Glancing at memeorandum, it appears the wingnut tour de farce shows no sign of letting up:
Soon after President Barack Obama signed an executive order lifting the ban on the use federal funding of embryonic stem cells in medical research, the wizards behind the White House web site posted the photo above. Though I find it less troubling than the president’s continuing assault on the unborn, the file name (hero_stemcell_main2.jpg) under which someone at the White House saved the photo of the signing ceremony this afternoon is disturbingly creepy.
***To imply that President Obama is somehow heroic by signing a measure that lifts a ban on the slaughter of human embryos for scientific purposes goes beyond the pale. Such an amateurish action should not, however, surprise anyone familiar with Obama’s socialist agenda (a.k.a., “Obamalism”) and his follower’s blind allegiance to “Dear Leader.”
And there was much rejoicing in right blogistan- Cultists! Hero worship! Um, no:
Yes, it just proves that there is a cult of personality surrounding Obama, and that really we are just one step closer to a personalistic dictatorship that will never end. Not to mention the pending socialist dystopia that will be reigning shortly at a state capital near you.
Or, maybe not. Photographers call the best shot of a series the “hero shot.”
Undeterred, Our Lady of Perpetual Outrage marches on:
What’s amusing is not that the term “hero” was used — “hero shot” is a common photography term to describe the best images of a series of shots.
What’s amusing is that every damned shot that’s ever taken of Dear Leader is classified as a “hero shot.”
Except, of course, for that shot of him trying to enter the Oval Office through the window. D’oh…
She then links to a picture from the White House website to prove her point that the White House names every image of President Obama with the hero prefix except for embarassing ones. Just kidding. She links to a picture at the New York Daily News.
Which proves that like the wicked, there is no rest for the stupid.
Ricky Bobby
Teh stoopid… IT BURNS!!
dmsilev
Going for Thread Convergence here, Conservapedia’s Malkin page is sadly lacking in the foaming-at-the-mouth department:
It’s like they’re just going through the motions. She has so much consolidated crazy to offer. Nothing about granite countertops?
-dms
Incertus
Meanwhile, the NY Times, in covering this story, shows its typical balance by getting quotes from two doctors on the Obama side, and Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie on the Republican side.
You think Malkin might link to me if I did one of those Obamicons with the word "hero" underneath it?
dadanarchist
Isn’t it about time this website started making fun of Chuck Norris and his latest nonsense, helping to get the wingnuts all riled up?
Or did I nap through that righteous dose of mockery?
Comrade Stuck
Like when a nugget of Pooh gets tossed into the cesspool providing a ripple of cheap entertainment.
MattF
Wrong is happenstance, but stupid is forever.
Mr Furious
Imagine…choosing the best photo of each shoot/event for publication. What a concept.
Keith
Sigh…did she not bother to try: "-hero site:http://www.whitehouse.gov/"?
I’m sure she’d claim that it doesn’t matter because there aren’t enough non-hero shots of Obama to disprove her theory, but she’s the one who wrote her words.
No sense in arguing, really, since it’s like talking to a child with her fingers in her ears screaming "NA NA NA NA NA NAAAAA I CANT HEEEEEAAARRRRR YOUUUU NA NA NA NA"
De Toten Rabbit
John,
The term "hero shot" is a common photographic term. It is used whenever the subject – whether it’s a person or a box of cereal – is featured prominently, shot at a non-portrait-style angle (think comic-book panel) that makes the subject look more powerful and extraordinary, or "heroic." I doubt the ad wizards at Leo Burnett are accused of "Tony the Tiger worship" when they do the same to a box of Frosted Flakes.
Utter clown-shoeage.
smiley
I think it’s outrageous if the White House always picks the best shots.
Edit: ‘Doh! Mr. Furious got there first.
Chris Johnson
"Dude, you’re an actor. Take it easy."
