May 12, 2008 -
An 11-year-old Kentucky boy sold his bicycle and his video game collection in order to raise money for Senator Hillary Clinton's flagging presidential campaign, according to the Associated Press.Dalton Hatfield presented a check for $440 to former president Bill Clinton on Friday following a campaign rally in West Virginia:
“You sold your bike to get this?” [President] Clinton asked the McAndrews, Ky. native...
Hatfield feels so strongly that Hillary Clinton should be the next president he not only sold his bicycle, but video games and anything else he could find that “I could make money with” to donate to the former first lady’s bid for the Democratic nomination.
Comments
He's a little kid, he should simply go and play. School is rough enough, but giving up things which allow him to escape is even worse. I can understand wanting to make a change in the world, but that will come in time, for now, he should just enjoy his youth and play.
Joking aside, while his motives to backing her are all his own, I must admit that to me there has always been something inherently wrong about taking money from someone that young. He'd be better off having his parents deposit that into a 24 month CD or in a investment savings account, and let it grow.
The fact that he did all that to support someone whose campaign is millions in debt, and floundering in the polls shows that he didn't do his research first, and that Clinton is using it as a media moment. Of course, to me she's coming off as an old witch taking some poor kid's money, but that's me.
"I really hate blacks, they have no business trying to run the government!"
Having the first female president isn't worth having HER in the seat.
@kurisu7885
Amen
And in some months from now, after whoever wins the election and is in charge, I think the boy is so gonna miss his bike...
ah-hah! so that's what it is
Isn't this a little too staged? I mean a kid giving selling video games for Hillary's cause? A little melodramatic if you ask me, too melodramatic that it almost seem staged. In any case, it is till commendable for a kid as young as that to make decisions and stand by it. Not many 11-yr olds have that kind of drive.
"Any of you that would berate him for his political views are pathetic."
Just like the candidates.
"You sit on the outside looking in with nothing but contempt while those who wish to make a difference do something about it."
Say I wanted to stop carbon emissions. This kid's actions are just like me walking up my street sticking bananas into exhaust pipes. It might make you feel better about "trying to make a difference" (if you're a dolt) but it doesn't really ever even come close to "making a difference." I also fail to see how embracing old politics is making a difference. See where old politics got us?
"You only wish you had the balls to actually stand up and try and change something in your lives. You fail in so many ways."
Every day I change lives. I help people stay in touch with their families and use their technology for enjoyment, profit, self-improvement. Giving money to a failing political candidate takes no balls whatsoever. Stopping your child from making a well-intended mistake does, but I think we've more than covered the fact that Mom and Dad absolutely must have influenced this decision. I mean, only one's parents could turn them on to Hillary. Stupid fucking Boomers.
It's nice to see kids caring about politics, even if it seems pretty blatantly orchestrated to try showing how hillary appeals to the youth... because of how heavily the VOTING AGE youngsters are breaking in favor of Obama.
...and yeah, I'm fairly sure there was a "little" parental manipulation going on there.
let's sell our video games and use the money to support a candidate that wants to ban them!
Even if this kid did 'sell' a bunch of stuff to give money to hillary (like that would be the kids idea ... I wonder if the parents 'encouraged' him) His parents will buy him all new stuff now.
But face it, a kid's (especially at 11 years old) judgement on something as complex as politics isn't going to be biased in one way or the other towards what he thinks is best for him. I'm going to venture a guess that either one or both of his parents are Hilary supporters and he just caught up in the rush.
I'll give the kid credit tho, even at 26 if someone asked me to sell my games to support a candidate, I would tell them where to shove it (Mostly because I don't feel any of the candidates are very good).
Wow, I really didn't know that. Seriously. I could've sworn that all the TV stations have been saying that she's the first woman to run for president.
Weird eh?
On top of that, I'm baffled at how an 11 year old can possibly be interested in politics to the point where they'd sell all there worldly possesions and mail the proceeds to a politician. The fact that the kids parents didn't smack him upside the head for doing this tells me that they're probably hardcore clintonians.
As an aside, I can't imagine how shitty this kid's life at school is gonna be when word gets out that he sold all of his toys to support a candidate who isn't even going to win the nomination.
And because Bioshock, CoD4, Halo 3, ect, ect are far more comforting than someone who is going to take away your hard earned money that is normally destined for more video games.
So what kind of 11 year old sells off his stuff because he devoutly believes in one particular candidate?
A) Brainwashed by his parents.
or
B) This is a PR setup.
Maybe both.
Why does everyone care so much? If he donated it to the ECA, you guys would no doubtedly be screaming, "BRAVO!", but he sends it to Hillary Cunton and so many fly off the handle.
No matter where he sends it, nobody should care. It's $400, what can a huge corporation or association do with $400?
Will everyone crucify me if I send a couple rolls of quarters to Ahmadinejad?
And on second note well at least you removed the games from your life before Hillary did! Also that the games went to someone that will actually want to play video games and not just live a life of what! Lets see what you can do now that
- Play basketball all night on the courts (Check)
- Walk around with friends just hanging out (Check)
- Get a game of Pick-up-Baseball (Check)
- Touch or Tackle Football in the field down the street (Check)
- Arcade (Check)
- Building Tree Forts in the woods and sleep all night in them (Check)
- Go Bike Riding or Skate Boarding (Check)
Geez everything I listed that I grew up on and most of you probably already been removed from either gang related things or curfews that authority's deem bad!
THE KIDS 11 11! do you really think he honestly cares about anything political? I doubt he even knows what the democaratic party or republic party is about! my christ people sure do fall for stuff like this
the parents probably told him to do it or this is just a publicity stunt..."oh even the kids love clinton lets vote for her" kinda BS .....
That second paragraph summed it up for me.
So either he is getting it back on the back end, or it never really happened. Doesn't really matter either way. Even if I give the benefit of the doubt and this kid really did send in $440 dollars to her cam-pain, what does it prove? Eleven year olds are easily swayed? He can't even vote. Should this 11 year olds opinion change anyone elses mind? Would you vote for someone because an eleven year old told you to?
Basically it's a non-story that is trying to be blown up into a story, like an Iraqian kid giving a US soldier a flower for a photo op.
Nope, he sold his bike too. Uncheck that.
The oppressive yoke of Tony Blair?
Please, please tell me thats a joke!
How on earth did Labour repress anyone?
Unless you thought that life under the conservatives was fun and games....
This just sounds like a publicity stunt; and a very poor one at that.
I think that is how you reply to people on here.
All the checks are things he can't do.
Be it Curfew or things just are now things that are labeled gang related and been deemed bad from parents and politics.
Like playing basketball all night. You'll get kicked off the court, Or Skateboarding. Nope can't do that either because you'll be a menace.
Irony, anyone?
How many games would an 11 year own as opposed to 'has had bought for him by his parents'?
The only people who won't believe this is a publicity stunt is the media (or at least the ones that still like the Clintons) or her supporters.
BTW... all three main candidates are tools. Neo-con or neo-lib globalists that are going to keep screwing the country. It's an amazing mechanism, really... a device that screws deeper whether it's turned to the "left" or to the "right."
Ron Paul/Cynthia McKinney '08!
Taking $440 from an 11 year old? What next? Candy from babies? SHEESH!
This is obviously a "youth vote" stunt to try and show the super delegates that she does connect with the younger voters. Oh wait, he can't vote.
Epic fail again. *head desk*
On the other hand, now he's made a name for himself -- maybe someday when he's running for class president, he'll bring up this episode to prove that he's willing to commit to his ideals.
I find it a stretch that Clinton would be rendered "speechless" by this action, though. Does that include saying "thank you" to the kid?
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