Conquer Club

Clearly, the reason Israelis don't like him.

During the interview Wednesday, when confronted with the anxiety that some Israelis feel toward him, Obama said that "some of it may just be the fact that my middle name is Hussein, and that creates suspicion."

"Ironically, I've got a Chief of Staff named Rahm Israel Emmanuel. My top political advisor is somebody who is a descendent of Holocaust survivors. My closeness to the Jewish American community was probably what propelled me to the U.S. Senate," Obama said.

"I think that sometimes, particularly in the Middle East, there's the feeling of the friend of my enemy must be my enemy, and the truth of the matter is that my outreach to the Muslim community is designed precisely to reduce the antagonism and the dangers posed by a hostile Muslim world to Israel and to the West," Obama went on to say.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-d ... n-1.300793

When I read the headline, I thought it was a dumb joke. It's not. Unreal.

Out of touch with reality. So great for our country.

Night Strike wrote:Out of touch with reality. So great for our country.

Who...you? You didn't provide much information about what/who you were referring to.

Woodruff wrote:

Night Strike wrote:Out of touch with reality. So great for our country.

Who...you? You didn't provide much information about what/who you were referring to.

He must be talking about the young earthers and the tea party

Woodruff wrote:

Night Strike wrote:Out of touch with reality. So great for our country.

Who...you? You didn't provide much information about what/who you were referring to.

Obama thinking his middle name is more suspicious than his actual policies.

Night Strike wrote:

Woodruff wrote:

Night Strike wrote:Out of touch with reality. So great for our country.

Who...you? You didn't provide much information about what/who you were referring to.

Obama thinking his middle name is more suspicious than his actual policies.

So you think it would be perhaps normal or sane for someone to find his own policies suspicious?

Night Strike wrote:

Woodruff wrote:

Night Strike wrote:Out of touch with reality. So great for our country.

Who...you? You didn't provide much information about what/who you were referring to.

Obama thinking his middle name is more suspicious than his actual policies.

Speaking of "out of touch with reality"...I seem to remember a pretty hefty number of conservatives in THIS nation who had a primary complaint about his name and how it showed he was Muslim. Why would you believe Israelis not even in this country might not think the same?

only 2 more years of Obama VS. The American People

Phatscotty wrote:only 2 more years of Obama VS. The American People

Really? You're finally going to try to do something productive, rather than simply, categorically opposing anything the administration puts forward while the party you don't support is in power? In 2 years time, you say? I don't think I believe you, but I guess we'll see.

Phatscotty wrote:only 2 more years of Obama VS. The American People

After only five more months the worst will be over.

rockfist wrote:

Phatscotty wrote:only 2 more years of Obama VS. The American People

After only five more months the worst will be over.

Obama appointed another self-admitted socialist today. Barak Obama is not a socialist though...

Woodruff wrote:

Night Strike wrote:

Woodruff wrote:

Night Strike wrote:Out of touch with reality. So great for our country.

Who...you? You didn't provide much information about what/who you were referring to.

Obama thinking his middle name is more suspicious than his actual policies.

Speaking of "out of touch with reality"...I seem to remember a pretty hefty number of conservatives in THIS nation who had a primary complaint about his name and how it showed he was Muslim. Why would you believe Israelis not even in this country might not think the same?

I never cared about his name whatsoever.

That said... if by saying his name I can convince simple-minded people to vote the way I want them to vote, then I would scream if the rooftops with a megaphone.

Hussein is a Muslim name, duhhhhhhhhh

Phatscotty wrote:

rockfist wrote:

Phatscotty wrote:only 2 more years of Obama VS. The American People

After only five more months the worst will be over.

Obama appointed another self-admitted socialist today. Barak Obama is not a socialist though...

Yes he is. Who cares? More important than labels are the actual policies in question.

I'd rather socialists than aristocrats...but that's just me...

Army of GOD wrote:I'd rather socialists than aristocrats...but that's just me...

So a family walks into a talent agent's office....

Night Strike wrote:Out of touch with reality. So great for our country.

And you are particularly in touch with the opinions of Israelis, are you?

Timminz wrote:

Army of GOD wrote:I'd rather socialists than aristocrats...but that's just me...

So a family walks into a talent agent's office....

Amusingly, I listened to that right after I saw that post too...

Actually, this is a completely valid thought. I know people in Pennsylvania who wouldn't vote for Obama just because of his middle name

jimboston wrote:

Woodruff wrote:

Night Strike wrote:

Woodruff wrote:

Night Strike wrote:Out of touch with reality. So great for our country.

Who...you? You didn't provide much information about what/who you were referring to.

Obama thinking his middle name is more suspicious than his actual policies.

Speaking of "out of touch with reality"...I seem to remember a pretty hefty number of conservatives in THIS nation who had a primary complaint about his name and how it showed he was Muslim. Why would you believe Israelis not even in this country might not think the same?

I never cared about his name whatsoever.

That is because you are a pretty rational individual, as we've seen in these fora. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for...many.

jimboston wrote:That said... if by saying his name I can convince simple-minded people to vote the way I want them to vote, then I would scream if the rooftops with a megaphone.

Of course. A tactic is only a tactic if it's used.

Army of GOD wrote:I'd rather socialists than aristocrats...but that's just me...

The Aristocats was a great movie, I agree.

Woodruff wrote:The Aristocats was a great movie, I agree.

I found the part with the tramp pouring away his wine offensive to alcoholics and vagrants.


I had to deduct a few marks from that. So the Aristocrats is merely an average film.

If not offensive, movies tend to get boring..

GabonX wrote:If not offensive, movies tend to get boring..

