Althouse: "I've been to 57 states."

May 9, 2008

"I've been to 57 states."

I love the way he pauses and really thinks before adding the "-seven."

AND: Let's try to make a list of the 9 additional states Obama envisions in our audaciously hopeful collection of states. (I'm saying 9 not 7 because he asserts that he's been to 2 less than the total.)

82 comments:

Anonymous said...: I'm telling ya -someone should do a montage of Barack's senior "moments" he's had plenty of them..

Has he been to the state of Hope-wait that's a city...; 5/9/08, 9:34 PM
Meade said...: Well, there's the altered State of Consciousness. But I'm pretty sure he's already been there a time or two.; 5/9/08, 9:38 PM
Ruth Anne Adams said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/9/08, 9:42 PM
Anonymous said...: Maybe he's talking about territories too...you know, to show how equality minded he is?

Or maybe he's in the State of Confusion.; 5/9/08, 9:46 PM
Ruth Anne Adams said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/9/08, 9:49 PM
blake said...: The top nine states and territories Barack has left to visit:

Hopelvania

Changissippi

Washingtopia

That rectangular one. You know, the one that's in the middle of the country?

American Freedonia

His Own Private Idaho

Massawhatsis

Canada

...and the number one state or territory Obama has yet to visit:

KKKalifornia!; 5/9/08, 9:52 PM
blake said...: It took me a while to figure out what he was thinking, but I think he meant to say "forty" rather than "fifty".

It wasn't that obvious! Sometimes I see people who think, momentarily, we have fifty-two states, like cards in a deck.

But I think he was thinking "fifty states altogether" so he said that and then...; 5/9/08, 9:53 PM
Balfegor said...: Yes, he sounds pretty stupid. But I think he meant to say he's visited 47 states, with one left to go -- 48 contiguous states. That's why he mentions Alaska and Hawaii, as two states he isn't planning on visiting during the primary.; 5/9/08, 9:55 PM
Simon said...: He's including Dream Valley, presumably.

What's Obama's position on giving Puerto Rico statehood? Perhaps his long-term plan for Cuba includes inviting them into the union, too.; 5/9/08, 10:04 PM
Balfegor said...: That said, the extra states are obviously Jefferson, Lincoln, Sequoyah, Superior, the four Sub-Texan states, and Puerto Rico.; 5/9/08, 10:05 PM
wgh said...: Believiana

Wafflesas; 5/9/08, 10:11 PM
amba said...: 57 states . . . 57 varieties . . . Heinz! Oh no! He's channeling John Kerry! This is not good.; 5/9/08, 10:12 PM
Steven said...: Yes, he clearly meant 47 . . . which means, since he said 57, with one more to go, and discounting Alaska and Hawaii, we should come up with the list of ten extra states.

Of course, this is then relatively easy:

1. Alberta
2. British Columbia
3. Manitoba
4. New Brunswick
5. Newfoundland and Labrador
6. Nova Scotia
7. Ontario
8. Prince Edward Island
9. Quebec
10. Saskatchewan; 5/9/08, 10:14 PM
Simon said...: Lower Cascadia, Hill and Dale, Lotusland, Groovy, and Reagan.; 5/9/08, 10:14 PM
Ann Althouse said...: If you give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he thought he'd started with "forty," he still has the total wrong and thinks it's 49, which is especially bad coming from someone from Hawaii.; 5/9/08, 10:14 PM
Hoosier Daddy said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/9/08, 10:15 PM
Patm said...: Hey, he's at least as smart as Bush, right?; 5/9/08, 10:16 PM
Hoosier Daddy said...: Yeah but Bambi can still probably say nuclear properly, while dodging sniper fire no less.

Damn honkies always tryin to bring a brother down.; 5/9/08, 10:16 PM
wgh said...: Not quite a potatoe moment... but dude needs an Ambien.; 5/9/08, 10:18 PM
From Inwood said...: Channeling Joe McCarthy. Or Heinz.

