We Are Sooo Wearin’ O’ the Green

If you are one of the people concerned that Big Guy’s been spending too much time on the campaign trail, allow Jay Jay to disabuse you of that silly idea:

“I still maintain that the president is still spending a vast preponderance of his time on his official duties.

As is everyone who works here,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said at Wednesday’s briefing when asked if Obama is officially in campaign mode.

“There is a campaign of course and it is active doing the things that it does in preparation for the time when there is a general election for the other party and there is a debate to be had directly,” he said.

Nicely done Jay Jay: it’s amazing that we could have so many talented, silver-tongued devils right here in the Big White! Butt then, it’s a quality we value highly and actively seek in all of our team members:

       

     

For his part, Joey B used his talents to advance Big Guy’s class warfare and to point out Big Guy’s warrior-like persona:

US Vice President Joe Biden, throwing punches as a warrior for the middle class, plunged into the 2012 election race Thursday, hailing President Barack Obama as a man with "steel in his spine."

Biden praised Obama for rescuing US auto companies with an unpopular $80 billion bailout opposed by many Republicans…

"But the guy I work with, every day, the president, didn't flinch. This is a man with steel in his spine,"

Our Man of Steal:emboldened by what he knows not

Big Guy himself was busy with the lip work yesterday, racking up no fewer than five fundraising stops! Here are the final results:

Chicago, $2.1 million at two separate fundraisers at the Palmer House Hilton. Atlanta, $3.9 million at three pickups: one at Tyler Perry’s “House O’ Pain” (with Oprah and ValJar!),

Big Guy, embracing the star power of Tyler and his big green celebrity machine

another at Tyler’s studios and a final drop by at another private residence.

Wow! That’s $5 million greenbacks in one day! That’s an impressive showing of the luck o’ the Irish.

Oh yeah, and how appropriate is this: one of the headliner “entertainers” at Tyler’s studio party was none other than Cee Lo Green.

Cee Lo Green, just a lovable little leprechaun

The Grammy-winner and Atlanta native flicked off the audience before asking, “Can I curse in here?” But he didn’t wait for the answer, belting out “f*** you!” Cee Lo ultimately switched to the censored “Forget You” lyrics.

Oh my, how we wish we could – “forget you” that is. Especially Jay Jay who declined to comment on the appropriateness of Cee Lo’s song and lyrics earlier in the day. Thankfully, he was not asked to comment on one of Big Guy’s other faves, Ludacris, who is also a popular ringtone at fundraising events:

At an earlier fundraiser today, the president was interrupted by a “Ludacris” song when someone’s phone started ringing.

“Woah. Got some ‘Luda’ on there?” the president asked of the person’s ring tone, eliciting some hearty laughter from the crowd. “I hope it’s the clean version.”

Are there clean versions? And if there are, isn’t that, like, censorship or something? We’re against that, right? Well, except for rabid right–wing talk radio.

Anyway, back on the fundraising trail: we officially rolled out the Love Song of Barack Hussein Obama documentary on Thursday, only to take a headshot from our own team on Friday. It seems we’re still having a little trouble with our math - so much so that one of Big Guy’s own Left-wing rah-rah sites, Raw Story, felt it necessary to point out the $25 billion error embedded in the movie:

The Obama 2012 campaign has released a short film called “The Road We’ve Traveled,” detailing the challenges faced by President Barack Obama’s administration from day one through the start of the campaign.

But it’s not all roses for team Obama: part of the film contains a gross inaccuracy. Specifically, it claims that General Motors (GM) has fully repaid its federal bailout loan. It has not — meaning the documentary contains a $25 billion error.

Of the nearly $50 billion given to GM, just under half has been repaid to the government. Officials still argue the auto bailouts were a good investment due to the hundreds of thousands of jobs saved by that decision, and it is accurate to say that GM has returned to record profits — as have all the other major American automakers.