The Moar You Know
Guys…I think I need to get to a hospital, I did all the pharmeceutical-grade wingnut in the last post, and I’ve done this stuff here, and now I feel all weird and shitty and I think I’m going blind. Or my dick is falling off. Whatever. I have a weird urge to put plastic on all my furniture and to start tap-dancing in a men’s room.
What the fuck? YOU FUCKERS SAID THIS WAS HARMLESS
cleek
OLOPO doesn’t seem to understand WTF she’s talking about.
her hissy has outpaced her grok.
MikeJ
Elitists.
Sarah Palin shoots proof sheets from a helicopter to select pictures.
Tax Analyst
Take two Rush Limbaugh talk-radio show episodes and call us in the morning.
Mike
We suffered for 8 years, now it’s their turn…
LITBMueller
I picture John Cleese’s Sir Lancelot running around, stabbing and slicing all those innocent clumps of cells…."Haaaa……Ahaaa!!!!"
"Um, I think when I’m in this idiom, I sometimes get a bit, uh, sort of carried away."
OniHanzo
@Chris Johnson:
"So wait.. are you saying all those Chuck Norris jokes are.. really just satirizing me and my macho braggadocio? They’re not.. *sniff*.. sincere? *tears up*
Oh god! My moustache is based on lies!!!"
Cris
And thus, by extension, many web developers (such as these small-time amateurs) label the section of their site layout that contains a big header image the "hero."
Phaedrus
A broken clock is right twice a day.
Just because an winger says it doesn’t mean there isn’t a cult of Obama. I’m a big time liberal and I have very little good to say about this guy, and the rah-rah reaction from his supporters is reminiscent of a Republican rally.
I didn’t think it would be this way on "our" side….
Cris
Just because there’s a cult of Obama doesn’t mean Malkin is not a complete idiot.
The Populist
Open post to Rep Smith, Rush Limppuff and all these right wing noise machine asswipes who want to control me (Smith is the rightie who appeared on Chris Matthews yesterday),
Your gang of idiots likes to remind us they stand for "liberty". How is it liberty when you whiners won’t allow unused stem cells for research to cancer, spinal injuries, diabetes, etc?
See, I have a big problem with asshats like you jerkwads. What you are telling me is that if I provide sperm and my wife provides an egg and we can’t get pregnant, I must give away said egg and sperm for somebody else or else I am a murderer. Yep, you said it I didn’t.
Now let’s rewind here. If I give my sperm, which is MY DNA, and my wife gives up her egg to somebody else, again HER DNA, don’t we have a say? Rep Smith seems to think that it’s selfish to let people decide what to do with THEIR DNA. After all, it’s MINE you know. What if I don’t want what you propose? What if WE want to donate unused embryos for stem cell research? What if somebody were to find a cure for diabetes because of it? My grandmother suffers from diabetes. It ain’t pretty and it’s tough on her because she has trouble walking.
Why is it you people talk about liberty but don’t allow people to make reasonable decisions for themselves? You fucktards decided to butt in on a personal family decision with Terri Schiavo. You tried to LEGISLATE it instead of letting courts decide who would manage her near lifeless body. You want to tell a woman to carry a rapist’s baby. You want to dictate if I can pull the plug when it appears I am too terminal to survive.
You claim to value life yet Republicans love the gas chamber, electric chair, firing squad, hangings, wars, etc. Shit, I remember that kid in Texas who was taken off life support because the state made the decision. How is that pro-life?
See, we can have all these kids like Rep Smith told Chris Matthews, but you won’t do shit once they leave the womb. You oppose S-CHIP, you despise education and hate being overly taxed. Now you do realize that taking care of unwanted children is an expensive proposition, right? ARE YOU MORANS going to support these kids? No offense, sirs, but why should MY tax dollars be used to support all these unwanted children when we can barely fucking educate them?
You see, sirs, either stop whining about socialism and work to make this country a better place for the living who are born and breathing outside the womb or shut the fuck up about being pro-life, pro-liberty and pro-freedom. You idiots have zero clue of the impact your policy stances would have on this country if we were to do what you propose.
