Althouse: "Before We are Democrats or Republicans, We are Americans," said Obama in his weekly address this morning.

January 15, 2011

"Before We are Democrats or Republicans, We are Americans," said Obama in his weekly address this morning.

And what's the first thing you notice — the difference between today and the speech he gave at the memorial? Right. Different color hair. Gray for the memorial, signifying the wise elder, the father figure. Back to dark hair to signify the vigorous young man, ready to forge ahead, solving problems, and restoring his party's electoral fortunes.

Restoring his party's electoral fortunes?!! Are you aghast that I would say such a thing when the literal message is "Before We are Democrats or Republicans, We are Americans"? But it's clear to me that the GOP is on the political upswing, and it's in the Democratic Party's interest to proclaim a period of low-key nonpartisanship and take away its opponents' momentum.

166 comments:

kent said...: And what's the first thing you notice — the difference between today and the speech he gave at the memorial?

No college students "WOOT WOOT"-ing like an Arsenio studio audience in their matching free t-shirts...?; 1/15/11, 12:11 PM
Fen said...: Dear Mr. Diversity Hire,

You've been calling us racists for 3 years now. You've labelled your opponents as teabaggers and hostage-takers and xenophobic bigots clinging to their guns and bibles.

Fuck you and your call for civility.; 1/15/11, 12:12 PM
rhhardin said...: Platitude radio is the next wave.; 1/15/11, 12:26 PM
Anonymous said...: Plundering hordes prefer no resistance.

They want you to be docile so they can focus on the looting.; 1/15/11, 12:28 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: Which is a smart strategy.

You can simply wait for your political opponents to destroy themselves. It will happen, eventually.

Look at the last two years...; 1/15/11, 12:36 PM
kent said...: O/T: CBS poll shows tax hikes favored by … 9%; 1/15/11, 12:43 PM
traditionalguy said...: That is triangulation a la Clinton. Obama is now above the struggle...he is our king. The English have such a King/Queen who is above all that politics over in rude Parliament. Now Obama wants that role. That makes Palin into a Rebel who denies us the pleasure of living under a Kingdom's peaceful reign. Well, I say let's offer him up for adoption by Queen Elizabeth...she needs a beter heir anyway.; 1/15/11, 12:44 PM
Richard Dolan said...: "Weekly address". Ha. Who listens to this stuff? It can't have any impact if the only people tuning in are the usual political junkies. Would Ann bother if she didn't have to find stuff to blog about? I doubt it.; 1/15/11, 12:48 PM
Synova said...: Do presidents usually have a weekly address?

I honestly don't know since if they do, and certainly currently, no one listens to it.

Seriously.; 1/15/11, 12:53 PM
traditionalguy said...: I say that we need to STOP partisanship over in the NFL. The hate speech there from Jets and Ravens is upsetting folks. Right after my Falcons win the Super Bowl, then all partisanship will be outlawed. The players already get penalized for excessive celebration that sneers at the other team... we can just extend that to NFL fans and Republicans...but only after my Falcons have won it all.; 1/15/11, 12:54 PM
Synova said...: I need to get my speakers fixed or I can't listen to it now, either.

I donno. There is something about the whole idea. A press conference regularly seems like a good idea and that should give the president plenty of opportunity to let everyone know what he's up to and which issues he views as a priority.; 1/15/11, 12:59 PM
Lisa said...: The Democrats bought a gun to this knife fight long before Tuscon.; 1/15/11, 1:02 PM
Calypso Facto said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/15/11, 1:02 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: These Saturday radio addresses by presidents are an anachronism.

Do away with them- let's hear from some of the other elected liars for a change- maybe the governors and mayors who have f-ed things up too.; 1/15/11, 1:04 PM
mesquito said...: Has anyone ever heard a Wekkly Presidential Radio Address on the radio? I haven't.; 1/15/11, 1:07 PM
jungatheart said...: What did his hair look like before the shooting?; 1/15/11, 1:08 PM
Quaestor said...: Bipartisanship always means Republicans must acquiesce to the Democrats whether they are in the minority or the majority, but especially when they have the majority.; 1/15/11, 1:09 PM
mc said...: Nothing to be aghast about. Their self serving and elitist delusions have sunk the country, Republicans and Dems alike.

Hopefully the tea party can maintain it's momentum.

The media will be the biggest hurdle.; 1/15/11, 1:11 PM
Anonymous said...: I welcome the change, even if Obama was forced into it.

Over the long haul, this process will force blacks to temper their political views, and allow the natural conservatism of the black community to express itself.

Blacks are more religious and church going than any other group.; 1/15/11, 1:11 PM
campy said...: Quaestor, could you please clarify the antecedent for the pronoun "they" in your comment?; 1/15/11, 1:12 PM
Automatic_Wing said...: There's nothing more political than claiming to be above politics.; 1/15/11, 1:12 PM
Anonymous said...: What is the point, really, of watching this man read something somebody else wrote that contains none of his own sentiments? (Does is skeeze anybody else out watching his eyes dart across the script of the teleprompter? Makes him look shifty.)

I want my Barack Obama back. The one with the fire in his belly. The one who urged us to bring a gun.

The one who urged us to get in their fucking faces.

The one who urged us to punish the fuck out of our enemies and with their defeat reward our friends.

YEAH BABY!

Punch.

Fight.

PUNISH!

Who is this fucking milquetoast pussy who just wants everybody to sing Kumbaya?

Where's Bill Ayers to man this pussy up a little bit when he's down?; 1/15/11, 1:13 PM
Unknown said...: This from the most partisan Senator in a very long time.

Of course, the Demos, after they make their demands, will portray themselves as being interested in nothing but brotherhood and healing while the mean old Conservatives only want to maintain the hate. What it really boils down to is anyone who doesn't do it their way is a hater.

same old, same old....; 1/15/11, 1:13 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Yes I have heard snippets of them. The local radio stations use them in their news segments as do the local TV stations in their Saturday nightly news segments.

But I may not have actually heard the actual brodacast of the prez address.

While these prez addresses are boring and pro forma BS, they are no way as boring as the average Bloggingheads episode.; 1/15/11, 1:14 PM
Anonymous said...: "What did his hair look like before the shooting?"

Curly.; 1/15/11, 1:16 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: "Reggie Love! Get that bitch colorist in here right now. I have another address Jon Favreau wrote for me to give."; 1/15/11, 1:19 PM
yashu said...: By the way, that "Together We Thrive" slogan (because of course, memorial services for tragedies non-political in nature should have their own slogan & logo, printed on t-shirts, it's the respectful thing to do) was taken from a blog that appeared on the Organizing for America website during the 2008 presidential campaign. I found that bit of info in a post by Clarice Feldman here; the original (the slogan as used on OFA) is here.

