New Wingnut Complaint: The Obamas are being too Christian at Christmastime

[babylonsister]

http://nomoremister.blogspot.com/2012/12/new-wingnut-complaint-obamas-are-being.html

NEW WINGNUT COMPLAINT: THE OBAMAS ARE BEING TOO CHRISTIAN AT CHRISTMASTIME


The Obamas can't win. Via Matt Drudge, I see that Andrew Malcolm of Investor's Business Daily is complaining that the First Family is overdoing the celebration of Jesus' birth. Can't they tone it down a little bit?

As Americans face a fiscal cliff, the Obamas make do with 54 Christmas trees

Amazing how a reelection can reshape an incumbent's thinking about many things. Now safely ensconced in the White House for 49 more months, the Obamas have decorated the place with 54 Christmas trees this year.

Even allowing for the usual Washington excesses with taxpayer money, that's a whole grove of Christmas trees.

"We have 54 trees in the White House," an excited Michelle Obama proudly told visitors the other day. "54! That's a lot of trees."

In fact, the Obamas' 54 trees this year are almost 50% more Christmas trees than last year....

Not only does wingnut Malcolm think the Obamas are being too Christian, he thinks they're not being green enough:

Now, how much carbon do you suppose those 54 trees could be sequestering had they not been chopped by this green president?

And it just gets worse and worse:

In addition to 54 Christmas trees, Michelle Obama has overseen the placement of thousands of ornaments in public rooms. Many of the ornaments celebrate the Obama family dog, Bo, who seems to have become the First Family's favorite symbol of Christmas. Other decorations, including on the more prominent trees, were made by children in schools on U.S. military bases.

Yes, it's actually come to this: right-wingers are apparently against the children of the troops. And dogs. No word yet on Mom and apple pie, but I'm sure if Barack and Michelle express their support for those two...

[rgbecker]

1. Wait a minute: The guy doesn't like that the trees were provided by

children of the troops?


Pray for the end of the world on the 21st.

[doc03]

2. Oh brother what will they be outraged over next? n/t

[jmowreader]

5. Don't let them find out what toilet paper the president prefers

If it's anything above four-for-$1.75 single-ply they'll go fucking ballistic, man.

[freshwest]

18. If they installed bidets to save paper, they'd be Frenchies, too. Can't win.

[Ken Burch]

30. I think bidets might catch on in this country if we changed their name to something less French

Maybe "Heinie-Kleen 4000!" or "Cheek Demon" or even "The Rimmaster".

[DeSwiss]

40. ....

[JoeyT]

50. If you really want Americans to climb over themselves to buy them,

call them an iSpray.

[Ken Burch]

53. "There's an app for THAT!"?

(actually, for all we know, there may BE...)

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

67. Good one. But, for our household all they'd have to do is make them affordable.

[Freddie]

33. Where do you shop?

Cheap one-ply is .99 for 4 rolls here.

[jmowreader]

69. At stores that don't have 99 cent TP

The guy makes $400,000 a year. He can swing Charmin.

[kardonb]

9. outrage...

they will be "outraged" about anything that the Obamas do or say . Nothing can please them that a "black" (actually bi-racial) president and his family do . A bunch of hateful , unchristian miserables .

[JaneyVee]

42. REVERSE WAR ON CHRISTMAS

[SummerSnow]

47. BREAKING NEWS!!!!

THIS JUST IN......PRESIDENT OBAMA WAS OVERHEARD SAYING AT THE WHITEHOUSE CHRISTMAS DINNER..."Please pass the margarine"
When the margarine was actually butter.Congress is outraged

[1StrongBlackMan]

3. Well ...

In fact, the Obamas' 54 trees this year are almost 50% more Christmas trees than last year....

That seems fair, since the stock market stands about 50% higher than it was when President Obama took office.

Even allowing for the usual Washington excesses with taxpayer money ...

I always thought the Whitehouse Xmas trees are donated ... Wait a minute ...

The White House tree – the 46th presented by a member of the national association – is donated as a gift to the American people. “I wouldn’t want to put a value on it. It’s priceless,” said NCTA spokeswoman Pam Helmsing.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/11/wis-balsam-fir-becomes-white-house-christmas-tree/

Oh, they are!

