New gaffe: Obama confuses Jews with janitors

President Obama spoke to the Congressional Black Caucus awards banquet over the weekend.

Those folks will stick with him in 2012, of course.

But they've been somewhat miffed in recent months that the first post-partisan president is doing too many deals with those Republicans and seeming to give in.

So, Obama needed to give the crowd some presidential love. He even brought his wife along. As with virtually all of Obama's speeches recently, the Democrat's remarks dealt with selling his jobs legislation, as if it wasn't DOA on Capitol Hill.

The first black president got to reminiscing about some other struggles in the past familiar to African Americans.

His 28 minutes of remarks had a strange tone to them, as if somehow Obama was equating support for his jobs program legislation with the far more important and historic civil rights movement.

He got into the usual yada-yada about rich people paying their fair share of taxes.

And then, deep into the speech, according to the White House transcript, the president said:

When you start saying, at a time when the top one-tenth of 1 percent has seen their incomes go up four or five times over the last 20 years, and folks at the bottom have seen their incomes decline -- and your response is that you want poor folks to pay more? 

Give me a break. 

If asking a billionaire to pay the same tax rate as a janitor makes me a warrior for the working class, I wear that with a badge of honor. I have no problem with that.

That's what the transcript says he said.

Now, watch the C-SPAN video below, and listen especially to the phrase "the same tax rate as a janitor..."

Here is what the president actually said, catching himself almost in time but not quite:

If asking a billionaire to pay the same tax rate as a Jew, uh, as a janitor makes me a warrior for the working class, I wear that with a badge of honor. I have no problem with that.

The president has been muffing lines all over the place recently. Last week, also peddling his jobs plan at a bridge that won't qualify, he hailed America's building of "the Intercontinental Railroad." You don't seem to hear much about these gaffes in the media for some reason.

Maybe in Saturday night's speech Obama was thinking about all those talks on Israel in New York.

Video of the president's full CBC speech, via C-SPAN, of course, is available right here.

Obama is on the West Coast now, harvesting money again and closing roads in Los Angeles after doing the same in Seattle and San Jose Sunday.

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press (Obama addresses the Congressional Black Caucus awards banquet, Sept. 24).              Video: Courtesy of C-SPAN.

Goshen College dumps 'Star-Spangled Banner' as too bombastic, prefers 'America the Beautiful'

 

When Francis Scott Key witnessed the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812, he was inspired to see in the light of explosions that the relatively new country's flag had survived.

So, he wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner," which became the national anthem of the United States of America.

Even though there would likely not be a United States of America without that second combat against Great Britain, all that red rocket glare and bombs bursting in air business is a tad too militaristic for Indiana's Goshen College.

So officials there have banned "The Star-Spangled Banner" at athletic events.

The seeming celebration of combat "seemed inconsistent to the entire message we were trying to send," said Richard Aguirre, a spokesman for the Mennonite institution. Officials were especially concerned about the song's impact on foreign students.

As a result, from now on they've opted instead to play "America the Beautiful."

How does this strike you? And how do you feel about the songs?

Above, we have one video version of the national anthem. And below we have one version of "America the Beautiful."

Faith Hill sings both.

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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Pope Benedict XVI urges world markets to have a heart

  
Pope Benedict XVI, formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, traveled to Spain on Thursday for World Youth Day, a Roman Catholic festival for young people celebrated internationally every three years in various locations around the world.

This year, it's in Madrid, and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims -- organizers expected up to 1 million attendees, from more than 190 nations -- crowded the normally empty....

Who made the cut for Obama's third Ramadan Iftar dinner

 

President Obama's remarks during his Iftar dinner, as provided by the White House

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you so much. (Applause.)  Everyone, please have a seat, have a seat.

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the White House. Tonight is part of a rich tradition here at the White House of celebrating the holy days of many faiths and the diversity that define us as a nation. So these are quintessentially American celebrations -- people of different faiths coming together, with humility before our maker, to reaffirm our obligations to one another, because no matter who we are, or how we pray, we’re all children of a loving God.

Now, this year, Ramadan is entirely in August. That means the days are long, the weather is hot, and you are hungry. (Laughter.) So I will be brief.

I want to welcome the members of the diplomatic corps who are here; the members of Congress, including two Muslim American members of Congress -- Keith Ellison and Andre Carson; and leaders and officials from across my administration. Thank you all for being here.  Please give them a big round of applause.  (Applause.)   

To the millions of Muslim Americans across the United States and more -- the more than....

'Ramadan Kareem:' Obama marks the Muslim holiday

Statement by President Obama on Ramadan, as provided by the White House

As Ramadan begins, Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to Muslim communities in the United States and around the world. 

Ramadan is a festive time that is anticipated for months by Muslims everywhere. Families and communities share the happiness of gathering together for iftar and prayers. Bazaars light up the night in many cities from Rabat to Jakarta. And here in the United States, Muslim Americans share Ramadan traditions with their neighbors, fellow students, and co-workers. 

 For so many Muslims around the world, Ramadan is also a time of deep reflection and sacrifice.

