President Bush To Legally Blind Reporter: ‘Are You Going to Ask That Question with Shades On?’
President Bush To Legally Blind Reporter: ‘Are You Going to Ask That Question with Shades On?’
At a press conference this morning, President Bush needled Los Angeles Times reporter Peter Wallsten after he stood up to ask a question wearing sunglasses. “Are you going to ask that question with shades on?” Bush said, telling Wallsten, “I’m interested in the shade look, seriously.”
But as Wonkette first noted, and which ThinkProgress subsquently confirmed, Wallsten is legally blind. Wallsten tells us he has a rare genetic disorder called Stargardt’s Disease. The disease is a form of macular degeneration that can be slowed “by wearing UV-protective sunglasses and avoiding exposure to bright light.”
Wallsten said Bush’s comments did not offend him at all. “I never advertise it to him. I’ve never told him.”
Transcript below:
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, Peter. Are you going to ask that question with shades on?
Q I can take them off.
THE PRESIDENT: I’m interested in the shade look, seriously.
Q All right, I’ll keep it, then.
THE PRESIDENT: For the viewers, there’s no sun. (Laughter.)
Q I guess it depends on your perspective. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: Touche. (Laughter.)
Q Following up on the other Peter’s question about Karl Rove, you said that you were relieved with what happened yesterday. But the American public, over the course of this investigation, has learned a lot about what was going on in your White House that they didn’t know before, during that time, the way some people were trying to go after Joe Wilson, in some ways. I’m wondering if, over the course of this investigation, that you have learned anything that you didn’t know before about what was going on in your administration. And do you have any work to do to rebuild credibility that might have been lost?
THE PRESIDENT: I think that — first of all, the decision by the prosecutor speaks for itself. He had a full investigation. Karl Rove went in front of the grand jury like — I don’t — a lot of times. More times than — they took a hard look at his role.
Secondly, as I told the other Peter, I’m going to tell you, that there’s an ongoing trial, it’s a serious business. And I’ve made the comments I’m going to make about this incident, and I’m going to put this part of the situation behind us and move forward.
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dum du dum dumbya strikes again!
June 14th, 2006 at 2:00 pmBush is a f***ing moron.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:00 pmTP, isn’t this too much of hair-splitting than anything? Really, anyone would make the same mistake. A guy wearing sunglasses - do YOU immediately assume he’s blind?
I still want Bush impeached and tried for Treason, though.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:02 pmWow, when I heard Bush say that this morning, I thought he was just being a shitheel as usual. And he was, only worse. Were there any really comfortable looking people in wheelchairs there?
It’s the sign of a truly insecure person, when they have to keep reminding people who they are.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:03 pmbush is a class act…in a retarded kinda way…
June 14th, 2006 at 2:04 pmI’ve noticed many times that W has a tendency to ask reporters insulting questions. W probably doesn’t think they’re insulting, but that seems to be his style. He still has that dumb high school/fraternity-type sense of humor. I guess that goes along with his total arrested development.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:06 pmShame, one kind of has to feel sorry for Bush here. Kind of classy of the reporter not to throw it in Bush’s face though. Bravo Wallsten.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:07 pmOh My GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD! (Said like a Latino futbol announcer). I know there’s been some “personnel changes” and what not, but dammit, man–did he fire all his handlers? There are people who can work for even this ridiculous jerk and make him dodge stupendously embarrassing things like this. They note the new strangeness, inquire about it quietly and keep the Prez informed. Man alive. When he is off prompter, anythign can happen.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:07 pmA guy wearing sunglasses - do YOU immediately assume he’s blind?
Comment by Xbot
I do, especially on a cloudy day, but then I know several people who are legally blind.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:09 pmQuod Erat Demonstrandum. Bush is an idiot in everything.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:12 pm[…] and so is Peter Wallsten of the Los Angeles Times. This morning at a press conference Bush had an exchange with the reporter and jokingly asked him about the sunglasses he was wearing. Think Progress has the video. This is a must see! […]
June 14th, 2006 at 2:12 pmIt’s a dumb comment, but if Wallsten takes no offense, I don’t see why we should. (If he repeats the comment later, on the other hand…. )
June 14th, 2006 at 2:13 pm#8 - I wonder if his “handlers” hate their jobs so much by now, that they’re intentionally letting him go into these situations “unarmed,” so to speak. Wllsten was a class act.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:13 pmDoubleSpeak with Matthew and Peter Slutsky
June 14th, 2006 at 2:14 pmxbot….. he called the guy by name, you think he must be sort of familiar with who he is….just typical bush he doesnt care to find out anything or anyone other than himself.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:14 pmChimpy was, as usual, an assface during the presser. I thought his comments were a little unnecessary - and that was before I knew that reporter was blind.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:14 pm#3
Nah. It’s just pointing out, once again, that Bush is a moron. Just a down-to-earth, folksy, brush clearin’, perch-fishin’, bike-ridin’, hard-workin’, I’m-one-of-you kind of guy that just happens to be president. Or at least that’s the image he desires to portray. The bit about the sunglasses, while perhaps cute to most ignorant Americans, probably wasn’t necessary and rather out of place in what should have been a serious question and answer event. Although I didn’t see the press conference, it sounds more like a Bush attempt to soften what he expected to be a hard-hitting question.
Tune in next time when Bush asks David Gregory: “I like your haircut. Who’s your stylist?”
June 14th, 2006 at 2:14 pmCosmo Kramer strikes again.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:16 pmHe used ‘Touche’ so any social oops is automatically undone.
It’s in the rules. Trust me.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:16 pmThat guy does look like Kramer, LOL.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:18 pmDoes this guy have a Bush nickname? You know, Slim, Stretch, etc.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:19 pmPresident Bush needled Los Angeles Times reporter Peter Wallsten after he stood up to ask a question wearing sunglasses. “Are you going to ask that question with shades on?†Bush said, telling Wallsten, “I’m interested in the shade look, seriously.â€
The Wise man and his instincts.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:19 pmWhat a tragedy he must be for the Elitist Bush family..A sheeple among the crystal illuminates, a blind bull stumbling thru money class and couth.