Math: it may be more important than you think

I think it will be okay though; most of our supporters don’t follow math all that closely anyway. And a good thing, because otherwise they might be upset about the projected gross cost of Obamacare doubling to $1.76 Trillion before it’s even off the drawing board. IMHO, Big Guy’s $25 billion GM error is in the rounding of his $900 billion error in O’Bamacare, so what’s the fuss? Stay tuned, every time we find out more about  what’s “in the bill” passed by Nancy and Harry, it costs billions more. Don’t look for any more “adjustments” until after the election however, unless the R-words finally figure out how to set the parameters for the CBO the same way the Dems do. And that doesn’t seem likely.

Butt back to our wearin’ o’ the green: Lady M was busy doing her part yesterday too. First sacrificin’ by stopping in to hug the troops and their family members at the National Guard in Minneapolis before scooting off for the real purpose of our trip on Air Force Won Too: a DNC fundraiser to add to our WTF pot of gold.

Lady M deplanes in Minneapolis wearin’ the symbolic green and gold

So anyway, Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! Enjoy your corned beef and cabbage, Guinness and soda bread. And don’t forget to drop a little something in the pot to help Big Guy WTF.

Linked By: Larwyn’s Linx on Doug Ross@Journal, and NOBO2012 on Free Republic, Thanks!

BO and David: Called Out by the Homeland Press

Well this is a little embarrassing, Prime Minister Cameron is being called out for obsequiousness by the home team.

What David Cameron described as his "guys night out" watching basketball with President Barack Obama in the swing state of Ohio was cheesy and embarrassing enough.

But has there ever been a speech given by a British prime minister that was quite as cringeworthy as Cameron's "toast" to Obama at last night's State Dinner?

Watch the video. Cameron starts speaking at the 8:20 point and almost immediately goes downhill from there.

Ouch! That’s going to leave a mark. (See for yourself, if you must)

In Strasbourg, he apologised for the times when "America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive" towards its allies.

But Obama has certainly shown arrogance and dismissiveness towards the UK in a way that President George W. Bush never did. Israel considers the US an unreliable ally under Obama. Iran's green revolutionaries might question Obama's "moral authority" after he allowed them to be crushed by Tehran's theocratic regime, as might the Syrian rebels and civilians currently dying at the hands of President Bashar Assad.

Nicely done Davey. Do you need an aspirin?

Not only that, butt now that “inside the tent” pictures from our unofficial state dinner are leaking out, critics are beginning to wonder if we got our money’s worth from that expensive party planner that the Clinton’s used for Chelsea’s wedding.

It does look like any run-of-the-mill charity ball,

Nice Lucite backed chairs; what was that quaint Brit expression again? Oh yes, “cheesy”

He only added to this error by his fawning praise of the man he referred to earlier in the day as "Mr President Barack" - which only reinforces the sense that the  UK (is) the much junior partner in the much-vaunted (in the UK) "special relationship".

For a British prime minister to align himself with one side in American politics is a rookie error. To do it with the party on the opposite side (supposedly) of the political spectrum is pure folly.

Like I noted yesterday, they sure don’t make Tories like they used to. Butt I’m sure glad Big Guy is beyond making rookie mistakes like that.

Do we always sit with our back to guests now?

Meanwhile, back on the domestic front: Big Guy went to Prince George Community College yesterday to remind us again that there’s no silver bullet for high gas prices, and to call the “Drill, Drill, Drill” people stupid:

Big Guy, being derisive, even dismissive of the “drill here, drill now” flat-earthers

We’ve heard this kind of thinking before.  Let me tell you something.  If some of these folks were around when Columbus set sail -- (laughter) -- they must have been founding members of the Flat Earth Society.  (Laughter.)  They would not have believed that the world was round.  (Applause.) [ed., because you’re probably stupid and don’t know what the Flat Earth Society believed.] We've heard these folks in the past.  They probably would have agreed with one of the pioneers of the radio who said, "Television won’t last.  It’s a flash in the pan."  (Laughter.)  One of Henry Ford’s advisors was quoted as saying, "The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a fad."  (Laughter.)   [ed., laugh lines provided courtesy of an in-kind campaign contribution from Chris Rock]

Now, Maryland, there are two problems with that answer.  First of all, we are drilling.  Under my administration, America is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years.  (Applause.)  Any time.  That's a fact.  That's a fact.  We’ve quadrupled the number of operating oil rigs to a record high.  I want everybody to listen to that -- we have more oil rigs operating now than ever.  That's a fact.

