“I’m going to have a brain aneurysm.”
As is evident by the clip (which you can view here), I began to have head micro-explosions as soon as former State Department senior adviser to the Bush Administration Christian Whiton started in with the “President Obama went on an Apology Tour” talking points. Wrong. That is categorically false, and has been proven so by the Washington Post. President Obama did not go on an apology tour. You have to stop saying that because when you do, everything else you say becomes impeachable. That particular falsehood drives me bananas. As Steve Benen notes in his thirty-third chronicle of Mitt’s Mendacity, “When the book is written on the biggest lies of the Romney campaign, this will be chapter one.”
Moreover, the talking point that President Obama doesn’t have a firm grasp on American culture, or doesn’t believe in American exceptionalism enough to cream the collective right-wing Twinkie likewise drives me bananas. Whiton seems to believe that American exceptionalism means rejecting the idea that citizens of other countries are entitled to believe that their own country is exceptional. That is an arrogant and imperialist point of view.
Additionally, and despite Whiton’s claim that it’s not racist, IT IS RACIST. This claim that Obama went to Cairo and apologized for American values is outright pandering to racist Birther idiots who think that President Obama is a furriner or a Muslim and is in cahoots with The Muslim Brotherhood™; racist Birther idiots who, for some reason, have a voice in this country’s politics, and, more specifically, a voice in the Romney campaign — *cough DonaldTrump cough* — as I’ve written here and here and here and here and here.
[much more debunking of Whiton’s talking points at ABLC]
Grumpy Code Monkey
Silly person. “American Exceptionalism” means that the United States can literally do no wrong, no matter what the circumstances. Basically, IOKIYAR taken to its illogical extreme.
Ethan Gach
It’s quite funny (or tragic?) to see the lengths my fellow liberals will go to in claiming that Obama has categorically not apologized for U.S. foreign policy and “American Exceptionalism.”
I wish he had. American’s pretense to exceptionalism and its foreign policy have left a lot to be apologetic about.
Gary K
ABL, could you clarify how to get to your clip? If I follow your link, I get a live feed from Huffpost, and lots of possible follow-up links, none of which seem to be what you’re talking about.
Amir Khalid
ABL trolling for hits again blah blah blah why does Cole allow it blah blah argle-bargle…
Ahem. Having got that out of the way, on to my real comment:
They say these things because they’re speaking to a BASE that Truly Believes this balderdash, aren’t they? They must know it’s balderdash. Bit they fear that this BASE will stay home on election day if they don’t continually affirm its crazy beliefs. Which must be at once maddening and reassuring/ Maddening that such crazy beliefs exist and a significant segment of the political elite is shamelessly pandering to them; reassuring, in that the pandering puts off the sane majority of voters.
Zifnab
ABL, you should totally hang a giant American Flag behind you on those webcasts to one-up the GOoPer on his jingoism.
catclub
The things that actually make the US exceptional, like the fact that we have dealt – to even a little extent – with our racism, that we have birthright citizenship, that we have the ability to elect a black man President only 45 years after riots over allowing blacks to vote, are the things that most of the people who push American exceptionalism, _HATE_.
Southern Beale
” … cream the collective right-wing Twinkie …”
Okay THAT was awesome.
Zifnab
Also, ABL, in all seriousness you need to listen to how your other guy on the feed is doing it. He successfully put Romney on the defensive. Romney’s guy is forever putting you on the defensive.
You’ve got to sound less outraged and more disappointed. Keep the conversation on Romney and keep bringing up how “Romney failed”, that he’s a disappointment, how he is unfit to be President.
If you make this about racism or Obama, you (and I hate to use these words) come across as shrill. You’ll notice the Romney guy is slow talking and sounds really methodical and above it all. Gotta fight fire with fire.
Delia
Don’t Republicans ever get tired of a meme? They’ve been going on about this apology tour for years now. It’s like Sarah Palin’s mama grizzly. It’s gotten old and moldy. Like them.
Schlemizel
hate me if you must but I think it is a mistake to argue with the wingnuts that their dog whistles are racist. Granted, this is the prospective of an old white guy but hear me out please.
Those who know that they are dog whistles already know this so there is no gain to be made.