Obama's people exploited a memorial service to stage a rally for his upcoming presidential campaign? What? Ridiculous. The mere suggestion is terribly uncivil of me, especially after our noble president took that apt occasion to admonish us all to watch what we say & raise the tone of political rhetoric (even though political rhetoric had nothing to do with that act of mass murder-- at least, not in any "simple" way). President Obama, people, let's have some applause. What a mensch.; 1/15/11, 1:21 PM
Christopher said...: But it's clear to me that the GOP is on the political upswing, and it's in the Democratic Party's interest to proclaim a period of low-key nonpartisanship and take away its opponents' momentum.

Definitely. That's what the Udall call for D's and R's to sit intermingled with each other is all about. Same goes for Obama's interest in talking about civility in a memorial speech made necessary (or shall we even say possible) by a nutcase motivated solely by the signals he received from Radio Grammar Command. If I didn't know better I'd say Obama & Co. are deftly pinning the blame on the right, and much of the GOP leadership at least is showing its usual talent for unilaterally disarming itself. If you'll pardon the expression.

As for a couple questions above about the radio addresses, yes, unfortunately, these have been around for ages. The only thing on the air getting lower ratings are the responses by the opposition.; 1/15/11, 1:23 PM
jungatheart said...: We are not amused, America's Wang.

lol Chip.; 1/15/11, 1:27 PM
kent said...: But it's clear to me that the GOP is on the political upswing

... and, speaking of which:

Focus group: Americans see Palin as more sincere and believable after watching speech; 1/15/11, 1:30 PM
Fen said...: Has anyone ever heard a Weekly Presidential Radio Address on the radio? I haven't.

The only ones I've heard were by President Bartlet. Something about the lack of monuments dedicated to women and sex with the First Lady.; 1/15/11, 1:31 PM
Anonymous said...: I'm going to repost my response:

I welcome the change, even if Obama was forced into it.

Over the long haul, this process will force blacks to temper their political views, and allow the natural conservatism of the black community to express itself.

Blacks are more religious and church going than any other group.

This is a good change, whether or not Obama made that change voluntarily. Don't let you opposition to Obama blind you.; 1/15/11, 1:35 PM
Alex said...: The Tuscon Witch Hunt

Great. So the left overreacts and overreaches and it only accomplishes two things: fostering sympathy for its opponents and nurturing a false equivalence within the body politic. Well done, Democrats.

Now we’ve settled into the by-any-means-necessary argument: anything that gets us to focus on the rhetoric and tamp it down is a good thing. But a wrong in the service of righteousness is no less wrong, no less corrosive, no less a menace to the very righteousness it’s meant to support.

You can’t claim the higher ground in a pit of quicksand.

Concocting connections to advance an argument actually weakens it. The argument for tonal moderation has been done a tremendous disservice by those who sought to score political points in the absence of proof.

Charles Blow is as left-wing as they get and he's arguing the Dems stepped in it! What's Ed Schultz(psychotalker expert) gonna say?; 1/15/11, 1:39 PM
kent said...: Charles Blow is as left-wing as they get and he's arguing the Dems stepped in it!

For most leftards, however: the crazy train never, EVER stops running. Observe:

Bizarrely, [Bill] Maher Blames Tucson Shooting On...Lack of ObamaCare; 1/15/11, 1:44 PM
Fen said...: The argument for tonal moderation has been done a tremendous disservice by those who sought to score political points in the absence of proof.

They did us favor. Complying with the Democrats requests for "tonal moderation" is about as useful as a cease-fire agreement with Pali's.

Does anyone believe the Dems would tone down their rhetoric? Hell, DTL couldn't make it for an hour. Its the only club he had in his bag.; 1/15/11, 1:46 PM
Quaestor said...: Reagan used to give a weekly radio address, and he hardly missed doing a full 52 talks a year for eight years.; 1/15/11, 1:48 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Chip:

Very funny and you used the actual names of some Administration insiders.

It might be interesting, Professor, to use those two names in a poll and ask people to guess who they are:
1- rap star
2- sitcom actor
3- Beltway pundit
4- Cabinet member
5- Ball fluffer for Prez
6- White House speechwriter; 1/15/11, 1:49 PM
Unknown said...: FDR started weekly radio addresses. Ronald Reagan revived them. George W. Bush debuted podcasts of them. Transcripts can be accessed here (categorized by president).; 1/15/11, 1:58 PM
Ralph L said...: He might have colored his hair gray for the "Memorial" because of the black background. Better video for the 2012 campaign.; 1/15/11, 2:01 PM
Anonymous said...: You're such a partisan jackass, Althouse. I mean, really. Every thing Obama says has some sort of secretive political meaning or some dark origin.

It was a fairly typical speech. Get over it.; 1/15/11, 2:18 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: ...it's in the Democratic Party's interest to proclaim a period of low-key nonpartisanship and take away its opponents' momentum.; 1/15/11, 2:20 PM
Anonymous said...: "Every thing Obama says has some sort of secretive political meaning or some dark origin."

Seeing as how an unnamed, otherwise secret person wrote the words that Barack Obama is saying in that video, I'd have to agree with Althouse here.

This is not Obama speaking contemporaneously. He is reading something somebody else wrote.

This is not how Barack Obama feels. He does not believe it, and you can tell because he's just reading a script.

Watch his eyes.

This isn't the Barack Obama we all know and love.

Obama is much more effective a speaker when he's reminding his supporters to bring their guns and get in people's faces and be mad and punish the enemies of the Democrat Party.

You know ... when he's bringin' the dark, dark hate.; 1/15/11, 2:29 PM
Unknown said...: The hair color thing was Willie's, originally.

While we're rehashing the "service", here's a trivia question: What wasn't at the memorial that most people would expect to be there?

Clergy - no rabbis (Giffords is Jewish), no priests (Greens are Catholic), and no ministers that I've heard of.

If anyone has an update, I will happily stand corrected.; 1/15/11, 2:33 PM
Toad Trend said...: No thanks, Mr. President.

Before we were 'Americans', today, we were clingers, enemies, hostage-takers, teabaggers, stupidly-acting knife-wielding gun-loving Jesus freaks.

There is no 'we' in Obama.

But there is 'mob'.; 1/15/11, 2:34 PM
MayBee said...: Does anybody know who paid for the T-Shirts?; 1/15/11, 2:45 PM
Quaestor said...: @campy

I thought my syntax might be a bit ambiguous, but pronouns do that in English. But it's hard to be absolutely dead on without the parenthetical use of the noun all over again, which many of us do all the time in spoken English. But it looks dumb on paper, like pidgin. In short, sometimes I skimp on clarity for the sake of prosody.