Butt Charles the K calls him out on that point:

These increases have occurred in spite of his restrictive policies. They are the result of Clinton- and Bush-era permitting. This has been accompanied by a gold rush of natural gas production resulting from new fracking technology that has nothing at all to do with Obama.

And it appears that Big Guy is actually a bit conflicted over whether we’re stupid or not:

“The American people aren’t stupid,” Obama said (Feb. 23), mocking “Drill, baby, drill.” The “only solution,” he averred in yet another major energy speech last week, is that “we start using less — that lowers the demand, prices come down.” Yet five paragraphs later he claimed that regardless of “how much oil we produce at home . . . that’s not going to set the price of gas worldwide.”

And than Charles makes Big Guy cry, by calling him out on his crony-capitalism green energy policy:

Instead, Obama offers what he fancies to be the fuels of the future. You would think that he’d be a tad more modest today about his powers of divination after the Solyndra bankruptcy, the collapse of government-subsidized Ener1 (past makers of the batteries of the future) and GM’s suspension of production — for lack of demand — of another federally dictated confection, the flammable Chevy Volt.

Deterred? Hardly. Our undaunted seer of the energy future has come up with his own miracle fuel: algae.

See? Just like Big Guy said: Charles has revealed himself to be a complete luddite. He’s probably a Global Warming denier too.

Well, I’ve got to run, I’ve still got a lot to do in advance of our big St. Patrick’s Day (if we’re still allowed to call it that) O’Bama party.

I leave you to contemplate Big Guy’s energy plan of the future:

With a little luck ‘o the Irish, my green energy plan will work like a lucky charm…to give me another 4 years. WTF.

Linked By: Larwyn’s Linx on Doug Ross@Journal, and by Car in & roamingfirehydrant on The Hostages, Thanks!

“We’ve tasted the dessert; and it is good.”

All the pomp and circumstances of a State Dinner without the head of state: butt then, we’ve dispensed with the usual protocol and decided to call this “Official Dinner” a “State Dinner” anyway. After all, we came here to CHANGE things, remember?

And David Cameron, for his part, earned the special honor admirably, as seen here in his toast to Big Guy:

Barack, it is an honor to call you an ally, a partner, and a friend.  You don't get to choose the circumstances you have to deal with as a President or a Prime Minister.  And you don't get to choose the leaders that you have to work with.  But all I can say is that it is a pleasure to work with someone with moral strength, with clear reason, and with fundamental decency in this task of renewing our great national alliance for today and for the generations to follow.

Moral strength, clear reason, fundamental decency: who wouldn’t want to renew a great national alliance with a guy like that? Plus, BO’s a Nobel Peace Prize winner and he really knows his brackets.

Suffice it to say they don’t make Tory leaders like they used to.

Butt I know you want to see the gowns, front back and sideways:

While Sam’s gown showcased her very slim figure, she did her best to maintain the myth of the Brits being dowdy. Lady M of course was resplendent in her Marchesa gown and Thomas Binn pearls – a king’s ransom’s worth.

The largest State dinner to date, this one had to be held in the Big Tent around back,

Don’t worry though, we spared no expense on the ambiance, with the theme and decorations arranged by the same people who did Chelsea Clinton’s wedding – so you know it was really cool, even if it was a little pricey. Butt price was no object: after all “We don’t have a stronger friend and stronger ally than David Cameron and the British people.” (Or is that the French?)

