September 15, 2009
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Dear President Obama
I understand you called Kanye West a Jackass today: http://blogs.current.com/currentdotcom/2009/09/15/quick-note-to-the-internets-are-forever-great-blunders-in-twitter/
Good for you!
I only wish you had done it ON the record and on national live television.
And while you’re at it I can think of a long list of jackasses that probably could use some calling out. In fact that’s how you should respond next time a Congressman interrupt one of your speeches to call you a liar on prime time national television.
“YOU LIE!”
“Jackass. Now as I was saying about Health Care reform…”
I think that might be a better long term strategy for you.
Good luck with your Presidency. Please be more liberal.
Your friend,
Kellen
XDDDDDD
I’m only being a little tongue and cheek. Honestly this news, if it’s true, does give me more respect for the President.
Comments (17)
I still have no idea who Kanye West is. I don’t watch enough tv
I don’t think the most powerful man in the country should call people a jackass on the record. That has the power to decimate someone’s career. Especially this president, and especially a black singer, ya know?
But still kudos : D
@ShamelesslyRed - Consider yourself lucky.
I sure do hope Obama really did say that. It would just be the coolest thing ever. I don’t even know why, it just would.
@agnophilo - you are probably right. In THIS political environment in particular it would probably just be feeding fuel to a fire. But I still think honesty in presidents is a good thing and I wish he could speak his mind without people reading too much into it or over reacting to it.
Wishful thinking I guess.
@ShamelesslyRed - i don’t really watch TV either. Nor did I see the incident that inspired this. However, I do know who Kanye West is from his music. He’s a pretty good singer, rapper and better record producer. He’s responsible for producing hit singles for Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and numerous other famous artists. One song of his I like is called Stronger which very effectively samples Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by Daft Punk.
He’s also done a lot philanthropical work in Chicago where he grew up, funding initiatives to keep kids in school. In addition he contributes funds to projects and appears in charity benefit concerts in support of the environment and in support of Iraq veterans suffering from PTSD amongst other causes.
He’s also, many times, what we call an arrogant self-centered bonehead. Also known as, in the President’s words. A Jackass. Whether it’s who he really is or an act he plays for the fame I have no idea. Probably a lot of A and a little of B.
In this case, his jackassery apparently appeared in an incident where he basically tried to humiliate Taylor Swift when she was being given a well deserved award and say that she didn’t deserve it. You can look up more information about what happened and the aftermath involving Beyonce and the apology pretty much anywhere on the internet if you’re curious.
@nephyo - I think he should speak his mind, but the biggest, strongest man in the world should not single any one person out like that, no matter what a jackass they obviously are being.
It’s just not how you behave in that position. On the record, anyway.
But yeah, no matter what he says the news will go crazy over it and the right will turn it into some kind of orwellian fantasy.
@ModernBunny - Yes. I agree. I don’t know that current.tv is inclined for pranks so I assume it’s a true story until I learn otherwise. And yes It definitely IS the coolest thing ever.
@agnophilo - well I’m not sure about that as a general principle. But definitely singling out a rap artist for anyone with the President’s power would be kinda ridiculous no matter what your world view is which is kinda why this story amuses me so much. Yes, the President’s words have extraordinary power and if he should ever have good reason to berate someone for political purposes it would have a profound effect. But something like that you’d expect it to be targeted at like heads of state or leaders of major multinational corporations and the likes.
That’s why it’s clear that the President was just literally speaking off the cuff saying his honest opinion, not trying to make a political statement. I’m curious as to how the conversation turned to Kanye West anyway? Don’t they have anything better to talk to the leader of the free world about than a silly incident during the MTV music awards?? I mean really. This will be utterly forgotten in a year or two.
I do think it’d be cool if the President had “slipped” in this way live on national T.V. Yes it would be a mistake, but I don’t think it would be a devastating one. Even Kanye West’s career would likely survive since he’s banking his career on being the “badass”. He might lose sponsors for a short time and have to mount a comeback but I don’t think it would be long. And if the President had to apologize to him for calling him Jackass it would probably give him an immediate substantive boost.
But even if his career did come to a end, I wouldn’t weep. It would be unfair sure. But Kanye’ll have his millions to console him and only his own self to blame.
But that’s all idle speculation. I was and am still just being somewhat tongue-in-cheek. What I really mean is that the President needs to fight and be more direct and aggressive with his critics, calling them out for their obnoxious behavior. I don’t mean that he should literally go around calling every “jackass” a “jackass” wherever as many people as possible can hear it. That’s be funny as hell but not good politics nor would it be morally defensible.
