How Do You Say “Wheeling and Dealing” in Austrian?
I would love to have seen a member of the audience stand up and say, “Uh, Mr. Obama? Did you know that ‘Austrian’ isn’t a language? We speak German here.”
Hat tip James T. Harris.
This is completely bogus. Nothing Obama said suggests he thinks there is an “Austrian” language.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 07, 2009 at 2127 hrs
Really?
“I don’t know what the term is in Austrian.”
Not a big deal, but definitely funny.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 07, 2009 at 2138 hrs
Austrians would probably disagree that they have their own language. Actually, Germans would probably argue even more strenuously that Austrians have their own language. A film in an Austrian dialect will often have subtitles when broadcast in Germany.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 07, 2009 at 2139 hrs
Agreed “not a big deal.” Just kinda funny.
Posted by Owen on April 07, 2009 at 2147 hrs
Now remember, If you infer any ignorance on anyone who likes to be referred to as a minority, and you’re anglo, you’re part of the evil white racist society.
Corollary: If you’re a self described minority, you can’t win.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 07, 2009 at 2148 hrs
I don’t know how you would say this in Canadian, but it is kinda funny. If Bush had said this it would certify him to ride on the little bus…
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 07, 2009 at 2219 hrs
He clearly meant to say Austria instead of Austrian. And, of course, there are a number of German dialects. But still, a bit funny. I do agree that Bush would have been hammered for this. Let’s see what they say on Huffington.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 08, 2009 at 0033 hrs
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Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 08, 2009 at 0734 hrs
If Obama says anything equivalent to “Tribal sovereignty means that tribes are sovereign” when asked about his views and policies as they relate to Native American tribes, I’ll be first to hammer him for it.
Bush did this in 2004, twelve years after becoming governor and four after becoming president.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWiytuW79vU
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 08, 2009 at 1114 hrs
I agree with others. The press would have run this all day long if it was Bush. Jay Leno would have had a bit on it, and Letterman wouldn’t have let it go either.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 08, 2009 at 1615 hrs
xx- you’re probably right, but then again, Bush provided late night comedians with HOURS of material; Letterman with his “Great Moments in Presidential Speeches” segment comes to mind. I can’t imagine President Obama actually thought “Austrian” is a language, and I don’t think many people think he does either. He made a mistake, and it’s a pretty harmless one.
However, I can only imagine if Bush had made the same mistake, but only in Rome…”Well, when in Rome, speak Roman like the Romans…..or is that Latin….or is it one of them purdy, romantical languages.”
Comedians really miss Bush; Obama just doesn’t give them a lot to work with.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 08, 2009 at 1849 hrs
Obama just doesn’t give them a lot to work with
Oh please… He’s got as many gaff’s. He messed up the inaugural address and the press blamed Justice Roberts. Special Olympics comment that would have drawn hells wrath if a conservative had said it. When he doesn’t have the teleprompter he… ah…. takes… ah… 3 seconds between every word… and ah… “55 states” or whatever he said. I mean those are just the ones that come to mind in a few seconds here. His gaff reel is WELL stocked in his short presidential career.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think any of those things mean he’s not qualified to be president, that he’s ‘an idiot’ ‘bumbler’ whatever. All the pathetic things people said about Bush. But I do think that the glaring irregularity here is that if ANYONE questions how the press can SELECTIVELY manipulate public perception when they CHOOSE to for some people like they did to Bush and choose NOT to with Obama ought to be an eye opener to anyone who forms their political opinions from mass media.
Obama has at this point in his term made just as many gaffs. The press just hasn’t hung him out by them at every opportunity.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 08, 2009 at 2105 hrs
Let’s see what they say on Huffington.
Yeah…cuz they’re the authority.
Posted by Roland on April 08, 2009 at 2317 hrs
“LOOK!!!” <sarcasm now off>, but I don’t buy your point on the Presidential oath. Taking an oath is essentially a game of “follow the leader” or “repeat after me”. Once Justice Roberts uttered the words incorrectly, it was done. As for the Special Olympics comment, I was stunned when I heard him say it. And I am equally stunned that he hasn’t gotten much grief for it; he should. I’m not sure what Leno and Letterman could have done with that miscue other than turning a politically incorrect one liner into a stream of distasteful jokes.
But we were talking about late night comedians here, and again, Obama hasn’t given them enough to work with, ….yet. Leno has an impressionist on his show from time to time that does a great impersonation, especially mimicking Obama’s cadence; SNL does too, but the actor falls short, in my opinion.
Bottom-line, I don’t think comedians have figured out what to do with Obama yet; in the world of comedy, stammering “ah” with three seconds between words is not going to sell a lot of commercial air time. On the other hand, conservative bloggers seem to have figured out what to do with Obama.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 09, 2009 at 0611 hrs
Yeah…cuz they’re the authority.
No, because that will indicate whether the liberal side will treat Obama as they would have treated Bush.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 09, 2009 at 0725 hrs
Laker, you don’t think if Bush has said he’d been to “55 states” or “52 states” or whatever Obama said it would have been way more blown out of proportion?
This isn’t about Bush or Obama, and who’s a bigger idiot. Its about the press and their stranglehold on the perceptions of the american public.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 09, 2009 at 1030 hrs
xx, it’s real easy to sit back and play the “what if” game, but yeah, you could be right. Obama has been in office for just over two months, so it’s difficult to tell if he is getting preferential treatment because the media likes him more than Bush or if they’re still in a “let’s wait and see” mode. Could it be part of the honeymoon period? I don’t know.
What I do know is that Bush’s presidency produced an eight year compilation of gaffs, sound bites and comedic material. I no longer remember how Bush was initially treated by the media when he first took office in 2001, but I’m guessing it was pretty positive given the outgoing president’s sexual antics; on the flip side, you had the Florida voting issues. How long his honeymoon lasted, I don’t remember, but it was over on 9/11.
The jokes about Bush and how he handled the news of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon came well after that day. (Personally, I remember my own stunned reaction and then having to tell employees who reported to me what had happened, so I’ve never found those jokes about his reaction funny). But they came with a vengeance, and soon, every miscue was magnified. Much of it had to do with his approval ratings, as the jokes were relentless at the end of his presidency, just as they were at the end of Clinton’s. And Bush made some colossal blunders in the public eye with the cameras rolling. Obama’s ratings are still high. If they fall, then we’ll see how he is treated by the media. As I stated earlier, I still think Obama got a MAJOR pass on the Special Olympics remark; I’m still mystified by it.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 09, 2009 at 1201 hrs
My point isn’t to bash bush, or bash Obama, but just to constantly point out when I get the chance that people need to not be absorbers of information but seekers/analyzers of information.
Too many people are absorbers and they need to realize that what the 5 oclock news floats out there every day and what jay leno and letterman joke about every night DOES influence your opinions if you don’t SEEK a more thourough understanding of whats going on. Unfortunatley, I don’t think the audience of this blog really fits the category of “absorbers”, rather just them being/posting here means they are seeking information, so I’m probably preaching to the choir but.
The way your typical barely cognizant american forms opinions on news and current events is way too easily influenced by mass media peddlers.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 09, 2009 at 1212 hrs
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