Conservatives slam Obama over flag-less lapel

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Sat Oct 06, 2007 11:07 am

Obama mentioned he dosen't wear one of those little US flag pins. And the Right goes up in flames...

Yesterday, in response to a question from a reporter suspicious of why he wasn't wearing an American flag pin on his lapel, Barack Obama explained his belief that for some, the pins became a substitute for "true patriotism." The senator said he would instead "try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testimony to my patriotism."

I didn't expect leading conservative voices to understand, but I was a little surprised at the ferocity of the response. Jonah Goldberg described Obama's perspective as "staggeringly stupid," and "the single dumbest thing I've ever heard of him doing." Another prominent far-right blogger responded this way:

Seriously, you want this for President of these great United States.This is how he catches the attention of a media aligned with the terror force? This useful tool won't wear an American flag pin? Talk about pandering to the radical base, he ought to run against Ahmadinejad.

He is scoring points with Georgie Soros, won't be waiting long for his on his Soros stipend, I'm sure. What's Obama Hussein's new campaign slogan, "America Sucks!" ?

Higher-profile conservative voices were only slightly less unhinged.

But talk radio and cable news quickly pounced on the issue. "It just shows you he's not ready for the big time," conservative Laura Ingram opined on Fox News. Said Sean Hannity: "Why do we wear pins? Because our country is under attack!"

Hannity, a voice of reason in these trying times. Perhaps he believes lapel pins are some kind of protection against terrorist attacks? And if so, why doesn't he wear one more often?

But for my money, James Joyner relied on a Seinfeld episode to offer the most clever, poignant take on the "controversy."

ORGANIZER: But you have to wear an AIDS ribbon.

KRAMER: I have to?

ORGANIZER: Yes.

KRAMER: See, that's why I don't want to.

ORGANIZER: But everyone wears the ribbon. You must wear the ribbon!

KRAMER: You know what you are? You're a ribbon bully.

ORGANIZER: Hey you! Come back here! Come back here and put this on!

New scene - Kramer in the AIDS walk. Some AIDS activists accost him for failing to wear the red ribbon.

WALKER #1: Hey, where's your ribbon?

KRAMER: Oh, I don't wear the ribbon.

WALKER #2: Oh, you don't wear the ribbon? Aren't you against AIDS?

KRAMER: Yeah, I'm against AIDS. I mean, I'm walking, aren't I? I just don't wear the ribbon.

WALKER #3: Who do you think you are?

WALKER #1: Put the ribbon on!

WALKER #2: Hey, Cedric! Bob! This guy won't wear a ribbon!

BOB: Who? Who does not want to wear the ribbon?

New scene - Kramer surrounded by Cedric, Bob, and the other walkers.

BOB: So! What's it going to be? Are you going to wear the ribbon?

KRAMER (nervously): No! Never.

BOB: But I am wearing the ribbon. He is wearing the ribbon. We are all wearing the ribbon! So why aren't you going to wear the ribbon!?

KRAMER: This is America! I don't have to wear anything I don't want to wear!

CEDRIC: What are we gonna do with him?

BOB: I guess we are just going to have to teach him to wear the ribbon!

All I ever really needed to know, I learned watching Seinfeld.

Source

I think its good that Obama has the courage to get up and say that. He'd have my vote, if I lived over there.

Post by **Teaos** » Sat Oct 06, 2007 11:13 am

His reason for not wearing one makes a lot of sense. Damn idiot conservatives.

DarkOmen · Post by **DarkOmen** » Sat Oct 06, 2007 5:16 pm

Teaos wrote:Damn idiot conservatives.

I take offense to that Teaos. I am a conservative. I think you should say republican, because i do not consider myself that.

Being a conservative is believing a certain set of political views.
Bieng a republican means making an ass of yourself with quotes like the ones in the news report above.

But no, i could care less what kind of lapel obama wears... As usual, It's a group of idiots giving our party a bad name.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Sat Oct 06, 2007 5:38 pm

DarkOmen wrote: I take offense to that Teaos. I am a conservative. I think you should say republican, because i do not consider myself that.

Being a conservative is believing a certain set of political views.
Bieng a republican means making an ass of yourself with quotes like the ones in the news report above.

But no, i could care less what kind of lapel obama wears... As usual, It's a group of idiots giving our party a bad name.

There's lots of different types of conervatives in the US but it doesn't change the fact that alot of them are idiots, at least 50% of the US voting population elected George W Bush twice and that doesn't speak highly of their intellect and the polls show that there is still around 30% popular support for him. So no, not all conservatives are idiots but alot are. That's true of any group.

Monroe · Post by **Monroe** » Sat Oct 06, 2007 6:22 pm

It makes perfect sense for him not to. And good Sienfield post lol, I want to see that episode.

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Sat Oct 06, 2007 8:03 pm

They're whingeing about him not wearing a label pin? Where's that WFT emoticon when you need it?

Post by **Mikey** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 3:35 am

Well, the problem that the right wing has is that in the year 2007, they can't say what they really want to - which is, "Don't vote for him because he has African ancestry."

It seems that every time a well-spoken, learned, and rational opponent to the right stands up, he is attacked by irrelevant and nonsensical language that would make a third-grader say, "Huh? That's stupid." Unfortunately, there are enough people here that will listen to an attack based on someone's choice of jewelry rather than their choice of ideology.

BTW, I don't think 50% of our populace voted for Dubbya. We have far too many voting-capable people who don't vote - which is a shame and a travesty - and, you don't need half the vote in America to be elected. You just need the right states.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 4:11 pm

Mikey wrote:
BTW, I don't think 50% of our populace voted for Dubbya. We have far too many voting-capable people who don't vote - which is a shame and a travesty - and, you don't need half the vote in America to be elected. You just need the right states.

Well you get the idea.

Blackstar the Chakat · Sun Oct 07, 2007 7:06 pm

They're making a big deal out of his lapel? We really need a WTF emoticon for this. They should be talking about what he stands for. I wouldn't wear one of those pins. What do they prove anyway? This isn't a "who's got the best outfit" contest. And if American's are so patriotic then they should be voting, and not caring about a pin.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 7:11 pm

They are voting, for people just as stupid as them. *cough*Bush*cough*

Eosphoros · Post by **Eosphoros** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 7:59 pm

I just read this and I can't believe my own eyes. The idea that such stupid neo-con idiots are going to determine the fate of the world is making my hair hurt, and my skull feels two sizes too small. And they are determining the fate of the world. Whatever you may or may not think about the USA, their president is the most powerful man in the world. I wonder where are the times of the Founding Fathers, which the Americans so love to misinterpret. And what happened to the Republicans since the times of Theodore Roosevelt, whose beatiful quote on patriotism ("To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.") George W. Bush would never use in a speech.

BTW, hello, I'm new here.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 8:11 pm

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

I think I disagree with you (believe me, you'll see I do that a lot) when you say America's leaders are determining the fate of the world. Could they start a cataclysmic war which would destroy most of the northern hemisphere? Yes, but so could many countries. Any country with a nuclear weapon could do so, but would be destroyed in retaliation. And just because the guys running America are stupid enough to let him get away with this crap, it dosen't mean every other country is going to do the same things.
America dosen't run the world, it just thinks it does.

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 9:24 pm

He's got a point that while the US doesn't run the world, its actions are usually the ones that shape the course of world politics. As the only country with serious power-projection capabilities, and the fact that the state of the US economy basically dictates that of the world economy, when the US decides to do something, everyone's affected.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 9:32 pm

Hmm, a good point.

Granitehewer · Post by **Granitehewer** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 10:13 pm

that includes our little northern rock, debacle