If a certain other nominee had said that he’d been to 57 states, MSM journalists would be playing the geezer card, saying, um, he’s lost his bearings. Surprised that it was reported by the L.A.Times, though, of course, buried in a blogsite. A search of the NYT shows no reference to this.

Who cares? Generally, MSM journalists simply restate things when Democrats misspeak like this to reflect what the Dem candidate was obviously trying to say instead of playing gotcha. But playing gotcha with Republicans like Bush & McCain, & now sniping at Hillary, is de rigueur for the MSM.; 5/9/08, 10:29 PM
garage mahal said...: Ann asks...
AND: Let's try to make a list of the 9 additional states Obama envisions in our audaciously hopeful collection of states.

Garage delivers!

Archie-bunk-ansas.
Festes-ontana.
Change-a-chusetts.
Hopefora-ohio.
Color-wright-doh!
Ayers-abama.
Working-class-hington.

Shit, that's only 7. Liitle help please!; 5/9/08, 10:29 PM
reader_iam said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/9/08, 10:30 PM
From Inwood said...: Speaking of states, to borrow from O'Casey's Juno, the Dem Primary is in “a state of chassis”. Caused by Rush Limbaugh's "Operation Chassis", I guess.; 5/9/08, 10:34 PM
Balfegor said...: If you give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he thought he'd started with "forty," he still has the total wrong and thinks it's 49, which is especially bad coming from someone from Hawaii.

He says "fifty . . . seven states? I think one left to go. Uh, one left to go -- Alaska and Hawaii I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to because -- but my staff, uh, would not justify it."

I think that gets him to 57 +1 +Alaska +Hawaii = 60. Or, more charitably, 50. Not to say that he hasn't expressed a little confusion over whether Alaska and Hawaii count as states, in the past, because he has. But I don't see it here.; 5/9/08, 10:44 PM
Charlie Foxtrot said...: To me it is obvious that this is the DNC's master plan to ensure Obama can win the Electoral College. Now they just need to find 9 new left leaning states, especially ones that take away Electoral votes from normally red states. So under the super-secret DNC plan, Miami, Denver, St Louis, Houston, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Cleveland, Philadephia, and Puerto Rico will become 'states', and be given the requisite number of electors based on the population taken away from their former state. Genius! It is too bad that Obama had to go and lose his bearings and reveal the whole plan!; 5/9/08, 10:48 PM
rcocean said...: -East Carolina
-West Dakota
-Old Hampshire
-Old York
-D.C.
-Guam
-Puerto Rico

There all seven.; 5/9/08, 11:02 PM
marbledclay said...: Why not apply the same judgment to bloggers; i.e., that what might appear to be misspeaking is in every case the measure of the author's state of knowledge. That would not pose a problem for any present blogger, would it? And think of the fun that can be made in every case, if what appears to be misspeaking is never misspeaking.; 5/9/08, 11:08 PM
LonewackoDotCom said...: I suspect he was thinking of Chihuahua, Baja, and perhaps DF. If so, this isn't the first time he's said more than his handlers would like him to say.; 5/9/08, 11:11 PM
John said...: I think he was making a joke about how long this campaign has been going on already (and it's still just the primaries). As a Harvard Grad and US Senator, I'm pretty sure he knows how many states there are. This is silly.; 5/9/08, 11:15 PM
reader_iam said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/9/08, 11:17 PM
reader_iam said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/9/08, 11:26 PM
vbspurs said...: Poor guy, he's tired. But yes, if John McCain had made that mistake, MSM and the gauchiste blogosphere would be all over it, saying he's unqualified to lead, he's too old, etc.

And don't you love, after he pauses and says "...seven", that he says "1 to go".

Since he wasn't "allowed" to go to Alaska/Hawaii, his thought-process was "47" not counting AL/HI, which makes 49. So it's one to go.

