# Are Barbara & Jenna Bush "Fair Game" If They Join Daddy's Re-Election Team? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 24, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885 "2004-05-24T23:50:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/1 "2004-05-24T23:50:30Z")
> [@](#): > > **White House Asks Media to ‘Show Respect’ to Bush Twins** > WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House asked the media on Monday to “show respect” for President Bush’s twin daughters as they emerge from private life as students to work for their father’s re-election campaign. > > There has sometimes been tension between Bush and the media over coverage of his daughters, Jenna and Barbara, especially when both of them had run-ins with the law over alcohol three years ago. > > In an incident in Austin, Texas, in 2001, Barbara was sentenced to perform community service and attend an alcohol awareness class, while Jenna, who had been found with a false ID, was fine $600 and lost her driver’s license for 30 days. > > “We hope that the media will continue to show respect for the daughters and allow them to go about their lives,… and recognize that they are the president’s daughters,” White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. Source: [http://au.news.yahoo.com/040524/11/p544.html](http://au.news.yahoo.com/040524/11/p544.html) Generic questions - If family members take an ordinary role in their parent’s election/re-election bid for office, are they more than “ordinary” campaign workers in the sense the media should pay them no mind, unless they create news for themselves? Does the mere bloodline that a parent is running for office create a special circumstance that changes this? If a family member takes an “active” role in their parents’ campaign, does this change things? Or, perhaps, does the office in question create a presumption of “active” participation in a campaign? (This question is best answered with respect to a parent running for a local office such as dog catcher, school board rep, or even mayor, as opposed to a state-wide or federal office.) Should a prior public image (their public problems with alcohol) erase any chance for being ordinary? Finally, the blatant question - Are Barbara and Jenna “fair game” in the media if they participate in Daddy’s re-election bid, whatever positions in the campaign they may hold? Would they serve their father best by not participating at all? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/2 "2004-05-25T00:01:28Z")
I’d say they are fair game. I understand that presidents’ children did not choose their place and if they do not want to act as public figures they should not be forced to. But the world of politics is a public one and if they choose to join it volentarily they will have to deal with a public life. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/3 "2004-05-25T00:06:36Z")
If it’s a dull news day and the Bush twins are out making appearances for Dad, it’s legitimate to hit them with tough questions about the candidate (based on the history of past Presidential offspring, such appearance are generally confined to small media markets desperate for any source of news). It is not legitimate to grill them about their personal lives, unless they create something new and newsworthy there. Or if they start talking about how a Kerry Presidency would impair the morals of our youth. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/4 "2004-05-25T01:01:55Z")
Yes, they’re fair game. If they’re working for the campaign then they’re making themselves public figures. I would great encourage much harassing and hounding by the press and would _strongly_ urge them not to shy away from acquiring naked pictures by any means necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/5 "2004-05-25T01:11:47Z")
In a perfect world, yes, the act of working on his campaign makes them fair game. Once you officially are attatched, that’s that, you have a responsibility. In this world, they have been fair game for four years now. Turns out that having embarassing family members can be quite a pain in the butt, especially for someone in public office. It is something you have to live with. In any event, they are his freaking kids. If he isn’t proud of them and the way in which they were raised, that’s another of his problems. Given Bush’s past as an addict, it is likely that his daughters got their fair share of his addiction genes. That makes it a little tougher, but they have to be more careful. It isn’t like they haven’t had any practice at this - he WAS governor. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/6 "2004-05-25T02:08:09Z")
I saw them both on TV the other day – both of them are indeed fair, and I sure hope they’re game! 😃 (Get used to this kind of thing, it’s going to get a lot worse before November.) ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/7 "2004-05-25T02:13:46Z")
Anyone who campaigns for any candidate is fair game. ---
**Author:** ![Tigers2B1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@Tigers2B1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tigers2B1)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/8 "2004-05-25T02:29:51Z")
‘Fair’ and ‘Politics’ - ?? I can only think of one sentence where the words “politics” and “fair game” make sense when used together ------ _“In politics, anyone and everything is “fair game” – if it gets you where you want to go.”_ Otherwise it’s sort of like looking for a rhyme for “orange.” Fruitless ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/9 "2004-05-25T02:49:57Z")
Yes and no. Yes, anything related to their father’s campaign is fair game. But their personal lives should be left alone. (Unless of course, it’s something like say, sleeping with members of the Senate to get them to vote for Dad’s tax cuts or something of that nature). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/10 "2004-05-25T03:41:55Z")
I think it’s only fair game if they’re making public appearances. Otherwise, it’s just like any other job. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/11 "2004-05-25T04:01:54Z")
