Monday, January 16, 2017

The Top 10 Dumbest Things Obama Has Ever Said

                                                         +AJPM+


THE CATHOLIC HTOWNER:


Yeah, it seems cliche to point out a politician saying dumb things, but consider this for a moment:

how come when a president like George W Bush and Donald Trump say something stupid, the media can't report it fast enough, but when Obama says something obviously stupid, the media either pretend he never said it or try to cover it up?

In fact, having looked at the supposedly stupid quotes from Trump (and yes, I said supposedly), I've concluded the quotes are all out of context and don't have much if any sources behind them.

The quotes on this list, on the other hand, do have solid sources proving Obama said it and that's not the only criteria I've decided to place on my choices:

-The quotes could not have stemmed from an issue where the facts were not well known at the time of the quote. However, if the evidence later proved he was wrong and he didn't issue an apology, then the quote is fair game.
-It can't be covering something Obama would not know anything about at the time, but the quote will go higher on the list if it's something Obama should have known even if he weren't president.
-There must be either video or transcript evidence proving Obama said it, which is why along with the quote I will include where he said it.

Before we get to the list, I do want to bring up two honorable mentions:

Honorable Mention #1:"Over the last 15 months, we've traveled to every corner of the United States. I've now been in 57 states? I think one left to go."

This one is not on the list because this was said at a campaign rally in 2008, so he wasn't president yet. However, I do remember the media going on about how smart Obama is yet he can't get the amount of US states right?
And before anyone mentions this in the comments, US territories don't count as states and even if they did, that still doesn't bring the total to 58.

Honorable Mention #2: "I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."

Again, this is not on the list because he wasn't president when he said it but this does offer a window into how Obama viewed the economy. This was spoken to Joe the Plumber (remember him?) when Joe asked Obama about whether his tax policies will hurt small business. Not only did this not answer the question, it showed just how much contempt Obama had (and most likely still has)

10. "I believe the Cambridge police acted stupidly."

Remember this one from early in his administration? This all started when a black college professor was wrongly arrested by the local police because they believed he was breaking into a house; it later turned out it was his own house, he misplaced his keys and he trying to find a different way to get in.

So if the police got the facts wrong, why is it on a list of Obama mistakes? While an interior investigation did show the police in the end reached an incorrect conclusion, the study further concluded they worked well within their authority and did not act in an idiotic manner.

9. "You didn't build that."

This was spoken by Obama during a re-election event in Roanoke, VA. While he did say this while president, it's not any higher because he didn't originate the phrase. That dishonor belongs to Elizabeth Warren, who sowed the seeds for the phrase when defending the notion the rich should pay more in taxes. Why? In her own words:

There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own — nobody. You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear.[...] You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police-forces and fire-forces that the rest of us paid for.[...] part of the underlying social contract is, you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.

In fact, let's look at Obama's quote in its entirety:
If you've got a business – you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."

There are several ways this notion makes no sense, from ignoring the fact we don't know whose taxes actually go to pay for the road, the publicly used road is better maintained if run by private companies and charities (such as Adopt-a-Highway) or the fact this IN NO WAY proves why the rich should pay more in taxes.

8.  'There have been no terrorist attacks on Americans since I've become president."

This was said during his farewell address (he was still president when he said it, so it's fair game) and it took no time at all for people to point out how misleading the statement is. In fact, I didn't put it much higher on the list only because some of the examples being used by other outlets are still being investigated as of this post, but he should have known better in light of now disclosed information about the cases.

7. When I meet with world leaders, what's striking -- whether it's in Europe or here in Asia.."

This is dumb not because of what he said but where he said it: Hawaii. Hawaii is part of the US, hence North America, not Asia. Saying Hawaii is in Asia is like saying Texas is in Mexico: maybe if you squint real hard, it could be true but it doesn't change the fact geographically it isn't. 

6.  "And so, I’m reminded of a passage in John’s Gospel, “let us love, not with words or speech, but with actions and in truth.”

Obama spoke this when talking at a memorial about murdered Dallas police officers. The problem is the quote is from 1 John, not John's Gospel. Second, he used the quote to show how far short words can bring about change, when the verse is actually talking about laying our lives down for our brothers and sisters.

5. "The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings and inefficiencies to our health care system."

This was spoken in July 2009 when he was promoting the Affordable Care Act (there will be much more on this later) and he was addressing various objections people brought up about the proposal. In fact, I can't tell if this is a gaffe considering the last one doesn't line up with the other three or it's a truth wedged in after three obvious lies. 

4. "At least I'll go down as a president."

 Oh, this is both stupid and hilarious twice over. He said this on his last apearance on Jimmy Kimmel before the election and it was in reference to a tweet from Trump against Obama.
Why is this hilarious twice over? In light of the election results, this now means like Obama, Trump will now be remembered as a US president.Yet even if the election went the other way, it's still stupid because one could then say, "So can Nixon. What's your point?"


3. "UPS and FedEx are doing just fine, right? It's the Post Office that's always having problems."

This needs a little explanation. While promoting the Affordable Care Act, various objections were raised against it, the relevant one in this case being private business could do a much better job providing better health care than the government. Clearly, Obama forgot UPS and FedEx are both private companies and have a much better reputation than the Post Office.

2. "If you like your current plan, you can keep it."

Really? Do I need to point out how stupid and a crock this quote is? If you don't think it's dumb, look at anyone who still has the same health plan and at an affordable price.


And the number one quote is....

"Unless we get on our high horse and think that this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ. So it is not unique to one group or one religion. There is a tendency in us, a simple tendency that can pervert and distort our faith."

I was torn about what to put as number one. I was going to put a video of Obama bashing the Bible, but then I found out he did that before he was president, so I couldn't use it...but I could use this quote. 

Not only is this stupid because he said this in response to critics of radical Islam, not only because he forgot the biggest critics of Jim Crow were devout Christians (like Dr Martin Luther King, hence why I post this today), not only does it ignore the biggest perpetrators of terrorism are radical Muslims, but since we now know Christians are the most persecuted group in the world...

Let's just say this article makes a better case against this than I could. 

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