President Obama Brilliantly Take Down a Heckler Who THINKS He’s Going to BLOW UP RUSSIA

[Segami]

During his speech at the DNC, President Obama was interrupted by a heckler who claimed that he is planning a nuclear war with Russia. The president’s reaction was priceless.

Transcript:

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Mr. Obama!

THE PRESIDENT: — I consider Republicans patriots who love this country just as much as we do.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Tell us about your plans for nuclear war with Russia!

THE PRESIDENT: I’m sorry, who’s that back there? (Laughter.) What the heck are you talking about? (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Obama! Obama! Obama!

THE PRESIDENT: No, no, don’t worry about it. We’re okay. Have a seat. I don’t know anything about that plan. (Laughter.) I don’t know what you’ve been reading. (Laughter.) Let me return to what I was talking about. (Applause.) See, he thought happy hour started earlier. (Laughter and applause.)

The look on President Obama’s face was priceless. If that wasn’t the ultimate WTF look, I don’t know what is. When protesters have an issue that they care about, this president has been very generous in letting them speak. However, this particular heckler was a crackpot. President Obama doesn’t want to go to war with Russia. He most definitely has no interest in starting a nuclear war. This isn’t the Cold War. Obama isn’t going to nuke Russia over the events in Ukraine. It’s silly to think that is a possibility.


It is even less likely to happen because the president made a statement today that emphasised that the consequences for Russia’s actions in Ukraine will come from the international community. For the millionth time, Barack Obama is not George W. Bush. Even George W. Bush wasn’t cowboy enough to threaten to drop a nuke on somebody. This heckler was a bit of a paranoid freak, and the president handled this individual’s rude interruption incredibly well.





http://www.politicususa.com/2014/02/28/president-obama-brilliantly-heckler-thinks-blow-russia.html

[Mika]

1. "Republicans love this country just like we do." HUH? n/t

[LiberalElite]

3. O is WAAAAY

oo charitable towards the Repugs.

[SunSeeker]

42. I think Obama nailed it with his "cling to guns" statement.

As Obama said (and caught huge amounts of shit for) back in 2008 during the Dem primary re conservatives: "They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them as a way to explain their frustrations."

I think the ensuing shitstorm chastened him to be more charitable toward Republicans.

[LiberalElite]

71. It's too bad - they don't deserve it nt

[irisblue]

78. ^^^true this^^^

[LittleBlue]

5. That statement floored me

Same Republicans who let our credit rating drop?

Same Republicans who shut down the government out of spite?

F- that

[ConservativeDemocrat]

10. They do. They're just wrong about how to do it.

And believe it or not, I remember back in 2006, there being calls on the D.U. to shut down the government if Bush didn't immediately do everything the Democrats wanted. Just like the Tea Party tried to do to President Obama.

I remember this because I remember telling those D.U.ers that such an act would absolutely destroy the Democratic brand and ruin the massive wave election that we were due to have in 2006 and 2008. Much as the Republican brand has been harmed due to Tea Party antics.

Those people are still around today - having tantrums about Democrats, for not doing some other stupid act of gesture politics.

So it goes both ways.

The difference is that GOP lunatics are running the Republican show. Democratic lunatics rant ineffectually on websites.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[NuclearDem]

11. Bullshit false equivalence.

Bush started an illegal war, opened up a gulag, authorized torture, and was gradually collapsing the economy. Democrats had every right to be pissed about that.

Tea Partiers shut down the government because of expanded healthcare coverage. Not the same thing by a long shot.

[billh58]

17. +100

Thank you for the truth, and for pointing out that President Obama was attempting to be charitable.

[ErikJ]

44. Slashed taxes on the richest, Medicare Pt. D for Big Pharma...........

without demanding wholesale prices for govt, nullified all state mortgage laws to make Liar Loans legal, doubled the national debt to $12 trillion after given a surplus by Clinton and more. One man wrecking ball.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

74. The public doesn't care...

...about whether you feel you have the "right to be pissed" or not. They will punish anyone who throws a tantrum. Period.