[Cha]

7. Yeah, Andrew Malcolm never gets the facts.. what does he need with facts?

[freshwest]

19. Next meme: Christmas *trees* are from a *pagan* religion! You heard it here first!!!11!!!11!!!

And

[adieu]

37. Slight correction

The DJIA is almost 100% higher than when Obama took office, not 50%

[Walk away]

4. I'm upset too! Who is fighting the war on Christmas?

If we can't depend on our Democratic/Pagan representatives in Washington how can we expect to win this war? Do I have to risk my ass sending out "Happy Holiday" cards while the Presidential family stays safe at home with their Christmas trees?

However, I'm good with the Dog worshiping cult! Keep God out of Christmas....put Dog in!

[AlbertCat]

16. B-b-b-b-but....

"Christmas" trees...Tannenbaums (Tannenbaumen?) are a pagan symbol

And "dog" is "god" backwards!


Are there any crack pipes on the trees?????

[Cha]

6. Andrew Malcolm is an inveterate Whiner when it comes to Dems. He'd rather be

pumping mittLies up like he did bush. He was acting like it nearly killed him that the Troops genuinely like Pres Obama rather than the staged photo ops of grim soldiers with The Decider.

[1ProudAtheist]

8. Come On Folks

Lets stop deluding ourselves and denying the unspoken truth about repukes in this country.........They will gripe and complain about anything and everything that this president, his wife, or his daughters do, say, or think.........just because they are black. Racist bigots have been trained over generations to use coded words and phrases to espouse their hatred to fellow racits and bigots with the expressed belief that others wouldn't even notice what it really is that they are saying.

[gollygee]

10. The irony is that his readers

keep posting all over Facebook this snopes-proven lie that the Obamas have stared calling Christmas Trees "Holiday Trees."

[GoCubsGo]

11. These people are nuts.

Screw 'em.

[ThoughtCriminal]

12. I can help here. I know teabagese

<dogwhistle>
"He needs to behave less Christian so we can attack him for that."
</dogwhistle>

[maindawg]

13. is 54

a number? what does it mean? I looked it up.Turns out its a bar in NYC called studio 54. All the happening people partied there. So obviously the reason that there are 54 trees in the white house is because they are going to have a party where all the most happening people will be there. I cant wait.

[ThoughtCriminal]

21. I believe there are 54 states and U.S. territories

Last edited Mon Dec 3, 2012, 10:40 PM - Edit history (1)

Or it could be coincidence

Edit: Correction - there are 55 (56 counting Washington D.C.)

[Berlum]

14. Hard to keep up with the Wingnuttery of the Republican Homeland

...as it infests America...

[Caretha]

25. That is the best picture evah!

[TexasTowelie]

55. Stolen!

To share with wingnuts that I so adore!

[FreeState]

15. Check out the 2001 Bush trees just in one wing

http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/holiday/2001/eastroom.html

I imagine he had just as many...

[Squinch]

17. Those damn military kids and their damn military kid ornaments! It's all their fault!

[Hekate]

20. There was some snark here at DU the other night, as well

The floor upon which a dressed-up Michelle trod was shiny -- very, very shiny. Someone felt moved to say that "the peasants" had labored long to make it thus. Others -- oh, hell, some people both Left and Right cannot stand to see That Family dressing up The People's House for any reason whatsoever.

Happy winter-festival-of-your-choice celebrating the deity-of your-choice! Have a merry one! Have some eggnog, and bless the chickens and cows! Have more eggnog and don't forget the brandy!

Hekate

[patrice]

34. "the peasants"??? And some people wonder why I don't trust what calls itself "the Left".

My personal assumption is that, if we're as informed and as fully aware as possible about what's going on, what alternatives and choices there are, what the consequences of things are, there is no dishonor in CHOOSING to wash the floor. It is our own selves that invests our actions with dignity. All of this emphasis on external validation is of the Oppressor, no matter what it calls itself, and such people do not know squat about freedom.

