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Obama on jay leno: special olympics joke

post #1 of 43
3/21/09 at 2:35pm
Thread Starter 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE0yAEvVsUo

Do you think it's offensive? I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it. I mean I joke this way with my friends all the time...but is it appropriate for a US president? I'm thinking- maybe not. Of course I know over a thing like that is no way to judge his qualities as president. But I'm curious as to what people think..
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post #2 of 43
3/21/09 at 2:37pm
I don't think it was offensive, but I think some people would take it that way, which is why he so quickly took steps to cut off debate on it.
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post #3 of 43
3/21/09 at 2:40pm
Thread Starter 
I was just look at Palin's response, that's why I was wondering.....I think she is wayy over the top and her response shows it. I think it may have been inappropriate, but I definitely didn't think it was offensive...
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post #4 of 43
3/21/09 at 2:54pm
I would have to say that you shouldn't judge whether or not it's offensive by his or her reaction, because their political affiliations are going to bias your view (regardless of which one you prefer).

Personally, I think that it wasn't appropriate for a sitting President to go on a show like that to begin with. Lowers the position, IMO. I know a lot of people are going to disagree with that, probably saying that he's trying to connect with the people. That's all fine and good, but I personally think that the President should be at a higher level than that, and shouldn't connect to the people on such a level. That's just me, though.

As far as if it was offensive, well, I think that it was in very poor taste and even if the common person would joke around with their friends - he's the PRESIDENT! He should choose his words more carefully. It definitely made an assumption about handicapped people that they could not play a sport even at their highest levels of competition, which is obviously wrong. To people who are handicapped and living a fairly normal life and/or Special Olympians (or training for such), yeah I think it would probably be at least slightly offensive.
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post #5 of 43
3/21/09 at 2:59pm
He and Biden could make a career out of putting their foot in their mouth.


I imagine parents of disabled children all over American thought his remark pretty much sucked.

If President Bush would have made that remark (he wouldn't) the sky would be falling by now, but it is hunky dory when it is Barack talking like an idiot.

Pretty much I think this is karma.
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post #6 of 43
3/21/09 at 3:02pm
Thread Starter 
Yea I agree that being president is not being a celebrity, he had no business going on jay leno..it's good for his approval ratings i'm sure tho....
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post #7 of 43
3/21/09 at 3:26pm
I don't think it was offensive at all - he was not making fun of the special olympics kids; he was making fun of himself.
People who don't like Obama, or "political correctness" extremes will always find something to say about anything he says, to a point that if he wants to make everybody happy he might need to keep his mouth shot and not say one more word during his whole government.
Let's face it - no matter what he does, he will be judged for. I think it was great that he went on John Leno, it was a great interview, and his intelligence and charisma really shined through. I am proud to have him as my president - as far as Palin, oh well... She was a huge embarrassment, and I could care less about what swhe has to say about anything.
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post #8 of 43
3/21/09 at 3:30pm
We can all say a lot of things in public that a president can't. I wasn't offended by the monkey cartoon, but apparently other people were. I guess the same applies for poking fun at the abilities of the handicapped.

Can't wait for his Jerry Springer appearance.
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post #9 of 43
3/21/09 at 3:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by carolinalima View Post
I don't think it was offensive at all - he was not making fun of the special olympics kids; he was making fun of himself.
I completely disagree.

Yes, he was making fun of himself BUT by comparing himself to people with handicaps. Shows a preconception that handicap people can't play the game which or are unable to because they are handicapped is TOTALLY wrong and inappropriate and shows his innermost thoughts.
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post #10 of 43
3/21/09 at 3:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cinder View Post
We can all say a lot of things in public that a president can't. I wasn't offended by the monkey cartoon, but apparently other people were. I guess the same applies for poking fun at the abilities of the handicapped.

Can't wait for his Jerry Springer appearance.
But - he was not poking fun at the handicapped - he was poking fun at himself.
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post #11 of 43
3/21/09 at 3:40pm
Thread Starter 
I think that by going on Jay Leno he is playing with fire. Comedians can easily get away with making fun of anything- that's their job. A president has to be very careful with what he says. And by going on a comedy show, he is compromising how careful he can be because he knows that he is supposed to joke on there and take things lightly..but that can not be achieved sometimes without poking at something that someone is bound to get offended by...If he mixes in with comedians and entertainers he will bear the consequences of saying something he didn't mean to IMO.
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post #12 of 43
3/21/09 at 3:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by carolinalima View Post
But - he was not poking fun at the handicapped - he was poking fun at himself.
I'll say it again,

he was poking fun at himself at the expense of his belief that people with handicaps can't play the game or other games or are sucky at it or so sucky they are humorous.

It was not appropriate.
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post #13 of 43
3/21/09 at 3:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renovia View Post
I completely disagree.