And let me be very clear about this. The "War on Terror" started out as a very popular sort of issue. It gradually became less popular as the Bush Administration's overreaching and incompetence became apparent. The ACA, on the other hand, started out as an extremely unpopular law. Only about now, three years after its real benefits are being felt, is it gradually losing its unpopularity (though it still isn't above water).

Extremists like the Tea Party and quite a few DUers, essentially want politicians to not act as if they are in a Democracy - to do what they think should be done, regardless of how the public feels about it. But because of elections, politicians can only do so much of that and remain in power.

You can cry "false equivalence" until the cows come home, but that's the plain truth of the matter.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[JaneyVee]

49. WHAAAAT?! BUSH BURNED DOWN THE ENTIRE FREAKING COUNTRY!

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

91. Wrong. The kind of people in today's Republican party haven't loved this country since we did

away with slavery. (Yeah, I know Lincoln was an R. Completely beside the point.)

To them it's been all downhill from there, what with Women's suffrage, the New, the EPA, the FDA, etc., etc., etc...

[Crunchy Frog]

45. It's called being diplomatic.

It's a nice thing to say, even though it's obviously bullshit. Politicians have to spout lots of diplomatic bullshit. It's part of the job description.

[Bluenorthwest]

68. If politicians 'have to' why is it that Republican politicians don't?

I sure don't hear any of them saying nice, diplomatic bullshit about Obama or any other Democrat, ever. And yet they control the House. So 'have to' is clearly an exaggeration when 'wants to' would be the accurate description.
I'd like to point out that Republicans in more than one State have been trying to legalize extra discrimination against my community, so to claim they love Americans as much as Democrats do is either horrifically false or an admission that the DNC does not really mind the bigotry, the voter suppression, the racism that the GOP deals in. 'They are just like us' is not a good thing to say when 'they' are engaged in mugging minority groups for their rights.

[Crunchy Frog]

70. Republicans do it when it serves their agenda.

Right now they're mostly trying to appeal to the type of voter who would go for Atilla the Hun if he were running, so they're trying to outdo each other in who can say the most outrageous crap. They still will turn on the diplomatic bullshit when it serves their purposes.

Democratic voters usually aren't going for barbaric hordes, so Democratic politicians tend to try to comport themselves in a more civilized fashion.

What any politician actually believes about anything, I generally have no fucking idea.

[Scuba]

9. Really, WTF?

[rock]

72. It's just the form of government (Democracy) that they hate

Oh, if only they could have their theocracy!

[steve2470]

2. great response, yes nt

[Cali_Democrat]

4. I wonder what the heckler's DU handle is

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. I'm pretty sure I have him on ignore...some reference to "1984" or something

[freshwest]

31. Thanks for my second LOL from this thread! I think I know, never has any new material... n/t

[Drew Richards]

7. Grrrr shhhhhh

[DonViejo]

8. Heckler strikes me as more of a Lyndon LaRouche follower(?)

[freshwest]

32. Or some other Bircher spawn... n/t

[Democracyinkind]

77. Yes. The nuclear-russia thing is Larouchian. They're high on it since Georgia.

[uponit7771]

16. +1

[demwing]

26. very nice Cali

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

76. YOUBETTERBELIEVEIT!!!!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

12. See what Alex Jones produces?

[freshwest]

33. Ain't it grand? Our own homegrown article there, yup, by golly you betcha! n/t

[Spitfire of ATJ]

37. I'm old enough to remember when Art Bell was all the rave amongst the lunatics....

Shadow People and Crop Circles.

My fav was "Rods".

[freshwest]

43. And the sobbing Area 51 guy. Classic. n/t

[secondvariety]

86. Art Bell may

have been full of it, but his show made many a midnight shift tolerable for me. It was entertaining in a loopy sort of way.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

92. Coast to Coast went all "Glenn Beck" and Birther last time I tuned in.

[cali]

13. That's nice, but it doesn't change the fact that

his administration is responsible for some piss poor policies.

[sheshe2]

18. Don't hold back cali, come on in and dump on Obama!

You always do~

[Whisp]

21. o lordy lord lordy.

