Was he doing that to Rove?

once a jerk, always a jerk

He should know better. We all should know better. But we most often don’t. Last time for you, though Rahmy boy. The boss is not going to like it.

When and why exactly did that happen?

Rahm is such a classy guy. What followed, “Pull my finger?”

Gosh golly, gee whiz, that Rahm is far more talented than I evah gave him credit for being, the eloquence, the gravitas, the shear magnetic power of his charisma …

What does Rahm nose that the rest of us don’t?

classy with a K
but I’ll reserve judgement until I know the actual context. It may be that refraining from flipping the bird actually was classy with a c…
FunnyD

Heh
“Oh nose!” Mooooommmmm! He’s looking at me funny!
FunnyD

Try not to stare, it might be a medical condition.

No specific context but it seems he was just yukking it up on the platform today.

Damn, there’s a hand growing out of Rahm’s nose!

Oh, right. Sorry
(scuffing toe and looking at floor).
FunnyD

Could be worse.

Oh, I’m sure Rahm will reveal himself to be SO MUCH more worthy of censure than this moment.
Save yer ammo.

Momma, why is that man’s nose so funny and why is he sticking his tongue out?

You said that wasn’t nice to do.

;~)

I’m tired of this contrived BS.

When and where did Rahm Emanuel do that? And to whom?

What is this all about????

This is demonization without explanation.

What is the context???

WTF?????

FDL???

This gesture of Rahm’s reminds me of Bush flipping people off.
Why did I get the impression that at some point guys stop doing these things – round about the time they graduate from high school? Not cool.

Our powder is dry.

And there’s nuthin’ else on telebishun, tonite except grown-up stuff, yuck!

Momma always said that if’n ya didn’t want people starin’ at ya , ya shouldn’t be doin’ weird stuff.

At least, not in public.

The new “kiss of death”?

Perhaps Rahm was summarizing Israel’s response to the U.N..

Was Rahm gesturing to Inaugural ticket holders standing outside the gate?

:)

He was on the inaugural platform this morning and did this. Saw it on the teevee and wondered WTF?

Not. Classy.

But then again Darth, Boner, and many others were up there so we don’t know why he did it.

He needs to know though that big brother, big sister, and big media is watching everything he does and says from now on.

Rahm could have been doing this to a friend, as a joke.

Where is the context???

It could be…na, na, I’m sitting here..na..na…

Where is the context???

You are demonizing someone without the context.

What is the context of this post.

I’m waiting.

Um, this was take moments before Obama took the oath of office.

How many years did it take the Press to get a snapshot of Rove thumbing his nose? Now Rove’s a guy who thumbs his nose every other day at least. Here’s Rahm – first day out of the box – and wham! Reuters catches him thumbing his nose. The MSM is going to be relentless in its pursuit of stupid shit.

A hypothesis based on no context: Maybe David Broder, or George Will, were standing off camera and suggested that Obama should “lead from the right.”

What? As in What???

So?

What did he mean???

Here is a link to photos of Rahm taken today:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..59427.html

Attacking Rahm with no substantiation and context is unfair.

If you are going to demonize someone, at least cite the context.

Don’t know what it means now but when I was growing up it meant “kiss my a**”.

Hmmmm, I wonder if its revealed that he was doing that to his own kids or maybe even Sasha and Malia in a moment of levity if anybody will still think it inappropriate.

Decorum, LS, in context, we’re all just great kidders, like Rahm.

I don’t think any demonization is going on, but as Chief of Staff, Rahm is now, more than ever, on the world stage.

As we come to know him, perhaps we will, more and more, appreciate his levity and humor.

But, if my eight year old were to behave that way, at an important ceremony, I should, definitely have a talk with her.

That’s what I was told when I was a kid. Seems now it is considered more of a generic derisive gesture.

It is out of context. Do you really believe that he was saying Kiss My Ass to someone in a political sense????? More likely in jest..i.e., I’ve got these seats…or something…

What was the context??? This is unfair.

