So the infamous video showing a young Barack Obama in his most ‘radical’ form has been released. So what’s the verdict? Will it mean the end of President Obama’s presidency?
Not likely. It looks as if conservative pundit Andrew Breitbart has punked a few of his minions from the grave.
In a candid discussion on Twitter recently, Tweeters offered their take on the subject with lively and engaging comments below. Their comments are followed by A TimeLine of Awesome Videos from the Barack Obama Collection that would put to shame efforts by the Obama haters who want to try to use the Harvard “Protest” video against President Obama.
But first, let’s take a look at that ‘radical’ video that FOX News and other Obama haters have pushing. Here’s young Barack Obama, a law school student at Harvard, protesting in the early 1990s for more diversity in the hiring of minority and female professors .
-
WHAT SOME TWEETERS HAD TO SAY ABOUT THAT VIDEO…
-
@mitchellreports @BuzzFeedBen That video was part of a documentary that aired on then Sen. Obama. It is not new. Pls do your research.
-
Wah Wah Wah …RT@ritaag @Only4RM @marabout40 OMG Barack Obama attended a peaceful rally while being BLACK!!!!! IMPEACH
-
@Only4RM @marabout40 OMG Barack Obama attended a peaceful rally while being BLACK!!!!! IMPEACH
-
Darn that Barack Obama. No wonder he’s so good at giving out hugs. He hugged that prof while at Harvard.
-
@LiberalPhenom @3chicspolitico a hug? Who hugged whom and what’s wrong with hugging??? Is Fox usually this ridiculous?
-
@ArrghPaine Barack Obama hugged a black Harvard professor in 1991.
-
@LiberalPhenom @Charmed86 Oh no the scary blk Pres O is the theme repubs & GOP hv been playing since Pres O announced. They will nvr stop
-
@Charmed86 because of briebert the ass & his ppl claiming the obama video is u know . U know same Briebert @goldietaylor & othrs defended
-
@marabout40 Know who else died not long ago? Derrick Bell. The man Breitbart’s minions are trying to demonize.
-
@3ChicsPolitico @LiberalPhenom is there something about that Professor that’s supposed to be controversial?
-
@marabout40 In Hannity’s words “Something radical and nefarious”
-
@ritaag @Only4RM @marabout40 These morons just won’t quit. They’re still looking for the black boogey man. Good grief!————————————————————————————————————————(Later on in an evening discussion of the ‘radical’ Obama video, one Tweeter made this comment):
-
One has to wonder… if everyone in Barack Obama’s life was a fiery, hateful radical, why does he seem so cool?———————————————————————————————————————–
-
NewcenturwomanDotCom has decided to explore that question in depth by examining a few of President Obama videos since 2008. If the critics thought that the 1991 Protest Obama video was “radical,” then what would they say about these videos?A TIMELINE OF AWESOME VIDEOS FROM THE BARACK OBAMA COLLECTION…
2008 – GETTING THE DIRT OFF HIS SHOULDER…2009 – WALKING THE WALK…2010 – KICKING BP’s ASS2011 – GETTING BIN LADEN…2012 – SINGING LET’S STAY TOGETHER…PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER..IN JUST 4 YEARS…
3chicspolitico put together this awesome video that sums up President Obama’s SWAGGER…
ANOTHER SWAGGER VIDEO FROM YOUTUBE…
-
Should Ann Romney, wife of multimillionaire Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, get a pass for her recent political gaffes? Was such a consideration given to Michelle Obama when her husband, now President Obama, first ran for office in 2008?
These questions have become a source of wide-range debate recently, particularly following Mrs. Romney’s remarks on Monday suggesting that she does “not consider myself wealthy.” Earlier this month Mrs. Romney also joked that she “could just strangle” the press, a remark that received little push back.
The mainstream news media, including prominent newspapers and major TV networks, have urged the public to put Mrs. Romney’s latest remarks in context. Former CBS News Anchor Dan Rather suggested giving Mrs. Romney a pass because she is only the “spouse” of a presidential candidate and not herself a candidate running for office. The Washington Post suggested reading Mrs. Romney’s remarks in their full context before passing judgement. But what if it were Michelle Obama who made either of those remarks?
Some critics–particularly on Twitter–say the spouse of Mitt Romney should not be given a “pass” by the news media since First Lady Michelle Obama was not given EQUAL TREATMENT when her husband first ran for President. Before becoming the nation’s African American First Lady of the United States and since serving in that role for the past three years, Michelle Obama has faced intense scrutiny by the mainstream news media (MSM), Right Wing critics, and even some liberal Democrats. She has gotten very little public support from prominent women’s groups as the victim of intense criticism and crude name calling. In 2008, she was accused of being unpatriotic for comments she made about being “proud of my country for the first time…” At that time, the news media made very little effort to put Mrs. Obama’s words in context.And the scrutiny has not stopped. Since becoming the nation’s first African American First Lady, Mrs. Obama has been booed by some fans at NASCAR. The news media recently gave credibility to a European newspaper that falsely criticized her lavish purchase of lingerie. When she vacations or goes on trips with her husband as other First Ladies have historically done, she is called out and even sometimes equated to being Marie Antoinette.
Following Mrs. Romney’s remarks on Monday, an conversation ensued on Twitter comparing how Mrs. Romney has been treated by the news media to how First Lady Michelle Obama has been treated. Here are two excerpts taken from two Twitter discussions on the subject.
-
Watching Dan Rather on @msnbc@DanRatherReport
-
@utaustinliberal @Only4RM funny how Dan Rather says Ann Romney is off limit whn press spent days after days attacking MO in 08
-
@ritaag @utaustinliberal How do you give interviews and participate on the stump but you’re “off limits”? Oh yea, when you’re not “Blah”.
-
@utaustinliberal @only4rm Exactly…MO was attacked for a comment who wasnt even a big deal
-
RT @RobThompsonDC: @jansingco can always count on @DanRatherReport to bring some civility to the conversation. “I’m from the school of giving the wives a pass”
-
@utaustinliberal @only4rm Exactly…Anyone who read her full statement wld get it
-
@JoeNBC @MorningMika Did any of you “moralists” call Pres. & Michelle Obama when they were viciously attacked by Palin in 08?@morning_joe
-
I respect Dan Rather but disagree that Ann Romney “gets a pass” because she’s a spouse. She’s an adult who knew what she was getting into.
-
@DanRatherReport Here r facts u wont speak all u in msm went aft Michelle Obama. but Ann hands off. Dont think minorities wil forget
-
The right’s Michelle Obama jokes — which are never even 5th-grade funny — are a time capsule of nauseating racism and misogyny.
-
@REALBROTHER0003 @tombrokaw Tom for the past month has been on a terror of racist mess just like old azz dan rather!
-
@LOLGOP Every time I hear the disgusting names Limp calls Mrs. Obama, I wonder where are the women of the RW….where are they?Below is a clip of Michelle Obama’s remarks that were given much than one day’s gaffe treatment by the MSM during the 2008 presidential campaign. Compare Mrs. Obama’s remarks in full context to Mrs. Romney’s remarks. Then consider if the two were treated differently by the news media.Here’s an excerpt from a Twitter discussion that took place shortly after the news media jumped on the story about Ann Romney.
-
Yes, Karen…I have heard you all defending Palin & Bachmann. Funny things is, I never hear/see dem woman defending Michelle Obama. Why?
-
@symmetry11 or when the rightwing attacked Malia for wearing a t-shirt with the peace symbol.
-
@symmetry11 @marabout40 Good evening ladies. Disturbing subtext to Rush/Fluke story: Limbaugh attacks WoC all the time; where’s the protest?
-
@marabout40 We are the only ones that come to their defense. They just sit on the sidelines and say nothing.
-
@symmetry11 profiles in cowardice.
-
@thuddyt @symmetry11 @marabout40 Just thinking same thing today. Rush has called FLOTUS all sorts of horrible names as well as other WOC.
-
@newcenturywoman @symmetry11@marabout40 And nary a peep. Anytime a young white woman is attacked/missing/killed, all hell must break loose.
Hey ladies, can we talk for a minute or two? I mean talk, for real.
Have you read The Washington Post, lately? Well, I heard that newspaper just recently published a controversial article about Black women and what we think of our bodies. So I decided to check it out.
Listen now, the newspaper is reporting the results of a survey that says heavier Black women have more confidence in their looks–specifically their body size–than do White women. Well, now that’s sounds okay. That’s cool. Seems reasonable. In that area, the article might have some merit being that the information gathered came from big women who the newspaper said they actually interviewed.
But here’s my problem with it. The overall impression I get after reading the article is this: It makes this huge, very broad generalization about Black women. You know, the typical kind of research that pretty much assumes we all look alike, feel alike, and think alike. Well that seems absurd to me, so I’m not buying it.
Being that I’m Black–and let me add beautiful–here’s my take on the subject. We don’t need The Washington Post’s psychoanalysis to understand what we feel about ourselves or what we think about our looks. What we might need to do is go back a few years and listen to some of Maya Angelou’s old wisdom on the Black woman. Ms. Angelou–who’s had her day and done her time–summed up the essence of the Black Woman quite well some years ago in a wonderful poem called “Phenomenal Woman.”
Here is how it goes in her own words and voice…
You like? Now just in case, you don’t “get” Maya Angelou or you don’t understand poetry too well, let me make things even more simple for you. I’ll mix a few pictures with the words and see if that’ll help. Okay?
PHENOMENAL WOMAN
By Maya Angelou
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step, The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The need of my care,
‘Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Here’s a short multiple choice quiz every woman should take:
Q: Who should be making decisions about your choice of birth control?
a) You b) Your Employer c) Congress d) Old White Republican Men
If you think any answer choice other than item “a” sounds ridiculous, then you’re right: those choices are ridiculous! Nevertheless, that doesn’t stop them from being real options.
If Republicans have their way, any of those answer choices except “a” could be in a position to decide whether your contraception is “The Pill” or maybe just an “aspirin” squeezed tightly between your knees.
In fact, things have gotten nasty out there in the world of politics as Republicans have stepped up their blatantly demeaning rhetoric against women’s health and reproductive rights. And as a result, women have been forced to fight back in unconventional ways to seize the headlines and drive home a new and counter narrative.
And what is that new narrative? In case you’ve missed the headlines, here it is: in-your-face, right-back-at-you, and flip-the-script types of strategies that some might consider politically incorrect. Nevertheless, these strategies are proving to be women’s most formidable weapon to date to fight against the latest surge of Right Wing vitriol.
The impact of the new and improved messaging has been nothing less than amazing. Just last week amid tremendous pushback, Virginia’s ultrasound rule and personhood bill failed. Today, Alabama lawmakers backed down on the controversial trans-vaginal ultrasound measure. And no doubt, considering the backlash they got last week, Republicans in the nation’s capitol will think twice about ever attempting to hold a Congressional Hearing on contraception or any women’s issue without including women.
While some might consider the bold new strategies “politically incorrect,” the new approach is proving to be quite effective. For example, let’s take a minute to examine this rather raunchy-looking captioned photo below which has been floating around the Internet recently, arousing tensions and stirring quite a bit of debate in the body politic.
Cleverly and perhaps flippantly mocking the Republicans’ escalating war on women, this less than discreet message leaves very little to the imagination. And perhaps that is as it should be. Last week, Facebook was reportedly forced to remove the provocative posting.
Now let’s look at other, shall we say, less-than-ladylike ways in which women have been fighting back. The vile suggestion to use an “aspirin” as a method of birth control has been countered by equally colorful comments on Twitter, such as variations of this comment: “They know where they can shove that aspirin…” And push back against the Catholic Church’s anti-contraception stance has led to some women Catholics to sport “blasphemous” t-shirts with messages that read, “Keep Your ROSARIES Out Of My OVARIES!.”
Then how about this clever videotaped parody that mocks a Congressional Hearing on contraception—only this time women get to flip the script on the men as they use some rather select choice words in characterizing the male reproductive organ:
Of course, special props must also go out to Oklahoma State Senator Constance Johnson and Georgia State Rep. Yasmin Neal whose very visceral approaches to counteracting the anti-women venom have stolen the headlines from their respective Republican counterparts in recent weeks.
Sen. Johnson recently introduced but has since withdrawn a satirical amendment to her state’s “Personhood” bill, posthumously referred to as The Spilled Semen Amendment. And Georgia State Rep. Yasmin Neal (D-75) introduced the Anti-Vasectomy Act that mocked her state’s Republican-led anti-women legislation.
And of course, let’s not forget how the hardworking Congresswomen in the nation’s Capitol had to call out that Republican led-Congressional Committee a week ago for holding a hearing on contraception and failing to include even one woman participant. See below how Congresswoman Bernice Johnson makes the point clear that women will not stand back and let a male-only brigade make decisions about women’s health and contraception choices without the input of women.
So, the fight against the Republicans war on women is just heating up, and the outcome probably won’t be too pretty. But, thank God, women aren’t ready to toss in the kitchen sink just yet. There still appears to be a need to keep up– if not step up–the rhetoric. After all, tough talk is what pompous, misogynic types understand best. If that’s the case, then let’s give them a bit of their own medicine. A good kick in the groin–literally and figuratively–with a Stiletto shoe won’t kill those old men, but it will certainly weaken their stance.