Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

[President-elect] Obama to boldly go where no geek has gone before
KBCI-TV / The Associated Press ^ | December 24, 2008 | Seth Borenstein

Posted on 12/24/2008 11:41:54 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Get ready for the geek-in-chief.

President-elect Barack Obama used to collect comic books, can't part with his BlackBerry, and once flashed Leonard "Mr. Spock" Nimoy the Vulcan "Live Long and Prosper" sign.

That and other evidence has convinced some of Obama's nerdier fans that he'll be the first American president to show distinct signs of geekiness. And that's got them as excited as a Tribble around a Klingon.

Obama is good at "repressing his inner geek, but you can tell it's there," especially when he goes into nuanced explanations of technical_matters, said Benjamin Nugent, author of the book "American Nerd: The Story of My People."

"One imagines a terrifying rally of 'Star Trek' people shouting, 'One of us!'" Nugent said, in an interview conducted by e-mail, of course.

Others see only some geek qualities, qualifying the president-elect as merely "nerd-adjacent." After all, he's an athlete and kind of cool, some experts demur. Still, there's enough there for geeks to celebrate.

Psychology professor Larry Welkowitz of Keene_State College in New Hampshire hopefully speculated that there's a shift in what's cool and that "smart can_be in. Maybe that started with the computer programmers of the '90s. The Bill Gateses of the world are OK."

The Obama transition team would not comment on the president-elect's geek qualities, even when_it was suggested those could be positive. And his old college friends give the geek idea a split vote. While Margot Mifflin, now a journalism professor in New York, said she saw no geeky signs in Obama as a freshman at Occidental_College in California, Amiekoleh Kimbrew Usafi recalled it differently, despite the lack of technology back in 1979.

"He's a geek because he was smart," Usafi said, noting that Occidental was a geeky school to start with, billing itself as the Yale of the West.

(Excerpt) Read more at 2news.tv ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections; US: California; US: Illinois
KEYWORDS: agenda; agitprop; americanpravda; asspress; barf; bho2008; blackberry; buttociatedpress; california; computers; creepy; fakebutaccurate; flake; fubo; growupbarry; kenyan; kenyanbornmuzzie; lyingliar; makingitup; nerd; obama; obamatransitionfile; occidentalcollege; pravdamedia; twitter
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-40 next last
He is truly all things to all people. His fall will be monumental, IMO.
1 posted on 12/24/2008 11:41:54 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet
"One imagines a terrifying rally of 'Star Trek' people shouting, 'One of us!'"

I was thinking more like "You will be assimilated".

2 posted on 12/24/2008 11:47:39 AM PST by Brett66 (Where government advances, and it advances relentlessly , freedom is imperiled -Janice Rogers Brown)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet
His fall will be monumental, IMO.

And it will be "Bush's fault."

3 posted on 12/24/2008 11:48:05 AM PST by TLI ( ITINERIS IMPENDEO VALHALLA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet
President-elect Barack Obama ... can't part with his BlackBerry...

Note for future reference: Subpeona of Obama's blackberry

4 posted on 12/24/2008 11:48:40 AM PST by theDentist (Qwerty ergo typo : I type, therefore I misspelll)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TLI

That the US will be branded as racist forever.


5 posted on 12/24/2008 11:51:49 AM PST by villagerjoel (1984 was not supposed to be an instruction manual!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet
BHO has yet to take office and he is the subject of virtually everything that is newsworthy and most of which aren't.

His face is in every newspaper and magazine and MULTIPLE times in different sections of each.

He dominates the internet news sites, blogs and streaming content, and even though "WE" know very little about him prior to his being elected to the Senate, he has become the savior of mankind and the perfect darling of the MSM.

His coverage is maddening and his constant presence is sickening but this 24/7 BHO bull is clearly here to stay.

6 posted on 12/24/2008 11:52:56 AM PST by PISANO
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #7 Removed by Moderator

To: 2ndDivisionVet

As a certified geek (female type, even, which is more rare) I will unequivocally state Obama is no geek.

You need a lot more than one or two geeky interests to be a geek. And Blackberries don’t count - they’re more a business thing than a geek thing anyway.


8 posted on 12/24/2008 11:57:30 AM PST by JenB
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet


9 posted on 12/24/2008 11:58:09 AM PST by vietvet67
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet
"Usafi said, noting that Occidental was a geeky school to start with, billing itself as the Yale of the West.

Yeah well Occidental can "bill" itself however it likes - doesn't mean anyone else gives a rat's a## what they pretend to be. Maybe they should call themselves "the Oxford of America" to really sound prestigious..... doesn't mean anyone believes it.

10 posted on 12/24/2008 12:01:15 PM PST by Enchante (Bernie Madoff Learned His Investment Strategy from our Social Security System!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

Meh. I won’t believe it until I hear him sing the Lumberjack song.


11 posted on 12/24/2008 12:06:42 PM PST by Moose Burger
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PISANO

This is America, give it 9 months and people will get sick of ANYthing.


12 posted on 12/24/2008 12:11:13 PM PST by omega4179 (Ramos and Compean)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

“His fall will be monumental, IMO”

It will be as spectacular as the Hindenburg disaster and as costly as the sinking of the RMS Titanic.


13 posted on 12/24/2008 12:22:13 PM PST by DarthVader (Liberal Democrats are the party of EVIL whose time of judgment has come.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: vietvet67
Photobucket
14 posted on 12/24/2008 12:24:22 PM PST by Names Ash Housewares (Refusing to kneel before the socialist messiah. 1-20-13 Freedom Day.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Moose Burger

Don’t know about that but I’ve heard rumours that he does know the Zero Wing “All Your Base Belong to Us” subtitles, so that right there is a wee bit geeky.


15 posted on 12/24/2008 12:26:29 PM PST by Boogieman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

Comment #16 Removed by Moderator

To: 2ndDivisionVet

As a geek, I resent this.

Geeks don’t have the hubris this man represents.
Geeks don’t do coke (unless it’s a cola).
Geeks don’t flip off their rivals (they may virtually attack them with a +1 mace).


17 posted on 12/24/2008 12:31:06 PM PST by edge10 (Obama lied, babies died!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

“President-elect Barack Obama ... can’t part with his BlackBerry...”

subpoena the blackberry for the Blagogate thingy


18 posted on 12/24/2008 12:39:28 PM PST by Ancient Drive (will)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #19 Removed by Moderator

To: vietvet67

20 posted on 12/24/2008 12:50:48 PM PST by reagan_fanatic (Resist the Obamination!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-40 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson