Mssr. Obama…Une tres bette chein.

Barack Obama…Bolshaya Beezgeesh (too early to hunt and peck with cyrillic characters).

Barry, I can insult you in a multitude of languages. Jackass.

Blarg the Destroyer on July 9, 2008 at 7:57 AM

Sorry. I think they should learn English. I mean the teachers–they should learn English. Very few of them seem to have a grasp of it any more. If they knew it better, they could teach our kids better.

In fact, I think they should rip all the effing bilingual prompts off every phone system in the United States. This is a English-speaking country.

ahem on July 9, 2008 at 7:58 AM

And Ed, Obama says explicitly that immigrants should learn English.

You actually agree with everything Obama says, yet still bash him for saying it. It’s very telling.

Tom_Shipley on July 9, 2008 at 8:02 AM

I’d settle for Americans learning English. Can we start with contractions? Why is it that no moonbat knows the difference between “your” and “you’re”? I demand a new law.

Jane on July 9, 2008 at 8:07 AM

It seems like there is a lot about this country that embarrasses him.

becki51758 on July 9, 2008 at 8:10 AM

I can speak smatterings of French, a decent amount of Hebrew, and bits of Spanish. I think learning another language opens up new worlds for people, but at the same time, if I moved to Israel, I would be expected to learn way more Hebrew, yes?

I never understood the logic of moving to the United States or Canada and not learning the official language. But then again, I’m not exactly full of that sort of logic…

mjk on July 9, 2008 at 8:15 AM

Can we be honest here? This wasn’t some clarion call for our youth to become more worldly. It was disguised as such, but its nothing but a pander to latinos, a biscuit to the amnesty crowd (he has to throw them something to compete with McCain), and a hit on the English as the official language movement.

Darksean on July 9, 2008 at 8:19 AM

He’s right.

Our kids do need to learn the future national language.

drjohn on July 9, 2008 at 8:20 AM

It’s embarrassing . yes for the first time in my adult life, i am proud to be an american….. what an idiot.

custer on July 9, 2008 at 8:22 AM

I love it when I go to Europe, and I go there quite a bit, especially Germany. My German friends and colleagues love to remind me that they’re fluent in both German and English, while I have to stumble along in fractured German at a restaurant. Here’s my argument back to them:

When you take a second language in school, which language is it? The answer, of course, is always English. Then I ask them which second language an American should take, and I get “uh, um…it depends…”, to which I say, well, sorry I didn’t learn your particular language in school when I had a dozen to choose from.

flipflop on July 9, 2008 at 8:22 AM

Tom and Ed are both missing the point of any debate on languages–that people learn languages that they need to get by with. Europeans live in small countries with plenty of neighbors who speak another tongue, so they adapt. They aren’t smarter or wiser or more sophisticated. They simply have to learn other languages in order to communicate.

There are benefits to being multi-lingual, but it isn’t necessary in the United States. It would be great if everyone spoke at least two languages. It would also be great if everyone understood math, could fix cars and got a yearly certification in CPR. But is it the place of the federal government to require us learn another language or teach one to us? As a conservative, my answer is no.

If the government really wants to compel Americans to learn something that they wouldn’t otherwise learn, they should start with Excel and then work their way through other skills that have a strong ROI in employment. Or, better yet, they should focus on ensuring domestic tranquility and providing for a common defense and leave the optional skills decisions to those whose decision it is to make.

Barrack Obama can STFU and STFD.

Immolate on July 9, 2008 at 8:23 AM

To hell with learning another language, Mr. Ocarter…at least until these far more important priorities are met:

1) learn to write and speak English (no chat-speak and no ebonics)

2) learn math (without the aid of a calculator)

3) learn basic economics (balancing a checkbook, investments)

4) learn the basics about government and your rights

5) learn how to write a resume and conduct a job interview

Once these essential skills to survive in America are obtained, Senator, then “you brothers” (as you put it) can learn to speak Spanish when they visit France, or whatever the hell you were babbling about.

ynot4tony2 on July 9, 2008 at 8:25 AM

I have no problem with other people learning a second language - as an elective. However, when I go to a business in America, I expect to be able to do business in English. When I go into a business in Mexico, I speak Spanish.

