Obama goes full Carter

March 6, 2012
by Don Surber

Daily Mail:

President Obama had a Jimmy Carter moment this afternoon when he dragged his daughters, 10 and 13, into his re-election campaign, using them as political props in the way Jimmy Carter used his youngest daughter, Amy Carter, then 13, to try to score points in the 1980 presidential debate — a debate that turned a close race into the biggest humiliation of an incumbent president in 52 years. What an embarrassing moment when, in discussing nuclear disarmament, President Carter dragged in Amy.

From the transcript:

MR. SMITH: President Carter, you have the last word on this question.

MR. CARTER: I think, to close out this discussion, it would be better to put into perspective what we’re talking about. I had a discussion with my daughter, Amy, the other day, before I came here, to ask her what the most important issue was. She said she thought nuclear weaponry – and the control of nuclear arms. This is a formidable force. Some of these weapons have 10 megatons of explosion. If you put 50 tons of TNT in each one of railroad cars, you would have a carload of TNT – a trainload of TNT stretching across this nation. That’s one major war explosion in a warhead. We have thousands, equivalent of megaton, or million tons, of TNT warheads. The control of these weapons is the single major responsibility of a President, and to cast out this commitment of all Presidents, because of some slight technicalities that can be corrected, is a very dangerous approach.

Ow. Real men do not hide behind little girls, especially their daughters. Presidents try to shield their families from the glare of the public eye. Jimmy Carter used her to shield him. Besides, who asks a 13-year-old for advice on nuclear disarmament? She’s pretty much his echo chamber, is she not, telling Daddy what she thinks he wants to hear.

At his press conference today, President Obama brought his daughters into the latest political drama.

From the transcript:

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. Do you think Rush Limbaugh’s apology to the Georgetown Law student was sufficient and heartfelt? Do you agree with the decision of the growing number of sponsors that have decided to drop his show and stop supporting his show? And has there been a double standard on this issue? Liberal commentators have made similarly provocative or distasteful statements and there hasn’t been such an outrage.

OBAMA: You know I’m not going to comment on what sponsors decide to do. I’m not going to comment on either the economics or the politics of it. I don’t know what’s in Rush Limbaugh’s heart, so I’m not going to comment on the sincerity of his apology. What I can comment on is the fact that all decent folks can agree that the remarks that were made don’t have any place in the public discourse. And the reason I called Ms. Flute is because I thought about Malia and Sasha and one of the things I want them to do as they get older is to engage in issues they care about. Even ones I may not agree with them on. I want them to be able to speak their mind in a civil and thoughtful way. And I don’t want them attacked or called horrible names because they’re being good citizens. And I wanted Sandra to know that I thought her parents should be proud of her. And that we want to send a message to all our young people that being part of a democracy involves arguments and disagreements and debate. And we want you to be engaged. And there’s a way to do it that doesn’t involve you being demeaned and insulted, particularly when you’re a private citizen.

Of course, this is poppycock. Sandra Fluke, 30, is no private citizen. She entered the political fray as a combatant, not an innocent. She volunteered to speak out publicly and then complained when Republicans would not let her. She is an unregistered lobbyist for abortion and free birth control, among other liberal causes.

His I-did-it-for-my-daughters plea is another example of the narcissism of the president and his wife. It’s suddenly not about Miss Fluke but rather about him, isn’t it? Remember when they went to Europe and demanded an Olympics for Chicago because they live there?

From the transcript:

And I’m not asking just as the First Lady of the United States, who is eager to welcome the world to our shores. And not just as a Chicagoan, who is proud and excited to show the world what my city can do. Not just as a mother raising two beautiful young women to embrace athleticism and pursue their full potential. I’m also asking as a daughter. See, my dad would have been so proud to witness these Games in Chicago. And I know they would have meant something much more to him, too. You see, in my dad’s early thirties, he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. And as he got sicker, it became harder for him to walk, let alone play his favorite sports. But my dad was determined that sports continue to be a vital lifeline — not just to the rest of the world, but to me and my brother.

Nearly three years later I convulse in laughter in reading that. Chicago went from a finalist to being the first city voted out after the panel heard that baloney. I think by fall the public also will say enough.