President Obama Is Such A Terrible Bowler…
I remember during the 8-year Bush Presidency, various friends of mine on the Left eviscerated President Bush on every word stumble, misplaced thought, “unpolitical” correct utterance, and his Texas ways many times. They eviscerated him on blogs, in conversation, anywhere and anytime. I told them that they better be ready (with a thick skin) because when their guy or gal becomes President, the Right is going to get some serious payback. To sum up their response:
So what? Our guy or gal won’t be as stupid as President Bush!
Fast forward to present day yesterday where folks in the “Multimediaverse” are all agog at President Obama’s Special Olympics remark on The Jay Leno Show Thursday night. I talked to one of those “Bush eviscerator” friends of mine this morning and here’s the conversation (somewhat paraphrased):
Me: “Obama is going to get it good on that Special Olympics remark last night.”
Friend: “Whatever. He’s still not as dumb as President Bush.”
Me: “That’s irrelevant. President Obama is going to get it good in the micro-parsing age by the outraged and false outraged. You did it to Bush.”
Friend: “Whatever.”
For the record, I absolutely hated President Bush being eviscerated for every word stumble, misplaced thought, “unpolitical” correct utterance, and his Texas ways. I remember President Bush’s “gynecologist love of women” remark and how various bloggers and serious media types just ran with it as an indictment on President Bush holding the office. President Bush isn’t stupid. Isn’t Hitler. Isn’t crazy. If he was, we would be living in an America from a Twilight Zone episode.
So now we have President Obama’s remark about the Special Olympics. And the “Multimediaverse” are taking the comment and carrying it “Sinister-ville”, “Not Fit To Be President Land”, “Hate All Disabled People Kingdom”, and other nefarious destinations. Just like they did with President Bush and his rhetorical missteps. Since I have a disabled cousin (she’s a paraplegic, Leno fan, and didn’t vote for Obama since she’s a Green Party gal), I asked her what she thought about the remark via e-mail. Her response (used with permission):
“Not the best thing to say I guess but I’m not mad. When your President, you talk so much that I expect a slip-up. His comment just didn’t feel vicious to me. Ignorant, since I’ve seen Special Olympians bowl very high and perfect games, but not vicious. I’ve heard things 100 times worse laced with serious venom about the disabled. You know what the President should do?! He should do a fund-raising bowling thingy with Special Olympian or disabled bowlers. He’s going to get whipped since he’s a terrible bowler. Take his lumps in the bowling alley, say he’s not worthy for the Special Olympics, and smile. He has such a terrific smile. But you know how folks are. Forgive and forget is what Jesus does. Not what we do.”
Amen dear cousin. Now I know my cousin doesn’t speak for every disabled person. And I understand them and their families being chaffed at President Obama’s remark. But I don’t get and absolutely detest is how slip-ups like this (and this issue is small in the grander scheme of things, no disrespect to the disabled) are blown up into major indictments on a President’s leadership. President Bush had numerous slip-ups but the Union continued. President Obama has had slip-ups (and probably more) and guess what: the Union will continue. Sorry if that upsets you but it is true.
In conclusion, President Obama is a terrible bowler. I think he needs to avoid all bowling alleys and stick to the basketball courts until he leaves office. Seems like he just can’t win when it comes to bowling.
23 Responses to “President Obama Is Such A Terrible Bowler…”
[...] that Memeorandum lists a total of some 42 news articles and blog posts on the gaffe including The Moderate Voice, pw, Fox News, Stop The ACLU, Scared Monkeys, Washington Post, Fausta’s Blog, Talking Points [...]
An unintentional, unfortunate slip-up by a man who is doing all he can to provide better health care and living standards for all, including the handicapped.
Compare this to the GOP icon, the de facto spokesman of the Party, who makes a career out of ridiculing, insulting, deriding, lampooning just about every non-white, non-rich, non-male, non-Conservative American—and non-American. And 20 million people lap it up every day.
T-Steel – just as you have heard little to nothing in the mainstream press about the 'Smartest Administration in History' sending the PM back with a set of 25 movies that cannot be played in England! Can you imagine the field day they would have had with Bush over that?
But remember, it has noting to do with Media Bias, because, of course, media is biased to the right and for the Republican party. At least that is what the Left keeps telling me.
An excellent post.
Yes, it was an “ignorant” thing to say. I think T-Steel's cousin's choice of words is excellent.
Obama seems to be usually a thoughtful person…and I suspect he does not know any people with disabilities…if he had, I suspect he would not have made the remark.
People say dumb things, even disciplined speakers like Obama.
I remember a similar on camera gaffe…I forget which, it during the primaries…and you could see Obama pause the moment the words were out of his mouth.
I am not an Obama supporter.
Like T-Steel, I thought one of the lowest and stupidest actions of Bush critics over the years was his malapropisms.
I am sure all those critics were flawless, Olivier-level public speakers.
Weisberg's “Bushism of the Day” at Slate is an excellent example of this. Often, in their determination to mock Bush, they revealed their own ignorance.
For example, with this Bushism: http://www.slate.com/id/2142246/
Bush was referring to one of the most famous pictures of the Camelot presidency: John Kennedy Jr. crawling out under the Oval Office desk.
Weisberg is clearly ignorant of this piece of American history.
(Bush would usually use this story as a set piece to make nervous visitors to the Oval Office at ease, as is recounted in this post: http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2006/05/presiden… )
Obama's comment was ignorant. But every person speaking in public makes gaffes at some point.
There is a lot to criticize the Obama presidency on . . . but this is a minor point, at least IMO.
Of course, as T-Steel says, with Bush this would have exploded like Vesuvius. Democrats would be howling in the streets. There would be marches of Democrats with disabilities on the White House.
Partisanship is partisanship, I suppose.
AR…good point about the DVD flap.
Unlike the “special Olympics” comment…I actually think the DVD flap is reflective of the Obama White House.
(For people who may not know…when PM Brown visited Obama, he brought unusually thoughtful diplomatic gifts, relating to the president's desk…slavery etc. His team had done their homework.
In response, Obama gave him a box set of 25 American movies on DVD…none of which can be played in the UK, because they are the wrong region…and are probably NTSC instead of PAL, to boot. When the London “Telegraph” contacted the Obama White House for a comment…the aide contacted “sniggered”. )
Seriously. This Gift Gaffe is revealing of an inexperienced White House team, that is clearly not up to snuff. The State Dept. probably has people who sole job is to deal with this sort of diplomatic gift-giving…but the Obama WH clearly did not want to talk to State.
It was insulting…but more important…dumb. Obama has never had an executive team before, and it shows.
AustinRoth and Marlowecan, I can see the “Gift Gaffe” being more newsworthy than Special Olympics comment. Like some professor/professor-types, they tend to be absent-minded when it comes to certain protocols outside of their universe. Obama reminds me of a History professor I had in college. Great guy, smart guy, nice guy, and I learned alot. But he sure has is moments of aloofness.
I'm going to take the opposite tack here. I'm the biggest Obamabot around here and I think it's perfectly fine for the Right to jump all over this gaffe. Not that I think the Special Olympics remarks was substantively bad (beyond impolitic, that is). Just that when your political opponent hands you some ammo, you go with it.
The problem for Republicans is that it doesn't fit in with any larger meme re: Obama. They've built him up as a radical socialist, not somebody who mocks the disabled or the generally marginalized. That's why “spread the wealth” had such legs in the campaign. This one? Probably not much to it.
Good post, T-Steel. Obama's comment is no big deal. You're also correct that if Bush had said it the Democrats would have been preparing the tar and feathers.
That raises the question – does the left have the right to expect civility? Bush sure didn't receive it over the past several years.
More importantly, what's up with a guy who thinks dressing down for the Oval Office is OK, but wears a tie to go bowling?
Like I said casualobserver, Obama got “Professor-itis” written all over him! I've seen collegiate professors due that MANY times.
And your right elrod. Grab the ammo and run with it. Although I don't like that much in THESE type of situations.
Another stupid A$$ equivalency post.
Damm, don't you guys have anything better to do than write posts about how a Republican was treated a certain way so now a Democrat has to be treated the same way, that's not moderation its stupidity. If after 8-years of listening to Bush butcher the English language (along with everything else he has touched) all you can say is that you hated the fact that the “Left” eviscerated him over his miscues and you're ready to “have some serious payback” the first time Obama makes a verbal miscue shows why you are a perfect fit with today's Republicans.
God, how I Miss Republicans, the real ones that is.
T-Steel and the other moderates here call me when you can write the equivalency post on how Obama started a war of choice while wrecking the economy. Until then, GIVE IT UP.
Oh Loviatar be quiet. You have proved my point BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT with this statement:
“If after 8-years of listening to Bush butcher the English language (along with everything else he has touched) all you can say is that you hated the fact that the “Left” eviscerated him over his miscues and you're ready to “have some serious payback” the first time Obama makes a verbal miscue then you're a perfect fit with today's Republicans.”
President Bush DID NOT butcher the English language. 8 years the man was in office and I heard him perfectly (even through all his rhetorical missteps). Sure I absolutely hated how we got into the Iraq war and other REAL issues but guess what; THE UNION IS STILL ALIVE. You obviously are so partisan that you missed that I hate when any President gets treated this way over a situation like this. Your just like my friend that I talked about. Can dish it but can't take it. How about we NEVER DISH IT so we can NEVER TAKE IT? Yeah, can't live with that I bet friend.
