Community | December 11, 2011 | 105 comments

GOP debate audience cheers child labor

KB723
By David Edwards
Saturday, December 10, 2011

The audience at Saturday night’s Republican presidential debate gave their loud seal of approval to the idea of removing restrictions on child labor.

For over a week, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) has been suggesting that poor children should be in the workforce. He has said that janitorial jobs are appropriate for children, and has lauded the idea of 5-year-olds working.

During Saturday’s debate at Drake University in Iowa, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) pointed to the child labor issue as an example of the difference between him and Gingrich.

“I think every person up here worked at a young age,” Gingrich declared. “What I suggested was kids ought to be able to work part time in schools, particularly in the poorest neighborhoods.”

“If you take one half of the New York janitors, who are paid more than the teachers. An entry-level janitor gets paid twice as much as an entry-level teacher. You take half those janitors, you could give lots of poor kids a work experience in the cafeteria, in the school library, in the front office, in a lot of different things. I’ll stand by the idea young people ought to learn how to work.”

With that, the Republican audience erupted with applause.

GOP debate crowds at previous debates have cheered the death penalty and letting a man without insurance die. They have also booed a gay U.S. soldier.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/12/10/gop-debate-audience-cheers-child-labor/



Watch this video from ABC News, broadcast Dec. 10, 2011.

"These folks have all lost their Minds!!!"
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105 comments // GOP debate audience cheers child labor

  • independent4life
    • -3
      independent4life  
    • All I have to say is that if Current TV... is an independent station why is it owned by Al Gore??? I am not going to be mean, there is nothing wrong with delivering media just like FOX News, CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN and all the rest, Current TV picks a side (Democratic), so quit saying your independent PLEASE!!! I am trying to watch this channel because it CLAIMED TO BE an independent channel. To anyone who reads this (that does not feel independent) genuine independents do not think like this! Genuine independents are smack-dab in the middle and do not lie... We tend to take a lot of crap, because we believe strongly in our beliefs (and half of these beliefs tend to be partly against the inhibit ideas of republicans or democrats) . There are many decisions that have to be made in our country (regardless of where the dilemma came from, and regardless of your beliefs). Usually there are decent people to be effected no matter the decision. CURRENT TV IS NOT IN THE MIDDLE AT ALL!!! quit lying and I may watch you again, because the Young Turks at least give there honesty (and I do believe there coverage on the middle east is as correct as you can get on United States television... but honestly you as a station nor the Young Turks are independents!!! YOU are DEMOCRATS!!! however there are ALOT of young independents that might side with you just because you are on TV and claim to be an independent station (which you are not, THE STATION IS OWNED BY AL GORE). Basically you have two options, either give an INDEPENDENT VIEW OF AMERICA, or say what your true beliefs are. Bias media can only hold the most nimwit minded individual's attention for so long. I will continue to watch but only if one of your lies change. Either fair coverage, or a change in your advertising claims AL GORE!!! I do like the Young Turks though, even if they sold out, I understand CAPITALISM HAS ITS WAYS.....

    • 6 months ago
  • MrMetalloidMan
    • 0
      MrMetalloidMan  
    • independent4life:

      Al Gore (and some others on the channel) may be Democratic, but if there was a Republican who wasn't crazy and corrupt running for president, they would ditch Obama in a second. It's about the independent ideas, and not the class. It's the big picture they're looking at.

    • 6 months ago
  • tverdell
    • 0
      tverdell  
    • independent4life:

      I never heard claim to be independent. All of their advertising for Countdown and TYT explicitly state they are progressive on a progressive network.

      Current has a progressive bias and advertises to this target market.

      The closest thing to fair coverage is CSPAN.

    • 6 months ago
  • FoosMaster
    • 0
      FoosMaster  
    • independent4life:

      When they say "Independent" they are talking about how they are not owned by any of the major media conglomerates so they are not beholden to the Mega-Corps! If you want to attack them for their policies and views, fine, but get it right.

    • 6 months ago
  • Joeydee44
    • +1
      Joeydee44  
    • I think we should put all the RICH kids to work as janitors in inner-city schools. Don't want this to turn into "class warfare" now, do we?

    • 6 months ago
  • FLeggplant
    • +3
      FLeggplant  
    • As long as no one suggests that the Children of the wealthy practice working as janitors or lunch room food scoopers the Republicans are all in.
      The first time anyone suggests that Children of the wealthy learn employment skills from the bottom up Republicans will be appalled & disgusted and claim it's class war-fare or Socialistic, Communistic or a Fascist plot by liberals.

    • 6 months ago
  • mitekillem
    • +3
      mitekillem  
    • Newt translation "I want to open the gates to allow your children to work in factories where they would not be able to Unionize. If we want to compete with China, we must be more like them." --and the GOP zombies would still cheer for it. Like a good bunch "Christians".

    • 6 months ago
  • dudefromtherock
  • CreditFigaro
    • +2
      CreditFigaro  
    • Sorry Newt, paying poor kids less to do what the older people do doesn't improve the economy in any way. IF there was a need for them to work, then that would be a different story.

