Did Barack Obama Flip Off Hillary Clinton? [Obscene gesture with kids present in '08]

newsbusters ^ | 4/18/2008 | Matthew Sheffield

[SoFloFreeper]

Did Barack Obama intentionally make a one-finger gesture when referring to his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton? Quite possibly, yes.

The evidence is in a video filmed April 17th from a Raleigh, N.C., speech that Obama gave.

"Hillary Clinton, she looked in her element, you know," Obama says right before reaching up and scratching his face with one finger à la Will Smith in "Men in Black." Note the crowd reactions after Obama does it (21 seconds in) and his sly smile afterwards.

[SoFloFreeper]

Obama has repeatedly used the obscene gesture in speeches, no media outrage. Yet Rush Limbaugh is being attacked?

Got much bias, media?

[silverleaf]

yes and he flipped off McCain and also Palin

Same chin scratch

Learned it when he was a 12 yr old punk, still thinks it;s cool, so does the press

I like to see him do it to Moochelle and get his clock cleaned

punk

[mel]

he is just low class

[Rappini]

Ole Barry Hussein Soetoro brings new meaning to the N word.

[reagan_fanatic]

No-class piece of sh*t.

[vekzen]

It would be absolutely hilarious if Newt or Santorium did the exact same gesture in a speech when referencing obama. the media would flip. . . but it would drive home the point they they igorned obama flipping off hilary, palin, and mccain.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Excellent point. Nary a peep from the MSM about this horribly uncivil, rude, and immature behavior:

[GreatRoad]

I would love to see Moochelle go Elin Nordhren with a golf club on Obama. That would be Hysterical!

[Mamzelle]

My memory is that he has done this, in an obvious way, three times. Another was after he was elected and offended by one of his own Democrats. Anyone help me with the circumstances?

I hope we can run those three bird-shots together for a campaign ad.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Haven’t we all wanted to flip off Hillary at one time or another?

[oblomov]

He actually did it on two separate occasions while he was speaking in reference to Hillary Clinton.

[FrankR]

One does not have to be a shrink to know that little Barry Soetoro is a shining example of arrested development.

His obvious immaturity is one of the contributing factors in his incompetency...one of the factors.

He seems to recall all the lines and gestures from his favorite movies...like the middle finger chine scratch, and his "They bring a knife, we bring a gun." statement from "The Untouchables".

His entire presidency and vision of America is a manifestation of the fantasy world in which he lives. He and his gangly wife act like redneck lottery winners from the Taxpayers Sweepstakes wallowing daily in the trappings of majesty of the Oval Office.

And - even if he loses in November - he will emulate other liberal past-presidents, like clinton and carter, crisscrossing the country charging exhorbitant speaking fees while continuing his class-warfare rhetoric and becoming a community organizer on steriods.

He will still be worshipped by his current followers and the media will totally re-write the history of his time in office. It will be disgusting.

Insofar as his junior high school gestures (if he even went to junior high, (with his well-hidden past, who knows), he'll probably use it against whichever Republican gets the nomination and runs against him...it will actually be his only comeback in a debate because everything said about his failures will be the truth.

[albie]

There’s nothing natural about scratching with your middle finger. The low class Marxist scum does it purposely and I’m sick of “writers” that ask “is it possible”?

[FlyingEagle]

It is a gesture symbolic of deep fear inside the moron displaying it.

[Bronzewound]

Haven’t we all wanted to flip off Hillary at one time or another?

Yes, but from the right of her, not the left. : )

[Stosh]

The impressive thing is that he can do it with his head up his @ss.

[Hulka]

Thing is. . .all these political types receive media training on how best to act while on stage.

Okay.

For example, they are all told NOT TO POINT as it is rude and aggressive. So, instead of pointing they do that silly thumb and forefinger clench instead of pointing.

So, the “inadvertent” and “unintentional” middle-finger gesture is not simply an innocent gesture. It is is a deliberate flip-off. This is especially true if after the politician uses his middle finger ONE TIME, the media consultants would be all over that gaff and break his finger to stop him from doing that. . . .unless it was a deliberate act.

[x]

"Intentionally" is an important word here. Use of the middle finger can be a sign of some anger or hostility or contempt coming to the surface unconsciously or unintentionally. A small smirk or giggle or cough can be signs of nervousness.

If your campaign and career were on the line, would you really risk it by flipping off your opponent in a debate? During a tense debate situation, where you need to focus all your attention on the matter at hand, you aren't going to think "ha, ha, look at me giving you the finger," though it's possible that your feelings will come out in an unplanned gesture.

Of course, there's always a possibility that the middle finger gesture was all too well thought out, both against Clinton and against McCain, as though to say, "I make this gesture that you will subliminally understand as conveying contempt and disgust," but I doubt it was as juvenile as the article says.

[Mygirlsmom]

yes and he flipped off McCain and also Palin

Paul Ryan as well.

And just why is this the first time anybody's ever mentioned it?

History will conclude, that during this era, "the media acted stupidly". Hopefully we will be able to write that history from a place of revitalization and renewal, and not have it written ABOUT us as a heap of smoldering ruin.

Right now, I give it less than 50/50.