Hey! I just posted this same picture two minutes ago.

Note that the guy on the left is a member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.

Used to be union members fought scabs. Now they terrorize three year olds.

I blame the father. He should have know not to take his three year old near union members.

srp - I thought Blame the Victim went out on 9/11 ...

Lookd closely. The guy behind the father is holding his sign upside down. Guess it's so that he can look down at it and read who their candidate is.

And look at the father. You can see his faith in human nature escaping from him.

I wonder if this is the same guy blaming the father on another blog. Let me get this straight, it's the fathers fault because quiet and polite dissent is not allowed, like holding up a sign. And of course the thug who did this had every right to do so, as this public space belongs to Kerry supporters only. So being kind and considerate people they terrorize a three year old. How do you sleep at night moron?

The Dad's face is one I know intimately. My three year old would experience a complete meltdown in that situation. The hard part is explaining to a three year old why an adult would do that.

It will be interesting to see how many papers across the country use this photo Friday morning, since I assuming it is part of the national AP package sent out to all major dailies.

but notice the kid on the right must be the son look at his fists ready to fight...bloody great a thug probably not only trashed the sign but used lots of loose words to the father but the son is ready to fight for his dad and sister... get that family on fox worth another five off kerry after the gift from dan ....the kid will have tha last laugh actually all of them just imagine the reporters now out for the thug....

wow, I know I'm bad at telling jokes in person, but I didn't know I was bad at it in the internet too.

Sarcasm doesn't work as well in print as it does in person. Without that tone of voice it sounds like you mean it. Unless, of course, you develop a reputation as a sarcastic person, and then you have the opposite problem in that people never know when you are being serious.

But I have to agree, sarcasm or not. The thugishness of the Dem supporters in the Left and unions is well known, and should always be taken into account.

But what will be really interesting is if the Kerry campagn realizes that this is an opportunity to "humanize" their robotic candidate-- have him make in person effort to apologize for what happened.

Well, I went to H.D. Miller's site and found the link to the union's site, and sent a nice message to the president suggesting that his members needed some etiquette lessons. I even offered to host them.

P.S. If all the doors on my house
are suddenly painted, spackled, or
drywalled shut, somebody
please come get me out...

Bush clear leader in poll By Susan Page, USA TODAY

Posted 9/17/2004 12:06 AM Updated 9/17/2004 12:07 AM

WASHINGTON — President Bush has surged to a 13-point lead over Sen. John Kerry among likely voters, a new Gallup Poll shows. The 55%-42% match-up is the first statistically significant edge either candidate has held this year. Among registered voters, Bush is ahead 52%-44%.

The boost Bush received from the Republican convention has increased rather than dissipated, reshaping a race that for months has been nearly tied. Kerry is facing warnings from Democrats that his campaign is seriously off-track.

With 46 days until the election, analysts say the proposed presidential debates offer Kerry his best chance to change the race.

"It doesn't look like the new consultants and strategies of attacks are the right ones" for Kerry, says Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for the Bush campaign. Kerry in recent weeks added veterans of the Clinton White House to his team and began criticizing Bush more sharply on Iraq and other issues.

Dowd says Kerry at this point would "have to defy history" to defeat a sitting president.

"We have seen some bouncing around in the numbers," says Mike McCurry, a top Kerry adviser, "but it is our sense that the race is moving back to a much closer race."

A Pew Research Center poll released Thursday shows a tighter contest. The survey, taken Saturday through Tuesday, gives Bush a statistically insignificant lead of 47%-46% among likely voters.

The Gallup Poll was taken Monday through Wednesday.

Presidential candidates have won after trailing by similar margins. One was George W. Bush himself. In 2000, he was behind Al Gore by 10 points among registered voters in early October and then prevailed in the Electoral College, though he lost the popular vote.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan was down 8 points in the Gallup Poll in late October but won in a landslide after doing well in the only debate held with President Carter.

"Sen. Kerry is like Seabiscuit: He runs better from behind," says Donna Brazile, who was Gore's campaign manager. But she acknowledges that "backbenchers" in the Democratic Party "have begun pushing the panic button."

Senator Seabiscuit. I like that. It's got kind of a ring to it.

Let's call it the CBS bounce. I bet this wasn't what Dan envisioned when he attempted to throw the election.

As for the Seabiscuit comparison, I agree. Kerry is lame, too. But Seabiscuit overcame it. Kerry won't.

Of course the father's to blame. He's the one who's expected to show some common sense and judgement.
As someone posted a few days ago, about the Iraqi child killed by US helicopters while watching an American vehicle burn, "What kind of moron takes a kid to a firefight ?"
Same thing here.

Note that AP has already laundered the photo to eliminate the ability to read the t-shirt and has eliminated mention the thug was a Kerry-Edwards supporter.

This isn't media bias - it's media corruption.

I'm surprised that no one here thinks this might have been a set up. If;

1. I were aware of the stakes in this election and,

2. I knew that this kind of picture would be generated based upon an all too predictable thuggish response and,

3. I knew that an engaged blogosphere might make this a national story (including the erasure of the IUPAT logo)....

I'd do it. ( I admit using my daughter would be tough, but it is for the greater good.)

When the Dad is plastered on Hannity, Rush & O'Reilly tomorrow, we'll realize it was thus.

(no, I'm not a troll - I'm as pro-Bush as can be, and unfortunately, this is what it takes to outweigh the media and $80 Million in attack ads and organizing.)

Karl

It's a set up. That's not a child, that's a midget actor (not actress, actor) who plays children on TV. The guy on the left in the backwards ball cap is an obvious Republican plant (Dekes rule, dude!). That kid on the right is an obvious actor too, he looks like an extra from Village of the Damned. Dan Rather is going to do a huge expose on this.

