Obama’s “Killer Rabbit” Vacation: Is Laying Low in Mansion, but Pays a “Social Call” to His Former Harvard Professor… and 100 Other Democrats
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on August 21, 2011
The criticism against Pres. Barack Obama for taking his 10-day luxury vacation at Martha’s Vineyard during the escalating economic and unemployment crisis in the nation has prompted a number of speculations, including this one from John Kass at the Chicago Tribune: Obama dangerously close to a ‘Killer Rabbit’ moment.
Is President Barack Obama on the verge of being attacked by a bunny wabbit?
Absolutely.
All the signs suggest that Obama is in immediate danger of a rabbit attack. It would ruin what’s left of his presidency. And it would horrify Democrats by ushering in, say, a President Bachmann.
It might happen while he’s on that ridiculous vacation of his. Obama is chilling at some exclusive multimillion-dollar estate on Martha’s Vineyard, even as thousands more Americans hit the unemployment lines, and as Republicans like Michele Bachmann make wild-eyed, crazed claims about bringing back $2 per gallon gas.
“Crazed” claims about $2 per gallon gas that would likely become a reality if US offshore drilling wasn’t hamstrung by Obama’s power-crazed EPA, or if we had a commitment to natural gas for transportation fuel. But I digress — back to the Trib:
“I think it’s a little too early yet for the president to be attacked by a rabbit,” cautioned a veteran Chicago Democrat wise in the ways of Obama. “But it’s close. Real close.”
Anyone who thinks Obama is safe from a rabbit attack has forgotten what happened to President Jimmy Carter In 1979. Carter was attacked by a swimming rabbit, and the subsequent “Killer Rabbit” stories helped destroy his presidency. It led to the election of Republican Ronald Reagan in a landslide and an unprecedented economic revival.
There are eerie similarities. Like Obama, Carter was at that point where he was constantly viewed as weak and ineffectual. His fellow Democrats had lost patience with him. Liberal writers who once fawned on him had turned against him.
The KO paragraph:
And like Obama, Carter foolishly left the White House for a “vacation.” Carter went home to Georgia for some fishing. Once his canoe hit the water of a pond, a terrible thing happened. A rabbit swam near with anger in its eyes.
No wonder the president is hiding out in his mansion, except for venturing out to pay this charming *cough, cough* social call to an old mentor.
From The Boston Globe, Vacation day 2: Obama lays low:
VINEYARD HAVEN – The subdued start to President Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard vacation continued yesterday, as the first family stayed mostly out of sight.
Despite excellent weather, Obama did not go golfing, and instead remained holed up at Blue Heron Farm, the Chilmark estate where he’s spending nine days. The president did not emerge until after 5 p.m., when he paid a social call on his former Harvard Law School professor Charles Ogletree Jr., who has a residence in Oak Bluffs.
A “social call.” To a former teacher. Hmm… Sounds almost friendly, almost “regular folks-like.”
Until you read the next paragraph — oops. Since when does dropping in for a “social call” include 100 prominent and/or wealthy Democrats milling about?
Strangely there is no mention in this Globe piece that Prof. Ogletree helped sponsor a Democratic fundraiser at nearby Union Chapel just the day before.
About 100 people attended the gathering, which lasted about an hour. Among them were Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett; former Massachusetts chief justice Margaret Marshall and her husband, Anthony Lewis; director Spike Lee; powerbroker Vernon Jordan; fishing guide Buddy Vanderhoop; singer Kate Taylor; Harvard professors Henry Louis Gates Jr., Alan Dershowitz, and Rosabeth Moss Kanter; and writer Rose Styron.
Dropping in for a “social call” to his former professor that included ultra-liberal Hollywood film director Spike Lee — imagine that. Gee, what are the odds?
Were there any rabbits lurking nearby? And why was a FISHING EXPERT there during this “social call”? Perhaps Carter gave Obama some last-minute advice on dealing with killer bunnies…
From Washington Post, Obama drops in on Harvard mentor Charles Ogletree during Martha’s Vineyard vacation:
OAK BLUFFS, Mass. — President Barack Obama put in a brief appearance Saturday at the home of his friend and one-time teacher, Harvard Law School professor Charles Ogletree, as he continued his Martha’s Vineyard vacation.
