4 NASCAR drivers insist busy schedules are the reason why they won't go to the White House

[thewiseguy]

HAMPTON, Ga. – All four of the 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who won’t visit the White House next Wednesday insisted they have scheduling conflicts, not political issues with President Barrack Obama.

The four – Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick – had longstanding commitments to their sponsors and race teams that couldn’t be changed, especially with less than a two-week notice.

“I read where I rejected it. That’s not true,” Biffle said. “I can’t go. I have a prior obligation. I didn’t reject anything. Rejecting something means I won’t go. I can’t go. There’s a difference. I got an invitation before. I went, met him, I got a photo on my bookshelf in my office at my house of us shaking hands.”

Biffle will be at the 3M customer service day, an annual event of employees and customers of the company that sponsors his race car.

http://brainerddispatch.com/sports/auto-racing/2011-09-02/busy-schedules-short-notice-reason-why-four-drivers-won%E2%80%99t-go-white

I posted this because some DUers were taking turns calling these drivers jackasses and other names in the book for rejecting to meet with Obama!

Carl Edwards is another driver who can't make it to the White House event. Here is more information on his situation: Edwards is a member of the Presidential Fitness Council, so he visits the White House several times a year. In fact, he’s supposed to see the president later this month.

Kurt Busch another driver who was rumored to be snubbing the president has released a statement saying meeting Obama is an honor to him and he will be there.

There is more at the link, but it is pretty sad for the writer of the original story and DUers to be stereotyping a sport or its fans.

[Ineeda]

1. Thanks for this.

I, for one, bought the slant of the original thread because I'm so disgusted by the blatant disrespect shown to this president. I take it back with this clarification.

[thewiseguy]

2. No problem. Here are Tony Stewart's comments:

"Trust me, if we could be there, we'd definitely be there," Stewart said Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. "I've always viewed it as an honor just to get an invitation to go. I've enjoyed every trip every time I've gone there. I've learned more and more about it. And it's pretty cool feeling to be with most powerful man in the world. That's not an invitation we take lightly."

Stewart wouldn't reveal his conflicting plans — "I'm not going to put anybody under the bus by talking about it" — but insisted it was a commitment he couldn't break or change. Otherwise, he would have been at the White House.


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gWYpJJbBN4wADcSMHpXVj9mO3NHQ?docId=10f4f9ce50ef4f06bd8701c707567d41

[CherokeeDem]

3. Thank you....

I posted on that disgusting thread that I knew that Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart attended the event last year. Thank you very much for doing this. I was aware of Carl Edwards' participation in the President's Fitness Council and that he was at the White House often.

This kind of blatant stereotyping of anything that occurs on DU is very stressful to me. I have my Southern heritage bashed all the time, now because I am a NASCAR fan I am considered a red neck. My thoughts...most of the people who do that type of caustic commenting are very uninformed, narrow minded, and sad. People should be defined by how the behave toward their fellow beings on this planet...not by the pastimes that bring us pleasure. I'm certain many of them participate in activities that I don't enjoy but I refuse to label them as idiots, or whatever other tag they want to label me with.

By the way, both Edwards and Stewart are mid-westerners, not southerners; Edwards from Missouri and Stewart from Indiana.

[Ineeda]

4. Funny you say this...

my brother is a NASCAR freak. Lives and breathes it and he's far from a redneck. I find it mind-numbingly boring, but know he thinks the same of my interests! So I didn't disparage the fans, but I did buy the disrespect-this-president aspect. Again, I apologize.

[Lugnut]

13. Harvick and Biffle are west-coasters.

I'm not southern but I am a NASCAR fan. I'm a 66 year old grandmother from NE PA. Go figure!

[a la izquierda]

24. I'm a PhD educated white woman...

and I like Nascar. I've written letters when they've had really inflammatory preachers on giving the invocation. My husband and I both watch and we're both leftists. It's entertaining.

[lynne]

5. Thank you! YES, there's a reasonable explanation for those who cannot attend -

- too bad some chose to brand them rednecks, hillbillies, ignorant, ingrates and racists without bothering to get the whole story.

They are owed apologies and everyone needs to put their broad brush back into their holsters.

[catabryna]

6. DU and NASCAR tend to be incompatible...

I happen to be a fan of both. I figured the facts would eventually come out. I'm pleased to see their explanations posted here rather than elsewhere where I'm not likely to see it.

Thanks from this gal who is definitely NOT a redneck! :)

[bluedigger]

7. There's a lot of Nascar hate on DU.

They don't understand that today's drivers are a diverse group from across the country. As are the fans. (OK, maybe not so much, but the drivers tend to be younger...) Thanks for the link!

[B Calm]

36. NASCAR Sucks. It's not racing when one goes around the track pushing another car.

They ruined NASCAR!

[lumberjack_jeff]

8. Assume good faith.

We merit periodic reminders.

[Shagbark Hickory]

9. Yeah right. Too busy? You make fucking time for the president.

Lets get real.

[bluedigger]

14. Good point.

How can we expect the President to govern effectively, without the wise counsel of his Nascar advisors?

It's totally unpatriotic and disrespectful of them not to participate in this photo-op on short notice while they are in the busiest time of their season.

How will Obama know which tires to buy?

