A few hours later, Mr. Obama was on the telephone with Mrs. Reagan to “apologize for the careless and offhanded remark.”
Discover more from Media Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
34 thoughts on “We could see that one coming”
Comments are closed.
The “mutt” remark caught me off-guard, too — having heard my older son referred to that way by our local police (actually, the officer used the word “mongrel”) in a clearly derogatory way. And I thought, maybe Obama’s gonna denature the toxin this way, I don’t know, but it makes me uncomfortable.
Ani: He’s been getting praise for the “mutt” remark, but I didn’t like it, either. He’s not naturally funny, so he needs to be careful.
By calling Nancy Reagan to apologize pre-emptively (i.e., before the wingnuts could get up in arms about the slight to their Lord and Savior’s widow), he looks all the more respectable and mature.As for the mutt remark, I also praise him for it. A leader can desensitize a lot of words by making them his own. I don’t think he can go all Lenny Bruce on the whole pantheon of offensive words, but this is definitely progress.
Not even a week and he reminds us pretty hard that, yes Virginia, there is no Santa Claus.Oh well.Even Jon Stewart wondered how Obama would break our hearts, no less than a year ago.
What’s remarkable is not only did Obama make the comment, but that he made it at his very first news conference since being elected. If this type of invective is at the tip of his tongue, especially in an appearance where bipartisanship was a key topic, it’s quite revealing.Combine yesterday’s gaffe with his unscripted moment with Joe the Plumber, “You’re likable enough, Hillary” and “My Muslim faith” and it becomes clear that the rumors of tel-e-prompter dependence ring true.
“By calling Nancy Reagan to apologize pre-emptively (i.e., before the wingnuts could get up in arms about the slight to their Lord and Savior’s widow), he looks all the more respectable and mature.”Or pragmatic. . .Can you say expedient apology?Of course it is my own personal policy to graciously accept unsolicited apologies that clearly accept responsibility for harm even if their motivation is somewhat suspect.
Nancy Reagan is a nobody who just so happened to have married a president. You can’t insult a nobody. Lighten up.
DK – Mike, how utterly charming and typical of you. Aren’t there any bunnies for you to kick?PERSONALLY – I would like to call truce on every utterance. We Republicans get slammed routinely, and payback is merely a bitch, not constructive. Even with a Gaffe-O-Matic like Biden waiting to produce raw material for us, it’s just TIRING. Trivial.It was nice of him to aplogize to Mrs. Reagan, as the seance joke itself was a little tasteless. But the mutt thing? Even OBAMA can’t be self-deprecating without being racist? Good Lord, we could be in for four loooonnng years.So – truce. If it’s obvious what was meant, can we ALL just stop going ballistic?
Generally the Pres.Elect has learned from his mistakes. I hope he continues to learn.It would be terrible if he turned into Biden. Who of course was his biggest mistake.
Fish – what I find remarkable is that after he made the comment, he realized it was boorish AND HE APOLOGIZED!How many apologies have we seen from the crowd that’s been stinkin’ up the White House for the past 8 years?
“Ani: He’s been getting praise for the “mutt” remark, but I didn’t like it, either. He’s not naturally funny, so he needs to be careful.”Dan, I hate defending your guy, but lighten up (no pun intended).It was a harmless remark. Worthy of neither praise nor censure.
“Even Jon Stewart wondered how Obama would break our hearts, no less than a year ago.””Every hero becomes a bore at last.”Ralph Waldo EmersonIf y’all hadn’t hailed him as a god, you wouldn’t have to worry about it.
