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OPINION

Lighten Up on Presidential Gaffes

Media blowing up slips is harming political discourse: Kinsley

By Jason Farago| Posted Jul 31, 09 9:12 AM CDT|

(Newser) – Saying the Cambridge police acted "stupidly" wasn't Barack Obama's first or even worst gaffe; as president-elect he mused about Nancy Reagan séances, and he still hasn't lived down his awful joke on Jay Leno. But gaffes are okay, writes Michael Kinsley in the Washington Post—we want a president who speaks honestly, even if that means slip-ups every so often. Better that than an over-scripted bore. And that's what we'll get if the talking heads don't cut out the over-the-top outrage.

Whether it's phony offense à la "lipstick on a pig" or legitimate anger like the Special Olympics incident, the "rituals of umbrage" we force politicians to go through does serious harm to public discourse. Obama and others need to be able to speak with substance, Kinsley writes. "But that can't be done in a thin-skinned political culture obsessed with gaffes, and with a citizenry overly quick to take offense."

[Images (4)]

[Quotes (1)]

Barack Obama appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in Burbank, Calif. Thursday, March 19, 2009. He made a notorious comment about the Special Olympics during that appearance. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Barack Obama and Cambridge, Mass., police Sgt. James Crowley have a beer with Joe Biden and Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Nancy Reagan smiles as Barack Obama signs the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act, Tuesday, June 2, 2009. Obama made a gaffe about Mrs. Reagan early in his transition period. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

President Barack Obama answers a question from the media during his meeting with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Thursday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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We have elected a president with a speculative mind. But every teachable episode we put him through teaches him that speculation is risky. And the riskier we make it, the less of it we're likely to get. - Michael Kinsley

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33 comments

VIEWING:

godawgs
Jul 31, 09 9:16 AM CDT

are you kidding me? these are the same reporters and pundits who hammered Bush over every mistake he said. Bush was killed on late night TV shows, comedy shows, everywhere because of the way he said things or what he said. The media is already doesn't criticize Obama or Biden about anything they say, so there isn't much to lighten up on. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

Wraith
Jul 31, 09 9:37 AM CDT

This comment has been removed by Newser’s community. You must be logged in to view this comment.

+10

IN RESPONSE:

chas_m
Jul 31, 09 9:53 AM CDT

This comment has been removed by Newser’s community. You must be logged in to view this comment.

-2

IN RESPONSE:

godawgs
Jul 31, 09 9:54 AM CDT

@wraith and which of those policies has your esteemed leader, President Obama overturned or operated in a different way?

IN RESPONSE:

godawgs
Jul 31, 09 9:57 AM CDT

@chas_m so did you cut and paste from the comment above yours is that the email of the left wing talking points you both received this morning?

-2

IN RESPONSE:

prowlerzee
Jul 31, 09 11:20 AM CDT

How many united states did Zerobama say there were? 57? Remember that one? Uh-uh-uh-uh-bama also stutters and uh-uh-uhs a ton when he's off his teleprompter.

-2

IN RESPONSE:

AmExpat
Jul 31, 09 11:46 AM CDT

I'm certainly not a Bush fan, but Godawgs has a point. Bush was - and for good reason- hammered for his speech style, linguistic style, malaprops, ad nauseum. Why can we not apply the same scrutiny to Obama? This WP article isn't unique in its double-standard.

IN RESPONSE:

Snarfeh
Jul 31, 09 1:01 PM CDT

Bush was mostly hammered by lefties for his spoken gaffes, not by the mainstream media. If you didn't go to a leftie web site, you didn't see anyone ragging him about it. It got reported, his admirers went, "awwww, he's just so gosh darn cute" and it was forgotten except by those who wanted coherency in a President.

-1

IN RESPONSE:

Jayster999
Jul 31, 09 1:40 PM CDT

LOL. OMFG! The hypocrisy is unbelievable. Liberals both in and outside the media hounded GW, Reagan, and every other "conservative" figure since Nixon and now that what everyone to be respectful of el presidente. FU!

IN RESPONSE:

Caps
Jul 31, 09 4:04 PM CDT

Oh come on godawgs, Bush never said any thing that was intelligent. Get real and grow up.

IN RESPONSE:

KurtRambis4va
Aug 1, 09 1:07 AM CDT

This guy Kinsley is an idiot.... Totally right about the double standard. What happened to "we want a president who speaks honestly, even if that means slip-ups every so often" 2+ years ago. I haven't been around long, but I have never seen this much media favoritism toward a president. Even the late night comedians are going easy on him.

| 0 minutes ago

cornelison
Jul 31, 09 9:20 AM CDT

Unfortunately the media will continue this irritating strategy. It gets on my nerves so I change the channel & search the internet for more important news. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

prowlerzee
Jul 31, 09 11:21 AM CDT

That sounds like what I would do during the election season when the media spent 24-7 telling us how "eloquent" the stuttering sloganeer Uh-uh-uh-bama was.

IN RESPONSE:

mintclassic
Aug 3, 09 12:20 PM CDT

The fact that you think Bush was a better speaker than Obama is just...wow. You live in a complete fantasy world, and your particular breed of ignorance is exactly what frightens me about humanity.

| 0 minutes ago

Reader65069154
Jul 31, 09 9:29 AM CDT

In this case, look beyond what he said, and what it could mean. If Obama reaches a biased (my friend is the victim) conclusion ("acted stupidly") while admitting he doesn't know all the relevant facts, is this telling us something about him? How often does he reach a conclusion without waiting for (obvious) facts? Reply

IN RESPONSE:

Fondue
Jul 31, 09 9:42 AM CDT

This comment has been removed by Newser’s community. You must be logged in to view this comment.