Or something. Hmm.; 5/9/08, 11:29 PM
Balfegor said...: I think he was making a joke about how long this campaign has been going on already (and it's still just the primaries). As a Harvard Grad and US Senator, I'm pretty sure he knows how many states there are. This is silly.

If that was supposed to be a joke, then he's crap at comic timing. What kind of moron steps on the punchline of his joke with a laboured explanation about how Alaska and Hawaii are excluded from the total because his aides won't let him go?; 5/9/08, 11:34 PM
rcocean said...: J&E;

Of course, we all know Harvard grads know everything, so if he says something stupid it must be our problem.

You can tell a Harvard man...; 5/9/08, 11:34 PM
vbspurs said...: Blake wrote:

American Freedonia
His Own Private Idaho
KKKalifornia!

LOL.

List of fictional US States

I say he's missing these:

- Calisota
- Malebolgia
- Moosylvania (from Rocky & Bullwinkle fame)
- Pennsyltucky
- Saudi Isralia (from Futurama, the BEST cartoon show ever)
- San Andreas (he runs over reverends to get more ammo)

And these I made up:

- Marinistan (Marin County)
- Fried Chicken (seceeded from Kentucky)
- New Bush (it's just like the old Bush)

And Hillary is contesting the primary in every one.

Cheers,
Victoria; 5/9/08, 11:41 PM
KLDAVIS said...: Ann Althouse said...

If you give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he thought he'd started with "forty," he still has the total wrong and thinks it's 49, which is especially bad coming from someone from Hawaii.

Ann, listen to the clip again, but substitute forty for fifty...it makes perfect sense. I'm not fan of Obama, having had to deal with his spiel since he was a state senator from my district, but it's not nearly as big a gaffe as you make it out to be.

He meant to say, I've been to 47 states, one left to go, not counting Alaska and Hawaii, which his aides wouldn't let him go to. So...47+1+2 = 50.

-kd; 5/9/08, 11:42 PM
vbspurs said...: KLDavis, that's what I came up with too!

Of course, after 8 years of Bush 43, one gets the hang of reading what a politician meant to say.

"Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country."

I'm still figuring that one out though.

Cheers,
Victoria; 5/9/08, 11:46 PM
KLDAVIS said...: "Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country."

I'm still figuring that one out though.

Victoria,

In my industry, we call that a feature, not a bug.

-kd; 5/9/08, 11:57 PM
Peder said...: I think he was channeling Joey. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT9kqrNjUi4; 5/9/08, 11:59 PM
Anonymous said...: A senior moment. Obama has lost his bearings.; 5/10/08, 12:15 AM
blake said...: Futurama, the BEST cartoon show ever

I know it's cliché but: Marry me!

And Hillary is contesting the primary in every one.

lol; 5/10/08, 12:17 AM
Ruth Anne Adams said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/10/08, 12:19 AM
Revenant said...: Obama's going to be hearing about THAT mistake for a good long while, I imagine.; 5/10/08, 12:24 AM
vbspurs said...: Obama's going to be hearing about THAT mistake for a good long while, I imagine.

Not unless you want to be called racist.

I'm surprised some disgruntled lurker or troll hasn't lobbied the word to Ann and us already.

Ruth Anne, without gravitas.

Bill Richardson may have gravitas, but he's the guy who sat between Obama and Hillary, and said he's seen less tension at hostage negotiations. He's also very boring.

Obama needs a Bubba for Veep.

Cheers,
Victoria; 5/10/08, 12:47 AM
Anonymous said...: Obama is just pandering to the typical White person in America who is notoriously ignorant about geography. He's playing it up to get the vote in West Virginia and Kentucky.

Or 50 + Israel, Guam, Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo........yep 57.

But I think he's lying about going to Guantanamo. Nobody named Barak Hussein Obama would go there voluntarily.; 5/10/08, 12:56 AM
happyfeet said...: but my staff, uh, would not justify it

this is a preview of his Iraq exit strategy and his withdrawal from NAFTA and his healthcare plan and also his first term; 5/10/08, 1:08 AM
Revenant said...: Not unless you want to be called racist. I'm surprised some disgruntled lurker or troll hasn't lobbied the word to Ann and us already.

