May 30, 2012

"Father's death made Obama realise he could do more with his life than smoke pot Michelle tells Jon Stewart."

A Daily Mail headline. Details:
On the Daily Show, Stewart joked that the stories about the president as a young man resembled the 'script of a Cheech and Chong movie.'

While the First Lady didn't directly address the claims in Maraniss' book, she did say that her husband underwent a change during his college years.

Mrs Obama responded by saying: 'By the time he was in college, like so many young people, he realised that he could do more with his life.'

'He had a mother that was always saying you're so gifted, you're so talented, slap him on the head, "get yourself together."'
Watch the clip at the link. After she gets that far and Stewart tries to push her farther, she says "I'm not taking the bait," and Stewart says "Don't worry. It's organic."

By the way: "slap him on the head" seems to take domestic violence as a joke.

41 comments:

Patrick said...

Way OT, but Doc Watson, the granddaddy of bluegrass flatpicking has died. Extremely talented, very good guy. I never know if I just want to stop playing, or learn to play even better when I hear his music.

Scott M said...

By the way: "slap him on the head" seems to take domestic violence as a joke.

Only if one lacks common sense or harbors a zeal for pearl clutching. Besides, domestic violence only occurs when a man hits a woman.

Unknown said...

He got slapped on the head a lot and was a stoner.

No wonder he thinks there were Polish death camps in WWII.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

It would have worked the first time had Obama's mother gone upside his head.

edutcher said...

I have a feeling the Choom Gang revelation is starting to have an effect.

BTW, hadn't President Choom's mother abandoned him to pursue her PhD in Advanced Basketweaving by that point?

Wouldn't the grandmother he threw under the bus 4 years ago have been the one to say that to him?

roesch/voltaire said...

I guess Althouse considers those Christians who believe in spanking their children to be committing domestic violence? Really an extreme view I think.

Matt Sablan said...

I wonder if there will ever be a reunion of the Choom Gang for some media interviews.

WV: Clear messup -- that will apply to many things for many people before the day is through.

traditionalguy said...

He discovered his mission in life is to be a High Drone Hunter/Killer and a Marxist Religion fifth columnist.

I guess Obama's problem are from his clinging to his drones and religion.

ndspinelli said...

I think the prez is "conflicted" about women. Not thanking his mom in the yearbook being an early example. I hate the word "conflicted" but it's appropriate.

Hopefully the Romney people are smart enough to stay away from the pot stuff EXCEPT where it pertains to his hypocrisy going after legal states w/ the resources of the Justice Dept. That would be effective. His smoking as a youth is a nothingburger, except for the Reefer Madness folks.

DADvocate said...

He had a mother that was always saying you're so gifted, you're so talented,...

I think we all knew Obama heard a bunch of that, the roots of his narcissism.

bagoh20 said...

If I was President, I would definitely burn one in the oval office just to make history. I doubt that Clinton had the first BJ there. In fact I bet there have been quite a few.

Both simultaneously would be epic, and highly Presidential.

MayBee said...

I wonder if there will ever be a reunion of the Choom Gang for some media interviews.

I think Obama still hangs out with one of them when he's in Hawaii. Bobby Titsomething. Arrested for soliciting a prostitute a while ago. Maybe he still hooks Obama up with some Choom.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Obama was 21 when his father died.

MadisonMan said...

He had a mother that was always saying you're so gifted, you're so talented,...

I think we all knew Obama heard a bunch of that, the roots of his narcissism.

He did become President. That does indicate gifts and talent of some kind, don't you think?

Shanna said...

Wouldn't the grandmother he threw under the bus 4 years ago have been the one to say that to him?

I was wondering the same thing, although I guess she could have called him.

Not thanking his mom in the yearbook being an early example.

Are you supposed to thank your parents in your yearbook? (even if they abandoned you)

(WV is really impossible to read now. I swear my wv is a tatoo or something).

ndspinelli said...

Shanna, Good point.

pm317 said...

"slap him on the head"

-------
Yeah, she has a habit of talking like that. Why? Who slaps on a kid's head and then says you're gifted, talented.

MadisonMan said...

Are you supposed to thank your parents in your yearbook?

Uh, no.

You're supposed to be running far away from your parents when you're in high school. If you even acknowledge that they exist, that's too much.

I'm Full of Soup said...

We mistake the ability to fool voters and get elected for talent. Yet we do this over and over and over.

I do admit Obama has demonstrated he can deliver a heck of a speech from a teleprompter.

Matt Sablan said...

"He did become President. That does indicate gifts and talent of some kind, don't you think?"

-- I've been told it didn't for Bush, so, you know, confusion has set in.

edutcher said...