“If this type of invective is at the tip of his tongue, especially in an appearance where bipartisanship was a key topic, it’s quite revealing.”Invective? I think everyone needs to recalibrate their offense-o-meters, or at least read a dictionary. After an election where Obama was routinely called an unpatriotic terrorist sympathizing crypto Muslim, I didn’t realize conservatives were so sensitive that a mild remark about Nancy Reagan would so deeply wound you. “If y’all hadn’t hailed him as a god, you wouldn’t have to worry about it.”Conservatives were the one pushing the messiah angle (or the anti-Christ angle, depending on expediency), let’s not forget that. Obama as a “god” is a construction created and promoted by conservatives who were probably worried that Obama might push Saint Ronald off the pantheon. This election was marked by increased efforts of conservatives to deride liberal supporters of Obama as deranged, hysterical, or deluded. It was certainly easier than considering the idea that the conservative candidate was devoid of ideas.
I kind of like the idea that Obama may have conflated Nancy Reagan and Hillary Clinton in his head.
Peter, I agree with you wholeheartedly on calling a truce, though I think that the problem isn’t just the two parties, but also the media (I’m probably thinking mostly of TV media) looking for easy stories. We’re at the point where the media wait with bated breath for anything that might, maybe, possibly be offensive. If everyone’s always watching what they say, they’ll end up saying nothing of value. I realize that the President in particular has to chose his words wisely because of the weight those words can have all across the globe, but this TMZ-ification of the media really needs to be curbed before we lose all candor and honesty.
I’ve always called myself “an ethnic mutt” so it didn’t surprise me at all.
“Conservatives were the one pushing the messiah angle (or the anti-Christ angle, depending on expediency), let’s not forget that. Obama as a “god” is a construction created and promoted by conservatives who were probably worried that Obama might push Saint Ronald off the pantheon. This election was marked by increased efforts of conservatives to deride liberal supporters of Obama as deranged, hysterical, or deluded. It was certainly easier than considering the idea that the conservative candidate was devoid of ideas.”I would never say all or even most, but there was no lack of fanatics in Obama’s camp. You don’t think that Obama youth video or Sing for Change weren’t a tad creepy?
“You don’t think that Obama youth video or Sing for Change weren’t a tad creepy?”Not any creepier than the kids at Jesus Camp praying/blessing/worshipping/whatever they’re doing to a cardboard cutout of President Bush. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWvIOPiKFrsI found it far creepier that actual adult voters were claiming that Obama is a Muslim.
The Obama youth video was creepy … made all them more creepy if you think about young people at different times in our history singing similar songs for John Kerry, Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Mike Dukakis, Walter Mondale, etc. Aaahhhhh! Doubtful indeed and most of those guys were great politicians. I will agree with Dot in this respect: It was offensive that so many relatively serious conservatives continue that meme that Obama was a Muslim. I mean, you can’t link him to Rev. Wright’s “radical” CC church for 20 years and then call him a Muslim. Ridiculous. For me, “the messiah thing” started kicking in before the primaries even began. A lot of my friends were becoming Obama supporters and, as I always do, I asked why. Most could not answer a specific policy position of Obama’s that motivate them to support him. They had no clue what the guy stood for. I would hear, “He is an inspirational speaker …” Yeah, and so is Pastor Joel Osteen but that doesn’t mean he should be president. “He will solve the energy crisis …” How? “He’ll get us off foreign oil …” How? “Well, I don’t know …” Did you know that he plans on getting us off foreign oil by building more nuclear power plants, just like the Republicans propose? “That’s not true!” Eh, yeah, it is. The list can go on and on and on. In the end, Obama won. He ran a pretty good campaign and thankfully, Howard Dean implemented the 50 state strategy after becoming DNC chairman which laid the groundwork for Obama [or any Dem, frankly]. I’ll wish the new president the best like everyone else who did not support him. But don’t be surprised if it turns out like Deval Patrick or worse. And don’t be surprised if you get a lot of sh*t you didn’t expect to get along the way …
Obama’s destined to become the “Great Apologizer.”
Not any creepier than the kids at Jesus Camp praying/blessing/worshipping/whatever they’re doing to a cardboard cutout of President Bush. Okay, I’ll grant you the theirs are as goofy as yours. You should be proud.”I found it far creepier that actual adult voters were claiming that Obama is a Muslim.”Can’t disagree. As creepy as grown fanatics chanting, “yes we can.”
