Petty Grievance File: Wingers whining that Obama didn't use Bible during re-swear

[BurtWorm]

:eyes:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_01/016556.php

January 22, 2009

ONE MORE OATH FLAP.... Just when it seemed we could finally move from complaints about Barack Obama's oath of office, the right finds something new to whine about.

When Obama took the oath on Tuesday, he used the same Bible that Lincoln used in 1861. When he followed up with another oath last night, he raised his right hand, but kept his left hand by his side. This, apparently, is making some people unhappy.

The lead story on Drudge right now reports, in all caps, "No Bible Used At Obama Re-Swear."

Obama urged the nation to put an "end to the petty grievances" on Tuesday, but it appears some haven't quite gotten the message.

A few angles to consider. First, the Constitution is silent on the issue. It directs presidents to take an oath, but it says nothing about where or on what presidents should place their hand. To that end, this latest flap is not just nonsense, it's inconsequential nonsense.

Second, this isn't historically unique. Teddy Roosevelt didn't use a Bible, John Quincy Adams swore with his hand on a book of constitutional law, and Franklin Pierce did the same. (There's also some question about whether Lyndon Johnson used a Bible in 1963.)

And third, who cares? Obama used a Bible for the inauguration, but didn't for the pro-forma, abundance-of-caution do-over. Right-wing blogs care, and one assumes Fox News reports are soon to follow, but what is the point, exactly, that conservatives hope to make here? That their fascination with pettiness remains unabated?
—Steve Benen 11:05 AM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (48)

[Richard D]

1. That's not mandatory anyway.

Just tradition.

[BurtWorm]

3. Where were these whingers when their boy was shitting all over the Constitution, anyway?

Assholes. :patriot:

[Orrex]

2. But Bush didn't use the Constitution during either of his two terms

Doesn't it all sort of even out?

[47of74]

4. The point they hope to make is...

That they are small and petty people who do not truly care about this country.

[TacticalPeek]

5. Wingers whining is the new Muzak.

Everywhere whining and justly feeling inadequate.

[Kitty Herder]

But even more annoying. nt

[BOSSHOG]

6. Yeah and they don't use the Presidential Gold Dollars because

they don't have in God We Trust on it. BUT, the coins do have In God We Trust on them, on the rim. I heard that nonsense just last week. Jesus I try to be christian but are conservatives a heavy fucking load for our country or what??

[dysfunctional press]

7. third time's a charm...

but we'll probably have to wait until 2013 for that one.

[Gold Metal Flake]

8. A bible is not required. End of discussion.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

9. Geez, somebody call the Wahmbulance.

I think it's clear to anyone with a functioning cortex that if liberals were lodging similar complaints about a conservative president, the liberals would have been shouted down by now.

[gratuitous]

10. Oh, it never ends, does it?

The pettiness, the hypocrisy, and the whining. And never doubt for a second that there will ever be anything so picayune, so small, that it will escape notice. If you have faux outrage futures, go long.

[radfringe]

11. he also didn't hop on one foot

do the hokey-pokey, and whistle the star-spangled banner while taking the oath...

[louis-t]

14. I thought it was: juggle these oranges,

hop up and down on one foot and sing the Catalina Magdalena Leiptensteine song.

[radfringe]

23. no - the repubs "filiblustered" that song

they felt it was too foreign

[backscatter712]

12. Funny, I don't see anything in the Constitution that says a Bible is required.

This will go nowhere - just the birthers, turned oathers, whining. Obama said the oath correctly, which was more than he actually needed to do to become President, because of the 20th Amendment, which changes the rules so that at 12:00 noon on 1/20, he could be taking an oath, or taking a bath, and still become President.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. The best part is...

there wasn't a Bible immediately available in the WH>

[BurtWorm]

20. The Bushes must have taken them all.

[Ganja Ninja]

15. "not just nonsense, it's inconsequential nonsense."