“Does this guy have a Bush nickname? You know, Slim, Stretch, etc.”
Eagle Eye
June 14th, 2006 at 2:20 pmHey Bush can call him Kramers name.
COSMO the Reporter.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:21 pm#3. Xbot — June 14, 2006 @ 2:02 pm
I thought the same thing at first. But what offends me is the casual slackjawed approach he takes to everything he does.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:21 pmHere’s a good article describing some of Bush’s frat boy mocking and put-downs (he must be SO insecure…):
Bush: ‘Alpha Male on the Cruise Ship’
June 14th, 2006 at 2:22 pmhttp://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/051706.html
i live here in washington and know there are many bling people living here too.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:23 pmit didnt help that Peter Wallsten the blind reporter bush was mockink was caring a Shooter Cane.
Does this guy have a Bush nickname? You know, Slim, Stretch, etc.
Comment by onthefence — June 14, 2006 @ 2:19 pm
Of course.
Bush: “I shall call you…squegeeboo!”
June 14th, 2006 at 2:23 pmHe used ‘Touche’ so any social oops is automatically undone.
It’s in the rules. Trust me.
Aint do damn rules in Texas that say any such a thing.
Where, pray tell, did you get such an idea?
I can say Touche! and waa laa its all good!
June 14th, 2006 at 2:25 pmIsn’t that some of that french fried liberal crap?
See. That dog don’t hunt in Texas ‘Emily Post’ Squishyboo
Pat Robertson
“Isn’t that some of that french fried liberal crap?”
Touche.
See works everytime.
WC
June 14th, 2006 at 2:29 pm“Bush: “I shall call you…squegeeboo!â€
Nice, but I beat you to it, and I think mine is more along his thought patterns.
Isn’t that some of that french fried liberal crap?
Correction, those are American fried in a French manner, a la Tom Delay’s goodbye dinner.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:29 pmVideo doesn’t work.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:30 pmBush saying Touche is truly funny.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:30 pmMakes him look like a French ‘Liberal’
Ohh, but he is?
Touche!
Mr Rothschild, I didn’t mean to insult your Bush Frog. Touche!
Correction, those are American fried in a French manner, a la Tom Delay’s goodbye dinner.
Oh yes, now I see.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:33 pmI was not wearing my moustache of understanding and the third eye was not emoting the visualizations of speech.
Nice, but I beat you to it, and I think mine is more along his thought patterns.
Comment by squegeeboo — June 14, 2006 @ 2:29 pm
You mean Bush’s thought patterns? Ha! Using the words “Bush” and “thought patterns” in the same sentence is a no-no.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:37 pmI was not wearing my moustache of understanding and the third eye was not emoting the visualizations of speech.
Details, it’s all in the details. Luckily I’ve been slowly prying open my third eye since ‘96.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:37 pmThe first thing that went through my mind when I saw the photo was “This guy looks like he’s blind”… But I couldn’t imagine why TP would post a photo of a blind person. And then I read the headline…
What an idiot!
June 14th, 2006 at 2:39 pmIt’s the sign of a truly insecure person, when they have to keep reminding people who they are.
Comment by Zookeeper — June 14, 2006 @ 2:03 pm
Excellent point!
June 14th, 2006 at 2:42 pm“when they have to keep reminding people who they are.”
You mean like a blind guy wearing blind guy glasses? So this gaff is all the reporters fault for being insecure?
June 14th, 2006 at 2:44 pmIt’s the wise guy impulse at work, Bush always trying to go one-up on supposed imperfections he can ridicule.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:47 pmSo this gaff is all the reporters fault for being insecure?
Comment by squegeeboo
I was talking about Bush, Squeegmeister.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:51 pmTHIS is the same as racial profiling.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:52 pmI don’t know folks. Count me among those that don’t think this is all that big of a deal. W has said far dumber things. Trying to score political points based on something like this seems, to me at least, misguided at best. Leave it to Colbert to crack a joke about it - this should fall to the comedic, not politcal, domain.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:54 pmThe guy is under no obligation to give Bush his medical history before asking a question. Bush was being an a$$hole…that’s all there is to it. Bush was simply being an a$$hole and as a result he stuck his foot in his mouth.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:55 pm“I was talking about Bush, Squeegmeister.”
Wait, so are you saying that I took your statement and twisted it to my own use regardless of the intended meaning behind it? I’m hurt you would even think I could/would do such a think.
“THIS is the same as racial profiling.”
June 14th, 2006 at 2:56 pmBeing blind is a race?
Remember - this is the guy who waved wildly at Stevie Wonder. It’s not that he’s insecure - it’s that there’s no there there.
June 14th, 2006 at 3:02 pm[…] Well, it turns out that the reporter in question is legally blind. Thinkprogress reports: President Bush To Legally Blind Reporter: ‘Are You Going to Ask That Question with Shades On?’ […]
June 14th, 2006 at 3:03 pmA bit of a cheap shot, is it not? The reporter didn’t have a problem with it and “legal-blind” can mean a lot of things. It’s not like the man had a dog or a cane right next to him or anything, yeah?
June 14th, 2006 at 3:03 pmYou can almost imagine bushie saying to a wheelchair bound reported - “Why don’t you stand up and ask me that question!”
Joey “Fingers” Fletcher
Al Franken - “In Minnesota, we call that being a jerk.”
June 14th, 2006 at 3:04 pmNOW THAT YOU’VE ASKED YOUR QUESTION, I HAVE ONE FOR YOU, SMART GUY… ARE YOU GONNA KEEP THEM SHADES ON AND CONTINUE TO PARADE AROUND MY ROSE GARDEN WITH YOUR DOG AND THAT LONG WHITE CANE?? WHAT, ARE YOU TRYING TO BE ONE O’ THEM “OUTDOORSMEN”, ALL HIKING AROUND LIKE THAT? HAW HAW HAW! TOUCHE’ FOR ME!!@
June 14th, 2006 at 3:05 pm“THIS is the same as racial profiling.â€
In addition, it would be the opposite of profiling, if he had seen the glasses, and assumed the man was blind, that would be profiling. Instead he though the guy was just wearing sun glasses
June 14th, 2006 at 3:13 pmDumbya: “Are you going to ask that question with shades on?”
June 14th, 2006 at 3:14 pmReporter: “Are you going to hold office with blinders on?”
He sure doesn’t look blind here.
June 14th, 2006 at 3:17 pmA guy wearing sunglasses - do YOU immediately assume he’s blind?
Comment by Xbot
The fact is that ANY comment on appearance or apparel is probably inappropriate at a press conference or any gathering involving strangers.
The reddened complexion that comes from radiation treatment, not sunburn. The big stomach that isn’t a pregnancy. The bald head that’s the result of chemo, not a fashion statement. And in the land of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder …
Certainly not the most glaring faux pax of Bush’s career, but further evidence of a certain lack of sensitivity and awareness of alternate possibilities that I find very disturbing in a “world leader”.
June 14th, 2006 at 3:18 pmOh, the picture didn’t show up. But there is a picture of him taking notes in Congress, wearing what appear to be regular glasses without a thick lens. He’s not holding the paper close to his face and seems to see just fine.
June 14th, 2006 at 3:18 pmAnd this is newsworthy why?
.
June 14th, 2006 at 3:19 pmThis could be a beginning to a joke.
“Hey, what did the idiot say to the blind man?”
June 14th, 2006 at 3:21 pmomg! who cares!?!?!? this is stupid..post better topics for discussion than this crap..
June 14th, 2006 at 3:21 pmJune 14th, 2006 at 3:21 pm
More evidence of Dubious’ bullying personality…….
June 14th, 2006 at 3:25 pmHe has gone through life having the ready threat of ” my Daddy is gonna beat you up” always in his otherwise empty pockets…….
He has stepped into the perfectly fitting glass slippers of the Military/Industrial/Security Complex………….
Ok, this is the same idiot who waved to Stevie Wonder.
Robin Williams makes fun of it on his “Broadway” DVD.
Says Williams (as Stevie) “Did he think I was lookin’ for him? Goddamn!”
June 14th, 2006 at 3:36 pm[…] Update: Think Progress has the answer. He doesn’t need the shades — but they help. Did Bush know? No. […]
June 14th, 2006 at 3:40 pmFurther proof that Chimpy is an IDIOT.
Anybody who supports him is also an IDIOT.
June 14th, 2006 at 3:45 pmWas there a follow-up? Drinky McStagger essentially answers by saying that if there’s no indictment, there’s no wrong-doing. However, he promised us to fire whoever was involved in outing Plame. Well, there’s now irrefutable evidence that Scooter and Rove were the ones who called the six reporters and outed Plame.
Why does Rove still have his security clearance? Why does he still have a job?
As for the sunglasses thing, my take on it was that Bush was being his usual 24/7 asshole. He felt that the reporter was disrepectful by not removing his sunglasses. He’s made similar snarky comments in the past when he thought he wasn’t getting the respest a Boy King deserves. Possibly not the most newsworthy item, but whaddya want, photo-op trips EVERYday?
June 14th, 2006 at 3:54 pmWhat Dubya WANTED to say was, “I’m the prezdet, y’all gotta take them sunglasses off to address me! I can MAKE you take them off, y’know.”
June 14th, 2006 at 3:56 pmI don’t really see this as that eventful. I don’t know, it’s kinda amusing, and Wallsten took it in a very genial way. He seems like a decent guy. (Wallsten, not Bush) I love his retort: “It depends on your perspective.” All the reporters got it, Bush didn’t. It was classic.
June 14th, 2006 at 3:59 pmWe must rid ourselves of the miserable Beastie.
IMPEACH!
June 14th, 2006 at 4:00 pmHungry Kossaks…
Whenever the nutroots perceive an opportunity, they pounce and pounce and …
June 14th, 2006 at 4:05 pmBush is a heartless slob, so now he picks on a near-blind reporter > shame on him!
June 14th, 2006 at 4:06 pmIgnoring the preliminary sun glass comments, didnt the transcript boil down to:
Reporter: Were you unaware of the crass activity going on in the Whitehouse surrounding Joe Wilson?
George Bush: I refuse to answer that.
Only dressed up nicely.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:15 pmHaving seen a number of pairs of sunglasses disappear when the cameras begin to turn on, I thought that Bush was asking him — in a kidding way — if he’d forgotten to take them off. Does he wear them when at press conferences inside?
June 14th, 2006 at 4:15 pmCan someone just suck my nuts? Would someone do tht for me. If they do i’d appreciate it.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:17 pmCan someone just suck my nuts? Would someone do that for me. If they do i’d appreciate it.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:17 pmA blind reporter who can write. Is it in braile? Dude, this guy is a superhero. Does he have his own show?
Wow, if I was stupid like Bush, I’d assume a man with sunglasses that can jot down notes to my answers on a legal pad was blind as well.
Whose the idiot?
June 14th, 2006 at 4:24 pmPost 73 lol > Bush was called “Lips” at Yale because he liked to give BJs to jocks, so ask him to lick your privates!
June 14th, 2006 at 4:26 pmAbsolutely bullshit post.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:26 pmAnd I’m a left wingnut by your standards.
Let’s impeach Bush so Cheney can serve as president. He’s more sensitive to the Frisco Dyke cause.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:33 pmBush is just kind of a frat boy tool. Likes to make himself look like he’s running the show. Once in a while his toolness comes out in a really inappropriate manner. If you act like a pompous ass all the time once in a while you’ll really look like one.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:33 pmI’m hurt you would even think I could/would do such a think.
