In the same vein as Warner’s San Francisco Chronicle example, Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy hailed Barack Obama’s fatherhood in the Monday Metro section. He spoke about being a father at a White House "national conversation on responsible fatherhood" on Friday with a hundred "mostly young black men" and their celebrity mentors. As Obama talked about his daughters being born and his swagger at parent-teacher conferences, Milloy reported:
The young adults in the audience were spellbound. At 47, Obama was younger than many of their dads, as eloquent as any rapper and revered even by the athletes that they hold in highest esteem.
Eloquent as any rapper? You might enjoy rappers for their "flow," but I’m not sure "eloquence" of the Ludacris variety – with fast-flowing F-bombs and talk of casual murders – is what the president needs. But Milloy is trying to say is he is hip and charismatic enough to win over young people. He thumps hard on Obama as "regular guy," including the column’s first sentence: "Barack Obama, regular guy, was telling a gathering of mostly young black men about his experiences as a dad."
After Milloy explained that Obama was as revered as sports stars, he also underlined what a regular guy he was:
Cameron Windham, 16, was seated with Dwyane Wade, star guard for the Miami Heat, when Obama stopped by their table. "He casually asked Dwyane if he wanted to play ball with him and LeBron [James of the Cleveland Cavaliers] in the White House gym," recalled Windham, a student at St. Albans School for Boys. "It was like he was just a regular guy, grabbing some friends for a pickup game."
If Obama and pro athletes can convince young men to be responsible fathers, that would be great. But Obama-loving journalists try to play this game that Obama isn’t either/or, he’s both: he’s both a world-class celebrity who can invite the top NBA stars over for a pickup game and he’s just like a regular guy.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
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Eloquent as a Rapper
June 22, 2009 - 06:24 ET by allanfNow that is a line for the ages.
Move over Shakespere, Baracks at your back.
I was thinking the same thing
June 22, 2009 - 06:30 ET by jacktheripper"as eloquent as NWA"
Consider this.
June 22, 2009 - 07:40 ET by BlondeTo my ear, rappers sound like they have a mouth full of marbles....so it is rather an apt description of Obama off-prompter.
I hope he fails, too.
Sorry, Tim, I am just
June 22, 2009 - 06:48 ET by motherbeltSorry, Tim, I am just commenting, not reading.
I simply cannot read another media paean to the awesomeness of this President.
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
Will the SFC start to refer
June 22, 2009 - 07:05 ET by FranksamWill the SFC start to refer to the first couple as Barack Obama and his babies' mama? I don't need any trolls to point out that there are also plenty of deadbeat white trash dads, but the degradation of women by rappers disqualifies them from preaching good fatherhood.
Why not? After all...
June 22, 2009 - 18:46 ET by lsudolemiteMichelle referred to him as her "baby daddy" on several occasions when introducing him on the campaign trail.
Eloquent?
June 22, 2009 - 07:08 ET by G. MayEloquent as a rapper? Forgive my lack of eloquence but...wtf?
Word! true dat, fo'
June 22, 2009 - 13:18 ET by UndercoverConservativeWord! true dat, fo' shizzle.
WWW.GS2AC.COM. 2nd Amendment Grass Roots Action in the Bay Area, CA. We're not all "Breakfast Cereal" folks here! :)
At 47, Obama was younger
June 22, 2009 - 07:18 ET by Jack BauerAre you kidding me?
First... he's 48 in 5 weeks. And 48 is OLD to have young children. I know grandparents of that age.
Second -- most rappers seem to me to be spectacularly INARTICULATE and childishly uninteresting. Unless you're impressed with moon rhymes with June type talent; not forgetiing Ho's and bitches.
Third -- this is the guy who wrote a laudatory book about his bigamist father who abandoned him and his mother aged 2.
Has he EVER criticized that?
Demagogues like Odinga,
June 22, 2009 - 07:24 ET by 10ksnookerDemagogues like Odinga, Chavez and Obama always target ignorants. Ignorants, the food stuff of tyranny.
Three peas in a pod.
It wont be long
June 22, 2009 - 07:27 ET by misterbee241It wont be long before we'll be seeing in the media how on the day of his birth, it stopped raining, the sun came out and the birds sang praises to his birth. Refer to Kim Il Jong and the North Korean press for further platitudes.
"I dont need to read a newspaper to know the world's been shaved by a drunken barber."
Walter Brennan, The Colonel, Meet John Doe, 1941
Eloquent as any rapper?
