Imagine if 'President McCain' Joked About the Special Olympics
President Barack Obama, in an appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno, made a self-deprecating but ill-advised joke, in which he referred to the Special Olympics. He quickly apologized. Crisis averted.
Fair enough.
But the real story is the media double standard: Imagine the uproar if a President John McCain made the Special Olympics comment.
For that matter, imagine if a President McCain mistook a White House window for a door; his secretary of Treasury had not paid taxes; he granted two dozen waivers to his no-lobbyists-in-government rule; and he had promised bipartisanship but got only three across-the-aisle votes for his "stimulus" package.
Imagine if President McCain, after promising a "clean break" from his predecessor, retained "extraordinary rendition," the FISA program, the option of wiretapping without warrants, and the option of using "enhanced interrogation techniques"; he promised to close Gitmo, then said it would take as long as a year, but then our European allies refused to take in "detainees" from their own countries; he reneged on/fudged his promise to have all combat troops out of Iraq within "16 months of his presidency"; he adopted for Afghanistan the same counterinsurgency strategy used in Iraq, which, as a candidate, he'd criticized for not "achieving its objectives"; and he used the same "state secrets" argument as did the Bush administration in the same court case, to avoid turning over certain national security documents in an ACLU-brought case on behalf of an alleged torture victim/detainee.
Imagine if — on the campaign trail — a future President McCain had declared a nuclear-armed Iran "unacceptable" but agreed to engage in negotiations without preconditions; Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the new President he must apologize for 60 years of anti-Iranian activity; President McCain then reached out to the Iranians in a televised address; and in response, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — who holds ultimate authority in Iran — told him to a) drop animosity and criticism, b) end sanctions, c) unfreeze assets, and d) end "unconditional support" for Israel.
Imagine if President McCain acted "outraged" — as though he, his secretary of Treasury, and a party leader (Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.) had not previously known about and approved the controversial AIG bonuses; executives at Freddie and Fannie, failed institutions now taken over by government, were getting bonuses, too; and during this recession, after criticizing taxpayer-funded corporate retreats, President McCain and First Lady Cindy McCain threw taxpayer-funded White House parties nearly every night, hiring entertainers such as Stevie Wonder and the Jonas Brothers.
Imagine if, as sitting president, McCain appeared on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno and cracked jokes, while — as the media would have written — "millions of Americans have lost their homes and their jobs with millions afraid they're next, yada, blah, etc."; he tripled the projected annual deficit and intended, within a short period, to double the national debt; and he promised to "create or save" an ever-changing number of jobs — never offering a yardstick to define a "saved job."
Imagine that McCain's vice president made a number of gaffes, including not knowing the "recovery" Web site despite going on national television to promote it and revealing on television — through his wife — that he'd had the option of a job as secretary of State or VP — thus showing the administration's extreme disrespect toward the current secretary of State.
Imagine if, of the 18 important sub-Cabinet positions in the Treasury Department, none were filled; after promising "transparency," McCain wouldn't say where the TARP money had gone and who had gotten it; after receiving bailout money, the largest 20 financial institution recipients actually reduced lending — the opposite intent of the program; saying that he wasn't a "socialist," McCain defended himself by asserting that "it wasn't on my watch" that we'd bought shares of banks — but omitted that, as senator, he'd supported and voted for it; and he constantly said he'd "inherited" the deficit despite — as a senator — voting for TARP and other programs that had wildly increased it.
Imagine if President McCain ungraciously treated Prime Minister Gordon Brown from the U.K. — our closest and oldest ally — and gave him cheap, tacky gifts apparently picked up from the White House gift shop and someplace like Wal-Mart.
Imagine if, despite a reputation for "eloquence," President McCain relied on teleprompters for even the most minor of statements, verbally stumbling and flailing when the teleprompters malfunctioned; he broke protocol and tradition by pre-picking and giving notice to the reporters to be called on in press conferences; and he admonished the out-of-power party by denouncing a popular talk show host and imploring the opposite party to refuse to listen to him.
Imagine if the media kept referring to him as "popular" when his poll numbers were virtually identical to those of George W. Bush at the 50-day mark in their respective presidencies; and his chief of staff, in a newspaper article about his achievements as a House member, said in front of a reporter that the opposition party could "go f—- themselves."
On the other hand, Cleveland State beat Wake Forest.
Larry Elder is a syndicated radio talk show host and best-selling author. His latest book, "Stupid Black Men: How to Play the Race Card — and Lose," is available now. To find out more about Larry Elder, visit his Web page at www.LarryElder.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
CREATORS SYNDICATE COPYRIGHT 2009 LAURENCE A. ELDER
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How refreshing it is to read that someone else sees what I have been thinking since BHO was elected. The main stream media's hypocrisy is just beyond words...and they have the gall to say Fox News is biased?! Thank you Larry Elder.
Comment: #1
Posted by: RBB
Thu Mar 26, 2009 6:42 PM
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Thanks, Larry Elder. Barack Obama feels 'he's the man', and after his 'somehwhat' background of friends and church folks, people who voted for him now know his 'hype' was just that - 'HYPE!' Our children and grandchildren don't stand a chance with his 'CHANGE'! Taxpayers getting $.02 from their dollar is a little more than greed! AND, now, they want more Power! It's time to cut politicians salaries and retirements to $12,000.00 yearly or another choice, take all their assets (which really belong to the working man), sell them a one-way ticket to the foreign countries, with just the clothes on their backs, and let them see just what they've done to the once, stable, American worker!