IN RESPONSE:

Sabrina
Jul 31, 09 9:43 AM CDT

I have made the same dumb mistake, made a statement standing up for a friend not knowing my friend was in the wrong. I am just glad I did not have cameras recording my screw up and a group of people doteing on the chance I might make a mistake so they could blow it out of proportion as they have with Obama

IN RESPONSE:

Timinator2K
Jul 31, 09 9:48 AM CDT

I demand you pass my Obamacare, Comrades! And after I take over, THEN I'll come up with a plan. Remember, CONTROL FIRST, plan later ~ Adoph Obama PS Kill the Old! Rob the Rich! That's because I'm a Son of a Biotch!

IN RESPONSE:

QueenAlli
Jul 31, 09 9:53 AM CDT

Sorry, that argument won't fly. Obama has been branded No Drama Obama and has been heavily criticized for being too cautious. You can't, from one moment, start saying he is impulsive. And the police did act stupidly and they know it, otherwise they would not have dropped the charges.

-3

IN RESPONSE:

godawgs
Jul 31, 09 9:56 AM CDT

@queen is there anything you won't defend Obama for?

IN RESPONSE:

AmExpat
Jul 31, 09 11:50 AM CDT

When Obama uses his office to make statements, these statements must come under scrutiny. As time passes, most of us -including Obama- are realizing that Gates was in the wrong.

| 0 minutes ago

DarkFrancis
Jul 31, 09 9:33 AM CDT

If he makes mistakes, speaks out of turn or generally makes a tool of himself, he'll be called on it, and rightly so. I don't expect he'll be making too many, but I'd rather he spoke from the heart and made the occasional fuck up than go through an 'on message' briefing before the start of every day. You shouldn't govern like you campaign and to President Obama's credit, he seems to be picking that up well. His predecessor...was gaffe-prone, purely because he could not speak his first language very well. At least he could put food on his family. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

QueenAlli
Jul 31, 09 10:05 AM CDT

This article is absolutely correct. Americans asking for politicians to tell the truth are like women who ask their boyfriends "do these pants make me look fat?" or "do you think that girl is cute?" Honesty is not rewarded in this country. Those cops did act stupidly, the charges were dropped and the dept. is starting a new program to deal with racial tensions in the community. I would also like to know where is this outrage when people in the Black community complain that Obama talks down to us, I don't think he is, but it's fascinating that the GOP and Conservatives don't come to their defense - cause you know they are supposed to be the BFF's of the middle class. Reply

-4

IN RESPONSE:

godawgs
Jul 31, 09 10:27 AM CDT

again is there anything that you won't defend the president for? the charges were dropped becasue Gates started to make big ole fuss over everything. I see that he has dropped his idea of doing a movie on racial profiling as well, what does that tell you about his initial complaints? when the officer wouldn't back down and threatened to sue Gates on grounds of defamation he all of sudden got all buddy buddy with him, that should say just as much.

| 0 minutes ago

RobN
Jul 31, 09 11:13 AM CDT

I keep looking for an article where Kinsley wrote the same thing during the Bush presidency, but amazingly enough, I can't find it. Strange since I'm sure this isn't just a case of "well, your guy was an idiot but leave my guy alone". Reply

IN RESPONSE:

carol
Jul 31, 09 11:44 AM CDT

You are so right. Obama screwed up by addressing the question without knowing the facts. This wasn't a gaffe, it was a huge mistake and he needs to deal with it. Shame on the MSM for trying to make excuses.

| 0 minutes ago

Shannonals
Jul 31, 09 11:40 AM CDT

I haven't met a person alive that hasn't made a gaffe, so why does it even matter? I love all these people who crucified both Bush and other Presidents for their gaffes, knoing darn well they say equally if not more idiotic statements Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Ucantusethatname
Jul 31, 09 11:51 AM CDT

You two-faced b******. You clobbered Bush but seek to protect BO. You want to shield him from the voters realizing how incompetent and inexperienced he is. 2010 can't arrived soon enough. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Jassy
Jul 31, 09 12:28 PM CDT

I am no fan of George Bush but this is slightly hypocritical at the very least. I don't remember any president, and I've seen quite a few clear back to Truman, that was so criticized for speech errors and stupid remarks. Although I must admit there were plenty to pick on with GW. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

TerrifiedCitizen
Jul 31, 09 1:44 PM CDT

Poking fun at the feds, and executive leaders specifically, is the only trade-off for all the frustration citizens otherwise endure. Will Rogers was a very great man and understood the critical need for people not to lose their sense of humor. Reply

-1

| 0 minutes ago

SilenceDogood
Aug 1, 09 5:07 AM CDT

The media in this country is a sad excuse for professional reporting. Their collective abuse of their responsibilities to report the facts without bias into borderline lies is appalling. Political caricatures and editorial comments are an acceptable vent for media to express opinions regarding political leadership, however intentionally misinforming the public by over reporting some issues and underreporting others is highly manipulative and sickening. I remember when Bush was president we had a daily death count of soldiers in Iraqi. Now that Obama is in no one talks of such, and especially deafening is the silence of the quiet surge into Afghanistan with no body counts or reporting to cover this military operation conducted by our peaceful POTUS. In brief, the gaffes are fine to report on, but report honestly on everything else with spinning the facts. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

SilenceDogood
Aug 1, 09 10:42 AM CDT

"without" spinning the facts. typo

| 0 minutes ago

Silverbow7
Aug 2, 09 10:01 PM CDT

Obama stutters? Reply

| 0 minutes ago

View all 33 comments »

Barack Obama • politics • gaffe • Henry Louis Gates Jr • James Crowley

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Lighten Up on Presidential Gaffes