[JoePhilly]

38. Like the endless war he started in Syria ... right?

His legacy will never recover after that.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

39. I think of Obama as a transition from Dubya to something better.

[JaneyVee]

50. And some good ones as well. Would you seriously care to tell us

all which administration you've lived through that made every perfect decision imaginable? If you're going to spend your entire life chasing perfection you will miss out on plenty of greatness.

[cali]

67. none, but thanks for the adorable red herring, my friend.

President Obama is fine on social issues. On economic and trade issues he's a moderate to a conservative.

You adore anything he says or does. cult of personality is your thing. It's not mine. I'm policy oriented. His policies are largely corporate in nature, in the sense that they benefit the corporate world far more than the the working and middle classes.

I understand that this doesn't bother you and your ilk one little bit.

Personally, I think that's pretty awful.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

53. I see we've opened tonight's bottle of whine

[msanthrope]

69. And it's always the same bottle.....Sour Grapes, 2008. nt

[secondvariety]

88. Ha!

Good one.

[Whisp]

80. I was looking through the intertubes and found this:

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[Drunken Irishman]

75. WTF does that even have to with the post above?

You remind me of this old lady who used to live next to my grandma. She was sweet and nice, but always said awkward and out of place things. Like, I'd be over at her house raking leaves and we'd be talking about school and all the sudden, she'd just jump into a conversation about birds. Mid-sentence, even. I loved her, but yeah, it was annoying at times.

[Cha]

14. You're right, Segami, the ultimate WTF look.. PBO handled it just right..

"I don't know what you been readin".. and there it is.

What was he suppose to say.. "Too many republicons are brainwashed idiots and are trying to drive their country into the abyss"? No.

[sheshe2]

20. Kudos to the Prez~

Cha!

[Cha]

23. Was that not

funny or what, she? "Early Happy Hour"! Rofl

she~

[msanthrope]

22. Sooooo stealing that!!!! nt

[Cha]

24. The

pic? Brawawawawaaaa! I stole it.

[JaneyVee]

51. That photo must become a meme.

[BeyondGeography]

27. Love that so much

[Cha]

48. I know,

huh?

[d_b]

40. hahahahahahaha

that look is PRICELESS

[Cha]

47. It's a

Keeper!

[Pretzel_Warrior]

54. This photo or similar should go through the MEME machine

I can see many great captions on this one considering his ridiculously frustrating 5 years in office with the GOP clowns constantly opposing anything he says or does.

[Cha]

61. This face.. it's the best one yet, PW..

[font size=lg]"I don't know what you been readin'..?"[/font]


Not just the GOP.. who would be asking if he's going to bomb Russia? libertarian, la rouche.. as someone asked up thread "what's his DU handle?"

Bless his heart.. he's so sincere and he's got a world full of buckets of shit to deal with..

[KittyWampus]

82. great screen capture. LOL

[TexasTowelie]

85. When I watched the video I thought I heard someone in the audience murmuring,

"I don't know what you been smoking," regarding the heckler.

[Cha]

93. And, why wouldn't

they?!

[Segami]

90. +1

That says it all!!

[MindMover]

15. Stupid prick is lucky he was heckling in the USA ... in Russia he would have been thrown in jail ...

[freshwest]

34. Be nice. It's really cold and they're stuck in Moscow, in a 120 mile long traffic jam:

[Pretzel_Warrior]

55. lol. you are on a roll.

[freshwest]

62. Don't worry! Our snowed in hero will soon escape his apartment and tell us PBO's nuclear warplan:

All for Freedumb! Oh, and don't you start, now. Behave!

[Pretzel_Warrior]

63. can't wait for another PowerPoint

[sheshe2]

19. Kick!

[rurallib]

25. Sort of off topic, but I think it is a shame that Obama has had to curb

his marvelous understated sense of humor.
I am sure the often almost hostile atmosphere since he has been in office has caused him to choose his words very, very carefully so that some off-handed remark doesn't get him crucified on TV and in the press. Sure I know FUX and their ilk are not above making shit up, but then they can't bring up the tape. The comment about "you didn't do it yourself" is a fine example of how low they can go.