MadisonMan said...

He did become President. That does indicate gifts and talent of some kind, don't you think?

More like Axelrod's, assisted by a complicit media, but, if you want to call being a sociopath a gift...

MadisonMan said...

I've been told it didn't for Bush, so, you know, confusion has set in.

So you blame Bush.

How typical!

Matt Sablan said...

It truly is an enigma, I admit.

X said...

No one goes up the side of a man's, or a woman's, head like Deacon Jones.

Ann Althouse said...

"I guess Althouse considers those Christians who believe in spanking their children to be committing domestic violence? Really an extreme view I think."

Smacking them in the head? Is that the same as spanking?

I'm not recommending hitting children in any way, but I thought liberals were generally quite vigilant about hitting children. Michelle is promoting the idea of a good mother being someone who smacks the kid in the head as the way of getting him on the right track. It's presented in a humorous style, not as a considered approach to child-rearing (which I presume is what these "Christians" you speak of are endorsing).

Scott M said...

Smacking them in the head? Is that the same as spanking?

No. Spanking is punitive punishment after the child has already been warned clearly about a given behavior or action.

Smacking a child in the head is done when the child is about the stick a fork in an outlet, hand into a mower, broomstick into a hornet's nest, etc. It is meant to get immediate and shocking attention while ceasing whatever it was they were about to do that probably would have ended up in a trip to urgent care. It is never done with any sort of painful force. The mere fact that an adult has contacted the head area is almost always sufficient. I'll add that it's as rare as a child sticking a fork in an outlet, their hand in a mower, or a broomstick in a hornet's next.

Scott M said...

next = nest

dammit

MadisonMan said...

I thought liberals were generally quite vigilant about hitting children.

I know it's not what you meant, so this phrase made me chuckle.

Methadras said...

I wonder when he is going to call his old choom buddies from high school and invite them to the white house for some old reminiscing?

Geoff Matthews said...

Didn't Cosby do a bit on his Mom hitting him?
This is something that people joke about in retrospect. It isn't funny when it happens, but its an experience that most people can relate to.

Scott M said...

Didn't Cosby do a bit on his Mom hitting him?

Multiple. The one that comes immediately to mind is when he got some goat brains (or something similar) and when she hit him, he let the brains fly.

leslyn said...

"By the way: 'slap him on the head" seems to take domestic violence as a joke.'"

Of for Gawd's sake. Ever watch NCIS?

leslyn said...

Scott M: " domestic violence only occurs when a man hits a woman."

Actually, also when a woman hits a man (more of that than you might think), adults hit/injure a child, children hit/injure their parents or elders, and a domestic partner whups on a domestic partner. Jusat sayin'.

Scott M said...

Jusat sayin'.

Shirley your snark sensor is on.

roesch/voltaire said...

A slap on the head, a slap on the backside ( spanking) can be a light show of irritation or a reminder to do better-- who hasn't had that happen? I suspect the force was light as was the remark, and differs from the repeated use of strong force, which is domestic violence.

Dust Bunny Queen said...


Of for Gawd's sake. Ever watch NCIS?


Seriously. To defend Michelle, I'm sure it was just a rhetorical device.

Although some people and certain many teenagers would benefit from a good slap upside the noggin. I doubt that was what happened in Obama's case.

BarryD said...

"He realized that he could do more with his life than smoke pot."

Would that he had done so.

William said...

I just hope none of his Choom buddies fixes him up with bath salts during down time in Hawai. If he should eat Michelle's face, I think it would cause him to lose some of his lead among likely women voters. Then again, it might swing a few of the undecided male voters in his direction.

wyo sis said...

It was a joke. Cut her some slack. Political people need to be given a little leeway for humor. Politics is an oppressive way to exist.
What possible payoff could be worth the grief? Ego and power? My need for either isn't high enough. Only a real narcissist could stand it.

JAL said...

slap him on the head

@leslyn
Of for Gawd's sake. Ever watch NCIS?

I thought maybe Michelle was an NCIS fan.

WV -- a blurry foto of a calender date (21) hanging on an office wall??

JAL said...

Why would the death of a guy who abandoned his mother and him *as a baby* and went on to remarry and have other kids on another continent make a 21 year old realize he could do "something more with his life?"

BHO Sr. was a sperm donor who visited a biological son once in Hawaii.

There are some very screwy psychodynamics here if that is a true statement.

But then, the more we hear the more it appears that everything -- even what Michelle "knows" -- is some kind of composite where people keep writing on the Obama provided "blank slate" whatever they want to.

wv another fuzzy number! {On the preview}

wv dang! another fuzzy photo of a ... house number?