My own mother - a liberal Democrat and an all-around great woman - just told me that "17 year old boys are idiots and drunk" and that "the focus should be on his legal history and his rulings, not what he did when he was a kid."

I very nearly cried when she told me that. It felt like I was talking to a stranger. I explained very calmly the numerous reasons I disagreed with everything she said, but didn't press it further for fear of potentially damaging our relationship. I'm just honestly in a bit of a state of shock over this.