Obama General Discussion, vol. 3

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Washington (CNN) -- A member of Congress has apologized after saying that being associated with President Barack Obama would be similar to touching a "tar baby."

Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado, sent a letter to Obama "apologizing for using a term some find insensitive," he said in a statement Monday.

Lamborn made the comment during an interview on a Denver radio station about proposals to raise the nation's debt ceiling in exchange for spending cuts.

"Even if some people say, 'Well, the Republicans should have done this or they should have done that,' they will hold the president responsible," Lamborn said. "Now I don't want to even have to be associated with him. It's like touching a tar baby and you get, you get it, you know ... you are stuck and you are part of the problem now and you can't get away."

The term "tar baby" is a reference to 19th century Uncle Remus stories about Br'er Rabbit, as set down by Joel Chandler Harris. It can refer to a sticky problem or situation but also is understood as a derogatory term for African-Americans.

"Lamborn was attempting to tell a radio audience last week that the president's policies have created an economic quagmire for the nation and are responsible for the dismal economic conditions our country faces," said the statement from Lamborn's office.

"He regrets that he chose the phrase 'tar baby,' rather than the word 'quagmire.' The congressman is confident that the president will accept his heartfelt apology."

Lamborn's spokeswoman, Catherine Mortensen, said Monday that the comment was misunderstood.

Lamborn is not the first to run into trouble with the phrase. Mitt Romney referred to the Big Dig construction project in Boston as a "tar baby" in 2006 during a fundraiser on the campaign trail. And Sen. John McCain also used the term during his campaign for president. Both men apologized.

The White House has not commented on Lamborn's remark.
 
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Sony Hosted Obama Fundraiser, Releasing Bin Laden Movie Before Election

There may be an overtly political reason that moviegoers will be seeing the story of the Osama bin Laden raid just before they vote for president. Sony Pictures, the company distributing next year's film, hosted a fundraiser for Barack Obama on their studio's premises in California last April. So far, Sony is the only major studio to hold a political fundraiser this cycle. According to Deadline Hollywood, Sony will release the bin Laden movie, directed by Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow, on October 12, 2012--less than a month before the presidential election.

"The eyebrow does go up when you see the release date," says Douglas Urbanski, a Hollywood producer and conservative radio talk show host. Urbanski said he believes Bigelow's movie will be straightforward and apolitical, much like her 2009 war film The Hurt Locker (which won the Academy Award for Best Picture). But Sony's decision to release the bin Laden movie just weeks before the election, he says, is most likely "very, very deliberate."

Urbanski was a producer for The Contender, a 2000 political thriller with a plot that sympathized with a sex scandal-plagued Democrat and demonized a conservative Republican member of Congress. The movie was released on October 13, 2000. "It was without a doubt a deliberate attempt to influence the election," says Urbanski.

Sony Pictures could not immediately be reached for comment.

Some things you can't make up.
 
WASHINGTON (AP) — A White House photographer was allowed to take and widely distribute a photo from the ceremony Tuesday for the return of the remains of 30 American troops killed in a weekend helicopter crash in Afghanistan despite the Pentagon's claim that any public depiction of the scene would violate the wishes of bereaved families.

News media coverage of the ceremony had been banned by the Pentagon over the objections of several news organizations.

Pentagon officials had said that because 19 of 30 of the American families of the dead had objected to media coverage of the remains coming off a plane at Dover Air Force Base, no images could be taken. In addition, the Pentagon rejected media requests to take photos that showed officials at the ceremony but did not depict caskets.

President Barack Obama attended the ceremony, called a "dignified transfer," for those killed in the worst single loss of the nearly 10-year war. An official White House photo of a saluting Obama was distributed to news media and published widely. It also was posted on the White House website as the "Photo of the Day." It showed Obama and other officials in silhouette and did not depict caskets.

Doug Wilson, head of public affairs at the Pentagon, said the department did not know the White House photographer was present and had no idea a photo of the event was being released until it became public. He said the photographers who routinely travel with the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were not allowed to go to the event, and no official Pentagon photos were taken or released.

The Associated Press did not transmit the White House photo to its customers, in accordance with its policy of refusing government handout images of events it believes the media should have access to.

When asked about the photo Wednesday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the picture was carefully taken so that it did not show the cases containing remains.

"The White House routinely releases photos taken by the White House photographers in specific circumstances where it would be inappropriate to include members of the media," Carney said. "In this case, the White House released the photo, in the interests of transparency, so that the American people could have as much insight as possible into this historic and sobering event."

Under a Pentagon policy set in 2009, media coverage at the Dover base is allowed only when family members of the war dead approve. In the case of multiple sets of remains returning as a group, photographers take pictures of those approved caskets only and are ushered away before the remains of any troops whose families declined coverage are brought out of the plane.

The Pentagon said that in this case no family could give permission because any given case could contain the remains of troops whose families did not want coverage. The Pentagon said that during initial notification of next of kin, 19 of the 30 families said they did not want media coverage.

The AP and other media organizations argued that images could be taken of the tarmac, plane or dignitaries that would depict the occasion without showing a casket.

The base in Delaware serves as the entry point for all remains of U.S. troops killed overseas.

The Pentagon has said it expects to identify all 38 people who died, 30 U.S. troops and eight Afghans, and will return their remains to families for burial. The Pentagon planned to release the names of all Americans who died on Thursday, after an internal debate over whether doing so might endanger families of the SEAL Team 6 troops. Other members of that same elite special operations team killed Osama bin Laden in May.

