…What? Everybody’s going to go give props to Lincoln and Washington and Reagan and Coolidge – and, sure, FDR* if we’re going to be all bipartisan and whatnot**. But if it wasn’t for Rutherford B. Hayes…
Continue reading Happy President’s Day, Rutherford B. Hayes!
OK, quick background: the President gave an energy speech the other day – and in the process mucked up certain science-related historical facts so badly that even Talking Points Memo felt obligated to call him on it. This is of interest mostly because a prominent theme of said speech was about how… Republicans muck up science-related historical facts. Which is probably why TPM felt so obligated; there’s a point where even the most partisan partisans that ever partisaned a partisan have to throw up their hands and acknowledge the hit. Anyway, one of the facts that Obama got wrong was on, of all things, Rutherford B Hayes: the President used a bad quote without sourcing it first. This has caused a bit of (justified) mockery – and you know that it’s justified because the Online Left is kind of seething about it. Those guys like to dish it out, but they can’t take it worth a tinker’s dam.
And they may be hating life more, because the whole thing’s threatening to “go viral.” Mind you, I didn’t create that particular quickmeme category – I was merely sent a link to it. By somebody who isn’t a political junkie.
Translation: the President may have screwed up that badly-brought off intellectual sneering even more than I thought.
Moe Lane
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