Stupid Joke, More Stupid Opportunistic Hypocrite
Even Obama can say dumb stuff. His “Special Olympics” joke on the Tonight Show was uncalled for and very unlike him; his apology was at the least an absolute must.
Although people like Tim Shriver, the head of the Special Olympics, and moderate conservatives like Arnold Schwarzenegger understood that Obama’s heart was in the right place but just had a lapse of judgment in his words, not everyone was so forgiving:
“I was shocked to learn of the comment made by President Obama about Special Olympics,” said Palin, whose son, Trig, was born with Down syndrome last year. “This was a degrading remark about our world’s most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world.”
This came 20 hours after the piece aired, and despite the fact that Obama apologized to Shriver profusely even before the segment was broadcast. And let’s not forget that Palin dragged poor Trig across the country during the campaign, unafraid to use him as a campaign prop; her statement smacked of political opportunism.
Not to mention that Palin’s own actions, contrary to her noble words, are less than sympathetic to these same kids. Palin, as Andrew Sullivan points out, accepted stimulus money where it applies to construction (despite her non-stop insistence during the campaign that she would always say “no thanks” to exactly that kind of federal funding), but refused to allow $170 million go to education, with some of that going to special needs children:
The biggest single chunk of money that Palin is turning down is about $170 million for education, including money that would go for programs to help economically disadvantaged and special needs students. Anchorage School Superintendent Carol Comeau said she is “shocked and very disappointed” that Palin would reject the schools money. She said it could be used for job preservation, teacher training, and helping kids who need it.
So, Obama works to get funding for special needs kids but makes a bad joke on a late-night show; Palin acts all offended at the joke in front of news cameras, but then blocks the money from getting to “our world’s most precious and unique people.”
Actions speak louder than words, don’t they?
Obama didn’t make a joke about the participants nor the organizers of the Special Olympics. He took a very gentle swipe at Jay for praising him in a way that one would praise a puppy or a small child. While he could have chosen his words better, he really has been vilified by a country and media who have become so p.c. as to take offense to the slightest perceived joke about anyone or any topic. I think shows like Real Time with Bill Maher and its predecessor are reactions to how thin-skinned and sensitive the country has become.
This is the problem with the Media and Washington Para-government still being controlled by movement conservatives. Obama burps and its all over the news outlets. Bush brings civilization to the brink of collapse and it’s in bad taste if you bring that up.
It’s going to be a while before things get better.
Now that I have seen more of how the media has handled this, I have to agree. A gaffe is a gaffe, but Larry King setting aside a good chunk of his show to cover the story? Please.