Obamateurism of the Day
posted at 8:05 am on February 12, 2010 by Ed Morrissey
Credit this one to my good friend and mentor Hugh Hewitt, who caught this one after Barack Obama met with Democrats in Congress, following his televised meeting with House Republicans. After singing the sweet song of bipartisanship with the GOP, Obama proceeded to pander to the bruised feelings of Senate Democrats, assuring that it was the mean Republicans who had managed to bottle up his grand plans for reform:
Today President Obama told Senate Democrats that they had faced “enormous procedural obstacles that are unprecedented..”
“You had to cast more votes to break filibusters last year than in the entire 1950s and 1960s combined. That’s 20 years of obstruction jammed into just one.”
Not exactly. A filibuster is the successful blocking of legislation in the Senate by forcing a failed cloture vote. How many failed cloture votes occurred in 2009? Hugh had to get his abacus to count them all up:
This is astonishing. A filibuster is the successful use of 41 or more votes to prevent the closing of debate. There wasn’t a single filibuster in 2009. Not one.
The president will say anything to advance a narrative that makes him a victim of obstruction. It is clear that 2010 will be spent pivoting from his 2009 mantra of Bush’s fault to his campaign year blasts at the “do nothing Republicans.”
Even if there had been a cascade of crashed cloture calls in 2009, let’s not forget that the Republicans only had 40 votes in 2009. By definition, any actual filibuster would have had to include at least one Democratic vote. And the one that did take place in 2010 was on NLRB nominee Craig Becker’s confirmation … that had at least two Democrats voting to support the Republican filibuster.
Heck, technically that represents … bipartisanship!
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!
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I think he believes his own lies.
OmahaConservative on February 12, 2010 at 8:08 AM
And the hits keep on coming. Peggy Noonan wrote a scathing article in the NYT and the comments are amazing. His former supporters know how to “Pivot”. Indeed.
Key West Reader on February 12, 2010 at 8:10 AM
You know what would be unprecedented?
Obama passing up an opportunity to use unprecedented.
Disturb the Universe on February 12, 2010 at 8:10 AM
liar.
SHARPTOOTH on February 12, 2010 at 8:10 AM
When Barack Obama goes an entire day without telling a lie it will be unprecedented, and a shock to the Republic.
Yoop on February 12, 2010 at 8:13 AM
Well of course the POTUS is going to get the details wrong about filibusters. Those are legislative things. The president has his laser like focus on executive things — like how to say “corpseman.”
apostic on February 12, 2010 at 8:14 AM
I am pretty agnostic about using the word filibuster, but I give this speech a solid B+.
Johnnyreb on February 12, 2010 at 8:14 AM
talk about audacity….his folks could have passed ANYTHING they wanted last year
cmsinaz on February 12, 2010 at 8:15 AM
I just can’t understand how this got past the MSM’s army of fact checkers.
/s
VelvetElvis on February 12, 2010 at 8:16 AM
We should start another unprecedented daily thread: The Lie of the Day, starring Barack Obama & Co.
Many are catching on that these things aren’t just amateurish blunders…. they are naked deception.
Key West Reader on February 12, 2010 at 8:17 AM
He’s pathological!
DJ from MA on February 12, 2010 at 8:17 AM
Guess what, middle class. There isn’t a pea under any of the shells. Unprecedented!
Yoop on February 12, 2010 at 8:17 AM
the (R)s need to bring this up again and again…especially during their little chat with dear leader at the end of this month…if they must go, they better bring in the heavy hitters, the gop leadership is lacking…
cmsinaz on February 12, 2010 at 8:18 AM
So,its back to the doorstop again!!
canopfor on February 12, 2010 at 8:18 AM
So once again we are faced with a choice: Either Barry is the most ignorant fool ever to sit in the Oval Office, or a stone-cold, calculating liar. I’m going with the latter, which is so egregious it makes it difficult to call this merely “amateurish”.
Buy Danish on February 12, 2010 at 8:18 AM
Yes, this dolt believes his own lies. I’m sure Charles Krauthammer has many insights into the personality disorders of this lying POS.
BottomLine5 on February 12, 2010 at 8:18 AM
chrissy and the rest of the kool-aid drinkers will consider this gospel…no doubt
cmsinaz on February 12, 2010 at 8:18 AM
Dear Barry:
You have misused my good name for nefarious gain for the last time. Letter from my attorney soon to follow.
Sincerely,
Phil A. Buster
RepubChica on February 12, 2010 at 8:19 AM
they are naked deception.
Key West Reader on February 12, 2010 at 8:17 AM
Key West Reader: The Ongoing,NeverEnding,
Perception/Deception Liberal
mode!!
canopfor on February 12, 2010 at 8:19 AM
It’s past the point of ridicule. It makes me nervous that we have such a disturbed, pathological creep running this country. This will not end well for him, or maybe us.
sherry on February 12, 2010 at 8:20 AM
Yo, Barry –
When you get into a hole, DIG!!
TimBuk3 on February 12, 2010 at 8:20 AM
Since last February, I thought the Tea Party and the townhall participants were the 41st Senator. Just think what would have happened if we weren’t vocal and stayed home while the healthcare scam was being rammed through Congress?
yoda on February 12, 2010 at 8:20 AM
I don’t know about ya’ll, but I am thinking of saving my money on a Harvard education for the kids.
TXMomof3 on February 12, 2010 at 8:20 AM
This is stunning that a sitting U.S. President will shamelessly lie. Unless he really believes this lie? Or maybe someone fed it to TOTUS?
Again, where is the MSM? At least some in the media will fact check him. Thank you Hugh Hewitt.
conservative pilgrim on February 12, 2010 at 8:21 AM
That’s why they call him The Shovel Ready Precedent.
conservative pilgrim on February 12, 2010 at 8:22 AM
Alright, enough of this amateur stuff. The term “amateur” is no longer befitting this individual. The US Hockey Team in 1980 was a group of college “amateurs”. In most cases, amateurs either successfully or unsuccessfully attempt to demonstrate skill and professionalism. This POTUS is not even doing that, he’s not even trying–he is simply flat out lying and completely misrepresents facts. It would be one thing to characterize the Senate truthfully and get it slightly wrong, but to completely disregard the definition of a filibuster, the actual 2009 votes in the Senate, and the history of the 1950′s and 1960′s represents a complete and unprecedented trifecta of flat out dishonesty. If Obama believes any of his own assertions, then he is living in one twisted universe, and reality is knocking on his door.
I feel sorry for amateurs.
ted c on February 12, 2010 at 8:24 AM
*shudder*
cmsinaz on February 12, 2010 at 8:24 AM
I have to admit that I haven’t followed politics day-to-day before Obama was elected, but I am amazed at the constant and blatant lying. Is this–the amount of lying that he and his administration do–unprecedented, or are there parallels to previous modern administrations? Was I not aware of lying from other presidents because I wasn’t paying attention, or is this man truly pathological and at another level of deceit? Because he is starting to scare me at my core.
freemo on February 12, 2010 at 8:25 AM
This guy is so phoney that it is funny, sad, and scarey, all at the same time. And he wonders why the American People aren’t embracing all of his proposals “for our own good”.
kingsjester on February 12, 2010 at 8:25 AM
…but Palin writes on her hand.
Saltysam on February 12, 2010 at 8:25 AM
I think this guy will say anything, any time. His credibility is zero. It’s appalling.
mr.blacksheep on February 12, 2010 at 8:26 AM
No astonishment here. Just SSDD from the ‘Won’
Blacksmith8 on February 12, 2010 at 8:26 AM
go with the latter…
cmsinaz on February 12, 2010 at 8:26 AM
This is off topic, but did anyone hear that REid has axed the “bipartisan” “jobs” bill for a SMALLER bill. I still cannot believe that the DUMB and DEAF republicans were going to vote for a pork bill of 80 billion and now are mad that it is being made smaller to only 15 billion and a lot of the pork taken out, along with Patriot act provisions. IThe GOP is still so out of touch, the dems are already goners, but the GOP, they still just don’t get it, we don’t want any more spending, especially full of pork. I am so mad at the republicans. They are taking a good winning streak and showing their pork-buy me off-colors. Maybe they are not much different than some of the more so called moderate dems that got bought off.
immigrantchick on February 12, 2010 at 8:27 AM
I think he believes what the teleprompter tells him.
dts-01 on February 12, 2010 at 8:29 AM
Obstruction= New George Bush
Senate Failures= George Bush
Scott Brown= blame it on Geoge Bush
Incompetence= due to George Bush
Credit Woes= George Bush
Noun 1. demagogue – a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions and prejudices
demagogue [(dem-uh-gog, dem-uh-gawg)]
A politician who seeks to win and hold office by appeals to mass prejudice. Demagogues often use lies and distortion. (See Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.)
ted c on February 12, 2010 at 8:30 AM
And the state-run media must censor themselves from recognizing this as a lie.
To turn on President Obama would challenge every belief they hold about themselves, about their “tolerance” and their “diversity” and their moral superiority.
They sacrifice truth in order to preserve a flattering but false self-narrative, thus they are not courageous men.
Again, I don’t blame Obama for any of this. He’s Chauncey Gardner. I blame state-run media and their shameless misguided advocacy.
jeff_from_mpls on February 12, 2010 at 8:30 AM
I agree that it’s a calculated lie. Taken into consideration in his calculation is the (zero) probability that the press will call him out on it.
Amazing, but I think he’s going down in history as worse than Jimmy Carter, a feat I wasn’t sure was humanly possible.
ProfessorMiao on February 12, 2010 at 8:31 AM
Will CBS run this story? ABC? NBC? MSNBC? CNN? NPR? hahahahaha………..hahahahaha………hahahahaha
jbh45 on February 12, 2010 at 8:32 AM
The Ron Burgendy president will say anything his Gen Y speechwriters put on his
Telepromoter. He has so little real-world experience, he questions nothing that’s fed to him. That makes me very worried.
KS Rex on February 12, 2010 at 8:33 AM
Since last February, I thought the Tea Party and the townhall participants were the 41st Senator. Just think what would have happened if we weren’t vocal and stayed home while the healthcare scam was being rammed through Congress?
yoda on February 12, 2010 at 8:20 AM
yoda:Good point,and now,Liberals grasp of more unchecked
corruption and bribery,and the whole farm,are now,so
far,————DOA————-and temporarily dead
in their tracks!!
If ACORN wasn`t exposed,as well as no Tea Party
coming into political fruition,the SNEAKY LYING LIBS
would of pulled it off!!:)
canopfor on February 12, 2010 at 8:33 AM
I still can’t quite get my head around that the fact that a few weeks ago when he went to “help” Martha Coakley he was bashing the banks and executive bonuses, and a few days ago he was justifying bank executive bonuses…
ProfessorMiao on February 12, 2010 at 8:34 AM
We must liberate the House and Senate from progressive tyranny and impeach this cad.
T J Green on February 12, 2010 at 8:35 AM
I honestly believe the first hour of each day the man makes up his talking point du jour, throws in a bald-faced lie to support it and then spends the rest of the day advancing the entire message. By the time anyone catches up with the lie, it’s a new day and he’s created another one!
Hope and Change has become “Hoax and Chicanery”.
GoldenEagle4444 on February 12, 2010 at 8:36 AM
I highly recommend this,
Eerie science fiction film that highlights Left Wing sleazy, unabashed lying and hypocrisy.
=============================================
It nails the Libs,MSM,and so on.
http://iowntheworld.com/blog/?p=16985
canopfor on February 12, 2010 at 8:37 AM
Clever attempt to veil your insinuation that President Obama is a coke head.
Listen, right winger. Other than his admission in public, there is no evidence whatsoever that President Obama is now, or has ever been, a coke head.
jeff_from_mpls on February 12, 2010 at 8:37 AM
How does he continue to get away with it and why is it only independent blogs who are taking note? I know, the MSM lets him. But how long will it take before the MSM realizes the way to keep readers and viewers is to regain objectivity in reporting?
CarolinaGirl6 on February 12, 2010 at 8:38 AM
As others have noted, this was not an amateurish mistake but rather a shamelessly brazen lie. Nevertheless, IMHO it is small potatoes compared to Biden’s outrageous lie yesterday, claiming credit in the name of the Obama administration for victory in Iraq. That one made my blood boil.
jwolf on February 12, 2010 at 8:40 AM
Will Obama go down in history as the President that whined the most?
albill on February 12, 2010 at 8:40 AM
Obama sympathizers were heard humming this during his meeting with COngressional Democrats:
BobMbx on February 12, 2010 at 8:42 AM
i believe they are of the same mindset as he, they know what’s best to report to us little people…
cmsinaz on February 12, 2010 at 8:43 AM
Seems like they got cleverly scammed by the Dems and Reid to happily go along with the original bloated pork-laden bill to later have it retracted and redacted. Now the Dems have the higher ground on claiming fiscal-consciousness. Epic failure.
RepubChica on February 12, 2010 at 8:44 AM
Let’s face it, the White House and Liberal Congressional leaders are ALL just glorified social workers. They do not govern, they manipulate and lie.
elclynn on February 12, 2010 at 8:45 AM
i was yelling at the tv when i heard him say that…they asbolute audacity is truly mind boggling…
cmsinaz on February 12, 2010 at 8:45 AM
Yes he is, but this is a case of sheer incompetence.
He heard the word “filibuster” somewhere before, and in his warped little mind, he knows it’s “something bad that Republicans do.” So he felt that he had to use it in a speech. He probably doesn’t even know what a filibuster is, and is probally unaware that his own party had a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.
UltimateBob on February 12, 2010 at 8:46 AM
As others have noted, this was not an amateurish mistake but rather a shamelessly brazen lie. Nevertheless, IMHO it is small potatoes compared to Biden’s outrageous lie yesterday, claiming credit in the name of the Obama administration for victory in Iraq. That one made my blood boil.
jwolf on February 12, 2010 at 8:40 AM
My jaw dropped, then my blood boiled. The dishonesty comes naturally to libs. I sent a note to the WH and told them “You Lie”.
elclynn on February 12, 2010 at 8:48 AM
So,Obama is driving the bus,er AMERICA,
straight off the cliff into a DEPRESSION
from only less than 1 year and a month,
of FAILED OBAMA POLICIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
canopfor on February 12, 2010 at 8:49 AM
Looks like the conservative ladies are out in full force this morning.
You go, girls!
UltimateBob on February 12, 2010 at 8:50 AM
Rogue President.
petefrt on February 12, 2010 at 8:51 AM
If they go, they need to go in as the dissenting party and mean it. The letter sent to Rahm Emanuel was a good start but they need to follow up by attacking lie after lie. The filthy coward makes statements about insuring more Americans for less money then the GOP needs to demand where those numbers are coming from (it of course is an impossibility and Obama needs to be called on it).
highhopes on February 12, 2010 at 8:53 AM
Sensitive, aren’t we? Lemme think back to W’s reign. I seem to recall countless jabs at the man day in and out on the blogs over the same thing. He was a drunk and a cokehead–and that was the good days. My advice to you is don’t get the panties in a bunch. Baby.
RepubChica on February 12, 2010 at 8:53 AM
What a childish lying douche. God help us. Is it 2012 yet?
WarEagle01 on February 12, 2010 at 8:53 AM
Now the Republicans need to continue what we started and never give up.
Wow….those are amazing videos. Thanks canopfor!!!
yoda on February 12, 2010 at 8:55 AM
I think the Jonestown analogy is better than the driving the bus off a cliff one.
When Jim Jones saw that his world was falling apart, he demanded/forced his followers to kill themselves. Obama is doing much of the same thing by forcing Dems to continue on with legislation that will only kill them politically with the folks back home.
highhopes on February 12, 2010 at 8:55 AM
Hi Uncle Bob! (sure hope you’re over 50!) ;-)
RepubChica on February 12, 2010 at 8:55 AM
For a more in depth look into this allegation and how the current senate rules involving the cloture vote came about go here.
Just another case of Democrats outsmarting themselves.
Just A Grunt on February 12, 2010 at 8:56 AM
That could happen, but it would be unexpected.
Oldnuke on February 12, 2010 at 8:57 AM
Here’s the game.
Doesn’t matter if it’s true. Just say it.
Then our stalwart LSM can report “Obama says…”
PaddyJ on February 12, 2010 at 8:57 AM
The Democrats are betting the farm that they can remain in power by using the tired old political practice of, “If you tell a lie often enough, it becomes the truth.” This is after all, how most of them (especially 0bama) came into power.
What they didn’t count on is the alternative media. Thanks to the blogs, Google, FOX news, and even YouTube, pretty much anyone can do a little research and expose their lies, and use their own words and voting records to shoot them down.
UltimateBob on February 12, 2010 at 8:58 AM
Dude,
If you insist on defending the filthy lying coward in the White House, save your moral outrage for something of substance. How about defending his “No Child left a Dime” deficit spending. How about defending the fictional success of the stimulus bill or how many jobs were saved or created by this administration.
highhopes on February 12, 2010 at 9:00 AM
Not just yet, young lady. But I’m getting close.
UltimateBob on February 12, 2010 at 9:00 AM
elclynn on February 12, 2010 at 9:00 AM
OK, you’re in!
I couldn’t tell your gender from the screen name.
UltimateBob on February 12, 2010 at 9:01 AM
At least Jones had the good taste to off himself, too. Do you think we have a prayer of that happening? There’s some hope and change we can get behind.
Crusader Rabbit on February 12, 2010 at 9:02 AM
elclynn on February 12, 2010 at 9:05 AM
Horrifying, isn’t it? At least Carter wasn’t regarded as The Messiah by vast swathes of the population.
Buy Danish on February 12, 2010 at 9:11 AM
lol. Okay then…cousin…Bob? ;-)
RepubChica on February 12, 2010 at 9:13 AM
The Joseph Goebbels syndrome.
Johan Klaus on February 12, 2010 at 9:16 AM
Wow….those are amazing videos. Thanks canopfor!!!
yoda on February 12, 2010 at 8:55 AM
yoda: Your welcome,its from,:)
http://iowntheworld.com/blog/
canopfor on February 12, 2010 at 9:18 AM
I believe that Jeff was using sarcasm.
Johan Klaus on February 12, 2010 at 9:19 AM
Ed, you should have mentioned which party controlled Congress during that time frame. I am quite sure he is trying to paint Republicans as the evil obstructionists, but history does not bear that out. During the 1950′s and 60′s it was Southern Democrats who were against the legislative agenda of Eisenhower and Johnson. What were they blocking? They hated all aspects of the civil rights movement.
txaggie on February 12, 2010 at 9:21 AM
canopfor on February 12, 2010 at 8:49 AM
I think the Jonestown analogy is better than the driving the bus off a cliff one.
When Jim Jones saw that his world was falling apart, he demanded/forced his followers to kill themselves. Obama is doing much of the same thing by forcing Dems to continue on with legislation that will only kill them politically with the folks back home.
highhopes on February 12, 2010 at 8:55 AM
highhopes: You may be right,because after all,the Liberal
Partys 1000 YEAR Rein isn’t gonna happen!!:)
canopfor on February 12, 2010 at 9:21 AM
Does Zero even know what a filibuster or cloture vote is? He can’t be this ignorant. The dems know, so when he said that to them, they should all be scratching their heads about him. This is worse than the 57 states or corpseman.
Kissmygrits on February 12, 2010 at 9:22 AM
The man relies almost exclusively on fear, envy, anger and ignorance of his audience when he uncorks the straw men and other lies.
The media are still trying to fly cover for him, but people are starting to notice anyway.
forest on February 12, 2010 at 9:22 AM
He just can’t help playing the victim, can he? It is always someone conspiring against him or someone making it so he can’t get something he wants. He has to put everything into some historical context, as though his Presidency is the only one that has ever mattered or will ever matter.He is becoming the Whiner in Chief. This comment was so patently false that I’m not sure he really understands the concept of reality. What a twisted worldview he possesses.
Beaglemom on February 12, 2010 at 9:24 AM
Dang it, I thought his handle was familiar. If that’s the case, I’m sorry Jeff. Really short on humor these days and highly reactive towards ‘trolls’ on the home turf. What a silly hothead I’ve become, chewing out my own.
RepubChica on February 12, 2010 at 9:28 AM
Each day I pray: Please do nothing Dems.
publiuspen on February 12, 2010 at 9:31 AM
YOU LIE!!!!!
Alden Pyle on February 12, 2010 at 9:31 AM
Because the majority of us don’t have a Harvard education?
ladyingray on February 12, 2010 at 9:40 AM
MORE COWBELL!!!
percysunshine on February 12, 2010 at 9:40 AM
My jaw nearly dropped to the floor when I saw that yesterday. History will vindicate Bush and bite Biden on the a$$ for that one.
ProfessorMiao on February 12, 2010 at 9:47 AM
One of Rich Lowery’s best: OBAMA TRYING TO ‘CAMPAIGN HIS WAY THROUGH PRESIDENCY’…
HT: Drudge
petefrt on February 12, 2010 at 9:49 AM
That’s better. Brother Bob will also work.
See, when you act like a lady, you get treated like one.
/Arlen Specter
I’ve been snowed out of work for two days. I’m trying to get some work done here today. You guys aren’t making it easy. Blogging is so much fun!
UltimateBob on February 12, 2010 at 9:52 AM
soetoro is a lazy regressive utopian – a lethal combo.
He has all these grand ideas about perfecting the USA through his warped nanny state visions of redistributive grandeur, then he just flings the tedious “wet work” off onto his highly defective minions. Crazy + crazier = disaster. I fear for us all, truly.
Ris4victory on February 12, 2010 at 9:54 AM
Barry has claimed to be a student of history. Obviously he was a poor student. But to all those who worship him, he is just so smart. Still have yet to see a hint of this genius…
cyclown on February 12, 2010 at 9:57 AM
And a Constitutional scholar too.
The Bamter’s as much a Constitutional scholar as Saul Alinsky, learning it in order better to subvert it.
petefrt on February 12, 2010 at 10:03 AM
“Quack. Quack. Quack.”
pugwriter on February 12, 2010 at 10:05 AM
As I remember my 1950′s and 1960′s history, it was the Democrats who filibustered, and who generally did so to bottle up civil rights bills promulgated by the Republicans.
And those voting to filibuster said civil rights bills in the 1950′s included that Democratic lion John F. Kennedy. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was filibustered by — you got it — the Democrats.
I do not think Obama truly understands the history of Democrats and the filibuster, or else he wouldn’t have tried to throw that bone to them. It’s one they’ve chewed on frequently, and for quite the wrong purposes.
unclesmrgol on February 12, 2010 at 10:07 AM
Most narcissists also happen to be pathological liars, too. & they believe their own lies.
Badger40 on February 12, 2010 at 10:10 AM
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