Two years ago, at the signing ceremony for the Affordable Care Act, Vice President Biden was overheard telling President Obama the historic occasion was a "big f**king deal." The comment wasn't intended for the public -- Biden didn't know the microphone would pick it up -- but once it was out there, the White House embraced it as an endearing Biden moment.
And with that in mind, the Obama campaign is selling t-shirts like these, touting the same "BFD" message. It led Jake Tapper today to highlight the recent history of "blue" language and Team Obama.
Conservatives suggest that cursing is now a “thing” for the Obama campaign, given that campaign manager Jim Messina yesterday blogged “Let’s win the damn election,” and Democratic National Committee executive director Patrick Gaspard tweeted “it’s constitutional. B******.” (Asterisks included by ABC)
And Obama campaign senior adviser David Axelrod in March blogged. “Hell yeah, I like Obamacare.”
Eric Fehrnstrom, Romney's senior adviser, said language like this is "not presidential." (Follow up question for Fehrnstrom: your campaign believes in heckling and sending a bus to drive around in circles while honking. Is that "presidential"?)
But before these questions about political cursing make the rounds too much, let's also pause to note recent history. When George W. Bush decided to launch an unnecessary war, he proclaimed, "F**k Saddam, we're taking him out." When Dick Cheney ran into Pat Leahy on the Senate floor in 2004, he said, "Go f**k yourself."
During a discussion on immigration policy a few years ago, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) screamed at Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), saying "F**k you! This is chickens**t stuff." On the campaign trail a few months ago, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), who positions himself as a virtues champion of traditional values, blasted a reporter's question as "bulls**t."
The point is people in politics sometimes use profanity. So do people outside of politics. Let's not make too big a fuss about this.
Postscript: I don't claim to be an expert on cursing, but are words like "damn" and "hell" still considered "bad" words? Are people who use them seriously at risk of being accused of having a "potty mouth"?
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"Stop throwing the Constitution in my face. It's just a god damned piece of paper." George W. Bush
Bush never said that.
"Romney's senior adviser, said language like this is "not presidential."
Oh and I supposed intentional lying and distorting the facts is "presidential"?
Steve "damn & hell" are no BFD when exclaimed out of a sense of urgency/excitement/anger - however, I don't want to hear my 5 year old saying them.
I agree! Romney lies all the time. Who wants that for a President. I am sure his dog Seamus was screaming obscenities from the car roof!
As a committed practitioner of eupraxophy I'm certainly no expert, but don't the words "hell" and "damn" appear in the Bible? Hell, I'm just sayin', damnit...
;-)
One more thing: I'm pretty sure that the Rape-Public-CONs are complaining about this latest non-issue... just for the elephant.
;-)
Would Axelrod's "Hell yes" blog be a reference to Boehner's "Hell no you can't" tantrum on the House floor?
let me guess, such language will give Romney and the GOP/TP the hypocritical "vapors".
Stephen Colbert has the vapors. :) http://bit.ly/MdzGhj
John Boehner (R-OH): "Hell No You Can't!"
I don't claim to be an expert on cursing, but are words like "damn" and "hell" still considered "bad" words? Are people who use them seriously at risk of being accused of having a "potty mouth"?
Frankly my dear I don't give a damn.
I'd prefer a shirt that said "Health Reform - Now a BFCD*" And in small print "*Big F***ing Constitutional Deal."
Cursing: It's OK If You're A Republican, in their minds.
I, for one, welcome this new attack. I can only hope for the TV spot:
"Obama. Sure in his first term he saved the economy, killed bin Laden, reformed Wall Street oversight, passed tough new environmental laws and rules, made pay more fair for women, cut the middle man out of the student loan program, and expanded health care coverage for millions of Americans - something Presidents had tried and failed to do for more than half-a-century. But you know what else Obama's team has done? Cursed. More than once. Don't put up with that. 'Swear' off Obama this November. Vote Elder Romney, for a 'Clean' start."
My favorite is the comment McCain made to his wife, in front of reporters, referring to her as a trollop and @!$%#. He used the word, so I am not inserting ** to clean it up.
Well, I see you "cleaned it up" for me: @$%#. I just Googled John McCain c**t, which I spelled out and voila, I got over a page of references.
You can turn off the profanity filter in your account settings, which will allow you see the "bad" words you and others type. Those with the filter on will only see &^$^#.
I like to think of it as a BAD F - - - - Deal! That seems more appropriate!
Yesterday I woke up startled by the sound of the collective GOP yelling "AW ... F*CK!" It was a good morning.
I, for one, agree. I mean, if we didn't hear politicians using these words, we'd never hear them at all, amirite? Their use in everyday life has completely disappeared otherwise.
My only rule about cursing: "Not in front of my parrot."
Funny! My brother and sister-in-law have a few birds, including one cranky bag of feathers he started referring to as "peckerhead" after it nipped him a few times... whoops.
;-)
What kind of losers still think that "damn" is a swear word? Seriously, that little bit is bugging me that someone picked it out as cursing. Really shows how old-fashioned the Republicans are that they consider that a notable occurrence.
This kind of issue falls under the category of grasping for straws.
I agree it is grasping for straws. But I'll phuqued if I wouldn't rather have someone who curses and does not put his dog on the roof than I would some phuquing azzwhole with sparkly kleen speech who does, g odda Mmitt
Never trust a man who doesn't drink, smoke or swear.
To all the GOP who feel betrayed by your conservative SCOTUS, 'stick it up your elephant!!"
What these yokels don't understand is that normal, intelligent people don't give two flying farts about swearing. I guarantee you that more obscenities get thrown around in DC offices than in every cable TV show combined, probably on an hourly basis.
I plead guilty to having a potty mouth. I came by it honestly. I live in Alaska, where, as the saying goes, "Call a spade a fuc&ing shovel." I am not the least offended by Joe the Veep calling ACA a Big Fuc&ing Deal, and I couldn't have expressed my sentiments any better than Biden did for me. However, watch the tape, and you get the distinct impression that BO didn't appreciate the choice of words. But if your point, Rachel, is that politicians swearing is not a BFD, I agree 100%.
Interestingly, the Democrats swear when they are happy about something, while the Republicans swear out of anger, usually at an actual person – at least from these examples.
Oh, I do both. No apologies.
Boise - I'm a bit embarrassed to realize that I hadn't noticed this until you pointed it out. Good catch. And very interesting, indeed...
;-)
If you don't have the urge to cuss after dealing with Republicans, there's something wrong with you.
Also during, if the exchange takes more than a couple seconds.
Let's not forget the time W called the NY Times' Adam Clymer an a-hole
whiny ass titty babies.....the entire lot of them
In this corner-cursing tainted with truth and reality- Versus - in this corner lies weighed down with fear mongering and bigotry!
It's pro wrestling. The trash-talking is in the script.