The Poorman has his end of the year awards up for you to vote on, but I might suggest that there needs to be a late entry to the Soggy Biscuit Category. Apparently, Obama visited the troops in Hawaii, and due to one sentence in the ABC write-up, our brave keyboard commandos have concluded that the troops hate them some defeatocrat. Uncle Dimbo, lead torture fetishist at BlackFive:
It should surprise no one familiar with the military that Obama got a respectful but unenthusiastic response when he dropped in at a meal.
***Well he certainly wasn’t among friends at the chow hall.
Josh Painter at Red State builds on the wank:
The obvious contrast in the responses which President Bush and the president-elect evoke from military personnel should be obvious, but if Obama’s supporters need a clue, milblog Blackfive was more than willing to provide one:
Actually, I got your contrast right here:
Four long years of this made up bullshit, and we can thank ABC’s political punch for tossing the wankosphere an assist. Actual journalists covered the story a little differently:
Reporters were only allowed inside the mess hall for seven of the 68 minutes Obama spent greeting diners there. During that time they were clustered at a distance from the president-elect and could only hear bits and pieces of the conversations he was having at the tables.
But the service men and women seemed to enjoy having Obama crash their Christmas dinner – even though he didn’t eat.
Some seemed to be sending text messages from their cell phones when it became clear Obama was about to enter the room. They rose to their feet when Obama approached their tables and extended his hand.
“Congratulations,” one of the service members said as Obama greeted his table.
Like I said. This is going to be a long four years of this bullshit, and we can expect nonsense like this daily from the 101st Chairborne.
*** Update ***
Commenters reminded me of this video of the troops shunning the defeatocrat Obama:
This is what I hate about blogging. The premise that the troops hate Obama is so stupid that it is laughable, but you have to push back. Yet, the moment you push back, you are now engaging the idiots like Red State and Uncle Jimbo as if they have something legitimate to say. Really, the only response is to just mock these morons.
Laura W
Maybe if we play Barack the Magic Negro and dance around the room a while we’ll all feel better.
I’m not even fully conscious yet and already I wish to go unconscious for a long while.
I shouldn’t say it like that lest the universe Schaivos me.
How about if I sit here and cry a while?
Conservatively Liberal
Wanking ‘news’ indeed! These asshats are looking for any way they can to validate their Obama hate, thus their casting about for any hint of scandal they can sink their teeth into.
Yeah, Bush the war hero. What a wanker.
kommrade reproductive vigor
Come on John. We all know you can extrapolate what happened during an hour from the first seven minutes. I mean we know that because the first part of the invasion of Iraq went so well, subsequent MSM blather about things not going so well is FALSE surrender monkey troop hating.
Anyway, place your bets:
How long will it take for some wanktard will treat us to a ten-part expose comparing the volume and duration of soldier applause for Bush v. Obama.
I’m thinking end of March.
Tim F.
Dude, I saw peak wingnut yesterday. He was grillin’ brats with bigfoot and drinking beer with Dow 36,000.
Tom
My favorite is the Atlas Shrugged headline:
OBAMA VISITS DISINTERESTED, INDIFFERENT TROOPS
It’s amazing how the author can get inside the head of the troops from thousands of miles away. But, of course, right-wing bloggers "know" the military, so I can’t really challenge their special insight.
Comrade Stuck
According to Flapper, it was an impromptu visit while the troops were eating, and that they were respectful but without the usual fanfare of clapping and yelling.
My guess. They were surprised with a mouth full of turkey and a hand full of fork. But I is an Obamunist and likely biased.
jcricket
Seriously – what’s the right response to this kind of crap? Ignore? Mock? Attack? Push our own narrative (not necessarily in response directly)? I like the general Obama plan of not responding directly, but not ignoring either. Calmly outlining how your plans actually work and sticking to a script.
It’s going to be 4 years of ridiculous attempts by Republicans and their surrogates to frame Obama as soft-on-terror, crazy-on-spending, expanding government for its own sake, killing the economy by increasing taxes (even if only on the super rich), etc.
