Slog
News & ArtsSunday, September 9, 2012
2012 Barack Obama's Being All Sorts of Awesome Today
Posted by Dan Savage on Sun, Sep 9, 2012 at 4:13 PM
First, there's the picture. Then there's the joke:
POOL REPORT: At 6:51 motorcade arrived at... a strip mall. Grand Oaks shopping village in Orlando, which houses, among other things, Gators Dockside, a sports bar... Big cheer when potus walked in, doing a strange slicing motion with his arms that your pooler is informed is the "gator chop." Hm. Being a huge beer fan, potus immediately sidled up to the bar, of course, standing under a ginormous stuffed? Plastic? Alligator. He ordered a pint of something, and started chatting up patrons... He goes to a huge table of ten, five kids, and one woman points to a blond boy at the opposite end and says "he was born in Hawaii." Potus lights up and does some presumably Hawaii sign with his hand, which the boy returned. Then Potus says: "You were born in Hawaii? You have a birth certificate?" The table busted out laughing.
What John said:
Get ready for the Fox News patrol to accuse us of a double standard—why is it okay for Obama to make a joke about his own birth certificate and not Romney? Because Obama was mocking the controversy. Romney was mocking Obama. P.S. The day Mitt Romney has this human of an interchange with a random person, get back to me.
And finally, and most importantly, there's the motherfuckin' bounce, baby.
1
Obama vanquishes his opponents, one after another. Now it's up to us to keep up his momentum. Give more money.
2
Not only that, but he got a lift from a registered Republican in Florida, literally.
http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/…
http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/…
5
I'm hoping for a bounce, and the early signs look good, but we won't have real proof until we see a few more poll results this week. Romney, on the other hand is programming as much negative advertising as possible right now to suppress the bounce.
We've never had quite this much money in a presidential campaign before. For Obama to win, Romney needs to fail spectacularly. And, I fear we need the right wing propaganda machine to fail, as well. They've been hanging on by the simple expediency of denying reality. They're like a cross between a pathological liar and a zombie movie. No many how many proven lies get shot down, they just keep resurrecting them.
We've never had quite this much money in a presidential campaign before. For Obama to win, Romney needs to fail spectacularly. And, I fear we need the right wing propaganda machine to fail, as well. They've been hanging on by the simple expediency of denying reality. They're like a cross between a pathological liar and a zombie movie. No many how many proven lies get shot down, they just keep resurrecting them.
6
It's Obama's to lose as long if Americans end up thinking that four more years of the last four years is better than what Romney could do. Very sad.
7
I'm with @5 about that apparent bounce. Today was positive, but let's hang on for just a second.
@6 If your boy has such great ideas, how come he's not out there talking about them? How come reporters have to ask him the same damn question three times and he still doesn't answer it? Hm... Some great ideas those must be that they have to be kept top secret. (Like his taxes.)
Mitt Romney: Vote for me, America! You don't know what you're getting, but I will not fail you! Just trust me! I'm a business man!
@6 If your boy has such great ideas, how come he's not out there talking about them? How come reporters have to ask him the same damn question three times and he still doesn't answer it? Hm... Some great ideas those must be that they have to be kept top secret. (Like his taxes.)
Mitt Romney: Vote for me, America! You don't know what you're getting, but I will not fail you! Just trust me! I'm a business man!
9
8- Sheesh Ken, this subject has been discussed to death the last 3 weeks? months? Look at the Slog archives if you're so curious.
10
@7: At this late stage in the campaign neither Obama or Romney will surpass their talking points on the economy to a comprehensive vision that the voters will find satisfactory. That's not their fault, however. The problems are so enormous that neither of these fine men posses the skills to be the president we really need.
12
Um, perhaps because it is generally more courteous to make fun of oneself than of others. Mr. Savage mocks himself regularly and is of course permitted to say things about gays and the gay community that heterosexuals had best leave silent.
14
@10, you sound fairly disillusioned with both candidates, which is understandable. What I don't understand is why, given two unsatisfactory choices, you shill for the one that would classify you as a second-class citizen because you're gay. Wait - are you extremely wealthy?
15
@14: It's a misnomer to think that one's socioeconomic status should be tied to ones' political philosophy, it's also a misnomer that one's sexual orientation should be tied to a political philosophy, or choice between two presidential candidates. It's also a misnomer to think that one's sexual orientation makes one a second class citizen in the eyes of either party.
No, I'm not extremely wealthy. Are you?
No, I'm not extremely wealthy. Are you?
16
@11: In all seriousness, despite all the fear and smear tactics by the democrats, Mitt Romney is better suited to facilitate economic growth than Barack Obama. IMHO.
17
@15
Of course you are correct.
Which is why history has so many examples of black men joining the KKK.
Oh wait.
They didn't do that.
Which seems to imply that, once again, you're wrong.
"It's also a misnomer to think that one's sexual orientation makes one a second class citizen in the eyes of either party."
Except that the Republicans are running on EXACTLY that platform.
Gays should not marry.
Since they do not have all the rights that everyone else does, that does make them "second class citizens".
Or do you even know what those words mean?
Didn't you use to defend racists and bigots?
Yes you did.
Of course you are correct.
Which is why history has so many examples of black men joining the KKK.
Oh wait.
They didn't do that.
Which seems to imply that, once again, you're wrong.
"It's also a misnomer to think that one's sexual orientation makes one a second class citizen in the eyes of either party."
Except that the Republicans are running on EXACTLY that platform.
Gays should not marry.
Since they do not have all the rights that everyone else does, that does make them "second class citizens".
Or do you even know what those words mean?
Didn't you use to defend racists and bigots?
Yes you did.
19
@15, I currently find myself in the lower end of the middle class. I get the argument that one's sexual orientation doesn't necessarily align them with one candidate, but you clearly call that out in your moniker. Why? Also, when politics play so heavily into economics and personal freedom, how can these factors not inform one's position? Are you taking yourself out of the equation and framing an idealized version of government? I suppose there's an argument for that, but if that's the case, what does inform your political philosophy? (And maybe "second-class" is a stretch, but you are currently denied rights that I enjoy,)
20
@18 I was thinking the same thing.
It seems like the perfect word to misuse when you mean "misconception," however. It's almost too perfect of a malapropism to be unintentional.
It seems like the perfect word to misuse when you mean "misconception," however. It's almost too perfect of a malapropism to be unintentional.
22
Ease up on GDfR, he is a child of Reagan, suckled on the right wing media tit. He knows the words conservative, liberal, capitalism, communism, fascist and socialist, but lacks the philosophical and historical knowledge to define them and place them in context. So he's bitten down hard on the pacifier that was placed in his mouth when he was born. Reagan good, Reagan conservative, ergo anything calling itself conservative is good.
Even when presented with facts that would indicate Reagan himself would look at today's Republican party and say, "oh fuck that I'm going back to being a democrat." GDfR clings to his stuffed toy elephant.
Its sad and a bit confusing particularly when GDfR own comments and observations undercut his steadfast support of Romney and today's Republican party. Sorry GDfR, Romney is nothing if not a creation of today's Republican party.
Say it long enough, often enough, while feeding into peoples natural inclination to fear change and the unknown (the very definition of the word "future" btw, change and unknowns), and people quite readily act against their own self interest. There is a great deal of comfort in simplistic answers to a complex world.
Even when presented with facts that would indicate Reagan himself would look at today's Republican party and say, "oh fuck that I'm going back to being a democrat." GDfR clings to his stuffed toy elephant.
Its sad and a bit confusing particularly when GDfR own comments and observations undercut his steadfast support of Romney and today's Republican party. Sorry GDfR, Romney is nothing if not a creation of today's Republican party.
Say it long enough, often enough, while feeding into peoples natural inclination to fear change and the unknown (the very definition of the word "future" btw, change and unknowns), and people quite readily act against their own self interest. There is a great deal of comfort in simplistic answers to a complex world.
25
"He knows the words conservative, liberal, capitalism, communism, fascist and socialist, but lacks the philosophical and historical knowledge to define them and place them in context."
Yeah, but he's not the only SLOG reader/writer.
Yeah, but he's not the only SLOG reader/writer.
27
Yes Dan, loving the bouncy bounce. But not surprising since the DNC was literally the bomb (as Biden would put it). Didn't watch the RNC but heard from friends that it didn't go all that well, except for an old man talking to an empty chair.
28
@15 -- Okay, to be fair, you're right in a way -- rich people often do support the safety net on principle and straight people definitely support gay rights on principle. The principles involved are fairness, compassion, investment in society, investment in the future, etc.
However, given that Republican principles are narrow-minded and mean-spirited self-interest, it's hard to imagine why anybody would support them unless they think they're going to get something out of it. Being poor or middle class, gay, nonwhite, non-Christian, or female and voting Republican just seems weird and perverse.
I think it goes like this: Democrats want to benefit everyone, even if it also benefits their worst enemy. Republicans want to punish their worst enemy, even if it punishes themselves at the same time.
However, given that Republican principles are narrow-minded and mean-spirited self-interest, it's hard to imagine why anybody would support them unless they think they're going to get something out of it. Being poor or middle class, gay, nonwhite, non-Christian, or female and voting Republican just seems weird and perverse.
I think it goes like this: Democrats want to benefit everyone, even if it also benefits their worst enemy. Republicans want to punish their worst enemy, even if it punishes themselves at the same time.
30
Is there any doubt that he is? Romney is a remarkably shitty politician.
I'm way too superstitious to call the election for Obama, among other things, the Republicans could just flat-out steal it, but Romney has been failing spectacularly from the word go.
For Obama to win, Romney needs to fail spectacularly.
Is there any doubt that he is? Romney is a remarkably shitty politician.
I'm way too superstitious to call the election for Obama, among other things, the Republicans could just flat-out steal it, but Romney has been failing spectacularly from the word go.
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