Discussing the wildly enthusiastic reception that Barack Obama received in New Hampshire yesterday, Alter -a Newsweek writer and NBC consultant - told host Joe Scarborough:
"If you had been there you wouldn't have been under any illusions about the extent of interest in him. this was a huge crowd. It would have been a huge crowd by any standards even right before an election. 1,500 people. Very, very enthusiastic. Very interested. So he's not going to have to do this 'Joe Schmo's living room' thing in New Hampshire. He's way past that."
Joe Schmo? As Alter well knows, 'schmo' derives from the pejorative Yiddish term "schmuck," It is defined as "a stupid or obnoxious person; one deficient in judgment and good sense." Synonyms: "fool, idiot, imbecile, jackass, dope."
Is Jonathan letting his Harvard elitism show?
There was a lighter moment later in the segment. As the screen flashed the phrase "Don't Tell Mama, I'm for Obama," Alter explained its meaning:
"There are people who are long-time Democrats, they have a lot of connections to the Clinton folks, but they have been swept up in this Obama fever and what they're telling us is 'don't tell the Clinton people. I can't tell you for the record, but I'm going to be with this guy if he's in.'"
As you can see, Alter and fellow guest Pat Buchanan had a good laugh at Hillary's expense. "Mama" will not be pleased!
Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net