Dear Don and tvoh:He’s your president now. Learn to live with it. Your friend,mike_b1
“He’s your president now. Learn to live with it.”If you listened to his press conference, he made the point that he was not yet my president. Let’s not jump the gun, Mike.Anyway, the sentence is interesting. He will be “the” president, but does that make him “my” president. If he is my president, will he take my calls?Also, how does one “learn to live with it?” Will you send me the cassette course?If you don’t mind, I just intend to go on living.
tvoh, “I love how you hate.”The difference between Republicans and Democrats, besides the Republicans propensity to tax and spend the public into the poorhouse, is that Republicans would rather slit their own throats than see a Democrat succeed. (Democrats are much more at ease with themselves. That’s why we don’t care if gays get married.)Enjoy the next four years. They will be the best of your life, or at least since 1992-2000.
Mikeb_1 said: “Enjoy the next four years. They will be the best of your life, or at least since 1992-2000.”—Mike, you may be 100% right. With Barack Obama embracing tax cuts, the death penalty, gun rights, traditional marriage, nuclear and coal power, the right to life for botched abortion babies, increased troop levels in Afghanistan and so many other conservative ideals, what’s not to like? With McCain’s spotty record on GOP issues, it’s debatable whether the conservative candidate won or lost this year. For me it was like the old coin toss joke, “Heads I win, tails you lose.” If Barack keeps his promises, this will be a great four (or eight) years! Like we did lifelong Republican Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we also welcome Barack and his supporters to our cause. Cheers!
tvoh, “I love how you hate.”What is it with this place. Everyone has a humorectomy.”Enjoy the next four years. They will be the best of your life, or at least since 1992-2000.”I certainly hope so and I wish Obama success in making it so, but”The future always comes as a surprise.”Hilaire BellocIf it goes awry, I hope you can live with it.
Hey, I’ve lived with the last eight years. That was my generation’s Great Depression. If we can make it through that, we can make it through anything.
“If we can make it through that, we can make it through anything.”The last eight years under the Bush administration were stupid, but hardly a real test of endurance.I got through it without missing a beat. Then again, I tend to look on the sunny side and see things positively and Mike, I love how you hate.
tvoh: Please share your drugs with the rest of us. The bill’s come due. Say hello to 14% unemployment, the inevitable outcome from eight years of spend, spend, spend. If George Bush had a credit rating, it would be 2.Bush: Worst. President. Ever.
“tvoh: Please share your drugs with the rest of us.”When wit fails, there is always an ad hominem.”Enjoy the next four years. They will be the best of your life, or at least since 1992-2000.””Say hello to 14% unemployment, the inevitable outcome from eight years of spend, spend, spend.”First you predict a golden age and then disaster. Get your story straight.”Bush: Worst. President. Ever.”I don’t disagree. Oh, but you need a strawman.
Who predicted a golden age? I predicted McCain would be a disaster. He didn’t even wait to become president to show that much.He may have been the worst big party presidential candidate in my 40 years.Obama has his work cut out for him. The good news is, when you’re down, you have nowhere to go but up. Nevertheless, it will take more than a year to undo all the damage you guys did in eight. And things will get worse before they get better.Which is another reason why you should share your drugs.
Who predicted a golden age?You did Mike. Didn’t you read what you posted.”Enjoy the next four years. They will be the best of your life, or at least since 1992-2000.”Shouldn’t accuse others of drugs when the short term memory is impaired. Others might speculate. Pas moi of course.
I said the “best of your life.” Won’t take much.
“I said the “best of your life.””So it’s only my life. No general implication. Sucks to be you and the rest of the country, I guess.”Won’t take much.”Wrong again. It will take a lot. I did well in the Bush debacle. I credit it to not doing drugs.