Oh, I imagine Mortimer will be along eventually...; 5/10/08, 3:05 AM
Steven said...: Blake, she clearly isn't a real fan! Saudi Isralia is from "Future-Drama", an episode of the Simpsons. One cameo from Bender does not a Futurama episode make!; 5/10/08, 3:23 AM
Anonymous said...: Like I've said - the wingnuts are afraid to debate any actual policy positions.

I think the only post Ann has had about the economy in the last four years is the one from last week where she talked about how things are hunky dory.

$4 a gallon gas anyone?; 5/10/08, 3:52 AM
rhhardin said...: He's talking in octal.

Did he say base ten? No. Well all right, then.; 5/10/08, 5:47 AM
Bob said...: 57 states? Freudian slip, he's been secretly screwing Theresa Heinz Kerry.; 5/10/08, 6:02 AM
ballyfager said...: This is one of the worst tendencies of the blogosphere. Looking for a misstatement so we can pounce (a misstatement still isn't as egregious as a lie, for all you Hillaryphiles).

Okay smartasses, how many of the fifty states are commonwealths and which are they? I realize you can get this information easily enough. But how many of you know off the top of your heads? That's what I thought.

Now that we've established that joggerfy ain't your long suit, perhaps a soupcon of STFU might be in order.; 5/10/08, 6:28 AM
EnigmatiCore said...: Ever see how drastically a President ages so quickly, because of how much the job takes out of them?

If Obama is this affected by the rigors of the primaries, he's going to end up looking like a black Keith Richards after his first year in office.; 5/10/08, 6:41 AM
Bob said...: Ballyfager: Okay smartasses, how many of the fifty states are commonwealths and which are they? I realize you can get this information easily enough. But how many of you know off the top of your heads? That's what I thought.

Now that we've established that joggerfy ain't your long suit, perhaps a soupcon of STFU might be in order.

Go start a flamewar elsewhere, Ballyfager. This is how we entertain ourselves in the blogosphere. At least Ann Althouse is fair about pointing out misstatements on all sides, which can hardly be said for hard-leftist blog sites. Un-knot your panties and try to grin, because there will be plenty of opportunities on both sides to pounce on stupid statements.; 5/10/08, 7:34 AM
Roger J. said...: Bally: off the top of my head: MA, PA and KY---that said, it still means Obama is a doofus.; 5/10/08, 8:24 AM
KCFleming said...: "I've been to 57 states."

Obama, the senator from Illinois (where they vote early, often, and even dead), has let slip how many states already have ballot boxes stuffed with 'Obama' votes.

Woopsies.; 5/10/08, 8:27 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: The only one I could think of was Reverend Wright's "Krackpotville" but the Obama camp said "don't you dare go there".; 5/10/08, 8:27 AM
ricpic said...: Ignorance born of contempt. Very much like his coreligionist of the Left, Al Gore, who stated that E Pluribus Unum meant In One Many. Harvard grad? U.S. Senator? So what. His whole life he's been marinating in disdain for the very nation he purports to rule. Why know the specifics of a place that is mere putty good for one thing only -- kneeding!; 5/10/08, 8:30 AM
Roger J. said...: Oops--after googling, I missed VA--however, .750 batting average is still pretty good. And i bet ole Bally was on that like a duck on a june bug.; 5/10/08, 8:33 AM
Roger J. said...: Wow: soupcon! how bout a can whuppass for you Bally? To quote foghorn legorn: Go away boy, you bother us.; 5/10/08, 8:35 AM
KCFleming said...: "I would tell him to check the flag in his lapel, but of course he won't be wearing one."
--Tom Maguire; 5/10/08, 8:53 AM
Roger J. said...: and finally, Bally: one train leaves chicago going east at 40 miles/hour; one train leaves NYC going west at 50 miles/hour and both are on the same track--where do they meet? Or, if you dont like word problems, just differentiate sin(2x^3)cos(x^2). That chain rule was always a bitch.; 5/10/08, 8:56 AM
Anonymous said...: Pogo,
Here's a new pin, made especially for Obama.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/05/new-patriotic-o.html; 5/10/08, 9:28 AM
MadisonMan said...: As a Harvard Grad