Be that as it may, to answer your request directly, they = the Republicans.; 1/15/11, 2:49 PM
Quaestor said...: but, but, and but. What crap I write from time to time.

wv: inglaj - what Winston Smith's grandchildren would have spoken, if he had any after Room 101; 1/15/11, 2:52 PM
jungatheart said...: May Bee, I read that they were the University's idea.; 1/15/11, 2:53 PM
Unknown said...: University of Arizona spokesperson Jennifer Fitzenberger told me that the shirts were, indeed, provided by the University. “The University wanted to give people something to remember that symbolized community spirit and continued the event’s positive energy into the future,” she said.

According to Fitzenberger, the shirts were designed by a University of Arizona student, and they cost about $60,000. “The University will pay for them,” she noted. “No tuition, state allocations, tax dollars or student fees will be used.”

Many have also wondered how the shirts were produced so quickly. According to Fitzenberger, “The UA BookStores made the arrangements to produce the shirts. The BookStores knew a vendor that could turn them around fast.”

link

link; 1/15/11, 2:54 PM
Unknown said...: Vendor says he's donating money from T-shirts to help the shooting victims, as he did for Columbine victims.; 1/15/11, 2:59 PM
chickelit said...: edutcher said..While we're rehashing the "service", here's a trivia question: What wasn't at the memorial that most people would expect to be there?

POTUS was trying to sell miracle, mystery, and authority, and he didn't want any competition.; 1/15/11, 3:02 PM
Quaestor said...: edutcher wrote: ...no rabbis (Giffords is Jewish), no priests (Greens are Catholic), and no ministers that I've heard of.

Just one cockamamie aboriginal American routine that sounded about as authentically Indian as "kemosabe." I didn't hear any other religious ceremony, though I may have missed it.

Isn't funny that when the Left feels the need to inject spiritual values they skip over mainstream Christianity and Judaism, and go instead for something outlandish and contrived?; 1/15/11, 3:03 PM
MayBee said...: The university's idea? Did the university pay for them? If I were a student paying tuition, I would not appreciate that. I wonder if it's true, though.

I wonder if OFA will grant the University some money for it.; 1/15/11, 3:04 PM
Unknown said...: According to Fitzenberger, the shirts were designed by a University of Arizona student, and they cost about $60,000. “The University will pay for them,” she noted. “No tuition, state allocations, tax dollars or student fees will be used.”

Follow links, MayBee.; 1/15/11, 3:07 PM
MayBee said...: I did, Gopher, thanks. As I said, I wonder if OFA will ultimately pay for those shirts. It does not seem a wise investment for a public university.
Perhaps living in CA, where public tuition keeps going up, has made me quite sensitive.; 1/15/11, 3:09 PM
Unknown said...: Original comment with the links has now disappeared. Here it is again:

Gopher has left a new comment on the post ""Before We are Democrats or Republicans, We are Am...":

University of Arizona spokesperson Jennifer Fitzenberger told me that the shirts were, indeed, provided by the University. “The University wanted to give people something to remember that symbolized community spirit and continued the event’s positive energy into the future,” she said.

According to Fitzenberger, the shirts were designed by a University of Arizona student, and they cost about $60,000. “The University will pay for them,” she noted. “No tuition, state allocations, tax dollars or student fees will be used.”

Many have also wondered how the shirts were produced so quickly. According to Fitzenberger, “The UA BookStores made the arrangements to produce the shirts. The BookStores knew a vendor that could turn them around fast.”

link

link

This was the first link in the original post.
This was the second link in the original post.; 1/15/11, 3:11 PM
MayBee said...: Gopher, the guy you linked to is making replicas and donating the profit.
The "university" used a different vendor.
Follow links.; 1/15/11, 3:16 PM
Unknown said...: That is correct, and it is why that link was put into a separate comment as a separate point of interest, which reason definitely should have been made clear in that separate comment.; 1/15/11, 3:27 PM
knox said...: What did his hair look like before the shooting?

LOL. This created many funny pictures in my mind... cornrows ... dreads ... blonde extensions...; 1/15/11, 3:28 PM
Big Mike said...: ... it's in the Democratic Party's interest to proclaim a period of low-key nonpartisanship and take away its opponents' momentum.

Yes it is, but they won't be able to resist the temptation.; 1/15/11, 3:28 PM
yashu said...: "We Thrive Together"

"Before We are Democrats or Republicans, We are Americans."

Obama presidential campaign 2008 2.0; 1/15/11, 3:29 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: If the university paid for the t-shirts, how can it say none of the money came from tuiion, etc? That is BS.; 1/15/11, 3:35 PM
jungatheart said...: Oh, knox :); 1/15/11, 3:40 PM
mesquito said...: Does Althouse know she was in the "Notable & Quotable" feature of today's Wall Street Journal?; 1/15/11, 3:42 PM
Unknown said...: If the university paid for the t-shirts, how can it say none of the money came from tuiion, etc? That is BS.

Endowments
or other gifts from private donors or funds raised by such groups as Alumni are possibilities. There are others. The university ought to specify or provide a good reason why it cannot. It could be lying. Or it could be telling the truth. Complete facts are as yet unavailable.; 1/15/11, 3:44 PM
BJM said...: @traditionalguy

Where is our Cromwell?; 1/15/11, 3:47 PM
MayBee said...: Hey Gopher, it's weird. Your comments seem to appear at a time later than other comments posted after yours.

Yes, I agree, the university should make it clear. Especially if there was a political donation behind the funding.; 1/15/11, 3:56 PM
BJM said...: "Before We are Democrats or Republicans, We are Americans"?

Who you calling "we" Kemosabe?

Phony Phucker.; 1/15/11, 3:56 PM
kent said...: It's already been incontestably shown, beyond any hope of rebuttal, that The Boy King's administration flat-out lied, bald-faced, about "being surprised by all the cheering and applauding."

No conceivable reason they wouldn't lie just as breezily about some Borg-style t-shirts, as well.; 1/15/11, 4:09 PM
mariner said...: Buck fipartisanship.; 1/15/11, 4:18 PM
Anonymous said...: "I agree, the university should make it clear. Especially if there was a political donation behind the funding."

Have you seen one of the actual shirts? I bet you haven't seen one up close front and back ... and there's a reason that you have not.

The Obama-friendly media are embargoing images of the shirts because, along with the "Together We Thrive" campaign theme taken directly from Obama's political arm Organizing For America are the other logos the press isn't mentioning.

Have a look at the bottom of the shirt (assuming you can find an image in the press). "Rocking America and Rocking the Vote" is a common theme of the DNC, and it's right there also printed on the memorial T-shirt schwag distributed by Obama's friends in the academy.

You must ask yourself ... why is the mainstream media embargoing actual close-up images of the printed t-shirts.

The reason is that if you see one of the real shirts, you'd quickly realize they're nothing more than campaign props for the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) Barack Obama paid for by one of his core constituencies ... the University of Arizona, recipient of billions of federal tax dollars withheld from your paycheck every week.