Comment by squegeeboo
I’m playing my tiny violin just for you, Squeegy.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:34 pmI wear shades during the day, sun or cloudy, because I’m very sensitive to light. Not a big deal. I think the problem is that Bush “gets personal” in inappropriate ways– the whole “I’m giving you a nickname, hardehar” thing is an example of that. If I tell you my name is Mike, that’s the name I expect you to use. I certainly don’t want you to come up with a NEW name for me, even if we’re good friends.
But Bush has this sort of intrusive way of pushing into people’s space. It’s weird for someone who presumably was brought up in an upper-class home and took manners classes and went to Yale and all that– it’s poor etiquette, and you think he would have had that impulse tamed very early. It’s the sort of thing that makes a lot of people really uncomfortable because it seems to say, “I have the right to do this– to tell you who you are, to make personal comments about your looks and bearing.” Obviously, however, some people love it and rather than being discomfited by Bush’s intrusiveness, see it as a sign of their “specialness”.
The reporter was patient with him, didn’t try to shame him by saying, “You know I’m blind, don’t you?” or put him on the spot. Much classier than Bush, who rather obviously wanted to embarrass the man and put him in his place.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:34 pm#74 - Whose the idiot?
Comment by Liberals are so stupid it hurts my head…
Wallsten is legally blind, and he’s trying to preserve what’s left of his sight by wearing the sunglasses. Even if he were totally blind, he didn’t forget how to write, and he probably has a nice assistant who would transcribe the notes for him.
That would be “who’s,” not “whose.”
June 14th, 2006 at 4:38 pmMr. President, are your answers coming out of that box on your back, or are these actually your opinions?
June 14th, 2006 at 4:39 pm#80 - Well said, telly
June 14th, 2006 at 4:40 pmI can’t believe this is even a thread! Good one TP! Gotta post something.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:43 pmBush: Idiot or Genius?
June 14th, 2006 at 4:43 pmthis proves he was raised by wolves.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:48 pmIs it really expected that President Bush know every single reporter, and his medical status. Good grief. Do you liberals know everyone on your block?
June 14th, 2006 at 4:48 pm“It’s weird for someone who presumably was brought up in an upper-class home and took manners classes and went to Yale and all that– it’s poor etiquette, and you think he would have had that impulse tamed very early. It’s the sort of thing that makes a lot of people really uncomfortable because it seems to say, “I have the right to do this– to tell you who you are, to make personal comments about your looks and bearing.â€
Etiquette, in the eyes of the “truly elite” (please notice the finger quoting sarcasm), is reserved for other members of the “truly elite,” or at least, I would assume so. His talking down to and assigning nicknames to press members and things like that is another way of showing his superiority and dominance. Yuck.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:50 pmI’ll give Dubya the benefit of the doubt on not knowing the reporter was legally blind, but more interesting is how his obnoxious tone reveals his dry-drunk Jekyll-and-Hyde true personality.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:53 pmI think #54, and #80 are correct. This isn’t “news”. Its just one more example of our president being rude and discourteous.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:54 pmWasn’t the previous Bush President, #41 known for his good manners and thoughtfullness? I remember a mutter during the Clinton years that the Secret Service prefered Bush #41 to Clinton because #41 behaved with greater class.
The current set of Republicans in the White House don’t have enough respect for themselves or anyone else to act politely.
Jeez chrise, this is a mountain out of a molehill.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:55 pmIt is NOT news.
Get it the hell off thinkprogress.
As already pointed out…legally blind is not the same thing as being %100 blind. He probably has some sight left and, as the article states, wearing sunglasses slows the further loss of sight.
But as I’ve already said, if Bush felt disrespected he shouldn’t have acted like a bully and an a$$hole and call the guy out like that. He should have just answered the question and not made a scene over something so insignificant.
NOt only is it another example of Bush being little more than an insecure bully, it is an example of how Bush feels the press are little more than his personal servants. He feels he can tell them what to do, how to act, and what is or isn’t appropriate for their jobs. This is also wrong.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:55 pmWhat’s grievous is not that the guy turned out to be blind but that Bush feels perfectly okay clowning around at a press conference while people he sent capriciously to war are dying in battle.
Also can we stop calling a press conference a “presser” please.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:56 pmBush’s “humorous” nicknames and remarks do not strke me as humorous, just a way of eating up time, and more importantly, giving him a control mechanism intended to break a reporter’s concentration, rhythm, thought pattern. Bush usually breaks into the reporter’s questioning to add his petits bon mots, although the questioning sometimes starts right away.
The Parry article about the ill-mannered, badly jocular alpha male is spot on.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:57 pm“more interesting is how his obnoxious tone reveals his dry-drunk Jekyll-and-Hyde true personality.” - - Bingo. Bush’s snarky, smarmy manner is evidence he’s in need of remedial decency lessons.
June 14th, 2006 at 5:00 pm“I’m playing my tiny violin just for you, Squeegy.”
Careful, if it’s not the correct size for you, it can lead to neck, arm, or wrist injuries. No need to hurt yourself just for sarcasms sake.
June 14th, 2006 at 5:01 pmNo need to hurt yourself just for sarcasms sake.
Comment by squegeeboo
I will sacrifice myself, life and limb, to the great cause of sarcasm, Squeegy, just as you do for the extreme sport of frisbee.
June 14th, 2006 at 5:06 pmRay Charles could see what most of you have missed. A full life does not lend itself to perpetual anger, scrutiny and snarky commentary. My humble bloodline does not leave me want for the snippy veil of conceit that seems to come with Privilege.
True to form, I have lost my way. Blah blah yada yada. Ah here it is…
What I really mean to say was I think this event was just pleasantly perfect. I don’t drink tea, but I feel as if there is a perfect cup for me. This brief exchange, albeit mildly adversarial, was a gift. Nobody got hurt, the primary players were equally ego stroked by the circumstance. A social Ponzi scheme delivered viral video.
