July 16, 2008
Obama Tells Larry King, "I've Seen and Heard Worse"
Barack Obama appeared on Larry King Live last night and topic number 1 was the New Yorker cover. You can read the transcript here, but Obama said, "I know it was the "New Yorker's" attempt at satire. I don't think they were entirely successful with it. But you know what, it's a cartoon, Larry, and that's why we've got the First Amendment. And I think the American people are probably spending a little more time worrying about what's happening with the banking system and the housing market, and what's happening in Iraq and Afghanistan, than a cartoon." Well, we can all hope.
| 
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
add to facebook
add to del.icio.us
Advertisement: Gothamist Continues Below!
Post a comment (Comment Policy)
[ report this ]
If people would be as insightful as this cartoon satire tries to be, we would NOT have the demented half brained BUSH and the whole team of evil behind him currently as president.
Unfortunately most people are really superficial, simple minded, and understand fear as the upmost code of language and politics.
A deep understanding requires some responsibility and effort in SELF education..people prefer not to do that. -That's why the fckn bible wins in spite of anything...
[ report this ]
Obama is all class. Someone buy that man a beer.
[ report this ]
I love that bit in bold above. Such a great way to say, "Hey, dumbasses, get over this and move on. There are more important things to talk about." And on a media outlet, no less. Good for him.
Seriously? Class. I was proud of him for that.
[ report this ]
Although, and no offense to Gothamist, but I kind of wish that no one even mentioned the cartoon today in response.
But now everyone is gonna talk about how he suggested we NOT talk about it or talk about not talking about it.
[ report this ]
That is a pretty great statement, but if you're watching Larry King chances are you have no idea what's actually happening in the world.
[ report this ]
Obama pretty much always says the intelligent thing. He's a great speaker and a very smart guy, it seems. McCain has always sounded like a moron. But Bush also sounded like a moron. (what an embarasment that he has been president for 8 years) I'm voting for the smarter guy (again). Hope he wins.
[ report this ]
"I know it was the "New Yorker's" attempt at satire. I don't think they were entirely successful with it."
zing!
[ report this ]
I give Obama credit for staying above the media hype and sticking to the important issues. Sadly most "stupid" Americans will look at this cover and make up their minds to vote against him. Soundbites are what will win votes, not common sense unfortunately. On the dumb side, I wonder what's Fox News take on this whole issue.
[ report this ]
Classy reaction from Obama, but too bad that he's distancing himself from the Muslim community
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/us/politics/24muslim.html?pagewanted=all
[ report this ]
If you read the transcript, Obama does mention that the cover insults Muslim-Americans and that there are Muslim-Americans doing great things here. But I do know what you mean, djwerdna, he's in a tricky place and I don't think he or his strategists have completely figured it out.
[ report this ]
The people who are going to look at the cover and vote against him, were ALREADY going to vote against him an had no intentions of changing their minds.
The cover is NOT going to lose votes for him. Ugh
Anyway, I'm done discussing it. I did buy it tho. One never knows what one might be able to sell on Ebay one day.
[ report this ]
Jen, you're right. He is in a tricky place, and it's completely due to the ignorance of many people. It's sad that reaching out to certain groups in the US ends up being a strategic and political decision. Politics as usual.
[ report this ]
Let's be realistic. For the most part, anybody who would be swung to vote against Obama because of this cartoon is probably not even aware that this is happening. It seems like a members only matter. When, and if, they do see it, they will react like Mohomed-bomb-head-ists, but it will be too late...much too late.
[ report this ]
Jen and djwerdna. I actually don't think Obama's in such a tricky place. The "Muslim vote" is certainly not a phrase that makes politicians in the US stand at attention. Muslims in the US simply don't have the voting power to significantly effect a national election yet.
So, sadly, Obama can ignore them and still win. Its like the controversy over the girls wearing the hijab in Detroit. Using cold political calculus, his people handled that correctly. Kick them off the stage, then offer an apology.
Its a sad commentary on the state of the US right now, but it is true that having those girls behind him as he spoke would probably have done much more damage than asking them to leave then apologizing later.
[ report this ]
#15 - Not if Fox News continues to splash the cover all over their election coverage, which is where a lot of these good ole boys get their news. Verifying their whole "terrorist fist jab" theory.
[ report this ]
Bingo, are you Puerto Rican or black? You seem to switch at a whim, depending on the topic. Also, if Obama is elected, then the whole 40 acres and a mule and 200 years of oppression hatchet needs to be buried. If being elected President of the United States of America isn't good enough to end the 'white man always holding me down' argument, I don't know what is.
[ report this ]
Sheesh, the only admirable thing to do would have been to laugh at the cartoon.
It clearly doesn't offend anyone except the people incorrectly portraying him as a muslim terrorist and his wife as a communist revolutionary.
It was funny, he should have laughed and told the American people "Yeah, it's pretty damn bizarre how my family is being characterized. But whatever, politics, you know?"
Instead, he came across as a politically correct - the very attribute amongst some liberals that killed the Democratic Party in the early 1990s.
Democrats who come across as being politically correct will never be elected to public office. Period.
[ report this ]
Bingo, I just realized that you're not Ramirez (or however the other guy spells his name), you're his backup. Does that mean you're Robin to his Batman?