Sigh. Why, Obama, why?

The BBQ Pit
1

Hey almost President Obama, how you doing? I know right now as I type this you’re sitting there in the cold suffering through one of the most boring concerts imaginable, but just in case pigs fly at some point, maybe you’ll read this. Or not. Probably not. But whatever.

I’m still not over the Rick Warren thing, which to me shows an unbelievable amount of insensitivity to the feelings of gays and lesbians and their supporters. It was a hard, cold, painful slap in the face to people who were already hurting after the horrific bigotry shown by voters in California, Arizona, Arkansas and Florida. So ok, you’re not gay, you don’t care about their feelings. Fine.

But here’s something that touches you personally. You and Michelle have talked about falling in love to the song “At Last” by Etta James. It’s “your song” and at your ball Tuesday night, your first dance will be to that song. You and Michelle, dancing to “At Last.” It’s going to be beautiful, emotional, but oh so unbelievably insensitive. Why? Because it’s going to sung by fucking Beyonce. Why is that insensitive?

BECAUSE ETTA JAMES IS STILL ALIVE AND SINGING AND IN GOOD HEALTH!

Poor Etta. Didja even think for a split second how Etta would feel choosing some snot-nosed pop star to sing the song that brought you and your wife together?

No, of course not.

Hey dude, think you’re gonna be a great president. Love your pro-science stance, and even though I’ve looked askance at some of your appointments, I’m willing to wait and see how your intelligence and education and ability to reach across all those aisles will help our country. I have no doubt that we’ll be in much better shape as a country by the end of your term(s). Go forth, do good, get 'er done. Good luck, best wishes, I support you.

But please try to work on this streak of insensitivity that’s very troubling to me.

Poor Etta. Damn.

Sincerely yours,

Citizen

2

Ever stop and think that maybe the choice was Etta’s? Maybe she’s not in any condition to be there? Maybe she’s not available?

3

Do you know that they didn’t offer it to her first?

Maybe she had other things scheduled.

But more importantly, do you really, seriously think that picking singers for the fucking ball should really be high on the President’s list of priorities? Really? Doesn’t he have, like, REAL work to do?

4

Are you sure? Her web site doesn’t list any singing gigs since 2006. Though it looks like it hasn’t even been updated since 2006.

Oh, and according to wiki, there is some reason Beyonce was chosen – she played Etta in the film Cadillac Records

5

Obama didn’t pick the song, Beyonce did.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1602971/20090116/knowles_beyonce.jhtml

6

Typical slip-shod, slap-dash Dem agenda. Been the Pubbies, they would have chosen the singer, the song, her dress, her shoes and her eyeliner.

7

Celine Dion, I bet. Or Whiney… I mean, Whitney.

8

Silly me, I jumped the gun on starting this thread. I just now read (edit to add, I was typing and didn’t see Justin’s post, I read it elsewhere), that, it would seem that Beyonce chose the song herself, they didn’t ask her to sing it, which, if I’d read that prior to starting the thread, I never would have started the thread.

[Emily Latella] Never mind. [/Emily Latella]

(I should add that Beyonce will do a wonderful job. She was pretty good playing Etta James in the movie Cadillac Records. My emotions at loving Etta so much, she’s such a legend, and is going strong at age 70, and it would have been so wonderful to see/hear her sing that song to the Obamas, got the better of me.)

9

I don’t know what the deal is with her web site. Official web sites always suck. I do know she played the Telluride (Colorado) Blues and Brew festival and the Marin Civic Center Memorial Auditorium (edit to add, in San Francisco) in September, just a few months ago.

Also edit to add, here’s Etta live in (I think) November 2007,

I know, I saw it in the theater. It was pretty good, and Beyonce was fantastic.

10

For my money, Little Jimmy Scott’s version kicks major ass, and he’s still alive also.

11

And paid $150,000 for them from campaign funds…

12

You could probably still round up most of the original Turtles to sing “HappyTogether”.

13

Good luck with that Beatles thing, though.

14

It’s going to be a long four years, isn’t it?

15

I would like to think that the last thing on Obama’s mind is who performs for all of this inauguration hoopla, nor what songs they play.

I’d like to think that he attends these events only because he’s expected to. Today he tried to emphasize how screwed up the country is, but that didn’t matter. The performers and the audience acted like his election were the second coming of the Christ. Everything was peaches and cream for them.

I’d like to think that he’s just humoring all these people, who have spent excessive amounts of money to engage in mere idol worship.

This guy has worked an amazingly well-executed campaign to the presidency. Now that he’s soon to be president, the last thing I’d expect him to do is become fatuous because of of bunch of people who want to party because he was elected. He is taking on a nation that is seriously messed up, and if you think he should care about all these sentiments projected on him, you are not giving him credit.

I believe that he’s thinking more about the economy, and in as much as he appears and takes part in all of this inauguration nonsense, he’s only doing so because he doesn’t want to alienate anyone.

16

I’m not sure how big a deal the song “At Last” was to the Obamas.

From here

I guess Beyonce was chosen because he just likes Beyonce.

17

The leader of the Free World likes Beyonce?!?

The leader of the Free World likes Beyonce.

:frowning:

18

I don’t know her very well. What’s the problem with her ?

19

Bastard is hosting a dinner for John McCain. He probably hates us all.

20

I was just thinking that. Are we going to be reading Pit threads about the minutiae of his life for four solid years?