Love for the Magical Mr. Obama

[bigtree]

Last edited Sun Mar 24, 2013, 11:13 AM - Edit history (1)

from the Times of Israel:




Local media gushes over the US president’s speech to Israeli students, especially his use of Hebrew phrases of comfort

US President Barack Obama delivered a stirring speech at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem on Thursday; it was up to the Israeli press to pick it apart, and discern what he meant by it, on Friday. The thing they loved most: the Hebrew.

Maariv devotes a walloping 11 pages to its coverage of Obama’s activities around Israel and the Palestinian territories, but leads off with a full translation of the president’s address. One analysis piece in the paper says the atmosphere among the students in the crowd was like that of a rock concert. One member of the crowd who was interviewed had voted for Mitt Romney in the last US elections, but was nonetheless excited to attend . . .

Israel Hayom plays up the big quote in Hebrew from the speech — “Atem lo levad” — “You’re not alone,” which it displays prominently on the paper’s front page. Boaz Bismuth picks the speech apart, saying the first half was the “Likud Obama” and the second half was the “Meretz Obama.” The first part of the speech appealed to those concerned with Israeli security; the second appealed to those concerned about a Palestinian future, but both parts included the president’s magical delivery, he says.

“Obama came to Israel to try to enchant, and he succeeded at it,” Bismuth writes in his Page 3 column . . .

Yedioth Ahronoth also puts the “You’re not alone” quote on the front page, splashed over a picture of Obama receiving the Presidential Medal of Distinction from his counterpart, Shimon Peres. On the inside pages, next to the photos of Obama and Peres smiling and raising their glasses at the state dinner held in the visiting leader’s honor, the key words in Yedioth’s analyses of the speech were “love” and “magic.”


read more: http://www.timesofisrael.com/love-for-the-magical-mr-obama/



D Wasserman Schultz ?@DWStweets 25m
And they hugged him right back!/RT @politicoroger: Richard Engel on Meet the Press: "Obama went to Israel to give them a big hug."

[SidDithers]

1. kick for woo me...nt

Sid

[bigtree]

2. .

[woo me with science]

3. LOL!

[Tarheel_Dem]

28. Big ups to you Sid!

[fadedrose]

4. If

If there were a god, and he or she sent someone to help the earth heal from its hatred, I think this god would send someone that I would describe as a fellow like our president.

If there are alien species watching from the sidelines and they are finally fed up with just watching and decided to send a humanoid to help the earth heal from its hatred, I would draw this humanoid to look like our president.

Nobody can tell me that this president is a product of sexual intercourse like me or you. How come he's so much better and smarter than all of us?

Better in everything, showing just the right amount of love and empathy, understanding our problems, and doing what he thinks all good people need to have done, and even what not-too-good people need done to make them better, besides having a great deal of restraint in displaying anger that any other human would feel in his predicament with the Congress.

I love this man, Israel. Hands off, he's ours...

Thanks for posting pictures.

[bigtree]

5. very nice thoughts, fadedrose

. . . thank you for those.



President Obama with Palestinian children during a visit to the Church of the Nativity with Palestinian President Abbas

[monmouth3]

7. I swear faderose, if he could run for some office in Israel when his POTUS time is up, they would

make him an offer he could not refuse...LOL. I'm old enough to remember Golda and Ben Gurion. Would they not love him?..Thanks for your post.

[otohara]

17. I Would Add

he inspires many to be better humans

When I read where where our high school graduations are up and at an all time high - I think POTUS Obama has inspired many, especially minority kids to do better. These kids will also be Dems for life...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/22/graduation-rate-record-high-school-students_n_2522128.html

[cherokeeprogressive]

22. So He's either a gift from God, or sent to us by Benevolent Aliens...

And no one but no one can tell you he's a product of human procreation, not to mention the fact He's the single most intelligent humanoid on the planet at this moment. "Better in everything..."

Faster than a speeding building, and able to leap tall bullets in a single bound? No, He's a politician, and I'm betting at the end of His second term in office in 2017, the United States and the world will be pretty much the same as it was when He assumed office in 2009.

[fadedrose]

24. Wanna bet? nt

[cherokeeprogressive]

25. That He's a gift from God or Benevolent Aliens?

Sure, I'll take that bet.

[fadedrose]

27. No, that " things will be pretty much the same..."

as you said in your post. They are already drastically different.

I see no chance the aliens will show themselves to idiots like us, that is, if there were, if, if, if. Big word.

And if they did, they'd probably eat us.

[Zax2me]

6. Oh, please...

tone it down, just a little. This kind of stuff -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/9949699/Barack-Obama-a-world-class-hunk-says-Miss-Israel.html

Does nothing to assist the Obama admin. It only puts him on some holy pedestal that he didn't ask to be placed upon.
The facts are it wasn't a trip to worship as world changing. Hell, a half billion dollar check to the Palestinians wasn't enough to cool heels - http://www.vice.com/en_za/read/no-one-in-palestine-was-very-happy-to-see-obama-this-week
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/166444#.UU8eQRzIE50

I think it is correct to point out that his visit was productive and not all negative, but at the same time 'magical' is not factual. It's - silly , partisan and juvenile. Leave this stuff to Justin Beiber fan pages.
President Obama is a leader, a good one, with work to do. There's nothing magical about him. Just hard work, tough roads, highs and lows.

[monmouth3]

8. As my Jewish friends often say.... "It couldn't hurt."..

[GoCubsGo]

9. I'm not so sure that is what the OP's article is really about.

To me, it almost smacks of right-wing nay-saying than it does of "fan boi" journalism. It's hard for me to tell if the President is really being put on a pedestal, or if they're really being sarcastic. Is this just another way of calling him by that wingnut slurs, "The Anointed One", or "Barack the Magic Negro"?

[bigtree]

10. does the ignorant idiot who coined that phrase OWN the word 'magic?'

Look at how it's used in the article. It has NOTHING to do with that slur.

Seriously, the crap that gets projected around here . . . are we just helpless in elevating every ignorant slur or utterance to the realm of ordinary parlance?

[GoCubsGo]

12. I am not trying to project anything.

As I said, to me, there is a hint of sarcasm in the article on the lines of that slur. The President "came to enchant"??? Really??? Please forgive me for questioning whether or not this is all snark, because every other time I see the President Obama's actions couched in such terms, it it is nearly always comes from some right-wing snark hit piece.

And, as Zax2Me points out, it doesn't help the President, even if it was meant sincerely. It just gives the wingnuts more ammo to use the "celebrity" smear.

Sheesh.

[bigtree]

13. it is to you, what you choose to make of it

. . .and you choose to interpret the very normal reaction of foreigners to seeing our President in person by the way a conservative MIGHT perceive these descriptions.

That's all projection, of the highest order, worrying about how some wing-nut might portray these descriptions. I'm left wondering just why you chose to go there? I'm still thinking 'projection.'

And, I really don't think you read the article. It has nothing at all to do with anything you imagine is vulnerable to some jibberjabber from republicans; or anything to do with that ridiculous slur you mentioned. you're talking around the entire event described to make a silly point about what a right-winger might think of it all.

Projection.

[GoCubsGo]

14. No, what you are doing is projection.

I am not saying that I am worried about the article being vulnerable to "jibberjabber". I am saying that it smacks of BEING "jibberjabber". And, as for "what you choose to make of it", back at you.

[bigtree]

15. now I KNOW you didn't read it.

cute.

[GoCubsGo]

16. LOL!

Whatever you say, Mr. Know-it-All.

[bigtree]

11. so you posted a different article about something you object to

. . . to make a point about posting such articles?

There's really no comparison in the 'model' story and the one I posted about the Israeli press reactions to the Jerusalem speech.

And for shit sakes, were you there? How in the world do you know that the experience wasn't 'magical' for the Israelis described and quoted?

[Skittles]

26. oh come on, Zax2me

don't you wake up every day feeling all tingly because Obama is your president? GET WITH THE PROGRAM!!!

[bigtree]

29. problem with all of this snark

. . . is that this post is about the ISRAELI's reaction to our country's President. This article is a collection of ISRAELI impressions of his Jerusalem speech.

What you're doing here is part of some DU slam on Obama supporters. Ignorant, really to ignore the reality of the visit for Israelis and try and obscure these ISRAELI accounts with your own contrived bull.

[Skittles]

30. get over yourself

I AM AN OBAMA SUPPORTER - I simply LIVE IN THE REAL WORLD

[bigtree]

31. you apparently don't live in Israel

. . . and apparently don't have a clue about how Israelis received this President . . . even though there are numerous accounts like the one i've posted here.

Clue: Self-absorbed DU snark isn't 'reality.'

[Skittles]

32. self-deleted

simply NOT fucking worth it

[bigtree]

33. that's GOT to be a first

[otohara]

18. David Brooks Today

couldn't say enough good things about this trip.

I'd like to think this trip and how wonderfully he was received is making the GOP even crazier !

[Cha]

19. Thanks bigtree!

[freshwest]

20. bigtree, thanks for the pix and headline story. Do you have a link to a transcript of his speech?

I've skimmed over some of these and don't where it is. TIA.

And he does have a radiant spirit that touches all of those who are willing to embrace peace.

No matter where he is. I'm glad to have lived to see a truly good hearted man in office again. I had doubts that it would ever happen in my lifetime.

Now to give him the power with a congress in 2014 to do what he has worked on so hard. And let's not forget the Koch money is still raining down and they intend to take everything, and install their robosigner for their plans in the White House.

We are in a time of transition, let's try to guide it to the right directions as Obama has. Even if it's strange and unknown. It has to be.

[bigtree]

21. I should have been diligent and posted it, freshwest

thanks for the reminder!

FULL SPEECH: Text of Obama's address to the Israeli people http://bit.ly/Z2rlRd

[freshwest]

23. Thanks. Inclusive and many truths there!