Yes, he was making fun of himself BUT by comparing himself to people with handicaps. Shows a preconception that handicap people can't play the game which or are unable to because they are handicapped is TOTALLY wrong and inappropriate and shows his innermost thoughts.
I'm a firm believer in the "Freudian slip" also. I honestly think that when someone says something in a moment, it's what they actually mean, and all the Aide-de-camp's speaking up later saying "what he meant was..." means absolutely nothing to me other than the original speaker knows they let too much truth slip.
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post #14 of 43
3/21/09 at 3:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renovia View Post
I'll say it again,

he was poking fun at himself at the expense of his belief that people with handicaps can't play the game or other games or are sucky at it or so sucky they are humorous.

It was not appropriate.
I think she is trying to say that compared to a healthy person it's a fact that handicaps can't play a game as well- so Obama is not making fun of them at all, but making fun of himself by comparing himself to them. I mean it's true that if a healthy person tried to compete in the special olympics he'd be champion isn't it? So how can you make fun of something that is common sense and a fact? The thing is though- people still take offense. That's why I never thought it was offensive, rather just inappropriate.
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post #15 of 43
3/21/09 at 3:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ut0pia View Post
I think she is trying to say that compared to a healthy person it's a fact that handicaps can't play a game as well- so Obama is not making fun of them at all, but making fun of himself by comparing himself to them. I mean it's true that if a healthy person tried to compete in the special olympics he'd be champion isn't it? So how can you make fun of something that is common sense and a fact? The thing is though- people still take offense. That's why I never thought it was offensive, rather just inappropriate.
Yep - that's pretty much my though; he was making fun of himself. But in addition, IMO, no matter what he says, and in what venue, someone will always be offended, for one reason or another. IMO there are more important things in the world right now to make a fuss about it.
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post #16 of 43
3/21/09 at 3:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by valanhb View Post
Personally, I think that it wasn't appropriate for a sitting President to go on a show like that to begin with. Lowers the position, IMO. I know a lot of people are going to disagree with that, probably saying that he's trying to connect with the people. That's all fine and good, but I personally think that the President should be at a higher level than that, and shouldn't connect to the people on such a level. That's just me, though.
Barack's appearance didn't set a precident, you know.

Bill Clinton appeared on the Arsenio Hall show while he was president and played the sax!

But the best one I researched about was 'ol Richard Nixon. He appeared on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in 1968, when he was running against Hubert Humphry. He also appeared on The Bob Hope Show on 2-16-1970, Merv Griffin on 1-10-1968 and Mike Douglas on 1-23-1968!!
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post #17 of 43
3/21/09 at 3:56pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by carolinalima View Post
as far as Palin, oh well... She was a huge embarrassment, and I could care less about what swhe has to say about anything.
What I don't understand is, she is still quite popular...
Even after it came out that she thought that Africa is a country, didn't know what NAFTA is, and all of those ridiculous things that came out after they lost..People still like her. I just don't get it!!
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post #18 of 43
3/21/09 at 4:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ut0pia View Post
I think that by going on Jay Leno he is playing with fire. Comedians can easily get away with making fun of anything- that's their job. A president has to be very careful with what he says. And by going on a comedy show, he is compromising how careful he can be because he knows that he is supposed to joke on there and take things lightly..but that can not be achieved sometimes without poking at something that someone is bound to get offended by...If he mixes in with comedians and entertainers he will bear the consequences of saying something he didn't mean to IMO.

That's incredibly insightful.

I think he slipped up and made a joke that was ill thought out, as we all do sometimes. I still love him. Palin's jumping on it and opportunistically blowing it up just reconfirms my negative opinion of her. Could someone please tell her her 15 minutes are over? The worst thing McCain did was throw her into the national spotlight.
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post #19 of 43
3/21/09 at 4:21pm
PookieBoy beat me to it, but I was going to remind people about Nixon and Laugh-In, Clinton and Arsenio, Al Gore on Saturday Night Live, etc. etc. etc.

Obama should have gone for Saturday Night Live. At least it's scripted!

What I thought falls into the "he shouldn't have done it" camp was Bernanke on 60 minutes.

This administration is definitely going the propoganda-through-media route.

...and I totally agree with Utopia. That medium was playing with fire.

Laurie
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post #20 of 43
3/21/09 at 4:44pm
Obama should not go anywhere without his teleprompter.

And I'll just respectfully disagree about the special olympics thing. It was even stated by the head of the special olympics program that there was someone who bowled 300s and could teach Obama. It does NOT mean that they can't do it just as well as others. It is a venue for them to get together and embrace their success and difficulties.
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post #21 of 43
3/21/09 at 5:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by carolinalima View Post
Let's face it - no matter what he does, he will be judged for.
Yeah, that's because he's the President of the Unitied States. So, yes everything he (or anyone else that holds the office) says will be judged. It goes with the job.

I personally didn't find anything really offensive about it, but I agree that it was unappropriate. But, we all say things, and as the words are coming out of our mouth, our minds are saying "STOP!!". Been there, done that....many times, so I can't condemn him for that. But being POTUS he should have thought a little more about what he said and who is audience was (ie, the entire nation).