@nephyo - You apparently don’t watch fox news and their ilk. When the navy shot those automatic weapon-wielding pirates because they were going to kill their hostage the next day limbaugh was lamenting about “these poor black teenagers”. I’ve said a few times if obama walks across the room they’ll report it as “obama wears out another floor, causing tax payers to buy another one that much sooner”.
The level of spin is insane, and something off the cuff and innocuous stops being innocuous when you have 24 hour news networks obsessing over it for a week-long news cycle. They have to invent and reinvent and slant and spin every little thing to make it interesting. Even if there aren’t ten angles at which to approach a story, they’ll find ten.
But yeah, I still maintain that goliath shouldn’t pick on david even if he’s an asshole.
I can’t believe that something like that got on the News to begin with. What is happening to our country? Seriously… When someone takes the spot light from another celebrity, we better turn to our news channels and make sure we get the low down! For crying out loud!
@agnophilo - I misspoke slightly. I said I didnt think the mistake of calling Kanye West an asshole would be a devastating one. I meant it would not be a devastating one for Kanye West. That is I was specifically saying I didn’t think it would ruin West’s career. Even though Barack is Goliath and West is David I don’t think in this case it would make that huge of a difference. Because West doesn’t operate in the same world as Obama where he has to retain public will and corporate donations in order to get re-elected. I honestly don’t think Obama’s words would effect that media worth he’s a part of that much in the long term. He might suffer short term pain but in five, ten years nobody will remember that Obama called him a jackass. I mean Michael Jackson retains his popularity after being accused of pedophilia! Controversies seem to not touch celebrities as much as they do politicians.
And there’s a reason for that of course. The celebrities are making companies money. And controversey makes them money too. But they have no reason or need to destroy West’s career in the long term.
But yes I am very aware of the way the spin system works. I actually listened to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and other radio programs for a year and a half after I got out of college. I’m very familiar with the way they operate. I try not to watch Fox News just because I don’t want to throw the nearest heavy object through my television set every hour or so. I wait for news sites and the daily show to distill that information to me.
A good example of the Obama walks across the room pheonomena. Theres’ a story I read the other day where Fox News reported that Obama was withholding millions of dollars of the stimulus to fight forest fires in California and wasting them in Washington DC. Of course they failed to report that the Stimulus included OVER $60 million to fight forest fires in CA. Somehow that just slipped their mind. So somehow Obama becomes responsible for forest fires in CA.
So yeah, definitely if Obama called West a Jackass, certain media figures would have a field day. And they might yet do that still even wit hit OFF the record. Actually the thought of this did cross my mind when I posted this. It seemed like maybe I shouldn’t even bring any more attention to this since it might get picked up.
But you know what? I bet Rush Limbaugh would have used the incident to say something bad about Obama anyway. I an hear him now: “Kanye West and Barack Obama are exactly the same! Arrogant people who want everything given to them” blah blah blah. Nothing Obama says or doesn’t say will prevent him from being hit.
So this is just a hypothetical, but maybe watching his words trying to prevent himself from saying any little thing that might add feul to the fire isn’t an effecctive strategy? It doesn’t seem to have been wroking so far. Maybe being more blunt, giving them the fuel, and then showing the absurdity of their attacks might work better?
I honestly don’t know. I’m just speculating.
@nephyo - No, I don’t think he should base his statements on what the limbaughs and becks of the world will say. I’m saying he shouldn’t single one person out to attack them on general principle. When he criticizes people he never does so by name, he just criticizes their statement, even when he’s quoting someone. Because otherwise it’s bad form.
I mean the dude who shouted “you lie” during his congressional speech looked like he was going to shit his pants giving his apology on tv, and his opponent in the next election raised more the day after the speech than he had in the previous year.
The last time Obama went on the record, he ended up inviting a police officer and professor to the White House for beer.
Democrats are no better than Joe Wilson. They booed Bush’s speeches too, and Obama was in the crowd, by the way.
Nice.
I cheer that Pres. Obama said that, but at the same time, he’s presidential, above it all… and it’s good it’s something privately said that got out, instead of a public statement.
As for the guy who interrupted him, during his Congress speech, bad manners, but I understand where he’s coming from. There is no provision in the current bill that says illegals get medical coverage, but at the same time, there is no enforcement either. Basically, all talk, with no substance. And the Rep actually thought of an add that allows people to check the people for legality, but it was voted down by the Dems.
Of course, we don’t know if this check verification system would have taken too long, in which case a person could have died (ie ER room). In california, it’s illegal to check to see if the person they are treating is a US Citizen/Legal immigrant or not. So no idea if the idea Reps came up with, had any realistic application on that topic.
Speaking of topic, it is still rude to say “you lie” to the president of the united states while he’s speaking to congress.
Question: is it wrong to “hiss” at the President of the United States while he addresses congress?