On top of that, it’s not YOUR RIGHT to tell another in a free society what to do with their bodies NOR their DNA.
Josh Hueco
@Phaedrus:
Simon Cowell: Terrible. Dreadful. Horrible. The worst spoof I have ever seen.
Ricky Bobby
@Phaedrus,
The fact that a lot of us agree with his policies and support his agenda is evidence of a big "C" cult? I think your support of the Dems ended when Hillary lost Iowa.
Sour grapes don’t work here, sorry.
Fwiffo
I am suffering from excessive head explosion.
One of the commenters…
Yes, Google’s trying to make Obama look good by lying about the number of hits on random searches.
Cris
Whereas a Google of "Zero My Hero" yields a delightful YouTube video.
Tax Analyst
Some people would complain if you hung them with a new rope.
Is there some crime involved in hoping this guy succeeds? Did you assume that Obama’s election somehow guaranteed the imposition of a 100% "big-time liberal" agenda? I never heard him promise anything of the sort. Yes, I’d prefer the see the GOP kicked around a little harder…it may happen in due time. I’m having a hard time believing that none of those 41 Republican Senators is going to get local pressure for not supporting Obama’s recovery efforts, especially in places where folks are backed up against the wall and losing their jobs and homes. THAT’S where the pressure should be ramped up. Screw making more concessions to these characters…if allowed to they’ll throw stuff into these bills to water down their effectiveness at producing jobs and circulating income.
Phaedrus
And here they come, the mindless masses.
Thanks for proving my point, fellas. Any criticism of Obama makes you a Clinton supporter. This kind of knee jerk mud slinging didn’t look good when Repubs did it and it doesn’t improve simply by doint it in the name of Obama.
I give a shit about Democrats, I’m a progressive and a liberal and the Dems stopped being those things long ago (mostly). We’ll talk about support for this president when the US stops torture and our troops are home from Iraq. Until then he’s simply "Bush-lite" with some domestic progressive window dressing
The Moar You Know
@Phaedrus: Wow, that is "phoning it in". 0/10. Worst ever.
Xanthippas
Yeah, that got my goat too. What even was the point of that article? One quote: "…Mr. Obama’s announcement does not elevate science to some new and exalted place in his administration."
"New and exalted"? Who said it was?? And yes the faux balance (or I should say "Fox" balance) was absurd.
Cris
Your insight has compelled me to reevaluate my position
John Cole
What was your point? That some people are over the top in their support for Obama? No kidding. Thanks for the deep insight.
The simple fact is that we here have dealt with PUMA concern trolls for the last year and a half, and can spot them on site. Anyone who chucks out the “bush-lite” shit is a sure bet.
Also, this.
The Moar You Know
Clinton is not mentioned once in this thread. Phaedrus is a bot.
Mike in NC
Steer clear of Larry Craig. He likes tap dancers.
Cassidy the Racist White Man
Climb down Arrianna. 2 people doesn’t equal "masses".
Comrade Stuck
Were you a Clinton supporter? That’s a fair question I think when matched against a dumbass statement like this;
And please stop using the word Progressive as though it only applies to left wing policies. It does not.
Phaedrus
So…
Obama supports the same torture that Bush did (CIA can continue to operate black sites – GITMO is a fig leaf)
Obama supports the same secrecy Bush did
Obama voted for giving telecoms amnesty (like Bush requested)
Obama hasn’t changed the NSA wiretapping (to my knowledge)
When Cheney did these things he was the "Darth Cheney" – why is there all this good will for Obama?
Tax Analyst
"All or Nothing – And RIGHT NOW!", eh? Sure, and how to do you propose this be accomplished? By Executive fiat, perhaps? That was exactly how Bush tried to operate, since he neither understood nor respected the Constitution. If you really think Obama is "simply Bush-lite" you just haven’t been paying much attention.