Dr. Jill, showcasing the…uh, ambiance of the tent setting

Sharing in last night’s  sacrificin’ for the American people were all the usual suspects: media-whores (can I say that?), celebrity donors and really big bundlers. Note: in keeping with the Bison themed dinner many of the guests came with beards…and facial hair.

In the media-whore contingency, l-r, Claire Shipman(ABC) and Mr. Claire Shipman (JJ Carney), Gwen Ifill (PBS) and date, Anna Wintour (Vogue) and date and, below, the honorable Andrew Sullivan (Newsweek/Daily Beast) of Sarah Palin “Trig is not your child” fame) and his current squeeze, Aaron Tone.

Andrew: no war on women here

      

Hollywood backers: dreamboat and ambassador at large, George Clooney, with ValJar; Elizabeth McGovern (unsolicited advice: cosmetic surgery is no longer your friend, dear) and Harvey Weinstein with his wife

George, making Lady M blush and flutter her butterflies: he seems to be everywhere

 

          …and of course, the bundlers: Richard Branson, Steve Hilton and the honorable Warren Buffet. What? Oh, Uggie? No he didn’t attend, he just came for a play-date with Little Bo.

You’ve probably heard about the famous Buffalo menu by now:

First Course

Crisped Halibut with Potato Crust
Shaved Brussels Sprouts
Applewood Smoked Bacon

Second Course
Spring Garden Lettuces
Shallot Dressing, Shaved Breakfast Radish
Cucumbers and Avocados

Main Course
Bison Wellington
Red Wine Reduction
French Beans, Cipollini Onion

Dessert
Warm Meyer Lemon Steamed Pudding
with Idaho Huckleberry Sauce and Newtown Pippin Apples

We had to stretch our definition of eating “local” to mean “somewhere in America” as the halibut was flown in from Alaska (bringing a pretty big carbon footprint with it) and the bison came from one of Ted Turner’s many bison ranches – this one in South Dakota. This is  completely OT,  butt did you know that Ted agrees 1000% with Big Guy’s decision to deep six the Keystone Pipeline? He agrees that our carbon footprint’s already big enough and now that he has his, it’s time to put a stop to this nonsense. He’s always been very supportive (philosophically as well as monetarily) of our progressive agenda. Too bad he couldn’t make it last night: I guess he was too busy trying to save some other endangered species.

Home, home on the Bison tax credit range

Anyway, that’s a long way to travel only to be turned into a dish with roots in the British upper-class:

Don’t worry though, we balanced the dinner’s “upper-crust” image with an homage to working class fare with our first course of fish and chips.

BTW, a little insider baseball story about the Pippin apples included with the steamed Lemon pudding: it seems that the Newtown Pippin Apples "serve as a symbol of the American-British partnership—the apple was so favored by Queen Victoria that she had the customs duty on them eliminated," according to the Big White PR staff. Hmmm – removing taxes on something considered a luxury item? That seems a mixed message coming from Big Guy who’s committed to making sure everyone pays their fair share. Butt what do I know about taxes, politics, or - for that matter - mixed messages?

I can’t share the wine selections with you. Ever since we were criticized after the Won’s first State Dinner for serving such expensive wine during a painful (for most Americans, butt none that were here last night) recession, the wine list has been  “classified information.”

The entertainment was swell too: John Legend (regular visitor here at the Big White) and Mumford and Sons, a British folk band and personal favorite of Sam Cam’s.

Mumford and Sons bring down the house, or tent, as it were

You’re all aware of Lady M’s  interest and commitment to mentoring youngsters so you’ll not be surprised to hear that she found a way to include them in this historic State dinner in honor of our first (or second) strongest ally. Before the big bash,  she invited both U.S. and British schoolgirls to review a copy of the regal table settings arranged in the State Dining Room, and to sample the steamed lemon pudding. Originally she told the girls they’d be the first to get a little taste of it, before remembering: “I think me and Grandma and a couple of people, we’ve tasted the desserts.”