Under the Pentagon policy spelled out in March 2009, the option to allow media access is explained to family members when they are notified of their loved one's death, and "primary next of kin will make the family decision regarding media access to dignified transfers at Dover."

The AP has covered every ceremony in which a family has agreed to coverage since the Pentagon lifted a total ban on media coverage at Dover in 2009, a total of 68 ceremonies this year at Dover through June 30.
 
Ok, that's it. Now Obama has really gone too far. I knew it had to be his fault somehow.


Aug 17, 2011

Shaq: Obama to blame for Rondo's struggles


Many thought Rajon Rondo's late-season slump was due in part to the Celtics trading away their starting center, one of Rondo's best friends, Kendrick Perkins.

Shaquille O'Neal has a different take; he blames Barack Obama.

In his upcoming book, Shaq Uncut, written with ESPN's Jackie MacMullan, O'Neal says that a playful insult from President Obama messed with Rondo's head and threw the Celtics point guard off his game for the remainder of the season.

From Shaq Uncut:

In early March some of the guys went to the museum of Fine Arts for a fund-raiser and got to hang with President Barack Obama. Everyone was a little bit in awe. The President turns to Ray, points at Rondo, and says, “Hey, Ray, why don’t you teach this kid how to shoot?” Everyone starts laughing.

KG told me he saw the look on Rondo’s face and the kid was devastated, embarrassed. Dissed by the President, even though I’m sure Obama didn’t mean any harm. Rondo smiled and went along with all of it, but KG told me he could see it in his eyes. It bothered Rondo. It killed him.

The next day Rondo shot the ball horribly. He stopped taking shots after that. He’s so sensitive. I think it was a real jolt to hear the outside perception of a basketball fan who happens to be the President of the United States. It messed with his mind. I’m sure of it.
 
the number of DC-area earthquakes has SOARED under Obama. :tsk:

as a liberal, i'm really disappointed. i wish we had a president who was willing to stand up and fight for fewer earthquakes.

I like everyone saying that the earthquake was NJ Gov. Chris Christie jumping into the Presidential race.

:lol:
 
Rush Limbaugh said on his Monday show that President Obama was "hoping" that Hurricane Irene would be a "disaster."

Limbaugh firmly came down on the side of those who think that the media oversold the destructive power of Irene. He said that the storm was blown out of proportion to "push the leftist agenda," and tied it to what he said was Obama's desire to have a huge disaster.

"I'll guarantee you Obama was hoping this was going to be a disaster as another excuse for his failing economy," he said. "If he's out there blaming tsunamis, blaming earthquakes, this one [was] made to order, but it just didn't measure up."
 
I don't recall when he blamed earthquakes and tsunamis. We haven't had any tsunamis (yet), and we had a minor earthquake..don't recall when Obama tied that one at all to the economy. Unless he means Japan-did Obama actually tie any of our economic woes to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan?
 
Rush Limbaugh said on his Monday show that President Obama was "hoping" that Hurricane Irene would be a "disaster."

Oh, bitch please. Like there weren't conservative talking heads hoping it would be a disaster so they could all compare it to Katrina and crow about how Obama had failed the east coast and that he doesn't care about black people east coasters.

(No, of course no one said that out loud. But I'm sure there were some horrid people thinking it. Like me! :wink: )
 
The Hill, Aug. 31
President Obama has requested a joint session of Congress next week to deliver his jobs speech directly to lawmakers. In a letter to congressional leaders requesting the Sept. 7 slot, the president said he will urge Congress to put aside politics and focus on creating jobs during the 8 p.m. speech.

...The speech will fall on the same night Texas Gov. Rick Perry makes his debut on the GOP 2012 debate stage. The Republican presidential field is set to take part in a debate, also scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif.

Asked whether the speech was purposefully scheduled the same night as the Republican debate, White House press secretary Jay Carney said "of course not." "It is coincidental," said Carney, who explained that a number of considerations were taken into account when Obama settled on Sept. 7. "One debate of many that's on one channel of many was not enough of a reason" to pick another date, Carney said.
 
I dunno, it's kind of fun when Obama decides to be a dick about something.

You’ve got to send a message to Washington that it’s time for the games to stop. It’s time to put country first.
--President Obama Aug 15th


I need you to send a message to your members of Congress, to your representatives that we’re tired of the games. We’re tired of the posturing.
--President Obama Aug 17th

Not sure being a dick is the wisest way to encourage bipartisanship to "put country first."
 
Not sure being a dick is the wisest way to encourage bipartisanship to "put country first."
There is no bipartisanship with this Republican congress, period.

  1. They know Obama will cave
  2. They have proved Obama will cave
  3. They will make him cave again
 
Take a look in your party's backyard before you bitch about Obama scheduling a goddamn speech.

Who's bitchin'? I think this fell into the GOP's lap. Let Obama kick off the 2012 race with his campaign speech-- and let the debate serve as the GOP response.

I wouldn't move it, I'd promote it.
 
Who's bitchin'? I think this fell into the GOP's lap. Let Obama kick off the 2012 race with his campaign speech-- and let the debate serve as the GOP response.
Although it's an interesting idea, I doubt campaign strategists for several of the GOP candidates who tend to put foot in mouth would want their candidates responding to the Prez during a debate with very little to no prep time.

Imagine asking three or four Joe Bidens to craft a response to a major presidential speech from the other party with no lead time.
 
Although it's an interesting idea, I doubt campaign strategists for several of the GOP candidates who tend to put foot in mouth would want their candidates responding to the Prez during a debate with very little to no prep time.


Good, I'm tired of 8 people up there. Time to separate the men Texan from the boys & girls.
 
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