Hours before the Jay Leno show aired, many were commenting on a "disparaging" remark made by the President, in regards to the Special Olympics. Normally, I do not watch the late night talk shows, and I had actually gone to sleep early. I awoke (as usual) and started "sleep surfing" the channels and there HE was on Leno. So I woke up to watch this first time event for a sitting President. I though our president handled himself quite well and when the remark was made - it was more of an aside, than an outright comment. If one were not listening closely, they would not have even heard his comment. As usual, the media is making that the president has to walk on egg shells and censor all that comes out of his mouth.I have sensitivity towards this wonderful program (Special Olympics) and like I say, in my opinion, no apology was even necessary.
Kudos for Obama, by taking that apologetic step before the show even aired. I just feel that since he was the first President in office to appear on a late night talk show...there were groups that were ready to pounce on the least little thing said. Shame.
Back to work I go....I shall return.....later.............
7 comments:
Oh, you are so right. The people that don't like him are really out for blood. I wonder what we could accomplish if we could all work together?
Just for the heck of it (and to refresh my memory) I re-watched the entire 24 minutes -- the special olympics reference comes about 21 minutes in, and it follows substantive comment after substantive comment. I hate to say it, but the Obama haters must have been jumping with joy right after it happened, because by focusing on that one slip they can get people to ignore all the really good stuff that preceded it.
I've always had mixed feelings about the Special Olympics -- I don't see what's so terribly special about them; they've turned the word "special" into a euphemism for disabled or retarded, and from my perspective all that's done is encourage people to talk around awkward subjects instead of addressing them directly. My brother had Down syndrome so I'm really happy with the progress made in the past few decades in mainstreaming people who once would have been institutionalized and ignored, but I also think we as a society engage in a lot of delusional thinking and wishy-washy language when it comes to people who are handicapped/disabled/challenged/differently abled or whatever the current acceptable terminology happens to be.
He has hurt many families in America. He needs to say he is sorry in the public, not to some organization.
During the campaign for the White House in 2008, the media criticized Palin for being ‘common,’ and ‘not presidential.’ However, compare Sarah Palins attitude in this video created three weeks ago for the Special Olympics in Boise, Idaho.
You decide the more ‘presidential’ among them:
http://tinyurl.com/ccz6nj
Sarah Palin is Presidential much like Rev. Ted Haggard is straight.
Obama's stimulus package gives more money to FUND special needs children in public schools, money that hasn't been given to education or those special children for, say,... 8 years. Sarah Palin is one of the many Republican governors who are saying they are not taking the money which would GO to those special needs kids.
She must think, "Doesn't everybody have a nanny who watches the kid until they are put into a private school where you don't have to see them anymore and you can get back to your life of gouging as much federal and state money and Republican National Committee money for your own personal life."
By the way, Obama should be called-out for this comment. Sure, it means shit compared to the problems and stealing from the taxpayers that were ignored for, say,... 8 years; but, if Dick Cheney or Condi Rice said that, the Left would be outraged!
Pro: Sarah Palin plays to the media. She is NOT the spokesperson for the Special Olympics, and considering she is one of the state leaders refusing the stimulus monies...much of which goes to "special education", now let her explain that gaffe. this country and the media has moved so far into being PC - they forget how we were raised. My generation never used the titles "special needs" and such. When someone had Downs Syndrome, yes, they were referred to as retarded - which was NOT derrogatory by any means.
Obama made an appropriate apology to the organization - and btw Maria Shriver was NOT outraged at all.
this could have been avoided entirely had the piece been editted out altogether - as it was taped several hours before airing. I believe there was "intent" on the networks part in this matter.
I heard Palin's statement. What a bloody hypocrite. She treats her kids like stage props, cuts funding to special needs kids, and then wants to lecture the rest of us? I don't think so.
Saw in the news recently there's yet another ethics investigation starting up into her behavior in Alaska. Maybe if we're all real lucky we'll get to see her doing a perp walk one of these days.
You know, I didn't see the show. I don't think I want to, either. Mostly because I don't want to LOOK for a reason to be upset.
We all say stupid things. He should be given a chance to make things right.
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