If I didn’t talk so much, I might have time to say, Lighten up folks, it just feels lighter.
June 14th, 2006 at 5:18 pmdubya is into the complete and utter a$$hole look
June 14th, 2006 at 5:20 pmhow the hell did bush now the guy was blind?? did he have a sign on saying BLIND or something??
but I know the liberal conspiracy theory behind all this, you see Bush causes global warming and thus the depletion of the ozone layer thus causing the sun”s rays to be brighter and thus this guy is blind! George bush doesn’t care about blind people!! oh the humanity” George Bush makes people blind!
it is no wonder the democrats keep losing and people hate liberals/progressives more each day- they are nuts!
June 14th, 2006 at 5:23 pmI can’t believe this is even a thread! Good one TP! Gotta post something.
Comment by Tracy — June 14, 2006 @ 4:43 pm
Oh come on, you guys impeached Clinton for something as equally silly…
June 14th, 2006 at 5:28 pmChris;
Bush didn’t have to KNOW the guy was blind, he could have just behaved politely and not make personal comments.
It was once considered the height of ill breeding to make personal comments.
Being rude to a blind man is of course much more deplorable than being rude to a person in good health, because a blind man has enough problems and can’t hit back.
I don’t know if George Bush cares about anyone.
June 14th, 2006 at 5:32 pmAs a Texan, I am ashamed the President pretends to be from Texas.
June 14th, 2006 at 5:33 pmmelior are you one of the Ditzy chicks??
Bush DID talk to the guy cordially even saying ” I am interested in the shade look ,seriously”
June 14th, 2006 at 5:39 pmwhat the hell do you want out of this guy!! I mean I cannot believe that this is even an issue!!
I am deeply sorry( well, not really) that the President is not politically correct enough for all you hypersensitive “progressives” here but this and you are just plain nuts!
So typical of Bush. So typical.
June 14th, 2006 at 5:46 pmSo the presiddent made fun of a blind guy
June 14th, 2006 at 5:52 pmbig deal
it’s not like he started an illegal war or something
jeez people - why do you hate america so much
#104 - Chris, you’re just not getting the social nuances involved. It’s simply not polite to draw attention to another’s perceived rudeness, just in case you have perceived incorrectly.
Here’s my take on it: GWB calls on Wallsten, and thinks to himself, “wow, what’s with the shades? I’m the president, and he’s being rude.” A person with manners, and lord knows GWB ought to have his manners down pat, would be gracious enough and secure enough within himself, not to mention it and make Wallsten (or any guest) feel uncomfortable. Because who knows, maybe Walsten forgot to take off his shades, and didn’t mean to be rude. Hence, if GWB was using those manners Mama Babs (or the nanny) taught him, he wouldn’t have stuck his silver foot in his mouth, and would have thought to himself later, “Heh heh, dodged that bullet, heh heh, glad I mastered my impulse to call him out on his rudeness, heh heh.”
June 14th, 2006 at 5:52 pmhey, an ignorant douchebag is still a douchebag. maybe Carter i’d give benefit of doubt to, but not this lying weasel. i’ll go on record: there will never ever ever be as dumb a U.S. president as G.W. Even the avg right leaner secretly agrees and has no defense.
June 14th, 2006 at 5:52 pmand for Chris…whaaa?? hypersensitive?? he made fun of guy for weariing sunglasses, no he didn’t know he was blind, but THATS THE BEAUTY OF IT! he’s just a schmuck in general, who cares if the guy had sunglasses on? did he, emperor G.W., find it offensive or disrespectful that the guy wear sunglasses? the point was it was an awkward, prodding comment to begin with. he just got busted on it this time because he technically insulted someone due to the fact the dude was blind. he’s so irreverent about everything. what a goob.
Bush has been president for over 5 years now right? He’s been seeing the same reporters for awhile, no? He knows a good number of them I’m sure. Plus, this idiot, along with many more idiots of the world, cracks jokes about anything and everything and this was not an appropriate place nor time.
Then again this man is not much for doing things appropriately. Attacking countries based on half baked evidence, giving away ports against the will of the people and without proper congressional oversight and fostering an nepotistic, corrupt and greedy administration just to name a few things are what he considers to be appropriate. The man does many more things than this.
This is just a reminder to all of us that we need to watch this man because he is inconsiderate to say the least.
June 14th, 2006 at 5:54 pmInteresting is watching the Dubya apologists here flocking to his defense.
Taking a backhanded swipe at the Dixie Chicks for something said several years ago that pretty much everyone except touchy Dubya-lovers have forgotten about, then going on to shriek about progressives being hypersensitive? Pot, meet kettle….
June 14th, 2006 at 5:55 pmI am deeply sorry( well, not really) that the President is not politically correct enough for all you hypersensitive “progressives†here but this and you are just plain nuts!
How about this: “the President of the United States ought not to be a cock.”
June 14th, 2006 at 5:56 pmLOL why would anyone on here defend the Dubya Dunce Decider ridiculing a guy who is almost completely blind? Next you Bush lovers will claim it is OK for Bush to call Helen Thomas an old ugly hag, or even perhaps some reporter is too fat to ask a question? Bush called a guy in Canada once a “Pretty Face,” and tried to grab his ass too! Bush needs therapy badly!
June 14th, 2006 at 5:57 pmWow, so many idiots and so little time. I guess most of you being such the perfect people that you are have never mistaken someone of doing something when they were actually doing the oposite. I know if someone was talking to me with shades on when it was not bright outside or in an internal setting I would want to know why and if they didn’t have a reason then they could take them off and look me in the eye. But in a world with people like the you that never make mistakes I guess this isn’t an issue. Grow up And I would be glad to by a dictionary for the person who accused Bush of treason. Just because you don’t like him doesn’t mean he has committed any act of treason. Actually most of the stuff that he has done was propossed by both the UN and the Democratic party before he was ever in office. So check your facts before you open your mouth.
