White House rues insensitive language
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Sometimes in the world of politics, speaking off-the-cuff can get you smacked, as the White House learned Wednesday, much to its chagrin.
Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s chief of staff, met privately with a delegation from the Special Olympics to again explain and apologize for using the term ‘retarded’ in a fit of annoyance at some liberal activists.
‘The meeting will be a face-to-face discussion with Rahm Emanuel about the suffering and pain of people with intellectual disabilities that is perpetuated by the use of the terms ‘retard’ and ‘retarded’ as well as the damage that can be done by the casual use of the R-word -- even if it is not directed toward people with intellectual disabilities,’ the group said in a statement posted on its website.
The group also said it would invite Emanuel ‘to take the R-word pledge at www.r-word.org’ and to join in its March 3 ‘Spread the Word to End the Word’ campaign.
White House spokesman Bill Burton declined to go into details about the meeting.
‘Issues of derogatory comments that make fun of one group or pit one against the other don’t do anything to further our political discourse,’ Burton said at the White House daily briefing. ‘And for that Rahm apologized and we’re looking to move forward.’
The comment, which was made in August, was first reported last week in the Wall Street Journal.
Sarah Palin, the GOP’s superstar, seized on the comment and urged that Emanuel be fired for insensitivity. Palin, a former Alaska governor and now a Fox News Channel analyst, has a son with Down syndrome.
Obama also got into trouble for an ill-chosen comment during a taping of the ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’ last year. Noting his low bowling scores, Obama said, ‘It was like the Special Olympics or something.’
He too apologized to Special Olympics chief Tim Shriver, who met with Emanuel.
This week, Obama has been in trouble for making his second reference to Las Vegas as a choice to avoid during tough economic times.
‘When times are tough, you tighten your belts,’ Obama said Tuesday in a town hall meeting in Nashua, N.H.
‘You don’t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage,’ Obama said. ‘You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you’re trying to save for college. You prioritize. You make tough choices.’
In 2009, Obama got into trouble criticizing financial institutions that got bailout money for booking junkets in Las Vegas, which is dependent on tourist dollars.
Not surprisingly, the latest comments annoyed public officials of all political stripes.
‘Enough is enough!’ Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) said in a statement. ‘President Obama needs to stop picking on Las Vegas and he needs to let Americans decide for themselves how and where to spend their hard-earned vacation dollars.’
Even Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), a close Obama ally who is facing a tough reelection race in November, issued a statement asking the president to lay off Las Vegas.
In a letter, Obama said: ‘There is no place better to have fun than Vegas, one of our country’s great destinations. I have always enjoyed my visits, look forward to visiting in a few weeks, and hope folks will visit in record numbers this year.’
-- Michael Muskal
File photo: Rahm Emanuel at the White House. Credit: Getty Images.
