Was that an anti-Obama Tweet? (Reader Poll)
Calling Dr. Rorschach
I’m glad the Muslim Brotherhood is out of power in Egypt. From the inception of the 2011 protests against Hosni Mubarak, we warned that western media, particularly the NY Times and its writer Roger Cohen, misunderstood the threat of Islamist supremacy in the revolution.
We were right, although the ability of the opposition to coalesce over a year later was a surprise, as was the military’s willingness to get involved. It was the economy, stupid, and the MB’s overreaching.
That said, you can’t ignore the fact that Mohamed Morsi was the duly elected President of Egypt. Call it a coup d’état or whatever you want, at least admit what just happened even if you like the result.
Around the time Morsi was removed yesterday, I sent out a tweet listing respective percentage wins of Morsi and Obama in the 2012 elections which placed each of them in their presidencies.
Morsi won 51.73%-48.27%, Obama
51.1%-47.2%— Legal Insurrection (@LegInsurrection) July 3, 2013
The reactions are below, but first, a quick poll, Was that an anti-Obama Tweet? (Poll closes midnight Pacific time tonight)
There were some humorous reactions:
https://twitter.com/BrettLoGiurato/status/352523874384089088
https://twitter.com/trentmwhite/status/352523298816540672
@daveweigel @LegInsurrection Same computerized election system…
— PRAYER WARRIOR (@cstew377) July 3, 2013
@daveweigel @LegInsurrection Morsi's family (wives & kids) voted 27-13 that he not run. But like Mitt, he made the sacrifice & ran.
— Jerry Skurnik (@PrimeNewYork) July 3, 2013
And also reactions from people who I think understood the point:
Coup with his head! #cough RT @LegInsurrection: Morsi won 51.73%-48.27%, Obama
51.1%-47.2%— Sana Saeed (@SanaSaeed) July 3, 2013
Next up: Supreme Leader Mitt Romney RT @LegInsurrection: Morsi won 51.73%-48.27%, Obama 51.1%-47.2%
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) July 3, 2013
But mostly defensiveness and “but Bush” complaints (including directed at Ben Smith of Buzzfeed for retweeting my tweet):
@LegInsurrection @BuzzFeedBen Nice, Ben. In bed with Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Jonah Goldberg & that wingnut lawyer now?
— Karen J (@KaJo503) July 3, 2013
George W. had even smaller margin, right? RT @LegInsurrection: Morsi won 51.73%-48.27%, Obama
51.1%-47.2%— Mansoor (@MansoorKhadir) July 3, 2013
https://twitter.com/jkurr/status/352525180645539840
*sips tea* RT @LegInsurrection: Morsi won 51.73%-48.27%, Obama
51.1%-47.2%— Saeed Jones (@theferocity) July 3, 2013
https://twitter.com/hool36/status/352524055871623168
@LegInsurrection Log off.
— Velvet Punderground (@goy_division) July 3, 2013
and of course the obligatory “dog whistle” claim:
@LegInsurrection @BuzzFeedBen damn my ears just popped. So loud was the dog whistle.
— Industry Rule 4080 (@IndRule4080) July 3, 2013
@daveweigel @LegInsurrection The "fact" Obama is a muslim probably helps. Kenyan Communist, not so much
— Chris McCarthy (@ChrisMc280376) July 3, 2013
It was just a tweet of facts, read into it what you want.
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
I have done a lot of writing about President Obama and not much of it has been positive. Regardless of the validity of information about the president, some people are so invested in “the first black president” that they will never admit his faults.
When Dennis Rodman says: Hey, that’s not my job, it’s the black man’s (referring to the prez), you know that “black” is just about all he sees (along as it’s “black Democrat”).
As dictators go Mubarak wasn’t that bad. Egypt enjoyed about three decades of relative peace and stability.
We really need to stop meddling in the internal affairs of other nations.
Well, you would think the Ruling Class would have caught onto that considering all the failed military adventures of the last 65 years but they have just managed to prove that they are pig-headed stupid or just ignorant.
I didn’t see it as anti-Obama but rather as an excellent example of how quickly freedoms can be lost due to what I’ll politely call low-information voters.
Yeah, low info citizens are a problem; but let’s be honest, the conclusions that come out of high-info types is often even more screwed up and distorted.
You have to remember Egypt has been around building pyramids and tombs for well over 5,000 years. They have a lot more dead people voting than even democrats have.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
We HAVE a winner!!!