June 14th, 2006 at 5:59 pmthere you go with the sexual innuendo ahem. why , tell me why are the liberal/progressives so obsessed with sexual organs?? Is that where your brains are or just your emotions.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:00 pmI cannot believe that these nutjobs would go after Bush on this one. if EVER anyone ever needed proof that the liberals have completely and utterly melted down mentally this “controversy” about some blind reporter is undoubtable proof. This is your shining example leftists use it well and show America what you are really all about.
Hmm.. How much of a story was it for all of you when your messiah President Clinton was caught on tape laughing at Ron Brown’s funeral, then feigning sorrow on camera?
This is a non-issue. What is it with you moronic liberals? Over and over and over again you are in such a hurry to ’stand up for the wronged’…taking up the ‘noble cause of the offended’. Even in the case when your case in point isn’t even offended himself!
Personally, I think that you all just have way too much time on your hands, and too many fools like myself are out there to act as your enablers on your stellar limp to the middle of mediocrity by reading and responding and driving your ad rates up.
Progressive thinking indeed!
June 14th, 2006 at 6:00 pmBoy you Bush lovers are pathetic > Bush is an abnoxious fool, but no matter what he does you defend him > shame on all Dubya defenders!
June 14th, 2006 at 6:04 pmGood lord. You people need industrial strength enemas you are so full of yourselves. This is why I can’t prescribe to any liberal political parties rhetoric. You speak of the conservatives as being elitist. I think the lieberals are the worst kind of elitists. Those that take everyone else down and are they themselves the biggest offenders of all.
Screw politics. Screw politicians. Why are voting rates so low? Because most of the public, myself included, can’t stand knuckleheads like the people who post on this board and don’t want to be associated in any way, shape or form to you people and your twisted perceptions of reality.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:04 pmLets don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill!
June 14th, 2006 at 6:05 pmGood lord. You people need industrial strength enemas you are so full of yourselves. This is why I can’t prescribe to any liberal political party’s rhetoric. You speak of the conservatives as being elitist. I think the lieberals are the worst kind of elitists. Those that take everyone else down and are they themselves the biggest offenders of all.
Screw politics. Screw politicians. Why are voting rates so low? Because most of the public, myself included, can’t stand knuckleheads like the people who post on this board and don’t want to be associated in any way, shape or form to you people and your twisted perceptions of reality.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:05 pmComment by Jay Randal : LOL why would anyone on here defend the Dubya Dunce Decider ridiculing a guy who is almost completely blind
Unbelievable… ridiculing him… THE REPORTER WAS NOT OFFENDED.
Truly, keep crying wolf… that way no one will give 2 shits if he really does say something worth bitching about.
You people seriously need help.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:10 pmI have a hidden disability that I don’t advertise either. But if you asked me to do something I couldn’t, I’d tell you that and go on with things. The reporter seems to have a lot thicker skin than most of you in this regard.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:11 pmOh brutha you are mentally ill, so please seek therapy at the nearest hospital or institution! Nobody cares if you post a damn thing on here > go post your rants on another blog site!
June 14th, 2006 at 6:11 pmWTF? Okay…Oh Brutha, just what on earth does this political blogsite have to do with low voter turnout? You don’t want to vote because…you hate voters?
#115 Different Chris, you know, people do laugh at funerals. Perhaps you’ve only been to funerals of dull people? Both my parents died (separately) within three weeks of each other, and there was plenty of laughter at the funerals because people were reminiscing about funny events in the past. And, by the way, Clinton is not our messiah - is Bush yours?
June 14th, 2006 at 6:14 pmIts all about respect. Most poeple had taken off their sunglasses at that point and most would have taken them off before asking him a question.
Do you wear sunglasses to your meetings and all throughout? No… Just because someone is unaware of YOUR issues, doesn’t mean they can’t say something about it.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:16 pmGet a grip america
Go find something else to hate
Nobody cares if I post a thing on here? Well, there goes my afternoon. Here I thought I finally found a purpose in life. Thankfully, Dr. Jay Randal has been able to properly diagnose me as mentally ill. So, this bastion of liberal reasoning and sanctity can be preserved from my “rants.” All heil Jay Randal for being the Big Brother at the door, protecting you from any other thoughts than those that meet his personal approval.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:19 pmOh brother you Bush lovers have to get paid to defend that obnoxious Dubya Dunce Decider on here > PERIOD.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:20 pmLol post 125 > tell your boss Karl Rove to screw off, or to give you better material to post on here!
June 14th, 2006 at 6:22 pmAs I’ve posted on another blog, what came across in the Bush-Wallsten exchange wasn’t Bush’s insensitivity — it was his narcissism. Bush saw Wallsten wearing sunglasses and he couldn’t simply ignore it. He had to turn it into a reason to smirk.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:23 pmI’m not a Bush lover. I am a hater of extremists like you. And extremists for the Republicans, too. You are all nutjobs and weenies.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:23 pm[…] Read about it watch the video here. Currently No Comments about this post. Leave a Comment. Leave a comment Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed. The following HTML is allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong> […]
June 14th, 2006 at 6:24 pmJane123.. The point I was trying to make was not about people laughing at funerals. It was about being truly rude and obnoxious (Isn’t that the issue?).. How disrespectful not to laugh, but to FEIGN SORROW ONLY when he saw the glowing red light of a camera trained on him. And if you do not recall, Jane this was the funeral of a man it was widely speculated Presidnent Clinton set up to crash and die, just like he did.
Maybe this is what we Republicans get, after all. We opened Pandora’s box with the horrific details of President Clinton’s Philandering and abusing his power for sex.. and the scandals of his fraudulent personal fortune and yada yada yada…
So this is the logical progression for illogical liberals: Name-call and insult at any cost. Take anything with a molecule of ‘issue’ written on it and make it out to be some sensation.
