Unbuttoned Obama Strikes at GOP with Folksy Sayings In Labor Day Speech
Man, Obama was fired up today during his speech to a union festival in Milwuakee. Sure, he announced a big $50 billion infrastructure initiative, which is important. But he also went after his political opponents with uncharacteristic glee.
Labor Day is a celebration of the American Worker. So Obama had his sleeves rolled up and his collar unbuttoned, which is political code for "I am a poor slob, just like all you normal workers." In an off-the-cuff remark, he went after the powerful special interests who hate him so much they "talk about me like a dog."
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Unclear exactly what this means: They compliment him on his shiny coat? Complain about his farts stinking up the living room? But a good move—a lot of normal Americans have dogs, so they can relate to this.
Then he bashed Republicans as the "Party of No," with some folksy put-downs: "If I said the sky was blue, they'd say no."
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And in the speech's biggest 'oh, snap' moment, Obama goes after Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner—"The Republican who thinks he's going to take over as speaker"—for his opposition to a plan that would keep government employees for being laid off:
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He later derided Republicans by saying, "We're sweating and these guys were watching us and sipping on a Slurpee." A dual reference to the American workers' love of frozen beverages and The Simpsons.
Pretty folksy. But, personally, we would have included at least one reference to America's corn farmers that included the phrase, "Knee-high by the Fourth of July".