Obama Makes Birther Joke At Prayer Breakfast

[jefferson_dem]

Run time: 00:50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNjzVpMlWa0   Posted on YouTube: February 04, 2010 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: February 04, 2010 By DU Member: jefferson_dem Views on DU: 6390

 
At this morning's national prayer breakfast in Washington D.C., President Obama made a birther joke.

Calling once again for a return to civility in politics, the president declared that civility is "not a sign of weakness" and that he's "the first to confess I'm not always right.

"Surely you can question my policies without questioning my faith," the president said, pausing for a few seconds before adding, "or, for that matter, my citizenship."

The crowd laughed and applauded.

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/02/obama-makes-birther-joke-at-prayer-breakfast.php

[tanyev]

1. Heh.

[Raven]

2. I don't think he meant it as a joke.

[ProgressOnTheMove]

3. No he didn't but the irony of the situation is funny. GOP never questioned the previous ..

43 Presidents who didn't quite look likke Pres. Obama, imagine that. What possible difference could make them react so differently this time I wonder. It was just taken as read the previous Presidents were all citzens no ivestigation required. But with Obama oh now let's see, they are such punks.

[ginnyinWI]

4. I detect a bit of hurt over this.

I think Obama is very patriotic and loves our country deeply, and it has to hurt a little to be accused of not being one of us. Not a lot, but a little. He knows it's politics, but still.

[Ninga]

5. I agree whole-hardly agree with you! More over, I think his "hurt" stems from the fact

that there may be some in that room (GOP) that have not had the courage to refute what the crazies have asserted.

His "hurt" is not directed at the words, but at the lack of courage of those who have stood by and allowed it to continue.

(Is Michelle Bachman attending?)

[MarinCoUSA]

32. Exactly! Agreed! 100% Correct

esp. the part about the irresponsibility of the Responsibles.

[peace13]

8. Hurt a little?

The entire premise that he is not a citizen is insanity. Do you remember the Dem primaries? I would bet my life on the fact that if Hillary had the least inkling that Obama was not a citizen she would have sowed that seed fully and completely. These people who continue to spew this idea are insane and I think if Obama had realized that we would still be talking about this issue one full year after his inauguration, his team would have taken the threat seriously and squashed it at conception.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

25. But Hillary thought that Obama "was not a Muslim, as far as she knew"

She tried to get away with it as much as she could, without blowing up her candidacy.

[peace13]

27. OMG you just brought back a bad memory that I had forgotten.

Yes, her memory was bad but we have to know that if there was any question in her mind about his citizenship she would have followed that lead to the moon!

[spiritual_gunfighter]

29. The campaign couldn't have gotten away with it

Mark Penn would have tried it if he thought they would have gotten traction with it. Mark Penn was pushing the campaign to run with the "Obama is a former coke dealer" meme and went on Hardball that summer with David Axelrod and mentioned cocaine to put it out there.

They were shameless.

[Jefferson23]

40. That was the last straw for me with Clinton, I'll never forget that one.

[Politicalboi]

44. I'll never forget that or

The time she went to Bosnia under "sniper fire". That lie to me was the end of her campaign. My god there was video of that event and she still lied about it. But like I said before, had Obama not been a citizen Hillary would have exposed that, and rightly so. There's nothing wrong with that. I would have been pissed if he wasn't a citizen and it was found out later. Magoo and Falin would have won by default. I'll always love this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHVEDq6RVXc

[troubledamerican]

51. + 1 for that sinister reference

[Bette Noir]

37. He tried. He posted his birth certificate online,

something no other candidate has had to do. The opposition is not rational.

[zbdent]

39. "something no other candidate has had to do" ...

what language was John McCain's birth certificate in?

He never had to prove his citizenship ... and yet, he was born in a more "foreign" country than Hawai'i ...

[ProgressOnTheMove]

9. Well it's only one of thousands of things they've done since the GE really. It all

adds up to really annoying in total. As Pres. Obama has said he got elected POTUS so not all folks question his credentials so it ain't all bad.

[AlinPA]

21. With the GOP wrapping themselves in the teabaggers and birthers, they must condone

the birthers or lose support. I have never heard of any republican disagreeing with the birthers. It has to be one of their cardinal points in their purity test: if you don't support birthers, no GOP support.

[leftynyc]

28. We must hang the birthers

around the neck of every pub running in 2010. Make them come out in support or against. It's the kind of thing that will drive independents away.

[AlinPA]

33. They are very slippery, and the Democrats give them a pass on it. nt

[wizstars]

35. you should've just left off the part in the body.....

"We must hang the birthers"



before or after we hang Bush/Cheney/Rummy/Rice for war crimes??

[The Wizard]

38. ask every

GOP candidate if the President is a citizen and if the President is a Socialist. Make them commit. If they say no to the aforementioned questions they alienate the base. If they say yes they get aligned with the lunatic fringe.

[RoccoR5955]

45. GOP never questioned

Panama John McCain's "natural" citizenship either. Even though he was not born in the US, they said nothing, and kept believing that he was born on American territory. Territory is NOT the US.

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. Was thinking the same.

He looked serious and only a brief smile after the audience reaction.
It really sounded more like a dig, given his tone of voice.

[tango-tee]

48. What I saw on his face was pain.

The President got in his "dig", sure enough. But in addition, if you watch his facial expression closely, I think these particular assaults have hurt him to the core. Perhaps the audience only laughed because they were too far removed, could not "read" his face at close proximity and thus thought he was joking. He wasn't.

And watching this poignant moment brought a tear to my eye.

Disagree with his policies, his appointments, whatever (which in many cases I do) - that is our right and responsibility as citizens. But watching the RW unrelentingly pull stunts and produce vicious lies to discredit an honorable man is beyond the pale.

