White House Insider: Obama Rushed to Hurricane Irene "Photo-Op"
Published by Ulsterman on August 28, 2011 in US Politics-
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Despite Barack Obama’s initial protests to end his vacation early, the Obama re-election team convinced the president to pose for a much needed leadership photo-op in the wake of Hurricane Irene.
(During the most extensive of the situation updates, Obama left early…)
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Note: This message just received from our longtime D.C. Insider and is now published in its entirety:
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As initial reports of Hurricane Irene came in, President was hesitant to cut short his vacation. Numerous briefings held on subject, but each time Obama insisted he remain at M. Vineyard. His tone began to change the following day when situation presented to him as a potential to contrast himself from G. Bush and Katrina and could prove a valuable tool for the re-election campaign. A future campaign ad was outlined utilizing the Irene situation. This scenario said to “perk” president’s interest in becoming more involved and focused.
Photo-op scenario was then developed. Barack Obama again hesitated, but by end of day, was “back on board” for the plan, though was to have said “Libya should be enough”. An apparent reference to Gaddafi’s removal from power as being a success for the Obama administration. Also received a number of references to how “tired” the president appeared even though he has been vacationing for some time now.
Even as reports came in that Irene was likely to prove far less damaging than the initial outlook, the Obama team proceeded with photo-op plan. The Plouffe gang believed the photo and the message it would send to be “critical” for the image of the president. During the most extensive of the situation updates, Obama left early. His mood was described as “agitated” and “dismissive” of the situation, and his understanding of emergency response “non-existent”. He repeatedly commented with “We get the picture and we are good, right? You guys can take it from there, right? Yeah, let’s do it then. Let’s go.” When the suggestion of a brief teleconference was proposed, the president again balked, but later complied with the suggestion. Uncertain how he was later convinced. Likely given a script to read from and that lessened his concerns about attempting to pretend knowledge of a subject he knew nothing about. What I do know is that the president was placed in the Hurricane “situation center” and the photographers were ushered in and and instructed what to shoot. The president left soon after the photographers left. Told one news agency actually reported on the story even before Obama had left. If true this would be proof the campaign team sent out the “script” to the news agencies hours before the president even arrived at the situation center. I know for a fact that this kind of thing has been done before by the Obama campaign.
(”We get the picture and we are good, right? You guys can take it from there, right?)
Lastly, someone high up in the Obama team earlier in the week openly expressed a hope that Irene would be “A real big one.” Meaning they are desperate for an opportunity for the president to appear “presidential”. Apparently media outlets have already been contacted to assist in this effort of portraying Barack Obama as the “anti-Bush” regarding the current hurricane response. Look for the photo-op and written portrayals of the president’s abilities during the hurricane crisis to be transmitted by media over the course of the next few days, even though Irene is already proving to be no more than a tropical storm at this time.
One last interesting tidbit was a description as Hurricane Irene being “Napolitano’s last dance.” Is she on her way out? This is the first I have heard of that possibility but am now asking around. Will keep you updated.
-Insider
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UPDATE: Check out this shocking photo of President Obama as he looked upon arriving back in Washington D.C. from his vacation in Martha’s Vineyard. This is the dynamic young man the country elected just three years ago? The reports of a “tired” looking Barack Obama do not do justice to just how frail the president appears in this photograph:
What a bummer; a potentially great crisis gone to waste.
Paul Krugman is crying in his gin just trying to image what a devastating Cat 4 could have done: hundreds of billions of dollars in damage (forget the lives lost — mere collateral damage, and would likely lower the unemployment numbers) … we’re talking MAJOR opportunity to finally stimulate the economy (since nobody bought into his fake space-alien invasion plan)!
Too bad Irene turned into a tropical storm; but if Obama’s lucky, maybe a terrorist attack worse than 9-11 might be in the offing … the big break he’s been waiting for in order to get reelected … or something.
anything could have happened to the people in the path of the hurricane it is best to wish all the best before hand rather than after a disaster whats the problem with giving your time while you are on holiday what about those who lost their family members
That man is one sick specimen. He has the wrist of a 14 year old girl. His fingers look like “crypty.” Purple lips and flushed face are sure signs he is doing more than smoking cigs’.
He thinks voters having to show an ID is racist. Yet, the D.C. safety dept. would only issue 5 sandbags per person AFTER they showed a pic ID!
Bad move for the ‘O’ and his advisors. I have already heard people comment that this is the ‘O’s “Michael Dukakis in the tank with the Mickey Mouse ears on” moment. Sweet!
When I heard that Obama was heading to the hurricane operations center, I could not believe how idiotic that was. Why would a President go where people are busy handling a crisis and trying to do their jobs….it just causes disruption? It was blatantly a photo-op and he looked ridiculous. No one believes Obama was actually commanding anything or helping the effort. Definitely a Michael Dukakis moment. The Obama handlers are morons.
