Why would someone do an interview with their kids on their laps?

[RB TexLa]

A thread has something about Fred Thompson's child chewing on something. I didn't care what the child is eating, but why would you have children in the room while doing an interview?

[AlCzervik]

1. soft ball vanity piece.

[RB TexLa]

2. Still, put the things in another room

[AlCzervik]

3. he's trying to show he's just a regular family man imo.

[eyesroll]

4. Children are not things.

:eyes:

[MUAD_DIB]

7. When they're used as props they can be.

[Orrex]

5. One word: Croyel

[Mike03]

6. To establish the family values theme

Someone close to me ran a campaign doing the same thing; it is a gimmick I'm not all that fond of, but there is a widespread perception that it is effective.

EDIT:

Family values, but also "Future", "education", anything forward looking, especially debt we are passing onto our children, grandchildren. It's appealing to American sentimentality.

[DefenseLawyer]

8. My 4 year old wouldn't

let me get a word in edgewise. Of course his answers tend to be more entertaining than mine on most subjects anyway.

[noamnety]

9. Children are allowed out in public.

In some cultures is considered normal, even.

This was a family interview setting. People have still managed to turn it into something ugly, of course.

a reminder:

The day that I was nominated -- when you're leader, you're nominated on the floor as leader, and so they call a name. They'll say, "Jack Murtha." And he'll say, "Pelosi." In other words, you say who you're for for speaker. So my grandchildren were sitting on my lap and next to me, and they kept hearing, "Pelosi!" "Hastert!" "Pelosi!" "Hastert!" So my youngest one, who at the time was 2 1/2, he decided that he was going to call out "Hastert!" every chance he got. I told the speaker. I said, "My grandson gave you a few votes."

[TheDoorbellRang]

10. Well, I was more interested in what the child was eating

I saw that thread, along with pix. Said child was chewing on Mommy's diaphragm. Evidently that's not needed any more in their household... :evilgrin:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=385&topic_id=59771

[Orrex]

11. Good grief, it just occurred to me

Does this mean that someone has had sex with Fred Thompson?


:scared:

[Lex]

12. For PR purposes, but then they howl if the kid is brought up

in a negative way somehow.

Can't have it both ways, imho.

[rodeodance]

13. was that his kid or his grandkid?

[Cerridwen]

14. To give him an "air" of youth and virility...ewwwww, but that is part of it.

I'm not sure how common it is anymore, and I'm not sure if people under 20 or maybe under 30 are familiar with the idea. It used to be quite common for a man to point to a large family as proof of his manhood or some such malarky.

Depending on the demographic this is targeted at, that may play into it as well.

Now I have to go wash my hands. Typing that made me feel slimey.