As the site’s Egyptologist, I will concur. This was the winning synopsis!
As a long time Independent I can tell you with certainty there’s an equal number of brain-dead Republicans as Democrats. In fact, in the past brain-dead Republicans far outnumbered their Democrat counterparts, tho in recent years the Democrats have made great strides catching up. From my perspective anyone who categorically aligns themselves with either party is addled.
Formal polls and informal polls (e.g. exit polls on Election Day) have often found solid majorities agreeing with Republicans on the issues but then saying they favor Democrats. The reverse doesn’t seem to happen much.
It’s easy to understand why. Being a Democrat requires nothing more than absorbing the constant “Democrats=Good / Republicans=Bad” propaganda from the dominant media, the popular culture, and the education establishment. That’s why so many people parrot that formula with little awareness of what Democrats are actually doing.
Being a Republican or – especially – a conservative requires more thought and intellectual initiative.
I took the meaning of the tweet to be that both Morsi’s have ruled like Pharaohs despite the thinnest of margins.
In that sense, it was a negative tweet against the American Morsi, but also an absolutely valid observation.
“Rockets red glare” with Morsi out-of-there. Obama, too, in a parallel universe?
“It was just a tweet of facts, read into it what you want.”
Kinda like how Drudge drives them insane by linking to stuff other people wrote.
You are in good company.
ROFL! Thanks for my best laugh so far today. Happy Independence Day.
For a later tweak tweet: Trayvon 32.6%, white guy 16.2%, MSNBC 51.2%
Trenton White:
“Amazing what a strong economy can do …”
Yes! Thank you, Texas!
Without you, (and North Dakota) things would be even worse.
LukeHandCool (who thinks a little tweet of appreciation from Trenton to Governor Perry wouldn’t go amiss)
Undecided/PRISM made me laugh and that’s what I voted, although I really feel like the nuance/140 characters is also an accurate representation of my opinion. I can drive to one or two other states today and vote again if you need me to. 😉
But Morsi made a lot of promises to be inclusive, to not act as a tyrant, to not use the executive to act lawlessly against the constitution and balance of powers … nothing like Obama.
Or, exactly like Obama? Obama’s Brotherhood is the far left, combined with his racist church, and tenured union “civil servants”. His internal army has “rewritten” our constitution repeatedly. General Holder assaults the states, while ignoring executive crimes.
But the US people are not yet suffering enough to revolt, and seem submissive to PC norms. “Dependance Day” suits many just fine … as long as they have the internet, 500 channels, and lotsa redistributed government cheeses, no Jesus. Sing along with the children … mmmmm mmmm mmmm, Barack Hussein Obama.
Happy INDEPENDENCE Day. 🙂
“Sing along with the children … mmmmm mmmm mmmm, Barack Hussein Obama.”
That video of the children singing the praises of Dear Leader Obama’s greatness, even before he was elected and even before he won the Nobel Peace Prize even before he did anything … makes my son laugh so hard!
Every so often I’ll post Ashton Kutchner’s and Demi Moore’s “The Pledge” video on Facebook as a poke in the eye to my lefty classmates … with something along the lines of, “Hey Demi, how’s that pledge of yours, ‘To free one million people from slavery in the next 5 years’ going???”
Can you name just one? You couldn’t even stay together with Ashton. And, how’s that demand for not just a measley $1 million of Ashton’s assets, but tens of million$, going?
Is that interfering with your magical work to free one million people from slavery? Whoops, that 5-year period is about to expire … you’d better get to work. Be embarrassing if you couldn’t name a single person you emancipated after that lofty claim of one million … wouldn’t it?
When Hope & Change was the new Camelot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51kAw4OTlA0
My favorite is the pledge to ensure seniors have access to health care. Hmm… must not have heard about Medicare. Thanks for posting… truly cringeworthy.
Bruce looks to be happily emancipated.
Obama wasn’t rated highly in foreign affairs. If he were a horse, you could say every time he comes out of the gate, he stumbles. His Cairo speech early in his first term, really rankled lots of Americans. And, then the other side, here, went after him on his birth certificate. Where in my book he was conceived in Hawaii; And, Stanley Ann Dunham’s parents did what lots of parents did then. Felt shame. Had no one handy whom she could marry. Probably didn’t know the father was Black. Only that their daughter was sexually active.
