For years Obama was too cowardly to support the right of gays and lesbians to marry. Now that that right is popular with voters, however, he has changed his mind. And now he’s bragging about his courage.
Retroactive Courage
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication, WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "The Stringer."
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“Desanitize”?
“Sanitize”?
“Disinfect”?
C’mon, Ted!
I’m OK with “desanitize.” Presidents are (in)famous for their bungled language… which brings me to my point:
US Presidents are idiots with the kind of charisma that is specific to a certain “type” of individual. They are becoming more and more specific to the point they resemble dogs bred for a purpose no one cares about any longer.
SPEECH WRITERS.
Why not target the writers? What? You think Obama writes his own stuff? I would go out on a limb to suggest that he doesn’t even provide topical input more than 30% of the time.
I remember an interview with Jimmy Carter. He was talking about the meeting that occurs between outgoing and incoming presidents. I can’t quote it because that is the nature of human memory (how many of you remember Carter?) but he talked about how he was telling Reagan those “Things that only the President knows” (I’m pretty sure of that one) and it seemed like Reagan wasn’t even paying attention.
People talk a lot about “turning points” and, personally, I think that was the end of “democracy” in the USA. Reagan had some great ideas. He would have “revolutionized” immigration policy if he had been permitted to do so… and there you have it. It wasn’t a vote. HE was changed.
Look at the speech writers. Who lead them?
yeah he did the same thing with the war. He said some things about it but never voted.
@ j.von.riesen –
Somehow, I got the impression that Rall was “putting words into his mouth”; i.e., I don’t think it was a direct quote. Either of the two other words would have been better, since “desanitize” is not a word. (Only Ted knows for sure if this was a “gaffe” of his.)
[I remember reading *Playboy*’s interview with President Carter, in which he admitting to having committed “adultery” in his heart. Wow! Did *that* cause a stir!!!]
“admitting” = “admitted”
*MY* gaffe!
It is official, Ted cannot give Obama one ounce of credit for anything. He has become just like a conservative Republican.
Hi Albert,
I’ll give Obama credit when he deserves it. So far…not. OK, he doesn’t fart on the air. That’s something.
What population of likely Obama voters will turn against him because of gay marriage? That’s the real measure of the risk he took.
Ted
@Albert
Oh, its worse than that. Not only is he completely biased in not giving Obama his due credit (and Republicans their due blame) for things; he’s actually posted factually false claims just to try and make Obama look bad.
He may not be a Republican, but he’s certainly been trying to make their argument against Obama for them (out of his misguided belief that a revolution will have results other than horrific, I think). Frankly, if this trend keeps up, I have to wonder how long before he goes “birther”. I mean, if you’re prepared to make false claims against Obama, you might as well go for the biggest one, right?
Obama his due credit? For what? Flip-flopping on an issue this simple? (It is simple for progressives.)
Here’s the link.
In this country, regardless of what the Republicans try to tell us, a civil union is NOT the same thing as a marriage. Marriage accords a whole pile of legal privileges. Hospitals don’t care about legal agreements and civil unions. Ask Janice Langbehn. The same thing happens in housing a lot. You and your same-sex partner live together. The house or apartment is in his or her name. He or she drops dead. You come back from the hospital, where you were not allowed to be with him or her as he or she died alone in a hospital room being ignored by low-paid staff, and discover you have been evicted from the place you live. That can’t be done to a husband or wife.
Oh, sure. If you have a lawyer on retainer, you can get all the necessary instruments prepared, notarized, filed, double-filed, etc. Of course, you then have to undertake, at the most stressed out point of your life, to educate someone who a. doesn’t know the intricacies of their job, b. doesn’t care, c. a little of a. and a little of b.
When you’re married, you just hold up your hand, wiggle the ring finger, and say, “We’re married.” You don’t need to carry a pile of documents in a briefcase everywhere you go, you don’t need sixty things signed in triplicate. You carry it on the finger.
For Obama to not be able to come to an understanding of the fundamental importance of this is a lie. He’s a lawyer who taught constitutional law. He uses the crutch of his supposed faith to avoid having to make a decision for as long as possible. And then, when he does, he just flips it a little later in order to gain votes.
If I wanted that, I’d vote Republican. Come to think of it, I voted for Obama, so I kinda did.
As so often previously, John Pilger, has it pegged : the issue is not gay marriage (http://www.johnpilger.com/articles/never-forget-that-bradley-manning-not-gay-marriage-is-the-issue)….
Henri
Wow Ted, dead baby humour.
Way to go using it to illustrate Obama’s weakness and lack of principle, but still, the dead “carbonized” baby part seemed over the top.
“OK, he doesn’t fart on the air.”
Going a little too FAR TED. Sorry, couldn’t resist.
@ Whimsical
I think maybe a fairer analysis of Ted than calling him “like a conservative Republican” is saying that he is a contrarian. He got a lot of fame bashing Bush which is good, but then decided to carry that over to Obama. He has even done that to other liberals and Democrats. I guess constructive criticism is okay, but throwing feces and blindly hoping for a revolution that may never come or worse go too far is not okay.
Ted won’t go birther, but he will say everything else about Obama.
It’s an election year. Idiotic Democrats and spineless liberals are ginning up their excuses and flouting their amnesia. We couldn’t clone enough George Orwells to offset this nonsense.
@Albert Cirrus: Peddle your bootlicking shyte somewhere else. FDR had balls; Obama is a vacant careerist using you to fellate the 1%.
Obama isn’t perfect, but considering the alternative, he is the only choice. You, Ted, and the others better hope Obama gets reelected. I know you are sick of hearing that, but you know what, it’s the truth.
The other alternative, Albert, is that you stop fooling yourself and grow a backbone. To paraphrase George Carlin, “The 1% is a club, and you ain’t in it.” And for the record, I hope Romney does win because it might prompt liberals to end their hiatus and resume opposing the warfare state. (Here’s some liberal math for ya: Bush = War = Liberals Angry… Obama = More War = Liberals Silent. How’s that again?)
But I will give you this: watching liberals throw tantrums when confronted with the truth is great entertainment, a minuscule silver lining as we sink deeper into fascism.
Obama has done what is politically expedient. He is a calculating career politician who has no principles. Romney did the same thing with Illegal immigration, he now magically has evolving views on illegal immigration. I wonder, do liberals believe Romney just magically changed his mind? The important thing about Obama is his personal life, political life both point to a homphobe, he cheered on Mr. Wright as he condemned gays to hell, and as a politician until a week or so ago he said gays should not Marry. So yeah its pretty clear what Obama really believes in, winning election….
“And for the record, I hope Romney does win”
Just what I suspected. Poor Obama, he has to deal with enemies on the left and right. Those enemies on the left IMHO are more pathetic than the teabaggers and Republicans because they should know better. Repeat, you better hope Obama gets reelected.
“Poor Obama. He has to deal with enemies.”
Yeah, Albert, life is hard that way when you’re licking corporate bunghole 24/7, shredding the Constitution, and lavishing war across the planet. Obama is a war criminal who has played you like a French horn. And pardon me for using you as a punch line.
So, is that all you have for self-deception – “You’d better hope he wins”? Tell me you have a fastball or a change-up, because underhand tosses aren’t going to cut it.
If you don’t like Obama, fine, you are just one person. But people like you and Ted had better not stand in the way of reelection.