Santa Really Exists

Update: It seems that Politico got this story wrong. The actual article.

I'll leave this part up - the point of the diary anyway - so you can make a Friday contribution of you like. [end update]

We should donate to Obama's campaign and ignore them.

Just donate.

Donate.

And donate.

The End.

P.S. I started with a little $25 just now.

•  I don't give my son xmas presents

  so i guess im a terriost.

  by GlowNZ on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:53:58 PM PDT

  •  I bet you run around giving people fist jabs too!

    by Muzikal203 on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:57:26 PM PDT

  •  I should add a poll. nt

    by Little on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:58:11 PM PDT

    •  If you do...

      be sure you have a choice for "Santa gives presents at our house."

      Thanks! :)

      by sick of it all on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:04:18 PM PDT

      •  Lets pretend that children read Dkos

        and do our best to save traditions.

        by IamTheJudge on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:11:53 PM PDT

        •  This idea is the new wingnut test

          I toured several blogs that feature "The Obamas don't give their children Christmas presents" post and you have two immediate reactions:

          1. Wingnut: Of course not he is a Muslim, several post with elaborate explanations of his musliness.

          2. Human Beings: Of course not Santa bring the gift!, followed by a excoriation towards the nitwits that didn't get it.

          Just like BHO did to JMC exposing his lack of national security knowlege, he is doing it again to the wingnut population.jajajaja

          by IamTheJudge on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:55:42 PM PDT

          •  He's the Muslimian Candidate!

            Geez, haven't you people caught on yet?  And there are 57 muslim states!  And...and, there are walls in Belfast! So he's a closet Muslim, formerly a member of angry-black-preacher-man's-church-of-kill-whitey, who gets his facts wrong, does terrorist fist jabs with his wife, and does speeches in front of great big crowds just like Hitler.

            There, does that clarify things for you?  Now, would you please vote for McCain so we can get on with bombing of Iran?

            by synchronicityii on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 05:55:54 PM PDT

        •  You mean besides wingnut lurkers <nt>

          by socialist butterfly on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:57:08 PM PDT

    •  Please include

      "Not only do I not give chilren presents, I tell them that there is no Santa, and, really kids, a father in the sky? Puh-leeeze."

      I'm a hit at family functions.  

      by BoiseBlue on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:15:05 PM PDT

  •  Birthday presents---not xmas presents---

    from People article.  Not real scary and nothing to see here.  Explained that kids get so many gifts from their friends at the party and that instead of piling on their gift is the party.

    by dotster on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:18:49 PM PDT

•  Actually if you read the article

  They still get presents from "Santa" ......

  by verily on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:54:56 PM PDT

  •  I was just going to say that

    they don't give their daughters BIRTHDAY presents.

    by Muzikal203 on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:56:15 PM PDT

  •  Yeah

    They were making a joke.

    And um...have you guys been to NoQuarter lately? Cause they're already on this one and no I am not kidding! lol.

    by jenontheshore on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:56:18 PM PDT

    •  Like I said. nt

      by Little on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:03:23 PM PDT

    •  So are you saying they believe in Santa

      over at NoQuarter?  Since, well, presents do turn up for the girls on Christmas . . . .

      by DrJeremy on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:11:38 PM PDT

    •  "they're" already on this?

      What, all five of them (four when that guy cuts his hair with the flobee)?  You mean people still post there?  Maybe they still do at Hillaryis44.  Or have they renamed it Hillaryis45 yet?  I should find Alegre's latest cave blog and see if she's still waiting for that inevitable challenge in Denver.

      by synchronicityii on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:29:48 PM PDT

      •  why do PUMAs hate Christmas for little girls???

        How sexist!

        by MadAsHellMaddie on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:39:23 PM PDT

    •  welllllllllllllllllll, they're still waiting for

      that "whitey" tape of Michelle's, so they need SOMETHING to do....

      by AlyoshaKaramazov on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 07:02:26 PM PDT

  •  I know, but Digby was a

    confused as i was.

    by Little on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:58:39 PM PDT

    •  And you dignify this because "Digby"

      was confused?  Did Digby state she read the REAL article, i.e. the one you purchase at the news counter?

      by icebergslim on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:59:47 PM PDT

      •  Would you calm down?