The reason I mention this is that I was just on the cusp of being a teenager when Jack Kennedy was president. His sense of humor was so keen and so -well- funny that we would talk over Kennedy humor at the lunch table. He was even funnier than the comedians who tried to satirize him (Q- What do you think of Vaughn Meder (kennedy mimic? A - I think he sounds much more like Teddy than me)

I think Obama has that kind of sense of humor and am really sorry we haven't been allowed to see that side of him. Had he had the freedom accorded other presidents, I am sure that Obama witty remarks would be one of the many great legacies of this president.

Once again the asshole republicans have fucked things up.

This ought to be a thread.

[Sanity Claws]

28. yes, classic WTF look

Another thing I noticed was that Obama looked like he aged a lot since I last saw him. I guess the increased gray is the reason.

[Tx4obama]

29. Obama: I don’t know what you’ve been reading. - Audience member: Or smoking...

LOL

[freshwest]

30. THAT made my evening! Thanks so much! n/t

[Sunlei]

35. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable if I didn’t have at least one heckler.” BO 3/21/13

[William769]

36. kick & recommended.

[Junkdrawer]

41. As if Obama would be told the plans of the Deep State...

Just silly.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

58. I hope you're being sarcastic. Because if you're not....

seek help.

[Junkdrawer]

66. From you?

[OldRedneck]

46. The rightwing propaganda machine is pushing the meme that we are on a collision course with Russia

Google "Budapest Memorandum 1994."

When the Soviet Union collapsed, suddenly Ukraine -- home to a major part of the Soviet nuclear arsenal -- became the third largest nuclear power in the world.

The US, Russia, and UK signed the Budapest Memorandum that set up a protocol to remove nukes from Ukraine and agreeing that all sides would not muck about in Ukraine, etc., etc.http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ukraine._Memorandum_on_Security_Assurances

With the violence in Ukraine spreading, and Russian troops "exercising" near their border with Ukraine, the rightwing propaganda machine is all a'twitter, beating the war drums, claiming that we are bound by a "treaty" to come to Ukraine's aid.

Weasel Zippers, a rightwing site about as reliable as Breitbart, is close to claiming the Budapest Memorandum pledges the US will commit troops to stop a Russian invasion of Ukraine -- it doesn't do any such thing but try to sway a rightwinger with facts.
http://weaselzippers.us/177483-budapest-memorandum-treaty-signed-in-1994-may-commit-u-s-britain-to-defend-ukraine/

The loony British "Daily Mail" says the Budapest Memorandum pledges Great Britain to send troops to defend Ukraine.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2570335/Former-British-Ambassador-Moscow-warns-Russia-invaded-Ukraine-difficult-avoid-going-war.html

Variations on this theme are all over the rightwing media outlets.

I suspect the heckler had been watching too much Fox.

[freshwest]

96. What matters now is NATO. Ukraine isn't in it:

The combined military spending of all NATO members constitutes over 70% of the world's defence spending...

Article 5 of the North Atlantic treaty, requiring member states to come to the aid of any member state subject to an armed attack, was invoked for the first and only time after the 11 September 2001 attacks,[5] after which troops were deployed to Afghanistan under the NATO-led ISAF. The organization has operated a range of additional roles since then, including sending trainers to Iraq, assisting in counter-piracy operations[6] and in 2011 enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya in accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973.

The less potent Article 4, which merely invokes consultation among NATO members, has been invoked four times: by Turkey in 2003 over the Iraq War, twice in 2012 by Turkey over the Syrian Civil War after the downing of an unarmed Turkish F-4 reconnaissance jet and after a mortar was fired at Turkey from Syria[7] and by Poland in 2014 following the Russian intervention in Crimea...[8][4]

The members agreed that an armed attack against any one of them in Europe or North America would be considered an attack against them all. Consequently they agreed that, if an armed attack occurred, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence, would assist the member being attacked, taking such action as it deemed necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area. The treaty does not require members to respond with military action against an aggressor. Although obliged to respond, they maintain the freedom to choose the method by which they do so.

