I don’t know if I am allowed to criticize Barack Obama here, but I am going to anyway. It’s about this:
He’s supposed to be a man of the people, and I think this is silly. Is “over-elevating” a word? I think this makes Barack Obama look very establishment. When I saw this today on CNN, I cringed. I really did. I kept thinking “He thinks he’s better than me.” I know that’s not true, but it’s kinda lame, and I don’t think it’s good. It’s a logo that you might think he wears on his smoking jacket. Perhaps I am overreacting. Families from “old money” have seals.
I think it makes him look elitist. Sorry. He has to win first.
Velvet Elvis
The Latin is definitely overkill.
Chris Johnson
“More Possums?” :D
gussie
I’ll take the idiotic crest if he’ll give me a full-throated opposition to the FISA collapse.
Michael D.
I think so too. I don’t know why. It’s just a harmless Logo, but it seems wrong. And if a Republican did this, we’d be making fun of him or her for days.
joshers
I’m more disappointed in his decision to support the FISA bill, but the logo sucks too.
I’m not giving him any more money.
pillsy
I think it’s too hilariously stupid to be offensively stupid myself.
Either way, though, it’s stupid.
joel hanes
That’s all you got?
I’m still an Obama voter, but I think that emptywheel’s summary of his reply to her email about the FISA-sellout is right on the money:
Unfortunately, it seems the only people who succeed in politics are, well, not to put too fine a point on it, politicians. Not pretty, but there it is.
Sloegin
We are able to be truthy? Looks like he’s got the Colbert vote wrapped up.
John Cole
I oppose immunity and have from day one, but there is nothing Obama can do about this. The issue was lost before there was ever even a votre, and now you are all demanding that Obama commit political hari-kiri on an issue he can not win. A Senate filibuster will not even hold, yet you are all out there demanding he.. what? Hold a last stand on an issue that is already decided, and was decided by the folks in the House in the Democratic majority who voted for the bill.
Obama didn’t sell you down the river. The Democrats in the House did. Direct your anger appropriately.
Laura in Austin
Cheesy and silly. Elitist? It’s too silly to be elitist.
Ick.
Should Know Better
That’s pretty dumb looking. Are you sure it doesn’t belong to the Earth-Two Obama? I can’t find it on his site.
Doug H. (Fausto no more)
I’m seeing a few more eagles on the website, but nothing like this. You sure this is nothing more than a gimmick for his new ‘Declaration of Independence’ drive?
The Grand Panjandrum
As long as he doesn’t wear Bruno Magli’s or Versace I’d bet he’s still one of us. But who knows he did pay off his student loans a couple years ago and is making some serious coin from those books he wrote. The pod people may have captured him and turned him into one of them.
Zifnab
Your not.
Don’t let us stop you.
:-p ZOMG, Obama is starting a cult!
wobbly
If this is from him, I think he’s laughing at himself and his image.
Sort of like Hillary did in her hitchhiking away from Woodstock video. And like both of them did with Mt.Rushmore photos and jokes.
Is this from him,though?
I just got off his website-ordering buttons and T-shirts-and saw nothing remotely like this image???
jake
Horrible! He should have a big tour bus and paint something snappy and straight forward on it like … Straight Talk Express.
In this case it might well be true, in which case, so? You survived nearly eight years of an infantile, swaggering, knuckledragger who can’t get to the end of a sentence without major mishap and started a war for shits n’ giggles thinking he’s better than you, me and everyone else on the planet. You will survive a stupid campaign logo. I promise.
KCinDC
Yeah, can you give a link to where this comes from? Looks to me like it’s at least somewhat tongue-in-cheek.
Joshua Norton
The latin is a little too precious. It’s been a while since I’ve suffered through it. So he’s either trying to say “true possums” or “yes we can” (in an extremely fractured way).
PK
Why is it political Hari-kiri? I am not paying close attention to this, so am curious. Is there widespread public support for immunity to telecoms? I am not getting this-even if he cannot change the situation he can come strongly against it.
b. hussein canuckistani
Makes me think of a Ramones t-shirt. Which is a win.
Ted
Michael D. is very CONCERNED.
Is is possible for him to instead commit political Harry Carey? And if so, what would that be like?
