So, do I have too darn many kids? And should that have any bearing on electability?

Well, I guess you’ve gotta have thick skin to be in politics. But you’re right - it’s a stupid reason to vote against someone.

It is really no different then voting against someone who has no kids. Both are stupid.

There are lots considerations for the public when considering a person with a large family for the legislature — and I believe all the consideratons are positive. Here are a few off the top of my head:

1. A man with lots of kids is probably a passionate man. I’d much rather have a man with great passions serving in Pierre than not.

2. A man with lots of kids is propably a man that knows how to love on a budget. I’d much rather have a man serving in Pierre that that knows how to wisely deal with financial issues.

3. A man with lots of kids is probably takes the word of the Big Huy upstairs seriously (after all, isn’t He the wone that said “be fruitful, and multiply?”)

opps - point #2 was supposed to be “live” on a budget — but “love” also works!

Seems to me a politician with a large family that claims family values is one that walks the talk.

Anon 5:18 – to add to your notes

4. A man with a large family has not figured out cause and effect

5. A man with a large family has not learned from his mistakes

6. A man with a large family would go into politics so he can spend a couple of months living in a hotel, where he can actually get into a bathroom.

Pat, I think your opponents may use this…attack you for trying to single handedly butter up the powerful diaper and baby food lobbies. Heck, I can see an attack add already:

“Pat Powers – In the Pocket of Big Daycare. Selling out to the Garanimal’s Lobby.”
Do they still make Garanimals? Do you think we could get them to make them for adults?

Anthony D. Renli
p.s. for the sarcasm deficient in the audience, yes – my tongue was firmly in my cheek with this…except the Garanimals for men…it would really help some of us fashion challenged.

the best thing you can give your family is your time. How much are they seeing you? Are you taking them to Pierre and on the campaing for two years? Being elected is time consuming.

I’m just surprised that southdacola is still operating now that school is out and he no longer has access to a middle school computer lab. It is extremely difficult to take his stuff seriously and this is just another example.

Anon 9am,

This is the state legislature, not congress. I think they’ll see me plenty.

Lewis seems to be a bit “green extreme”, to me… Hopefully, Lewis and friends will choose not to reproduce in order to reduce their own “carbon footprints” - lol

I think it’s interesting when candidates are willing to use their spouses or families for political gain (in ads, at speaking engagements, etc.), and then get all shocked and surprised when people make negative choices based on that info that the candidate chose to put out there.

If ads are giving voters both explicit (issues, etc) and implicit (the fam pic) reasons to vote for you, choosing to include your family in said ad seems to be implying that one should vote for you because you’re a “family guy.” If you think it’s okay that people see your family and decide TO vote for you, why does it surprise you that some folks would see that and decide NOT to vote for you?

No problem with people having a raft of kids as long as they can afford them, and not foist them off to the government. It seems that more and more young single women are cranking out kids without a plan to take care of them. There’s another angle to this, too. I have found that childless people (such as myself, and by choice) are sometimes seen as second-class citizens. “You’re not a parent, are you? Then you can’t possibly know…yadayada…fill in the blank”).

And as a followup to Angie at 9:31…candidates put their families out there, then get all outraged when somebody criticizes a member of said family. Sorry, folks. You run for office, your life is fair game.

for me, i like to see a candidate’s family. call it curiosity. doesn’t really skew me, as a voter, one way or the other. it’s just nice to know.

i wonder if those who are criticizing mr. powers would criticize sen. johnson for doing the same.

did you, anonymous 10:54, care that some criticized linda daschle in ‘04? or did you say, “Sorry, folks. You run for office, your life is fair game?”

maybe you did. just checkin’ your consistency.

I think PP’s wife and kids are way cool.
I’m still trying to decide about PP.

(…just kidding)

BF

11:25, actually, Linda Daschle’s lobbying activities were fair game as far as information (there wasn’t anything wrong, in my view, about those activities, but they are relevant in a discussion of a campaign). Just like Cindy McCain and Theresa Heinz Kerry’s tax records are relevant. And just if a child of a candidate screws up, say, with the law (like the Bush girls), you can’t ask the media to ignore it. I realize that a lot of good people won’t run for office because of this. But it is a fact of life. You put your family out there…then they are not off limits.