T_Steel,
President Bush DID NOT butcher the English language
Do you listen to yourself, or does it go straight from brain to hand/mouth without passing the – oh shit this doesn't make sense filter. I mean maybe in your world the decider made sense, but in my world (reality based) he was a under-qualified, inarticulate frat boy who was foisted on the American people by a cabal of manipulators for their benefit (neo-cons / Iraq war, financial-cons / Economy, so-cons / Terry Schiavo) and the countries detriment. So yes THE UNION IS STILL ALIVE, however its so dammed bent and twisted out of shape (Presidential authorized torture – my god I can't believe I wrote that about the USA) that I don't know if it will ever return to morals and standards we had just 8 years ago. That's why I don't want read any dammed equivalency post from you or anyone else on this site, like I said earlier call me when you can write the equivalency post on how Obama started a war of choice while wrecking the economy. Until then, GIVE IT UP.
Also, by the way I am a registered Independent, not a Democrat, not a Republican and sure the hell NOT A MODERATE.
Perhaps we should listen to one who is intimately involved with the issue at hand:
Tim Shriver, the chairman of the Special Olympics board, told “Good Morning America” today.”President Obama expressed his disappointment and he apologized, I think in a way that was very moving,” “He expressed that he did not intend to humiliate this population, certainly didn't want to embarrass or give anybody any more reason for pain or just suffering I would say,” said Shriver, who received the call from Obama as the president was flying back to Washington.
“He was very sincere, expressed an interest and an openness in being more engaged in the movement and said he was a fan of the movement and I think importantly he said he was ready to have some of our athletes over to the White House to bowl or play basketball or help him improve his score.”
Will this placate the Obama haters; the “I hope Obama fails” fans? Probably NOT
Loviatar……..there is this stuff called valium…………..
Loviatar… PLEASE!
I will say again and say no more:
…I hate when any President gets treated this way over a situation like this. Emphasis: A SITUATION LIKE THIS. Ya know, like, saying something a little stupid (i.e. Bush “gynecologist” comment and Obama's “Special Olympics” comment) and having it blown out the planet. Ya know, small sh*t?? Get it?”
Methinks, former President Bush would have gotten my point the first time…
co,
sure I'll calm down. I mean its not like I have anything to be upset about.
– its not like there was a war of choice and the war criminals prosecuting the war got to escape prosecution and live there lives in public with no shame of the harm they caused to our Country and Constitution
– Its not like the economy was broken and the financial criminals who caused it got to escape prosecution and keep their ill gotten gains
I mean, what do I have to be upset about. The last 8-years have been so great and the country is doing so well that I'll be able to retire early and go live anywhere I want and the people living there will all love me because I'm an American. /snark
You guys slay me, you had things your way for 6 of the past 8 years. You controlled every aspect of the government, you were able to implement any crackpot theory ever espoused by your “intellectuals” (abstinence only education, WTF is that, have you guys ever been a teenager or did you go straight from hating girls to hating your wives). Yet now that your theories have FAILED, anyone complaining or angry at the way you've treated our Country and Constitution is considered shrill.
You know what, why don't you STFU and allow me and others like me to vent a little, don't you think we deserve that much. We sure the hell have gotten anything of value from you guys the past 8 years.
T_Steel,
I will say again and say no more:
You are writing an equivalency post comparing Obama's verbal miscues to Bush's verbal miscues, when there is no equivalency.
Spin it however you want, like you said I'm done
Lov – well, you are right. There should be no question of equivalency to people such as yourself.
Those with BDS have continually told us what a truly stupid, ignorant man Bush is, and what a brilliant, shining light Obama is. So, verbal gaffs and malapropisms should be expected from Bush, and forgiven and overlooked, given your 'fact' of his mental incompetence. After all, it is not nice to make fun of the mentally challenged.
Obama, however, is the Uber-God of politics, all-seeing, all-knowing, with mental faculties that shame Ozymandias. So if he is making mistakes, it is a sign of true failure, not simply a man constrained by his own limitations. That mistake must be judged therefore much more harshly, for it is the mistake of a man who guards his every word, and so must be opening a window into a deep, dark recess of hate towards the handicapped. It cannot be a 'simple slip of the tongue', because there is nothing simple about Obama.
HA HA HA HA
All joking aside, how come no one has commented on this is why Obama is reluctant to speak without a teleprompter? That was the obvious criticism, IMO. And if he cannot speak without a teleprompter, then perhaps he is NOT as articulate and supior in his command of the language over President Bush as his supporters would like to think.
Bowler…
I remember during the 8-year Bush Presidency various friends of mine on the Left eviscerated Preside [...]…
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