But if it makes you happy to whine because Obama’s been in office almost 7 weeks and still hasn’t made everything all better by your personal standards, well, be my guest. While I may not agree with every statement or move, I’m willing to support the over-arching agenda. The overall aim is meant to move us into the recovery mode and rebuild our national strength, which is by no means an easy task. It’s taken a lot of wrong-headed screwing up, infantile recklessness and intentional sabotage to get us into the hole(s) we’re in today, and to expect immediate rectification and gratification is just plain childish and silly.
Andrew
JC – You were far too polite to James Joyner. He should be mercilessly mocked as a mouth breathing wingnut (with the rare ability to spell properly) any time he posts this kind of bullshit. Indeed, he is far more deserving of a right proper flaming than any of the Malkinites, given his wish to be taken somewhat seriously.
PaminBB
"…and his follower’s blind allegiance to “Dear Leader.”"
So who is this lone Obama worshipper? Hardly seems enough for a "cult".
OniHanzo
@Phaedrus:
You’re probably right, Phaedrus. Obama should’ve looked at the eight year massive fuck-up that was the Bush administration, waved his magical wand and fixed every goddamn rat’s nest of incompetence and malfeasance by his third month in.
SRSLY!! What the hell is he waiting for?!!
Xanthippas
Please go away. If you do not realize that Obama is already a thousand times better a President than Bush even taking into mind these legitimate concerns, then you might as well not be a progressive at all.
Comrade Stuck
@Phaedrus:
Dude, you need to cut back on the PUMA juice, or we’ll never bring you back.
The Populist
For one thing he isn’t holding secret meetings in secret locations?
Maybe because the man is WORKING for Americans? What did Bush and Cheney do up to 9/11? I remember many vacations and even more questionable signing statements.
Maybe because Bush took such a gigantic turd on this country Obama must pick the right battles to fight.
Funny how the right cares about so many things now that a liberal leaning President is calling the shots. And then we have the far left that continually cries the guy isn’t doing enough. Sorry but if the economy wasn’t such a fricking mess, maybe those on the extreme left could have gotten some red meat thrown their way.
Phaedrus
Ok, we’ll start with two :
If Obama were truly against torture would he have exempted the CIA from his torture ruling, and left black sites open?
– not torturing people is something I consider progressive
If Obama were truly concerned with restoring transparency to the government, would he have argued for the state secrets excemption, or would he have threatened Great Britain if they disclose the torture that we perpetrated on their citizen?
– open government is a progressive value
I’m not a Polyanna, I understand compromises must be made. But how is trading one guy who tortures and keeps it secret for a different guy who tortures and keeps it secret any big deal?
I’m not asking for the world to change, I just want to be able to elect someone that won’t torture – when did that become such a big request?
John Cole
@Andrew: I’m afraid that instead of what I hoped- the sane remaining conservatives moving away from the nutters, they are instead being sucked into the gravitational field of the unfolding wingnut event horizon.
You should see the emails I get from various email lists. I just read one where a dozen people with PhD’s seriously debated an AP photograph of Obama getting off his helicopter and saluting a soldier. “Did he make eye contact? Did he show the proper deference? I fear that the military might lose a lot of Captains and Majors the next few years because Obama does not respect the military.”
The last eight years didn’t happen.
What wigs me out is but for the grace of Terri Schiavo and all the other deviations from principle, I would have been right there with them all. I can’t figure it out. I’m not the sharpest tack out there, but seriously- how bad does it have to get before these guys do the slightest bit of introspection?
Phaedrus
PS, and why does pointing that out make me a Republican? Obama ain’t perfect – saying so ain’t a crime
OniHanzo
@Phaedrus:
Sit down before you fall down, dumb ass.
The Populist
Uhhh, unlike Bush – Obama has said NO TORTURE. Until you show me proof he is torturing people, you are stabbing at air here.