June 22, 2009 - 07:34 ET by spmcintyreum, sounds like an oxymoron
for the libs reading this, that means something like military intelligence, or reasonable liberal
and its kind of humorous, that they would be speaking to the rapper Ludacris; it sounds like they are trying to make a joke here, because the whole premise of this original story is ludacris
is he perhaps considered a father figure, because many rappers claim to have not had one? well, I didnt have one either, and I am neither a rapper or a gangster thug,
why does this President have to inject himself into every aspect of the US culture abyss, is he that needful of acceptance that he will give a culture of self destruction a source of validation? I would like to see him do the same for white death metal rockers, seems only fair, if he isn't only doing this to rub his race in our face again
as I have said before, I dont care what color he is, his ideas are bad for the country, If I thought his policies were in the best interest of the United States, he could wear a turban and I would vote for him
there is no spoon...
'Eloquent' Rapper? WTF?
June 22, 2009 - 08:42 ET by Six String SpiffRap sucks. Period. Gangstas and ho's. Yo ah gut mah b*tch, and ma fowty wit ma glock. Um gonna 'smoke you' wit ma 'strap' (gun, usually some shitty glock garbage).
There is R and B, and then there is Rap. Rap is one of the WORST things are society accepts. Case in point: The guy 'singing' one of Eminems 'songs' while he butchered his family. Unfortunately, gangsta rap is here to stay, and the media just love to attempt to be cool by sympathizing with these criminals. Rap takes ZERO skill. I don't care what anyone says. It takes a bad attitude, and amplifies it. REAL music takes practice and talent. See all other music categories for evidence.
I grew up in a Brockton, MA. I know what rap promotes. It takes an already poisoned group of socitey (thank you MSM for pushing race wars!) and gives them an outlet to voice their unwarrented hatred towards their fellow man. The word eloquent does not describe that genre of 'music'.
Islamic Religious Services Will Be Held at the Firing Range At 0800 Daily.
Eloquent.....................................wrapper
June 22, 2009 - 09:13 ET by Pilgrim1949...as in.................empty suit.
When you examine the wrapper for The One (and only, thank God!)..... you find that the list of ingredients is...
.
.
.
....blank. (what else?)
You can rustle it about to make lots of noise, but the shiny, eye-catching wrapper is still as empty as the character and promises of the Oh-oh-oh-oh-bamma-con(man).
Pimp'n ho's and sell'n clothes!!!!
June 22, 2009 - 10:29 ET by Roscoe MendagoI trust ole Barack was hanging on to his crotch while he was rapp'n with his bros, "What it be, brutha man".....
The Last Boy Scout
June 22, 2009 - 10:30 ET by slickwillie2001Old Bruce Willis movie, 1991; Willis, the good guy, has been captured by the bad guys. One or two of them, slightly sadistic, have him taped to a chair and are beating the crap out of him. Willis takes it without a word. This frustrates the bad guys. They say "dammit boy, how are we going to make you scream?" While blowing blood bubbles, Willis answers -"play some rap music."
Spellbound youth.
June 22, 2009 - 11:05 ET by AlanaJust what we need. Look what it's gotten us so far.
Hmmmm....who never
June 22, 2009 - 11:31 ET by StarAZWho was it that left his kids in Chicago during the week while senator...The name will come to me...Let me think...
Now, now--Milloy has a
June 22, 2009 - 11:57 ET by HockeyKidNow, now--Milloy has a point with his "eloquent as a rapper" line. After all, "uh" does indeed rhyme with "uh".
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
Somehow eloquent doesn't come to mind when...
June 22, 2009 - 12:04 ET by ThalpySomehow eloquent doesn't come to mind when I'm thinking about rappers, or Obama for that matter. Obama is masterful (sometimes) at form, but seldom with substance. It is time, however, that men become responsible fathers instead of the irresponsible pollinators that many have become.
King James vs. The Messiah
June 22, 2009 - 14:23 ET by OxyConObama is dribbling while America burns. Must be nice for a guy who wasn't good enough to get a basketball scholarship to be able to play against the world's greatest basketball players inside the White House. Especially since we're only fighting two wars, staving off economic collapse and supposedly trying to thwart two radical regime's attempts to spread nuclear weapons to all of our enemies.
Sure is great to be Barack Hussein Obama. So glad that he's now made Father's Day all about him. Can't wait to celebrate Obama on July 4th.
P.S. Sure hope LeBron and Dwayne don't rupture their knees ballin with Barry. That sure wouldn't look too good.
so eloquent
June 22, 2009 - 14:49 ET by goldboughIf Obama was as eloquent as a rapper in his speech, then about only half of what he said must have been understood.
exactly...
June 22, 2009 - 15:13 ET by LSawyerI completely agree with that last paragraph. I really wish they would take Obama off this pedestal he's on, though. It's so dangerous to have that much reverence for one man.
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