What’s so hard about learning the language of the land in which you are working/doing business?

Vic on July 9, 2008 at 8:29 AM

This is just one more empty statement by Obama, designed to get him more smiles and nods of approval from the latte liberals and and the LULAC endorsement board. Not really even worth a thread here.

rockmom on July 9, 2008 at 8:37 AM

I think BO was warning us we will need to speak Spanish when he grants amnesty to 25 million illegals.

David in ATL on July 9, 2008 at 8:41 AM

Typical liberal elite.

It reminds me of crap I hear from grad student types: “Americans are so ignorant (swigs Stella Artois). When I lived in Europe last summer I told everyone I was Canadian … blah blah blah.”

forest on July 9, 2008 at 8:44 AM

I’d settle for Americans learning English. Can we start with contractions? Why is it that no moonbat knows the difference between “your” and “you’re”? I demand a new law.

Jane on July 9, 2008 at 8:07 AM

Same with using the word “then” in place of the word “than”. Drives me nuts.

surrounded on July 9, 2008 at 8:46 AM

Ernest on July 9, 2008:

Why?

Or maybe be able to chit chat while you pluck feathers off of chickens.

Well Ernest, I think you nailed it. I’ve spent 51 years within 60 or so miles of TJ/Mexico and have never found one advantage to speaking the little bit of Spanish I do after two years of required second language instruction in a public high school. You know, Buenas dias, Si, Buenas tardes, mi llamo Shivas, e tu? - and junk like that.

I guess if I wanted to exploit a bunch of cheap labor on the sly it would come in handy… was that Obama’s point??

He so rarely actually makes one… ;-)

Shivas Irons on July 9, 2008 at 8:50 AM

So much for a national identity.

spmat on July 9, 2008 at 8:56 AM

I know it counts in Oakland.

I like calling Obama “Mr. Oakland”… as in “There is no there there”. - Gertrude Stein

Shivas Irons on July 9, 2008 at 9:05 AM

I’d settle for Americans learning English. Can we start with contractions? Why is it that no moonbat knows the difference between “your” and “you’re”? I demand a new law.

Jane on July 9, 2008 at 8:07 AM

Same with using the word “then” in place of the word “than”. Drives me nuts.

surrounded on July 9, 2008 at 8:46 AM

My personal linguistic pet peeve is “there”, “their”, and “they’re”. I agree with you Ed. The United States is supposed to be a melting pot, not a tossed salad. When you move to a country, you should learn the language of the land. The US has always been an English speaking land. But it would be racist of us NOT to speak the language of immigrants, right? At least that’s what the Politically Correct amongst us believe. But don’t worry about what B.O. says today, in 3 or 4 weeks, he’ll be on the “English Is The Official U.S. Language” bandwagon anyways.

DakRoland on July 9, 2008 at 9:08 AM

How many languages does BO speak? What are they? Bush speaks spanish and has addressed hispanic crowds during both election cycles. I’m hoping when BO comes to Michigan he’ll be asked to address the middle eastern community in Dearborn in their native tongue. I think he might have just stepped in something that could get sticky.

swami on July 9, 2008 at 9:10 AM

His main point is that Americans should learn a second language (or even third, fourth…) much the Europeans, Asians and people of the world do.

It makes perfect sense.

Why? Give me one reason. I’d rather have my kids in phys ed every day of the week instead of 2, or let them learn more math or computer science.

We should because the Europeans do? What kind of idiotic reason is that. Have you looked at a map of Europe lately? There are dozens of languages crammed into an area smaller then the US, I think their geography and history dictates learning more than one language. We don’t have a need to, not at the expense of wasting school time.

All those Europeans and Asians you mention speak English as their second or third language anyway.

I don’t need a president telling my kids to learn Spanish, I’m not raising them to get a federal job in some handout department. If they have to learn a language, let them learn Latin, so maybe they can build a better vocabulary.

reaganaut on July 9, 2008 at 9:12 AM

Here is a thought, the entire computer revolution might not have happened without English. Can you imagine writing computer programs in Chinese or French or Latin. It is the simplicity, the clarity of meaning and low character count of English that made programming possible — Which is why you do not see assemblers and compilers written in Chinese or whatever.

Heck it was hard enough to just make a keyboard that could type Chinese.

tarpon on July 9, 2008 at 9:17 AM

Obama gets away with being light years behind the curve when it comes to education. He has been running around saying that we need huge pay raises for teachers. Obama is stuck in the 1970s when teacher pay was an issue. In the 1980s, when Obama was lounging at Columbia and Harvard, there was a massive pay increase in teacher pay across the country. Although Obama and the MSM regularly say that conservatives are against decent pay for teachers, both President Reagan and President George H.W. Bush supported the pay raise. But Obama insists that we are still in the 1970s. Then Obama says that American kids don’t study another language. That is a crock. Foreign languages are taught in most public schools beginning at a relatively young age. If kids don’t practice the foreign language, then that is their own fault, not the fault of Republicans as Obama says it is. And here is one thing that Obama will not say: Parents should teach their kids a foreign language. DVDs, videos and even old fashioned cards are regularly available. Parents can help their kids study and can make it fun if they try. Obama is correct that mastering a foreign language is helpful ib obtaining a high skilled job later on. But how does Obama’s prattle square with his public objections to NAFTA and trade deals? If Obama gets his way, there will be no need to learn a second language. America will be walled of and we will have no trading partners, particularly Colombia (where Obama plans to kill bilateral trade) and with Mexico, where Obama says he will force Mexicans to their knees and make them renegotiate trade terms to Mexico’s detriment. So if we follow Obama’s tade policy, why bother to learn Spanish at all? Too bad the McCain camp can’t make good use of the latest Obama silliness.

Larraby on July 9, 2008 at 9:19 AM

I’m Latino, and I’ve given up the language of the illegals because in America, we speak English.

I don’t hear Hussein Obama giving speeches in any other language, so again, he’s dictating to, not connecting with us regular Joes.

madmonkphotog on July 9, 2008 at 9:22 AM

My thoughts exactly, Maxx.

thebookkeeper on July 9, 2008 at 9:24 AM

Should immigrants learn English? Yes. Should it be a requirement to get a green card? Yes. Should it be a requirement to become a citizen (that’s enforced)? Of course. But should American children be learning Spanish (or another foreign language, like Arabic or Mandarin)? Hell yes! And I think this is another example of how the public school system is TeH EpIc FaIl. Most kids are required to take a foreign language. But there are two main problems with how kids are taught foreign languages. First of all, most schools provide only two choices–Spanish and French (you may get to choose German if you’re really lucky). And then the military wonders why there’s a shortage of translators for the most important languages (look at what Arabic translators get paid, now look at what French translators get paid). Look at the language offerings at most private schools. You normally have the big three (Spanish, French, German) plus Mandarin, Latin, and even Arabic. Secondly, most public school kids leave school with little or no fluency in their language. This is mostly because of bad teachers and the fact that kids don’t start learning the language until age 13 or 14. It’s a fact that kids who start learning a foreign language early in life (think Kindergarten or preschool) end up being fluent speakers. How do we fix all of these problems? School choice. Screw the teachers’ unions. If the school sucks, children shouldn’t be forced to go there. Open up schooling to the free market. The $$$ goes with the kid. It’s nice to see a Presidential candidate talk about a problem like this, but a bit troubling when you realize that he is the top advocate for the failed system creating these problems. I hope parents don’t fall for it.

malan89 on July 9, 2008 at 9:26 AM

Blarg the Destroyer on July 9, 2008 at 7:57 AM

calling people names, you are obviously full of hatred, and probably a racist too!

right4life on July 9, 2008 at 9:27 AM

Why is it that no moonbat knows the difference between “your” and “you’re”? I demand a new law.

Punishable by death.

malan89 on July 9, 2008 at 9:28 AM

I married one of the “funny-looking people from strange lands” and our son is bilingual: English and Chinese. And, even though he knows Spanish from high school and goes to an ‘enlightened’ university, he’ll be the first one to tell you that he wants ALL official government and commercial functions done in ONE language: English.

EVERY officially two-language culture suffers significant divisiveness, segregation and animousity: I’ve seen it in Canada and I’ve seen it if Africa.

michaelo on July 9, 2008 at 9:32 AM

It was … nothing but a pander to latinos…

Darksean on July 9, 2008 at 8:19 AM

Ah…the penetrating truth. Well done.

Meaningless tripe about Americans “going to Europe but not speaking” any of the 43 languages spoken there 100 years ago was just a Harvard elitist head fake. He’s talking to a crowd that has never set foot in Europe in their lives, and they’re giving him the knowing chuckle. “Yeah…you got me on that one.”

Effing jive-ass idiots. This clown doesn’t speak French; he’s still working on English: “They, they wanna pass a law…’we want just…uh…we want English only’…It’s embarrassing when…when Europeans come over and…”blah, blah, blah.

Embarrassing to whom? It’s embarrassing to me when a Harvard law grad can’t convey intelligent thoughts during a campaign to be elected to the most powerful political position in the world. If this fool thinks speaking French is a prerequisite, then he’s disqualified.

Jaibones on July 9, 2008 at 9:32 AM

Maybe those of us who do feel threatened by Spanish-language signs in government offices would sleep a little easier if we understood what they they were saying

Um, Andrew Leonard … you know those signs you want to snark about? They have the English translation right next to the Spanish translation. That means we know immediately what the signs are saying and that we don’t have to go home and worry in our sleep.

What a mutt.

Andrew, how do you say STFU in Spanish?

pabarge on July 9, 2008 at 9:32 AM

On the point of language, you can take five years of high school Spanish if you want, but if you want to speak Spanish, just get a job in the kitchen at a local restaurant. One year. Voila.

Jaibones on July 9, 2008 at 9:34 AM

“Hey America, you’re stupid. Signed, Barack Obama.”

Hey Barack Obama, screw you. Signed, America.

CP on July 9, 2008 at 9:39 AM

I know some Spanish and German. The only time I’ve ever used Spanish was when I worked in a restaurant dish room when I was 19 (sorry if this sounds like a stereotype, but it’s true). I’ve never used German except to trade colorful phrases with other Americans who took German in college.

If I could have traded in the time spent learning foreign languages, I could have graduated college a year earlier…or had stronger computer skills upon graduation…or worked a little harder on my thesis…or earned a lot more money by doing more student teaching…or even engaged in community service.

But, at least now I can ask where the beer and bathrooms are if I visit a Hispanic country, and talk about how big my privates are to a native German. I’m so enriched, aren’t I?

ynot4tony2 on July 9, 2008 at 9:39 AM

Na fas skata poustis. As to thialo…it’s Greek Barrack…look it up.

PatriotPete on July 9, 2008 at 9:42 AM

And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is merci beaucoup,

Those of us in the non-arugula sector can no longer afford to go to Europe now that you and your pinko friends have driven up travel costs.
Beaucoup that!

whitetop on July 9, 2008 at 9:45 AM

malan89 on July 9, 2008 at 9:26 AM

Try finding someone to teach those languages. We had a heck of a time finding a spanish teacher when we needed to hire one.

becki51758 on July 9, 2008 at 9:51 AM

As a side note, I love where Obama says, “Don’t worry, they’ll learn English.” He should come here to Denver and see how well these beloved immigrants are learning English.

kiltedscotsman5 on July 9, 2008 at 8:21 AM

It’s the same here in Arizona. All the government publications are in Spanish and English; every business posts its signs in Spanish and English; there are at least a dozen Spanish-language channels on my cable t.v. (and you’re forced to pay for them, even if you don’t want them –they’re included in every available package the cable co. offers), and on and on.