It was Dunham’s parants that made her leave town before she showed. And, back in those days the Catholic Church ran the biggest baby adoption agency in the world. Hush hush. High school kids would disappear from their class. And, come back to finish, a year later. Stanley Ann’s son was Black. Which made a mixed race child very hard to adopt out. And, Stanley Ann was told she’d get to keep her kid.
Where was she? In the State of Washington. The story that got cooked? After spending two years in Washington State, the grandparents relented, and offered their daughter, and grandchild, tickets home.
I’ve never accepted the Kenyan birth as logical.
And, then, in that first term, Obama got involved in the “Cambridge incident,” where a Black professor friend of his got arrested. Sure. He was breaking into his own house. But neighbors called the police. And, the old Black professor went nuts. Screamed at the Sargent that showed up, Officer Crowley. And, the story swept the naton. Turns out Officer Crowley wasn’t racist. And, there wasn’t much sympathy for a “black professor” who was, in fact, nasty. (Affirmative action rearing its head.)
To solve this problem,Obama invited the professor and the officer to the white house. For a silent beer summit. As if you could just spin away bad press. And, the obedient press were standing there. Unaware that they were being spun like tops.
The old media ain’t what it used to be! Audiences, today, are fragmented. People really stopped getting daily newspapers, which was a service that brought the papers to your door.
With his second term win, it appears Obama learned nothing. And, journalism doesn’t improve. Obama books a tour to africa. He sends his secretary of state to Israel. While there’s real fighting going on in syria. There also’s been fighting in Turkey. And, what does Obama and his team decide? They decide Israel needs to give away territory.
Shocking? No. Because lots of Americans don’t want to be involved in any of the fighting over there. Any place.
So while we still have three and a half years to go with Obama, he’s in more trouble now than Jimmy Carter was back in 1978.
Up ahead, I do not want to accept that Hillary is a shoo-in. Because nobody knows how “ahead” works out. But I sure would like to see MITCH DANIELS, of Indiana, being considered a viable candidate; because in Indiana he was in a hurry to fix that State’s fiscal woes. He did a beautiful job.
I don’t think Americans want a Bush. I don’t think they want to mix religion into our Constitution. And, I think to be viable, the GOP will have to field candidates who aren’t into prayer meetings, and such.
Recap: The GOP attacks women. Obama attacks whites. And, nobody wants to go back to “back alleys” … Where Obama may force people to choose medical treatments in back alleys. I mean, if you have a lot of these Physician Assistants, some of them may choose to go underground?
I wouldn’t accept a Physician’s Assistant to be my doctor.
I mean, if you have a lot of these Physician Assistants, some of them may choose to go underground?
What? You’ve lost me.
I wouldn’t accept a Physician’s Assistant to be my doctor.
I’d be perfectly happy to have a good PA as my primary care provider. And I say this is a cardiologist (meaning I’m an MD or “real doctor”). Working regularly with both sorts, there are MDs I wouldn’t trust to take a blood pressure reading, and PAs whom I absolutely trust. There are poltroons and jackasses in both professions, and there are excellent, dedicated ones in both as well.
Carol is suffering from PA Derangement Syndrome.
What is your problem with Physician Assistants? Do you think are like the people who take your blood pressure and weigh you, rather than being the educated professionals that they are? http://www.aapa.org/the_pa_profession/what_is_a_pa.aspx
I found that the PA I see is much more thorough and responsive than most doctors I have seen. And very knowledgeable.
Enjoy your choice while you can, because after Obamacare kicks in there will likely be a lot fewer doctors to choose from.
What’s Up Physician’s Assistant?
“That said, you can’t ignore the fact that Mohamed Morsi was the duly elected President of Egypt.
That’s the murderous flaw of Athenian Democracy; the one that voted for the death of Socrates. And that’s been the murderous flaw of its modern derivatives since. From the popularly elected regimes of the French Revolution to the Third Reich to the Iranian Revolution.
This is one of the underrated clause of our Constitution and ought to be read out loud every 4th of July or at Swearing in ceremonies.
Section 4 – The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union, a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened), against domestic violence.
That’s why I’ve never retreated from or am embarrassed by the Madisonian celebration of ‘Republican’ despite the current fraudulent construct called the GOP that purports to represent it.
To do so is to reject this nation’s classical and intellectual heritage.
