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Celebratory Obama Serves Media Sassiness and Birthday Cake

August 04, 2008 10:36 PM

As his 47th birthday came to a close and he flew from Boston to Youngstown, Ohio, this evening, a celebratory Sen. Barack Obama came back to the cheap seats and talked to reporters on his plane.

He compared Sen. John McCain's tactics last week to a "squid" squirting ink, discussed all sorts of issues ranging from energy to the new dark blue tie his daughters bought him -- "one guarantee, this tie cost less than John McCain's shoes," he told me, joking about his opponent's pricey Ferragamo loafers -- and served the press corps birthday cake.

Asked by ABC News if McCain's attacks last week hurt him -- Obama went from being up eight points in the Gallup daily tracking poll to being tied -- Obama demurred.

"You know, I mean, Jake, I will leave that up to you to make your analysis," Obama said. "One thing I’ve learned is to not read daily tracking polls. If I had been reading daily tracking polls I think I would have quit right around August of last year, wouldn’t I?"

Obama said attacks were not a problem. "I’m not one to suggest that there’s anything wrong with them hitting us hard on things that they fundamentally disagree with me on," he said. "I mean I think there is a very real difference in our tax policies, there is a very real difference in our energy politics, there is a very real difference in our health care policies, and they have a right to make their arguments.

"My sense was last week wasn’t about any of that stuff," he said. "It was all about seeing if they can slap onto me a certain caricature that will help carry them though the election.

"Last week I think was just a series of distractions," he said. "It felt like, you know, I guess it's a squid that sends out ink..."

When a reporter turned down his offer of birthday cake (not this reporter), Obama joked, "No cake? Maureen Dowd will write a story about you not eating cake! Don't want to be an elitist now!"

- jpt

August 4, 2008 in Obama, Barack | Permalink | Share | User Comments (48)

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Go Obama! I just bought the navy blue Change We Can Believe In t-shirt and I love it!

Posted by: Susan | Aug 5, 2008 5:35:56 PM

Quote
BTW, a few sites (including -- ugh -- Newsbusters) have a quote from 2005 where Obama compares his celebrity then to Britney Spears' fame. The original Obama quote appeared in the Washington Post.
Quote

and McCain makes fun of his age.. so is it OK if Obama does a commercial comparing McCain to Grandpa Simpson or the people in the depends commercials?
Or maybe pointing out all his senior moments?

some of you peoples logic is seriously lacking :O

Posted by: tinat | Aug 5, 2008 5:29:59 PM

Oh yes, don't believe the tracking polls when your leader is behind Obama zombies! Obama shouldn't be calling anyone names. He is a huge flip flopper this past week. Everytime John nails him on something and Obama sees it is helping McCain he suddenly changes course and joins that view of the issue. He is as big a flip flopper as John Kerry, who I am sorry I ever voted for, after he supported Obama after he was so disrespectul to Hillary Clinton. And, don't tell me that's the way it is in politics. If that's the case, than Hillary should have blatantly gone after his race, and everyone should have said, that's politics. Please, don't insult my intelligence! He is politics as usual if ever there was someone who was politics as usual, what a hypocrite. I am doing everyhing I can to see he is defeated in November!

Posted by: Mary Anne | Aug 5, 2008 5:26:29 PM

I love the new kill them with ridicule tactic. It shows just how ridiculous the GOP is. Just keep hitting them Obama! Drive that message home.

Posted by: SpaceCat | Aug 5, 2008 5:07:47 PM

i love Obama :D

his response is awesome....
i was rather troubled after the gutter
adds and such by McCain, but Obama is not Kerry, who couldn't react well.
and this is still with 3 months left before Election Day, so better they know now how low McBush is willing to go to be Bush #3 in the White House.

Posted by: William | Aug 5, 2008 3:46:00 PM

We need to inflate our tires -so it's our fault right?

Posted by: geevill | Aug 5, 2008 12:03:43 PM

"One thing I’ve learned is to not read daily tracking polls."

hmm, another Bush in making...and they were making fun of Bush...

Posted by: frieda | Aug 5, 2008 11:00:13 AM

You're letting them play you, justjoe. They make it sound as if Obama's only plan is to inflate people's tires. That's a flat out falsehood and they know it.

Obama's energy plan is much bigger in scale than McCains. And it would go into effect much quicker too, with releases from the strategic oil reserve.

It doesn't sound like you're going to vote for Obama in any case, JustJoe. But just don't gulp down every ounce of Koolaid they give you. If you're going to vote for McCain, don't do it believing BS from the corrupt GOP.

Posted by: JJ | Aug 5, 2008 10:23:51 AM

hey, WENDY....so Obama (alias Mr. Teflon) was right about keeping the correct tire pressure to save some..no, a little, gas. ...and TIME even reported it as true...WOW..so did my late grandfather, who died years ago...tell us something we don't know about the gas mess rather than shopworn stuff.............and I am not gonna let him ride on my Michelins.

Posted by: justjoe | Aug 5, 2008 10:01:34 AM

Squid ink is black.

Hmm.

If anyone notices that, are they racist?

;-)

Posted by: drjohn | Aug 5, 2008 9:48:55 AM

"Squid ink." Exactly.

(And some of that ink is provided by the press as well--not only the claque press on the right, but the purportedly neutral press as well.)

Posted by: JJ | Aug 5, 2008 9:23:05 AM

I love the stuff about Maureen Dowd! Good humor, Obama!

Posted by: Dr. Sam | Aug 5, 2008 8:49:47 AM

"I love you Belle Star"

Posted by: bombem | Aug 5, 2008 8:28:54 AM

Well Wendy - I'm sure the Nascar nation fully supports your candidate of "flip flops" and "less CHANGE in your pocket" .. sigh! Good thing the messiah told us all about keeping air in our d*mn tires .. who know that? I think my 7 year old nephew knows that - sheesh!

Posted by: Nobama | Aug 5, 2008 8:15:29 AM

Interesting that Obama's "inflate your tires" to improve energy costs is actually true.

Not only does Charlie Christ and Arnold Schwarznegger agree with Obama but so does NASCAR.

Time magazine investigated and low and behold that Obama is RIGHT!!

Posted by: Wendy | Aug 5, 2008 6:20:42 AM

Actually because everyone knows the democrats are going to pick up even more seats in the senate and house, they know that it's safe to have a republican in the white house.

Most independents DO NOT want an veto proof congress/senate AND a very liberal man in the White House.

So actually this all works in McCain's favor.

President McCain - get good and use to it! Cindy, pick out the White House drapes.

Posted by: Jo | Aug 5, 2008 2:07:04 AM

Now we find out that not long ago Obama compared HIMSELF to Paris Hilton!!

Ooops, Obama is busted, yet again.

Celebrate now Obama, because the end is coming in November.

Posted by: Jo | Aug 5, 2008 2:05:06 AM

All you Obama-haters are really funny. As if YOUR politician was clean-scrubbed and holy. Get over it. This year the Republicans are doomed. And you Obama-baiting trolls can go back and chew on your moldy copies of the American Spectator for the next four years.

Posted by: dadofamunky | Aug 5, 2008 1:57:00 AM

Anyone know why Ice Barbie keeps getting into the shots with angry old John McCain? Are they trying to make him look younger by having him hanging around a 50 yearo old?

Posted by: pj | Aug 5, 2008 1:46:46 AM

Celebrate now. He has another 23.5 years to cry.

Posted by: Jokerous | Aug 5, 2008 1:31:00 AM

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