This differs from Article IV of the Treaty of Brussels, which clearly states that the response will be military in nature. It is nonetheless assumed that NATO members will aid the attacked member militarily. The treaty was later clarified to include both the member's territory and their "vessels, forces or aircraft" above the Tropic of Cancer, including some Overseas departments of France.[13]

In other words, the strong will protect the weak, like Estonia, who is a member of NATO.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO

An link to an interesting piece on NATO's current role in the world is below, and it explains a great many questions we see on DU. Such as why are Navy SEALS doing this or that overseas. It explains everything Obama has done abroad. It's worth the read for those who ask those things and don't know why Obama does what he does, which is his duty under the Constitution:

http://www.un-arm.org/PoAISS/GlobalOrganization.aspx?GlobalOrganizationId=2

That's from this thread:

Moscow signals concern for Russians in Estonia

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014759557

NATO's already on the case from the above, where it notes Poland has already called in its marker in NATO, and other nations no doubt will. Ukraine did not want to, or was not allowed to join NATO. I think the scenario would be much different if it had been

Additional note, the lease on Russia's Crimean port facilities is good through 2047. Thought that was the reason for this action, but a poster says that means it's not an issue.

Unless one believes that they are looking past that date. But there is no discounting the ethnic issues, IMO. Russian nationals I know take it very seriously, as they do anything that would cost them territory.

You might want to share the NATO influence and the part in the other link about how Obama is acting within the framework of treaties to any feral Dittoheads you happen to come across. Although the chance you will get through to a well-indoctrinated Dittohead or resident of Glennbeckistan, isn't that high.

I hope you don't have to deal with any fundies who are looking for Jesus to return after a war between Gog and Magog. That has been a tenet of some of them mixing Israel, Russia and China. They seek the Apocalypse in all the news.

Thanks for your information, but NATO is privy to all those agreements and its charter supercedes them as its role in the world has evolved.

[JI7]

52. that would be a perfect response to so many of the threads on DU these days

[PowerToThePeople]

56. in my town

There are bagger freaks on street corners preaching this same shite. They have impeach obama signs and pictures of him with a little Hitler mustache.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

57. really? That's so 2009.

[PowerToThePeople]

59. you should know

You live here too. Many are further behind than that.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

60. ahh...forgot you were in Spokane. I have been fortunate to not see much of that

since the summer when people were on overpasses.

[freshwest]

65. How's the snow getting? KOMO said you were getting it. nt

[freshwest]

64. Bet that's the Lyndon LaRouche cult. Watch for them. Stone cold fuck nuts, as Lewis Black says. nt

[ReRe]

79. Oy!

The brilliance is so bright you need sunglasses! Bet they didn't even haul the guy out, as the Bush junta would have done.

[Cha]

81. Kick for being so damn funny!

[Harmony Blue]

83. Thank you Mr. President!

[SmittynMo]

84. That absolutely made my day k/r 1000+

I think that may have made my month. Only time will tell. Awesome

Ya gotta love this guy.

[Rex]

87. BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Probably some libertarian tea bagger idiot!

[Hekate]

89. KnR and I am saving that wtf photo for posterity

The heckler got his 15 seconds of fame. If any here want to do the necessary research, I'm sure he's bragging to his little friends online about how he sure told the POTUS.

[cui bono]

94. There goes Obama LYING again.

Republicans most definitely do NOT love our country.

If they did they wouldn't try to make an end run around democracy with voter suppression.

They wouldn't reward corporations with subsidies while they outsource jobs and lower wages.

They wouldn't reject infrastructure (brain farting right now on the term for rebuilding our economy and infrastructure.... ugh)

They wouldn't insult the vets who fight for our country with multiple tours of duty, bad pay and bad benefits while paying contractors who work beside the troops much more.

They wouldn't deny climate change exists and allow all the unregulated pollution, they would care about taking care of the environment here (let alone of the whole planet).

Etc... etc... etc...


Now to be fair, Dems are only slightly better. Corporate control of our country is ruining it and the planet.

[arely staircase]

95. did he have a thumbdrive full of the news that tyranny is coming? nt