dagblog - Comments for "Several drivers decline invite to the White House due to scheduling "

No doubt the usual GOP sods*

EmmaZahn — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 04:57:04 +0000

In reply to Being able to say you were

No doubt the usual GOP sods* made as much of the declines as possible. As you note, disrespect is their order of the decade. Except for one driver who would not comment for the article, what the others said did not seem disrespectful of either the office or person of President Obama. I thought maybe the article was updated after you linked so I asked.

*sowers of discord - what circle of hell did Dante assign them? IIRC, they are near the bottom center.

Remember when Saddam

Resistance — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 01:59:56 +0000

In reply to Being able to say you were

Remember when Saddam surrounded himself with Americans and their children for a photo shoot?

Who needs whom?

PR has now become Public Rejection?

Being able to say you were

AmericanDreamer — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 00:03:02 +0000

In reply to Maybe. But it could work the

Being able to say you were invited to the White House whether or not you actually get to see much of anything besides the regular tourist stuff is still nice resume padding. ;-)

Harvick's and Stewart's comments read squishy to me. If it's a commitment they have to a sponsor wouldn't a sponsor think it would make their "investment" in the driver worth more if the driver shows up on the front page of sports pages around the country the day after the event pictured with the President (plus other famous, perhaps better known, NASCAR drivers)?

Maybe I'm too inclined to read into incidents these days signs of contagion into the culture of the disrespect a number of Republicans appear to positively relish conveying towards this President, which to the best of my recollection has not been nearly as characteristic of treatment of other U.S. Presidents in my lifetime. Verbal abuse towards Presidents citizens don't like is hardly unusual, but I'm referring here to White House invitations, which never seem to have generated this type of story in the past. Maybe the writer of the story is seeing things that aren't there, or writing for audiences he thinks are doing that figuring he can get buzz that way.

I feel a bit like a member of a family whose members sometimes say terrible things to one another--and are apoplectic if someone outside the family says the exact same things. It's one thing if the center-left blogosphere is mean to the President, quite another when others seen as "outside the family", and therefore lacking standing, do likewise.

I have a hazy recollection of seeing some polling data awhile back suggesting that NASCAR fans (kinda doubt NASCAR drivers have been polled on these matters) aren't nearly as right wing or Republican in their political views as many progressives seem to believe or assume they are.

So, ok, EZ, not one of my better comments.

Maybe. But it could work the

EmmaZahn — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 23:47:01 +0000

In reply to If only one or two drivers

Maybe. But it could work the other way as well. Inviting people you know can or will not come confers some honor while avoiding having to actually socialize with them.

Think about it. Being able to say you were invited to the White House whether or not you actually get to see much of anything besides the regular tourist stuff is still nice resume padding. ;-)

You know how to hurt a

jollyroger — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 23:38:47 +0000

In reply to If only one or two drivers

You know how to hurt a guy....just so you know that I'm no punk, I have my eyes set on a chick with a live-in boyfriend who is a big time sommelier and they have opened a wine store together (community property....)

Homey don't play...

If only one or two drivers

Verified Atheist — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 21:55:27 +0000

In reply to So confused. The article

If only one or two drivers had a scheduling conflict it'd be easy to dismiss as no big deal, but when 5 drivers have a "scheduling conflict", it's kind of like when jollyroger keeps asking that Swedish lady out and it always turns out that she's already got plans for the day in question.

Yeah, but that opens the door

jollyroger — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 20:57:45 +0000

In reply to I reckon folks would just

Yeah, but that opens the door to audience participation by was of dropping the occasional beach ball to liven things up (don't try this at home, kids...)

I reckon folks would just

NCD — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 20:52:51 +0000

In reply to Why people who spend a lot of

I reckon folks would just have to stand on hiway overpasses for entertainment, waitin' for sumthing to happen..?

E, I think the critical

jollyroger — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 19:12:34 +0000

In reply to So confused. The article

E, I think the critical subtext is here:

Johnson clarified later, and Burton retweeted the comment, that his response was not aimed at his fellow drivers, but at fans critical of him accepting the invitation

Since I haven't gotten the hang of this newfangled medium (those kids, with their tweeter-totters and flasher mobs...) and don't follow anyone (don't lead neither...) I think that to understand the context of this kerfuffle ya gotta delve into the tweets.

So confused. The article

EmmaZahn — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 19:06:18 +0000

In reply to Several drivers decline invite to the White House due to scheduling

So confused.

The article did not read like there was much if anything political about the declines. Why dis the drivers. Was the article changed after you linked?