Althouse: Obama goes to the bookstore with his daughters.

November 30, 2014

Obama goes to the bookstore with his daughters.

He checks out and comments on how sad he looks in the photograph on the cover of Chuck Todd's book ("The Stranger: Barack Obama in the White House"):

40 comments:

Michael K said...: Not as sad as Todd will look after his IRS audit.; 11/30/14, 9:39 AM
Michael said...: I am glad he noted that he observed his own picture. He never seems to think of himself, this man.; 11/30/14, 9:43 AM
John henry said...: What's a bookstore?

Doesn't he know about Althouse's Amazon link?

Or just Amazon?

I remember how hooked up he was supposed to be back in 2008 ("He uses a Blackberry!!!") So does he (or the kids) read books on Kindle?

I find reading paper books to be such a chore these days. I read 2-3 books a week on my Kindle.

What books did he buy?

John Henry; 11/30/14, 9:53 AM
John henry said...: Speaking of Kindle, and at the risk of going off topic, how does one even find books in a bookstore? Or, to a lesser extent, on Amazon?

For example, Thursday I read a collection from Donald Westlake's papers "The Getaway Car" (Great book for Westlake fans)

Westlake talked about some of his favorite books and authors. Some I'd never heard of. As he did, I would go look on Amazon and download free samples of the books he mentioned that sounded interesting. I've got about 10 books now that I will at least read the first chapter of. About half are Kindle Unlimited. (All you can read for $10/month)

Last night I read "A House in Naples" by Peter Rabe who I had never heard of. Westlake called him the greatest writer in the mystery genre. (And I always thought Westlake was the greatest)

This morning I started on Germinal by Zola who I had heard of but never thought would be interesting. About 10 pages in and, yeah, I can see why Westlake liked it.

Hard to do that in a bookstore. Or even Amazon with physical books.

John Henry; 11/30/14, 10:03 AM
pm317 said...: He makes it a point to smile broadly in every picture..he is irritated to see that that carefully managed perception is foiled.; 11/30/14, 10:27 AM
Titus said...: The daughter's gorgeous.

Is Gisselle in Green Bay today?; 11/30/14, 10:30 AM
David said...: Malia is doing her best to keep him tethered to this world. Keep it up Malia.; 11/30/14, 10:40 AM
pm317 said...: I am more interested in what Malia said and the audio is bad.. I could not quite tell what she said at first.. and later I think she said 'it is true but sad'.. Anyone help me out here?; 11/30/14, 10:51 AM
pm317 said...: This article is spinning that Obama said Todd was sad..

“How is he writing a book already? asked his 16-year-old daughter, Malia. “Sad.”

“He’s just sad,” the president joked in response.; 11/30/14, 11:02 AM
Anonymous said...: I did say that Obama is the happiest and the luckiest guy in the world. The best POTUS. Why? Because no one got to the WH so easily as he has. All he did was say things what the NYT, NPR, and PBS wanted to hear and they cheered him from 2004 boston convention to the 2008 and beyond. The voters did what the Press wanted. And, home run. He got the WH.

The saddest is Hillary. Now, she knows: The press will not give her a free pass, that they gave Obama. And, even if the Press gave her the pass, the voters will do not do as they are told (as robots).

Ergo, HRC is really sad.

The worst people are GOP. They have it all. But, if they do not focus on what I have stated, then they will lose to HRC. Then HRC will be sad, but happy sad.

Cheers!; 11/30/14, 11:12 AM
James Pawlak said...: Perhaps, he should have them read:
1. The Bill Of Rights; And,
2. The Constitution, especially as to the powers of The Congress AND
Article-III, Section-3.; 11/30/14, 11:18 AM
Unknown said...: Sad but nourishing.; 11/30/14, 11:18 AM
chillblaine said...: We are supposed to believe that Obama can take criticism in stride? He warned off MODO when she wrote about his ears. This is staged damage control.

Thanks be to him for lacking any political courage to stop our Ponzi Scheme.; 11/30/14, 11:20 AM
Anonymous said...: Hey, honey, isn't that the guy who sold us that crappy insurance plan?

I wonder what he's doing now.; 11/30/14, 11:30 AM
Michael K said...: I like hard copy books for non-fiction as I can flip back and forth. Fiction I read on Kindle if it is available.

I also read older books that do not have Kindle versions. I am thinking about publishing a Kindle version of my own book now. After Christmas when it usually sells well.; 11/30/14, 11:33 AM
Mark O said...: This so reminds me of that one time that Nixon disparaged Rather to his daughter.; 11/30/14, 11:39 AM
Darrell said...: The daughters? The daughters that couldn't feign interest in the turkey pardoning tradition for the few minutes the tape ran? The daughters that have cost taxpayers tens of millions of US Dollars, at the very least. The whole Obama family is sad. And it is contagious.; 11/30/14, 11:41 AM
jr565 said...: Maybe he looks sad because he's tired from Chuck Toddy feeding off of him parasitically. Since he sustains Chuck Todd.
Or, he's sad because he's looking over his reign and realizing he sucks as president.; 11/30/14, 12:24 PM
rehajm said...: They hold the same fate and time frame.; 11/30/14, 12:44 PM
SteveR said...: ValJar told him to go get better photo ops with his daughters after the bored thanksgiving dad jokes pics from the other day.; 11/30/14, 12:54 PM
Birkel said...: I remember that time I took my little girl to the bookstore. Cameras followed me and it wasn't staged or anything.; 11/30/14, 12:54 PM
Drago said...: Titus: "Is Gisselle in Green Bay today?"

Sheesh.

It's Gisele.

Look, I realize it's a sort of football sub-reference Titus, but Gisele is a supermodel.

I didn't believe it was possible for you to screw that up.