        Jesus.

        Here's what the article in the (dreaded) Politico that Digby linked to says:

        Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) tells People magazine in the issue out Friday that he and his wife, Michelle, do not give Christmas or birthday presents to their two young daughters.

        Obama tells the magazine’s Sandra Sobieraj Westfall in a seven-page cover story that he and his wife follow the unusual practice because they “want to teach some limits.”

        If they're wrong, I'll be happy to correct.

        And yes, i do justify it because Digby said it.

        by Little on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:02:27 PM PDT

        •  They are wrong. I read the

          article.  

          They don't give birthday presents because they have parties, and they figure that their children don't need more stuff.  Plus, at these parties, they get presents from all their friends.

          They do give Christmas presents, but the girls think they come from Santa.  Hopefully, the girls aren't reading this . . . .

          by DrJeremy on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:13:23 PM PDT

        •  Then this is another move to the center

          Obama is just trying to appeal to the rightwing "we're not Santa Claus" crowd.

          by socialist butterfly on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:30:36 PM PDT

      •  digby is usually a highly critical thinker on

        both detailed and overriding theme levels.  She often builds the latter from the former.

        If she gets a bad reference or makes a real mistake, I've known her to easily admit it.  But, it happens about once a year.

        by wader on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:04:56 PM PDT

      •  And you're saying that this teaser

        from People:

        The kids receive no birthday or Christmas presents from Mom and Dad, who spend “hundreds” on birthday slumber parties and, as Barack puts it, “want to teach some limits.”

        Somehow ends up meaning that they do give Christmas presents? I'll believe you if it does. Can I get a small quote from the article?

        http://justjared.buzznet.com/...

        by Little on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:07:36 PM PDT

        •  i think it's a small secret

          re: "Santa"

          if you read the article, Malia indicates through her mother that Malia seems to still believe in Santa since the presents she does receive can't be from her parents.  ergo - reading between the lines - it looks like the parents are trying to preserve some of Malia's innocence re: Santa by giving her presents surreptitiously through "Santa."  

          that would at least explain some of digby's confusion.  

          i guess we're all just too used to believing in a non-Santa christmas.  ;>  

          by siberia9 on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:13:43 PM PDT

          •  Ding ding...they are trying to perserve

            Santa for Malia who recieves gifts from the Big Guy.  Which actually gets one of the funniest lines in the article where Malia basically says she knows the presents are from Santa because her parents are too cheap to buy her all those presents.  lol

            by Niwind on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:17:44 PM PDT

          •  The Politico didn't get it

            and so it went out. They said this:

            Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) tells People magazine in the issue out Friday that he and his wife, Michelle, do not give Christmas or birthday presents to their two young daughters.

            Obama tells the magazine’s Sandra Sobieraj Westfall in a seven-page cover story that he and his wife follow the unusual practice because they “want to teach some limits.”

            Nothing tongue in cheek there.

            by Little on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:21:09 PM PDT

            •  that's the problem

              someone needs to sit those journalists down in a room full of kids and cartoons.  some toys too.  

              maybe they'll get a sense of humor and an appreciation for the childhood they've evidently lost.

              by siberia9 on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 11:53:15 PM PDT

        •  Here you go.

          PEOPLE: Someone told me today that you don't do birthday presents.
          Michelle: No, because we spend hundreds of dollars on a birthday party and movie tickets and pizza and popcorn ...
          Barack: That sleepover is enough. We want to teach some limits to them. And their friends bring over presents.
          Michelle: They get so much stuff that it just becomes numbing. Malia believes there is still a Santa Claus even though she's a little wary because some of her friends are non-believers. But Malia says, "Ma, I know there is a Santa because there's no way you'd buy me all that stuff." [Laughing]

          by DrJeremy on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:15:41 PM PDT

          •  Got it. Thanks. nt

            by Little on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:22:25 PM PDT

          •  Hopefully Malia doesn't live in the world we do

            Because if she does she will hear about how her parents killed Santa Claus.

            by socialist butterfly on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:35:19 PM PDT

          •  could you post that up top over at NOQuarter?