Athenian Democracy; the one that voted for the death of Socrates
Poor example, IMNSHO. Socrates had it coming. Had that conceited, self-absorbed ass lived today he’d either be an Occupy-type trust fund hobo drinking $9 organic fair trade lattés somewhere in Williamsburg (between bouts of spray painting “Bradley Manning = Hero” on the sides of other people’s buildings) — or a rising star in the Liberal firmament. Possibly mayor of a major east-coast city who knows what’s best for you. He was given the choice of hemlock or exile (for trying to overthrow the elected government because as a self-proclaimed philosopher king he knew best). He chose to martyr himself for the publicity, and I have to admit, it worked. Re-read his stuff, it is a pile of obfuscatory twaddle all aimed toward justifying authoritarianism with him (and his admiring lackeys “Oh! Let ME praise Socrates next!”) at the top.
Now if you’re making the point that nose-counting is not an ideal form of government, I’d have to agree. But that said, with enough (proportionally that is) people participating, hopefully the vector sum of stupidity tends toward zero, and we on the whole lurch along a not too idiotic path. So democracy is an often lousy, but generally not horrid, means of governing ourselves. Now when education and inculcation of a sense of civic responsibility breaks down, then we have problems….
American cardiologist says Socrates had it coming!
That would be so what I wanted to hear if I was a patient. Edgy man!
good points on Socrates (assuming that is correct … I’m not yet classically trained 🙂 ). There needs to be a direct route to deal with bad executives. Obama has major scandals/crimes, but his chief LEO is willing to ignore them all. Chief Roberts said we should elect better people, as he side-stepped responsibility on Obamacare, as the executive brought pressure on him.
Not surprisingly, Obama/Hillary backed drug cartel connected Zelaya in Honduras, when he was given exile (no hemlock) with the backing of their court and their congress. Obama sided with Castro/Chavez, in favor of that mob connected tyrant’s lawless acts (extending his term limit). hmmmm
And Obama supported MB Morsi via an early election, surely knowing where a fast transition would lead. Obama has close internal contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood, and had practically campaigned for a new caliphate in his apology tour to Egypt. Coming from Chicago’s “badlands”, he seems practiced in dealing with gang leaders, with no practice in being a practicing executive.
That “vector sum of stupidity” … it seems more about the vector sum of the collectively trained LIV (low info voter). “The Naked Communist” reveals a very well planned and funded plot to train people in a PC religion. Rejecting man made global warming, “equal rights” for gay marriage, or even doubting the pure intentions of Dear Leader … evokes a Pavlovian response of venomous rebuke from the faithful.
The LIV is actually well informed in their intolerant PC Religion, while hardly realizing they’ve been duped. Change requires not just education, but breaking the bonds to their abusive “lover” and to their vicarious attachments to those Hollywood singing Sirens.
I’m no Obama supporter (never have been) but I have no idea what point is trying to be made comparing his election results statistics with the Morsi’s election statistics. It seems like a goofy comparison.
What’s happening in Egypt now has zip to do with what’s happening in the US now. Egypt came out its recent overthrow of Mubarak in political turbulence, without widespread consensus about anything except getting rid of Mubarak. In the first U.S. general Election George Washington ran virtually unopposed, and captured around 92% of the popular vote. Though there was some north-south wrangling over who would be the first V.P. the people of the U.S. were basically in accord with their national destiny and satisfied with the outcome of that election, and the losing side of the VP count didn’t march or riot to overturn the election.
Of course things changed with Lincoln, who only won the Electoral College with less than 40% of the popular vote nationwide, and though previous presidents with slim electoral margins didn’t see the country split apart, by Lincoln’s time political animosities had become irreconcilable — as they are now in Egypt — and the nation split.
The point is this: for democracy to survive anywhere there has to be an underlying consensus of agreement among the citizenship that they have enough in common to perpetuate it. Egypt certainly isn’t ready for democracy now, and I doubt it will for another 50 years or more.
Actually, the comparison of statistics points out that this is what “winning the whole pie” looks like, when to win you need a tad over 50%.
I also think “anti-Obama” is a spin on the word “anti.” I’ve heard our presidents criticized before. But these diversified opinions weren’t ever gamed. Before.
Plus, when you use a word like “anti” it means you’ll never change your mind. It’s “scheeple” talk. No need to reason. No need to be selective in what you don’t like. And, it “games” the system.
Numbers? They go over so many people’s heads. And, what we’re really watching is how stories are manipulated.
