One of the Red State clowns:
Mainstream U.S. newspapers have not covered the book throwing incident, as they did the shoe thrown at President Bush, but CBS offers a video report which you can watch here.
It is not clear what the book was, where it came from in the crowd or why it was thrown at Obama. Perhaps it was an attempt to imply Obama should be punished for his efforts to lurch the country far to the left with government-controlled health care and his cap and tax energy plan which he admits is designed to bankrupt the coal industry.
The Secret Service is now shedding some more light on the circumstances surrounding a man who threw a book at President Obama at an event in Pennsylvania Sunday. And they’re not throwing the book at him.
According to Secret Service spokesperson, Ed Donovan, the person involved was an overzealous author who just wanted to toss his book into the president’s reading list.
“He was an over exuberant person who wrote a book that he wanted the president to read,” Donovan told CNN.
This video explains why people stuck to throwing shoes, rather than books, at Bush.
geg6
Seriously. Is Obama the quintessential I’m-rubber-you’re-glue guy who never actually has to say the phrase, events just always conspire to make it work out that way for him?
It is truly amazing, I have to say.
General Stuck
because everyone knows Bush don’t read too good, and is a soleless motherfucker.
Roger Moore
That’s just the cover up intended to protect our Muslin Overlord from embarrassment at being shamed by a Real American(TM). You can bet that quote comes from some PR flack, not a real Secret Service agent. Wake up sheeple!
el donaldo
Also, the Guardian reported that the streaker voted for Obama and intended no political comment – he was just trying to collect on the $1 million prize for the prank.
morzer
Presumably people didn’t throw books at Bush because the wretched creature tended to eat anything he got. It took them ten minutes to wrestle the infamous shoe from his gaping jaws.
Cris
Perhaps this incident, about which I have no details, was related to my pet issues. Is it irresponsible to speculate?
Zifnab
In before “Is our children learning?”
lamh32
I’m actually glad it was innocuous. Whoever that dude was, he sure better be glad he didn’t get shot or tasered, or just plain beat up by the people around him. Good on the SS for not shooting first and asking questions later.
Lev
I don’t ask for much, wingnuts, but some logical progression would be nice. Saying that the guy who threw the shoe at Bush was symbolically saying that Bush was worse than dirt makes sense. It’s solid symbolism. Saying that the guy who threw a book at Obama is angry at big government is just pure projection. The most logical interpretation is that he wants Obama to read the book, which is the case.
I guess in Red State World, people throw sailor hats onto the stage at Cher shows because they’re so angry at Cher’s stance on Italy’s claim to Cyprus. If she even has one…
Steve
I still think Bush successfully ducking the shoe was one of the best moments of his presidency, not quite up there with throwing out the first pitch after 9/11, but close.
gbear
Perhaps it was a crazed fan who was attempting to throw his undies at Obama (as many of Tom Jones’ fans do) but, to his horror, discovered that pants make that impractical, so he threw a book instead.
Can Red State prove this wasn’t the case? It would be irresponsible not to speculate.
edit: Argh. Chis got there first.
Ash Can
Is there anyone at Red State who hasn’t made an ass of himself/herself in public, many times over?
BGinCHI
Sometimes a book is just a book.
MattR
@Steve:
Sad but true.
Midnight Marauder
Yep. Someone was so upset about all these crazy leftist schemes to take over the government, they went to an Obama rally and…threw a book at him. OPEN AND SHUT CASE, REDSTATE!
If this is what President Obama’s political opposition is resorting to now–rather than stocking up on sniper rifles and homemade pipe bombs–then I think a lot of this country is going to be exhaling rather deeply this week.
cat48
I like that the “necked” man had his Vote 2010 signs in the proper place. For an “arrogant, self centered, what Halpern said, etc” prez, he can still draw a crowd. Seems they may be getting wilder though like the rest of the population.
Chyron HR
“Yes! Perhaps this was an attempted physical assault on the President of the United States of America, carried out by someone who shares my political views! I’m sure that would make our right-wing movement look good somehow!”
SenyorDave
I think people are just fed up. Between the Birth Certificate, the black panthers, ACORN, Michelle’s “get whitey”, and the anti-colonialism thing, they’ve just had it, and this was a manifestation of pent-up anger.
Either that or just an guy who wanted to get his book out there.
BGinCHI
@SenyorDave: This better fucking be snark.
Don’t make me pull this blog over.