Regarding the Michael Dukakis in the tank moment–at least Dukakis didn’t need to have his aides put his name on the tank so people would know who he was! Seeing Obama there with the nametag in front of him was complete evidence that this was only a photo op.
I was just turning 18 when Dukakis was running. Would someone educate me on this “MD in the tank” moment. I recall nothing of it…
never mind the earlier question. It was not hard to find. I see the photo & the explanation. Wow, what a backfire.
If they wanted to show common decency, they could have helped I’n the Midwest flooding or the Texas fires.
He does look mighty wore out in that photo…many of us have heard the rumors of his drug use, and that picture is very reminiscent, thanks to the “splotches” on his cheeks, of this deal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9crDe9SoOOg&feature=related
I am just wondering now if perhaps he is a Jenkem user/abuser? Note the similarity of his cheek splotches, and the cheek splotches on the fella in the clip.
I like Mr. Obama because of the way he speaks and writes, like an old-time biblical prophet. He sounds like Jesus Christ in the Gospels. Maybe this explains his appeal to voters?
America gave the chance to elect first black president,he was suppose to be a young man with post racial backround,well it was the opposite,he never recpected the people who put him in the White House. The good president should be everyones president,he should bring people together the world is already in trublle, America is damaged,the best country in the world is lost,i am not agaist blacks,i myself came from another country i love this country,but you know what four years is plenty for this man to be the president of USA.
@Dro,he sounds like jesus Christ,get real man people want jobs not so call JC,get it. He dosen’t appeal to voters,if he did his polls weren’t going to go down like the way they are.
Who are you kitting.
Another Dukakis moment (thanks for the reminder). That says it all.
He looked like someone completely out of his element. It was so badly staged that I’m sure even the dumbest voter will get it
Hope it backfires on him for such a cynical political ploy. They would have been better off to have a lifesize blowup Obama doll. He would have looked more interested in what was going on.
I love his eleventh hour interventions….remember the sideline president getting a briefing from the real leaders of the Bin Laden raid.
He only comes in for the face time to try and impress us all with his command of all situations
Pathetic and cynical.
Good job handlers. You probably knocked his polling numbers down another peg or two
there are like less than 20 dead in new york, new jersey, and connecticut, all thanks to the state government. another reason obama came back early was because it would have been bad for his image for him to be playing golf while people are drowning (assuming it would have been a really bad storm)
There are less than 20 dead because this so called hurricane died out pretty damn fast and by the time it hit us was a just a bad wind and rain storm. I am a bit on the interior of Jersey and have seen worse storms that got NO media coverage. Had more people die in those than what happened this last weekend. The media is so bullshit stupid it boggles the mind. They hyped this up big time. And make no mistake the Obama people were hoping for some big hurricane moment so dear leader could act like he knew waht the fuck he was doing when more and more of us know he doesn’t have a fucking clue. And I’m a tried and true union guy and voted for the ignorant fucker. Business is shutting down in this country because of Obama. He says he’s got our back? BULLSHIT. Fuck him and anyone who still supports him. This country is going to hell big time since he got in there. Yeah yeah my fault I know. But never again man. Never again. I’ll vote for the methhead down the road before I would vote for the current methhead in the shithouse. I mean white house.
American big business set up head offices in the USA and have all manufacturing and production done in China, ship the goods to USA and take all the profits and send the $$ back to China. Then stupid Americans blame their president for their own stupidity. I hope that next election they elect someone else who really screws up the country then they can cry for what they lost. America doesn’t deserve a president like Obama, who really cares for his country. They deserve some greedy white guy who’s in it for himself. This guy has been running himself ragged with the oil crisis, health care, jobless situation, trying to end wars and getting involved in Libya and dealing with the rest of the screwed up planet and still greedy Americans are not satisfied.
Well, American big business exists to profit, suffice to say. Unfortunately, for them to return to the home base, either China needs a regime change (to one that more closely resembles ours) or we do (to a more oppressive govt. that resembles theirs, offering slave labor and little in the way of workers’ rights). The former is the most ideal (even if it is but a fantasy) because I am not convinced cutting the corporate tax rate would be incentive enough (or would balance out) to increase labor costs…perhaps a combination of corporate tax rate reduction plus deregulation would be enough to balance out the profit/loss? I’m not an actuary or an accountant. I can admit that the love of money is part of the reason why we’re in this position today, but I don’t think Ron Paul is a greedy white guy. He’s an example of the change we need, not the usurping puppet-in-chief currently occupying the WH.
@ Real Jersey,
Dude, you don’t have to sugar coat it on our account. Tell us how you really feel. /s
@Captain Hook
Wow. Can I have your dealer’s number? You’re obviously getting some great sh*t!!
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