An Internet hub for moderates, centrists, and independents, with domestic and international news, analysis, original reporting, and popular features from the left, center, and right

« Um, Why Don’t You Call Oslo and Ask the Nobel Committee, Chip?

Is Obama’s Nobel Just to Repudiate George W. Bush?: Corriere della Sera, Italy »

Who Nominated Obama?

Posted by JERRY REMMERS, Columnist in At TMV, Breaking News, Politics.
Oct 10th, 2009 | Comments

After being bombarded with spin, stonewalling and lies, it doesn’t take long for a journalist to become a cynic. Skepticism grows along with a thick skin and a demeanor where one needs to ask the tough questions. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. If not the journalist, then whom?

In my column yesterday questioning the merit of President Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize after only nine months in office, I wrote that neither Obama nor the White House staff knew he had been nominated, “as far as we can tell.”

At least one reader took offense, claiming I was a hack making a cheap shot and comparing me with Glenn Beck. Fine. My first reaction was putting me and Beck in the same sentence is an oxymoron.

The cynic in me made me do it. It’s not as though I don’t believe the White House surprise. Rather, I find it incredulous Obama’s staff was 100% clueless. Someone or group nominated the president. Word gets around, usually.

My suspicion — and, yes, it comes from out of left field — is it came from someone/group associated or on the fringe of Obama’s presidential campaign committee. There’s nothing wrong or sinister about that. I would like to know.

I could be wrong, but I don’t think the Nobel committee releases the names of those who nominate candidates. But, that doesn’t prevent the supporters to come forth on their own.

Why do I make a mini issue about this? It goes to motive and transparency. Let’s assume it was the president’s campaign people for the sake of argument. I say more power to them for they successfully extended their man to the most prestigious award on earth although I maintain it was a calculated gamble since Obama was only in office 13 days before the Feb. 1 filing deadline.

The problem I have is I can’t conceive anyone or group totally independent from the political spectrum of the Obama advocacy family entering his name on a lark or sincere desire. These happenings don’t occur in a vacuum.

The Nobel committee made the award on the precept Obama has changed world opinion for peace and climate change compared to what they considered the unilateral war-mongering Bush administration. Nobel judges hope the award will continue Obama’s momentum to accomplish the goals he has set out to meet so far by his words.

In this context, the Obama nominators held a royal straight flush playing into that mind-set. If that nomination came from the Obama people, they deserve the chutzpah award of the century.

Just to set the record straight, my column yesterday was my way of honestly complimenting Obama for receiving the award. I’m happy he won and proud he is a fellow American and the award gives him the political stature, clout and momentum to achieve the goals he has set out to accomplish.

But I remain a cynic. We observed how he took seemingly forever to close the deal in the primaries before finally defeating Hillary Clinton for the nomination. As president, we are waiting for him to seal the deal on health care and climate change legislation. The list keeps on growing as the political process plays out its snails-pace path.

Obama is a Cy Young starting pitcher but as a closer he’s still working in the minors.

Ads by Project Wonderful! Your ad here, right now: $0

DLS

I doubt ObamaCo lobbied for this Prize (as Team Clinton was reported to have done). Obama was preoccupied with lobbying for something more parochical, the Olympics for his city and his clique.

"I find it incredulous Obama’s staff was 100% clueless."

They probably heard about the award, but joined everyone else in not expecting him to win (or the public, who didn't even think such a crazy thing), and were as surprised as everyone. But as for clueless, they have already created the impression that they're struggling to make stuff up as they go along, and are at times totally out of touch with the public, on the domestic issues where they have been making news.

SteveK

My suspicion — and, yes, it comes from out of left field —
No, your suspicion comes out of right field... far, far right field. But that's obvious to anyone reading your circular attempt to try to appear to be praising Obama while constantly accusing him and his administration of being up to something.

Had this piece been journalism as Mr. Remmers claims (not opinion which should be obvious to all) he could have gone to the noble prize website and looked into their nomination process.