Well, at least we'll know who to blame when civilization collapses.

[Shagbark Hickory]

15. Lets put ME in their shoes. Sept and Oct are my busiest months of the year.

I work hard all year to build up to these two months.

Yeah I've lost my enthusiasm for Obama and yeah taking off of work can cost me big time but if I was invited to the white house, I'd find the time to get there.

[bluedigger]

26. So would I.

But then again, I haven't been invited to the WH or met the President before. They have. Carl Edwards is on Obama's fitness council and sees him often. I think you're trying to put them in your shoes, not vice versa.

I'm sure if it was for an urgent purpose they would be there if asked, but it's just a hastily arranged photo-op. And really, if they don't support the Dems, I wouldn't expect them to show up anyways, because it isn't going to help them much with their fan base, just the President with his.

[cherokeeprogressive]

19. He's not a monarch. If he called me and said "jump", the very last fucking thing I'd say is

"how high?"

I don't care if he's the Pope, Dalai Lama, or John Fucking Kennedy. His summons is not my command.

[treestar]

30. Of course, and they will suffer nothing

No beheadings, etc.

But geez, that's a big deal to give up that opportunity! Who would do that? You mean you wouldn't take advantage of that?

I'd go if Bush were still there. Just the idea I was important enough to get the invitation would get me to go. It would not mean I agreed with Bush on anything.

[Union Scribe]

20. Fucking time for the president?

I imagine a LOT of DUers would make time for that.

[-..__...]

28. Why... because he's the President?

I wouldn't give a fuck if he was the Pope, King of England or the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla.

If I had other plans (even if it was just sleeping in late), I'm not about to drop what I'm doing just to satisfy some deity.

[totodeinhere]

32. So you would have made time to visit shrub? I know I wouldn't have.

Of course, in no way am I comparing Obama to Bush, but Bush did hold the office even though he was not legitimately elected to it.

[awoke_in_2003]

33. me either...

I would have told him how much of an idiot he is, then been arrested.

[Lugnut]

10. Thank you!

There are some posters here who take every opportunity that's presented to bash NASCAR and its fans.

[upi402]

11. i sooooo don't give a

flaming fuck


rednecks rejecting obama? who coulda thunk it?

[Lugnut]

22. And yet you're here. n/t

[geologic]

40. Obviously--

he's only partially here...

[one_voice]

12. Thanks for this...

I don't get the appeal of NASCAR round and round in circles...but then again I'm a football fanatic and many people don't get the appeal of that.

My husband will watch NASCAR from time to time We used to get all the Dover traffic when they came to Delaware.

I also thought it was a snub...nice to see the explanation..

[Renew Deal]

16. I thought the first story was a little tough to believe.

Besides the fact that many of them have been there before, it's not the sort of invitation you reject. I think Jimmie Johnson's uninformed comments helped inflame this.

[ellenfl]

17. thank you. i'm a 61yo college educated, lifelong liberal

and women's libber and i am a nascar fan.

that said, hearing eddie allison making some extremely racist remarks about the president and more particularly the first lady last week was not the highlight of my trip to the race at bristol. :eyes: today's drivers are better educated and more worldly than the good ole boys who started nascar.

ellen fl

[lunasun]

18. You forgot to mention how the fans all booed and many walked out of the event

when this driver said disrespectful things about the President of the United States of America and our country's First Lady right?

[cherokeeprogressive]

21. NASCAR fans supporting the President and First Lady? Who'da thunk it? n/t

[ellenfl]

38. it was a private conversation between ea and my so, rick, who

related it to me. i had (civil) words with mr. allison last year at bristol. for the record, eddie allison's brother is much more gracious.

ellen fl

[bullwinkle428]

31. Who is Eddie Allison? I'm familiar with Bobby, Donnie, and Davey,

but have no idea who Eddie is.

[ellenfl]

39. he is bobby's other brother and his engine builder. eom

[DCBob]

23. The sponsors nixed this.

[Are_grits_groceries]

25. Please read my post about this issue:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1867895

[Zax2me]

27. This isn't hard to understand. Very busy times for Nascar season.

Football players, basketball - baseball champs - are not called to White House in the middle of season on way to league championship.
They are called after it is over.
Once again White House schedulers have a deaf ear to anyones watch/calender but themselves.

[treestar]

29. Most people would take the opportunity to go to the WH like this

No matter what. I'd go if Bachmann herself lived there. So these people are giving that up just to make the point that they are assholes.

[Union Scribe]

34. Just to be clear: You'd go if President Bachmann invited you.

And *they're* assholes?

[bluestateguy]

35. They sounded respectful in their responses

If they wanted to make a political statement by rejecting then they would have said so outright.

I remember when the Packers won the Superbowl in 1998, Mark Chumura (I forget what position he played) said he would not go to the White House ceremony because he could not shake hands with the immoral Bill Clinton. He said it outright.

A year or two later Chumura, a married man, was caught messing around with a 17 year old girl in a hot tub.

[TheMightyFavog]

37. He was Tight End.

And Yeas I remember the whole post prom party incident.

[SwampG8r]

41. this white house seems to

need someone to do some scheduling
how many times is this that this white house has announced something involving others without checking with the others first?
a childs birthday party has better coordination than this crew does