[Hekate]

48. Nobody should ever enjoy anything -- rather Calvinistic when you think about it

Here's the offending photo and more than one comment.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021918825

[patrice]

49. I'm at minimum center-Left myself. I think we are most correct on the economic justice issue, more

so than any of the other positions. Those who can afford it least have been and continue to be robbed of more than just money. They are oppressed in powerful indirect ways that are inhuman and against which I fear constructive responses are declining day by day, but generalized resentment and anger for anger's sake against all of that will only make it worse.

It's bad enough losing opportunities to develop human potential and to be enslaved by lies and ignorance, but to identify with what's doing that so completely that we accept, even in jest, an appellation such as "peasants" is to internalize the Oppressor and further enslave one's self with bitterness and resentment, none of which will contribute very constructively to effective liberation of one's self or others and can, in fact, cause people to make major mistakes about how to change things for the better.

[Hekate]

52. Good points, patrice

[MrYikes]

54. ah then,

focused anger and a guillotine in the near future would be a good thing.

[patrice]

58. I am non-violent, but I am for things being as real as possible as it is to make them, so I have

been thinking in terms of an authentic General Strike.

I also think we should consider vastly stepping it up against the Federal Reserve http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021925674#post2

What are your non-violent alternatives to the guillotine?

[yellowcanine]

22. SOMEONE ALERT BILL O ABOUT THE WINGNUT WAR OF CHRISTMAS!!!

[spanone]

23. they wrap their racism around every friggin' thing

[zentrum]

24. A little context

....would be helpful to debunk all this further. How many trees did the Bush's have? Are the trees donated?

It's probably customary to put a tree in each of the historic rooms and the background of this practice would help.

[NMDemDist2]

27. I know the WH is part of the National Park Service

and they oversee the decorations

[Whovian]

26. Dear right wingers: Why would Muslims want a Cristmas tree? n/t

[DollarBillHines]

28. "has overseen the placement of thousands of ornaments in public rooms"

PUBLIC ROOMS??????

Is she trying to shove Christmas down the public's throat?

What is this world coming to?

We're all gonna die.

[JBoy]

29. Shock & Awe in the War on Christmas.

[lunasun]

31. But what about their beloved Raygun??? why was it OK when Nancy went over the top??

.......not that this is necessarily over the top for the WH anyway...
...it is just more nobama drama...why the outrage?
You would think they had painted the white house black!

[CakeGrrl]

32. Perpetually angry and/or paranoid is no way to go through life

but I don't think they'll catch on too soon.

[Kalidurga]

35. All right troops you have your orders. This year we are fighting the war on Christmas...

with Christmas Trees.

[kentauros]

61. And Christmas Ordinance

in place of ornaments.

[AverageJoe90]

36. Do they ever STOP?

I mean, the craziness and astounding hypocrisy of the far-right in this country is just too mind-boggling for me to believe sometimes.

[CakeGrrl]

70. Obama Derangement Syndrome: A new level of crazy.

Yes he won, but for the people who really, really, REALLY didn't want him to win? This is how they 'deal'.

[AverageJoe90]

71. Yeah, that's pretty much it right there. n/t

[SpartanDem]

38. If want to be even more angry read some of the comments in the IBD article

the amount of public racism is truly sickening.


They are vile and disgusting. Moochelle is a shameless America hating witch. Evita Peron has got nothing on this horrible cow.

He won because of the color of his skin and the prospect of more FREE Obama stuff.

How many Christmas trees does it take to disguise a Muslim?

can you say 'nigger rich'.

http://news.investors.com/politics-andrew-malcolm/120312-635425-fiscal-cliff-talks-stall-as-obama-white-house-erects-its-own-tree-grove.htm?ven=rss

[SummerSnow]

46. WOW..

Truly truly hateful.Oh my

[SummerSnow]

39. But isn't this what they wanted ...

They said he was a Muslim.Now he's an over zealous Christian? they are batchit crazee

[ProudProgressiveNow]

41. K&R nt

[Initech]

43. To quote Jerry Seinfeld: "Oh Moses smell the roses."

[Earth_First]

44. So which is it? Too much Christmas or not enough Christmas?

These folks really need to get their shit together...

[rurallib]

45. well, once they recount the votes and Mittsy is declared president

Ann will show us how it's done

[Faryn Balyncd]

51. Why are right wingers waging a War Against Christmas????

[progressoid]

56. Another failure by the Obama administration.

Christmas is beating them at the war on Christmas. Time for an exit strategy is guess.

