Althouse: "It's kind of like a turkey version of 'Dancing With the Stars,' except the stakes for the contestants was much higher."

November 24, 2010

"It's kind of like a turkey version of 'Dancing With the Stars,' except the stakes for the contestants was much higher."

"Only one pair would survive and win the big prize: life."

Obama turkey pardoning joke with a hint of cultural relevancy and a possibly accidental implication of ill will toward Bristol Palin. Hey. Wait a minute. That reminds me...

Memories!

44 comments:

MadisonMan said...: I'm missing the implication of ill will in that sentence.; 11/24/10, 8:01 PM
Known Unknown said...: Methinks this blog should be renamed "Palinhouse."; 11/24/10, 8:02 PM
Known Unknown said...: Obama's jokes are turkeys.

As are mine.; 11/24/10, 8:04 PM
Anonymous said...: Remember "NBC News Overnight"? They had a regular segment called "Newsreel" which was a bunch of clips accompanied by the anchor's voiceover.

One night, Newsreel showed then-President Reagan pardoning a turkey for Thanksgiving. And as the camera went for a huge close-up of the bird, guest anchor Andrea Mitchell intoned, "The turkey does not take questions at photo opportunities."

I guess you had to be there.

Word verification: parco.; 11/24/10, 8:09 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: I'm missing the implication of ill will in that sentence.

I assume it is that the turkeys that don't win get killed. Bristol didn't win, hence...; 11/24/10, 8:34 PM
rhhardin said...: Dancing with Turkey in the Straw (1942); 11/24/10, 8:38 PM
reg said...: she's living rent free in his head.; 11/24/10, 8:45 PM
Unknown said...: The Zero is a low-class punk who doesn't have the guts to diss somebody to his/her face.

To paraphrase James Carville, if Miss Sarah gave him a pair of hers, she'd still have more than him.; 11/24/10, 9:00 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: I remember that video - all my liberal friends decided, based on that, Sarah Palin was clueless and cruel.

I still don't understand what they saw in it.; 11/24/10, 9:04 PM
Charlie Martin said...: I thought that video was hilarious -- or rather, the reaction to it.

Particularly precious was the TV newsreader who said in horror that they were "slaughtering live turkeys", not apparently catching on that this was (a) the only kind of turkeys that can be slaughtered, and (b) where the turkey she had at dinner came from.

City folk.; 11/24/10, 9:11 PM
Anonymous said...: My favorite Palin ever.

Love the guy sticking the bird in the blender in the background.

And she's completely relaxed.

You've got to love this woman.

How in the hell do you think that bird lands on your table?; 11/24/10, 9:21 PM
Anonymous said...: Obama wishes Bristol dead. THe big prize is life? This from a guy who says kill the babies?; 11/24/10, 9:23 PM
rickl said...: I thought that video was hilarious -- or rather, the reaction to it.

Particularly precious was the TV newsreader who said in horror that they were "slaughtering live turkeys", not apparently catching on that this was (a) the only kind of turkeys that can be slaughtered, and (b) where the turkey she had at dinner came from.

City folk.

Indeed.

I thought then and still think this would make a great campaign spot for Sarah.; 11/24/10, 9:24 PM
Anonymous said...: Marry me, shoutingthomas! LOL!!!; 11/24/10, 9:25 PM
Anonymous said...: Marry me, shoutingthomas! LOL!!!

Shit, I'm honored. My first internet proposal.

You do know, that you would have to follow in the footsteps (not to mention the teddy) of Myrna, don't you?; 11/24/10, 9:31 PM
bgates said...: City folk.

As God is my witness....; 11/24/10, 9:47 PM
Unknown said...: Oh, bless you.

My Aunt Mary read, "A Christmas Carol", every year. It just made her holiday.

That episode holds a similar place in my heart. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it.; 11/24/10, 9:55 PM
Fen said...: possibly accidental implication of ill will toward Bristol Palin.

No class. Obama has been reduced to a catty little bitch.

MadisonMan: I'm missing the implication of ill will in that sentence

Of course you are. You boxed yourself in last thread. Your only option is to pretend you don't see cheap shot.; 11/24/10, 10:29 PM
AST said...: The man is snake bit. If he's as smart as the elite media keep telling us, it would have to be a little dig at Bristol. But he's not, so why make anything of it?

wv: plopop; 11/24/10, 10:53 PM
Irene said...: Politics are like Fargo.; 11/24/10, 10:54 PM
Harry said...: President Obama on Wednesday morning pardoned a pair of turkeys - Apple and "feathered understudy" Cider - quipping that "it feels pretty good to stop at least one shellacking this November."