    • 6 months ago
  • MotherForTruth
    • +4
      MotherForTruth  
    • I disagree Newt Gingrich proposition for the POOR children. Even besides this proposition I would never vote for him. Having said that I believe we need to help our children appreciate good education and grow up with good work ethics and responsibility to the society. American children spend way much time interested in video games and social media.

    • 6 months ago
  • alexandrek
  • MotherForTruth
    • +1
      MotherForTruth  
    • alexandrek:

      I agree there are many ways to educate our children and I do not only refer to meeting the scholastic needs. Especially boys need more attention. Boys do not learn the save way as girls do yet boys are forced to. Many boys do not perform up to their abilities and as result we see decline of young men perusing higher education. Women are encouraged to be more aggressive while men are left lost.

    • 6 months ago
  • FoosMaster
    • 0
      FoosMaster  
    • alexandrek:

      You nailed it with; “it needs to be educational”.
      I have no problem with kids being given educational projects to do but to force the Poor kids into manual labor is just another form of Slavery imposed on the poor!

    • 6 months ago
  • alexandrek
  • MotherForTruth
  • bike10
  • Anonmaly
    • -6
      Anonmaly  
    • Worked for China... 4 year olds at cash registers, they continue to dominate us in math and science, and the average Chinese kid who gets up doing Tia-Chi every morning could devastate your you "American Taekwondo" taught kid in a test of martial skills.....

      Just saying... Idk maybe you want your children to be ignorant wimps controlled by those who put more effort into life...?

      (beats the hell out of being controlled by the fat lazy fucks around here....)

    • 6 months ago
  • alexandrek
  • Berniefan
    • +6
      Berniefan  
    • Anonmaly:

      If it's true that Chinese students dominate U.S. students in math and science, I can assure you that it has absolutely nothing to do with the cruel, abusive and immoral exploitation of 4 year old children. More likely it's due to shortsighted American politicians who would rather hand out tax cuts to people who don't need them than to invest in the education of our children. So, you may dominate us, but it's not because you've gotten better, it's only because we've gotten worse. Not much to be proud of there.Some might even call that a hollow victory. Me? I'd call it meaningless. I wonder what an enslaved 4 year old would call it?
      Oh, I almost forgot to ask. Are there a lot of job opportunities in the Tai-Chi arena?

    • 6 months ago
  • Berniefan
    • 0
      Berniefan  
    • alexandrek:

      alexandrek, I really hope my response to anonmaly did not offend you. I was responding to his promoting of child labor, not China. No matter what country he chose to lie about, I would have said the same thing. I'm glad to hear that he was lying but I still wish he hadn't. At least I'll know to ignore him next time. Please let me know if my post offends you and I will be glad to take it down. I'd do it right now but I want anonmaly to read it.

    • 6 months ago
  • remanns
  • KB723
  • remanns
  • KB723
    • +1
      KB723  
    • remanns:

      I do too, but How??? We cannot just oust all of them at once, I have been thinking state to state but even that relies on elections, and furthermore, Who will we elect and on what grounds???

    • 6 months ago
  • remanns
  • KB723
  • FoosMaster
  • remanns
    • +1
      remanns  
    • KB723:

      DAMN ! . . .now you want pragmatic steps,.............. ( I would be briefly stymied,....but I think I can do a "google search" for "ending the electoral college",..............WILL BE BACK !

    • 6 months ago
  • remanns
    • +1
      remanns  
    • Image
    • KB723:

      hmmmmm,.....raw data-
      By TIM MAK | 10/24/11 6:25 AM EDT

      Americans want to dump the Electoral College for a popular vote system by a margin of nearly 2-1 and for the first time a majority of Republicans back that change, a new poll Monday says.

      Indeed, 62 percent of respondents supported a constitutional amendment that would make the presidential race contingent on who won the popular vote, according to a Gallup poll. Only 35 percent supported keeping the current Electoral College.

      Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/66681.html#ixzz1gISkO89t

    • 6 months ago
  • KB723
  • KB723
    • 0
      KB723  
    • remanns:

      Yes I believe I saw something about this recently and to the best of my recollection, Al Gore won the Popular Vote in 2004, so I was a Bit Stunned to see the GOP backing this one... Thanks remanns, I am off to bed, Good Night and Best Wishes... =)

    • 6 months ago
  • remanns
  • KB723
  • MrMetalloidMan
  • KB723
  • MrMetalloidMan
  • KB723
  • budsnews
    • +4
      budsnews  
    • all of those cheering should relinquish their jobs to a child...guarantee there were no janitors cheering..worked nights as an electrician retrofitting schools in the 5 boroughs of new york for 4 years always 1 janitor..busy all night.this is just the latest attempt to deamonize a segment of the working world...go sh!t in your hat gop.

    • 6 months ago
  • remanns
  • rossmick
    • +2
      rossmick  
    • I really hope the independents are watching and remember these actions by the GOP folks. No one with a once of decency could partner with the GOP on these issues. Independents please pay attention.

