Mark Whitaker, head of the NBC News DC bureau, got off today's unintentional laugh line when he described Barack Obama as having "lifted himself up from the streets of Hawaii."
Oh those mean streets of Hawaii. You know, the sort pictured here at the Punahou school that Obama attended from 5-12th grade. While attending Punahou, Obama lived with his grandparents. Readers will recall that grandma Dunham was . . . a vice-president of the Bank of Hawaii.
View video here.
The NBC honcho was responding to an earlier segment in which Scarborough lambasted Obama for recently saying that it was his victory in the Iowa primary that "vindicated" his faith in America, a line on which McCain later jumped. According to Whitaker, all politicians need a touch of arrogance.
MARK WHITAKER: I think what we saw there was a little hint of Barack Obama's arrogance. And the fact is there is a strain of arrogance in his personality. We've seem it come out at various times: remember when he told Hillary Clinton she was likeable enough. But the fact is, when you think about it, without that arrogance, would he have lifted himself up from the streets of Hawaii?
Listen carefully and you'll hear someone off-camera [Joe Scarborough or perhaps Tucker Carlson] sardonically repeating Whitaker's "streets of Hawaii" line.





MARK WHITAKER: I think what we saw there was a little hint of Barack Obama's arrogance. And the fact is there is a strain of arrogance in his personality. We've seem it come out at various times: remember when he told Hillary Clinton she was likeable enough. But the fact is, when you think about it, without that arrogance, would he have lifted himself up from the streets of Hawaii?














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Obama's brain on drugs
November 2, 2008 - 09:51 ET by DontFeedTheTrollsPoor Obama, abandoned by his parents, he had no silver spoon, only an 18 carat gold plated one provided by his rich banker grandmother.
Gee, you don't think having mom and dad give you the boot as a kid would affect your mental health? Do ya?
D
Keep the ILLEGALS out, join NumbersUSA to send free faxes to your reps.
Yeah, man, ol' Barry had
November 2, 2008 - 09:54 ET by HockeyKidYeah, man, ol' Barry had Dog the Bounty Hunter breathin' down his neck 'til he got clean, got his act together, an' lifted hisself up off the mean streets o' Hawai'i, bra.
Whitaker clearly has his PhD: Piled higher and Deeper.
LOL!! Yeah, those "mean"
November 2, 2008 - 11:54 ET by winston smithLOL!! Yeah, those "mean" streets --- complete with hula girls in grass skirts and leis, guys playing ukeleles on the streets singing Alohaaaa Oh.....Don Ho, Tiny Bubbles, beautiful beaches, luaus, palm trees, plenty of great surfing, boating, water skiing, bikinis everywhere you look --- yep, life's tough on those "mean" streets of Hawaii alright.
To Be Fair...
November 2, 2008 - 14:20 ET by Del DolemonteI lived in Hawai'i in the 1960s, and can assure you that there were some "mean streets" there back in those days.
Unfortunately, O'bama lived nowhere near them.
Yeah...Obama came up the hard way.
November 2, 2008 - 10:00 ET by superconTo be an Obama supporter means to suspend reality and to embrace the fantasy of that which is Obama.
Like in all religions you just have to have faith and believe.
Barack is going down.
Trust me.
DRUDGE!!!!!!!
November 2, 2008 - 10:14 ET by TexndocIf Drudge Report was the Drudge Report of yesteryear, todays headline would be: "Obama: He lifted himself from the streets of Hawaii" Instead Drudge is back to posting Obama-halo-messiah pics.
Sad.
Actually this guys
November 2, 2008 - 10:17 ET by MidAmericaActually this guys comment is racist. Because obama is 'black' he is assuming obama is 'from the streets'.
Abandoned by his father.
November 2, 2008 - 10:18 ET by JerryAbandoned by his father. Then his mother. Left to be raised by his racist grandparents on the streets of Hawaii. No hope. No future.
Isn't this the situation that liberals use to justify ABORTION? Don't they claim, this type of person, given a choice, would have chosen ABORTION over birth?
When asked if he went to war with Iraq to derail the impeachment vote: “I don’t think any serious person would believe that any President would do such a thing." - President Clinton (Dec 1998).
Obama's blackness
November 2, 2008 - 11:44 ET by SentryDanObama claims to be "black", but what is his actual ethnic makeup? Does anyone out there know? The only thing that I'm sure of is that Obama is half white.