Did you ever think to give the guy the benefit of the doubt? So far he’s been very transparent with the budget, his proposals and his executive orders. I don’t like this but it’s a minor point in a game that will play out over time. To use this shows you are nitpicking here.
AGAIN, there is no proof Obama is allowing torturing of anybody. You make assumptions because you truly aren’t seeing what is going on here…the right are going after him on everything. At some point he will live up to his promises.
You and I have NO IDEA why his JD pushed for the state secrets clause. I am willing to bet he saw something that he felt unwilling to share with us at this moment. Who’s to say he isn’t going to address this later on?
Shit, the guy has barely been in office a couple months and he can’t catch a break from the righties or far lefties. Argh.
Comrade Stuck
No, it’s basic human decency. And If you have evidence that Obama is torturing people, let’s have it. Otherwise, your just another spittle flecked PUMA.
I don’t think your a Pollyanna. I think your likely a bitter dead ender who has adopted the right wing methods of using hackery to attack your opponent Obama.
The Populist
Nobody said you were. If you were replying to my post, I added extreme left which you apparently are. Not that there is anything wrong with what you purport to be, I just have issues with your lack of clarity on these points.
The Populist
Amen. He isn’t adding to the conversation and what he is doing is giving fodder to the far right loonies I have to assume he despises.
If he has proof of torture, show it to us…otherwise Phaedus is no better than the right wing hacks posting nonsense just to hurt Obama for selfish gains.
forked tongue
Huh, funny coincidence. Just today a diary appeared on Kos that includes this passage:
And then in the comments, somebody complained:
cleek
the simple fact that you have nothing good to say about him calls into question your progressive bona fides.
nobody thinks Obama is perfect. but on balance he’s far far better than Bush. his accomplishments far outweigh his disappointments so far – at least to people like me who don’t expect him to be some kind of Avenging Angel of Liberal Purity. to call him "Bush-lite" suggests you’re either a PUMA-deadender, an ideologue who’s doomed to perpetual disappointment, or a troll. maybe you’re none of those things. but you haven’t made much of a case otherwise.
IMO, YMMV, WTF, LOL.
bago
Who’s the private dick that gets all the chicks?
John Cole
@bago: I’m surprised no one has commented on the title of this post.
Napoleon
@John Cole:
It went right over my head.
Bubblegum Tate
Awesome.
Also, David Vitter wants to know if the hero shot is anything like the moneyshot.
BonnyAnne
I haven’t commented on the title of the post because every time I think about it in any sort of conscious way, I get Bonnie Tyler stuck in my head for another hour or so.
By posting this, I have ruined dinner. Cheers.
Tax Analyst
I was gonna ask that question, but I thought that might indicate that I somehow knew what that term meant.
That would expose me and blow my cover.
Phaedrus
Honestly, listen to yourselves :
"Your saying bad things about Obama that we don’t want to believe, so give us rock solid proof"
"You haven’t said anything good about Obama – you must be a PUMA or a TROLL"
Educate yourselves, guys. Read Greenwald
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/
And then maybe this article
http://valtinsblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/torturers-told-binyam-were-going-to.html
This line stood out to me :
"After Obama was elected president and announced Guantanamo would close, Mohamed says his treatment became more brutal."
For what it’s worth, I voted for Obama and I was/am very please with lots of what he’s doing – science is back, his talking engagements aren’t screened for sycophants, can’t tell you how happy I am to hear a president who can speak in sentences.
Now, have I passed the Obama loyalty test? Can I now say how disappointed I am with his stance on torture, secrecy and constitutional rights? That his words sound very much like Bush’s, and so do many of his actions – in this area?
Take a long hard look at yourselves – and see if you aren’t acting like the coolaide drinking cheerleaders of the right!
"Give him time", "it’s all part of a big picture", "you haven’t said anything nice". Christ!
joe from Lowell
Wait wait wait…all of the shots that get picked to be in the White House photo collection are titled "hero shots?"