Anyway, with the Internet, you can find (surprising) information brought to light.
And, if we have this “anti” movement growing … It means that Obama, again, started his 2nd term. And, lost the applause from many people.
Obama’s not the only politician held in low esteem. We know Congress is down in the dumps. And, the Supreme Court has also lost stature.
You can only have “anti” if you throw away critical thinking skills.
“Actually, the comparison of statistics points out that this is what “winning the whole pie” looks like, when to win you need a tad over 50%.”
Not sure what you’re saying.
Even with a majority over 50% you don’t always win the whole pie – Al Gore in 2000, for instance, with a half million more popular votes wasn’t elected.
And in U.S. politics you never win the whole pie — you win the pie tin, and and the illusion of controlling and divvying up the pie in it.
The more they squeal, the closer to the truth you were. I love your nuance, Professor!
Your problem. Prof, is you didn’t run your comment through Minitrue for the required rewriting of history.
I’m disappointed that you didn’t get more votes for “wing-nut.” Are you slipping?
The lamest construct of all is the notion that a duly elected leader retains legitimacy regardless of post-election actions.
I hesitate to mention it, because it is almost insulting to do so, but Hitler was duly elected. I am not sure whether Stalin was ever elected, but many of his successors certainly were. Castro, Hugo Chavez; the list goes on.
In the most recent action, I do believe that the Egyptian military acted out of good intentions. Can I prove that? No, of course not. On the other hand, they took significant risks and the personal return on those risks appears to be problematic. Anwar Sadat would testify to the risk of facing down the MB, if he could.
Outstanding Professor!!!
That Was Twitchy-Licious.
I do believe you found your stride in das twitterz. 😉
In 2000, what came into play were Florida’s ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE. Which put Bush over the top.
Nixon was pulled from office for breaking the law, where he had to resign.
Morsi’s been using his political win to throw Islam into all of Egypt’s lives. And, this is how he ran amoke. And, against the will of the people. Did Morsi try to send the police out to “bring calm” and, to stop the protests?
Looking and both Turkey and Egypt, you get a sense that a majority of the citizens don’t want more Islamic laws and mosques. They want less.
Did Morsi think he’d win if he just hung tough?
Morsi was asked to resign. And, he refused. What would we have done, here, in the USA if Nixon refused? (Doesn’t our Constitution toss this bomb into a trial by Congress? For some reason Nixon figured out he couldn’t win if there was an Impeachment trial.)
You know, Bill Clinton took his chances on the US Constitution. He wasn’t Impeached. But we saw the show. Lessons learned? Don’t hire Ken Starr to carry your case forward. Some lawyers are real jerks.
The Egyptian constitution was muddled together very quickly. & Egypt just does not have many brainiacs to do it.
It would have been better to have a formal dissolution trigger eg the rejection of a budget or inability to arrange a budget at all ( hint hint ) .
Morsi won 51.73%-48.27%, Obama 51.1%-47.2%
Gee. I thought you were pointing out that Obama’s margin (3.9%) was 12.7% greater than Morsi’s margin (3.46%), thus making any comparison clearly absurd.
Not so quick Pythagorus . Obama’s column adds up to 98.3 % whereas morsi has the full 100.
Boo hiss, I didn’t get to vote! Darn this whole if you don’t see it in the minute, it’s too late, move on to the next story thingy. It’s a holiday week! I wanted to vote.
Heh, just kidding. Yeah, I would say that’s an anti-Obama tweet, but I’m probably only saying that because if I tweeted it, that’s what I would intend it to be. I tend to be very very very anti-Obama. Proudly so.
As to Morsi and Egypt and the coup (oh my!), the people of Egypt did not vote for Morsi, they voted for the man Morsi pretended to be. When the fact that he was the exact opposite of what he claimed during the campaign and that he was going to impose strict adherence to barbaric Islamic law–sharia–on a free people became clear, they have every right to protest and demand his removal from office. I haven’t read Egypt’s “new” constitution, but I highly doubt that it has a means of peacefully removing the wannabe head of the new Islamic caliphate.
I’m not so sure I’m opposed to military coups any longer, either, at least not in this circumstance where the choices of the people are limited to one: submit to Islamofascism. Amazing how the reality of a totalitarian fascist dictator rewriting a country’s constitution and imposing his ideological will on a free people can do to one’s perspective, huh?