# "When Obama was president", and other nutty conserativisms **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 29, 2019, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002 "2019-09-29T17:02:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/41 "2019-10-02T02:17:54Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > I truly feel that the left’s embrace of sarcasm does great harm to their own interests. And what do you “truly feel” about sarcasm when used on the right? ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/42 "2019-10-02T03:19:25Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > I truly feel that the left’s embrace of sarcasm does great harm to their own interests. Elucidate please. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/43 "2019-10-02T04:29:57Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > I truly feel that the left’s embrace of sarcasm does great harm to their own interests. The Left uses sarcasm and ridicule, the Right uses lies, the Kremlin, and disinformation. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/44 "2019-10-02T05:14:11Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Elucidate please. Yeah, I can’t figure out what **sachertorte** thinks sarcasm is doing that’s harmful to the interests of “the left”. Is it because the right can’t tell it’s sarcasm and consequently thinks it’s all meant literally? Or does it just make them reflexively defensive and distrustful, like [Lady Middleton in the novel](http://www.classicreader.com/book/30/36/)? > [@](#): > > Because they neither flattered herself nor her children, she could not believe them good-natured; and because they were fond of reading, she fancied them satirical: perhaps without exactly knowing what it was to be satirical; but that did not signify. It was censure in common use, and easily given. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/45 "2019-10-02T13:17:46Z")
The memory hole these people have is amazing. Every Democratic President was building secret internment camps staffed by European troops, going to cancel elections, and throw the objectors into the camps. The elections go on. A Republican comes into office. No one mentions the camps. They would be a big political boon for the GOP if they were exposed. But for some reason that doesn’t happen. But then a Democrat is in office and suddenly the internment camps thing is started fresh. With no memory of “this has been done before”. And so on and so on with dozens of other crazy stuff. Orwell wrote of a society where the past was manipulated and controlled by the government. Turns out, people will do this themselves! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/46 "2019-10-02T13:52:11Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The Left uses sarcasm and ridicule, the Right uses lies, the Kremlin, and disinformation. And sarcasm. Or else the Chaniverse doesn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/47 "2019-10-02T14:56:57Z")
I had a home repair workman tell several racial jokes about Obama. They were stunningly offensive, and he didn’t seem to think anything of it. I bit my tongue, as did his two assistants. It gnawed at me for a week, so I called up his boss and told him the story. He apologized for the guy and the situation, and seemed to know all about who I was talking about. I just wanted the guy to know he has an employee not doing him any favors. Pretty sure that guy doesn’t work there anymore. No loss. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/48 "2019-10-02T15:19:26Z")
Wife and I were surprised when a workman he hired had very partisan bumper stickers (different from our views) on his work vehicle. Just thought it an odd choice, to knowingly potentially offend half of your prospective customers. He did OK work, but we didn’t hire him back. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/49 "2019-10-02T15:56:36Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > He may have had sort of a point, although he’s still wrong. The Great Recession caused the new housing market to nosedive, so carpenters probably had a hard time finding work for a couple-three years. Of course, the Great Recession was caused by things that happened during the previous administration. Obama inherited the problem and gets the blame. Too many people on both sides of the aisle seem to think that the President is some kind of king or dictator who has the power to affect just about anything at their whim. That’s why this clown seems to think Obama tried to take his house and did take his job, when in fact, it was probably some legislation from Congress that was messing with his house, and an economic recession that Obama didn’t cause and couldn’t have prevented that took his job. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/50 "2019-10-02T16:16:32Z")
I think whatever issues this guy thinks he has had in the past were inherited from some inane policies from the previous administration - not Obama’s. Regardless, come on crybaby move on. I heard someone say once, the president isn’t the Mac truck, the president is the little chrome dog on the hood of the Mac truck. ---
