The right wing propaganda site Politico was so eager to try to do a smear job on President Barack Obama and his visit to Milwaukee today that they failed to look before they leaped and ended up landing into a pile of foolishness with both feet:
Yup, the mistook the Wisconsin state flag as being the flag of Wisconsin Local 1848.
Once they realized how stupid they looked, they deleted the post (which appears to be a common thing for Republicans).
Here’s the original story from Politico:
It’s very clear what side President Obama is on here in Wisconsin. Behind the stage where he will speak today are two flags: an American one, as usual, and right alongside it — and a flag for the local union, Wisconsin 1848.
The president has been mum in recent months on the battle raging in the Badger State between unions and Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who is facing a recall election largely pushed by labor after he pushed through laws effectively taking away collective bargaining rights in the state.
Here at Master Lock, Obama is speaking about domestic manufaturing and highlighting what he calls “in-sourcing,” bringing jobs back from overseas. The padlock manufacturer brought roughly 100 jobs back from China to this factory –union jobs, the White House has noted Walker had been expected to join the president but canceled this morning because his office said he has the flu.
This reminds me of the Ohio flag controversy, so let’s go back to 2008 and reminisce. Here’s Steve Benen, quoting John Cole on that:
The problem is, Ohio’s flag features a prominent, large “O.” Obama’s right-wing detractors didn’t know this, and assumed that the Obama campaign had created its own flag to stand alongside the American flag. Conservative activists and talk-show hosts had a bit of a freak-out. Here’s a hilarious example.
On the October 15 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Bob Grant said:“[W]hat is that flag that Obama’s been standing in front of that looks like an American flag, but instead of having the field of 50 stars representing the 50 states, there’s a circle?” He then said: “Is the circle the ‘O’ for Obama? Is that what it is?” Grant later said: “[D]id you notice Obama is not content with just having several American flags, plain old American flags with the 50 states represented by 50 stars? He has the ‘O’ flag. And that’s what that ‘O’ is. That’s what that ‘O’ is.”
John Cole also noted a Townhall commenter who was outraged that Obama would “change” the American flag: “I don’t want to hear any looney left comments that they are only decoration. They ARE a modification of the American flag.”
What is it with rightwingers, Obama, and flags?