Just Some Fuckhead
He is better than you Michael. And you’re better than this dumbass post.
Tom in Texas
According to the NYT, this seal was on display during a meeting between Obama and a dozen Democratic governors.
Probably just an attempt to make him look “Presidential,” though I do think it’s a bit ham handed.
Joshua Norton
I wish. I just found a credible link.
YellowJournalism
To paraphrase Jon Stewart, if he’s going to be president, then he should be better than me.
Michael D.
It was on the air on CNN about 20 minutes ago. I searched for the image and wrote the post based on the CNN story.
Links:
AP
CNN
Wall St. Journal
Velvet Elvis
Actually, Obama just came out saying he’ll filibuster any legislation with the immunity provision.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/06/20/draft-where-is-obama-on-the-fisa-fight/
Ted
If his campaign confines the stupid seal to those settings, then fine. He’s just trying to send all the top party people the swift and firm message that he’s in control now. If the seal ends up on a speech podium or something, that would look stupid.
strawmanmunny
True. I thought with control of the House and Senate, Democrats would play hardball with McCain and offer up some programs that would put HIM on the defensive, INSTEAD, in their infinite wisdom they do it to their own candidate.
After this fall, I’m independent. It’s Obama or bust for me.
Richard Bottoms
Goddamed right.
J. Michael Neal
Making a full scale stand and then losing to a Congress controlled by your own party is one of the classic ways to look ineffective if you are, or want to be, President. It suggests that you can’t get your own troops to follow you.
Sometimes, it’s best to get out of the way of a speeding train.
Martin
That’s what I thought too.
For the uncivilized…
Beyond that, I think he needs to do gravitas shit like this, unfortunately. It’s silly, but then so is the muslim/terrorist/not citizen/unamerican crap and that’s still rolling along out there.
Adam
Vero possimus = “truth is possible”?
Dreggas
I didn’t see that anywhere on the thread save for where he promised to back Dodd’s filibuster the last time.
jake
100% Win from the WSJ comments:
John Cole
See also: Bush, immigration reform.
Ted
You know, Hitler had pieces of flare that he made the Jews wear.
rob!
yes, you are.
a campaign this big has all kinds of iconography, some loose and some hip, some classically square, which this logo is. it looks like it belongs on currency.
its meant to evoke the feeling that Obama is part of the history of american presidents, Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, Reagan.
at a time when the Right is desperately trying to paint “the guy with the big ears and funny name” as utterly different and foreign (read: scary), this logo attempts to make him look like he is quintessentially American.
sure, its a little self-serious, but so is a lot of the stuff we use as symbols for this country. i like it.
Crust
Hey, Velvet Elvis that was last time. This time he promised that he will vote for the bill, amnesty or no amnesty (although he will support taking amnesty out).
Martin
Oh, vero possumus would be approximately “indeed, we can”.
I think. It’s certainly not a common phrase that I can recall.
J. Michael Neal
I was thinking: Clinton, health care reform, but your example works, too.
joel hanes
John:
there is nothing Obama can do about this.
I agree that he could not have changed the outcome.
The issue was lost before there was ever even a vote,
I agree.
and now you are all demanding that Obama commit political hari-kiri on an issue he can not win.
I do not see any demands whatsoever in what I posted, either in my own words or in emptywheel’s.
A Senate filibuster will not even hold,
I think you are correct.
yet you are all out there demanding
see above
.. what? Hold a last stand on an issue that is already decided, and was decided by the folks in the House in the Democratic majority who voted for the bill.
Well, speaking for myself, I would have preferred that he address at length the lost opportunity for accountability, and to have leaned a bit harder on attacking Mr. Bush’s indefensible and criminal abuse of surveillance. I realize that getting what I want would necessarily imply criticism of Hoyer and Pelosi and Rockefeller, and so I didn’t expect it to happen, nor am I demanding it.
But I reserve the right to judge and to be disappointed.
I have, and I am.
Obama didn’t sell you down the river. The Democrats in the House did.
I completely agree, and have already contributed to the fund to run oppo ads against Hoyer. I wish I could think of a way to have any effect on Pelosi.
Dennis - SGMM
That’s just plain gauche. “Yes We Can!” in block letters was compelling. This thing just makes me want to invade Poland.
