Obama gaffe: Jokes that his bowling is ‘like Special Olympics’
March 19th, 2009
From AP/Washington Post, ABC News and elsewhere:
Traveling across the country to promote his embattled economic recovery plan on “The Tonight Show,” Thursday, President Obama attempted a joke on himself that appeared to cast aspersions on people with disabilities.
Obama told host Jay Leno that his bowling score, with practice, had risen to 129.
“That’s very good, Mr. President,” Leno deadpanned.
It’s “like the Special Olympics or something,” the president replied.
A White House spokesman said the remark was not intended to disparage Special Olympics athletes, who have intellectual disabilities.
The president “thinks the special Olympics is a wonderful program that gives an opportunity for people with disabilities from around the world,” said White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton.
(AP/New York Times photo)
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on Thursday, March 19th, 2009 at 10:06 pm and is filed under NOT2BEMISSED, Obama Special Olympics remark, Obama administration, entertainment, humor, intellectual/developmental disabilities, television.
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March 20th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
He has hurt many families in America. He needs to say he is sorry in the public, not to some organization.
During the campaign for the White House in 2008, the media criticized Palin for being ‘common,’ ‘not-polished,’ ‘not-compassionate’ and ‘not presidential.’ However, compare Sarah Palins attitude in this video created three weeks ago for the Special Olympics in Boise, Idaho.
You decide the more ‘presidential’ among them:
http://tinyurl.com/ccz6nj
March 20th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
I’ll admit up front that I’m a conservative republican that wanted Huckabee in office, and am a student looking at a degree that will net me a high pay. I don’t like Obama’s policies. I, if I were following normal human patterns, would have every reason to demonize him as an individual anywhere I could.
However, as a person with disabilities that uses a service dog, I don’t find this comment as anything more than a slip of the tongue by a person that does what to have a positive effect on the world he lives in, and is doing a fantastic job so far at positioning himself to do so.
I’ve always been taught that if you’re looking to be offended, you will be. I’m certain everyone here — disability or not — knows that it is unfortunately contemporary to use disabilities as insults.
If anyone does any research into the history of the words “Dumb” or even more modern and obvious “retard” they’ll find that these words were actually at one time official diagnosis for disabilities. These words are now used as insults.
You can either be raving mad that he is a product of his times and is trying his best to be as sensitive as he can to all 300 million American citizens, each with their own cause, or you can understand that the only perfect people are in religious beliefs, and adjust your expectations of President Obama accordingly.
March 20th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
As an African American and as the mother of a daughter with disabilities, I was also disappointed in President Obama’s comments, but as Mr. Shriver of Special Olympics has said … this is a teachable moment for him and the nation, but he believed Obama’s apology was sincere — so do I.
However, as per the earlier comment, Obama’s comment can in no way compare to the chimp/stimulus bill cartoon….that was a direct implication of violence in addition to the race factor, and unless you know African American history, you really wouldn’t understand it.
Also, the organization that owns the NY Post, has a history of being blatantly racially insensitive. The difference is that President Obama immediately called to make an apology, and we know that he has the disability community community high on his agenda for change within his administration.
There are some incidences when a joke is just a joke and and a mistake is just a mistake, and ignorance is just ignorance. This was unfortunately for President Obama, all three, but I bet you he won’t ever forget it, nor should we let him. It will get what the community needs done that much faster.
March 20th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Amy Frost,
Please don’t make matters worse by trying to justify Mr. Obama’s outrageously insensitive remark.
To answer your question, yes, I’ve made plenty of insensitive comments in my lifetime.
However, they weren’t made on national television.
And, I’m not the president of the United States.
March 20th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I don’t think President Obama was poking fun at people with disabilities. In my opinion, he was simply stating that when it comes to bowling…he has a disability. I believe this man truly cares about people. Have you ever said something that could be construed as “insensitive?” Sure, you have…we all have at one time or another.
March 20th, 2009 at 11:53 am
I suggest sending comments via http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Here is what I just sent:
Dear President Obama,
I have rarely been more proud and hopeful than while watching you include “those who are disabled” in your election-night speech. I have rarely smiled more broadly than while watching you fill out your March Madness bracket on ESPN. And I have rarely been more saddened than while reading of your comment to Jay Leno about the Special Olympics.
You know what stereotyping does. You can and must do better.
During the campaign, I took a public stance that you and Joe Biden would provide more meaningful help to people with disabilities and their families than McCain-Palin, despite their personal connections to the topic. Please prove me right. And if I can be of any help, please let me know.
March 20th, 2009 at 8:55 am
Looking beyond the fact that he did not have a teleprompter and also that what comes out of one’s mouth unguarded gives a true insight into how one really thinks about a certain matter, I feel that President Obama is still the best choice we have. Who, if anyone, among those who came before him and probably those who come after him, is more likely to do right by our special needs population?
I’m a mother of a 2.5 year old boy with DS and I still believe he’s the best shot we’ve got.
March 20th, 2009 at 7:27 am
There were no teleprompters on the Leno show. We got to see the real guy, not an actor reading his lines.
March 20th, 2009 at 7:21 am
President Obama’s remarks on Special Olympics are clearly disappointing and unfortunately perpetuate stereotypes we are trying to defeat. The ironic thing about his remarks is that a majority of Special Olympics bowlers I have bowled with in the last 15+ years could easily beat his score of 129!
March 20th, 2009 at 3:40 am
New remarks to be overheard at Special Olympics:
“Get your head in the game — you’re bowling like Obama!”
March 20th, 2009 at 12:29 am
I am extremely disappointed and upset by President Obama’s disparaging and sarcastic remark. I am a Democrat and I voted for him. I never thought as President he would make fun of an entire population.
I know he was trying to make fun of himself, but he did so at the expense of others that had no choice in their circumstances. I think the jokes people make are often insights into how they really feel about certain people. What a huge letdown!
March 19th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Then what exactly was the intent of the comment? Because I sure don’t get what else he could have meant other than to make fun of people with disabilities.
It will be interesting to see how this plays in the press,too — especially after all of the articles that were written denouncing the ‘chimp’/stimulus bill cartoon … wonder if they will find this ‘joke’ as offensive as they found that?