Raising Future Young Republicans

Cathy Seipp looks at leftwing parents who use their small kids as walking political ads:

My sister has a new project that involves buying me various t-shirts she thinks express my bossy inner personality. Recently she got me one that says, “Stupidity Is Not a Crime, So You’re Free to Go.”

Now I don’t normally wear t-shirts with slogans on them outside the house. Too corny, like putting emoticons or “LOL” in email. But this shirt is nicely cut and since I hate shopping, lately I’ve been running out of clothes. So not long ago I threw it on when I dashed out for a quick lunch and a movie.

There I was, eating a hotdog in the sunshine at an outdoor L.A. mall, when a mother passing by with a small child smiled, hesitated for a moment, and then volunteered: “I’d like to send that shirt to our president!”

“Well,” I said pleasantly, “I wouldn’t, I guess, since I voted for him.” (I wish I’d thought to add perkily, “I’d like to send it to Cindy Sheehan, though!” but my mind was in a hotdog-induced funk.)

“Oh…” she said, flabbergasted.

“That’s OK,” I added. “But you should know that not everyone is on the same side politically.”

At this point, her son, about four years old, began a pantomime of stomping on ants as he yelled, “Stomp Bush! Stomp Bush! Stomp Bush!” Evidently he’d been trained to do this, like an organ grinder’s monkey, whenever the word “president” is mentioned.

“No, no,” the woman told her son, rather helplessly, “she likes him.” The boy, however, continued his stomping and shouting.

“Gosh,” I observed, “isn’t he just adorable?”

Actually, of course, I thought the boy was yet another wretched example of contemporary parenting. Because I don’t care what your politics are or who you voted for, no small child should be taught to disrespect the presidency like that.