**Author:** ![Sirreal72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Sirreal72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sirreal72)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/51 "2019-10-02T17:24:37Z")
I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, or play Devil’s Advocate…maybe he was attempting to schmooze you and advertise his services, throwing in a touch of sob story for good measure what with him being reduced to being a “handyman”? See? In my mind, the guy might not be a clueless bigot, but rather a socially inept private businessman with poor customer relation skills that may reflect on the quality of his services. It may or may not be the truth, but it improves my outlook on life to assume the world is full of honest idiots, rather than a large number of otherwise intelligent people that embrace willful ignorance and spite. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/52 "2019-10-04T14:01:14Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The Left uses sarcasm and ridicule, the Right uses lies, the Kremlin, and disinformation. Sorry for not being clear. When the left take up memes and sarcasm it can turn a joke into ‘reality.’ The sad truth is repeating a lie, even if you are clear that it is a lie, makes the lie sound like the truth. Constant bombardment with sentiments that blame the Obama Administration for stupid things that aren’t even related makes the Obama administration ‘feel’ like a failure, and the more someone hears that sentiment the more it diminishes Obama. I’m not saying Obama supporters are going to be brainwashed into thinking otherwise, but little nudges add up. Someone neutral might end up with a slightly negative view of the Obama administration because “I remember lots of people complaining about Obama” without remembering it was sarcasm or a joke. Yes. The Right lies. But when the Left repeat the lie, they are helping the right. I remember during the 2016 election, liberal blogs would lose their shit over the outrageous things the Right was saying about Hillary. So not only were they drawing attention to propaganda, their headlines would be nothing but a restatement of the lie. Anyone who only read the headline would only see the lie. That’s just a stupid thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/53 "2019-10-04T15:19:13Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Yeah, I can’t figure out what **sachertorte** thinks sarcasm is doing that’s harmful to the interests of “the left”. > > Is it because the right can’t tell it’s sarcasm and consequently thinks it’s all meant literally? I think there is some of that too. Especially on the internet, sarcasm is easily missed at times: > **[I Scream, You Scream . . .](https://andrewtobias.com/i-scream-you-scream/)** > > . . . but before we do, here is the most amazing card magic ever -- four minutes developed after the 2015 Paris terrorist attack.  More than two million people Choice quotes: > [@](#): > > WHY THE RUSSIANS HAD NO EFFECT ON OUR ELECTION He doesn’t mean it. But it is there is all caps. Even reading the full text can be confusing: > [@](#): > > So why would we think that anyone — let alone a full quarter of one percent of the voters in Michigan — could have been influenced by fake news stories about Hillary? Or by fake Facebook posts? Or by thousands of Russian intelligence officers working for months to give Putin and Trump a win? Liberals need to speak plainly. And sarcasm is the opposite of that. (Sorry for the hijack. The quoted is Andrew Tobias, former treasurer of the DNC.) ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2019, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/54 "2019-10-07T19:39:01Z")
One more example, then I’ll stop (I promise). More recently, especially with all the shit happening now, I see outrage over the current administration followed by a sarcastic finisher referencing Hillary Clinton and the GD emails… usually along the lines of, “Well at least we don’t have the e-mail lady.” In my opinion this cuts the legs off the important point that the current administration is a disaster. And it lets right wingers off the hook letting them think that things would be worse. No one else fumes over this? Just me? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/55 "2019-10-08T17:36:23Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > More recently, especially with all the shit happening now, I see outrage over the current administration followed by a sarcastic finisher referencing Hillary Clinton and the GD emails… usually along the lines of, “Well at least we don’t have the e-mail lady.” > In my opinion this cuts the legs off the important point that the current administration is a disaster. It’s a form of “whataboutism”. You guy is 100% clean if you can point to someone else that (allegedly) did something. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002/56 "2019-10-08T19:38:49Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > At my last job, me and a colleague would drop inappropriate Obama references as a running gag. > “We’re out of printer paper.” > “Welcome to Obama’s America.” > > It’s one of those things that got harder to parody as the years went on. We do that at home occasionally. “We’re out of ketchup.” “Thanks, Obama.” We tried replacing that with “Dammit Donald” but that doesn’t quite work. It would be fine if Trump was just a normal loon but he’s a dangerous loon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-obama-was-president-and-other-nutty-conserativisms/841002.md?page=2)