Perhaps because of the limited gene pool the right-wing will grow increasingly tone-deaf (ever more agitated nonsense while America loves Obama will be ignored).
I’m convinced the biggest issue will be how congressional democrats respond to what is sure to be Republican grandstanding and obstructionist tactics (esp. in the Senate). Painting them as uncaring, out-of-touch, neo-Hooverites determined to send the world into the next Depression and keep us in war forever seems like what we need to do to force a few moderates to switch sides out of fear for their political future.
John Cole
@jcricket: Mock, attack, and taunt.
Mr Furious
That Bush video is a classic. The two soldiers he wedges himself between clearly want nothing to do with him and were ordered onstage to fill out a properly diverse backdrop. Both give the weakest smiles in response to whatever his retarded jocular comments were.
But with an Obama visit, any soldier who excitedly turns to a mate will be portrayed as giving Obama the cold shoulder.
jcricket
So from what I’ve read the military votes about 30% Democrat and 70% Republican, certainly very different than the general public, but not 100% Republican. I wonder what the statistics were this time around, and what the difference is amongst vets (who find out they are only "respected" as props for Republican pols, not once they come home and need help)…
At some point, much like with other "groups" the truth will be quite different (like how rich educated people are now voting majority Democrat).
Libby Spencer
Oh G-d. What a way to start the day. There should be a new word for these guys. Wankery isn’t quite strong enough. I made the mistake of reading Hugh Stupitt, and this line had me spewing coffee:
Rather than cutting at the Pentagon’s budget, the new Administration should continue President Bush’s focus on the well-being of the troops that are carrying the burden of the war through pay and housing improvements.
It’s like these idiots slept through the whole Walter Reed debacle, and that Dad who posted the photos of the barracks with sewage in the showers and all those fights in Congress and veto threats over a tiny pay raise and increasing the educational bene’s…. It would take an hour to write down all the ways Bush and the GOP screwed the troops.
I think instead of coffee, they must get up every morning and drink a huge cup of cognitive dissonance with a side glass of idiot juice to maintain that steady stupidity.
jcricket
@John Cole: I like the taunt part. Like "go ahead, stamp your feet, wail all you want, we’re not giving you what you want".
As long as we stop listening to all the concern trolling and false framing.
maxbaer (not the original)
But, then Obama hit from way downtown and the crowd went wild.
Actually, they seemed pretty enthusiastic before the the three pointer.
Reality! Ain’t it a bitch?
Rick Taylor
There was another video of Bush addressing the troops. There were no troops there, I think they were going to send it to them. I remember it being weird to watch; anyone remember what I’m referring to?
JL
A military family member told me that when Bush visits troops, troops are prepared and expected to react in a certain way. It’s a stressful situation! I’m not sure that Atlas or the other whackos will mention this.
Comrade Jake
@jcricket:
I think the right response is to ask about the Whitey tapes.
maxbaer (not the original)
Rick, I thought this was the production you were referring to. Upon re-reading your comment, probably not. But, I’ll throw it on anyway because it seems appropriate.
Comrade Jake
The response the wankosphere normally gives to that second clip is to comment that there are a lot of African Americans in the audience, many more than are actually serving.
These people can ignore facts with the best of them.
TheHatOnMyCat
A, ignore. Final answer.
JL
Wow! Casting my vote for wanker of the year was hard. I decided that Sarah was worthy for her comment on the first amendment. Candidates for Vice President should be forced to read the consitution.
eric
this is part of the MSM’s desire to placate the Right. The MSM cannot allow itself to report only positive material regarding Obama (or the democrats in general) because it sets up the right wing refrain (meme) that the press is too liberal. So, as part of its never ending effort to provide balance rightward as the means of avoiding the Liberal label, the media will report on stuff that is flimsy (at best) to allow "them" to say that that they are, too, being critical of the head Democrat even during politically upbeat times.