Graduation from Harvard only means you were accepted there. It describes nothing about intelligence or, especially, common sense.; 5/10/08, 9:38 AM
Trooper York said...: Did you that Daniel Boone was invovled in a scam to set up a new state called Transylvania right around Pittsburgh where the 3 rivers meet?; 5/10/08, 9:39 AM
KCFleming said...: PatCA

Great pin.
I thought maybe he'd just wear a standard flag pin, but upside down.; 5/10/08, 9:53 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: PatCa:

That pin and the blogisode was funny. I am shocked to see it was from LA Times. Maybe there is hope yet for the MSM.; 5/10/08, 10:52 AM
From Inwood said...: TY

If they made a movie about that, could they call it “Transylvania 6-5000”, or would George Hamilton object?

BTW, we had our wedding reception in the Hotel Pennsylvania, long, long ago. We came in for a college reunion in '99 & stayed there on a special. Worth every dollar! You can't go home again.

Anyway, recently someone asked me if I remembered my wedding reception. I told him that I even remembered the 'phone # for the reception Hotel! (The old Glenn Miller tuneless Pennsylvania 6-5000.) He acted like I'd, um, lost my bearings. Some reading this post may agree.; 5/10/08, 12:14 PM
vbspurs said...: Now that we've established that joggerfy ain't your long suit, perhaps a soupcon of STFU might be in order.

Why do I think Obama would say this exact sentence, down to the soupçon, when angry?

Cheers,
Victoria; 5/10/08, 12:36 PM
From Inwood said...: I understand that Obamessiah’s states include:

Utopia (Ask Mario Cuomo, a/k/a St. Thomas More on the Hudson)
Dystopia
Moosylvania (Ask Bullwinkle)
Fredonia (Tell ‘em Groucho sent you)
Ebonia (Dilbert – Is Ebonics the Lingua Franca?)
Nirvana
Mendacity
Lotus Land
Transylvania (Transylvania 6-5000 is the ‘phone exchange)
Grover's Mill (ask Orson Wells)
Lake Woebegone
Cloudcuckooland
Never Neverland (Ask Michael Jackson channeling Barrie)
Disneyland
Krypton (Super place)
Canaan
Goshen
Atlantis
Milk & Honey
Dreamland
Baja Texas
Berserkly
Northern Virginia
Chicago Cemetaryland
Pandemonium (Ask Milton, not uncle Miltie)
Bedlam
Brigadoon
Krypton (A superplace)
Wrightstown (OOPS, That’s Fort Dix)
Shangri-La
Xanadu
Eden
Ellsinore
Erewhon
Gloca Mora
Fernwood
Lilliput
Oz (For The Over The Rainbow Coalition)
Chassis (O’Casey knows)
La La Land
Whoville; 5/10/08, 1:31 PM
Anonymous said...: I was surprised too, AJ. I'm sorry she's in that sinking ship!; 5/10/08, 3:23 PM
Revenant said...: Looking for a misstatement so we can pounce

Ballyfager, I am humbled by your argument. In response I have decided to restrict myself for only mocking Barack once for each time George Bush was mocked for his pronunciation of "nuclear".

I figure I'll be done sometime around the year 2732.; 5/10/08, 5:30 PM
AlphaLiberal said...: Maybe he was thinking districts, territories and possessions also. Or is just tired.

Hey, Ann. Are you going to mention the war on Iraqi civilians being drive from their homes into camps? Oh, US and Iraqi forces are doing that.

