# The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 30, 2001, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866 "2001-04-30T15:49:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2001, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/21 "2001-05-01T19:03:50Z")
manhattan wrote: > [@](#): > > apologize for this reprehensible slur Then goboy wrote: > [@](#): > > N2K, you are invited to the Pit to discuss this thread. Then Manda JO wrote: > [@](#): > > You are behaving in a tacky fashion. Consider this pointed out. Then CrankyAsAnOldMan wrote: > [@](#): > > I don’t buy the “apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” thing. Petty and snipish thing to say. Then SPOOFE Bo Diddly wrote: > [@](#): > > Because it’s not a big fucking deal, genius. This all seems like an awful lot of venom to level at Needs2know, just because he took a snide potshot at the First Family. Don’t make me come over there and play my “methinks-thou-dost-protest-too-much” card. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2001, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/22 "2001-05-01T19:47:21Z")
Ok Tracer, two things: 1. Needs2know (female btw) has a habit of making cheap pot-shots at the current administration. She’s a Democratic Ditto head who prefers to pull up unsubstaniated stories about things that may or may not have happened, instead of concentrating on the issues. And it’s not as if the other anti-Bush people on the boards are having trouble finding relevant things to talk about. So the only conclusion is that she prefers rumor-mongering. People have been getting fed up with this for a year now. 2)She posted a pot-shot in GD, not the pit. What people basically said was that “this is not worth debating”. Which it wasn’t. There was no debatable statement in the OP. How else were people supposed to respond? 1. You really pulled my quote out of context, and that irritates me. Need2KNow and I were discussing the media’s treatment of Chelesea and she said: > [@](#): > > And you’re right they did finally leave poor Chelsea alone, but not until it was pointed out to them how tacky they were behaving. As she was engaging in the exact same behavior she had labeled as tacky–attacking the daughter of a President, I said: > [@](#): > > You are behaving in a tacky fashion. Consider this pointed out. I was throwing her own remark back at her, and it seems to have worked. She quit attacking Jenna Bush in this thread at least. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2001, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/23 "2001-05-01T20:49:02Z")
Ah. I wasn’t as aware of Needs2know’s posting track-record as I should have been. Seen in isolation, her OP here didn’t seem to warrant the retorts in this thread, and that bugged me a little. And, yeah, I should’ve provided a little more context for Manda JO’s comment. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2001, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/24 "2001-05-01T20:50:22Z")
Oh, and when I called Needs2know a “he”, I … um … er … I meant the gender-neutral “he.” Yeah, that’s it, that’s the ticket. :o ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/25 "2001-05-02T04:09:28Z")
That’s O.K. **tracer** I made the same mistake with **needs2know** and she called me on it. I have repented. ---
**Author:** ![Needs2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5e925/32.png) [@Needs2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Needs2know)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/26 "2001-05-02T15:16:39Z")
Now I’m just trolling…here ya go Manda Jo…my opinion may be idiotic but there are a lot of pretty dumb people out here I guess. [http://www.buzzflashcom.bigstep.com/generic.html?pid=11](http://www.buzzflashcom.bigstep.com/generic.html?pid=11) Needs2know ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/27 "2001-05-02T15:26:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Needs2know \* > Now I’m just trolling… wow! kind of a bold statement, eh? jarbaby ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/28 "2001-05-02T15:28:44Z")
From the article: > [@](#): > > and how much taxpayer money would it cost to find a kidnapped First Daughter in Manhattan? I specifically disavow any involvement in any kidnapping or having a First Daughter in me. Or vice versa. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/29 "2001-05-02T16:25:03Z")
Jesus Christ, I guess **Needs2Know** must have been terribly abused by a recovering alcoholic/addict Republican in an alley or something… :rolleyes: Guess I’ll mosey on over to the Pit! ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/30 "2001-05-02T16:42:16Z")