Many of the Latinos here are militant about not speaking English — they consider this their country, not ours . . . and it’s sickening to watch our clueless politicians pandering to these real racists while they give away our tax dollars to Latino groups that promote their racist, anti-American agenda and undermine our national sovereignty.

No, Obama, they won’t learn English. They don’t want to, and because of idiot politicians like you, they don’t have to.

AZCoyote on July 9, 2008 at 9:54 AM

One reason that many Europeans know more than one language is geography. The countries are small compared to the USA. If every time you crossed state lines you had to know different language you’d learn it.

My Swedish grandfather spoke 6 languages. He lived in France and refused to admit he could speak French fluently.

roux on July 9, 2008 at 9:58 AM

Excusme, por favor. Where does Salon put Andrew Leonard’s Spanish version of that and how do you get to it?

Dusty on July 9, 2008 at 10:00 AM

This is laughable. Our atrocious public schools are doing a terrible job at teaching basic skills in reading, writing and in math.

If you don’t understand your own language, good luck with a second. English and Spanish will be “second” languages, there will be no first.

Obama is a dimwit who like many Democrats, sends his little darlings to private schools. Overfunded, underperforming public schools are good enough for your kids though.

Obama is a puppet of the teacher’s unions.

NoDonkey on July 9, 2008 at 10:06 AM

Maybe those of us who do feel threatened by Spanish-language signs in government offices would sleep a little easier if we understood what they they were saying.

I speak Spanish as well as English and enjoy making visitors to the US and those learning English feel welcome in our country.

But I’m offended by the Spanish-language signs in government offices. “Threatened”–sheesh. Yes, anyone who objects to people moving to a new country learning that country’s language is a cowering xenophobe, right Andrew? Gimme a break.

Putting the onus of assimilation on the host is not just impractical, it’s downright rude. If I emigrated to a country where English was not the language, I would not demand that the government produce signs and pamphlets in English; I’d learn the language. –Ed

Exactly.

inviolet on July 9, 2008 at 10:08 AM

becki51758 on July 9, 2008 at 9:51 AM

Private schools seem to get foreign language teachers just fine.

malan89 on July 9, 2008 at 10:11 AM

No problem with kids learning a second language in school. But the teachers union fought tooth and nail to not have english only classes for hispanics (and the hispanics wanted the english immersion)…it was a blood bath of a fight, the teachers lost round one.
The outcome? English immersion classes and the hispanic scores on tests went up dramatically, dramatically…and what did the teachers do? Fight it, the scores and improvement was not as important as their agenda.
This is typical Teachers Union talking points…pandering to the Teachers Union.

right2bright on July 9, 2008 at 10:15 AM

Laura Ingraham is pointing out how derisive of Americans is Obama’s “embarrassing” comment, and that it’s almost a parody of most people’s image of snobby elitist liberals. As she notes, there’s laughter in his voice, and laughter from his elitist audience. She predicts he’ll need to “clarify” this before long.

It plays well along with clinging to guns and Bibles.

Inartful.

petefrt on July 9, 2008 at 10:20 AM

Easy Barry. You’re starting to criticize the educators. Take a couple of steps back, change your position, ok? That’s better.

That was close, I hope nobody got that on youtube.

Squarestate on July 9, 2008 at 10:21 AM

If I decide to become bilingual, I’ll learn more of my family’s native tongue, Polish.

Dave from Flint on July 9, 2008 at 10:23 AM