Martin
Yes, I read about the incident on the front page of the LA Times and then again on the front page of CNN.
“Mainstream U.S. newspapers have not covered” = I was reading the New Orleans Times Picayune one day in August 2005 and they didn’t have a single story about John McCain’s birthday, the fucking liberal commie rag! All they could talk about was the weather and a bunch of black people who went to a convention and couldn’t find a water fountain.
J
I know it’s a bit snobbish to object to someone’s English, but I’m going to do it anyway, with the excuse that Mr Spencer at Redstate is almost certainly an anti-immigrant bigot among other things and so deserves it.
‘Lurch’ is not a transitive verb, and this is a crime against the language.
noncarborundum
Or perhaps not. Anyone with more than a nodding acquaintance with books would know that “lurch” is not transitive.
JWL
Bring back Free Speech Cages!
Martin
@J: I think they mean the other definition – the verbification of the butler from the Addams Family.
lamh32
OT, but for anyone who cares to here from a African American resident of FLA (he on occasions post here on BJ as well) who has been a Kendrick Meek supporter from the beginning, it’s a pretty good read, and I can tell ya antecdotally (sp?) that through varioius disscussions of my own, reading Black publicatino, and listening to Black radio, alot of AA would agree with him.
BGinCHI
In fiction “lurch” would be used this way without any problems, as we often twist verbs that way.
So, Red State is fiction.
Like a Harlequin Romance.
QED.
Anya
Still I am glad there is no video of President Obama ducking the book. I think this “overzealous author’ was an asshole who will inspire some idiotic copy cats. Still hopey seems to have an unnatural ability of making people do crazy shit whether they support him or not.
WaterGirl
@General Stuck: well done!
different church-lady
OK, fine, sure, now what about the naked fat guy?
Cat Lady
No Bush FAIL montage is complete without this and this. All hail Psychopath Frat Boy, hero of the Red State Trike Farce!
DougJ is the business and economics editor for Balloon Juice.
What book was it?
Let it be “Atlas Shrugged”.
New Yorker
I suppose the next time I go to a Mets game and I toss a ball to David Wright so he can sign it, we can expect some Red State navel-gazing about how David Wright is trying to destroy the country with soshulism…..
Tsulagi
Not at Red State where it’s long been apparent reading and comprehension is pretty much optional. Adds no value to their product, and slows down the narrative which has already been vetted within the collective sandboxes between their ears.
El Cid
It wouldn’t have occurred to me to promote my book by throwing it at the President’s head. Could be good marketing, who’s to say?
WaterGirl
@DougJ is the business and economics editor for Balloon Juice.: I returned from a one week vacation to find your name change, “DougJ is the business and economics editor for Balloon Juice”. I’m sure there’s a story here, could someone please enlighten me?
lamh32
@lamh32:
Forgot to post the link…duh!!!
Progressive Hypocrisy On Kendrick Meek
WaterGirl
@El Cid: I’ll bite: you wrote a book? Have we heard about this book before, and I have just forgotten about it?
MattR
@different church-lady:
Was he mopping?
The Dangerman
Can you imagine the controversy if the individual wanted to promote a new line of brassieres?
gogol's wife
@Steve:
Yes, one of my Russian friends said, “He has great reflexes!” It was the only time I was even close to being proud of Bush.
General Stuck
@WaterGirl: Thank you, at least someone appreciates my cheesy puns. :)
Kobie
O/T since the only open thread is the Chuck one:
Is Carl Paladino trying to lose the NY gubernatorial election?
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1010/The_Paladino_show.html
Steve
@DougJ is the business and economics editor for Balloon Juice.: The stories I saw seemed to consciously omit the name of the author and the book, like the way they don’t show people who run on the field at sporting events. But I’m sure the info is out there somewhere.
Steve
@lamh32: I understand the perspective. Honestly I was more concerned from the start about the willingness of the institutionalized Democratic Party to support a black candidate in a statewide race, something they’re not exactly known for. Give them a rich white self-funder any day.
As for the offending post in question, about all I can suggest for a justification is that they were running out of reasons for why people should shut up with the “Meek should drop out” talk. Meek dropping out would likely depress black turnout, but you know what else depresses black turnout? People constantly talking down the prospects of a black candidate running for Senate.
mclaren
What will the audience throw at President Palin?
Purina Puppy Chow because unemployment has hit 60% and they’re eating their pets?
