Polticial Children: Another Casualty in the War of Politics

By Michelle Giametta on 07/06/2009

Question: Should the lives and actions of political children be off limits to the media?

There seems to be an almost unanimous understanding that making fun of or bashing the children of political candidates and/or officials is off limits and when done is often distasteful and uncalled for. Growing up under the media microscope can be extremely tough for young children. That is why a majority of the public is sympathetic to President Obama and his wife Michelle in their efforts to shield their young children from the brutal reality of the press.

"Images are great when they can be controlled. And when it comes to the Obama kids, the White House can be very controlling," wrote David Bauder in a June 30th article for the Associated Press. "The administration asks that no pictures be taken at the White House of the girls unless they're at a public event; the residence and the outside grounds are off limits."

President Obama even came out in defense of Palin's family during the 2008 Presidential election stating, "Let me be a clear as possible: I have said before and I will repeat again, I think people's families are off limits and people's children are especially off limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics," he continued, "It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as governor, or her potential performance as a vice president."

So why is it that no matter how appalled people are by these meaningless attacks, the tasteless jokes still slip through? By now, I'm sure most people are aware of the Sarah Palin/David Letterman feud that ensued a few weeks ago over a joke the late-night talk show host told about Palin's daughter. ""Laughter incited by sexually perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity aimed at a 14-year-old girl is ... disgusting," the Alaska governor said in a statement."

Whether or not Letterman's joke was intended for her 14-year old daughter is an important question. However, should the media be using political children as comedic material in the first place? It is well known that once you decide to become a public figure your privacy rights go out the window, but what does this mean for the children of political officials? What kind of choice do they have in the matter?

Attacks on the children of political candidates seemed to be a popular trend in the most recent presidential election. The Huffington Post reported that MNSBC's David Shuster made an inappropriate comment on Chelsea Clinton's involvement in her mother's campaign, suggesting Chelsea was "being pimped out" in order to garner support and votes for her mother. Naturally, Hillary Clinton was outraged by this off the cuff remark. In a letter she addressed to the president of NBC, Hillary wrote, "There's a lot at stake for our country in this election. Surely, you can do your jobs as journalists and commentators and still keep the discourse civil and appropriate."

Is Hillary right? Should the press be focusing only the political issues? Or is the personal lives and families of political candidates and officials considered vital information for the American public?

[Additional Photos: Look Magazine photo via AP, 1963; Tribune photo by Zbigniew Bzdak, January 1, 2008; AP photo by Mary Altaffer, 2008; Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America, 2008]