Another way people might look at this. Someone may assume that PP has so many kids for religious reasons - an observant Catholic or Mormon, and may decide that they do not want to elect someone who is so religious.

I don’t personally hold that view at all, but it is a reaction I can easily see some people having.

I don’t care about how big your family and they do not belong as campaign discussion. But I think you may have made history with your campaign.
Assuming you are a regular South Dakotan, you should have gotten a stimulus package f $1200 and $300 a child. That would explain the TV ads and all of the other advertising.
So in other words you may be running the first federally funded, tax payer driven, socialized campaign in South Dakota history.
Congratulations comrade.

Don’t worry about it…you have some great company
Justice Antonin Scalia has nine children
US Senator Rick Santorum has 6 children
Until recent history many of the presidents had larger families

I think the critic touches on a much deeper issue. What he highlights is the real agenda of the “green movement” which is population control. This agenda concerns all of us young and old. They don’t approve of large families, but they also don’t like those individuals who are “using resources and not making a contribution” (i.e. the disabled, grandma, grandpa, babies, etc.)

We need people who value the dignity of all human life in Pierre. The comments of the critic are exactly why you have this mission.

Good Luck…

Dick Kneip had 8 boys when he was elected as governor of SD…

Anon 1:07, Don’t be a horse’s you-know-what.

I had that long spent before I was ever contemplating a run. The new carpet arrives on Tuesday.

Is it red carpet?

3:16 PP. Your note there reminds me of one of my favorite stories.

It’s supposedly true.

William Randolph Hurst and Henry Ford were friends, and once in conversation Henry asked, “William, do you have any money?”

To which William replied, “No. Every time I ever hear I’m going to get money, I always spend it before I get it.”

To which Henry quipped, “Well, William, you know, you really should put a couple of hundred million away for a rainy day.”

Pat, are there too many flowers in this world? Can you ever get too many goodnight kisses?

Troy. That’s just grand. Very beautiful, my friend.

You do not have too many kids.

It might affect your electability if you had another on the way (in a positive sense).

I don’t think having kids regardless of the number should be an issue at all. It shouldn’t matter if you have zero or twenty children, you should be elected based on your abilities to do the job.

You have the perfect family - I was #3 of seven. I’ve always wished I had more children than the two we had, but what life has no regrets?
Our children were always at odds and in competition. It drove us nuts! Now that they are grown, it’s much better, but I can’t help thinking they were somehow cheated by not having had more siblings.
It was my experience growing up that large families like mine were studies in cooperation and love. There is no time for self-centeredness because the family unit must pull together in order to thrive. A victory for one is a victory for all. A heartache for one is a heartache for all.
The family is where sacrificial love is best demonstrated in our time. Because we have so few large families now, it’s no wonder that such a concept is foreign in our land.
God bless you and the Mrs. May your problems always be little ones!

You and your wife can have as many children as you two wish. Thank God you didn’t have to kill(abort) any like the Liberals would like you to do.

Liberals want choice, THEIR choice!

God Bless your Family!

I’m from a large family too. Seven girls in our family, and Mom and Dad still had room to take in other less fortunate children who needed a place to call home. Working parents (double income) no less…

My parents raised a disabled foster brother from age 8 months to adulthood. And…took in my cousin and raised him as my brother as well.

I see “Nothing” wrong with a large families. More power to you and no pun intended. Not to mention the various foster kids Mom couldn’t find placement for, so she brought them home to stay with us, until suitable placement could be found.

There is a lot to be said about large families….Our home was filled with love, laughter and sharing, and I have no regrets being raised in a large family.

I think it’s great that you and the Mrs. have a large family, and that decision (to have a large family) in no way should impact your ability to run for any office you decide upon. Good Luck, and enjoy the kids while they are young. God Bless.

Actually, I’m not sure I’d call Santorum “good company”. Something about calling gay people a threat to american families. Rather silly, don’t you think?

It is not the quantity of children a man has that is important. It is the quality of those children…character, achievement, contribution to society. Children are black holes for affection and attention. Deny them either of these two, and the child will find other ways to gain attention from an overworked parent.