Those who can’t hear the whistle are probably (almost certainly) white and either don’t get it or don’t think its a problem. Remember a lot of them believe we are in a post racial America. So you are not going to flip the switch on in many of those minds.
What you lose while stating the obvious for not benefit is the focus on rebuttals that will change minds. “This is provably false because . . .” or “Here are his words you tell me which ones are an apology”. Hitting them repeatedly for their lies and their characterization will move the meter in our favor.
I know too many reasonable white people who stop listening when someone says “thats racist” for anything short of using the big word. Its not fair, its not right but if your goal is to change votes you should consider it.
ETA: Thats not to say you should never bring it up but in a short-term debate in front of the unwashed when you try to point out dog whistles they are winning not us.
Quaker in a Basement
The whole notion of the “Apology Tour” was invented by Karl Rove, writing in the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal in April, 2009. He carefully barbered three quotes from three different speeches–none of which actually contained an apology–and dressed them up in Rovian finery.
The Apology Tour was a lie then and it’s still a lie.
Litlebritdifrnt
There is a reason that the GOP can spew the “American Exceptionalism” bullshit and it is because the majority of their base (hell probably all of them) not only have never left the country, but in most cases, they have more than likely never even left the State they were born in. The only view they have of other countries and cultures is what they see on their big screen tvs so they assume that every one in Africa for instance lives in huts in villages like in “The Air Up There”, and everyone in Britain lives in London and eats Bangers and Mash all day. They have nothing to compare America with other than the stereotypes on tv.
WWStBreitbartD
ABL logic/reasoning/legal advice from a former Huffpo vid.
In Legal Discovery you can ask for any document you want.
Romney running for President is the same as Legal Discovery so he must turn over all of his tax records..
Using that logic for Obama’s College Transcript is racist.
Triassic Sands
Imani, I don’t disagree, except one probably can’t/shouldn’t use the word “proven” in a case like this, since no amount of evidence will ever suffice to “prove” anything good (or not bad) about Obama to wingers. The Washington Post may have presented a persuasive, even airtight, case, but I think we all know that isn’t nearly good enough for the lunatics.
If Obama came out and publicly stated, “America has never been wrong. Every act in its entire history has been correct and anyone who doubts that can just piss off,” Republicans would still characterize that as an apology for not defending America before and after its history.
bemused
Obama doesn’t have firm grasp on our culture? This from freaks who haven’t mentally or emotionally ever left their front porch.
Svensker
How did you not come screaming through that screen. I would have been throttling the guy. Aaaargh.
ABL
@Gary K: At the live feed, the link called “Foreign Policy Disaster” hosted by Abby Huntsman is the right link.
ABL
@Schlemizel: Yeah, I can’t agree with that. At all.
Culture of Truth
Why are we debating a guy whose chosen candidate was born in Mexico?
Villago Delenda Est
@Litlebritdifrnt:
There is a great deal of truth in all that.
When I was stationed in Germany, I was seriously pumped up because, wow, I’m in fucking Germany! On long weekends I can take a tour to Paris…or London! Holy flurking schnitt, I’m in fucking EUROPE!
But my troops were all counting down to the end of their tours, staying in the barracks with their stereo headphones on all weekend, desperately waiting to get back to “The WORLD”.
Here I was, heading to wine tastings and taking boat tours on the Rhein, eating German food, chatting with Germans (in German, much to their delight, then they switch to English to try that out on me!) having a great time, planning on visiting Oktoberfest and getting totally into the German beer experience, and my soldiers could not be coaxed to go to a biergarten just off post to drink some real beer, no, they will swilling canned Budweiser brought to Germany from “The WORLD”.
Same experience when I was in Korea. Uncle flys me across the big blue ocean to the land of the morning calm for bulgogi and soju, and the troops are in the barracks, listening to heavy metal or rap and avoiding the locals.
Drove me nuts, it did.
rea
Why are we debating a guy whose chosen candidate was born in Mexico?
That was George Romney, not his son Mitt. Even though Old George was an illegal immigrant, his son was born here and qualified as an “anchor baby.” Darn 14th Amendment!