Zifnab
Meanwhile, quietly rolling over over on a key constitutionality issue and a lynch pin in the now-increasingly-quixotic-quest to hold somebody fucking accountable shows that you really want to bring change to Washington.
You know what else suggests you can’t get your own troops to follow you? Never asking them to do anything they weren’t going to do anyway.
Brachiator
Much ado about nothing. The seal will probably make a pretty cool lapel pin.
Reading elitism into this just indicates that some people are easily swayed by media bullshit.
The knockoff of the presidential seal is over-the-top, but keep in mind that Obama is a candidate whose legitimacy and citizenship is questioned almost every other day.
The Democratic Party leadership already indicated that they were willing to cave on this issue, even though there was absolutely no reason to do so; and there was little political capital to be lost by opposing it. I don’t know why the Democrats insist on being gutless when they clearly have the Bush Administration at least a little wobbly.
And here, from a recent NYT article, is Speaker Pelosi attempting to rationalize support for the bill:
Unfortunately, Obama cannot get too far ahead of the Congressional leadership. And if Senator Clinton announces that she strongly opposes this bill, then I will begin to suspect that there is some odd back channel political gamesmanship going on.
Velvet Elvis
Yeah. That’s what I get for citing somebody else’s cite without bothering to read it.
sidereal
Hey, I have a seal. Her name is Grace. She gets mad when I take her bukket.
That’s the funniest thing I’ve read all week.
Poor Poles :(
rob!
i figure the democrats are still afraid we’ll get hit by a terrorist between now and 1/20/09.
and if they deny Bush ANYTHING, and we do get hit, he’ll go on TV, blame the Democrats, and the country will vote in McCain while sitting in their own gravy. “too scared, too scared, can’t vote for the black guy.”
while i have some sympathy for those having to work for an electorate that stupid, they should’ve taken a stand on this. criminy.
Jon H
That’s pretty bad. But where is he using it?
The only place I’ve seen it is (I think) on the front of the table at the economic conference with, what, governors? Mayors?
His website isn’t using it.
Dennis - SGMM
Just heard on MSNBC that a reporter today asked Chuck Hagel if he’d consider being Obama’s veep. Hagel seemed receptive to the idea.
This is…
wait for it…
a slap in the face to Hillary Clinton.
KDP
If he continues in this vein, he’ll not be getting the donations from the little guy, he won’t be getting federal funds, he’ll have seriously damaged his credibility, and we’ll all be stuck with McCain in the White House.
As long as he votes Nay on a FISA bill that includes the immunity clause, I can deal with it. The seal is a bit of overkill, not sure what marketing genius convinced him that is was a good idea, but were they ever wrong.
As well, I try to take the long view, and that tells me he is a better choice than McCain.
Jon H
Michael D: You don’t provide a link.
Where did you see this? Like I said, i only saw it in one place on the Obama website, and that was a photo of him at the economic conference where this was stuck on the front of the table.
Just Some Fuckhead
It’s a slap in the face to all Democrats. But it’s also a kick in the nuts to HRC.
John Cole
Just vote for McCain and quit wasting my time.
Seriously. Anyone who is considering dropping support for someone because they released a seal such as this is better off at Red State writing diaries about how great George Bush is and how he is the kind of guy you want to have a beer with.
nightjar
He’s going for the Appalachia vote, where I grew up. He needs to add the Latin word for “stew” though.
Just Some Fuckhead
Give Michael a few more minutes on the fainting couch.
Cris
It would be all like HOLY COW
Grumpy Code Monkey
He’s running to be the next President of the United States. If he isn’t better than me, he shouldn’t get the fucking job.
After the last 8 (fuck, 28) years, I wouldn’t mind having a President who is obviously ridiculously smarter than the general population and reminds them of it periodically.
Jon H
That seal might have been created just for the economic conference with the governors, and designed that way to ape the sort of designs we put on our currency. The latin and the monochrome design fit this theory.
Gus
Hey, if Obama can make Wanker of the Day on Atrios’ blog, you can criticize him here. His backing the FISA bill is a real eye-opener for me.
El Cid
Is this for decorative backgrounds or his emblem for the super-suit?
