Here's
Jon Huntsman's response to
the video claiming him to be some kind of Manchurian candidate for speaking Chinese and having adopted a child from China and a child from India:
Speaking before the College Convention, Huntsman was asked about the spot, which features him in Chairman Mao garb, and questions whether the former U.S. Ambassador to China values "American values, or Chinese" and implies that he would be weak on China.
"I saw just parts of it yesterday," he said. "First of all, it is just stupid. Second of all, yeah, I lived overseas four times ... I speak Chinese, of course I do. If someone wants to poke fun of me for speaking Chinese, that's okay. The thing I object to is bringing forward pictures and videos of my adopted daughters and suggesting that there is some sinister motive there. I have a daughter from China who was abandoned at two months of age and left in a vegetable market, picked up by the police and sent to an orphanage."
"I have a second daughter who was born in India in a very rural village ... and left for dead the day she was born," he added. "And luckily she was picked up before the animals got her, and she was sent to an orphanage for her safety, was raised and now she is in my family. So I have two little girls who are a daily reminder that there are a lot of kids in this world who don't have the breaks that you do and face a very uncertain future ... and now these two girls are on the presidential campaign trail. I say, how cool is that?"
What do you think of the response? I certainly agree with his "it is just stupid" characterization of the video. But the description of his adopted children's beginnings? Not so much. A little too much rescue-a-poor-pitiful-orphan for me. . . .
14 comments:
Oh boy! What a GREAT response that is (NOT!)!
Most of his response gets a big 'YUCK!' from me. The pitiful orphan connotation of it all not to mention-- waaaaay to much personal information about each of his daughters.
Kind of makes me wonder if Sharon wasn't right in one of her theories that a Huntsman supporter is who posted this video with all the manchurian add-on stuff.
I really dislike this part of politics.
I don't like his sharing of personal information about his kids, but as a mom of a child from India, I know that abandoned babies do get eaten by animals, ants etc and this is regularly reported in the news there. I'd like to think that he overshared out of exasperation. Keep in mind what happened to McCain's adopted daughter -- an opponent insinuated she was his child from an interracial, extramarital relationship.
I dont think he was playing the "save the orphan" card at all. It is what it is. His statements are most likely true. I do, however, hope that he asked his children before announcing their particulars in public.
Then again, his response could have been off the cuff, and perhaps if he did not ask his daughters first, he might regret saying those particulars, but sometimes in defending our children, we can give out too much info. I've been known to do it myself. But I do not think he is portraying himself as a savior, in any regard.
I have a daughter from China who was abandoned at two months of age and left in a vegetable market, picked up by the police and sent to an orphanage."
"I have a second daughter who was born in India in a very rural village ... and left for dead the day she was born," he added. "And luckily she was picked up before the animals got her, and she was sent to an orphanage for her safety."
I don't see the depiction of the poor, poor pitiful orphan here. What he said sounds pretty straight forward without embellishment.
you know, i believe my child's adoption story is hers but… it is what it is. why are we hiding the fact that kids have been eaten by animals, are left by rivers, are sometime left to die… it is what it is… reality. which is why IA should be an option for children without families.
I think he's saying it more as an attack on the people who are using his daughters as political chatter. It sounds more like "My girls have had the worst that can happen to them Already happen. Please, leave them be."
It might be over sharing, but I'm positive that there are people who don't have a clue about the way children are just abandoned. I like how he is accused of possibly going soft on China, the very country that made laws (societial or other wise) that would have a parent leave a child, that he now cherishes deeply, just out in a market. Yes. I see him being very understanding and weak with China.
I think his answer is going to make it hard when he says to the press, "Leave my kids out of it," which all politicians seem to do. It'll look like he's willing to talk about them when it suits his purpose, and then declare them off-limits when it doesn't....
But Malinda, he KNOWS nobody is going to leave the kids out of it, he's running for president...but that doesn't mean that a completely cruel and offensive video like that doesn't upset him as a dad. It's a very difficult dance, and the reason so many good people shun politics. If he didn't respond to that video, he'd be attacked for that choice too. I think Leslie may be on to something when she says,
"It sounds more like "My girls have had the worst that can happen to them Already happen. Please, leave them be."
I've had thoughts along those lines for my own kids over far less dramatic attacks. My daughter had a bad experience with her soccer team/coach that was minor in the grand scheme of things, but when she was really upset about it, I thought, she went through hell only to come here and deal with that BS?!
The McCains ended up having to share many details about their adopted daughter. Candidates are expected to share everything now. Obama had to release the long form of his birth certificate. I think Huntsman is in a no-win situation when it comes to talking/not talking about his kids.
Is anyone else offended that he routinely refers to his daughters as his "adopted daughters"? Yes, it is a fact that they were adopted, but there are lots of facts about our children that we don't routinely announce when simply referring to our children.
I keep my (adopted) daughters abandonment information private ... it is theirs alone to share ... now his daughters' most private history is front page news ... not cool ... regardless of his motives.
BW
I didn't know that about him. Interesting ...
Yes, Beth, someone else is offended that they are his adopted daughters and not his daughters.
Thought I'm more offended by the ad, of course.
The pictures of Hunstman showing respect for his daughters' cultures actually improved my opinion of him. But his response should have been an indictment of the idea that a child who was adopted is anything but a daughter or a son.
Not that anyone asked me, of course.
As for referring to them as his "adopted daughters" Im sure he is saying it in context. The videographer refers to him as adopting children abroad. So, his response has to be about his 'adopted' daughters. APs use adopted in that context when talking about their children on message boards all the time. And most people do not find it offensive. Now, on the other hand, if he were to just, off the cuff, say, "My adopted daughters are great in school....and my adopted daughters love ice cream!" That would be an entirely different scenario. But he is not doing that.
I don't know if Huntsman routinely refers to his daughters as adopted, but this is what his bio on his campaign website says about his children: "Jon Huntsman, Jr. is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. He and his wife Mary Kaye have seven children, including two adopted girls from China and India."
Post a Comment