That's right ... the funniest part of this story is that they're paying for all these campaign props with YOUR fucking money!; 1/15/11, 4:21 PM
chickelit said...: Isn't funny that when the Left feels the need to inject spiritual values they skip over mainstream Christianity and Judaism, and go instead for something outlandish and contrived?

You gotta wonder if they've even done the math. I mean, what fraction of the left's constituency is offended by mainstream religion?

OTOH, it's evidence that this event wasn't contrived politics, otherwise it might have included clergy. But why did a ecumenical memorial (and it was pretty spiritual) have to emanate from one source?; 1/15/11, 4:26 PM
chickelit said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/15/11, 4:30 PM
Rich said...: Kent said:

"It's already been incontestably shown, beyond any hope of rebuttal, that The Boy King's administration flat-out lied, bald-faced, about 'being surprised by all the cheering and applauding.'"

I disagree that it's "incontestably shown, beyond any hope of rebuttal." To be lazy and copy-and-paste a couple of comments I left at Bookworm Room:

It looks to me like a close-caption feed, transcription in real time. Either that or it is a similar measure to help the hard of hearing based on the pre-written transcript, and if that’s what it was then they obviously expected applause. I don’t think it’s actually a prompt though (although there could certainly be a positive feedback loop thing going on). Bottom line I think you’re likely making more of this than is there — but if the past week has taught us anything it is to await the evidence before firming up our conclusions.

Yabbut it may very well be it’s not intended as a prompt at all. That is to say, it may be reporting to the hard of hearing that there is applause going on, as opposed to telling people they need to applause now. This is especially likely, IMO, if this is a feed which is both in the arena and going out on TV, because hard of hearing people who are watching in their living room would know there was applause happening that way.
Is this not a little bit like what happened last week (albeit much much lesser in degree)? We see something, interpret it so it jibes with our pre-existing sentiments about a political party or figure and run with it. It’s either the Obama White House lying about whether they expected applause, and BTW being pretty stupid about how their lie got exposed — on a public Jumbotron (!) — or it’s something like a close caption. And we immediately gravitate to the former, based on what we think of Obama/Dems. But the evidence is not in, not that I know of.

And BTW there were ‘pubs in the room too — Gov. Brewer was there for instance — and it unlikely they would have kept quiet about applause prompts in the hours and days following the event.; 1/15/11, 4:30 PM
Lincolntf said...: Holy crap, that guy who claimed Beck, Palin , etc. were responsible for his shooting just got arrested for making death threats against a Republican at a Catholic Mass today.

From Ol-Dirty-bastard on Aos HQ:

http://tinyurl.com/5wuflg9; 1/15/11, 4:43 PM
James said...: Gotta love idiots thinking a closed caption saying {applause} = applause sign.

Of course, this is the next big thing sweeping the right-wing blog world. I'm expecting it to be on Fox News by the end of the day.

I really cannot tell whether the people pushing this are really this stupid, or if they just make up anything they can because they know no one on the Right will call them out on it. Perhaps Kent can clue me in on that - are you really this stupid, or just deliberately lying, hoping that enough people will believe your ridiculous lie?; 1/15/11, 4:44 PM
kent said...: It looks to me [...] if that’s what it was [...] I don’t think

Weak sauce. Weak, weak sauce.

Real-time photographic evidence, on the one hand; airy supposition, sans any supporting evidence whatsoever, on the other. Think I'll be playing the odds, on this one.

And leave the starry-eyed Boy King worship to the hopeless Borg gulls, like James.; 1/15/11, 4:46 PM
Anonymous said...: Here come the chickens: Arizona shooting victim charged with threatening Tea Party leader:
http://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2011/01/15/arizona-shooting-victim-charged-with-threatening-tea-party-leader/; 1/15/11, 4:49 PM
kent said...: Perhaps Kent can clue me in on that - are you really this stupid

How devastating that actually might have been, from someone not down on both knees.; 1/15/11, 4:50 PM
Anonymous said...: "Holy crap, that guy who claimed Beck, Palin , etc. were responsible for his shooting just got arrested for making death threats against a Republican."

Yes, apparently not all Democrats have gotten the instructions from Barack Obama outlining the new narrative that we're not Democrats and Republicans but that we're all just Americans now.

There have been two arrests thusfar:

1) The actual killer
2) A Democrat making more death threats

So far, Sarah Palin has not been arrested.; 1/15/11, 4:51 PM
SteveR said...: Some of us were Indonesians before we became Democrats; 1/15/11, 4:51 PM
Anonymous said...: Different hair color? Why are you now pretending to be the dumbest piece of s@#t in the universe, Althouse?

If you truly believe this, you need therapy and medication.; 1/15/11, 4:52 PM
kent said...: "Holy crap, that guy who claimed Beck, Palin , etc. were responsible for his shooting just got arrested for making death threats against a Republican."

Perfect! Absolutely pitch perfect! ROTFLMAO!!!!!; 1/15/11, 4:53 PM
R.L. Hunter said...: Great, Obama's taking grooming advice from Ron Popeil; 1/15/11, 4:53 PM
Henry said...: Two points.

Althouse wrote:
...it's in the Democratic Party's interest to proclaim a period of low-key nonpartisanship...

Nonpartisanship, yes. Civility, no. When the Republican house calmly goes about its partisan business, the Democratic Party will quickly jettison civility. They will claim provocation, of course. Nonpartisanship works in favor of the weaker party. Civility works in favor of the stronger.

Traditional Guy wrote (way up there at the top): Obama is now above the struggle...he is our king. The English have such a King/Queen who is above all that politics over in rude Parliament. Now Obama wants that role.

That's a really astute point. The King may be above the fray (or at least strive to be above it). The King is also completely ineffectual.

Not only does Obama want that role, but it is the only role he knows how to play well. It is, in fact, the role that he played for Nancy Pelosi.

So let him play the role. It gives him something to do.; 1/15/11, 4:53 PM
Anonymous said...: "Arizona shooting victim charged with threatening Tea Party leader ..."

What's the over-under on number of hours before Sheriff Dipfuck drops these charges - allowing another threatening Democrat to walk the streets freely?; 1/15/11, 4:55 PM
kent said...: What's the over-under on number of hours before Sheriff Dipfuck drops these charges - allowing another threatening Democrat to walk the streets freely?

Even more lop-sided odds being given on whether or not the MSM gives this latest revelation even half as much play as they did the old whackjob's initial leftard accusations.

Hey, James: "WOOT WOOT!!!"

*snort*; 1/15/11, 4:59 PM
Anonymous said...: Hundreds shop at gun show a week later since they now realize that Sheriff Dupnick is too busy with immigration politics that he can't even protect them from the crazies shooting up the fucking Safeway.

http://www.kgun9.com/Global/story.asp?S=13849652; 1/15/11, 5:03 PM
James said...: Your "photgraphic evidence" shows that it is part of the closed captioning. You notice how the last word of the sentence he is speaking is on the screen as well? This is called closed captioning.