Jon H
I think the media is making too much of this.
It’s a fucking podium decoration. That’s all
Zuzu's Petals
Oh criminey. When you go to his website, this is the background image that first comes up:
eagle thingy
Crimeny.
Jinxi
Seriously? Well, I certainly hope so. I get so sick of this “elitist” bullshit. I want someone better than me sitting in the White House. I want an “elitist”. Because, well, the clown we’ve got now sucks shit.
A-men.
But these are the jokers that the Clintonistas for McCain swear will keep McCain from grabbing more power for himself and killing R v. W. You know the ones: “Don’t threaten me! I have faith in the Democrats in Congressr!” Blah, blah, blah. Yeah, those Democrats just caved again. I’m sure they’d stand up to McCain though.
Kevin
I didn’t get past the part where she said that Obama told her to “fuck off”. When a post starts out that lame, I tend not to finish reading it.
Jon H
“Oh criminey. When you go to his website, this is the background image that first comes up:”
Oh please, nobody ever sees that thing, as it’s behind all the content.
Jay B.
A third on the Ramones logo.
In Obama I trust (but verify)
Zuzu's Petals
And yet another eagle thingy.
Sigh.
Jon H
Oh, also?
Better eagles than fucking crosses, or crypto-crosses like that RNC podium in 2004.
sidereal
OMFG he consorts with EAGLES!!! Someone get me oxygen!
Ted
I don’t understand it either, not after his stand on the gas tax holiday BS. But oh well. I guess all he could have done was make some noise before it got passed anyway. As so many say, “Better Democrats, please.”
Zuzu's Petals
Actually, it’s the first thing you do see, for a split second.
Which begs the question: why the subliminal message?
Chris Johnson
Oh goodness, everyone is SO CONCERNED! *rofl*
Cheers balloonistas.
Does this too get to be an internet tradition? I missed the memo ;)
Jon H
“Which begs the question: why the subliminal message?”
Get your head out of your ass. It’s there to present a pleasant vaguely traditional and patriotic-looking image for people with slow connections.
What’s wrong with eagles?
Ted
Are you serious? Or making a joke?
dr. bloor
If he really thinks he needs a cheesy seal to send the message that he’s the headline act now, he should be running to replace the pointy-haired boss in “Dilbert” or Steve Carell in “The Office,” not for the presidency of the US.
Zuzu's Petals
No kidding.
Calouste
Is it Hissy Fits for Liberal Bloggers Day today?
The atmosphere at the Great Orange Satan was particularly ridiculous with people saying they’ll withhold giving money and votes to the MUP on an issue he hasn’t even voted on yet.
Dennis - SGMM
It’s also an episode of Electile Dysfunction for McCain.
jake
Anyway, we know Obama can’t be an elitist. The fRightWingers proved Obama was a DFH Commmie when Fairey’s painting came out.
sidereal
It’s ‘raises the question’ not ‘begs the question’. Begging the question is a specific logical fallacy in which the conclusion is restated as a premise (e.g. “I know Obama is arrogant, because he thinks he’s better than me!”).
It’s not subliminal. You can get it as a desktop wallpaper, as you can see right here. I know because I had it as my desktop wallpaper until I migrated to a cool photo of a lightning storm striking over an erupting volcano. And at no point during the roughly 8 months that I saw it as my desktop wallpaper did I think ‘OMG an EAGLE! BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA is CRAZY and LOVES EAGLES!’, because that would be a dumb thing to get worked up about.
Zuzu's Petals
Last first, semi-serious. It just seems so silly to go with such overblown imagery, yet in a way pretend not to. Just my opinion.
Second, nothing wrong with eagles, but see my comment about overblown imagery. Sorry this has upset you enough to be a crude jerk.
jake
Yeah. Why isn’t he using a Canada goose like a real Muricun?
Don’t worry folks. Some fine denizen of Rightistan will soon tell us that something about some campaign logo really represents Obama’s allegiance to Allah. I mean, the O is shaped like a moon and who has moons on their flags??
(Right, Hitler.)
Jon H
It would be cool if someone took that seal and made the various components of it counterrotate in a hypnotic fashion.