I’m thinking Rahm’ll regret this. But it could’ve just been a goof.

Personally, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt ‘cuz of this…

One of President Barack Obama’s first acts Tuesday was to put the brakes on all pending regulations that the Bush administration tried to push through in its waning days.

The order went out shortly after Obama was inaugurated president, in a memorandum signed by new White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.

(Refers to W’s late regs re abortion counselling, guns in national parks, environmental issues and more.)

Another fist bump, y’all!

Is it a crime to have a sense of humor?

He may be chief of staff ,but he’s still a human being.
After the last eight years of swagger, strutting, and false bravado it’s refreshing to see someone act real !

I don’t think any demonization is going on, but as Chief of Staff, Rahm is now, more than ever, on the world stage.

What, you mean Rahm isn’t a demon? You’ll have to prove it to me.

I am very well-schooled in decorum and protocol…that has been my life…

This is a “shot” taken out of context.

Explain.

So far.

Silence.

That’s the problem – there is no context. It’s a juvenile, silly, gesture which I would hope does not indicate his level of maturity. It’s not the end of the world – just inappropriate in that setting.

Yeah, I bet everyone’s had their bursts of giddiness today. Present company included! ;-)

Ding.

BS.

Think it’s time you consider switching to decaf, LS.

Hey, LS: Take a valium!

None of us was close enough to hear the context, of course. All we got was the visual, we and probably a couple of billion people around the world.

Bump! Linky?

Why did I get the impression that at some point guys stop doing these things – round about the time they graduate from high school?

ummm…. some guys, probably.

Other than that, I have no further comment.

ahem.

LS. You go!

Oh, shoot! I swear preview showed that linky:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28758810/

That is why, before you demonize the man..you have to have the context. Unfair.

If he was an Ahole…well, he’d be an Ahole.