We've had the convention bounce, the CBS bounce, now get set for the Sophia Parlock bounce. Funny that all it takes to beat a Democrat thug is a three year old Republican and a camera.

You gotta hand it to that Rove. He's playing them like a fiddle.

Of course there was a slight miscalulation, in that he had assumed there would be the usual b*tch slapping, but you go with what you can get.
The "father" seems to be playing his part in an excellent manner, just the right mixture of hurt feelings and stifled rage. At this rate Katie Couric will be forced to jump on Bush's Bandwagon, of course NPR will hang tough regardless.

The Kid's tears are perfect.

More crushing of dissent in what the Dems call "John AshKKKroft's AmeriKKKa."

Strange to note who's doing the "crushing" here.

Just for that, I'm using non-union contractors from here on out.

Goal number 1 for W's second term should be a national right to work law. That'll learn 'em...

"It's a set up. That's not a child, that's a midget actor (not actress, actor)..."

Rove!

Though I must say, the father shouldn't have brought his kid to an event where he was intending to cause trouble. Using your child as a political prop is creepy and wrong. That dosn't excuse those morons making the little girl cry though. What idiots.

Amos et al - blaming the father is wrong. The fault clearly lies with the supporters who aren't mature enough to handle opposing views.
I read that the father runs a Dairy Queen right nearby and simply stopped by for a few moments to watch when the incident occurred - he didn't go there to start something. If I bring my kids to a high school football game and obnoxious fans for the other team ruin the event for my family am I a terrible father for bringing the kids to the game? I don't think so.
Finally - OJ - witty title - has anyone else caught this historical reference?

The photo is probably fake but I'm sure it is accurate.*

*I'm being sarcastic.

1) As someone with a good working knowledge of WV politics I am shocked--shocked--that WV Democrats would resort to violence.

2) The IUPAT guy is too flippin happy with himself for making the little girl cry--and he still has pieces of the sign in his hand.

3) Parlock got into the same sort of situation back in the 2000 race, I beleive with Dems tearing up a sign his older son's girlfriend was toting.

4) The anger on the Dems faces is just astounding..I must be one of the few people in the country who doesn't internalize politics the way some (most?) folks seem to in these pictures.

I've got my own little story. One of my law students gave me a W in 2004 bumper-sticker. I put in on the bumper of my 1996 Saturn. Two days later, I parked it on campus (a university in conservative Nebraska) and some jerk put an "asses of evil" bumper-sticker over my sticker. I was peeved because they almost ruined my sticker. Fortunately, I was able to salvage my sticker. Typical smelly and unwashed leftists because they have no respect for other people's property. Also typical is the "free speech for me but not for thee" attitude of leftist softheads.

Interesting. You do have the wonder about the guy if this isn't the first time he's had a sign torn up by pro-Dem folks, but then again I remember in 2000 seeing quite a few cars with Bush-Cheney stickers where the stickers had been torn or keyed, or the cars themselves had been vandalized. And I live in a middle-class neighborhood of an upscale city in a right-to-work state.

So will Kerry make it up to them by offering Sophia a job as advisor #4859? You have to respect people who stand up for what they believe in.

AWW:

Probably only the Canuck readers.

It seems that this guy and his family have had this done to them before. Sounds like the guy often enjoys going into Indian country with the little ones.

link

It certainly has garnered a lot of attention.

President of the IIPAT just apologized for his member's thuggish behavior.

http://travellingshoes.blogspot.com/2004_09_12_travellingshoes_archive.html#109543836349412038

>"Sen. Kerry is like Seabiscuit: He runs better
>from behind."

Doesn't that sound like two signs of a losing candidate: "But he's a strong closer" and "The only poll that counts is the one on Election Day"?

Dick Tuck lives! He's changed parties, though

Before you slam your mind shut on this issue, let me fill in some gaps that are missing as a republican and as someone who stood beside Parlock at the rally.

Parlock has experience in this activity and has repeated the behavior many times. Signs, umbrellas, bags, stollers, packages, etc were NOT allowed through the gate. Parlock smuggled the signs in in his pant leg and is lucky secret service didn't arrest him.

Kerry supporters tried to hold their sign in front of him which angered Parlock. He hoisted his young daughter, who was confused by the action, on his shoulders and shoved the sign in her hands. She didn't know what Daddy was doing and was scared to death. THAT'S what made the child cry and YES, I was there standing one person away from Parlock. I am a Huntington WV resident who is infuriated that Phil Parlock makes such a sham out of MY party. The republican party!

Do some googling on Parlock. There is much speculation that the union painter standing next to him is actually his eldest son. Parlock stood with his younger son and daughter. Everyone around him was wearing either a Kerry T Shirt or button so where was the eldest son that Parlock reported was also there? I was amazed at his callous treatment of his daughter.

Want more proof it was staged? How bout Parlock leaving the area, going immediately outside to use his cellphone to talk with a reporter that took the picture. When did they exchange information considering the reporter was talking from INSIDE the building and Parlock was near the parking lot? No, he didn't stop on the way out.

Huntington has 50,000 people. It is not a small town and most of us wouldn't recognize Parlock's son if he stood beside us and introduced himself so there's much speculation that the union Kerry supporter was Parlock's oldest. Plus many of the supporters were from Ashland, a community about the same size, and other areas in the tri-state.

Sorry to be so aggressive but this crap makes me angry and Phil's been doing it for years. Interesting that no mention has been made of Phil shoving the college kid. Didn't see that myself but heard about it.

He is a publicity hound and in my opinion not a considerate father.