No normal pornography for Gabon, oh no, it's got to have the whole 'nipple-clamps and hot wax in a young man's anus' thing going on or he just doesn't 'dig' it.

Interesting (and somewhat disturbing) posts in this one. Am I the only one who finds this statement by the President to be even remotely bothersome? Some additional (perhaps disturbing) thoughts:

(1) Let's assume that there are a number of people in the United States that did not vote for President Obama because of his middle name. Are those people morons? Yes. And we would mostly all agree with that. So, we ridicule them. What the President is saying is that the people in Israel find him unappealing, not because of his policies, but because his middle name is "Hussein." So, in my mind, President Obama is calling the Israeli people morons; he is indirectly ridiculing them and asking us to ridicule them as well. I think that this was politically pretty stupid and if he really thinks this (which I hope he doesn't), he's really out of touch.

(2) Let's assume there are a number of people in the United States that did not vote for President Obama because of his middle name, and ONLY because of his middle name. Do you think it likely that those people exist? Do you think it likely that there is some hardcore Democrat, who has voted for the left for years, who said, "You know what, I agree with everything this Barack guy says, but I can't vote for him... that damn middle name... I'm going to vote for the guy I don't agree with and who I wouldn't vote for if it was simply Barack Herbert Obama." Really? Those people exist? In real life, the people who didn't vote for President Obama weren't going to vote for him even if his name was Herbert and he was a white dude.

(3) The Israelis don't like President Obama because of his foreign policy towards Israel and the Middle East. Get a grip people. Are their opinions correct? I don't know; but, frankly, I doubt it has anything to do with the President's middle name.

So, what I see here is the same strategy I've seen in the past three years or so from the President and Democrats (that seems to work) - marginalize anyone who doesn't agree with you by pointing to false ideas (or perhaps isolated thoughts) of certain people in that particular group. Tea Party bother you? Well, they are racist, gun-toting hicks who are all in militias that want to overthrow the government. Tea Party (in the Northeast) bothering you? Well, they are just fatcat rich bankers who want to steal your hard-earned money. Hillary Clinton bothering you? Well, she's racist too. Israelis not agreeing with you? They don't like my policies because my middle name is "Hussein." I'm not really surprised we are still falling for this strategy, but I really hope it goes away. For once I'd like our politicans and pundits to discuss issues and not whether someone is racist or someone's name is Hussein or whether soccer is a socialist sport.

thegreekdog wrote:Interesting (and somewhat disturbing) posts in this one. Am I the only one who finds this statement by the President to be even remotely bothersome? Some additional (perhaps disturbing) thoughts:

(1) Let's assume that there are a number of people in the United States that did not vote for President Obama because of his middle name. Are those people morons? Yes. And we would mostly all agree with that. So, we ridicule them.

Just because you regard people who didn't vote for the President as being 'morons' for not liking his name, does not mean that he supports your view. By saying that some people in the Middle East regard his name as unappealing his is not necessarily saying that they are morons.

Further, regardless of what he thinks of American's who dislike his name, it seems clear that he's making reference to culturally ingrained mindsets within the Middle East (held, presumably, by people who may well be very intelligent) that make 'name disliking' particularly prevelant there (as opposed to here, where only morons do it).

thegreekdog wrote:(2) Let's assume there are a number of people in the United States that did not vote for President Obama because of his middle name, and ONLY because of his middle name. Do you think it likely that those people exist? Do you think it likely that there is some hardcore Democrat, who has voted for the left for years, who said, "You know what, I agree with everything this Barack guy says, but I can't vote for him... that damn middle name... I'm going to vote for the guy I don't agree with and who I wouldn't vote for if it was simply Barack Herbert Obama." Really? Those people exist? In real life, the people who didn't vote for President Obama weren't going to vote for him even if his name was Herbert and he was a white dude.

Obviously not, that particular straw-man probably does not exist.

On the other hand, do you find it likely that there were large numbers of ill-informed people, perhaps buying in to all manner of off-the-wall 'birther' conspiracy loopyness, that seized upon his middle name as an additonal string to add to their 'irrationally dislking Obama' bow?

I would submit that those people existed in very great numbers indeed.

thegreekdog wrote:(3) The Israelis don't like President Obama because of his foreign policy towards Israel and the Middle East. Get a grip people. Are their opinions correct? I don't know; but, frankly, I doubt it has anything to do with the President's middle name.

Who is seriously suggesting that it is?

I find it much more likely to imagine that they are using his middle name as one factor amongst many, using it to compound their original distrust/dislike rather than having it as the root cause.

thegreekdog wrote:So, what I see here is the same strategy I've seen in the past three years or so from the President and Democrats (that seems to work) - marginalize anyone who doesn't agree with you by pointing to false ideas (or perhaps isolated thoughts) of certain people in that particular group.

Really?

Because what I see here is you starting with a conclusion, that Democrats marginalise and lie about everybody they don't like, then working backwards through the topic at hand in an effort to find an interpretation that fits your desired outcome. Nobody is being 'marginalised' in any way, shape or form; you're just grabbing onto a perfectly reasonable statement, denying it context, then trying to paint it as a slur against a nation's intelligence .

Now that may well draw rousing "Hell yeah!" choruses from your fellow Republican thinkers who have a vested interest in agreeing with you on this, but I doubt that its flimsly premise will convince too many of the neutrals.

Also, slightly hard to shed too many tears about 'tea party' fruitloops being marginalised. After all they were the ones that turned up to meetings clad in period garb, swapping conspiracy 'birther' nonesense and weilding placards depicting Obama as a witch-doctor and a murderous comicbook character. After that, they were headed directly to the margins without any need for anybody to help them along the way.