Have you never seen anything with captioning? With regards to you, I'm starting to lean away from deliberately lying, to just plain stupid.; 1/15/11, 5:04 PM
Rich said...: Kent said:

"Real-time photographic evidence, on the one hand; airy supposition, sans any supporting evidence whatsoever, on the other."

The "real time photographic evidence" is my supporting evidence. It looks like a close caption, not a prompt. I am not engaging in airy supposition any more than you are.

Sorry 'bout the weak sauce. Based on last week I figure it's probably well advised not to jump to conclusions before all the evidence is in.; 1/15/11, 5:06 PM
Anonymous said...: "Some of us were Indonesians before we became Democrats ... "

Some of us were Muslims before we were "Christians" (and secretly still are Muslims, since it is a tenet of Islam that hiding your religion is OK if you are amongst the hated infidels.); 1/15/11, 5:08 PM
chickelit said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/15/11, 5:10 PM
kent said...: This is called closed captioning.

... and yet, the White House steadfastly refuses to make what plainly ought to be (if true) a simple, straightforward statement to that effect.

Just... well... just 'cause, I s'pose.

How blissful and carefree life must be, once you've wilfully surrendered whatever vestigal brains and/or balls you once had to the great Boy King Hivemind.

For my own druthers, however: I'd rather just continue to slog onwards, along with a functioning I.Q. measurably somewhere above room temperature. And a sack.

Your own choice, though, James, ol' sock, ol' gelding.; 1/15/11, 5:13 PM
kent said...: @ 4:30: "It looks to me [...] if that’s what it was [...] I don’t think [...]"

@ 5:06: "I am not engaging in airy supposition [...]"

Oooooooookay.; 1/15/11, 5:16 PM
AllenS said...: "We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For. We Are Americans."

No shit.; 1/15/11, 5:19 PM
KCFleming said...: Do the words coming out of Obama's mouth matter to anyone anymore?

Does anyone actually believe anything he says, even vague crapola like this?; 1/15/11, 5:20 PM
Rich said...: Kent said:

"Oooooooookay."

You got me. I concede.; 1/15/11, 5:21 PM
kent said...: You got me. I concede.

Fairly and manfully granted. And my own hat to you, sir.; 1/15/11, 5:25 PM
James said...: Kent said: "
... and yet, the White House steadfastly refuses to make what plainly ought to be (if true) a simple, straightforward statement to that effect."

Apparently, the White House is supposed to come out with statements to deny every single lie made up by some blogger. Of course, this would take up every moment of every day, because this is all the right-wing blogs do now - make up controversies and hope some of the dirt they've thrown sticks.

And they're "steadfastly refusing" to make a statement on this? Who exactly is asking the White House for a statement on this? Doug Ross? Jim Hoft? Has there been anyone other than a few idiot bloggers who have come out with this "accusation?"

OK then, I'll play this game. Kent has steadfastly refused to deny that he enjoys torturing and killing animals. Of course, no one has really made this accusation, and no one could expect him to come out with a statement denying this. But he has steadfastly refused to deny it!

I guess you probably think the White House should come out with a statement that says "Barack Obama is not the Muslim lovechild of Malcolm X," since Pam Gellar (who, of course, jumped on this story like you) did make that accusation during the campaign. Why has he steadfastly refused to issue a statement denying this accusation from a blogger? He must really be the secret Muslim lovechild of Malcolm X!!!!

And of course, you end with a "sock" accusation. Funny, since I have been here commenting, under only this name, long before you ever were. We all know the "sock puppet" accusation is the last resort of the fool who has absolutely nothing to back up his argument.; 1/15/11, 5:29 PM
KCFleming said...: Most of his stuff these days sounds like it's from a Random Lecture Generator, fed by phrases culled from Presidential speeches over the last 50 years.

Zodiac advice for political bloviation.; 1/15/11, 5:32 PM
Toad Trend said...: @Pogo

"Do the words coming out of Obama's mouth matter to anyone anymore?

Does anyone actually believe anything he says, even vague crapola like this?"

No. Never did. Its not what he says, or even HOW he says it (mostly with a 'prompter, and when not, its usually a train wreck). Really, its what somebody actually does.

I told a know-it-all lawyer (redundant) this very thing and I was stunned that he had no retort.

Its very surprising to me how gullible people are, on balance.; 1/15/11, 5:38 PM
kent said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/15/11, 5:40 PM
kent said...: Apparently, the White House *waaahhh*waaahhh*mewl*snivel*SNIP

Don't you have some innocent Tea Partier's life to threaten, or whatever it is you silly Borg kiddies like to do in your spare time? I understand that's all the rage, right now.

[...] long before you ever were.

"And how very much you've contributed, in the process," he added, very nearly straightfaced.; 1/15/11, 5:42 PM
Toad Trend said...: The president and his followers have demonstrated their belief that simply his presence or bloviation on a given subject will create 'change'. Indeed, the more he talks, the less effective he is. He is not 'transformative', or anything even close. Hackneyed, failed policy and an ear of tin.

If any of us were given a Nobel for doing nothing, we would be well-served to just shut up and accept.; 1/15/11, 5:44 PM
Unknown said...: Probably more than slightly OT, but I suppose this goes under the old Chinese proverb, "If you sit by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by".

Or something like that.

Anyway, Ann did a post on Eric Fuller, one of the shooting victims, who said that Palin, Beck, and Angle got "their first target".

Fuller has been arrested for making threats at a town hall today, apparently. Make of it what you will.

If someone has mentioned this earlier, I missed it.; 1/15/11, 5:45 PM
James said...: And with that childish comment, you have conceded that you have absolutely no response to my reasonable argument.

And you're still steadfastly denying that you enjoy torturing and killing animals. At this point, your silence on this point pretty much proves you as guilty as Obama putting "applause signs" on the jumbotron.

At this point, any statements to the contrary will be taken as lies and damage control. Pretty sick that you enjoy torturing and killing animals.; 1/15/11, 5:46 PM
kent said...: my reasonable argument.

Pffffftt.

You've already been dismissed, Borg-boy. No need to hammily emote for the gallery, on your way towards Stage Left.; 1/15/11, 5:49 PM
Synova said...: Fuller got arrested for being disorderly, mostly. But yeah, "You're dead!" is a death threat. It will be a wrist slap and no more. He hasn't actually been charged, has he? Arrested isn't charged. No doubt he's still on morphine.

Funny thing, really, all of this. And there is no way anyone is going to let it go either. How is it that a person is so irrational that they can blame a horrible tragedy on supposed violent speech and then think that it's okay to say to someone, you're dead?; 1/15/11, 5:55 PM
David said...: Different color hair. Gray for the memorial, signifying the wise elder, the father figure. Back to dark hair to signify the vigorous young man, ready to forge ahead, solving problems, and restoring his party's electoral fortunes.