But, then again, you were the one on here not that long ago lauding the "science" chops of one Lena Dunham, so I suppose I should keep the bar lower for you.; 11/30/14, 1:00 PM
jeff said...: A lot of us look sad when we see a picture of him. So theres that.; 11/30/14, 2:10 PM
John henry said...: Michael K,

When you do Kindleize your book, let us know here. It looks like the kind of thing I might be interested in.

Or not, but at least I'll be able to read a sample to see if I am.

John Henry; 11/30/14, 2:55 PM
Alex said...: Titus - tits.; 11/30/14, 3:13 PM
Skeptical Voter said...: I'm sad whenever I see this sorry SOB---but I alleviate the pain some by immediately turning off the TV. The half life of my tolerance for a visual image of Obama is around 0.25 seconds.; 11/30/14, 3:55 PM
buwaya said...: Yes, the daughters are potentially much better political assets than their mother.
Can't use them much though, and only very carefully.
Bookstores are much better than Amazon in most ways. The presentation let's one scan over thousands of titles authors and covers in minutes, with the option of grabbing the actual thing and giving it a good skim. Amazon and its ilk are much more linear and you can't really see what you are getting, I have often been disappointed for instance, in a books maps and charts, because I can't check out the real thing. And in a bookstore there its much more likely that a surprise will pop up, something unlooked for.
Used bookstores are even better for the surprise factor.; 11/30/14, 4:01 PM
Anonymous said...: And there is the smell of new books. A simple pleasure.; 11/30/14, 5:03 PM
Anonymous said...: At my house were just discussing another simple pleasure--eating the paste we used in kindergarten. It was inspired by my wife's observation that the gravy left over from Thanksgiving Day had the texture of paste. She meant it as a bad thing but I recalled kindergarten paste with pleasure. She did not recall eating kindergarten paste. Maybe it is a guy baby-boomer thing.

We thinned the gravy with milk and both of us were happy.; 11/30/14, 5:10 PM
T. A. Hansen said...: It hasn't been mentioned that Obama wrote an autobiography, for gosh sakes, when young. Wonder if his daughter asked him, "Dad, you're writing an autobiography already?"

Also I wrote a snarky remark to Althouse awhile back. In case she read it I apologize.; 11/30/14, 5:19 PM
MayBee said...: ValJar told him to go get better photo ops with his daughters after the bored thanksgiving dad jokes pics from the other day.

Truth; 11/30/14, 5:29 PM
Laslo Spatula said...: Obama: "I'm looking for a book..."

Clerk: "The name?"

Obama: "ummmm...."

Clerk: "Do you know the author?"

Obama: "Yes: yes I do. It is "Dreams of My Father..."

Clerk: "Let me look that up..."

Obama: "It should be in 'Biography'..."

Clerk: "Found it. It's in paperback."

Obama: "That's fine, that's fine.."

Clerk: "Actually, it is on our Remainder Bargain Table: 80% off!"

Obama: "I don't mind paying full price -- it's for my daughters..."

Clerk: 'Then your daughters are lucky little girls: if you buy a remaining copy you can get a copy of Bill Ayer's "Public Enemy. Confessions of an American Dissident" for just an additional dollar."

Obama: "Ummmm: I don't know who that is..."

Clerk: "That's funny: it says that 87% of the people who bought Bill Ayer's "Public Enemy. Confessions of an American Dissident" also bought "Dreams of My Father"...

Obama: "Doesn't ring a bell."

Clerk: "No worries: let me have someone bring up that "My Father's Dreams" book...

Obama: "That's "Dreams of My Father."

Clerk: "Sure, yes. Was that in 'Self-Help"...?

Obama: "Auto-Biography..."

Clerk: "Really? Did someone famous write it?"

Malia: "My Daddy!"

Clerk: "Wonderful! And who is your Daddy. little girl?"

Malia: "My Daddy is President!"

Clerk: "Ohhh! Yes! Yes! Then you might also want "Fugitive Days: A Memoir," by Bill Ayers. It sounds like your dad and he have a lot in common!"

Malia: You mean 'Uncle Bill'...?

I am Laslo.; 11/30/14, 6:06 PM
John henry said...: Actually, you are THE Laslo of whom there is only one.

I love your imagined dialogue with the bookstore clerk. Perhaps the best thing you have done here yet.

John Henry; 11/30/14, 6:40 PM
richard mcenroe said...: Definition of a narcissist: taking your kids to a bookstore to show them a picture of yourself on someone else's book. "Look, honey, Daddy is IMPORTANT!"; 11/30/14, 7:37 PM
virgil xenophon said...: Newsflash, John. Betamax3000 and Lazlo Spatula are one and the same..; 11/30/14, 9:57 PM
Nick Carter M. said...: Politics and Prose! My mother shops there.; 11/30/14, 10:27 PM
Anonymous said...: I'm glad we finally have a President who doesn't do photo ops.; 11/30/14, 11:31 PM
Paul said...: Obama has never met a mirror he does not like.

Wait till Obama leaves office and nobody answers his calls. That day is not all that far off.; 11/30/14, 11:49 PM
John henry said...: Virgil,

I figured out a while back that Lazlo and Beta are the same person. Seem to be anyway.

But just as I prefer Donald Westlake to Richard Stark (same author writing in different styles) I prefer the Laslo notes to the Betamax notes. I like Betamax but I thought sometimes he (she?) went on a bit too long.

Laslo tends to be a bit more concise.

John Henry; 12/1/14, 7:22 AM
Bart said...: I just watched the video clip and I see he went to Politics and Prose. I should not have been surprised. He could not have found a more welcoming environment if he selected everyone in the store himself. I used to go to that book store because my wife liked it, but man to they skew to the left there.; 12/1/14, 7:28 PM