Hard to see how that improves things.; 5/10/08, 9:51 PM
blake said...: There is no topic AlphaLiberal is unwilling to poop on.; 5/10/08, 9:52 PM
Sloanasaurus said...: We all know Obama knows how many states there are. What is important is the double standard the media uses for Obama. McCain would have been excoriated for that comment. Obama is cute.

Obama will eventually get bitten. The media will call it swiftboating. The rest of America will call it the truth.

The fact that Obama got a $300,000 bribe from a corrupt fund raiser to buy his house is still not known by 95% of America. It will be known by the end of October this year.; 5/10/08, 10:38 PM
Methadras said...: AlphaLiberal said...

Maybe he was thinking districts, territories and possessions also. Or is just tired.

Hey, Ann. Are you going to mention the war on Iraqi civilians being drive from their homes into camps? Oh, US and Iraqi forces are doing that.

Hard to see how that improves things.

For a while there, I just thought you were the starry-eyed kid who held the pot that Obama pissed in. I really owe you an apology because I've completely misjudged you and what you've been doing for his great campaign. I can clearly see now that you've been holding his dick to help him aim instead.; 5/11/08, 1:25 AM
Methadras said...: From Inwood said...

I understand that Obamessiah’s states include:

Utopia (Ask Mario Cuomo, a/k/a St. Thomas More on the Hudson)
Dystopia
Moosylvania (Ask Bullwinkle)
Fredonia (Tell ‘em Groucho sent you)
Ebonia (Dilbert – Is Ebonics the Lingua Franca?)
Nirvana
Mendacity
Lotus Land
Transylvania (Transylvania 6-5000 is the ‘phone exchange)
Grover's Mill (ask Orson Wells)
Lake Woebegone
Cloudcuckooland
Never Neverland (Ask Michael Jackson channeling Barrie)
Disneyland
Krypton (Super place)
Canaan
Goshen
Atlantis
Milk & Honey
Dreamland
Baja Texas
Berserkly
Northern Virginia
Chicago Cemetaryland
Pandemonium (Ask Milton, not uncle Miltie)
Bedlam
Brigadoon
Krypton (A superplace)
Wrightstown (OOPS, That’s Fort Dix)
Shangri-La
Xanadu
Eden
Ellsinore
Erewhon
Gloca Mora
Fernwood
Lilliput
Oz (For The Over The Rainbow Coalition)
Chassis (O’Casey knows)
La La Land
Whoville

Honestly, you clearly missed the most important states of all, Bliss and Narnia.; 5/11/08, 1:27 AM
Methadras said...: Come on, you know where Barak keeps his 'bearings' don't you? They are in jar that his wife puts them and brings them down from time to time so he can klink them lovingly just to make sure he had them to begin with.; 5/11/08, 1:32 AM
From Inwood said...: Methadras

You're right. How could I forget C. S. Lewis.

I also forgot Bunyan (John, of course, not Paul, Paul is one of the MSM's earlier myths, a tradition carried by today's MSM "there were chills up my spine, & some thrills I can't define..." cf Chris Matthews & the CNN Babes on the Obamessiah plane.)

And, yes, Bliss. "Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive, but to be young was very heaven." Alas, “I an old man, A dull head among windy spaces.” "I grow old…I grow old… I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.”

Which brings me to mention in the context of Obamessiah’s Mis-State, Over-states (apology, Ruth Anne): “The Waste Land”. Eliot’s of course, not JFK’s FCC guy.; 5/11/08, 9:21 AM
Revenant said...: Obama won't be visiting the state of Bliss under after Hillary is out of the race.; 5/11/08, 1:34 PM
Ann said...: Duh, its a joke. If you dont get it try googling "57 states"; 5/12/08, 3:27 AM
blogJordan said...: Well you've inspired me ... to write a WordPress plug-in that automagically converts numbers such as '50' and or pluralized references to the State of Alaska and Hawaii into Obamics :

Presenting the WordPress Plugin - Obammath; 5/12/08, 3:08 PM