I find this weird. Obama jokes about the fact that representatives that supported his unpopular agenda lost their seats. Still, he doesn't intend to change that agenda, or acknowledge that there's anything wrong with it. The president just has to flash that grin and keep joking his way back into the people's hearts. I mean, it's not like there's anything serious going on.; 11/24/10, 11:20 PM
pm317 said...: Why were there a pair of turkeys this year? So he can crack that 'joke' about DWTS?; 11/24/10, 11:24 PM
AlphaLiberal said...: ill will? Toward Bristol Palin?

Whaaaaaaa?; 11/25/10, 1:03 AM
AlphaLiberal said...: New Palinism:

Well, North Korea, this is stemming from a greater problem where we're all sitting around asking, 'Oh no, what are we going to do?'" Palin said. "We're not having a lot of faith that the White House is going to come out with a strong enough policy to sanction what it is that North Korea is going to do."

"This speaks to a bigger picture here that certainly scares me in terms of our national security policy. But obviously, we've got to stand with our North Korean allies. We're bound by treaty..."

"South Korean," the co-host corrected.

"Yeah," Palin continued. "We're also bound by prudence to stand with our South Korean allies, yes."

Poor Sarah! People take her seriously!; 11/25/10, 1:03 AM
Anonymous said...: My goodness. Sarah Palin said that? Almost as dumb as Vice President Biden saying he's "second" in the presidential line of succession.

(Hey, I can post off-topic with the best of 'em!)

Word verification: inget. (And a Happy Thanksgiving to all!); 11/25/10, 3:15 AM
Unknown said...: AlphaLiberal said...

New Palinism:

Well, North Korea, this is stemming from a greater problem where we're all sitting around asking, 'Oh no, what are we going to do?'" Palin said. "We're not having a lot of faith that the White House is going to come out with a strong enough policy to sanction what it is that North Korea is going to do."

"This speaks to a bigger picture here that certainly scares me in terms of our national security policy. But obviously, we've got to stand with our North Korean allies. We're bound by treaty..."

"South Korean," the co-host corrected.

"Yeah," Palin continued. "We're also bound by prudence to stand with our South Korean allies, yes."

Poor Sarah! People take her seriously!

Yes, despite a slip of the tongue many people make once in a while, she still makes more sense and shows a higher testosterone level than the wuss in the White House who throws like a girl and refuses to stand up for the nation and people he was elected to lead.; 11/25/10, 5:46 AM
Opus One Media said...: Unfortunately it wasn't a slip of the tongue or the mind.

She has no idea.

Being Thanksgiving I'll forgive her and get busy in the kitchen but tomorrow I'll still be happy about today and Sarah will still be dull and self absorbed as a stone.; 11/25/10, 6:00 AM
AllenS said...: Did you notice, that when Sarah Palin was corrected, she acknowledged the error and said South Korea. I'm reminded of when Barack Obama said 57 states, nobody had the balls to correct him. Instead, we were supposed to not comment on his error, and just move on.; 11/25/10, 6:17 AM
Anonymous said...: Being Thanksgiving I'll forgive her and get busy in the kitchen but tomorrow I'll still be happy about today and Sarah will still be dull and self absorbed as a stone.

You got nothing, HenHouse. Nada. Zip.

Duly noted.

This new conceit of yours is hilarious, HenHouse.; 11/25/10, 6:19 AM
Anonymous said...: 1:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving, and Omega has his panties in a wad!; 11/25/10, 6:22 AM
DaveW said...: He didn't make the reference to Dancing with the Stars in a vacuum.

He's a very very petty man. Bristol isn't Sarah. I'm sure he'd like his kids to be off-limits, but I'm less and less sure they should be.; 11/25/10, 7:38 AM
KCFleming said...: I turn the channel or switch stations whenever Obama's voice comes on. I don't believe anything that come out of his mouth, so what he says is of no interest. He doesn't care about me or my children or my city or state. So why should I listen?

This particular quip shows Obama has mastered college humor. I hope it serves him well.; 11/25/10, 7:58 AM
MadisonMan said...: Of course you are. You boxed yourself in last thread. Your only option is to pretend you don't see cheap shot.

Or are you so primed to find ill will that you see it everywhere you look? I think you read Lord of the Flies once too often in Jr. High.