    • 6 months ago
  • KB723
  • Joeydee44
  • KB723
  • Incredulous
  • KB723
  • Johnny_Los_Angeles
  • KB723
  • FoosMaster
    • +2
      FoosMaster  
    • I have come to the conclusion that they will cheer Anything 'anti-progressive'. They are taught by FOX that any progressive idea or program that protects anyone or anything from their precious corporations, which they seem to worship as their Gods, is a program of the evil Obama controled government. They intend to destroy All government programs that in any way hinder their precious corporations and the banker mobsters from making more money.
      But of coarse when it comes to WAR the government never does enough for them. And when their world comes crashing down on them they can be secure in the knowledge that they have protected the rights of corporations and banks to do anything they want. Besides, they are people to and they should be free to do whatever they want and because they are rich they have “earned” more rights than the rest of us. Right??
      What a sad country we have become. :-(

    • 6 months ago
  • KB723
  • dudefromtherock
  • KB723
  • dudefromtherock
  • EdJoyProductions
  • dudefromtherock
    • 0
      dudefromtherock  
    • EdJoyProductions:

      You tell Newt and his corrupt ilk that my lil son is Canadian and here we have labour laws and a decent minimum wage. We pay our working class fair salaries and value professionals like teachers. We enjoy one of the best standards of living in the world...how completely unamerican and before you say it..No! We are not the same, thank God.

    • 5 months ago
  • EdJoyProductions
  • wtthfkovr
    • +2
      wtthfkovr  
    • Wow just what the country needs lets put more people in the work force to drive wages lower then we can have the whole family working for slave labor wages. All part ov their evil plan, starting with their war on organized labor. Then they have the audacity to say there is no class warfare bull shit

    • 6 months ago
  • wtthfkovr
    • +3
      wtthfkovr  
    • Just what republican thugs want. Lets get them out of school may be put them back in the coal mines or back in the fields. so they can go back to the good ol feudal times

    • 6 months ago
  • Ambill94
    • +3
      Ambill94  
    • Let's see...they hate blacks, or more generally people of any color but anglo white; gays of any variety; kids; generally women of all colors, Muslims of all varieties; Arabs; Persians, or more properly anyone who claims home as the Middle East with the grand exception of Israelis; even white people who disagree with anything the spew...hmmmmm...what a boring world view they trying to accomplish...how terribly, terribly sad...

      Thomas Jefferson; Abraham Lincoln: Teddy Roosevelt...all great Republicans would surely be embarrassed by these clowns...

    • 6 months ago
  • KB723
  • Ambill94
  • KB723
  • Ambill94
    • +1
      Ambill94  
    • KB723:

      We can easily start the process of dismantling the party system if everyone starts voting for individuals instead of by party affiliation...of course, when in doubt vote Dem...odds are still slightly in favor of a good outcome...

    • 6 months ago
  • KB723
  • Ambill94
  • KB723
  • Ambill94
  • KB723
  • rerushg
  • KB723
  • Leen61
    • +5
      Leen61  
    • Before this campaign is over there will be nothing sacred left in these people minds anymore as long as it makes this bunch of evil spawn look human. They will cheer the crucifixion if the candidates assert that Jesus was nothing more than a dirty liberal who was the first one to send this country on the downward spiral of "entitlements" they want you to believe it's on. These people are just nuts.

    • 6 months ago
  • KB723
  • cherry5000
  • KB723
  • FoosMaster
  • Wyley_Wombat
  • KB723
  • Milieu
    • +3
      Milieu  
    • Considering his Bio, I doubt much "working" took place.

      In 1946, his mother married Army officer Robert Gingrich (1925–1996), who adopted Newt.[10] Gingrich has three younger half-sisters, Candace Gingrich, Susan Gingrich, and Roberta Brown.[10] Gingrich is of German, English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry,[11] and was raised a Lutheran.[12] Gingrich was raised in Hummelstown, near Harrisburg, and on military bases where Robert Gingrich was stationed.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_Gingrich

    • 6 months ago
  • cherry5000
  • KB723
  • OlBlue
  • oldbanjo
  • EdJoyProductions
  • KB723
  • EdJoyProductions
    • +5
      EdJoyProductions  
    • KB723:

      Actually I was referring to the audience. There are no words yet invented to accurately describe some of the occupants of that stage. Newt Gingrich is becoming my new favorite obscenity when I do not want to scream less socially acceptable words.

    • 6 months ago
  • OlBlue
  • EdJoyProductions
  • KB723
  • cherry5000
  • Wyley_Wombat
  • OlBlue
  • EdJoyProductions
  • treewolf39
  • eden49
  • KB723
  • KB723
  • OlBlue
    • +2
      OlBlue  
    • KB723:

      As one of their posterboys said, "What a terrible thing to have lost one's mind. Or not to have a mind at all. How true that is." -- Vice President Dan Quayle winning
      friends while speaking to the United Negro College Fund.

    • 6 months ago
  • KB723
  • OlBlue
  • KB723
  • OlBlue
    • +2
      OlBlue  
    • KB723:

      He's supposed to be going away for 3 years for money laundering and conspiracy (hiding corporate contributions) regarding Texas election races. Probably under appeal. TEXAS! CORPORATE CONTRIBUTIONS! Oh Gawd.

    • 6 months ago
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