Just tell us what the context was.

~~~ModNote: Do not insult other commenters. Bring ideas, leave your insults for elsewhere.~~~

The context was that Rahm was sitting front and nearly center at an inauguration ceremony, a fairly solemn occasion and not an appropriate setting for sophomoric behavior, in my opinion. Your opinion may differ.

Rahm is a big boy, LS, let him expresss his own umbrage.

Whatever the ‘circumstnce’, do you not find it a bit unbecoming for a grown man, at an internaytionally televised ceremony of great import, to behave in such fashion?

Is it cute?

Is it classy?

Is it simply silly?

Are you seriously upset at the reception this gesture (I side with Twain’s ‘description’ of what I was told as a child, that this gesture meant)?

I thought we were raising the ‘bar’, at least somewhat, this is Rovian or Limpawvian, disrespect of the circumstance in my mind.

But I shan’t be calling upon Obama to fire him over THIS.

Remember, we are not the only ones who have seen this, and my seriousness is but a thin veneer, I do find it ‘funny’ but in a less than flattering way.

If anyone is diminishing Rahm, ’tis he, himself,then, not I or you or anyone else.

Very cool. Obama owns the smart team!

If he begins doing this at staff meetings and state functions ,then we may have cause for concern !!

He did that gesture to Bush after signing that directive.

-G

My question has been one of “source”…To whom was he gesturing?…after that that…Why is he the subject of a demonization for his “gesturing”? Was he gesturing to family and friends…a photo-moment???

And..What was the context, and why do you all hate him?

I don’t think we are trying to demonize him—at least not for this—I think we are just remarking that he is now under the media microscope and anything and everything can lead to his being demonized by people lots more vicious than we are. This just makes him look silly and “unserious.” If he was joking about something, it would have been nice to be let in on the joke. If he’s going to aim his shots at anything or anyone, he’s got the skill to shoot straight. We’ve been celebrating the idea that the grownups are finally in charge. . . .

At least that’s what I took away from it.

Well, it has been a long and exciting day, and this Rahmination, while innerestin’, in a perverse sort of way, has, in its seriousness, convincilated me that dreamland awaits.

So, I bid you ALL a most fond, and respectful, good night.

Poof!

BTW. Don’t talk down to me.

Dear, sweet pups. It’s been such a long emotional day. I’ve been lurking for hours, not really having much to contribute. I heard someone recently say that often times after a particular high (and I don’t mean drugs) that people often have a let down. Maybe like a crash after a sugar high. Some of the posts here seem to invite controversy. Maybe we just need to blow it out a little bit. But, what do I know?

Rahm is obviously trying to do the Sicilian Scalia waveoff.

Practice makes perfect.

“We” as in collective “We”????

I didn’t think so.

Sleep well. Himself is in charge now. :)

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING !

I know. I LOVE the smart team! Don’t you?! (Again with the giddiness — it just keeps hitting me all day, like waves in the ocean on a bee-yoo-tee-full sunny day!)

The picture is funny…

g’evening pups

Hi Loo Hoo. We talked about this day over raw fish two years ago. Looks like it turned out pretty much like we planned it. Nice work.

I just figured Rahm was waving “bye-bye” to the Busheviks. And appropriate send off in my mind.

Sleep well DWB !

Hi y’all. I need information. We watched most of the inauguration at school, but a question came up. Is it a violation of the separation of church and state to have the ministers do invocations? Also, the constitution doesn’t have “so help me God” in the oath, so why did they add it?

I’m signing off, but I will say that no one deserves to have his or her reputation defamed by hearsay and innuendo…even if you don’t personally like them. Present something concrete about why they are so “bad” and should be reviled…in fact, stop trying to find things to revile about them in the first place..

Let’s stop the negativity…it flew out of here today for Goddess’s sake.

Jeez! You’d think it was Saturday nite, what with all the hurt feelings and all…

;~P

oops. Replied to LooHoo on your comment Demi.

I’m guessing people have a lot of pent up emotions to offgas. Add in a few cocktails and a little snippiness can happen. We’ll all be pals in the AM.

IMHO not only was the gesture inappropriate it was also crude as I always thought it meant “kiss my ass” which was viewed by millions today. This reflects badly on Obama’s choice in Chief of Staff…… I was also under the impression that we now have adults running the government ……

I don’t need context …… there is a time and place for specific behavior and that was not it.

jane upstairs

I’ve got to get some sleep , I’ve been up since 4:30 est ,I’m Bushed ! hehe

Peaceful rest to you, LS. And, with the scent of spring flowers. ;)

Humor – The first casualty

:(

At that place, at that time, only a schmuck goes all Chimpy.
I agree.

