Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Do You Know What He Meant By This?

Pres Obama said something off the cuff at a speech:

And over the last two years, that's meant taking on some powerful interests -- some powerful interests who had been dominating the agenda in Washington for a very long time. And they're not always happy with me. They talk about me like a dog. (Applause.) That's not in my prepared remarks, it's just -- but it's true.

Now in the past he has spoken about himself thusly:

When asked about his background, which includes a black father and white mother, Obama said of African-Americans: "We are sort of a mongrel people."

"I mean we're all kinds of mixed up," Obama said. "That's actually true of white people as well, but we just know more about it."

{(?) I, as a white person, don't know the details of my heritage? That was presumptuous}

aaaaannnnnd (channeling my inner Obama)

"our preference would be to get a shelter dog," which would point to the possibility of a mixed breed, or, as Obama said, "a mutt, like me."

So, ok, it's the powerful interest folks who "talk about him like a dog".....check. Moving on...

Do you know which"special interests" had it in for him? He made it a point to single out banks as the special interests who had the long knives out for him, who weren't happy about the changes his administration has made. Now I am pretty sure it was, (among others like the Unions) (and auto), the financial institutions that received a whole lot of money Bank Bail Out Program) from his administration so it's a little confusing to hear him single them out for a public slap in the face. And then he said this:

That's why -- we've given tax cuts -- except we give them to folks who need them. (Applause.) We've given them to small business owners. We've given them to clean energy companies. We've cut taxes for 95 percent of working Americans, just like I promised you during the campaign. You all got a tax cut. (Applause.)

Okay, but how many worker's lost their jobs? And all of you who LOST your jobs these past 2 years..... well, lucky you: Now you receive 99 weeks of unemployment checks. That's almost 2 years. Wow. And funemployment is rising so those tax cuts for 95% is sort of a strange victory.

{Clean Energy Companies: He gave $2,400,000,000,000. (count those zeros. that comes from taxes, ya'll so SOMEONE is paying lots more for this) to develop this electric car program for the future of America.

I don't know where the electricity is going to come from...but again, let's don't get bogged down in details at this critical point.}

Back to the original question. I don't know what he meant by that remark about the dog. I really don't. I thought we Americans, as a whole, think of dogs as man's best friend. Loyal to the core. Ready to go at a drop of a suggestion. Where am I wrong and what do you think he meant by this?

Not that it matters, I realize. I am curious, though.

2 comments:

Rachel said...

I think you're being intentionally obtuse here. I know that you understand the difference in what he said, but since you pleaded with us...
When he spoke of his background being like a mutt's or a mongrel's, he was referring to his mixed heritage, not to his actual value as a person.
To say that others speak of him as though he were a dog, he is referring to the fact that they are degrading his humanity and worth.
Some Merriam-Webster definitions of dog:
2. a : a worthless or contemptible person
8 : one inferior of its kind

Cats and Quilts said...

Yes I am being intentionally obtuse. Every BIT as much as the man himself.

He uses "the dog" interpretations every time he wants to attempt to be self-deprecating. But it is a convenient way to also play the victim. At the expense of dogs.