Am I the only one bothered by Matthews always referring to Obama as .....

[Stinky The Clown]

..... Barack. Or as today, "President Barack"?

I find that disrespectful and just plain annoying.

[EFerrari]

1. It's too familiar. I remember President Clinton was disrespected

in the same way and it galled me no end.

[Captain Hilts]

16. Right. Santorum, of all humanoids, referring to him as "Bill." A freshman senator doing that.

Then Dick Armey's "your president" comment.

[EFerrari]

19. Sometimes just as "Clinton". It was a strategy of theirs

just like calling us the "Democrat Party". I'm not one to stand on ceremony much but Tweety is just playing into it whether he knows it or not.

[OKNancy]

2. No. He obviously is very supportive of Obama and the time he

did it today, it was more a brainfart than anything. You could tell he was stumbling over his words.

Personally, I think it's time to lay of Matthews and pick another bogeyman.

[butterfly77]

3. No..

[zbdent]

4. I would suspect that virtually every time Matthews refered to the former president,

it was with the title "President" Bush ...

[Vinca]

7. I've never heard Tweety call him George, that's for sure.

[Pirate Smile]

I think he started referring to him more as Barack during the primaries because Hillary

was usually referred to as Hillary AND because he mixed up Obama and Osama too many times. I think he decided it was safer to use Barack.

It didn't work for McCain or Biden though because there are too many Johns and Joes.

Now Tweety could just say "the President" and that would cover it.

[cynatnite]

5. There are more important things to worry about n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

9. You're right.

So?

[valerief]

6. Yeah, and the WH should wear respectful ties, too!

:sarcasm:

[Raine]

8. Matthews likes Obama so

it doesn't bother me ... it's just the way Matthews is. I like when Matthews reams out the idiotic rePUKEs.

[rvablue]

10. It is both disrespectful and annoying and doesn't follow simple journalist stye guidelines.

Tweety is an ass!

I challenge anyone who is "OK with this" to find me a clip of Tweety calling Bush, George. Not gonna find one.

[EFerrari]

13. Exactly. And while with Tweety it may be a term of affection

his speech blends in with the Republics who do it as a way to disrespect Obama and amplifies them.

[rvablue]

21. And if we don't criticize him for doing it, how do we have any standing when the Republics do it?

:shrug:

[Captain Hilts]

15. He's an ass and not a journalist. nt

[EraOfResponsibility]

11. He's mad at Obama for not choosing Howard Dean as HHS Secretary n/m

[ejpoeta]

12. it doesn't bother me.

[Captain Hilts]

14. It's completely INappropriate for him to do so. Formal usage is. They're not pals. nt

[rvablue]

22. Tweety's bloated ego would disagree with you on that! n/t

[tangent90]

28. So would it be inappropriate for Obama to call him Chris?

If not, why not?
I mean if they aren't pals...

[EFerrari]

30. No because the custom is to call teevee anchors by their given name.

That's not the custom with presidents.

[tangent90]

32. Customs are anachronisms perpetuated by stodgy thinking.

I never call anyone by his or her "title"...only by their first names. I have pissed off a few stuffed shirts which pleased me greatly. :D

[EFerrari]

35. Nope. Customs are behaviors that allow us to approach each other

without the fear of getting clubbed over the head. You may not resort to social agreements but they do tend to make things a little easier since we've been out of caves.

[tangent90]

36. You certainly do have a point...ignore the customs in East L.A. at your peril.

:D

There haven't been a lot of clubbings at press conferences lately, though. :D

[EFerrari]

40. I'm not a big fan of stuffiness, either. Not at all.

When I taught college, my students called me "Beth", and I only have ever worn panty hose if there was some life threatening situation ongoing.

lol

But, it would be nice for Matthews to use the term "President". The guy earned it and we paid enough for it. Let's wear it out. :)

[City Lights]

17. No, and I sent him an email about it.

Like most emails I send to GE-TV, it was either ignored or dismissed.

[MadBadger]

18. If it was somebody who wasnt Tweety, It would.

But I think he does it because he likes him.

[EFerrari]

20. Sure -- but he makes the Republics sound louder. n/t

[chemp]

23. doesn't want to get caught stumbling over his own tongue again

and accidentally refer to the president as "Osama".

He's done it at least once, that I know of... looked like a damn fool.

[EFerrari]

24. Happens when you talk for a living. I sent him a short, cordial note

to hardball @ msnbc.com

[Stinky The Clown]

25. How hard is it???? ........ oh BAH ma

Its is so simple that it is its own phonetic spelling.

Matthews makes his living ..... ****talking****

Saying the president's name should not be a stretch for him.

[Warren DeMontague]

39. And it allows his mouth muscles a graceful transition from the last Occupant of the WH.

President Bush.. President Bahush... President Barush... President Barash.. President Barack! :thumbsup:

[tangent90]

26. Molehill>>mountain

I don't think he means (or is there) any disrespect. No, he didn't call W "George" but there are ten million Georges in this country.

[spanone]

27. it's the department of redundancy department to call matthews annoying

[rug]

29. Can I just call you Stinky?

[blaze]

31. I don't think it would ever happen

if Barack had a more common first name....

I mean, you wouldn't hear him say, "John is scheduled to appear before Congress tonight," would you?

I really don't think he means any disrespect by it. But I think it's "reporting" at it's worst.

edited to add: I've just read three threads where posters refer to our President as "Barack." I don't think any of them meant that as disrespect....

[tangent90]

33. Perhaps one day somebody will ask Barack if it offends him

and settle this huge controversy that has so many agonizing over what might upset somebody else. I can't help thinking of republicans and conservatives and their pearl-clutching wail "but what about the children". Same principle. ;-)

[EFerrari]

37. Well, no, it's not.

lol

[ecstatic]

34. Anyone OK with that should also be OK with repugs calling us the

"democrat party."

[tangent90]

38. And 'repugs' is totally void of any pejorative suggestion. Got it.

:rofl: