Obamateurism of the Day
posted at 8:05 am on August 1, 2011 by Ed Morrissey
Allahpundit grabbed this before I could on Friday, but it’s still a great addition to the OOTD canon. Barack Obama declared a one-sided Twitter war over the debt-ceiling issue — and still managed to lose:
The @BarackObama account then preceded to tweet out the Twitter handles of Republican Congressmen state-by-state. The account has also been making use of the hashtag #compromise in an effort to drive home the message of bipartisanship…
As we noted in our earlier coverage, however, some users felt the state-by-state tweets were creating way too much noise — the President has lost nearly 37,000 followers so far today.
As my esteemed blog partner noted, that would have been enough for an OOTD, but there’s more. We’ve repeatedly noted the amateurish manner in which this White House likes to punch below its weight class, a strategy that diminishes its own status while raising the profile of his opponents. There is no more apt demonstration of than than on Twitter:
But could this strategy have an unintended consequence for the president? With 9.4 million followers, Obama’s campaign account is one of the most followed. Mentioning GOP foes to Obama’s followers could help boost their followings on Twitter.
By midafternoon on Friday, that seemed to be the case.
A Senate Republican staffer told National Journal that Republican Senators, in total, added about 6,500 new followers throughout the afternoon.
Making this mistake isn’t so surprising. It’s that Obama keeps making the same mistake. At some point, most amateurs eventually learn how to be professionals … don’t they?
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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fratricide…./
ted c on August 1, 2011 at 8:08 AM
Coming soon to Hardball!
Chris Matthews sings “The Thrill Is Gone!”
pilamaye on August 1, 2011 at 8:09 AM
Too funny…
OmahaConservative on August 1, 2011 at 8:10 AM
Hey, B-Rock…how about doin’ that twitter thing some more, eh???
/Kyl, Rubio et al…
ted c on August 1, 2011 at 8:10 AM
I’m an amateur golfer, I don’t think I’ll ever be a pro, O won’t ever be a pro either (golfer or leader).
hip shot on August 1, 2011 at 8:10 AM
death by Twitter….
ted c on August 1, 2011 at 8:10 AM
twittercide…
ted c on August 1, 2011 at 8:11 AM
#winning!
ted c on August 1, 2011 at 8:11 AM
“*It’s that Obama keeps making the same mistake. At some point, most amateurs eventually learn how to be professionals … don’t they?
We are talking Obama…right ? So the obvious answer is No
:)
.
philly_PA on August 1, 2011 at 8:11 AM
Not if they’re stupid.
backwoods conservative on August 1, 2011 at 8:12 AM
no, he’s just repeating his rookie season 4 times over…
ted c on August 1, 2011 at 8:12 AM
Thank God there is some measure of incompetence coming from Sauron.
Hobbits for Freedom 2012!
PappyD61 on August 1, 2011 at 8:14 AM
Unintended consequences of being a narcissist
DuctTapeMyBrain on August 1, 2011 at 8:16 AM
Twit twitters tweets to other twits.
Bishop on August 1, 2011 at 8:16 AM
twitted twits quit on twits twitters and leave twit in a post-twit snit.
ted c on August 1, 2011 at 8:18 AM
But he is the most hiply tech sexy president in history!!! /
DrStock on August 1, 2011 at 8:19 AM
Twitter snitter hits twitter twits with twit snit twitter…uh…flitter pitter. Whatever.
Sam I am green eggs and ham.
Bishop on August 1, 2011 at 8:22 AM
November 6, 2012!
Hobbit Day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF8YJ5yv1jc&feature=youtube_gdata_player
PappyD61 on August 1, 2011 at 8:23 AM
But how many people does Obama follow on the Internets (sic)?
RDE2010 on August 1, 2011 at 8:24 AM
Joe Biden disagrees. There was one who could time travel and use technology that hadn’t even been invented yet.
Oldnuke on August 1, 2011 at 8:24 AM
What a twit he is!
herm2416 on August 1, 2011 at 8:25 AM
He really is making Jimmah Cotta and Bill Clinton look pretty good.
wepeople on August 1, 2011 at 8:31 AM
Obviously not in this case.
chemman on August 1, 2011 at 8:32 AM
Actually the fact that they can’t learn from ther mistake is what dooms them to amateur status.
darwin-t on August 1, 2011 at 8:35 AM
D’oh-bama.
Naturally Curly on August 1, 2011 at 8:41 AM
I have this picture in my mind that he and Biden actually think they are hip and cutting edge…
Dumb and dumber
golfmann on August 1, 2011 at 8:43 AM
Only if they have the drive. I don’t remember where I heard it, but it’s a sound point- Our president only knows how to do three things:
1- Legislate
2- Intimidate
3- Castigate
If it doesn’t fit into one of those three categories, he’s going to screw it up.
rogerb on August 1, 2011 at 8:45 AM
New government program…handing out cell phones with his twitter account programed in…the phones will be for the “unemployed and welfare” to help be available for job programs.
Amazingly, his twitter account just added several million…I wouldn’t be surprised.
right2bright on August 1, 2011 at 8:51 AM
I bet totus is jealous.
tinkerthinker on August 1, 2011 at 8:53 AM
Because it’s CEO acts like the job is above his pay grade.
itsnotaboutme on August 1, 2011 at 8:53 AM
Obama only thinks he is on the cutting edge of technology…
Remember that much publicized internet-only Obama campaign announcement back in 2007? Was repeatedly late in hitting the net…and when finally delivered had been preempted by the normal everyday news announcement…by 48 hours. Those who signed on were all electronically “friended” by the Obama Campaign and got spammed almost daily thereafter.
Besides…as I’ve said many times here at HA…real men do not text, twitter nor tweet.
coldwarrior on August 1, 2011 at 8:54 AM
Unless, of course, TOTUS is the President’s Twitter ghostwriter.
itsnotaboutme on August 1, 2011 at 8:54 AM
Actually four things, not three.
1- Legislate
2- Intimidate
3- Castigate
4- Prevaricate
coldwarrior on August 1, 2011 at 8:56 AM
Ah ha! I had a feeling totus was a twit!
tinkerthinker on August 1, 2011 at 8:58 AM
By definition, the gods of Olympus are, well…gods. They cannot be amateurs.
Extrafishy on August 1, 2011 at 9:01 AM
Why not just start some youth camps to get your propaganda out, Mr. President?
scalleywag on August 1, 2011 at 9:04 AM
Well done, and noted.
rogerb on August 1, 2011 at 9:05 AM
The Gods of Olympus? As in Mount Olympus?
Obama is more along these lines….
coldwarrior on August 1, 2011 at 9:10 AM
Err, no. Amateur hour will continue for another year and a half. The question should be “At some point will enough people see how amateur this marxist thugs are?”
skanter on August 1, 2011 at 9:17 AM
PERFECT!!!
chai on August 1, 2011 at 9:39 AM
1- Legislate
2- Intimidate
3- Castigate
4- Prevaricate
coldwarrior on August 1, 2011 at 8:56 AM
Actually, five things, not four.
1. Legislate
2. Intimidate
3. Castigate
4. Prevaricate
5. Bloviate
herm2416 on August 1, 2011 at 9:42 AM
I most cases, no. In general, amateurs do not possess the innate skills and capabilities needed to advance to professional class performance. Those with professional class performance capabilities are in a class of their own and a very elite bunch, whether from the sports world, broadcasting world, or other profession. That’s why they get the big bucks, you can’t take someone from off the street, drill them 24/7 and expect to get a professional when you are done. There must be an inner capability that most don’t possess.
Bammie is a simple street thug, pure amateur. He’d been groomed and drilled, but he doesn’t have the innate skills of a professional (other than marxist skills — he’s professional level at that) and will never advance past amateur status.
AZfederalist on August 1, 2011 at 10:05 AM
Should have been, “In most cases, no.”
AZfederalist on August 1, 2011 at 10:05 AM
Events made Barry Obama. He’s a narcissistic hack politician from Chicago, and thus totally predictable.
GarandFan on August 1, 2011 at 10:21 AM
Well, it definitely isn’t the Autopen.
Freelancer on August 1, 2011 at 10:27 AM
#quack-quack!
redwhiteblue on August 1, 2011 at 11:04 AM
Death by 37,000 cuts
Schadenfreude on August 1, 2011 at 11:14 AM
Joe remembers listening to twitters on the crystal radio his dad made him.
slickwillie2001 on August 1, 2011 at 11:19 AM
Maybe he’s reached Professional Idiot status?
He certainly excels at it, and he is amazingly consistent.
Tim_CA on August 1, 2011 at 12:31 PM
I thought the difference tween amateurs and Pro’s was that Pro’s get paid for it?
Or does that only apply to Oars?
DSchoen on August 1, 2011 at 2:29 PM
Logic tells me, this isn’t, directly, the fault of president Abysmal.
Most likely, one of his $150,000 a year, techies.
I’d Luv to be a fly on the wall during THAT confrontation.
franksalterego on August 1, 2011 at 6:10 PM