Political Wire: Barack Obama: Flashback Quote of the Day

[flpoljunkie]

February 24, 2011

Flashback Quote of the Day

"If American workers are being denied their right to organize when I'm in the White House, I will put on a comfortable pair of shoes and I will walk on that picket line with you as president of the United States."

-- Barack Obama, quoted by Slate, while making a campaign speech in 2007.

[RoccoR5955]

1. So WTF is he? n/t

[vi5]

2. Hahahahahaha....

Love to see some spinning of that quote.

[Brickbat]

3. Reader, I believed him.

So much for that.

[mkultra]

12. lol. funniest thing i read all day

[phleshdef]

4. No one ever thinks about the cost of security to protect the President in situations like that.

Just making a planned, speech-like appearance is costly enough. Putting him in a protest situation with armed teabaggers strolling about would be a secret service nightmare.

[avaistheone1]

8. Well if the govt coughs up the security for date night for

the President in New York, it can cough up the money to support workers should the President make an appearance on the picket line.

[phleshdef]

9. If you think the cost of security would even be comparable, you need some basic math classes.

This is a protest with tens of thousands of people, out in the open, huge crowds, unpredictable circumstances. Date night is a few hours dinner and a movie type deal.

[Radical Activist]

10. It would be no favor to the strike organizers either.

Everything else comes to a halt when a President comes to town.
The above quote is a good cheap shot for people who don't like to think things through.

[phleshdef]

11. Yea, basically the secret service would have take control of the protest.

It would ruin the whole thing.

[babylonsister]

5. Yea, the President showed him the love yesterday...

Drudge is, as usual, delusional.


Obama blasted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi — but without using the longtime dictator's name — for violating "international norms and every notion of common decency."

"These are human rights," Obama said. "They are not negotiable."

[flpoljunkie]

7. More from Slate on this quote and President Obama's reasons for not saying more about Wisconsin

The president tried to deliver a calibrated statement about the budget fight in Wisconsin. In times of austerity, he said, everyone had to sacrifice, including the public sector unions, but Gov. Scott Walker's efforts looked like overreach that disproportionately targeted unions. A Democratic president must support the union cause, but he tried to respond "in stride," as one White House official put it, which is to say that he didn't run out of his way to comment on the issue, nor would he do so again. He certainly was not going to make good on his promise during the campaign: "If American workers are being denied their right to organize when I'm in the White House, I will put on a comfortable pair of shoes and I will walk on that picket line with you as president of the United States."

The White House didn't want to say more for two reasons. As with the protests in the Middle East, it's better for Obama's long-term interests if the revolt in Wisconsin is seen as a thoroughly grassroots uprising. More important, speaking out also breaks the new White House rules about discipline. The goal is to have the president stay focused on his message about improving American competitiveness—avoiding each fracas over a budget line item or other news of the day.

The attempt to send a discreet message failed. Republicans pounced on Obama's meddling. Boehner said the president was trying to "demagogue" the Wisconsin governor. Boehner knows something about losing message control. For weeks Democrats have predicted Republicans would be inflexible in their budget demands and shut down the government. The hope has been to cow them into compromise by reminding voters of the shutdown in 1995, which, it is widely believed, marked the start of Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich's downfall.

http://www.slate.com/id/2285999

[Jakes Progress]

6. Well. see. It depends on your definition of "are".

Then if you can adjust the punctuation just right, and point out that right now the president needs a new pair of more comfortable shoes, along the the fact that the secret service can't decide what "organize" means. Well, you can see how the president's hands are tied and that he (the most powerful man in the world) can't really do anything. After all, didn't you know that President of the United States is an honorary position?

[GeorgeGist]

13. You failed to notice the nuance ...

WHEN I'm IN the White House

(emphasis mine)

He's walking the line WHEN he's IN the Whitehouse.

[geek tragedy]

14. I'll take "Any excuse to whine about Obama" for $600, Alex. nt

[joeybee12]

15. Give him a break...do you know how hard it is to find COMFORTABLE shoes?

[BlueIris]

19. Or the impetus to put them on?

Too much effort for him at the moment, and so unreasonable of voters to expect that kind of investment. Next they'll want him, to, you know, actually govern. We can't have that.

[ClarkUSA]

16. So where's the picket line? Hmm? I wasn't aware the vote happened already.

Did WI unions lose their collective bargaining rights and I am the last to know?

:sarcasm:

The man behind Political Wire is a longtime establishment DC politico who has hosted gatherings with Republicans for money. Why am I not surprised to see him pushing this not-so-subtle Obama-bashing quote?

[TacticalPeek]

17. The apologies and excuses are positively cloying.

If a President cannot do this thing, then Obama should never have promised so to do.

[JoePhilly]

18. If this OP was the answer on Jeopardy, the correct question would be ..

"What is today's daily anti-Obama outrage?, Alex?"