If this were President Clinton, or Reagan, or probably even Bush the senior; this would be something that we’d laugh about at then end of the news. But with all of your venom and bile and haste to make President Bush the devil, you all look petty and foolish. It would really be different if the dude was offended himself.
And, No. President Bush is not my messiah. Not close.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:29 pmLOL post 129 > in your post 119 you lambasted liberals on here, so that makes you a GOP operative or mole?! Since you do not like this progressive ThinkProgress site, then please post your drivel somewhere else!
June 14th, 2006 at 6:30 pmAh, Jay. Where else do you recommend? How do you know I don’t post such drivel elsewhere? I am just like a whiny liberal right now. I get to bitch and moan and you have to listen to me because I am right and you are wrong and you will always be wrong so long as you don’t agree with me.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:33 pmWow. It’s funny how you liberals (I’m sorry- I mean ‘progressives’-gotta be PC thse days) will rip Bush and his handlers for being too carefree and inattentive, but the next minute will tear into them because they’re too protective of Bush. Apparently, the reporter didn’t let it bother him. So, what’s the big deal? Just another petty and idiotic matter the Left thinks is important. And you wonder why you haven’t won an national election since 1996? And yeah, I voted Bush/Cheney ‘04 - so suck it, suck it hard, and hold it.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:36 pmLOL post 133 you are making me laugh! This is a site for liberals/progressives to post opinions/comments! You think we are all stupid on here, so why waste your time on TP?
June 14th, 2006 at 6:37 pmZach nope, but Bush said he needs a good blow, so get to it > lol.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:39 pmI hate Karl Rove, I hate Hillary Clinton, I hate the Green Party, I hate morons like the reporter who would not tell President Bush that he was blind so that he could use his position as a reporter to make him look foolish. People in this country are so full of themselvesand angry at those who differ in opinion. Used to be a time when we fought for positions with respect and then stood together against Communism, Totalitarionsim, and radical forms of government that spit on democarcy, now we have groups that think Cindy Sheehan is the poster child for all that is liberal and still others that think Pat Robertson is the ordained loud mouth for radical right churchies. Forget the middle men! We will work hard to make it, till we die; and then estate tax will give it all to the governement where the lazy liberals will agrue it needs to be given to to the illigal aliens, and the right wing wackos will blow it on another poorly planned war.
I am sureI will be called insane, or radical here as that is what americans do to each other these days. I am very afraid of the Jay Randel types out there. They get so angry towards others. Violently angry. It is just a matter of time before being politicall in this country will mean violence and terrorism between the left and the right. Where will I be - caught in the crossfire. DUCK!
June 14th, 2006 at 6:39 pmDifferent Chris, not to pick this apart, but, how do you know that Clinton was feigning sorrow? I think you may have been looking at that solely with the idea in your mind that Clinton wanted Ron Brown dead (”widely speculated” by Republican talking heads?) And you consider philandering so much more “horrific” than screwing the Constitution? And Whitewater is comparable to…what, outing a CIA agent?
Anyway, back to rudeness…if this were President Clinton, or Reagan, or even Bush the Elder, it wouldn’t have happened, while the current President has a history of using “jokes” to put other people down, whether he realizes it or not. In this instance, the reporter took it in stride, rather than counter rudeness with rudeness. And speaking of which, my post was not insulting or venomous, nor did I call anyone names. Sarcastic, yes, venomous, no.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:44 pmBig oh brutha I agree witha lot of what you say and I don’t think you are nuts at all! I think you are on to the root of why people hate politics and why there is so much venom.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:47 pmwhat you say is the reason why America needs a “third” party to come in and kick the republicans and democrats ass and return the Conststution as the basis of federal law. good job dude!
Oh boy post 137 brutha > whatever floats your boat! I dislike Rove and I do not support Hillary Clinton either! Cindy Sheehan is a good person and actually is a real centrist because she does NOT support Congressional members of either party! Never make a claim that you sit on the fence, but defend Bush on here!
Me getting angry on here is a lark, because I am laughing my ass off at you!
June 14th, 2006 at 6:47 pmAh, Jay. Where else do you recommend? How do you know I don’t post such drivel elsewhere? I am just like a whiny liberal right now. I get to bitch and moan and you have to listen to me because I am right and you are wrong and you will always be wrong so long as you don’t agree with me.
Comment by Oh brutha
Sorry, OhButIAmADink:
you left an important part of your arguement:
June 14th, 2006 at 6:48 pm“I know you are but what am I?”
That’s exactly how you sound.
Well, Jay. You found me out. I have been outted like a CIA agent. I really do work for Karl Rove. Yes, he promised to teach me things. Powers. Powers that the most consider unnatural. If you only knew the power of the dark side.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:49 pmBig oh brutha, Maybe you will just be called stupid like your idol: GW
June 14th, 2006 at 6:52 pmBig Oh Brutha, #138, if you’re among the “middle men”, it’s highly unlikely that your family will have to pay any “estate tax.” That’s just another Republican talking-points lie.
‘Night, all, I’m heading home!
June 14th, 2006 at 6:52 pmBush puts foot in his mouth, again…
First, it was President Bush saying to a man in a wheelchair, “You look mighty comfortable.” Today, there was this exchange at a presidential press conference:THE PRESIDENT: Yes, Peter [Wallsten, Los Angeles Times]. Are you going to ask that question…
June 14th, 2006 at 6:53 pmLOL post 143 brutha > Karl Rove is a Sith Lord, but you claimed earlier you dislike him?! Bush is his apprentice for the Dark Side > Keep up the sarcasm I like it!