Think the best of people...you'll be a lot happier.; 11/25/10, 8:54 AM
KCFleming said...: MM, jokes like this gives one plausible deniability.

He can easily say 'I didn't mean that', and blame the implication on those who see it.

The President and the Fed Chairman have to watch every single utterance. So no, they are not free just to make meaningless quips. It's a restriction that comes with the job.

A President who had no intention of referencing Palin would have avoided a DWTS joke altogether.; 11/25/10, 9:19 AM
Anonymous said...: Poor Sarah! People take her seriously!

I could bog down this server with examples of idiotic assertions by Joe Biden.

The good news is nobody takes you seriously either.; 11/25/10, 9:27 AM
Anonymous said...: Unfortunately it wasn't a slip of the tongue or the mind.

She has no idea.

Do you mean like this?

Mr. Obama asked his audience for a show of hands from people with employer-provided coverage, what most Americans have.

“Your employer, it’s estimated, would see premiums fall by as much as 3,000 percent,” said the president, “which means they could give you a raise.”

A White House press spokesman later said the president misspoke; he had meant to say annual premiums would drop by $3,000.

Or would you like me to post a link to the video where Obama calls an asthma inhaler a breathalyzer?

You have nothing.; 11/25/10, 9:31 AM
Fen said...: Madison, are you really going to maintain that you don't see the cheap shot?; 11/25/10, 9:31 AM
Synova said...: OH! Obama said that?

It doesn't matter if he was making a snide comment about Bristol or not, people are going to *think* of Bristol.

This is what is called an unforced error.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

The *president* should not be seen to have even *noticed* the 20 year old daughter of an opponent whom he does not, under any circumstances, want to *elevate* to the status of opponent.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.; 11/25/10, 11:51 AM
Synova said...: Ill will is irrelevant.

I tend to think that Obama shows a pretty well documented habit of making snide, but deniable, comments... lipstick on a pig is just the most obvious... I think he does it all of the time. He also has a well documented habit of referencing directly his private citizen/organizational opponents and calling them out... think Rush or FOX News.

BUT in this case it's irrelevant if he was actually being snide about Bristol. It's not *deniable* that he noticed DWTS and that DWTS was in his mind. This is what he's thinking about and when he needed to pull up an example that's the one he pulled up. He could be speaking with utter good-will and it makes no difference. We all know what has been on the television in the White House and what *occupies* the President's thoughts.

He mentioned it, people will think of Bristol and her mother, and Obama has once again elevated his opponents to the level of the office of the president.

If he did it on purpose or simply didn't *think*, it makes no difference.; 11/25/10, 12:04 PM
Fen said...: Madison: Think the best of people...you'll be a lot happier.

Oh but I do. See, you spent all that time yesterday scribbling about how the kids are off-limits.

I think you meant it. And I'm concerned how you will face yourself in the mirror now.; 11/25/10, 12:34 PM
Fen said...: The *president* should not be seen to have even *noticed* the 20 year old daughter of an opponent whom he does not, under any circumstances, want to *elevate* to the status of opponent.

Obama

everything He touches

diminishes

the economy, our health care, racial relations, the Office of the Presidency, our allies, our progress in Iraq, our civil liberties

and America.

I'm reminded of the best comment of the year here at Althouse, when Obama was awared the Nobel Peace Prize:

Its an award for making America weaker; 11/25/10, 12:41 PM
Fen said...: Show me Madison. Show me that the Left really believes in the things they lecture the rest of us about.

I need to find one true liberal to restore my faith in them.; 11/25/10, 12:44 PM
Anonymous said...: And Palin just kills the won:

My fellow Americans in all 57 states, the time has changed for come. With our country founded more than 20 centuries ago, we have much to celebrate – from the FBI’s 100 days to the reforms that bring greater inefficiencies to our health care system. We know that countries like Europe are willing to stand with us in our fight to halt the rise of privacy, and Israel is a strong friend of Israel’s. And let’s face it, everybody knows that it makes no sense that you send a kid to the emergency room for a treatable illness like asthma and they end up taking up a hospital bed. It costs, when, if you, they just gave, you gave them treatment early, and they got some treatment, and ah, a breathalyzer, or an inhalator. I mean, not a breathalyzer, ah, I don’t know what the term is in Austrian for that…

Note that the thin skinned president has no sense of humor.; 11/25/10, 10:18 PM
Known Unknown said...: How are the Marine Corpsemen celebrating Thanksgiving?; 11/26/10, 9:02 AM