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DO YOU THINK TAXPAYERS' MONEY, COMING FROM SOCIAL AND WELFARE
PROGRAMS, SHOULD HAVE BEEN USED FOR OBAMA'S CAMPAIGN!
Folks, the Change, needed for hard-working Taxpayers, that have a job at
present, ‘ain't gonna happen' unless you let the politicians know you're fed up
with what they've done to destroy America and America's future!' Obama's
‘deceit and hype', his bigger and greedy administration, will, unfortunately, finish
bankrupting America! Taxpayers, of all races, just thought they were fed up with
the Bush Administration! They're totally fed up with the Obama administration!
Have people been fools or what? Obama's well-written speeches made some of
his voters believe he was the only real man to be President, but, after only a
couple months on job, Taxpayers know better as he should have decided the
Number #1 priority should be, cutting politicians salaries and retirements to
$12,000.00 a year, for their less than one month of public service. ‘Fair Tax', to
include property taxes, should have been another top priority to cut spending.
Wouldn't this have been the right thing for him to do, instead of talking about all
the things he's going to do, thus, costing trillions more!”
Obama promised to redistribute wealth! In other words, raising taxes on highest
income earners who are private business owners! By allowing this to happen
would mean ‘no more jobs!' Raising taxes, increasing government spending,
allowing more power to his administration, and the creation of more massive
government bureaucracies, during these depressed times, will accomplish the
socialist's goal! Guess what, folks, these socialist and radical changes will come
back to haunt America for generations.Your children and grandchildren don't
stand a chance!
It was one thing for Obama to campaign for almost two years, spending millions
of dollars that's needed for America's debt and the homeless, rather than him
trying to prove he's ‘the man'! Do you think Taxpayers money, coming from
social and welfare programs, should have been used for Obamas' campaign? Do
you still think Obama is working for America's best interest?
For several decades, Taxpayers know politicians, of all races, are somewhat
responsible as they should have stopped the ‘tax and spend' politicians, long
ago, and put an end to ‘social and welfare programs', ‘non-profit organizations',
‘handouts', ‘bailouts', committees, sub-committees, this board and that board,
and any other organization that take any amount of Taxpayers' money. Let's take
a look at how some of these socialist and radical programs took place.
1977 - Community Reinvestment Act. Remember the Carter admininstration.
Along came the Clintons. At that time, the Democratic Congress intimidated
banks and other financial institutes into making sub-prime loans to high-risk
buyers. Therefore, Mr. Obama, you can stop telling Americans that ‘you inherited
the trillion dollar deficit from Mr. Bush', as people who actually work and pay
taxes, know you're lying. The ones who live off social and welfare programs
shouldn't have been pushed into thinking they could have the American dream
without working for it and frankly, couldn't care less as long as the illegitimates
keep coming along with the monthly checks they're not entitled to!
2000-2008 -Taxpayers remember when Barney Frank, Meeks, Waters, Dodd (just
to name a few) vouched for Freddie and Fannie stating “We don't have a crisis
and there's nothing wrong!” Taxpayers knew better. Even the homeless person
on the street knew better! What does this tell you?
Obama, Geithner, Frank, Waters, Dodd, Reid, Clinton, Pelosi, Kennedys, Raines,
Howard, and Johnson, (just to name a few) ‘vouch for each other, lie and are still
collecting a salary they're not entitled to!' Raines, Howard, and Johnson, you
know, part of the Fannie/Freddie groups, who walked away with 20-90 million
dollar parachutes! Taxpayers wonder how many millions politicians received?
By the way, don't politicians have some nerve saying that ‘stronger government
regulatory power is essential and broader powers are needed by them?' This may
be shocking to you, but you're absolutely not entitled to what power you have
now and Taxpayers would be fools to let you finish bankrupting America after
what some of you have done to this country!
2009 - Politicians are now pushing infrastructures stating “America's Highways,
bridges, water, sewer plants need money, manpower and a new vision!” A few
politicians have admitted these are temporary solutions. Until textile and
manufacturing jobs, actually putting people back to work, are brought back to
America, your ‘ideas of spending more money we don't have' isn't needed! The
people in these manufacturing jobs worked hard, paid taxes, bought houses,
cars, furniture, and clothes, and kept the economy rolling.
From early 1970 until 2009, the automakers continued ‘making lots of cars'! Not
good-made cars from America steel and components, but from plastic being sold
to America for huge profits! Didn't it occur to the ‘managers' that since almost
nothing put into this cars was made in America, that jobs would go ‘bye-bye', as
the people buying these cars were losing their jobs and stability because of Nafta
and Cafta! Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out, now does it?
While I'm on a roll, it's time for AIG, Freddie, Fannie, several banks and
investments firms, GM, Chrysler, and others taking Taxpayers money, to file
bankruptcy, immediately, as they all need to learn how to run a business, keep up
with the times, and stop the politicians and their buddies from taking control of
Americans and their businesses!
Just think Obama is now stating ‘maybe, his new spending of almost another four
trillions will be partially paid off by 2012!' With What? Oh, I almost forgot, 2012 is
election year!
Comment: #2
Posted by: Shirley deLong
Mon Mar 30, 2009 10:19 AM
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Mr. Elder:
You mentioned that President Obama appeared on Jay Leno where he goofed commenting on the Special Olympics
you, sir, negected to mention that the restless President bogied down with Ellen Degenerate on national television.
Thank you Mr. Elder for the chance to comment,
Cordially,
George Kern
Middleburg, FL.
Comment: #3
Posted by: George Kern
Mon Mar 30, 2009 2:55 PM
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