[SemperEadem]

14. a sneaker sting of sarcasm, beautifully concealed.

since everyone who watches it gets the "yeah, damb... you're right" his questions prompts.

[FailureToCommunicate]

19. Agreed. His deft turn of phrase cut cleanly. It was no "joke"

[pasto76]

36. he DEFINITELY didnt mean that as a joke.

I know his first year hasnt been stellar policy wise, but goddammit I like this guy

SGT PASTO

[riverbendviewgal]

6. Good to see he can bring it up and out in the open

What a man, what a president...America is so lucky to have him as their president.

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. I hope that 2010 is the year of Obama the Pitbull. He's off to a good start!

Keep shoving their idiocy and their evil back in their faces!

:woo:

[ProgressOnTheMove]

10. +1

[dotymed]

13. Good comment,

but he should not have attended this "prayer breakfast." It supports a cult, "THE FAMILY" that supports the killing of gays. Come on Mr. President, if you call them out on anything, call them out on that.

[gblady]

16. looks like he did comment on it....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x169515

[Cha]

24. Thank you.

[tango-tee]

49. Actually, I meant to send my reply to you.

Please see my post # 48. The expression on the President's face... I hope he uses 2010 to seriously start kicking butt.

It is 6:15 a.m. over here, I need to get ready to go to work.

[The Wielding Truth]

34. Wasn't there a lesson in Daniel and the lion's den? Barack went into the ugly bowels

of those who gave up morality in the attempt to attain power through any means,and talked out leaving behind the light of civility.

These people do exist. He is showing a side of them that is ugly. Confronting them in there cloistered meeting places with us watching is the best way to plant the seeds of honesty.

[AspenRose]

12. Precisely the audience who needed to hear that.

Truths are often hidden in things people interpret as jokes. He was serious, but presented it in a non-threatening way.

[hvn_nbr_2]

22. Yes. Did anyone else notice the nervous uncomfortable tinge to the laughter?

There was an interesting process that happened within only a couple seconds in the audience. First, there was normal laughter (from the sane folks present), then quickly came the laughter with a nervous guilty tinge to it (from the insane folks who took longer to get it), then polite applause, then enthusiastic applause from the sane element. It all happened within a couple seconds.

[Dogmudgeon]

15. Obama is learning how to twist the knife

And, he has learned early that understatement works better than ranting.

(Are you listening, Internet?)

--d!

[tomm2thumbs]

17. precisely - and the truth hurts more than anything else can when inserted properly

these doofuses who continue their idiotic attacks slowly but surely are losing their standing with others listening - and they are eventually stop listening to em

[Hekate]

18. Kick and Rec. It was worth getting up early just to find out he'd commented on Uganda...

... or rather, on the LGBT community in the US, and not-so-incidentally, Uganda. Now to find out he also slipped in a birther comment, which I think was in all seriousness.

I hope I get to see the whole speech later today.

See that one? He's MY PRESIDENT! :loveya:

Hekate

[vaberella]

42. High-Five. n/t

[AlinPA]

20. He did not mean that as joke. When the audience reacted, some laughing at him, others

applauding him, it took him a short time for him to smile. The applause is understandable, but the laughter could be taken a couple of ways.

[Grown2Hate]

23. Absolutely agree. After watching it, he was dead serious. I liked it. NT

[impik]

26. No, he did not find it funny AT ALL.

[Celtic Merlin]

30. There ya go, birthers!! Stick THAT in yer collective asses. [n/t]

[wizstars]

31. "Birther Joke"--isn't that a Redundancy?? n/t

[Jefferson23]

41. Good for him, keep taking shots at them. The Republicans disgust

and embarrass our country. How can anyone forget the uproar when Obama, heaven forbid, wanted to speak to the children of
this country as the new school year began! Oh no, can't have that without all the racist over-tones shelled out daily.

That was a humiliating moment for America, thanks to the RW.

[nevergiveup]

50. The bit with the school children was the bottom for me.

The absolute bottom.......as I knew at that point there was a larger than I previously thought group of citizens who would never accept this man. As an American I was truly ashamed and embarrassed.

[stlsaxman]

43. Missleading headline- he was NOT joking.

[Peace_Sells]

46. no joke

He was dead serious right there. And he should be this shit from the right wing is ridiculous.

[Divine Discontent]

47. that tone was not a "joke". he smiled because they laughed, but he is going after the zombies who

attack him relentlessly with these ludicrous and outlandish lies.

He has a long way to go to win my vote back, but he's been doing well these past few weeks. If he keeps up the policy push that has started to appear, I will back off my no-vote.

[MilesColtrane]

52. Ba....Zinga!

[Selena Harris]

53. "C" Street Group is the host for these Prayer Breakfasts

I would think that could be part of the reason for the zinger.

[Loudmxr]

54. It refers to the Jesus doesn't have a birth cert.

So that is why Obama thinks he is the savior crap. I think the pastors are just jealous.(oh I am soooo sounding like my mom.)

[davidpdx]

55. I saw the clip earlier and tend to think he shouldn't have mentioned it

The reason why is it gives credence to the wack jobs that supported it. They have already had their 15 minutes of fame and then some. Kick them off the stage and throw them out the door.

[Selena Harris]

56. Obama pours some hot water on Teabaggers

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

57. Refreshing to have a President....

who can admit to his faults and mistakes, then have it shown he was (is) correct on many different levels.

OK, its just refreshing to have a PERSON that can do that.

We should all learn from his actions.

[DutchLiberal]

58. The Prayer Breakfast is organized by far-right fundamentalist 'The Family'...

... who have been exposed as being the driving force being legislation in Uganda to make homosexuality punishable by death. (Among many, many other things.) Democrats need to stay away from them, although that will be hard when Biden and the Clintons are close to 'The Family'.