Press preview, with girls

Ah yes, we’ve tasted the desserts. And they are good.

Linked By: Chickaboomer, and Cardigan on iOwnTheWorld, Thanks!

The British are Coming

Did you hear about the Brits coming to visit Big Guy and Lady M at the Big White?

And the Brits always bring the nicest gifts with them. Although for some reason we occasionally  return them.

So yesterday, Lady M entertained Samantha Cameron by dragging her off to a “mini-Olympic” event. I’ve never heard of “mini Olympic events” before so I think it’s just something we ginned-up to impress Sam Cam with Lady M’s ability to get down with the little people. She’s not afraid to make a fool of herself, you know, in order to get those kids’ fat behinds moving.

So I’ve been asking myself ever since yesterday afternoon: how is it that Samantha Cameron can attend a mini-Olympic event and not look silly?

And then it hit me: Brits, being a reserved lot, seem to attend these events as observers rather than participants. Those Brits – they can be a bit stuffy that way. Lady M on the other hand is not like that in the least; she’s always game to get down with, well, whatever. Yesterday it was tennis.

So while Sam Cam stood graciously on the sidelines, allowing her hostess to direct air traffic,

and show off demonstrate that athletic prowess she’s so famous for…

by gamely smashing tennis balls around in her high heels, Sam stood demurely on the sidelines in her very high heels:

Just trying to level the playing field

So I’ve concluded that the Brits really are different from Americans. When they’re guests in your country they behave like guests. Whereas visiting Americans sometimes act like they’re the host; even if they don’t know their way around all that well. And aren’t all that clear on the proper protocol;

No touching the royals – pleeze!

 And no reading your toast while the British national anthem is playing.

And while I’m on the subject, it’s always best to check the year before your trip so you don’t sign historical documents with the wrong one:

…not that 2008 wasn’t a very historical year, it’s just that it was about 3 years prior.

Anyway, for his part Big Guy did what any thoughtful host would do: he took his guest to a NCAA basketball playoff game in Dayton, Ohio. Prime Minister Cameron has never even been to a basketball game before because they don’t play basketball in Britain (too many white guys). So you can imagine how excited he was to jump on a plane right after disembarking from his trans-Atlantic flight and fly off to Ohio.

This way, little man, we’re off to a $365,000 basketball game

And again, Big Guy was the perfect host, providing food:

and entertainment:

Bread and circuses: are we having fun yet?

Mr. Cameron, for his part, was the perfect guest, following his hosts lead:

       

       

So I hope the Brits had fun yesterday, because we really showed them the genuine side of the Wons’: Lady M, not afraid to “make a fool out of herself” to get kids mooving:

 Lady M’s potato sack race with Jimmy Fallon

…and Big Guy’s love of the hoops:

Or maybe it’s the hotdogs that Lady M lets him eat at hoop games

Tonight: a big dinner for the Brits, although not technically a “state” dinner because that would be reserved for the Queen herself, should she ever deign to visit, butt it will be a really big deal anyway. The chefs were out first thing this morning harvesting greens from Lady M’s organic garden of good and evil in order to serve our now signature weed salad tonight.

I haven’t seen the whole menu yet, but we’ve heard that PM Cameron loves homegrown veggies and meat. So I’m guessing steak, again. One thing I can confirm: there will be no Soylent Pink within 25 miles of the Big White. Ever.

Anyway, I’ve got to run: they need a little help setting up that really big tent out back where we’ll be serving our Lady M’s farm-to-table dinner tonight. This is considered important because the Brits are among our few remaining allies. So I sure hope nobody jeopardizes that relationship by acting stupidly.

George W. Bush accepting a bust of Winston Churchill from the British Ambassador. Big Guy sent him home; Winnie, not the Ambassador.