Bob In Portland
I’ve got someone in my family who belongs to The Daughters of the Confederacy. It’s pretty much banging my head against a wall to try to discuss anything with her. Yesterday she posted a picture of Clint Eastwood, quoted as saying, “Obama is the greatest hoax perpetrated on the American people.” I asked her to define what this means. Does Obama exist? Or what? She hasn’t responded, just like she didn’t respond when she wrote that we live in a Communist dictatorship because of Obama’s Executive Orders. I sent her a link to Presidential Executive Orders and asked her to point out which ones are Communist or dictatorial. Nothing.
Asking her to define her insanity seems to throw her for a loop.
The problem with the Party of Reince Priebus is that eventually the lies get so far from reality that there’s no way of working their way back to reality. Oh, there’s a period of the true believers wiping the drool from their mouths and pulling a “Yeah, but” out of their asses, but eventually the people grounded in reality have to acknowledge what’s real and what’s not.
Brachiator
well, yeah, it may be, or you may think it is, but you really have to open up on what this means and why. It is not sufficient to simply declare something to be racist, as though that’s all that matters of is the end of any discussion.
And yeah, there are some big, real, obvious differences, but the wingnuts tried to smear Clinton with the idea that when he went to study in England, he was really meeting up with the commies.
There is a thing here that there are American values, defined and verified by Republicans, and that Obama just does not and cannot represent or even defend these values.
But there is the hint that if you sincerely convert to the right set of Real American White Man Values ™ in the ordained GOP way (you must love Ammurika and hate poor people and be willng to kill Muslims in a heartbeat for Bibi’s sake), like a Bobby Jindall or a Nikki Haley or a Marco Rubio, then the taint of unbearable blackness might be mitigated.
Zifnab
@rea:
Are you sure? I still haven’t seen a birth certificate.
Chris
@bemused:
This.
I rem
Chris
“President Obama doesn’t have a firm grasp on American culture”
The guy smoked pot, plays pick up basketball, and has been recorded using the words “motherfucker” more than once. I’d say he has a better grasp on American culture than these weirdos on their Mayberry quests to nowhere
Chris
@bemused:
This.
I remember a wingnut on Facebook going on a Bible trip to visit some church in New York and being all “duuuude, it’s incredible, it’s so different, it’s like another country not even America!” Wasn’t even meant to be judgmental or critical, but it irritated me just the same. No, it’s America all right, it’s just not Appalachia. Neither is most of America, actually. Keep going and you might find out how the other 90% live.
j
FWIW, President Obama has increased teh Defense budget every year since he took office.
He has spent more each year than Bush ever had.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:U.S._Defense_Spending_Trends.png
Culture of Truth
@rea: That was George Romney, not his son Mitt.
Bah! Prove it.
bemused
@Chris:
I live in NE Minn where far too many people rarely get out of the county let alone the state. They don’t fly anywhere unless it is to Las Vegas. They aren’t much interested seeing the sights of the good old USA and forget going overseas. I think they feel scared to get out of their comfort zone. Not surprisingly, most are Republicans.
Yutsano
@WWStBreitbartD: I know! How unfair to ask of Willard something every presidential candidate since HIS FATHER has provided but not demand of Obummer something that hasd never been requested of any other candidate ever??
ABL
@Brachiator: I explained why it was racist right after I said it. His response was, “nuh uh” as I expected it would be, although I wasn’t trying to convince him. I read Republican Brain — I know what’s up.
ABL
@Triassic Sands: That’s a good point.
I need to go set some small fires now to ease my soul.
gocart mozart
@Yutsano:
Also, Obama is the only President, perhaps the only person, ever to publicly release his “longform birth certificate”.
Mandalay
The Obama quote that is most frequently used by the right to illustrate that he does not believe in American Exceptionalism is this:
Invariably, those who criticize Obama for saying this are very careful to omit his following sentence:
Selective quoting ensures that the masses don’t know he said that. And that is how the seed that Obama apologizes for America gets sown.
YEWESSAY-YEWESSAY-YEWESSAY!!!!!
PeakVT
@Litlebritdifrnt: but in most cases, they have more than likely never even left the State they were born in.
That’s highly unlikely. What is likely is that they’ve never left the region (South, Plains, Midwest) except perhaps for a trip to DC and a trip to a vacation spot (beach, Disney), where they remain isolated from whatever the regional culture is.
Patricia Kayden
No aneurysms! It’s going to be alright. I don’t think all of Romneybot’s smirking denouncements of President Obama are going to move many independent votes his way. He looks like a crazy man foaming at the mouth, so desperate that he’s using an ongoing crisis to try to score political points.
Romneybot’s not doing well in the polls and is having a public breakdown. What does he want President Obama to do? Declare war against the entire Middle East?
Chris
@bemused:
It boggles my mind too. To be fair, I’ve met a lot of French people who were insular like that too, but I think the difference is that European countries are small enough that it’s harder to live in your own bubble than in a continent sized nation like America.
Mandalay
@Mandalay:
It looks like Jonah Goldberg is plagiarizing Romney over American Exceptionalism:
From Romney’s “No Apology” book published in March, 2010:
http://www.ontheissues.org/Archive/No_Apology_Foreign_Policy.htm
And this is what Goldberg said in November, 2010 about the same remarks by Obama:
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/nov/09/opinion/la-oe-goldberg-exceptionalism-20101109
No credit given to Romney by Goldberg. In fact he is at pains to provide another source for his inspiration. But it is very hard to believe that they independently came up with the same strange analysis.
Brachiator
@Patricia Kayden:
Probably. Beginning with Iran.
These clowns are delusional. I expect any day now to read a wise conservative pundit explain why we need to install pro American strongmen into all the Middle East Countries which recently have held democratic elections.
Gary K
@ABL: Thanks. Some of us were born many decades ago, and need this kind of hand-holding.
Julia Grey
And complaining and snickering about how dirty, crazy and weird they were, too.
@WWStBreitbartD:
Right. ALSO, providing tax returns can tell us something about a man’s fulfillment of his responsibilities to the country, and what kind of economic policies and tax policy he might be likely to pursue in the future. Tax returns are RELEVANT data.
How are quarter-century-old college transcripts relevant? Seriously.
There is also a principle at stake here. I’d be willing to bet that Obama’s transcripts would show us mostly pretty brilliant grades (and my suspicion is that he might even be holding them back until some ass like Donald Trump gives him a good opportunity to open an egg on someone’s face), but Obama also knows that if he gives in to this demand, he would be setting a precedent for every presidential candidate to come, just as GEORGE ROMNEY did by revealing his own tax returns when HE ran for president.
I bet Mitt sometimes curses his dad for starting that whole thing.
Hey, I just had a thought: would MITT enjoy showing HIS college and university transcripts to the world? Oooh. Whaddya bet he’s actually hoping Obama doesn’t open his?
DFH no.6
@Ethan Gach:
You don’t really grok how this politics thing works, do you?
Chris
@Brachiator:
As always, I recommend the PJM comments section; every despicable fascist wish you can imagine them making is being made. Fantasies of destroying the entire region through nuclear war, cries to bring back Mubarak (“they were better off under him anyway!”), you name it, they’re saying it. The actual bloggers aren’t much better.
Ethan Gach
@DFH no.6 Oh I do, and it would be nice if the liberal Democratic candidate shared my liberal Democratic values rather than being a center right Prez in moderate left clothes.
The more conservative Obama is, the more liberals gush about how conservative he is (or how hawkish), beaming with delight as they wave these credentials in the faces of incredulous Republican partisans.
rikyrah
THIS President of the Unted States is AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM PERSONIFIED.
grandpa john
@Villago Delenda Est: Well I can empathize with you. My 2 year hitch in Navy, early 60’s . med Cruises, Barcelona, French Riviera,Monaco ,Sicily, Sardinia, Crete,Corsica, Malta ,Naples,Athens Istanbul, Through the Suez Canal, Aden, Bahrain God, all the other places we went.I had a friend much like me we took off and toured every chance we got. I was in my 20,S, am now 75 and have never been able to get back to any of those places, so it was good that we did something in ports rather than just go over and get shitfaced drunk
Cap'n Magic
And Romney still hasn’t released his tax returns, while making Ryan give him 10 years worth of returns.
The fact that Ryan will be headlining the Values Voters Summit but NOT Romney seems to say it all-they trust Ryan, but not Romney.
Think about THAT one, should the GOP win the White House.