After a rodeo clown in Missouri donned an Obama mask for a routine whose core concept was that a bull ought to trample the president, the Missouri State Fair banned the clown for life for his "unconscionable stunt," saying it was "inappropriate and not in keeping with the Fair's standards." In doing so, it created a great victim for some conservative, theatrical types to rally around. Welcome to the latest in the you-didn't-build-that-empty-chair-upside-down-American-flag train of right-wing memery: the Obama rodeo clown as a hero for liberty.
Unsurprisingly, Glenn Beck is at the forefront of this, declaring on his radio show Wednesday, "today I officially declare myself a rodeo clown. Today I officially declare that we are all rodeo clowns." On Twitter, calls have been circulating for a boycott of the Missouri State Fair. A Facebook page supporting one of the clowns, Tuffy Gessling, has 38,436 likes. Gessling, who said he never intended anything racist by the stunt, is one of three people who participated in it, but he didn't wear the actual mask, NPR reports.
The real attention-getter for this burgeoning movement is Rep. Steve Stockman, a conservative congressman from a new district in Texas, who invited the still-unidentified clown to perform at a rodeo in his state. Though he didn't specifically offer the clown a gig. "Liberals want to bronco bust dissent. But Texans value speech, even if its speech they don’t agree with," Stockman said in a statement. "I’m sure any rodeo in Texas would be proud to have performers."
Just like "Joe the Plumber," Clint Eastwood's empty chair, and Sarah Palin's Big Gulp, these people will celebrate ANYTHING that the more intelligent among us find objectionable or ripe for ridicule.
P.S. Here was Stephen Colbert's take on the mask wearing rodeo clown story.
Gryphen. Did you mean Obama MASK wearing rodeo clown in your headline?
ReplyDeleteYes I did.
DeleteThanks.
Put a hyphen between mask and wearing so people don't have to stop and figure out what the mask is wearing. That will help.
DeleteFormer English teacher. I can't help myself.
I will tell you the same thing I told my creative writing teacher in high school.
Delete"Stop looking for punctuation mistakes and read what I wrote."
However I did add the hyphen.
Grudgingly.
Gyphen: I taught myself punctuation and grammar when I was an adult. I found that I could write more clearly and understand more quickly what others had written.
DeleteThere are really only a few things to learn, and you'll discover that, along with apostrophes, hyphens are your friends.
Thanks, sweetie.
ReplyDeleteMy only thought upon hearing this mischief was "this was the first time?"
PLEASE!!!
We will go out the fear-befuddled Dims with the clown President.
Bestowed by the clown party par excellence.
Love ya,
C
Two terms of your so called "Dims" in the highest office in the land, and a guaranteed third term of a Democratic Presidency.
DeleteI see that makes you sad, and causes spelling errors.
You just keep on keepin' on and so will we, except we will enjoy the rest of President Obama's SECOND TERM and at least one from Mrs. Hillary Clinton.
I don't know how a person can live with an ass that's going to be chapped for 12 years :-)
Some of the TeaTard Clowns need a dab of Boudreaux's Butt Paste spread on their little hineys.
Deletehttp://www.buttpaste.com/
It won't prevent them from getting the red-ass, but it will help shut em up from cryin' about it non-stop.
It makes me sad for my country. We have become so angry and disrespectful. Its no wonder we can't talk to each other anymore.
ReplyDeleteHow appropriate for the right wing to embrace the rodeo clown. You can't make this stuff up.
ReplyDeleteI dunno... The Republicans adopting a clown as their new mascot just seems a little too... on the nose?
ReplyDeleteI think they're better off with Ironic Cognitive Dissonance Jesus.
She's too busy grifting and slutting it up.
DeleteThe GOP elephant is boycotting the party until they get their shit together. How many clowns can the Republicans fit in their clown car? I guess we won't know until it's full and they need another one to get em all on down the road.
DeleteWhat they really need is a couple or three Short-Buses for now---probably a few more by 2014. Trump/Palin in a landslide in 2016. Just like Mitt and the fellow from Wisconsin---Eddie Munster?--- who didn't carry ANY of their home states.
How sad it is that we cannot laugh at outselves and we have become so careful about what to do or not do and what to say or not say. It is immoral for this poor clown to loose his job. Saturday Night Live takes every opportunity to laugh at our leaders and citizens alike, why are we so sensitive about legitimate humor?
ReplyDeleteIf there was even a smidgen of real humor, instead of racism and hatred in the act this clown put on, I'd agree.
DeleteBut I just had a discussion with someone, in which I maintain that Dennis Miller has lost his entire sense of humor. He seems to think he should get a laugh from the hip, educated audience he USED to have, with remarks like, "Hey, what about that Obama, huh? What a piece of shit."
That just has nothing redeeming about it. He seems like the angry old man down the street that won't give the kids their ball back, now.
There's humor.
DeleteThen there's disrespect.
Then there's racism.
I'd say this stunt had very little of the first and was all about the last two.
I, for one, am sick and tired of our President being disrespected and attacked for nothing other than the color of his skin. Everything else is pretty much an excuse for racist attacks.