[SummerSnow]

57. I AM OUTRAGED!!!!!!

He should have not put up 54 trees what is wrong with him...He should have put up 47 trees in honor of Mitt Romney

[hifiguy]

59. If the Obamas walked on water, the reichwing

mouth-breathers would say "Told ya. They can't swim."

[butterfly77]

60. I thought they said...

he was a Muslim?

[BeliQueen]

62. If memory serves, there are always over 50 trees on the lawn.

One for each state and territory. Each one decorated with regional ornaments.

It's a wonderful display that everyone should see at least once.

[Nay]

63. Uh, isn't the tree thing a long-standing tradition?? The WH tours at Christmastime are a big deal --

I went on one several years ago and the WH was copiously decorated in every room. There were gobs of tourists. We waited in line for quite a while. I don't think this is "an Obama thing."

[intersectionality]

64. I work in a part of the eco-industry, and here is the response I give to these ignorant arguments:

Surprisingly, real Christmas trees are much more environmentally friendly than artificial Christmas trees, as they are now typically raised on Christmas tree farms and not culled from forests (you can, of course, go and fetch a Christmas tree from the forest yourself if you receive a permit from the US Forest Service). Not only are Christmas tree farms a great way to manage land that might otherwise lie fallow, but they also provide a boon to the regional economy since most artificial trees are manufactured overseas. Thankfully, more than half of the 30 million live Christmas trees sold each year in the US are recycled through various Christmas tree recycling programs like Mulchfest. Trees that are brought to the Mulchfest sites around New York City are ground into mulch for our parks and gardens, and this mulch can even be picked up for free to be used in your yard or garden just by calling your borough forestry office!

I know how counter-intuitive it must seem when I claim that cutting down real trees is a more environmental friendly practice than purchasing an artificial tree. But, if you bear with me I can explain the empirical evidence supporting this conclusion. Instead of being built at a factory, up to 2,000 farmed Christmas trees are be planted on each acre of a Christmas tree farm. By the time they are ready to be harvested (6-8 years depending on the species), the number of trees will have dwindled to about 1500 because they compete with each other for sunlight and nutrients. These trees are typically grown only a few hundred miles away from where they are sold, meaning that the people who buy real trees are also reaping the benefits that a tree provides while growing! Once the trees are cut down, the field is replanted. Even after the trees are cut down and taken into someone’s home for Christmas, real trees are still evapo-transpiring and filtering the air, meaning that they are respirating by exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen that humans and other animals breathe. After these trees are used in homes, people often use the leaves and branches to mulch their trees or gardens. Mulch is a great layer of tree protection against the cold winters and the salt we use to melt ice or snow, and during the hot summers it helps to retain moisture so the tree does not need to be watered as often. Additionally, as the mulch breaks down it is naturally returning important nutrients in the form of carbon (from the woody branches) and nitrogen (from the green leaves) into the soil to be used again by the trees or plants in your garden. Old Christmas trees can even be used to revive over-fished lakes because they provide additional shelter for fish.

And using artificial trees? That's worse than you could imagine! First, it requires a good amount of petroleum to create artificial trees because they are made of petroleum-based plastics. Creating these types of plastics for the tree releases a large amount of volatile organic compounds into our atmosphere that combine with nitrogen oxides in the presence of sunlight to create low level amounts of abrasive, ground-level ozone (also called smog, a primary cause of asthma attacks). Then we also have to account for the amount of pollution created to ship the tree from China to the US, and the amount of energy to produce an artificial tree really begins to add up! They also take up a ton of room in landfills at the end of their lives.

[Raine]

68. THANKS so much for this info, it's very useful to have. nt

[Godot51]

65. Too Black

Of course all of this is just camouflage for the real issue: The Obamas are just too "Black" for the "White" House.

[Nye Bevan]

66. So if the White House can have 54 "Christmas Trees",

why does Rhode Island's single tree have to be called a "Holiday Tree"?

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-73517430/

If the RI Governor is correct that calling it a "Christmas Tree" would be insensitive, how does he feel about the White House's 54 "Christmas Trees"?