Obama spent much of the day in seclusion at his rented compound. But in the early evening, the president’s motorcade deposited him at Ogletree’s home in Oak Bluffs for what the White House initially said was a “social event” but then later described as an “informal reception.”
About 100 people attended the gathering at Ogletree’s home in a forested neighborhood of shingled homes. Obama stayed for little more than an hour before returning to his vacation home. The event came a day after Ogletree helped sponsor a Democratic fundraiser at nearby Union Chapel.
Ogletree is an authority on race and politics and became Obama’s mentor when Obama was a student there. Another former Ogletree student is Michelle Obama.
USA Today totally glosses over the soiree and refers to the Obama family’s lavish vacation home at Blue Heron Farm as “a rented compound”:
Obama was in seclusion for most of Saturday. He emerged only at 5 p.m. and was driven to a social gathering in Oak Bluffs sponsored by his friend, Harvard professor Charles Ogletree. The president stayed about an hour and returned to his rented compound in Chilmark.
Obama family summer vacation locale: the pricey $20 million estate at Blue Heron Farm, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, costs more than $50,000 a week to rent
New York Times lefty writer Maureen Dowd is plenty torqued at Barry — Of Dystopias and Alphas:
President Obama bashed Congress on his bus tour. But after delegating to Congress time and again with disastrous results, he continues to play the satellite to Congress.
He shouldn’t be driven by the Washington schedule. He should be setting it.
At long last, he promised a clear economic plan. Unfortunately, he had the fierce urgency of next month, when Congress gets back to town.
Americans are rattled and want action. They don’t know or care what Congress’s schedule is. They just see the president not doing anything.
Cruising white Midwestern hamlets in his black bus, Obama tried to justify not calling lawmakers back to D.C. by saying they’d just continue to bicker. But what does he think they’ll do in September? The truth is, he doesn’t want them back in the capital any more than they want to be back. It would have screwed up his vacation and upset Michelle, who already feels trapped in the Washington bubble.
If Clinton wanted to be president 25 hours a day and W. wanted to be president four hours a day, Obama wants to be president for about 14 hours a day. And that’s fine, as long as you don’t look like you’re phoning it in when the country is dialing 911.
More on the Carter and Obama “killer rabbit” parallels — this from Rick Moran at American Thinker, Is Obama close to a ‘Killer Rabbit’ moment?:
Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass has given voice to what many are asking about Barack Obama.
Is this vacation in ritzy Martha’s Vineyard while the nation frets over the economy Obama’s “Killer Rabbit” moment?
[...]
The White House compounded the mistake by not releasing a photo of the [Carter vs. rabbit] event, while acknowledging the existence of such a picture. This gave editorial pages free reign to imagine what the encounter with the rabbit might have looked like, using cartoons to absolutely destroy what was left of Carter’s credibility.
Kass’s fellow columnist at the Trib, Steve Chapman, points out that if the economy wasn’t so bad, Obama wouldn’t look half as weak and ineffective. I don’t know about that. Much of what Chapman lists as Obama accomplishments are either misunderstood by the public (FinReg) or hated by the voters (Obamacare). While it’s true that if the economy were humming along and the jobless rate was going down, Obama would look much better for re-election, you have to have policies in place that would lead to that happy conclusion. Obama’s policies never had a chance of working because they weren’t grounded in reality. Ergo, Obama, through his own devices, is probably destined to be a one term president.
Maggie’s Notebook has posted a music video of a song that was inspired by Carter’s rabbit attack, so check it out — Maggie speculates further:
We have a weak and especially ineffectual Barack Obama, and just what his “rabbit” moment might be I don’t know. Perhaps something to do with a golf ball? Or an ice cream cone?
The president did hit the private beach on Sunday morning… watch out for those wascally killer wabbits!
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There’s a hilarious Photoshop specifically created for the “Killer Bunny” meme. See it right here: http://politicalclownparade.blogspot.com/2011/08/barrys-killer-bunny-wunny.html
ROFL!!!
That graphic is absolutely PRICELESS. A must-see, thanks for the heads up and the link! I anticipate shamelessly stealing it soon.