I thought it was a fairly innocuous post. Guess you never know what will push people’s buttons.

VICTORY!!!

On separation of church and state, I think it would depend on who you talk to. Personally, I think it is, but I am one of those godless commies you keep hearing about. Not sure why the “so help me God,” except as part of traditional oath taking (asking God to be witness and arbiter of the fulfillment of the oath).

Whew. For the life of me, I could not remember you or the raw fish.
And, I’m sure things will look great in the am too.

wiki has it completely covered

It’s political bs. Can’t have a new prez not respecting god. Just the way it still is…

I agree that this gesture seems childish, immature and out of place, but LS is right that it would be nice to know the context.

Personally, I think Rahm should have taken off his shoes and thrown them at Bush’s departing helicopter.
Would have been even better if the 2 million others there had done the same.

Sha na na, hey hey, goodbye Boosh.

hahahahaha..I always think of you too!!!

Buds comin’ up, but supreme drought..Hahahahaha Demi!!! XX

I think in these instances it is up to the individual. In the event that a Muslim was elected, they could take the oath before Allah. Not sure what accommodation would be made for an atheist. Anyway, the point is that the state is not promoting one religion over any other.

Woooot!!! I’m with you!!!

Shoes!!!! Mwahahahahahaha!!

Good point.

Hi SnK,
It looks like Chester A. Arthur started that, and there is indeed a pending laesuit claiming that “So help me God is unconstitutional. Wikipedia has more here.
Long time! I hope you are well.

Personally I sometimes think that if it isn’t unconstitutional, it should be.

On the other hand, there are not a lot of other ways for people to express their hopes and aspirations in a ceremonial context.

So I figure, as long as the prayers are not too sectarian, I can put up with them.

But that’s just me.

It’s customary to have nonsectarian prayers at civic events, like inaugurations, graduations, building dedications, and the like. The emphasis on nonsectarian is not accidental.

Choosing evangelical preachers like Rick Warren is generally an Ex-Lax choice (as in, smooth move there, Ex-Lax), because they don’t understand the concept of non-sectarian. Like most of his theological brethren (and they are mostly men), Warren doesn’t get the idea of non-sectarian. His use of the Lord’s Prayer (worse, in the archaic Authorized Version text) was completely out-of-bounds. He managed to offend everyone who wasn’t christian.

That said, it wasn’t the worst such prayer I’ve heard. My university rotates the commencement invocation and benediction among the town’s clergy. One of our evangelical ministers somehow got invited, and gave an invocation prayer that included a plea for all of us present to open our hearts and accept Jesus as our lord and savior. Completely inappropriate, but ministers from that church have been taken off the rotation.

I’m extremely disappointed that the whole day passed without a single shoe being thrown.

But then again, it’s nice that everyone is being nice just to be different from Darth and Dope.

Hi RonD! I am back in Austin.

Hello to the most gentlemanly person on all of the internets!!!

What a wonderful day!

I think, from my perspective the separation issue only applies if the administrator uses the form “so help me God.” I oppose the invocation of deity as a formal part of any government activity. Then again, as I said above, I am one of those godless commies. Also, no open atheist could get elected to public office in this country, at least above the local level.

Shoes were indeed thrown! Check Huffpo!

What’s happening in Austin? Hope you have been doing well during your long absence.

For a Unitarian or an atheist, they’d be asked to affirm their oath rather than swear. That language is actually prescribed in the Constitution, although I think it’s only been used once, for Franklin Pierce’s inauguration.

Bonus points to those who can identify the tie between Pierce’s inauguration and today’s exercise.

Our graduation invocation includes a prayer in Blackfeet by Chief Earl Old Person, a traditional Blackfeet chief, and a local clergy man noted for his pacifism and liberalism. Has gotten him booed a couple of time.

Who?

Who needed shoes?

Darth and the dope got booed when they came out to the podium.

The crowd sang ‘Na na na; Na na na na; Hey, hey; Goodbye’ to Chimpy when he flew over the Mall.

Most excellent!

Muntadar al-Zeidi has been an inspiration to us all.

Hi Loo Hoo!
It’s colder in Tampa right now than it is in Denver, but somehow the world just seems a little warmer today.
(((Loo Hoo)))

austin is teh kewl! you didn’t know?

I’m afraid atheism will be the last glass ceiling to go, if it ever does. Used to really bother me that most people profess belief in the supernatural. I’ve come to terms with that, meaning I try not to dwell on it.

The crowd sang ‘Na na na; Na na na na; Hey, hey; Goodbye’ to Chimpy when he flew over the Mall.

I heard that. Wonderful.

Mocking is the most joyous form of insult.
(but a shoe to the forehead really makes a strong point.)