            I am blocked and I want to see how those racist asshats deal with the actual facts.

            by MadAsHellMaddie on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:49:02 PM PDT

            •  I've never been there before,

              but I'll venture over and try.

              by DrJeremy on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:51:02 PM PDT

              •  If you're not back

                by 4:30, we'll send someone in after you.  Last time I went, I snapped out of my disgust and ran just as I was about to curl up in shock and suck my thumb.

                by CJB on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:57:10 PM PDT

            •  Ok, done. n/t

              by DrJeremy on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:55:01 PM PDT

              •  Oops, missed your return.

                Thank god your okay! Lol.

                by CJB on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:57:46 PM PDT

                •  I didn't read anything there,

                  well, other than the stupid comment I posted the quote under, so that it would be at the top of the thread.  Then I ran like hell.

                  by DrJeremy on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 04:00:30 PM PDT

              •  Thanks Dr!

                by MadAsHellMaddie on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 04:17:38 PM PDT

  •  OH NO!!!!

    When this mix-up gets out, someone will have to tell Sean Hannity the truth about where his Santa gifts REALLY come from!

    by SpiderStumbled22 on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:05:09 PM PDT

•  also, writing this diary

  isn't ignoring them now is it?

  by GlowNZ on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:55:43 PM PDT

  •  Well, dude, come on. I'm trying

    to turn it into a good thing in some way.

    by Little on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:59:10 PM PDT

•  we do that in our family too

  Santa brings the presents, not Mom & Dad.

  by MadAsHellMaddie on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:56:12 PM PDT

  •  My parent did that until we discovered

    our Nintendo in the attic, and even then our parents made us pretend there was a Santa until Christmas so they'd give it to us. LOL

    by Muzikal203 on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:56:55 PM PDT

    •  I still make my kids pretend

      and they are 12 and 18.

      "If you don't believe, you don't receive."

      Being Santa is one of my favorite parts of being a parent.  I remember when I found out that it was parents, and not Santa, I thought, "Dang.  How cool that my parents never took credit for all the great stuff we got over the years!"

      I'm just passing on the tradition! :)

      by sick of it all on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:59:40 PM PDT

    •  I am 46 and I know for a fact that

      Santa has two very good elves aged 92 & 88 who still hang the stockings for all the "kids", even if one of those "kids" and their family can't make it home for Christmas. :)

      by MadAsHellMaddie on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:35:42 PM PDT

  •  My parents were the same

    Santa brought the presents for all of us. And that was quite alright with me.

    by velvet blasphemy on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:14:48 PM PDT

•  Sounds admirable to me

  by david mizner on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:56:58 PM PDT

  •  Bevy would have had a field day w this <nt>

    by socialist butterfly on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:49:31 PM PDT

•  That could lead to less shopping.

  In which case, the terrorists win.

  by Bindle on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:58:06 PM PDT

  •  I think they've won already

    Let's see: We invaded the wrong country, spent a trillion dollars, demolished our own economy, drove up the price of oil, and a lot of kids, if they get anything this year, it will be an organic Mr. Potato Head and a Quaker Oats drum.

    I'm all for less shopping. But this year, a lot of people won't have a choice.

    by socialist butterfly on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:38:56 PM PDT

    •  The organic Mr. potato head

      is a classy idea.  Between that and the drum, I think my shopping's pretty much completed early this year. Christmas in July! Thanks SB.

      by Bindle on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:44:06 PM PDT

  •  yep.

    "Go out and buy some jewelry and a new car; otherwise, the terrorists win."

                                                                                - George Carlin

    by AlyoshaKaramazov on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 07:04:45 PM PDT

•  "Santa" gives them Christmas presents....

  and I swear to goodness that if some asshole smuck pushes this and Obama has to explain to idiots that he gives his kids presents as Santa I will smack somone.  

  by Niwind on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:58:25 PM PDT

•  Sorry, you are WRONG about this article...