By shying away from reporting on policy differences between the Democratic and Confederate Parties, the MSM shares a good share of the blame for where we are now.
Bear in mind that this forced balance does not run the other way because the press does not fear being called too conservative, notwithstanding it clear corporate and military biases.
eric
Libby Spencer
Yes, the voting was especially difficult on the wankery. They kind of all deserve awards. The only easy one was Starbursts. I think that should get a special achievement award for wankery beyond the call of duty.
r€nato
The House GOP has already canned over half the staff whose expertise is legislation and replaced them with staffers whose expertise is investigation.
Obama has not taken office yet but they just KNOW there’s a blue dress to be found somewhere and they’re gonna find it, even if they have to make one.
JL
Next year should be interesting. GOP to MSM, kiss my ass.
MSM to GOP, sure how many times.
maxbaer (not the original)
It’s been reported that Obama cannot even defend Hawaii against power outages.
How is he going to defend the country against attack as George Bush has (except for one time when he was busy reading with children)?
Joshua Norton
ABC still hasn’t gotten over the burning shame of giving us one of the worst political debates witnessed by man and have to prove daily that there isn’t a cliche right-wing talking point they aren’t willing to try to exploit for at least the 5,000th time. Maybe the 5,001st time will magically become political gold.
John Cole
Not to be too cynical, but it is no mystery what the GOP will do- they will obstruct, they will whine, they will moan, they will smear, they will sabotage, and they will do anything they can to create a scandal. That much is a given.
The only real questions that remain are how successful Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi will let them be, whether or not someone in the Obama administration will give them something to be legitimately pissed about (my bet- yes, there will always be a few people who screw up), and the real question is how long it will be before Harold Ford is on Hardball agreeing with the GOP.
Joshua Norton
Why should he? According to most of them, it’s "out of the country".
Joshua Norton
Let’s not forget that these are the same braintrusts that gave us 2 weeks of "lipstick on a pig". You have to go to press with the idiots you have, not the ones you wish you had.
The Grand Panjandrum
Just when the news cycle slows down a bit and I start to go into schadenfreude withdrawal JC and the Poorman come through with a bit of the magical elixir to get us through the remaining days of this season. And with the MUP about to ascend to his rightful throne I look forward to Hugh Hewitt giving the new President advice on budgetary and military matters based on reporting done by the commie infiltrated Librul Media. Oops! Looks like he couldn’t wait.
The Soggy Biscuit category competition is brutal. I think I’ll just flip a coin.
Comrade Stuck
@John Cole:
I’m not too worried about Pelosi and the House giving in to it’s wingnut minority. Mostly because of how the House rules are structured, and the huge majority of dems. But Reid needs to be watched closely. If he starts off with the roll overs on blanket filibusters with the repubs not even having to vote against cloture, then he has to go. I’m a little more supportive of Reid than most dems, but only a little.
I still think the biggest problem Obama will have is keeping his own party in congress from splitting up into factions over priorities and pet projects and bogging things down. I remember that from the Carter years, but Obama is a much, much better politician than Carter and has a chief of staff who is the best dem cat herder around.
Tim Fuller
If I didn’t read your blog I wouldn’t know they even exist.
You can find all kinds of stink if you visit the local city landfill, but why would you do it in the first place? I understand rubber necking at a car accident, but why bother reading or parroting (even for purpose of mocking) these lowlife bastards?
Are you interested in what Charlie Manson thinks about the situation in Iraq, or the current state of politics? It’s about as interesting and relevant as your repost of the aforementioned doughy pantloads.
Enjoy.
