biden channels his inner hannibal lecter/mike tyson

LOCK HIM UP!

 

Creepy.

 

Politicians holding or kissing strangers' babies is weird to me and has apparently been a subject of debate for a long time.

A short history of presidents kissing babies

****
1833: Andrew Jackson’s lips are sealed
The first politician to lay lips on an unsuspecting infant is unknown, though President Andrew Jackson is credited with the first use of a supporter’s baby as a political prop. As recounted in an 1888 issue of Cosmopolitan (no, not that one), during an 1833 tour of the eastern states, the president was approached by a “poor bareheaded woman with a little baby under her arm” who said she wished to see him:

***

1890s: “A nuisance…to be abated”
Feminist activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton vigorously disapproved of opportunistic baby-kissing, both as a matter of children’s rights and poor hygiene. Writing in the 1890s, she praised President Benjamin Harrison after he’d “quickly refrained” from kissing a baby offered to him.

He certainly had the courage of his convictions, for most Presidents especially if they were standing for re-election, would have succumbed. The New York Tribune says in this connection that kissing babies is good politics. It pleases the proud father, and wins the sympathy of the crowd who witness the paternal act. “Perhaps he thinks babies should not be indiscriminately kissed,” says the editor; “if so, he has taught a good lesson. The parent who always expects the baby to be kissed, and the person who feels bound to kiss every baby that comes within reach are equally foolish and obnoxious characters. Children have a right to their kisses as well as older folks. They should not be made the prey of every officiously amiable person in their circle. In short the practice of kissing children at sight is a nuisance, and ought to be abated. But there is a more serious view still to be taken of it, as the germs of disease may often be conveyed in this way.” Amen!

***

1968: You won’t have Nixon to kiss around anymore
“A mellower and wiser” Richard Nixon told LIFE in 1968, “I won’t wear a silly hat, or kiss a lady or a baby. I won’t ski down a hill or do any stunting like that—I’d look like a jerk.”

 

Even the mom is like "WTF is he doing?"

 

I don't personally care about Trump's sex life or the porn star sex. Stormy didn't claim it was non-consensual.

I also didn't care when Trump or other presidents picked up or kissed little kids.

 

i took my post down because i don’t really care. But it’s hard to not look at that tweet and not think it’s just so creepy weird. That’s a stranger,
Not your great great grand kid. Maybe way off but I don’t recall any politician on either side picking up and kissing, or worse, nibbling a strangers baby since the 50s. If some senile old republican or libertarian dude started nibbling my 3yo there would be a problem and it wouldn’t be laughed off

 

I wasn't giving you a hard time for your post by the way. It's kinda weird for sure, but I definitely recall other presidents doing it.

 

The one with Trump was creepy. I didn’t see anything odd about the one with Obama. Biden has a lot of creepy interactions with children.

 

To be clear, I am not suggesting any of them have had any nefarious or sexual intent. I just find the tradition of politicians handling strangers' kids and using them as props a bit odd. The old line about "shaking hands and kissing babies" has been around a long time though, and I'm sure many people think it humanizes the politician. I personally think it looks more cringe with toddlers and young children than with babies since most people seem to love babies the way I love puppies. I don't have kids and sure I am not the target audience with these displays. I've always tried to politely decline someone handing over their baby to me unless it was a family member or very close friend and I thought they were going to take it personally if I didn't accept.

 

Forget kids. What I'd like to see is politicians shaking hands and kissing wives.

 

My political career ended quickly when I got it backwards and started kissing hands and shaking babies.

 

He almost ate that child! What a dangerous monster. Dark Brandon, you must stop.

 

Was “inept joe” a nickname for him? I’ve heard “Biden crime family”, “sleepy joe”, “let’s go Brandon”, “Amtrak Joe” “joe crushed-trump-by-10M-votes Biden”. But really haven’t heard “inept joe”.