Fair game. They are legally adults, and now way beyond the 18 year old bar and college graduates. a lot of college grads paid their own way, went into deep debt, and are 100% on their own when they graduate. If these two don’t want to be dragged into politics, then they need to get far away and ask for respect for their privacy. They decided to join battle and being American politics the other side will like it or not leverage any advantage that can be made from the situation. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/12 "2004-05-25T04:18:36Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > Anyone who campaigns for any candidate is fair game. So if I give a campaign button to a friend, it’s ok for the press to go into my personal life looking for scandal? Wow. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/13 "2004-05-25T04:30:50Z")
> [@Captain Amazing](#): > > So if I give a campaign button to a friend, it’s ok for the press to go into my personal life looking for scandal? > > Wow. Who said any such thing? We’re talking about whether the press much “show respect” to the Bush twins once they become an official part of W’s political machine. They are trading on their own credibility at that point. Anything they do _in public_ is fair game. Anything they do that’s _illegal_ is fair game. The press obviously should not violate any normal privacy laws but as long as they’re out in the _agora_ anything goes…including (hopefully) nude sunbathing which may result in many high quality pictures taken with a telephoto lens. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/14 "2004-05-25T04:37:41Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Who said any such thing? Reeder said “Anyone who campaigns for any candidate is fair game.” My attitude is that they deserve the same sort of privacy that any other private citizen does, and while they shouldn’t get special consideration, they shouldn’t be singled out, either. If they’re working for the Bush campaign, they should be treated the same by the press as any other campaign staffer on the level that they are. My attitude is that the press should ask themselves, “Would this still be a story if their last name is “Smith”?”, and if not, don’t print it. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/15 "2004-05-25T04:53:16Z")
They’re also doing a [Vogue interview and photoshoot.](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5040629/) Still private citizens? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/16 "2004-05-25T05:13:37Z")
> [@SmackFu](#): > > Still private citizens? Obviously, if they’re interviewing for Vogue, no. I just find the scrutiny of the lives of the family of Presidents annoying. I know Chelsea got criticized to no end about her looks (IIRC, Limbaugh called her a dog), when the Bush girls got busted for underage drinking, it was all over the news, the whole Reagan family thing was a melodrama, and Carter got criticized for his brother, if you want a partial list. It’s horribly intrusive against people who have done nothing but been related to a national leader, and it’s unfair. (Personally, I don’t even think the President’s personal life is anyone’s business, but I’m probably in the minority there. I just know that I wouldn’t like it if my life were scrutinized and my name put in gossip pages just because my father or brother was elected President. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/17 "2004-05-25T06:11:29Z")
> [@Zagadka](#): > > In this world, they have been fair game for four years now. “Fair game”? Actually, it seems to me that the media has treated both of them with kid gloves for the past few years. Even their scrapes with alcohol and the law got far less attention than i expected, and what was published about the incidents generally came from outside sources. Journalists were very wary of asking about it around the White House, because Bush made it very clear that his family was off limits. A recent [Washington Post article](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50537-2004May23.html) describes the White House position at the time: > [@](#): > > “I would urge all of you to very carefully think through how much you want to pursue this,” then-press secretary Ari Fleischer warned menacingly. After a Houston Chronicle reporter asked Fleischer if the president had talked to his daughters about substance abuse, Fleischer later called the reporter to say, ominously, that his question had been “noted in the building.” And now that they are appearing in Vogue, and look set to join their father’s campaign, they should expect the same attention as any other high-profile figure. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/18 "2004-05-25T07:24:54Z")
**T2B1:** _Otherwise it’s sort of like looking for a rhyme for “orange.” Fruitless._ [hijack] ?? You never heard that “The four eng- Ineers Wear orange Brassieres”? 😃 [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![RTA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@RTA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTA)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/19 "2004-05-25T12:22:53Z")
They were fair game before they joined the campaign. Since they will apparently be campaigning a lot among young voters, I’m looking forward to some of their more savvy peers in age handing them some very pointed questions. Like, what do they think daddy’s tax cuts mean to people in their generation who aren’t heiresses, or do they plan to join the military and if not, why not? Not that I actually expect a straight answer, or the media to cover it. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885/20 "2004-05-25T12:47:40Z")
They’ve got some ways to go to catch up with [Alexandra Kerry](http://wizbangblog.com/archives/002509.php) , who shows us two reasons to vote for her dad. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-barbara-jenna-bush-fair-game-if-they-join-daddys-re-election-team/246885.md?page=2)