Oh, one thing I'm personally happy about is....my average is better than Obama's! Woohoo!! My average is 135, so I beat him!!
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post #22 of 43
3/21/09 at 5:17pm
I don't think he should have said it. It was a very stupid thing to say, joking or not. If for no other reason than it distracts from the very real problems the country faces right now. I don't think he meant anything harmful but it was and not very funny.

I asked my dad what he thought as he has spent his life advocating for the mentally handicapped. His sister, my aunt, was mentally handicapped and it led him to work as an economist doing research on the economic impact of mental handicaps and how to mainstream them into an active life. So I respected his opinion on this. He said the words were stupid but it was a pimple on an elephant. He said President Obama apologized and he was more worried about other problems this country faces. Personally I think President Obama should host the special Olympians at the White House. I forget his name but there is a Special Olympian bowler that would probably beat his socks off. He has already said he would take the President on.
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post #23 of 43
3/21/09 at 5:23pm
I saw the program since I watch Leno every night. No I did not think Obama was being offensive at all, it was just a joke and he realized he made a mistake as soon as he said it and apologized before the program even aired. There are some who are just more sensitive than others and I appreciate that...but for me Obama did nothing wrong.
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post #24 of 43
3/21/09 at 5:26pm
I agree with you 100% on Palin, I am glad she is no longer in the spotlight every single day. She was a joke in and of herself, I thought McCain was smarter than that.
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post #25 of 43
3/21/09 at 5:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PookieBoy View Post
Barack's appearance didn't set a precident, you know.

Bill Clinton appeared on the Arsenio Hall show while he was president and played the sax!

But the best one I researched about was 'ol Richard Nixon. He appeared on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in 1968, when he was running against Hubert Humphry. He also appeared on The Bob Hope Show on 2-16-1970, Merv Griffin on 1-10-1968 and Mike Douglas on 1-23-1968!!
Pookieboy, All the instances you quoted above were NOT of presidents. They were of people campaigning for president., with the exception of Nixon on the Bob Hope Show on 2-16-70, if that date is legit, then he was POTUS at the time. All the others are not legit as far as Clinton or Nixon being POTUS at the time. Nixon did not take office until January 20, 1969
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post #26 of 43
3/21/09 at 5:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LDG View Post
PookieBoy beat me to it, but I was going to remind people about Nixon and Laugh-In, Clinton and Arsenio, Al Gore on Saturday Night Live, etc. etc. etc.

Obama should have gone for Saturday Night Live. At least it's scripted!

What I thought falls into the "he shouldn't have done it" camp was Bernanke on 60 minutes.

This administration is definitely going the propoganda-through-media route.

...and I totally agree with Utopia. That medium was playing with fire.

Laurie
I must have missed the Al Gore administration.

Clinton was not POTUS when on Arsenio. Geesh, from what I read he was campaigning for POTUS against Bush I and Clinton was down in the polls, he went on Arsenio and his poll numbers went up and the rest is history.

The same with Laugh-In, Nixon was campaigning in 1968. He won the election in November, 1968 and took off on January 20. 1969.

Not sure on the Bob Hope deal but Nixon was POTUS in 1970
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post #27 of 43
3/21/09 at 5:58pm
I think he should have done Ellen instead, I think she's much funnier. Plus she has a phantom cat hanging out in her studio.
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post #28 of 43
3/21/09 at 6:09pm
Okay, I tried to find Pookie Boy's reference to President Richard Nixon being on The Bob Hope Show on February 16, 1970.



http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=2513

Remarks to a Fund Raising Dinner for the Eisenhower Medical Center

Quote:
Note: The President's filmed remarks were shown at the dinner. They were also broadcast during Bob Hope's television show at 9 p.m. on February 16, 1970.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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post #29 of 43
3/21/09 at 6:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skippymjp View Post
I think he should have done Ellen instead, I think she's much funnier. Plus she has a phantom cat hanging out in her studio.
I thought he was kind of funny when he was on Ellen during the campaign.
I have to say one thing, Barack is a better dancer than President Bush.

But he was a tad stiff, but leagues ahead of President Bush when I saw him trying to do an ethnic African dance or something like that. It was PAINFUL watching Bush do that.
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post #30 of 43
3/21/09 at 7:41pm
Perhaps one of the reasons people are making a big deal out of this, which I don't think it really is, is that the country IS facing such huge issues right now, but the POTUS is making time to go on a late-night comedy show. The President isn't supposed to be a comedian, for exactly the reasons that ut0pia stated - comedy anymore is belittling another segment of society. Regardless, if he was too distracted by the other issues that he can't think things through before he says it, then he shouldn't be doing a comedy show for celebrities.

BTW, I'd heard it on many news shows from various sources that this is the first time a sitting President made an appearance on a show like this. Many candidates, including Obama and McCain, made appearances on the late night comedy shows while campaigning, as did Nixon, Gore, Clinton, Bush, etc. But they didn't do a show like this while President.
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