I have previously noticed the revolving grayness of the Obama hair.

Is this not exceedingly creepy?

The guy can dye his hair if he wants, but changing it to suit the occasion?

And, yes, he did not want any competition from clergy. He knew the University's president would not be a problem.; 1/15/11, 5:55 PM
Alex said...: here' a comment on Huffington Post about the guy who said "your dead" in Tuscon today:

dzeebz 6 minutes ago (6:51 PM)
4 Fans
See what the liberal media has done....This man was traumatized.....Shame

So, being a shooting victim makes it alright to make death threats against random politicians?; 1/15/11, 5:59 PM
Anonymous said...: "He is not 'transformative', or anything even close."

He is, in fact, the most divisive figure in American politics today.

Everywhere he goes he creates hatred and his followers make death threats.

At least now the cops are willing to arrest the Democrats making the death threats.

Now if only they'll follow through with an actual prosecution of the Democrat who made death threats at the memorial and a meaningful jail sentence, and when Obama is removed from office, maybe our nation can begin the healing process.; 1/15/11, 5:59 PM
Alex said...: Florida - no. Obama is not divisive. Conservatives are divisive because they refuse to accept the genius of Obama. Why can't you accept that he knows how to live your life better then you do?; 1/15/11, 6:00 PM
Brad said...: traditional guy:

No, no, no ....

"After your Falcons win the Super Bowl,"

this nasty business of Falcons' opponents trying to win will be outlawed because their opposition breeds violence.; 1/15/11, 6:02 PM
kent said...: ... and, speaking (as indeed I just was, a few moments ago) of clueless leftards who absolutely, positively do not know when to decently shutthefuckup:

Former Judge to AZ Sheriff: 'Shut Up Before You Do Any More Damage to the Prosecution's Case'; 1/15/11, 6:03 PM
Fen said...: How is it that a person is so irrational that they can blame a horrible tragedy on supposed violent speech and then think that it's okay to say to someone, you're dead

It only looks irrational because you believe the goal is to limit violence caused by hateful rhetoric. But thats not the goal of the Left.

Their goal is to get permission(socially, morally, etc) to use violence against their enemies. They do so by falsely accusing them of formenting violence. Then responding "in kind" doesn't violate their moral code.; 1/15/11, 6:05 PM
Milwaukee said...: I'm offended that Obama felt the need to interject himself into a local matter, again. This rampage was the product of a sick individual. The only reason the Congresswoman was involved is because she represented authority. Thus, Obama's participation is just furthering the notion that this was a product of our incivility caused by conservatives objecting to their country being taken over by stealth socialist. Were any of the victims Native Americans? I think not. So why the Native American spiritual routine?

I will steadfastly defend Ann Althouse and the heated rhetoric on this blog: I believe it had nothing to do with riling up the shooter. Nothing at all, pure coincidence. I will also steadfastly repeat the news I heard that Ann has never beaten her husband. Ever. At anything. Not even at cards.

And spot on to Quaestor said...

Bipartisanship always means Republicans must acquiesce to the Democrats whether they are in the minority or the majority, but especially when they have the majority.

Death To Pronouns!
We Hates Them!; 1/15/11, 6:17 PM
James said...: J. Eric Fuller, who survived the shootings last week, was today arrested for threatening Tea Party activists.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/az-shooting-survivor-arrested-for-death-threat-against-tea-party-leader/

I guess he didn't get the civility memo.; 1/15/11, 6:22 PM
Synova said...: "I'm offended that Obama felt the need to interject himself into a local matter, again."

I'm undecided.

On the one hand she is a member of the House so it's not entirely a local matter and may have been appropriate. Certainly he had to do or say something. I'm a little bit tempted to say that, if I were a Presidential adviser, a PR person, that I'd suggest that the president *attend* the memorial but not speak, and refrain from any speech-making over the event that's greater than 5 minutes long. It just doesn't take that long to express sorrow and urge people to come together instead of cast blame.; 1/15/11, 6:26 PM
Unknown said...: 1. the Saturday AM weekly addresses have been around since at least Reagan (I think he started them). I remember hearing them on the radio on Saturday mornings.

2. Not to worry though...the speech is now called "Your Weekly Address" (watch vid if you do not believe). God, I'm glad that he does my address for me...I'd be sooooo nervous.; 1/15/11, 6:29 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: I predicted the other day we will probably learn Eric Fuller is not a veteran and he is not disabled.; 1/15/11, 6:30 PM
kent said...: From Ace's site: a gentle reminder of how unalterably opposed (*kaff*kaff*) to "violent political imagery" the left was, just a few short months ago.

They lie. It's what they do. It's what they are.; 1/15/11, 6:34 PM
Anonymous said...: "They do so by falsely accusing them of formenting violence. Then responding "in kind" doesn't violate their moral code."

Precisely.

And it has always been this way. Democrats, you see, need to see their violence in terms of self-defense. And so they invent "right-wing violence" where there is none so that they can take their frustrating electoral losses out on society.

Before they'll give up power, Democrats will seek to destroy America. It's their way, or the highway.

The quicker we remove them from all roles where they have influence the better - especially in our schools. It's probably already too late to avoid a bloodbath that they will initiate after laying the groundwork by demonizing ordinary Americans, people like Sarah Palin or Joe The Plumber.

They need ordinary Americans to be "evil" so that they'll have the courage to crank up the ovens.

For the greater good, you see.; 1/15/11, 6:35 PM
Anonymous said...: I see Insty has picked up on this latest choice morsel of dumbfuckery. Obama dies his hair for different occasions, cause this one lady said so on her blog. How phony is this guy? Speaking at memorials and addressing the public and shit. Who does he think he is, the President of the United States? Who made him President, pfff?

I can't wait till Obama is reelected and your fat heads explode daily for another 4 years.; 1/15/11, 6:39 PM
kent said...: cause [sic] this one lady said so on her blog

A stridently hypocritical complaint never uttered by any leftist, anywhere, whenever said blog in question is one found on the DailyKos... or Democratic Underground... or Firedoglake... or... or... or...; 1/15/11, 6:45 PM
Unknown said...: Dying his head different colors for different occasions shows what a phony he is. Just like Willie.

PS If gas stays above $3 a gallon, inflation above 4, and unemployment above 8 (or 17, depending upon which U one chooses to follow), the first head exploding will be franglo's.; 1/15/11, 6:45 PM
Michael said...: franglo: We might just decide to reelect him. It won't make any difference because the Senate will be Republican then as well as the House. He can dye his hair pink for all it will matter. And he can prattle on and on and on and on; 1/15/11, 6:50 PM
Anonymous said...: "Obama dies his hair for different occasions, cause this one lady said so on her blog."