The keys to their cars because gasoline has hit $7 a gallon?
Pieces of cardboard from the boxes they’re living in under the freeway overpass?
Roger Moore
@mclaren:
Stones. That is the traditional biblical way of expressing extreme disapproval.
dmsilev
@WaterGirl: He’s mocking Megan McArdle (an eminently worthy activity), who goes by the title “Business and economic editor of The Atlantic” despite having very little actually knowledge about either business or economics.
dms
Steve
@mclaren: President Palin will make no public appearances, of course.
Sly
Shorter Reality: A person threw something at Bush out of dislike. A person threw something at Obama out of affection.
And something special for the WoW Nerds.
El Cid
@WaterGirl:
No, I haven’t written a book. I was just being hypothetical. Thank you for asking. As of yet I could think of a few good essays, but not yet a book.
Davis X. Machina
@Steve: Not until after the cosmetic surgery, anyways.
Anno Domini don’t do starbursts.
asiangrrlMN
Yeah, chucking one’s book at the prez–not a good thing to do.
By the way, single hyphen attack in the Chuck Open Thread/NFL Open Thread. Please clean up in aisle three.
ETA: Thanks for the quick fix!
Restrung
hehe, I gotta give love to George Dubya vs. the shoe thrower in Iraq.
President Bush handled it. (His prowess is legendary!)
Man, nobody throws shit at my president and gets a pass. Even if he’s a shitwit and he ruined your country for the foreseeable future. It was pretty fkn funny, but that’s just … oh, I don’t know.
Security for these guys is a lot better than it used to be. That’s all.
aimai
@BGinCHI:
Don’t you be insulting Harlequin Romances. They never invaded any middle eastern countries and things always end happilly.
aimai
Restrung
@geg6:
Honesty has a way of doing that. It doesn’t alway work, and sometimes it takes too long. This story is not an example. But BHO seems to be touched in this fashion.
Was it Voltaire? Wikipedia 8 ball says Yes.
I always made one prayer to God, a very short one. Here it is: “O Lord, make our enemies quite ridiculous!” God granted it.
BethanyAnne
@Sly: ha! it’s the AFK that makes it :)
jon
I demand to see blown up photos of the book so I can examine the kerning. What is the media hiding? What secrets can be revealed? What is the ISBN-13?
jonas
So, according to this genius semiotician at Red State, throwing a book at Obama conveys the message that you’re tired of his ‘big government’ policies….how, exactly? Argh! Printed material! Take that you Kenyan double-agent!!
Plus, it turns out it was just some knucklehead who thought “hey, if I throw my book at him, maybe he’ll read it!” Given that ironclad logic, I bet the book in question is just full of awesome.
On the other hand, throwing a shoe at someone in the Arab world is a very clearly understood insult (the guy’s a folk hero in Iraq today). Nobody should be throwing stuff at any president, but I’m more and more amused by the wingnutosphere’s increasingly desperate attempts to find some shred of evidence that Obama is as much of an incompetent boob as their erstwhile codpiece-in-chief. Their attempts to pretend Obama couldn’t read a teleprompter didn’t stick, so now they’re on to “stuff people throw.” Douchebags.
Suck It Up!
@lamh32:
nodded my head through the whole post. All true.
Felonious Wench
You are all in rare form. Aimai made a joke!
Bush had so many Greatest Hits, but the choking on a chip is my personal favorite. That one had to have put some Secret Service guys in therapy.
WaterGirl
@dmsilev: thank you!
BGinCHI
@aimai: Chastened.
Bodice, ripped.
ruemara
https://balloon-juice.com/2010/10/11/reading-is-fundamental-2/#comment-2107044
Damn. So accurate, it bleeds.
mac
Ok… so it’s permissible to throw something at the U.S. President so long as it is approved by the Secret Service. Let’s see, does that include a couple of rotten eggs that would merely smell up his suit, a chocolate cream pie, but not a dog turd or a rotten tomato? What about a pornographic book or a naked anatomically accurate doll made out of canvas and stuffed with eiderdown? The silliness of this topic is possibly endless, but the seriousness underlying it is scarey.
I sure am curious about the name of the alleged author who does his own “marketing” by launching his book at Barack Obama. Why didn’t the Secret Service identify the person? Was it, perhaps, because the book-thrower was a member of some Democratic Party affiliated group who was seeking sympathy for the beleaguered President? Would the Dems do such a thing? You betcha blimey they would.