New York’s Long Island weekly newspaper, Smithtown Messenger, published a photo spread entitled “Before and After” of the past five presidential couples and the Obamas at the beginning and end of their respective presidential terms. The piece would’ve been clever had not the paper chosen to depict the Obamas “after” as Esther (LaWanda Pages) and Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) from the early 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son.
After accusations of racism, publisher Phillip Sciarello defended the piece as satire but said the newspaper would run a retraction in its next edition.
The NAACP’s Long Island regional director Tracey Edwards described the piece as “despicable and disrespectful. If this was intended as satire, it misses the mark.”
Hazel N. Dukes, president of the state NAACP conference said in a statement on Wednesday, “it is simply shocking and outrageous that such a blatantly racist ad would run in any paper, much less an official paper of Suffolk County,” Dukes said. “New Yorkers of all races and ethnicity are disgusted by it and reject it.”
If satire is meant to be witty, even ironic, or at least exaggerate a bit of truth, Blindie thinks that the Smithtown Messenger definitely missed the mark -Esther is not Fred Sanford’s wife but his bickering sister-in-law and the only similarities between them and the Obamas is their race. The satire relies upon the stereotype that black people are of a depressed economic class, bicker frequently, and are generally comedic because of that.
Much to the chagrin of Republicans and haters everywhere, President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised the President’s “efforts to strengthen international diplomacy,” his “vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons” and for inspiring hope and creating “a new climate in international politics.”
Obama responded to the honor saying he was surprised and deeply humbled. “Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations,” hesaid. “To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who’ve been honored by this prize.”
And what did all the critics say? “Apparently Nobel Prizes are now being awarded to anyone who is not George Bush,” Air America correspondent Ana Marie Cox wrote on Twitter. Washington Post blogger Ezra Klein also commented on Twitter: “Obama also awarded Nobel Prize in chemistry. ‘He’s just got great chemistry,’ says Nobel committee.”
The Daily Beast’s Peter Beinart wrote: “I like Barack Obama as much as the next liberal, but this is a farce.” And Michael Russnow wrote on the Huffington Post that he too is an Obama supporter but, “Whatever Happened to Awarding for Deeds Actually Done?”
horbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, told the AP, “Some people say — and I understand it — ‘Isn’t it premature? Too early?’ Well, I’d say then that it could be too late to respond three years from now,” T “It is now that we have the opportunity to respond — all of us.”
Obama is the third sitting U.S. president to win the award after President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and President Woodrow Wilson in 1919. He plans to donate the cash prize of $1.4 million to charity.
Obama became the first sitting President to guest on a late night talk show when he visited the The Late Show on Monday as part of his media campaign to support his health care plan.
The President addressed the recent claims in the press that opposition to his health care reform was fueled by racism saying, “First of all, I think it’s important to realize that I was actually black before the election.”
He went on to say, “whenever a president tries to bring about significant changes particularly during times of econmic unease, then there is a certain segment of the poulation that gets very riled up…FDR was called a socialist and a communist. JFK, there were all kinds of names hurled at him. Ronald Reagan when he came into office he was moving in a different direction and people were sure he was bringing the country down.”
Obama also received a heart-shaped potato from an audience member.
In what sounded like an off-the-record conversation before a press conference on Tuesday, President Barack Obama called Kanye West a “jackass” for rudely interrupting Taylor Swift acceptance speech during the MTV VMAs on Sunday.
“I thought that was really inappropriate, you know. I mean it’s like, she’s gettin’ an award, what’re you butting in? I hear you. I agree with you. The young lady seems like a perfectly nice person, she’s getting her award, what’s he doing up there? He’s a jackass.”
Obama also made light of the informal banter and the tendency for the press to scrutinize his every word and action by saying, “Come on guys, cut the President some slack, I’ve got a lot on my plate,” and went on to refer to his fly catching incident which was caught on tape and blown out of proportion.
President Barack Obama delivered a televised speech to school children across the country from the Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia on Monday amidst controversy and protests.
Even though other presidents have delivered back-to-school addresses, Obama’s speech was met with harsh criticism as some accuse him of trying to push his agenda directly to children.
Before his speech, the President met with a group of Wakefield students for an informal discussion where he warned the high-schoolers of the perils of posting on Facebook saying, “be careful what you post on Facebook. Whatever you do, it will be pulled up later in your life.”
Obama stressed the importance of taking responsibility and committing to succeed during his speech and said, “At the end of the day, the circumstances of your life, what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you have going on at home, none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school.
“There is no excuse for not trying. Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you because here in America you write your own destiny. You make your own future.”
Women’s Health has revealed Michelle Obama‘s secrets for sculpting her bionic, headline-grabbing arms.
For the first time the First Lady’s personal trainer Cornell McClellan has detailed their regimen, which he says he’s put Obama through since 1997, starting at 5:30 a.m.
“She’s truly committed herself to the importance of health and fitness,” McClellan says. “I believe the purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit. To do that, we take a holistic approach that includes strength, cardiovascular, and flexibility training.”
The Obamas descended upon Martha’s Vineyard on Sunday for the last hurrah of summer and the President has packed along an ecclectic summer reading list.
White House spokesman Bill Burton revealed to reporters on Monday the five books on President Barack Obama‘s reading agenda during his week-long vacation:
“The Way Home” by George Pelecanos
“Hot, Flat, and Crowded” by Thomas Friedman
“Lush Life” by Richard Price
“Plainsong” by Kent Haruf
“John Adams” by David McCullough
However, the President did everything besides read on his first day on the island. On Monday, he worked out at Blue Heron Farm in Chilmark, played tennis with wife Michelle Obama, then played golf at Farm Neck Golf Club.
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