I disagree. Bush W. Wasn't a good president, but never once complained when people made fun of him...which was all the time. It doesn't matter if you agree or not, in America, we can make fun of our public servants. This was no more racist when it was done with Bush's mask, Clinton's mask, or Nixon's. Those that jump to the "RACIST" attack call, are the only ones that have issues with treating everyone the same.
Delete"Legitimate" humor is sarcasm, irony, mockery.
DeleteTo dress up as a clown --who's already a "nobody" because of his humorous costume -- with a rubbery mask of Our President, walking though the mud, while people are asked if they'd like him gored -- that's not humor in any dimension. It's hatred, contempt and violent loathing.
Neither could be further from the other.
These bozos should be kicked out the door in their size 15 clodhoppers and go put on a pitty-me circus on the outskirts of town. Beer bellies and snarls are required for admission.
Anyone who thinks this is legitimate humor should wait for the circus where we put Newt, Rick, Rick, Herb and the rest of them up on a plank over water, and the first one who gets hit in the face loses his pants and goes straight into the drink. Ho, ho, ho. To get out and get dressed, they'll need to eat an entire corn dog with their eyes closed.
DeleteAnonymous5:39 PM - it's called context.
DeleteI'm sorry, can you direct me to the SNL episode where they joke about "smoking" Obama or imagine him being trampled to death?
Delete6:43 -- Does it somehow escape you that the Presidents you cite are all white?
DeleteNone of them were taken through the mud, as a black man was, and have the crowd asked if they'd like him to be gored.
This isn't political -- it's the basest kind of race baiting and "Humor" disguised as sadism.
The clown was offensive and disrespectful-note the lips and the placement of the broom for example. This was blatant racism, not humour. As a Canadian I may dislike whoever is the leader of the country at any given time but I respect the office. It seem to me that since the 2008 election when Sarah Palin was spewing hatred on the campaign trail that bile and hatred are the focus of political discourse in some circles. It seem as if she lent legitimacy to being as hateful as you can to those who do not hold the same views as you do.
DeleteUm, actually, you are right. First, they didn't just dress up as Bush, they dressed a dummy up, and the bull actually gored the dummy--all the while taunting the audience, just like in this case.
DeleteSecond, since Obma is the first half black president, there were no other black presidents' masks to use. Just because he's black doesn't mean I'm racist. I would be racist, however, if I gave special consideration, because of it.
So Beck has declared himself a clown?
ReplyDeleteLittle late to the party aren't you Glenn? We've all known you're a clown. Known it for years.
Right, as if that's a revelation!
DeleteIsn't there a Sarah Palin mask somewhere?
ReplyDeleteOn her face.
Deletethere's one in this link:
Deletehttp://www.politicususa.com/2013/08/13/missouri-officials-invoke-rogue-rodeo-clown-defense-explain-obama-racism.html
Who's that teenage Longhaired boy with the flat ass holding up a cup of soda. What a strange physique.
ReplyDeleteStupid people need heroes too.
ReplyDeleteThe President Of The United States has much too much on his plate than to give this a second thought, let alone respond to it. Just keep at it, GOP racist losers, to your own peril.
ReplyDeleteGlenn Beck is at the forefront of this, declaring on his radio show Wednesday, "today I officially declare myself a rodeo clown. Today I officially declare that we are all rodeo clowns."
ReplyDeleteCouldn't have put it better myself.
Two can play the disrespect game......I'm done being Mr.Nice Guy..........
ReplyDeleteI would regain some modicum of respect for the Republican Party if its leaders were to call off the racism publicly, to apologize sincerely to the president and to the American people, and begin cooperating with the Obama Administration to do the jobs they were elected to do. These "jokes" that circulated mostly on the internet or in private GOP meetings for years and that now circulate all over are not funny, are not intended to be funny, and have brought out for the world to see the very ugliest side of this country. And it has all been done with the help and support of the GOP leadership. Partly because there really is no GOP leadership (other than the puppet masters Charles and David Koch, Grover Norquist and the NRA) but partly because the GOP leadership is as despicable as the Missouri clown and the mob that egged him on.
ReplyDeletePS And President Obama has, through it all, maintained enormous dignity and has continued to do his job as well as humanly possible.
Beaglemom
I'm afraid I cannot agree.....the GOP is beyond redemption.....no amount of contrition can undo the damage they have done.Their "temper tantrum" has wrought untold damage to the civility of political discourse....shame,shame,shame.....oh,I forgot,they have no shame......
DeleteHave you forgot ton all of the jokes, and slander, etc that went on when Bush was in office? All of Clinton admin removed all of the W's from the keyboards in the white house. Funny or not, both are uncivil, and not just because.."HE started it!!!"
DeleteWhat the GOP'S official response to this incident (crickets chirping) tells you everything you need to know. It's beyond me how much those who've publicly shown their disrespect for the office and their open bigotry walk away with a smile on their face thinking they're "winning".
ReplyDeleteI do admire President Obama taking the higher rode and not responding to it. It speaks volumes to his values and how he was raised and educated.
In the mean time, there's been an uptick in this line of products for the GOP.
http://www.antimonkeybutt.com/