No kidding. I wonder why that might be?
anonevent
@John Cole: I laughed when I saw it, then Phaedrus spoiled the mood. I remember the Days of Our Lives episode.
anonevent
@Phaedrus: The problem is, you didn’t say that you were disappointed with some of Obama’s actions, you said that he was Bush-lite. And before that you said:
You are most definitely at the wrong site if you think this place cheerleads for Obama, but you’re also at the wrong site if you think that Obama is not going to be defended. "My" side in this thing is that Obama’s got an American sized pile of shit to clean up, and he needs time to get things done. I also expect him to make mistakes, but I hope he learns from them. Now, if you want to criticize his decision to continue rendition, that’s fine. But don’t compare him to Bush.
Phaedrus
@anonevent
And this is what makes it a cult :
"Now, if you want to criticize his decision to continue rendition, that’s fine. But don’t compare him to Bush."
A. it wasn’t fine when I criticized teh Leader – the liberal Limbaughs labeled me the worst insult they could think of – a Republican!!
B. The difference between Obama’s actions on torture, civil rights and government transparency, and those of the Bush administration are simply of degree. For Bush, everyone tortured, for Obama, he’s stopped the army from doing it. Obama has released some memos that make Bush look bad, but he’s redacted the docs detailing torture, and done an end-around on the court process to decide whether or not the Pres can imprison citizens. Understand, if he thought it was wrong he could say so, but he intentionally didn’t.
Now, I wrote about some of the things I like about him, but they’re pretty light weight when it comes to reversing some of the underlying constitutional shit that Bush pulled. Obama had his chance to change that shit, and in many cases has endorsed it. That’s not change I can believe in.
NickM
Spoof much?
DeadlyShoe
i’m not sure how you take ‘redacted memos’ and get to ‘torture’
The Other Steve
Remember when John Cole threatened to ban anyone who called Bush, "Dear Leader"?
Ahh the good ole wingnutty days. :-)
Comrade Stuck
@Phaedrus:
Phaedrus
Your knowledge on things like rendition is so shallow, I don’t know whether your just a fool, or have an agenda, or some of both. We’ve been thru all this shit so many times, I’m not going to waste any more time on idgits like you. But I will say the Bush lite charge is hilarious considering that currently the wingnut bushies are apoplectic that Obama is the second coming of Lenin. Anyone, if they want, can find evidence on the internet that Martians have landed and are now running the RNC. Not true, probably, but it’s there if you want to run with it.
And yes, NickM, that last sentence did tweak my spoof alert detector.
Comrade Stuck
And something to ponder on the spoof theory for Phaedrus, who apparently was a Roman Fabulist back in the day.
Phaedrus
Original post makes fun of people who think there is too much Obama worship.
I make the point that there really is too much Obama worship.
Get accused of trolling.
Make my point by posting actual evidence that Obama has pretty much continued Bush’s practices on torture, secrecy and constitutional rights.
Get called a Republican, a PUMA and a spoofer
Came to this blog because I see it quoted by other sources I like – Greenwald, Eschaton, TPM.
Didn’t realize that John had simply traded his wignut past to lead a bunch of Obama dittoheads.
I’ll go back and play with the grownups now and leave you kids alone
YellowJournalism
That’s because I wasn’t reading last night. Anyone who has seen Footloose more than once can pretty much sing all of the lyrics to that song.
You think Obama would take on Rush Limbaugh in a tractor version of chicken? I think that would be more effective than a one-on-one debate.
Sad_Dem
Wait, did Obama dress up as a Navy airman and strut around on an aircraft carrier or something? Did liberal media pundits on television extol his manhood in a flight suit? If it’s true, I’m going to be angry.
Oracle
This line stood out to me :
You’re a troll. Buh-bye!
forked tongue
I dunno, I kind of think someone who says "I have very little good to say about this guy" when what he actually meant was "I was/am very please with lots of what he’s doing" had better watch his step around grownups. They’re pretty sharp!
wingnuts to iraq
john cole is the best blogger ever