No, because she linked to video evidence of it that your eyes simply refuse to acknowledge because it would cause you to have to look into the pit of despair that you know is there. That you know is the final end of all of this.

Sad.; 1/15/11, 6:57 PM
Synova said...: Maybe someone noticed he was starting to look extra gray and it was simply time to cover that gray up a little?

I don't see why he lets his hair look gray at all, though. Just letting the gray show is a choice.; 1/15/11, 7:05 PM
Anonymous said...: Franglo says "Obama dies"!

You, sir, have blood on your hands.

No, wait, it's okay; it's just henna.; 1/15/11, 7:08 PM
Synova said...: "PS If gas stays above $3 a gallon, inflation above 4, and unemployment above 8 (or 17, depending upon which U one chooses to follow), the first head exploding will be franglo's."

Unemployment for teens is way above 17%. Check next time you go to McDonalds... nearly all the burger flippers are middle aged women.

If my three oldest kids have jobs before 2012 Obama will be reelected.

My preference is actually that they have jobs before 2012. I see no reason to actually plan for that happening.; 1/15/11, 7:08 PM
Synova said...: And it's not as though they aren't looking for work or aren't conscientious young people who could easily pass a drug test and reliably show up to work.; 1/15/11, 7:12 PM
Paco Wové said...: Now that everybody can plausibly deny that they were promoting "hateful rhetoric"... let the hateful rhetoric begin!; 1/15/11, 7:14 PM
David said...: Now for something serious:

Steelers 31, Ravens 24.; 1/15/11, 7:18 PM
Allen Cogbill said...: Perhaps this observation has more to do with coincidence that planning. B.O. goes to Tucson: he's in his late 40s, and his hair is greying. On the flight from Tucson, his hairdresser colors his hair.

Seems like a simple explanation to me.; 1/15/11, 7:21 PM
Anonymous said...: Look - everything this President does is a calculated political step. All these "experts" evaluating his words and actions as moving to center or to the left or right are padding the same con. This President is a an experienced liar and an inexperienced leader. Don't you think our enemies overseas see this?; 1/15/11, 7:24 PM
cf said...: I've loved reading you for ages, but lately you seem to be particularly en fuego..You go, girl!; 1/15/11, 7:38 PM
Phil 314 said...: are we honestly arguing over T-shirts, jumbotrons and hair color?; 1/15/11, 7:44 PM
Unknown said...: Synova said...

Maybe someone noticed he was starting to look extra gray and it was simply time to cover that gray up a little?

He's also growing a tonsure back there.

"PS If gas stays above $3 a gallon, inflation above 4, and unemployment above 8 (or 17, depending upon which U one chooses to follow), the first head exploding will be franglo's."

Unemployment for teens is way above 17%. Check next time you go to McDonalds... nearly all the burger flippers are middle aged women.

Youth unemployment, last I looked, was 25.5%. Black youth unemployment was 45%.

Weimar Republic, anyone?; 1/15/11, 8:10 PM
Anonymous said...: Obama dies his hair

choice morsel of spelling dumbfuckery right there.; 1/15/11, 8:28 PM
MadisonMan said...: I didn't watch both videos in their entirety, but the different camera angles and background colors make it extremely hard for me to tell if there's a different in color.; 1/15/11, 8:29 PM
MadisonMan said...: (sigh)

difference.; 1/15/11, 8:29 PM
coketown said...: Clearly Obama should be introduced to Touch of Gray by Just for Men.

"My hair says, 'experience.'"
"My hair says, 'energy."

"Now I look like I know what I'm doing, and can still do it."; 1/15/11, 8:33 PM
Synova said...: "Youth unemployment, last I looked, was 25.5%. Black youth unemployment was 45%."

Wow. Is that before or after they stop counting anyone who isn't actually actively looking for work because they've given up?

Figure, too, that those youth, in addition to being unemployed, are supported by the under-employed middle aged women working at McDonalds.; 1/15/11, 8:40 PM
Quaestor said...: Obviously, it's not true that Obama (sic) dies his hair -- he's too busy dying the economy.; 1/15/11, 8:40 PM
Nate Whilk said...: Althouse wrote, "Different color hair."

I'm astonished no one has made the obvious comment: CHANGE! :)

But seriously, it's just the lighting or the quality of the recording. I'd have to see proof it was intentional.; 1/15/11, 8:46 PM
Anonymous said...: "Blacks are more religious and church going than any other group."

Yeah and it really, really shows....; 1/15/11, 9:37 PM
Paul said...: Face it people, Obama has been reading the writings of Reagan. Yes Ronald Reagan the President.

And President Reagan dyed his hair. He never went ‘gray’ as president. So Obama just decided to dye his hair for one speech, and dye it again for the other. And the Obots won’t notice. They never do.; 1/15/11, 9:43 PM
Ritmo Re-Animated said...: You guys sound about as sane and composed as Jared Loughner.; 1/15/11, 10:32 PM
Ritmo Re-Animated said...: I'm waiting for the ramblings on Althouse where Obama is accused of mind control, using speech to inappropriately gain power over people and subverting the constitution.

Oh wait -- sorry! Too late.

Carry on with your assorted Jared Loughnerisms.; 1/15/11, 10:41 PM
zuzu said...: Why yes, it's completely appropriate to write an entire post comparing two - and only two - different pictures/videos of someone in completely different settings shot in different lighting, at different distances, and with different technology. And then extrapolate into completely silly speculation...he must be dying his hair!

Of course it's been widely noted that Obama's hair has been going gray since the campaign, and different pictures show it in different ways.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&biw=1296&bih=615&gbv=2&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=obama+gray+hair&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=g1g-m1&aql=f&oq=

So much for your daily dose of stupid.; 1/15/11, 10:55 PM
zuzu said...: Allen Cogbill said...

"Perhaps this observation has more to do with coincidence that planning. B.O. goes to Tucson: he's in his late 40s, and his hair is greying. On the flight from Tucson, his hairdresser colors his hair.

Seems like a simple explanation to me."

----------------------

Yeah, and then dyed it back to gray the next day:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/imagecache/gallery_img_full/image/image_file/P011311PS-0245.jpg
(taken 1/13/11)

And then dyed it back for a quick video two days later.

And when Ann sees a picture taken tomorrow that shows the gray hair, she'll claim he died it again.

Seems like a simple explanation. Well, actually the only explanation that works for nutters like Althouse.; 1/15/11, 11:04 PM
Ritmo Re-Animated said...: Is Obama aware that the way he uses language has no meaning?; 1/15/11, 11:12 PM
Anonymous said...: "Is Obama aware that the way he uses language has no meaning?"

Bring a gun. Get in their faces. Punish your enemies.

Seems pretty plain in its meaning.

Got a bunch of people killed too.; 1/15/11, 11:33 PM
LT said...: Holy shit in god's own shithell shit basement - you cannot have just said something dumber than you've said before. You cannot have.; 1/15/11, 11:46 PM
Mick said...: traditionalguy said...

"That is triangulation a la Clinton. Obama is now above the struggle...he is our king. The English have such a King/Queen who is above all that politics over in rude Parliament. Now Obama wants that role. That makes Palin into a Rebel who denies us the pleasure of living under a Kingdom's peaceful reign. Well, I say let's offer him up for adoption by Queen Elizabeth...she needs a beter heir anyway."

Interesting. Especially since Obama was Admittedly born a British Citizen (since his father was Kenyan) Here's the relevant admission from "Fight The Smears":

“When Barack Obama Jr. was born on Aug. 4,1961, in Honolulu, Kenya was a British colony, still part of the United Kingdom’s dwindling empire. As a Kenyan native, Barack Obama Sr. was a British subject whose citizenship status was governed by The British Nationality Act of 1948. That same act governed the status of Obama Sr.‘s children.

Since Sen. Obama has neither renounced his U.S. citizenship nor sworn an oath of allegiance to Kenya, his Kenyan citizenship automatically expired on Aug. 4,1982.”

Hmmm. "HIS" Kenyan Citizenship? You mean he actually held Kenyan citizenship (he actually held it until January 1983, according to the BNA 1981)?
What about the BRITISH Citizenship? That's what he was BORN with, he didn't just LOSE it when Kenya gained independence. So says the BNA 1948 (he would have the opportunity a majority to claim British citizenship), AND of course, that dual allegiance at birth is why he's NOT an eligible natural born Citizen. Funny how that British Citizenship gets lost in the shuffle.

If you remember, he made a trip to Pakistan in 1981. Why are we not allowed to know which passports he held? If he traveled on a British passport (probably much easier to that Commonwealth country) he could be a British Citizen TO THIS DAY, as he would have affirmed British citizenship at the age of majority. Why does he say nothing about the British citizenship he says he inherited at birth?

http://fightthesmears.com/articles/5/birthcertificate

Notice that this Organizing for America posting NEVER claims that Obama is an eligible Natural Born Citizen. Here's the passage:

"Smears claiming Barack Obama doesn’t have a birth certificate aren’t actually about that piece of paper — they’re about manipulating people into thinking Barack is not an American citizen.

The truth is, Barack Obama was born in the state of Hawaii in 1961, a native citizen of the United States of America."

No, THE TRUTH IS (that's when you know they are lying), that the question is whether Obama is a natural born Citizen, not whether he is an American citizen. As a Constitutional scholar, Obama knows the correct term is NATURAL born Citizen, a term of art. Why does he only claim to be a "Native Citizen"?

There are a lot of admissions right there in our faces, yet the media, and supposedly knowledgeable pundits don't look.

How can a man born a Brit and holding Kenyan citizenship into adulthood, and possibly British citizenship to this day be a natural born Citizen (a "creature of our own", or as L. Tribe says "born WITHIN the territory AND Allegiance of a nation") eligible to be POTUS?; 1/16/11, 5:19 AM
kent said...: In sniggering commemoration of the epic kicking, screaming, pants-wetting, leftist schoolgirl tantrums indulged in earlier on this very thread, in response to even the mildest possible criticism of He Who Giveth the T-Shirts Unto Us, Yea Verily:

Andrew Klavan Explains the Leftist Approach to "Reasoned" Debate: "SHUTUP!!!"

Scene. Curtain. Cue Oragn Music.

... or, in other words: Heh.; 1/16/11, 8:53 AM
Broadway Carl said...: How interesting that Fen would protest being called racist (not by Obama, by the way) but then call him "Mr. Diversity Hire." Methinks doth protest too much.

And great post. Very insightful. HairColorGate! I'm awaiting your next entry with bated breath.; 1/16/11, 10:49 AM
Henry said...: ""Before We are Democrats or Republicans, We are Americans," said Obama in his weekly address this morning."

What about us independents? What are we before we are not Democrats or Republicans?; 1/16/11, 11:27 AM
Unknown said...: But I may not have actually heard the actual brodacast of the prez address.well thank for post.my blog must visit demodownloads.blogspot.com; 1/16/11, 11:28 AM
Joe said...: Before We are Americans, We are Individuals.; 1/16/11, 12:16 PM
chickelit said...: Joe said...
Before We are Americans, We are Individuals.

Touché, Joe but you'll never hear POTUS utter that. Self-government is anathema to his theme.; 1/16/11, 1:34 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: And President Reagan dyed his hair. He never went ‘gray’ as president.

Actually, probably not. His barber repeatedly stated that Reagan naturally did not get very many gray hairs, maybe 5% or so, so it looked dark, but had enough that the barber could tell that it wasn't dyed.

There are genes for this. A friend of mine, who is now almost 90, and also mostly Irish, still had fully dark hair at 75, but now has some gray on the sides. It is somewhat humorous, since her youngest daughter, in her mid-50s, has more gray hair than her mother does - but her father was white by 50.

Girlfriend's father is in his 80s, and is showing just a little gray now. He is French, and that gene runs through his family (and she claims to have it - but I know that she is vain enough to dye her hair if she actually had gray in it).

Of course, I am jealous - I started noticeably graying in my early 40s, and am mostly white now at 60. But at least I have my hair, which seems to be the other alternative.

The problem with President Obama here is that a lot of people just don't think that it is manly for men to dye their hair, and, in particular, to go back and forth between dark and gray. I think that he would do best, if he is graying, to just let it do so naturally. That would show confidence in who he is, and not a willingness to change with the circumstances. And, in men, it shows maturity, which translates into wisdom.; 1/16/11, 11:54 PM
Tweedster said...: Wow. It's pretty amazing how ridiculous this entire post is. Although I'm sure the lighting in that auditorium and the examples from the Oval Office or Press Room in the White House are exactly the same. Moronic.; 1/17/11, 3:31 PM
zuzu said...: From my earlier comment:

"And when Ann sees a picture taken tomorrow that shows the gray hair, she'll claim he died it again."

-----------------------------------

And here it is, taken the day after the video message:

January 16, 2011

Anxiously awaiting Althouse's latest update.; 1/17/11, 3:48 PM
jim said...: A President who dyes his hair?!?
Why, that's unpossible!; 1/18/11, 4:58 AM
Mrs. Polly said...: Just thought I'd drop in to see if it was my imagination or was this post as silly as I remembered it. And it is!

Here's a picture of the graying Pres taken on Dec. 22, 2010, btw:
http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2010/12/president-first-lady-will-host-state.html

And here's the whitehouse.gov gallery of silver-haired Obama photos from January, which you could certainly have checked, and then have spared yourself this little embarrassment. Cheers!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/photogallery/january-2011-photo-day; 1/20/11, 12:14 PM