And judging from the OP- merely posting a link with a snide title for the thread- this seems more like Mundane Pointless Shit She Must Share… ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/31 "2001-05-02T21:06:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > > Then CrankyAsAnOldMan wrote: > > > [@](#): > > > > I don’t buy the “apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” thing. Petty and snipish thing to say. > > This all seems like an awful lot of venom to level at Needs2know, just because he took a snide potshot at the First Family. Don’t make me come over there and play my “methinks-thou-dost-protest-too-much” card. \*\* I don’t know anything about N2K’s politics or past posting history. But I thought this was an inappropriate comment, so I said so. Of course there is a genetic component to alcoholism, but making that case here would be exaggerated. Having a beer doesn’t make Jenna an alcoholic. Furthermore, given the statistics on teenage drinking, I don’t think there’s a casual relationship between a dad who used to drink and a teen who has a beer one night. And even though I am no fan of W, I respect him for having stopped a habit that he thought was getting out of control. I don’t think he should have his past drinking thrown back into his face. Given all that, I believe that any comment that blames him for his daughter’s episode, or claims a connection between the two, is defying common sense and is also being mean-spirited. Since I don’t think N2K lacks common sense, I label the comment snipish and petty. End of story. I don’t think I was leveling venom. God knows I’ve had people tell me to take it easy when I’m mouthing off, and it’s not venomous. And I am no republican. Don’t think it’s love for the Bush family that makes me call 'em as I see 'em. _shudder_ ---
**Author:** ![Needs2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5e925/32.png) [@Needs2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Needs2know)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/32 "2001-05-03T16:43:07Z")
You’re right Cranky…I just happen to think he is turning out to be perhaps the biggest liar, hypocrite and corporate hussy that the presidency has ever seen. And I’m sorry but I KNOW (of course I can’t prove, but past history does hold a little weight here) that if Chelsea Clinton had behaved this way at any time during the Clinton years the press and the Republicans would have called for an investigation. Needs2know ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/33 "2001-05-03T17:15:11Z")
> [@](#): > > And I’m sorry but I KNOW (of course I can’t prove, but past history does hold a little weight here) that if Chelsea Clinton had behaved this way at any time during the Clinton years the press and the Republicans would have called for an investigation. How typical. N2K can’t prove something, but she KNOWS it’s true. Besides, why would the Republicans want to pester Chelsea when her father’s antics gave them plenty of ammunition? > [@](#): > > I just happen to think he is turning out to be perhaps the biggest liar, hypocrite and corporate hussy that the presidency has ever seen. And why do you think this? Is Dubya worse than Warren Harding, who let his friends sell oil from Naval reserves at Teapot Dome and pocket the proceeds? Is he worse than Herbert Hoover, whose inaction after the Crash made the Depression’s impact much more devastating? Is Dubya a worse liar than Bill Clinton, who never had sex with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky? I agree that Dubya’s foreign policy mistakes make him look uninformed, but calling him a liar, hypocrite, and corporate hussy (what is that, anyway? Sleeping with Exxon while Mrs. Exxon thinks he’s on a business trip?)requires evidence. What, specifically, has Bush done to warrant the namecalling? ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/34 "2001-05-03T21:17:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Needs2know \* > And I’m sorry but I KNOW (of course I can’t prove, but past history does hold a little weight here) that if Chelsea Clinton had behaved this way at any time during the Clinton years the press and the Republicans would have called for an investigation. Crap, my dear. The Clintons had their black sheep - Roger. He was treated by the press as a joke, not a scandal. Ditto Billy Carter, at least until he became a lobbyist for Libya, which was a legitimate news story. In my memory, (which goes from Ford on), most every Prez, Democrat or Republican, has had a family member cause some embarrassment, but both the press and the public has made the intelligent decision you refuse to make - no guilt by association. Instead, it becomes a source of humor. Hell, you want to see the press tweaking presidents about their family? Pick up any collection of _Doonesbury_ you want. Cracks about Billy Carter, references to Ford’s kid being a pothead, etc. And, of course, Gary Trudeau (sp?) is the most conversative cartoonist out there. :rolleyes: Isn’t your forehead all bloodied yet from beating your head against this wall? Sua ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/35 "2001-05-03T23:41:30Z")
> [@](#): > > I just happen to think he is turning out to be perhaps the biggest liar, hypocrite and corporate hussy that the presidency has ever seen. In other words, “I disagree with his policies, but I can’t argue against them properly, so I need to demonize him to make me feel good about myself.” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/36 "2001-05-04T12:53:32Z")
“If Chelsea Clinton had pulled this, we’d be reading pompous editorials in the _Wall Street Journal_ about the moral fallout of the 1960s.” – Alex Cockburn in this week’s _New York Press_, a nasty reactionary little sheet I pick up because it’s free and because it runs **Cecil’s** column ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2001, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/37 "2001-05-05T05:35:18Z")
Huh huh, you said “Cockburn”. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2001, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866/38 "2001-05-06T08:01:08Z")
Hey, shut up, Tracer. Cock burn is no laughing matter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fruit-doesnt-fall-far-from-the-tree/63866.md?page=1)