Hey, I left a comment about grad students after you’d headed out.

I think three doctoral students is about all that can be handled on a 2 + 2 (6 hours/sem) teaching load. And that could be pushing it. I’m on a 3 + 3 load, and I don’t think I could handle three doctoral students, unless one was pre-comps, one conducting research and the third in the final throes.

I did, but didn’t know you were back! So good to see you again. Welcome to the other side-our long national nightmare is over, for the moment.

Your brother get transferred back or are you back with Aunt Betsy?

People, people….What are we fighting for?

Mr.Emmanuel is merely brushing a fly off of his nose and catching it on his tongue.
If any Republican worthies happen to be standing in front of him, it’s because they have not learned the trick to catch the fly yet.

I trust this clears things up.

;>)

Yep.

I am living with a different family for now.

I have a 4-4 teaching load. One of my students has just finished his field research and will be starting the analysis and writing. The second will be taking her comps early this spring semester and the third is just starting this spring. Have my work cut out for me.

Your doctoral students don’t count toward your teaching load? What kind of b***s*** is that?

I am a full-time adjunct (have been for ten years). I teach about 300-350 students a semester and get paid 1/2-2/3 what my tenure track colleagues get for teaching a 2-2. I also have more Ph.D. students than most of them. Welcome to the modern American higher education system.

Why is Warren reciting the Shema?

I am confused. I don’t understand why Rev. Warren just recited the Shima, the holiest of Jewish prayers:
“Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One”

http://www.atlargely.com/2009/…..hema-.html

Someone’s gotta do it.

Godspeed Dr. Dick, and best of luck

On the up side, I love my job and have good graduate students (I am selective about who I accept and I do not recruit them). I enjoy teaching and am pretty good at it and have the respect and support of my colleagues for the most part. The department has been lobbying for a somewhat better situation for me, but our administration is notoriously cheap.

Respect and support of your collegues… Tenured ones?

Sigh.

I’m sorry, I thought you were on the tenure-track. Contingent faculty really do get the dirty end of the stick. At least they are letting you direct dissertations. Our graduate Dean pitches a hissy fit when students try to have contingent faculty on their exam committees, much less supervising them.

Hell, I have been here longer than about half of our tenure track faculty.

I’m not sure about Warren’s credo.

I do know that among the evangelical crew, some believe themselves to be the New Israel, replacing the Jews as the Chosen People. If Warren and his crew hold with this position, then coopting the Shema would be in character. The funny thing to me is that the New Israel doesn’t keep a kosher kitchen.

We had a long-time contingent faculty member who was asked to head a department for exactly that reason: he’d been here longer than any of the tenure-track folks, was nearing retirement, knew what needed doing and the institutional culture.

The Dean proposed it, the faculty said, “Yeah, youbetcha. Great idea.” Then it got Central Admin. They had to convert him over to a tenured line, jump through all the hoops, etc. That didn’t win the Dean many brownie points with Central Admin.

The nice thing about your position is that doctoral advising isn’t part of your primary duties, so you can be picky about who you take on. In the past year I’ve had to pick up after a couple of colleagues who left our department. One of the students I inherited was okay, the other was a complete disaster, but somehow I managed to chivvy him through the system.

Admin everywhere loves the regulations and channels. They hate anything that challenges the rigid structure they attempt to impose.

True. Interestingly the chair mentioned in passing (in relation to my new student) that some of the other faculty are actually grumbling about how many Ph.D. students I have. We just got our Ph.D. program about 3 years ago and only have about two dozen students. Some folks have no students.

Think I will head to bed, since I have to teach again in the morning. Take care all.

Can we just put all of these wing nuts on a deserted island somewhere? I guess the AIPAC loonies would have understood the message given by Warren. Nothing about these people is kosher..they are stark raving mad.

He is responding to this most likely.
*****

House Democratic lawmakers formed a raucous audience from the section of seats rising immediately south of the speaker’s podium.

They launched into a “Rahmbo” chant when they spotted White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/wo…..p?id=13177

“demonize”

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

what zapkitty said.

criticize = demonize

bah! editor killed my strikeout

what i meant was: criticize does not equal demonize

ok, i shouldn’t have tried the strikeout :-) a slash does not equal a strikeout

Hmmm…

!=

…also gets the point across.