# What in the world possessed Obama to do this? \[Early Hannukah\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 9, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581 "2011-12-09T02:34:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/1 "2011-12-09T02:34:53Z")
[http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US\_OBAMA\_HANUKKAH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-12-08-18-44-18](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_HANUKKAH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-12-08-18-44-18) \*\*Obama celebrates Hanukkah at White House \*\* Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden convened a Hanukkah celebration at the White House Thursday in an early celebration of the Jewish Festival of Lights. ======================================== Hanukkah is on Dec. 20th. This is a WTF moment for me - what’s next - Obama is going to celebrate Passover in February? And this is apart from the fact that I don’t think Obama knows what Hanukkah celebrates. Because it basically celebrates the victory of religious fundamentalism over the religious reformists/assimilationists. But that’s ok - few non-Jews (hell, few non-religious Jews) know that. But the timing is just bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/2 "2011-12-09T03:38:54Z")
The thread title is kinda funny. Is your mind really blown by someone shifting a holiday party to a more convinent date? Its hardly uncommon, my work xmas party is tomorrow, thats like two weeks early! Plus the Prezs usually invite prominent Jews and Rabbis and the like to these things, and such people would probably like to spend the actual first day of Hannakah with their families/congregations. FWIW, [Bush](http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/190211-1) was apparently having the same party twenty days early in 2005 and [six](http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/12/20081215-5.html) days early in 2008. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/3 "2011-12-09T03:45:22Z")
This is further proof that Obama is not sufficiently committed to Israel. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/4 "2011-12-09T03:53:57Z")
> [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](#): > > This is further proof that Obama is not sufficiently committed to Israel. Really? What I got is that Obama is totally obeying his Jewish masters. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/5 "2011-12-09T04:07:06Z")
I think he lit all the candles, too, so he celebrated all eight days at once. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/6 "2011-12-09T04:07:07Z")
You know who else celebrated Hanukkah on the wrong day!? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/7 "2011-12-09T04:07:32Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > And this is apart from the fact that I don’t think Obama knows what Hanukkah celebrates. Because it basically celebrates the victory of religious fundamentalism over the religious reformists/assimilationists. I’ve said it before, the last time this same ridiculous claim was made. It is **total bullshit.** They were trying to force the Jews to worship Zeus. They also sacrificed pigs on the Jewish altars and forced the Jews to eat pork. One group of people was bullying the other into accepting their religion. The Jews didn’t try to force the Greeks to be Jewish. Jews didn’t push _their_ religion on other groups. They just wanted to be left the fuck alone. The Hellenists wouldn’t leave them the fuck alone…hence, rebellion. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/8 "2011-12-09T04:11:47Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > You know who else celebrated Hanukkah on the wrong day!? Jim J Bullock? ---
**Author:** ![Clockwork\_Jackal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Clockwork\_Jackal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clockwork_Jackal)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/9 "2011-12-09T04:18:12Z")
Sandra Bullock? ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/10 "2011-12-09T04:18:45Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > I’ve said it before, the last time this same ridiculous claim was made. It is **total bullshit.** They were trying to force the Jews to worship Zeus. They also sacrificed pigs on the Jewish altars and forced the Jews to eat pork. One group of people was bullying the other into accepting their religion. The Jews didn’t try to force the Greeks to be Jewish. Jews didn’t push _their_ religion on other groups. They just wanted to be left the fuck alone. The Hellenists wouldn’t leave them the fuck alone…hence, rebellion. That’s one view. Another view, supported by some historians (and by rabbis I talked to) is that the Maccabee story was a civil war between assimilationist/reformist and the “religious fundamentalist” groups of Jews. (see reference 21 in [Hanukkah - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah#cite_note-21) for example). ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/11 "2011-12-09T04:22:28Z")
– (looked up wrong year) ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/12 "2011-12-09T04:26:50Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > FWIW, [Bush](http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/190211-1) was apparently having the same party twenty days early in 2005 and [six](http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/12/20081215-5.html) days early in 2008. When Bush did that, that was wrong too. I can see doing it a week early - after all, religious Jews that may be invited need to get back from the reception to wherever they live to celebrate at home. But 20 days - that’s ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/13 "2011-12-09T04:33:08Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > That’s one view. Another view, supported by some historians (and by rabbis I talked to) is that the Maccabee story was a civil war between assimilationist/reformist and the “religious fundamentalist” groups of Jews. (see reference 21 in [Hanukkah - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah#cite_note-21) for example). That’s possible. But given that Jews have a long, long history of other peoples attacking them, and very, very little history of attacking each other, I’m inclined to think the Maccabee incident was just a reaction to the same old story of being pissed on by another group. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/14 "2011-12-09T04:47:10Z")
Why don’t you start a thread called “Obama did X!!!” and each time you hear of him doing something on your mailing list you can post a new “:mad:” smiley on the thread, so we will all know you’re angry about the latest thing Obama did? It would save time and effort for us all to poke holes in your latest quest for outrage? ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/15 "2011-12-09T04:56:08Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Jim J Bullock? > [@Clockwork\_Jackal](#): > > Sandra Bullock? Never mind the Bullocks. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/16 "2011-12-09T05:10:41Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > When Bush did that, that was wrong too. I can see doing it a week early - after all, religious Jews that may be invited need to get back from the reception to wherever they live to celebrate at home. But 20 days - that’s ridiculous. Good plan. I think I’ll wait and see who gets elected in 2012. Then if they celebrate Hanukkah on the wrong day in 2015, I’ll announce I’m outraged by their actions and I’ll also add that I’m retroactively outraged by Obama having done it in 2011 to show that I’m not partisan or anything. So be sure to get back to me in four years on this. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/17 "2011-12-09T05:49:53Z")
**Terr** , could you please tell us what day Jesus was born on? I don’t want to celebrate greed and consumerism on the wrong day. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/18 "2011-12-09T05:59:13Z")
This is insane. Next thing you know, if a federal holiday falls on a weekend, people will celebrate it the following Monday! People might start having birthday and anniversary celebrations on the optimal date for them instead of marking the event on the precise day! It’ll be sheer chaos, I tell you. You can’t use a calendar to schedule stuff at your convenience! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/19 "2011-12-09T07:10:47Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Jim J Bullock? > [@Clockwork\_Jackal](#): > > Sandra Bullock? Bullwinkle? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581/20 "2011-12-09T07:18:49Z")
I hear in Russia that Christmas is celebrated on JANUARY 6th!!! FUCKING COMMIES!!! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-world-possessed-obama-to-do-this-early-hannukah/605581.md?page=2)