It took me less than five minutes to find out that nominees are not told of their nomination:
Nominations for 2009
205 names were submitted for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, 33 of which are organizations. The Nobel Committees in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and the Prize Committee for Economics each usually receives 250-300 names every year, but this is the highest number of nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize ever. The last record was in 2005 when the Committee received 199 nominations. The names of the nominees cannot be revealed until 50 years later.

imavettoo

No Jerry, if I remember your posting yesterday you claimed that you deserved a Pulitzer if Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. I then replied "Obama is a much better President than you are a writer" which in short order was, of course, taken down from the comments. You righties have learned to use the toobz but forget that things have a long life online.

dduck12

"Obama is a much better President than you are a writer"

Some would disagree. Obama: long on platitudes, short on accomplishments, and stretched too thinly, from me a moderate, not a righty. One thing I do agree with you lefties is that it was not Obama's fault, it was the judges.

Vaska

"I say more power to them for they successfully extended their man to the most prestigious award on earth although I maintain it was a calculated gamble since Obama was only in office 13 days before the Feb. 1 filing deadline."

"Most prestigious award on earth? No way. Sorry but the Nobel Peace Prize has as much meaninng as the winner of a chili cookoff. The morally bankrupt, hand-wringing globalist pansies in Norway are the type of people who would stay neutral if a blind man was getting mugged.

The fact that nobody has yet come forward to claim their nomination credentials is telling. It will remain a mystery no doubt and people who ask for informatin about this will be mocked as "nominators".

Rudi

Mayber Terry Schiavo and Dr. William Hammesfahr nominated Obamama...

orrinj

The AP had heard he was nominated and said so in February:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politic...

then again last week before he won:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALe...

SteveK

orrinj,

Your AP quote reads: "U.S. President Barack Obama is thought to have been nominated but it's unclear on what grounds."

While your other one says: "The US president Barack Obama and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy are believed to be among the record 205 nominations received for the 2009 Nobel peace prize."

Are you suggesting that this administration should base policy on rumor and hearsay like Bushco did or did you misunderstand what the articles you quoted said?

Michilines

Just to add to what Steve has written -- also from a quick search of the Nobel site:

The committee sends out invitations for nominations. The type of people who get sent invitations are:

1. Members of national assemblies and governments of states;
2. Members of international courts;
3. University rectors; professors of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology; directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes;
4. Persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize;
5. Board members of organizations who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize;
6. Active and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee; (proposals by members of the Committee to be submitted no later than at the first meeting of the Committee after February 1) and
7. Former advisers appointed by the Norwegian Nobel Institute.

The statutes of the Nobel Foundation restrict disclosure of information about the nominations, whether publicly or privately, for 50 years. The restriction concerns the nominees and nominators, as well as investigations and opinions related to the award of a prize.

It's seems there is a rash of journalists who are allergic to google these days.

Michilines

And one more simple fact, Mr. Remmers: You said, "Obama didn’t ask for it, as far as we know."

People cannot nominate themselves. (Again from the Nobel web site.)

You have proven this statement factually erroneous: "President Barack Obama being awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize is akin to me winning a Pulitizer Prize in journalism."

mikeyes

Virtually anyone can be nominated for a Peace Prize. Hitler was, Arafat actually got one, Castro, Rush Limbaugh, Stalin all were either nominated or pushing for nomination (Limbaugh as a stunt, but he could have been nominated, there are plenty of eligible namers out there.)

Also, the right wing has to make up their mind, is the Peace Prize a worthless piece of metal (thus the logical conclusion is that to award it is a worthless endeavor) or is it to be prized by all (and in turn the awardee has to be prized by all)? It can't be both ways if you are going to criticize the award.

DLS

Your false dichotomy consists of illogical and false assertions.

The Committee has made the Prize into a play-pen left-wing joke for many years now. This time it was such a blatant joke that it even surprised or angered leftists who like its being a leftist political statement, but at least being awarded honestly, for achievement, rather than promise or Good Feelings.

blog comments powered by Disqus