CNN’s Jack Cafferty: Obama gaffe was ’stupidest thing …’
April 1st, 2009
From “The Daily Show” with video (footage starts at 15:15):
While promoting his new book, CNN “Situation Room” anchor Jack Cafferty tells Jon Stewart that Barack Obama’s Special Olympics remark was “arguably the stupidest thing he’s ever said…” Partial transcript:
Jack Cafferty: I like Obama. I think he’s a bright guy. He’s the former editor of the Harvard Law Review, former Senator, President of the United States, and he goes on The Tonight show and says arguably the stupidest thing he’s ever said in his entire adult life.
Jon Stewart: The Special Olympics thing?
Cafferty: Yeah.
Stewart: Crazy. It was crazy.
Cafferty: What makes people do that on talk shows? …
Stewart: You know, I think what happens is people just want to be on TV. Maybe that’s all this has been for him.
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April 1st, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Pamela,
I’m not satisfied with President Obama’s apology.
His remark was made in front of millions of viewers, yet he chose to apologize via telephone to one person.
While I have no proof of this, my hunch is that he didn’t realize his error until someone pointed it to him.
April 1st, 2009 at 3:25 pm
I felt that this exchange demonstrated that both Jon Stewart and Jack Cafferty understood both what was wrong about the President’s comment and that it was a shocking remark to hear from him. It does seem as though there are as many interpretations of the Stewart/Cafferty remarks as any others but I felt it was a giant leap forward by anyone on Comedy Central.
I expected something more like that acknowledgement when Charlie Rose chatted with Ben Stiller and/or Peter Singer, and still feel absolutely chilled when I think of those interviews.
President Obama apologized immediately and apparently had some suggestions himself of ways to make amends ~ I’ve read that in a couple of places but that did not make his remark any less overwhelming especially to families of young children – especially since there were so many lame excuses and *defenses* of his remark by people who really don’t get it. I would not be surprised now if Charlie Rose already demonstrated that he dismissed the comment and repercussions in our communities as unimportant and not worthy of consideration.
Of course I can’t know how many of us who have raised wonderful sons or daughters with Down syndrome might have shared the perspectives of Stiller, Singer and Rose if they had not brought us into community with one another.
And of course, some parents may not have changed their perspectives very much in spite of having a son or daughter with Down syndrome or other developmental disability.
Maybe that’s why I appreciate apologies and promises to do better ~ so many who have had the power to remove obstacles in my son’s life have not done so, have not apologized, and have in fact heaped on more challenges. I count Ben Stiller, Peter Singer, and alas, Charlie Rose among that number.
I am relieved that Jack Cafferty, Jon Stewart and Barack Obama understood what was wrong about the President’s comment on Jay Leno. That’s a giant leap forward, and even though it falls far short of our goal, we are moving in a better direction.
April 1st, 2009 at 12:40 pm
People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. These comments are no better than the original, as words like “stupid” and “crazy” were once the equivalent of the R word.
April 1st, 2009 at 11:46 am
I saw that comment by Cafferty and was actually hoping that Stewart might take the opportunity to renounce his own use of the words retarded/retard which pop up on his show more often than I’d like…but unsurprisingly, it was not to be.