  I have the actual people magazine.  Santa gives the kids presents, since Sasha is still what 7 or 8?  Please read the full article and then delete this inaccurate diary.  P.S.  This would have been OUT there already, but guess what?  Even rightwingers read the article and said, "Pass".

  by icebergslim on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:58:38 PM PDT

  •  Did you go to the link? nt

    by Little on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:59:32 PM PDT

    •  I have the MAGAZINE...

      and People, US, etc., never put the full article out there intially.  They give a teaser, then put the full article out there.  Really, if anyone comes and try this one, they will get blown out of the water for not reading.

      by icebergslim on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:01:13 PM PDT

      •  Not reading

        or only having half (or less) of the story has never hindered Freepers before ....

        by leftilicious on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:02:11 PM PDT

        •  They can try...

          and will try even if it stated so.  My thing is this is so frivolous, it is not even worth a diary on the dkos counter that idiots will read and they who know what....

          by icebergslim on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:03:29 PM PDT

          •  That will be a good one for the freepers

            destroying Christmas traditions, killing Santa, obliterating Nino Jesus and the three wise man, jaja let them try.

            by IamTheJudge on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:10:07 PM PDT

            •  War on Christmas!

              Omigod, BillO will have a loofahgasm

              by sharman on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 08:16:16 PM PDT

    •  A better link would be this one,

      Link to actual article in People

      by DrJeremy on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:17:32 PM PDT

  •  So Obama

    believes in Santa Claus? Breaking...

    by david mizner on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:00:37 PM PDT

    •  Hey...So do I...

      back off! :)

      by sick of it all on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:01:20 PM PDT

    •  exactly...yawn...n/t

      by icebergslim on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:01:30 PM PDT

    •  believe in him?

      I AM him.

      by AlyoshaKaramazov on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 07:05:31 PM PDT

  •  But isn't Santa Muslim too--I saw it in an e-mail

    by MKS on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:02:20 PM PDT

    •  An email?

      It must be true! Alert the media! :)

      by velvet blasphemy on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:16:26 PM PDT

      •  Nope. Has to be the Enquirer to be real <nt>

        by socialist butterfly on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:41:24 PM PDT

        •  I feel so stupid!

          How could I forget that?

          by velvet blasphemy on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:48:09 PM PDT

    •  Could be ... he's apparently very popular in ...

      Syria, where even the non-Christians apparently love Christmas.  Or maybe the Obamas are Buddhist or Shintoist, since they love Christmas in Japan, too.

      by leevank on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:23:41 PM PDT

    •  He's Turkish - and Christian <nt>

      by socialist butterfly on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:40:54 PM PDT

  •  NoQuarter already has it

    by Little on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:31:08 PM PDT

    •  they have something alright but not facts

      by MadAsHellMaddie on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:36:59 PM PDT

    •  I actually had to go diving into that cesspool ..

      to believe it, but sure enough, they're all up in arms about how the Obamas probably give the girls gifts on Ramadan.  (Of course, Muslims FAST during Ramadan, rather than giving gifts.  But hey, they never let little details like that bother them before, so why should they start now?)

      by leevank on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:37:14 PM PDT

      •  I knew someone would start digging for

        dates on the Eid (I think that's correct) to see if they could correlate something. Such whacks.

        by Little on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:39:41 PM PDT

•  Jehovah's Witness don't even celebrate

  Christmas, so what?  This is bullshit.

  by panicbean on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 02:59:10 PM PDT

  •  When a JW runs for president in the digital age

    It will be an epic scandal for the fundies. Bet on that. BTW, JWs can only campaign door-to-door at 7 on a Saturday, right?

    Okay, that's cruel and insipid. Sorry.

    by socialist butterfly on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:44:19 PM PDT

•  I don't understand

  are you saying there is no Santa Claus?

  Sign me Virginia.

  by route66 on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:00:45 PM PDT

  •  Hold your ears and close your eyes...

    "lalalalala"

    Don't listen to them!  Santa is real.

    by sick of it all on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:02:16 PM PDT

  •  Thomas Church

    Yes, Virginia, This guy is well-known as one of the five DWAMQs (Dead White Anglo Males and a Queen) who created the faux Victorian (that's the queen) holiday we call Christmas.

