# Where was Barack Obama, to stand for Democracy? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 12, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597 "2015-01-12T03:49:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/321 "2015-01-14T00:35:16Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Al Franken. This video is funny. Not in the “Ha-ha” sense, but more in the WTF?? sense. > He draws all 50 states for middle schoolers. > All in marker, no do-overs or erasing. > > And if you have a soul, there are a few laughs in there. He's a funny man. Best thing I saw in weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/322 "2015-01-14T00:35:35Z")
Rep. Weber’s actual tweet: “Even Adolph Hitler thought it more important than Obama to get to Paris. (For all the wrong reasons.) Obama couldn’t do it for right reasons” Isn’t it simply disingenuous to say this tweet compares Obama to Hitler? It’s making a historical joke… ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/323 "2015-01-14T00:46:07Z")
About somebody named Adolph Hitler, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/324 "2015-01-14T00:50:06Z")
God, that’s the most lumbering, awkwardly-written Twitter ‘joke’ I’ve ever seen. The paraphrases have been immeasurably funnier and more graceful than the actual thing. (Perhaps Weber had heard it somewhere, and then screwed it up in the retelling, as earnest people lacking a native sense of humor often do.) Anyway, he should be apologizing just for inflicting this painful turd on everyone. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/325 "2015-01-14T00:52:30Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > Rep. Weber’s actual tweet: > > “Even Adolph Hitler thought it more important than Obama to get to Paris. (For all the wrong reasons.) Obama couldn’t do it for right reasons” > > Isn’t it simply disingenuous to say this tweet compares Obama to Hitler? It’s making a historical joke… Not disingenuous. It’s a lame-ass way of putting Obama and Hitler in the same sentence. The guy is an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/326 "2015-01-14T00:59:34Z")
Whether or not the joke was in good taste, humorous, or otherwise well-written, it does not make any comparison of Hitler to Obama. In fact, it goes out of its way show the difference of motivation between their respective visits (or non-visits). It’s a stupid tweet, but attacking it as comparing Obama to Hitler is just intellectually lazy. As intellectually lazy as the joke itself. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/327 "2015-01-14T01:00:15Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Not disingenuous. It’s a lame-ass way of putting Obama and Hitler in the same sentence. The guy is an idiot. Hell, it’s a lame-ass way to insinuate that Obama is _worse_ than Hitler. “Idiot” is far too kind. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/328 "2015-01-14T01:12:46Z")
And that goes for you too, **Stringbean**. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/329 "2015-01-14T01:21:46Z")
You’ve approached irrational hyperbole in asserting it characterizes Obama as worse than Hitler. Don’t be intellectually lazy. Attack it for valid reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/330 "2015-01-14T01:32:41Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > You’ve approached irrational hyperbole in asserting it characterizes Obama as worse than Hitler. > > Don’t be intellectually lazy. Attack it for valid reasons. You are so vapidly entrenched in RW nonsense you are unable to think clearly. Read the tweet slowly a few times and maybe it will sink in. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/331 "2015-01-14T01:45:09Z")
Obama didn’t get to Paris for the right reasons. Hitler did get to Paris for the wrong reasons. Therefore, Obama’s misguided inaction is _worse_ than Hitler’s malevolent action. In what context is standing aside worse than perpetrating an offense? Please, someone justify the hyperbole of such an assertion. Calling me an idiot is fun and all, but it is not a rational justification. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/332 "2015-01-14T01:46:29Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/333 "2015-01-14T02:31:50Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > Don’t be intellectually lazy. That’s rich. Here’s what Rep. Weber said, [verbatim](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/01/13/texas-congressman-randy-weber-says-obama-is-basically-worse-than-hitler/): “Even Adolph [sic] Hitler thought it more important than Obama to get to Paris. (For all the wrong reasons.) Obama couldn’t do it for right reasons” And you’re saying you cannot see how that implies that Obama is basically worse than Hitler? If you are sincere in this, then you are ignorant at best, and need to open your mind and learn a thing. If you are not sincere, then you are just dicking around and trolling for a response. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/334 "2015-01-14T02:47:55Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > Whether or not the joke was in good taste, humorous, or otherwise well-written, it does not make any comparison of Hitler to Obama. In fact, it goes out of its way show the difference of motivation between their respective visits (or non-visits). Uhhhh… that is a comparison. > [@](#): > > It’s a stupid tweet, but attacking it as comparing Obama to Hitler is just intellectually lazy. As intellectually lazy as the joke itself. No, I don’t think he really wanted to say that Obama was worse than Hitler. He just wanted to put Hitler and Obama in the same sentence (because… stupid), and instead ended up putting his dumb-ass foot in his own dumb-ass mouth. There is no defense of this tweet unless we’re talking about a 12-year-old. Instead, we’re talking about a grown man who is a member of Congress. The only thing I can say in terms of mitigation is that he’s not a member of the Senate. Take that for what it’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/335 "2015-01-14T03:40:30Z")
Lafayette, we’re busy. From a Washington Post editorial. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/336 "2015-01-14T03:54:38Z")
At least cite the [opinion piece](http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/richard-cohen-obamas-slap-at-france/2015/01/12/a8403fc6-9a81-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html) you’re talking about, numbnuts. God_damn_, you really don’t even try, do you? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/337 "2015-01-14T03:55:29Z")
Jon Stewart gave 'em hell today too. The President was wrong. Doesn’t have to be a scandal, he’s just wrong. And trying to weasel out of it by throwing an unnamed underling under the bus just makes it worse. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/338 "2015-01-14T04:08:20Z")
> [@andros](#): > > At least cite the [opinion piece](http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/richard-cohen-obamas-slap-at-france/2015/01/12/a8403fc6-9a81-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html) you’re talking about? What difference does it make? There are posters here who claim to be citing “news articles”, and then link to op-eds. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/339 "2015-01-14T04:27:04Z")
I feel reasonably confident in saying anyone expressing outrage at this issue is a fucking liar. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/340 "2015-01-14T09:21:43Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Jon Stewart gave 'em hell today too. The President was wrong. Doesn’t have to be a scandal, he’s just wrong. And trying to weasel out of it by throwing an unnamed underling under the bus just makes it worse. Do you have a link to Jon Stewart criticising Obama for not going? If he did, my opinion of him has lowered. Then show us all a link to a French newspaper criticising Obama, the leader of a country that wasn’t directly involved, a leader who’s a huge terrorist target himself o would make things wose by going, a leader who, unlike the European leaders, lives more than a few miles away, for not going. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597.md?page=18)