Inconsequential nonsense from a bunch of inconsequential morons. Isn't it about time we gave them the type of attention they deserve? What they have to add to the national discourse is about as important as the insane lunatic standing in the middle of street shouting "the end is coming". Their insanity is the issue here. Nothing else about them is relevant.

[TWiley]

29. These people hear voices, believe in the rapture, and are gun nuts.

Furthermore, they absolutely believe that saying a magic string of words with a bible involved will guarentee your entrance into heaven. Without the magic oration ...... eternity in hell buster.

They take their superstitions very seriously. It really pisses me off that Roberts did it on purpose TWICE. The average lawyer, let alone the chief justice, would never fuck that up. They live and die by the meaning of words and proceedure. To believe it was an accident is foolish.

[geardaddy]

16. It's an oath OR an affirmation.

as in "Do you swear (or affirm)..."

[TWiley]

33. Oath or AMMUNITION remember, those crazies pack heat.

We understand, but never misunderestimate the ignorance of the radical right.

[kenny blankenship]

17. Next Up: When Will Obama Swear-In On A Stack Of Bibles?

One flubbed oath taking is bad - the magic doesn't take hold the right way but is warped. It's like a wheel out of alignment on your car: the car rolls but it doesn't drive right. Two flubbed oath ceremonies is even worse. The car now has a bent suspension along with the misaligned wheel. The warped magic wobbles and lurches and threatens to send the Presidency careening out of control. It must be put right and clearly, after all these flubbed oaths, ONE Bible will not do.

The conjuring power of a STACK of Bibles might be enough to undo the all the bad magic. But only a witch doctor of Pat Robertson's rank and experience would be able to say for sure. Perhaps if Ted Haggard were able to lay hands on President Obama he could draw the bad magic out and the President could retake the oath on just one Bible. But a stack of Bibles will be the surest safest way.

[sarge43]

18. "The Honourable Member has demonstrated that

there is no such thing as unutterable nonsense."

[TahitiNut]

19. From the people who brought us SCOTUS/Florida 2000, THIS is a concern???

BULLSHIT!

The emotionally ill are running amok again.

[Subdivisions]

21. If I remember my history correctly, our founding fathers rejected

religion and religious symbolism as one of the things that oppressed them in the Motherland. They were as much declaring their freedom from religion as they were their freedom from tyranny and oppression.

Someone correct me if I'm mistaken.

[alfredo]

22. They are also pissed about something Jay Z said at one of the private

parties on Tuesday.

Of course you don't hear them complaining about hunger and poverty, just something a black man might have said.

[stuntcat]

24. he should just take the oath every single morning

If they give those petty assholes what they want will they then worry about real problems threatening the entire human race?

[hamsterjill]

25. Chief Justice Roberts didn't have one?

Shouldn't the right wingers be asking why Chief Justice Roberts didn't have a bible with HIM?

[TWiley]

27. Of course he didn't. He is delibertly throwing the radical right a bone.

Roberts caused this whole problem. He did it on purpose. Taking the second oath WITHOUT a bible is proof to me. Mr. Obama would do it a dozen times, and Roberts would keep finding a way to fuck it up. There is NO way this racist bush appointee (who Obama voted against) will ever legimitize a black president.

[HEyHEY]

26. I called that one

[gkhouston]

28. Given time, I'm sure someone will be claiming the second oath, the "real one"

was taken with his hand on the Qu'ran. :eyes:

[ipfilter]

31. I'm waiting for my wingnut Aunt to send me an email about that. nt

[timtom]

30. God Almighty!

Was his tie in a half windsor or a simple overhand at the time?
Did his socks match?

These poor, pathetic troglodytes -- penny wise and pound foolish.

[Liberal In Texas]

32. As far as LBJ, his left had was on something that looks like a book (pic):

This whole thing is ridiculous. But is shows how they're going to jump on anything and everything and blow things WAY out of proportion.
We're going to be fighting these brush fires from now on. Just wait until something with any substance comes up.