Brian J
I don’t know if this makes you feel any better, nor do I know if this is typical of the non-Red State like parts of the Republican party, but if my conservative family members are any indication, he’ll get some room to breathe. One of my uncles is a pretty damn conservative guy, as is much of my family. He and others in my family said that they’ll give Obama a chance, and based on what they were saying before and after this, it looks like a genuine sentiment. I don’t expect any of them to become enthusiastic supporters, but I don’t know if we’re going to see the sort of idiotic behavior represented above from all conservatives. Perhaps it’s because the weight of the problems is so incredible, or perhaps it’s because the majority of them aren’t nutcases, but whatever the case, I think there’s a chance the fringe parts of conservatism will be marginalized.
BethanyAnne
Sarah Palin was a strong contender, but I had to go with the Whitey tape. Points for endurance, as it were.
Comrade Stuck
@Tim Fuller:
This sounds like the "rise above it" philosophy that was the corner stone of dem reaction to the RWNM. It resulted in 16 years of wingnut rule in the congress, and the last 8 of Bush. Don’t underestimate the power of wankery, if left unchallenged. Too many voters eventually take it as some kind of truth if not immediately debunked. Doesn’t require a lot of pushback, just a quick mocking will usually suffice.
jcricket
@eric: It’s funny the right is always the first to trot out that the press or Dems are "appeasers" and that it won’t work – when it’s really psychological projection on there part.
What the press should learn, along with all the "moderate" Dems is that the right can never be placated or appeased, only capitulated to. And even then, short of resigning and pushing Republican PR, it won’t make the right happy.
Just report the "facts", refuse to push meme/stories from either party (or report it accurately as a PR piece) and no faux objectivity.
And Democrats should just ignore any concern trolling or requests for bi-partisanship. Real bi-partisanship is when you have an open discussion of ideas and perhaps compromise on some elements to get an overall good package passed. What Republicans want is for Democrats to give up everything good in a particular bill in exchange for Republicans getting some big giveaways to their big business or religious right allies, and Democrats get to say they passed a bill.
Fuck em.
Mnemosyne
I believe there’s also a split between the enlisted personnel and the career officers. The officers skew very strongly Republican, but it’s closer to 50/50 for the enlisted.
T.
Here are pics of the unenthusiastic military persons whom PE Obama visited. Mmmm…
T.
demimondian
@Mnemosyne: I’d have to spend more time than I want to if I wanted to find the toplines, but IIRC, the members of the armed services actually went slightly for Obama this year.
That’s why the Republicans decided not to push the military vote question anywhere — they realized that the final outcome wouldn’t be to their advantage.
bayville
Yes. The above video proves the troops gave President-elect Obama little more than polite golf claps, forced grins and dead-fish handshakes. More than a few of the soldiers can be seen glancing at their watches, waiting for the Defeatocrat to finally exit their base.
Uncle Jimbo is right. The tension in that gymnasium was so thick you could chop it with an axe.
Cruel Jest
@Comrade Stuck:
As the kids say, "Cha-ching!" It cannot be ignored. It is strange how the more illogical a nugget of wingnuttery is, the more likely it winds up coming out of Wolf Blitzer’s mouth. As we attack them with profound derision, they will call it typical Liberal hate and intolerance. That’s the part you ignore. That’s the ruse to cover-up the ignorance. Just reload and switch to full auto.
Rudi
@jcricket:
I wonder where the military gives money to the candidates.
1. Obama
2. Ron Paul
abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3601542
sgwhiteinfla
Here is the tidbit from the coverage of an actual journalist that John linked to that stood out to me.
So supposedly according to ABC and the wing nuts the soldiers were uninterested because this wasn’t one of the George Bush propaganda 2 minutes love photo ops. But right outside the door there were 50 soldiers actively seeking out and waiting for the President Elect to talk to them. Honestly I say don’t push back on these kind of memes anymore. The truth is we want to ENCOURAGE this kind of wankery now. The people have spoken, nobody believes them anymore. And the more times the few people that support them actually see with their own eyes that they are full of shit, the more they will lose credibility and support forever. The fact that the wingnut o sphere is running with this after we just found out that 82% of the country approves of Obama just goes to show how detached from reality they are.