As in other faiths, fasting is used to increase spirituality, discipline, and consciousness of God's mercy.  It is also a reminder of the importance of reaching out to those less fortunate.

The heartbreaking accounts of lost lives and the images of families and children in Somalia and the Horn of Africa struggling to survive remind us of our common humanity and compel us to act. Now is the time for nations and peoples to come together to avert an even worse catastrophe by offering support and assistance to on-going relief efforts.

Times like this remind us of the lesson of all great faiths, including Islam -- that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.  In that spirit, I wish Muslims around the world a blessed month, and I look forward to again hosting an iftar dinner here at the White House. Ramadan Kareem.    ####

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Photo: Noah Seelam / AFP / Getty Images (Indian women begin their Ramadan prayers, Aug. 1).

Michele Bachmann's strategist-husband called gays 'barbarians' who 'need to be disciplined' [Audio]

Michele Bachmann, the Republican representative from Minnesota, was "glittered" earlier this month for her conservative stance on gay marriage. But after listening to audio of her husband, he can probably expect some glitter his way soon.

As first reported by the Think Progress blog, Marcus Bachmann, who in March was described by former Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Ron Carey as part of Michele's "brain trust," was a guest on the Christian-based "Point of View" radio talk show on May 12, 2010, where he came out strongly against the LGBT community.

"We have to understand: Barbarians need to be educated. They need to be disciplined. Just because someone feels it or thinks it doesn’t mean that we are supposed to go down that road. That’s what is called the sinful nature. We have a responsibility as parents and as authority figures not to encourage such thoughts and feelings from moving into the action steps," Marcus Bachmann said.

The radio show's self-proclaimed mission is "to use the powerful tool of live daily national talk radio to defend a biblical Christian worldview and to proclaim Christian solutions for the problems of America. 'Point of View' aims to restore the greatness of Christian thought and values to every area of American Life."

But does Marcus Bachmann, besides being Michele Bachmann's husband, really have any political influence on his wife? Carey, who served as the congresswoman's chief of staff in 2010, said yes in March.

Michele Bachmann gets glittered; activist says Obama deserves the same [Video]

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) was showered with glitter as she left the stage Saturday at the AFP RightOnline Conference in Minneapolis.

The assailant, Rachel Lang, said that because her mission was to bring awareness to politicians who do not support same-sex marriage, President Obama was also on her sparkly to-do list.

"If he were here I'd glitter him too," she told a reporter who reminded her that Obama does not support people of the same sex getting hitched. "I think it would be harder to get that close to the president," said Lang, whose mother is a lesbian.

"My response to Michele Bachmann's hateful and anti-gay rhetoric was lighthearted, but these issues are very serious," Lang wrote in a statement. "Bachmann's support of groups like 'You Can Run But You Cannot Hide' show exactly how extremist she is -- she in no way represents the values of Minnesota and certainly does not represent the values of America."

Although Bachmann is the third Republican to get the glitter treatment (other GOP presidential hopefuls Newt Gingrich and Tim Pawlenty were glittered previously), Lang explains that the cause is not a partisan one. "Any politician who doesn't want gays to be able get married should be glittered," she said.

Sarah Palin's letter from God

Two items of note this morning on America's most interesting, reviled and adored politician who isn't a candidate for anything and probably won't be in 2012 -- Sarah Palin.

Up first is Toby Harnden, a prolific author and correspondent for the Daily Telegraph of London.

He's a very perceptive observer of Americans' often strange political behavior (or behaviour for his U.K. readers).

This weekend Harnden penned an astute report on the U.S. news media's reading frenzy of the nearly 300 pounds of old Palin emails, released Friday in Alaska.

The media have yet to find a smoking gun or email cursor amid some 24,000 pages yet.

The Briton writes that far from being embarrassed by any findings in the trove of her electronic missives, Palin "is likely to emerge from the scrutiny...with her reputation considerably enhanced."

His complete report is well worth a look over here.

Among some 13,000 messages was an unexpected, revealing and touching email from Palin to friends and family.

It was initially written, obviously not for publication, in April of 2008 just a few days before....

Ticket pic of the week: Bad hair days not a problem

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: AFP

Was President Obama really chewing gum during the memorial service for Joplin's tornado victims?

Barely returned from his four-nation trip to Europe, President Obama flew to Missouri on the holiday weekend for the memorial service to the victims lost in the area's mammoth storms last week.

Then, in this video clip, after the sermon the television cameras turned to the president sitting in the front row.

And many distracted viewers immediately began wondering, what ....

... in the world was Obama eating or chewing during the memorial service for more than 113 dead?

What do you think?

An outraged Thomas Lifson here speculates that the president might have been chewing Nicorette gum to combat his ongoing struggle with cigarette smoking. Chewing is arguably better than lighting up during the service. And gum-chewing during public meetings fits with this president's more casual attitudes about some things, such as the tradition of wearing a tie and coat in the Oval Office.

Lifson also points out that this is not the first time Obama has been spotted chewing something during public meetings.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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