do.

[BrotherBuzz]

38. Obama's press release prior to her confession is more than sufficent

I like pie.

[malik flavors]

39. You're forgetting this will be seen through a politcal lens. It would be a bad move.

[BeyondGeography]

40. Actually, I think Ashley Todd should call Obama

After/if she heals herself. Then Obama would be in a position to help her, not before.

[BrotherBuzz]

42. Oh, good answer.

[Essene]

75. i much prefer this idea... and michelle obama could return a nice gesture

[MarthaMyDear]

41. NO!

[ladjf]

43. I disagree. Best leave her alone and let the officials deal with her.

[LisaL]

44. Oh good lord.

Why on Earth would he do that?

[sampsonblk]

47. Because she is a confused, misled child

...and hearing from him would probably change her life before its too late.

[LisaL]

66. When exactly does one stop being a child?

Give me a break.

[kestrel91316]

49. Not just no, but HELL NO.

Don't get me wrong, he of all people could probably talk some sense into her if he had a face-to-face, but no one in their right mind would INJECT THEMSELVES into a criminal case that only peripherally involves them.

She owes him an apology, and if SHE chooses to contact HIM to apologize, that's another matter.

[El Fuego]

51. WTF? She committed a CRIME. The judicial system will deal with her.

The Pittsburgh police department is outraged because police resources were pulled from real crimes because of her false accusation. What she's done is very serious. What if she were able to get an innocent black man arrested and charged? What about the potential for racial unrest it could cause, and the fall out from that?

It's not Obama's responsibility to make sure this piece of human trash becomes a sane, productive citizen. She's a criminal, and the system will deal with her like anyone else.

Maybe we'll be seeing her on a different MSNBC show. She could go from being on COUNTDOWN to LOCKUP.

[On the Road]

52. It Is an Interesting Idea

and one that would probably be good politically.

The last pope visited his would-be assassin, forgave him, met with him, and actually developed a friendship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehmet_Ali_A%C4%9Fca

It is not unthinkable that a call from Obama would have a profound effect on Ms. Todd.

[Tarheel_Dem]

53. Dumbest. Idea. Ever.

Why would Sen. Obama want to become embroiled in this politically volatile situation? No matter what her intent, she's damaged goods, which is why the McCain camp who intially pushed this story, have backed off, and are trying to make believe that it never happened.

You talk as if she got caught with a dime bag. Had she not been proven a liar, this could have potentially set off rioting in the streets, and innocent black men being harrassed by law enforcement. Please get a grip on your "bleeding" heart.

[Sheepshank]

55. Absolutely not!!!

1. She doesn't deserve the credibility and acknowledgement
2> She doesn't deserve to have Obama take the time to call her
3# She'd never appreciate a call from Obama
4) She'd twist Obama's words into some other hateful event
5! I deserve to hear from Obama instead.

[EastTennesseeDem]

57. He could call her and thank her for Pennsylvania

[pitohui]

58. what should he call her? fucktard is what i'd prob. call her, good thing i'm not in politics

seriously obama does not need to have any communication w. a hysterical fuckwit psychopath, kthx

what good could come of involving oneself with a known liar?

[Raineyb]

59. Are you mad?

Not just no, not just hell no, but hell fucking no!

Regards

[treestar]

60. Hell no!

As an attention whore, she's already had her due!

[Forkboy]

61. Nice gesture, but Obama should steer clear of every McCain related train wreck.

Just keep doing his thing, which is clearly working. Let the McCain campaign get distracted by this nonsense. Obama has 10 days to go. He should just keep spreading his message and ignore this stuff.

[alcibiades_mystery]

62. Worst idea of the day

Congratulations.

[Wolfies Revenge]

63. why should he give her the attention

she deserves to rot.

[Canuckistanian]

64. No. It's THEIR sordid little affair

And if Obama gets mixed up in it, he's just wasting his time on TRIVIALITIES.

This woman doesn't represent any kind of values that Obama wants to encourage.

I understand compassion, but politically you don't score points with it.

[Hans Delbrook]

65. I do NOT consider her to be a child

20 - a CHILD? Sorry - I don't buy it. I was working my way through college at that age, so was my husband - both of us were carrying a full academic load and paying our own bills. At 20 my dad was a Sargent fighting in WW2 w/ 3 years combat already under his belt, while my mom was working 50 hours a week and living on her own. I could go on but you get my drift.

Moreover this ADULT has yet to show one shred of remorse or accept one bit of responsibility. And if her IQ was above the mid-double digit range she would have pulled this off well enough to at least still be causing a shit-storm of bad publicity for Obama in a crucial swing state.

At the worst she could have caused some wild-eyed yahoos to go after some innocent men - it's a miracle no one was hurt or killed over this thing. Only by the grace of it falling apart so quickly was the death or suffering of innocent men prevented. I come from that area and I KNOW how high tempers run and how ingrained prejudice and racism still are.

I'll show her some pity when she shows me that she recognizes what a foul and outrageous - and yes, dangerous stunt this was.

[Bucky]

67. Pay no attention to those naysayers. I think hope can cure her.

But maybe after the election would be better.

[Ozma]

68. Obama can offer her a health care plan to cover her mental illness. n/t

[El Fuego]

72. She obviously has "special needs." No wonder she is a republican.

[asdjrocky]

70. NFW.

Obama doesn't inject himself into bullshit like this. That's McTrolls job. And I'm sick of people feeling sorry for this asshole.

[AlCzervik]

73. no kidding, his campaign issued a statement on that day, he doesn't need to do anything

more at this point.

I love how much wrong advice Obama gets here. Bob Shrum has nothing on du.

[asdjrocky]

79. Oh yeah, that great Democratic strategist Bob Shrum.

Don't get me started.

[TheDonkey]

71. ~B*U~L*L~*S~H*I~T*

Obama does not need to waste his time talking to that attention whore piece of trash.

[vaberella]

76. I thought this was sarcasm, but you're serious. He has no need to call her for any reason.

She wanted to start a race war, she was going to ruin some Black man's life to continue her lie and you think Obama should give her a call? Are you mad? He's not her father or mother or her concious. Nothing he says will "fix" her. He has bigger things to worry about than a right wing nut.

[Genevieve]

77. sorry, but i find this idea beyond ridiculousness. . nt

[hiphopnation]

80. yeah

lying wingnuts are far more deserving of the attention of our candidate than struggling americans who support his campaign.

what are you smoking?

[uppityperson]

81. Holding her responsible for her actions & getting her help does NOT ="toss in wastebasket".