Now I think we should all push back on smears, but when it comes to wankers trying to describe the mood of Americans who voted Obama in to office in a landslide I say just let them keep showing off their tin foil hats. Its going to hurt them a lot more than it will Obama after all.
DrDave
Let us hope and pray (if you are so inclined) that it is EIGHT long years of listening to them whine with their panties in a bunch. ‘Cause if all they are doing is whining, they ain’t doing the harm that they did these past eight years.
burnspbesq
@bayville:
And just how the fuck do you know this? Were you there?
No? Then shut up.
TheHatOnMyCat
@T.:
Thanks. Your post at 38 settles the issue.
The way I see this shaping up, the US amends the Constitution again and Obama is elected to four terms.
The GOP becomes extinct, like the Whigs, and the stupid people fracture into splinter parties.
RS
I spent part of Christmas day at my sister-in-law’s house, where I met my niece’s husband for the first time. He enlisted in the Air Force in 2003 and has been to Iraq twice. After some drinking, he was quite vociferous about his dislike (actually, hatred) of Bush, so much so that I felt compelled to remind him that the war criminal is still his (not my) Commander in Chief and he should be careful about expressing his sentiments among an audience of his military peers. He assured me that his is the prevailing attitude among his fellow enlisted men and women, and that Obama was far and away their choice for president.
bago
jcricket: Is that you, Annika?
Mr. Mises
"Conservative Governance" used to mean the most bang for our bucks.
Today’s wingnut conservatism means their most bucks for their gang bangs. Nut trolls rarely return to rebut or debate after getting ridiculed. They’re nothing more than mean little chickenshit assholes when they venture outside the comfort and safety of their echo chamber cocoons.
LiberalTarian
Mock. Mock them like they’ve never been mocked!
Mock them from down the hall
Mock them from against the wall
Mock them until they crawl
Mock them til off the roof they fall.
Mock them from the left side!
Mock them from the right!
Mock them when they’re sleeping!
Mock them more when they are awake!
Mock them just to see how much more mocking they can take!!!
MOCK MOCK MOCK. :-D
LiberalTarian
@bayville:
Heh. Spoken like a True Believer. You know what Lenin called you? A useful idiot. How’s that working out for you???
HA. I fart in your general direction.
demimondian
Seriously, mocking them is one of the reasons that I troll here. Abuse makes them (the wingnuts, that is) look picked on, allowing them to keep playing the victim card. Refutation makes their arguments look like they’re worth serious consideration. It generates false balance.
Mockery — sarcastic, sardonic, but infinitely polite mockery — does neither. You can whine about being made fun of, if you want, and I’ll come back at you for being a weakling, a Keystone Kommando, a proudly deluded member of the 101st Chairborne. You can demand I take your arguments seriously, and I’ll say that I am giving them exactly the amount of respect they deserve: none. I’ll always make sure I have enough facts in my sneers that you can’t use the one defense that works against sarcasm: patient point-by-point refutation, and, given that, it’s a win-win for me.
demimondian
@bayville: You are indeed quite right — polite golf claps from real patriots who don’t support Obama, along with poses for photos and requests for autographs from equally real patriots who do. Sounds like a reflection of the real American society, doesn’t it?
You know, I kind of feel bad for you; you seem to be finding it painful to have been revealed as working against your own nation’s self-interest.
John Cole
I am reasonably sure bayville was being sarcastic.
At least, that is how I read it, especially since he/she is normally sarcastic.
kommrade reproductive vigor
Yep, especially since we all know that if soldiers greet him with a 15 minute frenzy of applause and cheers the fReichtend Keyboardists will begin a frame-by-frame analysis and prove that a) They weren’t soldiers, they were actors, b) Even if they were soldiers, they were forced to cheer and c) There’s no way you can run over a dog with a tank.
Plus, I like it when they break down and start whining that their free speech rights are being abused.
Blue Raven
Agreed about Bayville, John. Read to me like some nice snarky humor. And I’m barely awake.
