Obamateurism of the Day
posted at 8:05 am on June 4, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
My friend Tommy Christopher digs today’s entry out of a Richard Wolffe book on the Barack Obama campaign, Renegade: The Making of a President, which hit bookstores yesterday. Wolffe recounts the discussion among Obama and his advisers when the idea of appointing Hillary Clinton to State first arose. Hillary had a mountain of campaign debt and would want Obama’s help in retiring it, but Obama objected to the tone that would set:
“I’m not begging her to take this job,” Obama told his senior aides. “If she wants it, I could help. But I’m not willing to go out in these difficult economic times to do a flashy fundraiser in California.”
Considering that the economy had slowed by the summer of 2008 but had not crashed, Obama’s objection shows a remarkable sensitivity — which he completely abandoned to raise funds for another Democrat for a race over a year away and for which no Republican has yet declared a candidacy:
President Barack Obama told a Las Vegas audience Tuesday night that if they like what he’s been doing in office, they have Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., partly to thank.
At a sold-out fundraiser that was also a concert extravaganza, Obama was back in campaign mode as he had been in Nevada so many times before the election.
The president told the crowd of about 4,000 at the Caesars Palace Colosseum that Reid will need the grass-roots energy Obama rode to victory for his re-election next year.
I guess “times” got a lot better … for Obama.
Got an Obamateurism of the Day? If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at obamaisms@edmorrissey.com with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.
Illustrations by Chris Muir of Day by Day. Be sure to read the adventures of Sam, Zed, Damon, and Jan every day!
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
That will put a nail in Reid’s coffin next year.
jbh45 on June 4, 2009 at 8:09 AM
Poor keebler elf!!
blatantblue on June 4, 2009 at 8:12 AM
As noted, this is the key quote. I don’t think Obama would have minded if she turned down the job, and he wasn’t going to do much to help her.
Reid, on the other hand, is part of the 2010 campaign that is essential to Obama’s plan. If the GOP knocks off the Senate Majority leader, his programs are in trouble while he runs for 2012. Obama’s willing to take the backlash for Reid, because it matters to the success of the one person Obama cares about- himself.
cs89 on June 4, 2009 at 8:12 AM
O/T just in case you didnt see this from the previous thread.
Muslim shoots Christian in San Diego Ca on June 3rd 2009, the religion of peices bringing the love of Islam to a community near you.
doriangrey on June 4, 2009 at 8:12 AM
I’ll add he wants to help Reid build a big war chest earlier. It’s easier to scare off opposition early than to fight them away later.
cs89 on June 4, 2009 at 8:13 AM
MSNBC Headline:
Stay classy, MSNBC.
mankai on June 4, 2009 at 8:17 AM
There must be another word for hypocrite. Who knew in six short months that word would be so overused.
sherry on June 4, 2009 at 8:17 AM
To be fair, when Obama calculated that statement for that particular book, he had no idea he was going to have to throw flashy fundraisers for Harry Reid.
Also, including that statement in the book to make Obama sound fiscally conservative seemed like a good idea to Wolfe and his editors before Obama started to Rock Star the presidency. I’m sure they would edit it out now if it hadn’t already gone to the printing presses.
myrenovations on June 4, 2009 at 8:17 AM
If this were a muslim victim it would be the lead story on every network.
Alden Pyle on June 4, 2009 at 8:18 AM
Ogabe gave Reid a pat on the head for being such a good little peon.
Bishop on June 4, 2009 at 8:20 AM
And I hope those Nevada voters remember that when they go to the polls to vote that sniveling weasel Reid out of office.
AZCoyote on June 4, 2009 at 8:26 AM
Well Dear Leader is going to need Reid’s help in the next two years to impose fascism on the US, and thus has to scratch his back too. The One doesn’t have to do the same for Cankles.
Typical politicsa new kind of politics!rbj on June 4, 2009 at 8:27 AM
Obama says we aren’t at war with Islam…well, maybe not, but sometimes, it sure the heck looks as if Islam is at war with us.
ladyingray on June 4, 2009 at 8:27 AM
…Hypocrite?…
Aronne on June 4, 2009 at 8:28 AM
A good portion of islam is
blatantblue on June 4, 2009 at 8:30 AM
cs89 on June 4, 2009 at 8:12 AM
Good point!
catlady on June 4, 2009 at 8:30 AM
How about pretender, phony, dissimulator, dissembler? My personal favorite is poser, which, though it’s a bit of a stretch from hypocrite, does describe Obama so very well.
Dee2008 on June 4, 2009 at 8:33 AM
If it were a muslim, the Internet Czar would already have HotAir and the rest of the conservative hate sites in lockdown. 404 Not Found, suckas.
LibTired (KO) on June 4, 2009 at 8:34 AM
He also forgets about these difficult economic times when he has his Wednesday night parties and when he spends a mint of the taxpayers money to take Michelle out on date night.
katablog.com on June 4, 2009 at 8:34 AM
If by good portion you mean 99.999% then so right you are.
doriangrey on June 4, 2009 at 8:35 AM
Well there are those who are actively taking part in making war upon us here in Dar al-Harb
Those who support them financially, or just like what they are doing
I wouldn’t say 99 percent, but the exact number doesn’t really matter
blatantblue on June 4, 2009 at 8:37 AM
He’s got such amazing empathy. All the while being Spock. He’s like a Super McCoy!
Nethicus on June 4, 2009 at 8:38 AM
I’m tired of the unholy trinity – Obama/Pelosi/Reid – but I’m also fed up with the whole lot in Washington DC. Throw all of them out and let’s start over.
Let’s hope that 2010 does some real ‘draining of the swamp’.
When is Pelosi back up for election? I’m assuming it’s not 2010, since I haven’t heard any noise about her, only Reid.
On the shooting story, my question is: what was a muslim doing drinking in a bar at 4:30am?
And we need to be careful with that story – the victim’s sister tagged the suspect as a muslim, she’s not a reliable source. There’s no verification yet. He could have just been a liberal taking the wrong side of an argument – yet again.
Timothy S. Carlson on June 4, 2009 at 8:43 AM
Obama claims there are 7 million Muslims in the US, about twice the previous figure. I’ll bet the ACORN census workers find even more than that.
Disturb the Universe on June 4, 2009 at 8:44 AM
Pelosi stands for election every two years.
But, she represents San Francisco and her seat will be safe and warm for her until the day she dies. Then, I presume, it will be passed on to her film making daughter.
myrenovations on June 4, 2009 at 8:46 AM
dorian
Thanks for pushing that story. The story title is careful to affix blame equally. I’m surprised it even mentioned that the shooter was a member of the RoP.
Mormon Doc on June 4, 2009 at 8:54 AM
Tim Carlson
All members of the House are up for reelection every two years.
Mormon Doc on June 4, 2009 at 8:57 AM
So a Christian and a Muslim walk into a bar, and the bar tender ask’s well gentlemen what will it be. The Christian say’s I’ll have a beer, the Muslims says… Oh nothing for me, I just came in to shoot this infidel dog…
doriangrey on June 4, 2009 at 9:01 AM
That’s what you get for stopping for a drink in the Allahu Ack Bar.
LibTired (KO) on June 4, 2009 at 9:07 AM
“No. I intend to wait until my policies have bankrupted the country, and then I’ll take my wife on dates that cost the tax payer $24,000.”
RightWinged on June 4, 2009 at 9:11 AM
Well done.
myrenovations on June 4, 2009 at 9:21 AM
May 27, 2009, 11:02 pm
Obama Rings Up Cash Among the Stars
By Jeff Zeleny
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – The state budget may be severely overdrawn, but the California political A.T.M. seems to be working just fine.
President Obama arrived at a back-to-back fund-raising dinner and concert on Wednesday night and raised $4 million for the Democratic National Committee. He basked in the glow of his Hollywood supporters and thanked them for making his candidacy possible.
“If it weren’t for you,” Mr. Obama told a celebrity-filled crowd gathered at The Beverly Hilton, “we would not be in the White House.”
There was Jamie Foxx and Marissa Tomei, Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffth, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, and a long line of bold and not-so-bold names.
As Mr. Katzenberg introduced the president at his first California fund-raiser since taking office, he said: “If you look in the dictionary under ‘grace under fire,’ it will say Barack Obama.”
The California economy is bleak. The state budget is crisis. And Democrats are riled up over a Supreme Court ruling this week that upheld the ban on gay marriage.
The president did not dwell on those matters during his remarks here Wednesday evening on the only stop of his quick trip to California. He gave himself a strong grade for the opening stretch of his time in office.
“I would put these first four months up against any prior administration since F.D.R,” Mr. Obama said. Later, he added: “I’m confident in the future, but I’m not yet content.”
OxyCon on June 4, 2009 at 10:53 AM
I noticed this glaring contradiction three days ago when the first excerpts were released. I’m not holding my breath waiting for fatuous fawns in the media to hold Obama accountable for his unprincipled ways.
KittyLowrey on June 4, 2009 at 11:53 AM
And with all due respect, Tommy Christopher did not dig it out, it was in a media release way back on Monday, the day before the book’s release. As I said, I read it then and commented on Twitter about it, even challenging a WH reporter to ask Obama to reconcile it.
KittyLowrey on June 4, 2009 at 11:54 AM
My favorite thing about Tommy Christopher is the way he calls people racists for saying things he doesn’t like.
Jim Treacher on June 4, 2009 at 1:38 PM
Preemptive under the bus toss?
DSchoen on June 4, 2009 at 3:58 PM