President Obama gets into trouble when he relaxes in front of a friendly group, and lets the real Barack Obama come out. In front of a teleprompter, or in a situation where guards his words, the carefully cultivated facade comforts all who want to believe in his leadership. He can portray himself as the serious policy wonk, the nice guy with the ready smile, the uniter not the divider, and convince all but his opponents.
But when he is among enthusiastic friends, such as the cheering, responding audience in Roanoke, or more intimate gatherings of wealthy donors, he says things that reveal the real man, a guy who sees his opponents as bitter clingers to guns and bibles. As they are made, the remarks go unnoticed, accepted by his supporters as perfectly appropriate.
President Obama made a telling remark last night at a fundraiser in New York.
Andrew Malcolm of Investor's Business Daily brings us news of a joke told by Obama at a New York fundraiser that, once you think about it, really sums up his term in office:
Obama said he was reminded of the following story involving a young family that was understandably "very excited" at the mere sight of an Obama photo:
"This does also remind me of the season that we're in. Jim Messina tells this story, my campaign manager. He was in some event, and this young couple who was there with their adorable four-year-old son, and I guess there was a picture of me somewhere, and so they were very excited.
"They said, 'Sammy, who's that?' And he said, 'That's Barack Obama.' 'And what does Barack Obama do?' And the boy thinks for a second and he says, 'He approves this message.'"
Obama laughed and so did his wealthy audience
As the saying goes, 'Out of the mouths of babes..." or as Andrew Malcolm puts it:
"...after all this time and all this money the only thing an American youngster in 2012 knows about the current President of the United States is that he approves the message in a political TV ad. [snip] no one, least of all Barack Obama, seemed struck by the fact that after all this time and all this money the only thing an American youngster in 2012 knows about the current President of the United States is that he approves the message in a political TV ad. And this oblivious Chicago South Sider finds that worth sharing publicly."
Obama has a dilemma: his reliance on a teleprompter, and his weird tennis match head moves back and forth between them, are now a point of ridicule. So his campaign has let it be known they intend to keep him off the teleprompter as much as possible. But when he goes off prompter in front of enthusiasts, he betrays the real Obama, and people start to notice.
Thanks to the internet, these little tells by Obama spread and undermine the public personna. This little slip does not rank with "you didn't build that," but it does reveal a man who thinks it quite a joke that his main activity is campaigning.
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