Libby Spencer
Um, when has he NOT agreed with them? He was a horror show of concern trolling all through the election.
AnneLaurie
Think of it as the blogging equivalent of a colonoscopy — you know whatever turns up isn’t going to be attractive, but you can be grateful it’s not a do-it-yourself project.
Will
The troops hate Obama so much they refused to play ball with him, forcing him to practice three-pointers instead. The shame he must have felt, not being picked for a team.
Tsulagi
Hey, never underestimate the level of stupid Buttplugs for Bush like Uncle Jimbo bring to the table day in and day out to keep their comedy alive. It’s hard out there these days for a Bush pimp to keep it fresh.
But to be fair to the buttplugs, in those photos linked by T above, I too can see a little somber respect and reflection in some of the faces of those young, new Marines while they try to take the measure of the man. Understandable. For those around 19, 20 years old, Bush would have been the only president and CIC they knew growing up during their entire teen years. Obviously Obama stacks up entirely different. Likely sane and intelligent, and doesn’t speak in tongues as his primary language. Weird shit.
As far as that Josh Painter guy at RS, it’s clear he’s part of the new Republican guard waiting in the wings to take over from old hats like Jimbo. Like most of the patriots at RS, Painter absolutely adores and gushes about his turkey pardoning, Saks dressed winking diva in his front page posts. He’s a proud soldier in the You Betcha Brigades. Probably hasn’t been that starburst excited since seeing the movie Titanic and dreaming of his being on the bow of that ship with Leonardo
Calming Influence
Channeling troops smiling politely at Obama while raging inside:
kommrade reproductive vigor
@AnneLaurie: 100% Win[ce].
Mr. Mises
Who’s bayville?
I haven’t had a decent discussion with any "conservative Republican" – wingnut, concern troll or devils advocate – in a very long time.
jimBOB
This sort of stupidity from right wing sites is standard procedure. Don’t you remember the Kerry being shunned by the troops clown show from a few years back?
Dinah
I read the comments on the Tapper piece. If I were Tapper, I’d be ashamed of the people who are attracted to my "reporting." It seems to me that, when he worked for Salon, he was capable of making sense. I hope he’s making a good salary; I’d hate to think he was selling his soul for a trifling amount.
Jay Ballou
I am reasonably sure bayville was being sarcastic.
If so, s/he is doing it wrong.
ThymeZoneThe Plumber
Alright, I was hoping that you all wouldn’t have to see this, but it’s time you knew what was really going on in Washington this weekend.
Santa is headed for bankruptcy.
A friend tipped me off, and I felt that you all need to know.
Jay C
@T.:
Yes, those pictures are truly instructive: they are an impressive testament to the level of training and professionalism of our Marine personnel! I mean, here they are being visited by Barack Obama, an obviously defeatist and probably borderline-disloyal politician who most likely wants to see them all fired and disgraced – and they can actually pretend that they’re honored to have him there! They didn’t even throw so much as a sneaker at him!
Amazing!
[Note to the BJ commentariat: yes, this IS sarcastic – don’t get on my case!]
jcricket
@bago: i am 100% confused by this reference. Who is Annika and why would I be her? Are you sure you’re not missing an "l" from your name (blago…)?
michilines
@Laura W:
Stupid bait, I guess. Alex, Who’s that sock puppet for $200?
lee
As noted in the livejournal pictures, did you notice the Marine office saluting the President Elect?
I’m sure other prior service types can let me know, but they are not required to salute until he is sworn in correct?
(I’m too tired to google it).
But we couldn’t have the troops actually showing him a sign of respect, so it must be required (and probably not a bad idea anyway).
protected static
@Brian J: Yeah, more anecdata, but my Dad is a pretty solid Republican, and he’s said that he’s impressed with Obama’s response to current events. He even described himself as ‘being quite hopeful’ – go figure… :-)
passerby
thank you for that TZ. My world is a better place this morning for having watched it.