    Specifically, he gave us the BS that because you can't prove Santa doesn't exist, he therefore must. There's another dude for whom that argument is often made.

    by socialist butterfly on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:21:23 PM PDT

•  Yeah...

  we should ignore any smears against Obama. Because responding, or even especially fighting back with smears of our own, simply takes us down to the Republicans' level.

  I mean, it worked for President Kerry, right??!!??

  --Shannon

  by Leftie Gunner on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:03:56 PM PDT

  •  I agree. Let's take August off <nt>

    by socialist butterfly on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:28:32 PM PDT

•  Oh noes!

  Obama tries not to spoil his girls! How could he!

  Oh...wait a minute..

  by velvet blasphemy on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:08:08 PM PDT

•  We have a similar Christmas tradition

  My family gives equally to strangers as we do for each other. We buy a Christmas ham, we fill the donation box with an equal amount of food (in cost). We buy a toy for a child, we buy another for the Marine Reserves (Toys for Tots). We buy gifts of a certain value, and a certain value gets written out as a check to a charity. The Right Wing may hate that but that's how we do it.

  by socialist butterfly on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:14:41 PM PDT

  •  Well, of course they do

    The Right Wing may hate that but that's how we do it.

    That's not what their Christianity is about.

    Cool idea. I like it.

    by BoiseBlue on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:19:04 PM PDT

    •  What's more, we practice this on Dec 6

      The Catholic feast of St. Nicholas of Myra, who according to legend provided three dowries for a poor family in his village.

      Actually, no, we don't go to that length, but we certainly should.

      by socialist butterfly on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:24:18 PM PDT

•  No two families...

  ... in the country celebrate "traditional" holidays (both secular and religious) exactly the same way. (okay, maybe branches of the same extended family are close, because they may do it together, but still...)

  Every family I've ever compared notes with (American and non-American) has a few unique, very personal, things they do that have become "family traditions" -- from whether presents are opened on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, to what always gets served for dinner, where they go, what they do, what jokes get told and retold, what movies get dug out to be seen every year, who comes to birthday parties, which grandparents get visited when....  

  And as other posters have noted, a lot of families in this country don't observe Christmas as a holiday at all, because they come from different cultural and/or religious backgrounds. (My boss claims his family celebrates Christmas in the "traditional Jewish" way -- they go to Disneyworld...)  

  The Obamas are doing just fine.

  by JanetT in MD on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:22:12 PM PDT

•  We decided to stop birthday presents too

  We just do something fun together instead.  That way you end up with less useless crap.

  Good for the Obamas.  Of course it goes without saying that they're totally unAmerican for being so anti-consumerist.

  by oscarsmom on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:24:03 PM PDT

•  I just gave money. Do I have to give again?

  Literally, just sent another $50 to Obama, AND gave $50 to the Dem candidate in my district, Dan Seals (yes, I live in that district, and yes, this time we might take it!)

  I'm talking ten minutes ago on the Seals donation, 20 minutes ago for Obama.  Now I read this.  I can't give again, darnit!  Can you cut me some slack here?

  by synchronicityii on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:25:13 PM PDT

  •  You have to.

    Jesus said so.

    by Little on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:26:36 PM PDT

    •  I think Jesus is make believe

      Now, if Santa had said so, I'd be in trouble.

      by synchronicityii on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:31:11 PM PDT

      •  Plastic jesus said so. nt

        by Little on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:31:55 PM PDT

        •  Fine, I'll buy another shirt

          but if it doesn't look right, this is on YOUR HEAD!

          by synchronicityii on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:37:45 PM PDT

          •  heagh

            I think you gave enough for today. Buy a beer instead. Really.

            by Little on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:40:13 PM PDT

            •  A beer? That Obama store sells EVERYTHING!

              :-)

              by synchronicityii on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 05:32:20 PM PDT

•  Hmmmm

  Am I the only one who thought this would be a McCain gaffe thread?

  by drhgl19 on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:40:15 PM PDT

  •  ha. I changed the title - but that's funny. nt

    by Little on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:41:42 PM PDT

•  Obama wants to see Wall-E

  he is a Muslim elite terrorist.

  by Artchess on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 03:48:21 PM PDT