The outer ring with the text clockwise, the eagle counter-clockwise, the Obama logo in the middle clockwise, the Vero Possumus and the gradation clockwise behind the eagle.
Maybe with some psychedelic rings or spirals added in.
Jinxi
You know, two things bother me.
Obama’s campaign emails always start with “Friend”.
I don’t know why that bothers me, but it does. I prefer “Ms. Friend”.
The eagle is our national bird. Could this be the answer to why there’s an eagle on Obama’s page? Don’t answer that.
sidereal
I think there’s no reasonable conclusion to come to other than that Barack Obama is a Black Liberation Muslim, a Marxist fascist, and a far-left Lieberdem.
Jon H
“It’s not an eagle, it’s a falcon. Falconry is a popular sport in the Middle East.”
Sirkowski
Uh… he’s gonna President, so what’s wrong with that logo??? Christ…
Dennis - SGMM
Excerpt from Benjamin Franklin’s letter to his daughter, 1786:
Scott H
I don’t find that image on the Obama site. Is this some sort of third-party thing? I’m hating it, but what do I know? Everybody presented their asses for the Department of Homeland Security.
Also, they sort of overdid it with the US flags for my taste [image]. It’s all going to start getting really tacky, isn’t it?
Ramones, yeah. I had that album. My friends thought I’d lost my mind. Good times.
Zuzu's Petals
You’re saying this flashes when you pull up the website because it’s standard desktop wallpaper? Fair enough.
If the rest of your comment is aimed at me, I said I thought it was silly overblown imagery. The “crimineys” and sighs were over the silliness of it. Nary an “OMG he’s crazy and loves eagles” in sight.
MH
What I want from Obama is SOME indication that, even if he can’t stop this bill, he at least WISHES HE COULD. He has given no such indication, at least not that I’ve seen.
Things Obama could do to help me forgive him this travesty:
-say publicly that he opposes this bill. For bonus points, explain WHY this bill is so shitty.
-vote against this bill. Time will tell, won’t it.
-promise that if elected, he will pressure his Congress for repeal of the bill.
Even just these pretty words would make things better, but no, we get a wishy-washy crap statement that screams, “I don’t really care about this.”
I don’t expect Obama to stop the bill, but I DO expect him to oppose it. That is NOT hard, it is NOT “political hari-kiri,” and it is NOT too much to ask.
Chris Andersen
Reminds me of Bush and his “POTUS” belt buckles.
shera
Lame. You have no idea if Obama thinks he’s better than you. He probably does, given that most presidential candidates are by necessity egomaniacs. Even then, isn’t that his right? Doesn’t anyone have the right to feel superior to another person? Oh, that’s right, it’s not appropriately humble. Hell, I think I’m better than any number of people, including (but not limited to) George Bush, Dick Cheney, Joe Lieberman, and those idiots whining about how Obama has betrayed them, shown a lack of leadership, and permanently lost their vote because of a FISA bill engineered by a Congressional leadership he doesn’t belong to.
Why can’t we just admit that Obama’s not really the “de facto leader of the Democratic party,” and instead is leading its 2008 election efforts? With respect to governance, he’s got as much power as a junior Senator with four years of national legislative experience. Concluding that he’s now the leader of the party when he’s actually controlling only its 2008 election apparatus is just like observing that, based on that seal, that “Obama thinks he’s better than me.”
Zuzu's Petals
Reminds me of how I felt about Kerry’s vote on the war, his explanation (or lack of), and the amount of time it took him to say it was a mistake and he regretted it.
Everybody in the World
Latin has no word that exactly means “yes”. So if you were trying to translate “Yes we can,” what would you do? “Vero possumus” seems close enough.
Ted
You made a Bushism!
Funny.
MH
Yes, and I was pissed about that, too. One of Obama’s big selling points, for me, was that he was correct on the war when others like Kerry and Clinton were not.
Well, he’s wrong on FISA, today. It is WRONG for him NOT to speak out against it. He doesn’t have to stake his political fortune on it, but -SURPRISE!- just saying, “I think this bill does not adequately protect Americans’ fourth amendment rights, and as President, I will work to fix that” does not threaten his candidacy in the least.
Zuzu's Petals
True, but he wasn’t in the position of having to vote for or against the authorization.