So, did Obama's grandparents put him through college? Has he ever addressed this or has he lied about it?
Obama stands in front of the people and tells them that he knows their plight. He knows how hard things are on the common folk. My question is; "How could he know?" Has he ever held a job on an assembly line or dug ditches? Has he ever had to work 2 jobs to make ends meet?
Obama is a liar when he says he knows how hard it is for the common folks live. As near as I can tell, Obama hasn't had to work for anything in his life.
Remember folks, it's hard to soar with eagles when you are surrounded by a flock of turkeys.
I'm With Eagleburger
November 2, 2008 - 10:48 ET by BondPlainBondFormer Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger is correct when he says Obama is a
charlatan.
School of Hard Knocks
November 2, 2008 - 10:52 ET by TN Momwhat we saw there was a little hint of Barack Obama's arrogance. And the fact is there is a strain of arrogance in his personality. We've seem it come out at various times:
Like when Obama refused to salute the American Flag during the National Anthem.
When Obama SMIRKED at Joe The Plumber during the debate.
Kicked national reporters off his campaign plane--last week.
In this troubled economy; IS SPENDING 2MILLION ON PARTY for himself on election night.
VOTE MCCAIN/PALIN
Toilet seat
November 2, 2008 - 10:55 ET by Jerry MackThe only thing left is a segment that Barry always lifts the toilet seat and admonishes those that do not.
Whitaker is so far into the tank for Barry that he should be wearing
scuba gear!
lifted himself up from the
November 2, 2008 - 11:04 ET by allamericangirllifted himself up from the streets of Hawaii?
Why don't they run this stupid statement through their BS-O-meter.
I've gotten to the point that I record this show than fast forward through the usual Obama loving hacks and only watch Joe's reaction to them.
"Liberalism is a mental disorder" -Michael Savage
Hawaii Lie-O
November 2, 2008 - 11:08 ET by Jack BauerBook him, Danno. Grand Fraud.
Is this an SNL skit, too?
November 2, 2008 - 11:23 ET by Bettendor"But the fact is, when you think about it, without that arrogance, would he have lifted himself up from the streets of Hawaii?"
The first thing that came to mind was that old SNL skit with Chris Rock as Nat X interviewing Vanilla Ice (played by Kevin Bacon), who said he "comes from the streets."
Nat X: What street do you come from? Sesame Street?!
Thought I Was Hearing Things
November 2, 2008 - 11:55 ET by KarlaI was in the kitchen and thought I had heard wrong and was planning on doing the rewind but never got around to it. I was sure I had misheard/never been to HI but knew that His Grandmother was a VP at a bank and had a feeling that life coulod not have been too bad what with private school and all.
I too was raised by grandparents as my dad was in the Service and travelled and my mom was gone/My granfather owned his own plumbing business which is why I find those amazed that Joe could ever possible earn enough$$$$$$ amusing at best. This was years ago and I went to Private school and as I look back had a pretty good life
I do not think BO knew a whole alot of the streets until Columbia or perhaps Chicago
The Real Street Obama Hung Around
November 2, 2008 - 14:30 ET by KalihiwaiBeachSmith Street on Oahu - the center for Communism throughout the 40's, 50's, & 60's
This article puts it in perspective - a MUST read
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/10/barack_obama_red_diaper_baby_1.html
Aloha from Kauai
hola Kali B
November 2, 2008 - 14:48 ET byso true it's not some people he happens to know, it's a pattern of thought revealed in the associations he promotes
“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.” -Chief Justice John Roberts
KB... Thank you so
November 2, 2008 - 15:12 ET by bigtimerKB...
Thank you so much...I couldn't stop reading that until the end, it was a well written presentation, great article, plus I live the site anyway.
I am passing this on to a few others who I know will enjoy it as much as I, plus some who need to be informed.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
Arrogance from
November 2, 2008 - 17:54 ET by bigtimerArrogance from Obama....surely you jest...after-all he has said himself somewhere along the way HE is The One the World has been Waiting for...just ask him...he can't deny it.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
First Dufus doesn't stand a chance.
November 2, 2008 - 20:12 ET by Carbon SasquatchI was more impressed with the idiocy of the 'bubble-headed bleach blonde' who led after the McCain clip by pointing out that Iowa went for Bush in 2004, as if winning a Democratic caucus in January is an indication of general election success in November. How many hundred party faithful participated in those livingrooms and yoga studios last winter, anyway?