Adam
I HAVE A SEAL NOW TOO
IT SAYS EXCALIBUR WHICH IS LATIN FOR SWORD
Church Lady
I don’t think he should be given a pass on this incredibly lame logo thingy. If if was McCain, the snark that would be posted here would be classic. Why hold back on the pony? I have to assume that he will blame it on someone in the campaign, and say that, as a man of the people, his campaign doesn’t stand for that kind of elitism and that in the future his place at the table will be identified by a posterboard hand colored by one of his daughters.
They just showed it on a film clip on MSNBC. I mean, really – he was in the center of the table and, without that stupid thing, no one would know who he was?
Martin
Other than the obvious answer of ‘remind myself that I’m not Harvard and decide to skip the latin altogether’ I think it’s close enough.
Putting ‘Yes We Can’ in copperplate above the eagle would have been gauche and terroristy.
Laertes
You are deeply silly people.
Martin
Black nominees all look the same to me. I would have needed the seal.
joel hanes
Latin has no word that exactly means “yes”. So if you were trying to translate “Yes we can,” what would you do?
If I remember correctly, you use a verb ending that indicates mood.
From the linked page, I think that the indicative mood is what’s wanted here, or possibly the hortatory subjunctive.
The Other Steve
But with every seal comes a can of budweiser.
Are you saying budweiser is elitist?
SamFromUtah
Families from “old money” have seals.
I forgot – what’s the URL on the Carnegie seal again?
skippy
it looks to me a little 1930’s…like the seal for the dept. of weights and measures or something.
it’s definitely too retro to inspire the future.
kate r
Can I love this conversation as much as the whole “I am aware of all internet traditions” bushwa or is it too tacky to have two faves so close together?
kate r
oh, but I don’t want the tee-shirt…unless it lit up and swirled like Jon H described.
Laertes
Michael D: You’re a caricature of the whiny, prissy, impossible-to-please Democrat. Sack up already, you nancy.
w vincentz
Possums huh?
Though not indigenous to the Roman world, these tastey little marsupials aren’t too bad. It’s a “soul food” thing.
Just be sure to wash ’em good, stuff ’em with sweet potatoes, wrap ’em in bacon, and give ’em about two hours over hickory coals. Serve with collard greens on the side.
YUM!
Oh…the seal is obviously “code” for the African-Americans, or NEGROS in GOP-speak.
I was hoping for woodchucks as they are much more tender, but possums are a close second.
BTW, woodchucks will never allow their phones to be tapped, and they also sunbathe nude. Oh the outrage.
Martin
Not yet. Once the europeans buy it, it’ll be totally elitist. Will it stop being a domestic then?
Seitz
The luxurious seats are stuffed with eagle down and the dashboard inlaid with the beaks of a thousand eagles. Also, there are some eagles under the floorboards.
Yes, and yet–
[He sighs.]
It is just … the luxury edition has so much more eagle. It saddens me to think of you missing out.
EJ
Thanks to whomever brought up the Ben Franklin quote, I’m totally thinking he should have used a turkey instead. Maybe closer to the election, with Thanksgiving coming up.
We can always hope…
EJ
I’ve noticed that he is sometimes photographed posing near an American flag. Not to mention, some campaign appearances have been decorated with red, white, and blue bunting.
Fascist.
w vincentz
Eagles, falcons…duh.
You have to boil the shit out of ’em, then marinade for three days. Then put them on the charcoal for about five hours and baste ’em constantly.
When they’re done, just toss ’em in the compost and eat the charcoal or order out Chinese take out.
Never believe anyone that tells you that eagles or falcons taste like chicken. Heck, if more people knew what they really tasted like, these tough birds would never have been endangered.
Now, spotted owls are a bit different but I won’t get into it other than to say make a gravy with butter in it.
Zuzu's Petals
Zuzu's Petals
Oops on the blockquote thing.
nepat
Where do you fair weather fans come from anyway? The logo is totally fine. It’s a friggin’ logo fer chrissakes, you mad pack of angry literalists. Elitist? Did you miss the “Obama for America” part? Stop fixating on the eagle fer chrissakes and loosen up. Where’s Jeremiah Wright when you need him?
kate r
yeah where is the Rev? I predicted that he’d be trotted out by MSM every time there was a disaster to give the African American perspective but I guess his fifteen minutes are up. Back to the old standards of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to represent …. what? how many millions of the US population now?
SpotWeld
… I guess it’s difficult to call him unpatriotic now? Or not.. I just keep thinking how long it is until Nov.
leo
I mean, if all the photos of him up in the clouds on his website hasn’t had an effect on you, why start now?
In any case, look on the bright side: the latin is nice.
empty
Is that eagle laying an egg?
Tractarian
@Jinxi:
All of the Obama campaign emails to me say “Dear [my first name]”
Seems like your problem is they don’t know your name.
Just Some Fuckhead
All mine start “Dear Fuckhead..” but I send ’em money anyway.
Tom in Texas
Well I for one think the Weekly Standard is raising a very valid question. Did Obama break the law by creating this seal?
Of course, the answer to (a) is no. They were not trying to convey an impression of sponsorship or approval by the US Government. and (b) seems like a bit of a no as well, since they aren’t selling the thing. Lapel pins are probably out now though.
Jon H
skippy wrote: “it looks to me a little 1930’s…like the seal for the dept. of weights and measures or something.”
Or the Federal Reserve?
Like, just the thing you’d want to show at an economic confab?
Jon H
Still no sign of it on the obama website in any way that suggests this is something they’re going to use generally, rather than something specific to the economy event it was displayed at.
Zuzu's Petals
And it’s not even close to a replica or facsimile, or really even a “substantial part” of the seal.
Nevertheless, the right will have a mini-feeding frenzy over the question. Not to mention ridiculing the pomposity of the thing. And the Obama campaign set themselves up for it.
In my opinion anyway.
charlotte
Apropos of nothing, Flash Gordon was on yesterday. Dale Arden: “I love you, Flash, but we only have 11 hours to save the world.”
The seal, the flags, the FISA trap that Obama has wisely managed to avoid for the moment … I dunno … I’m with Dale and Flash on this stuff for the time being.
First, we need to win — Then we get to begin to clean up the overwhelming mess. I’m not keen on anymore Ming administrations.
The seal is a bit much but I kind of like a fellow who acknowledges the operatic nature of this campaign. And if the stop gap FISA decision has some elements of left throwing a tantrum, perhaps all the better for Obama.
Obamurai
Hello? Dog whistle, anyone?
That big Obama “O” in the middle is pretty clearly a gaping seppuku wound spilling out the national eagle’s bowels and ritually vindicating America’s honor. Obama’s hit a homuran with this one.
ACK
What an arrogant guy BHO is. He turns historic speeches into Raci$t rants, thumbs his nose at the flag and the pledge, turns national symbols into his own etc.. Hey let’s ALL vote for him!
Then we can all say “see I voted for a black guy, so I’m not raci$t… right?”
I guess when he’s elected he can sign into law that the country will now be called The United States of Obama.
Then perhaps we can all get chips implanted in our hands so, for instance, we won’t cut anymore trees for paper money and we can just pay with a “fast pass” chip.
Yeah yeah.
And the chip can tell if your kids will have a bad disposition through DNA mapping, so we can go ahead and abort before we bring any “bad” people into the world.
Yeah Yeah.
Then we can track you so, just in case you get lost, we’ll find you..
Yeah yeah…
Then we can separate people into different “classes” so we don’t offend the others that don’t fit in.
Yeah yeah. Then we’ll have the utopia we all dream of..
LOL
I’m joking folks don’t be hatin’….. Get a sense of humor.
Just Some Fuckhead
If you have to tell folks yer joking it may be you that needs to get a sense of humor.
LanceThruster
As others have noted the resemblance to the Ramones logo, when they put it on a black t-shirt, I’m getting one.
I wasn’t keen on it at first, but it is growing on me. (I wonder if Rethuglicans will goof on it and replace the eagle with a crow?)
Grumpy Code Monkey
A real spoof would never admit to being a spoof…
Original Lee
Actually, I think this seal is pretty cool, because the rabid anti-MUPs will see it and spread it all over the Internet thinking it says, “True Possum.” That is some serious gamesmanship, my friends.