June 14th, 2006 at 6:54 pmBush said it for the same reason he flew all the way over to Iraq to “look into the guys eyes.” Bush believes that looking into someone’s eyes tells you if they’re sincere. It’s nuts, but then… He wants to look into your eyes when he talks to you. It is also a bit intimidating to some people to be looked at that way, so take your pick: superstitious or intimidation.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:56 pmI did not defend Bush, actually. SCindy Sheehan is a dangerously mentally ill woman who is being agreed with soley because she is against the war. While she has every right to disagree with the President, call him names, claim he is a murderer ect.. I take issue when she goes to a foreign governement that is run by a dictator who HAS death camps and stands next to him and tells us that we should rise up and overthrow the U.S. Government. I have a problem with Pat Robertson suggesting we assasinat the same leader. So before you go throwing out assumptions (about my support of Bush) and feel good logic (Cindy is a nice person). Please try to read what I wrote. As for the whole Bush Reporter exchange, like so much in politics we are ready to make a mountain out of a mole hill in a desperate attempt to continue the unbelievable hatred for our political opposite. Look at the way you acussed another poster here of being mentally ill and suggested hospitalization. Is that less offensive than if the President indeed knew of the man’s eyesight-which it appears he did not? Is what your message to me and other is that it is ok to call people names and accuse them of moral turpitude as long as they are on the other side of the political fence. You are allowed to make mistakes or be wrong on an issue, as long as you are instep with my political beliefs? benjamin Franklin Is rolling around in his grave so fast he is throwing up…..
June 14th, 2006 at 6:57 pmIdiots. Like you could do a better job running the country. I couldn’t stand Clinton but I’d never be so ignorant as to call him stupid! You dumbasses!
June 14th, 2006 at 6:57 pm[…] This isn’t much of a come-back post, but hey, I was laughing pretty hard when I heard about this on the news. […]
June 14th, 2006 at 6:57 pmI don’t think general comments about a person’s intellegence (including pres. Bush) are productive or accurate - if he is so unintellegent how did he become a good business man and pres. of the most powerful country in the world…I believe he makes decisions that he thinks are moral with the information he is given. I also think he is a poor public speaker and some percieve that as being unintellegent.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:58 pmDo any of you people realize that Bush knows this man and was joking with him?????I guess when you’re just looking to attack Bush for something and he isn’t giving you anything you have to make stuff up.Maybe you don’t know it,but Bush knows this man and knows he is blind…………it was a joke.It’s called a sense of humor.Why not try finding one yourselves!!
June 14th, 2006 at 7:04 pmPost 149 that is an interesting rant, but Chavez is an elected leader and does not run any death camps in Venezuela! GITMO in Cuba is a Concentration Camp, but Castro has nothing to do with it > that facility is Bush’s baby! Cindy Sheehan is a woman who lost her eldest son in a unjust war to control the OIL reserves of Iraq! She has a right to be angry at the Bush Regime!
June 14th, 2006 at 7:04 pmJane, you ignorant slut… pick away.
(That is a joke, if you didn’t get it..)
If you have seen the video, you would know how I knew. It’s obvious. I also recall the scrambling by his mouthpiece (GS) to cobble together an excuse. If your memory of the times is fuzzy you can trust mine. It was OBNOXIOUS.
And as for Valerie Plame - I ask that you get your facts straight before you choose to enter into this debate… I bet you think that she was an undercover agent, because you probably have not read more than a blog like this instead of the facts of the case. And yes, that is a big leap.
As for the Constitution - the Congress is equally to blame. INCLUDING Senators CLINTON, KENNEDY, KERRY, etc.. So if you want to play the blame game, again you are falling into the trap.
And my Lord, you people that assume so much about other peoples’ intentions.. If you are all so freakin’ omnipotent and omniscient then win all the state lotteries, and buy yourselves the office! “He was offended’…’He was trying to be insulting…’ UNREAL!!!
Stop trying to tell everyone else what to think and how to feel!! Just because you think it, does not mean the world has to hear it, think it and feel it. FOR THE LAST TIME - IF THE MAN THAT BUSH INSULTED AND OFFENDED WAS NOT OFFENDED, THEN WHY ARE YOU?
Are you embarrassed by Bush? Fine. Now you know how I felt about Clinton. Lets talk turkey, bitches. Now I’ll rant. If Clinton had gotten Bin Laden in 1998 or 1999, then maybe NONE of this shit would be happening now.. No eroding of our rights, NO 2000 dead on 9/11. If Clinton hadn’t made a debacle of Somalia, maybe we wouldn’t be perceived as weak and ripe for attack. If Clinton hadn’t bombed orphanages and aspirin factories in 1998 to deflect attention, maybe more muslims wouldn’t hate us for our ‘recklessness’ in causing death…Talk about self-centered..
But, lets all sit here and buy into this ever widening 2 party gap. Lets all just relegate common sense to the scrap heap. Some of you people moaning about President Bush being “rude” to a reporter are calling complete strangers names because they disagree with you. Hipocrisy at its’ finest.
Baaaaa sheep. Baaaaaa.
June 14th, 2006 at 7:07 pmI am an estate planning attorney, by the way so I do speak with some knowledge here on the estate tax. In California the real estate boom has put the AVERAGE home value to nearly 500k. Now the average home owner is 40-45. If they keep the home for the next thirty years and gain additional equity while paying down their mortgage, they will jave a home worth well over the 1 million exemption mark. This does not include any investments, 401k residuals, IRA accounts, or other factors such as inheritance and investment proceeds from that. I had a man in my office in 2002, when the exemption was 1 million, and he had to move his assets around and gift and do all sorts of estate planning because the house he lived in since he bought it in 1957 was worth so much more than a million that al the rest of his savings and other property would push the estate to 1.5 million. Most of it in Real Estate. He was a school Janitor. He was afraid that his three children would be forced to sell the house at his death to pay the estimated $250,000 taxed that would be due. Do you even understand how the estate tax works, or are you a “rich people” hater that will believe anything that suits your envy? The Rich, so you know, have many expensive, but worthwhile tools at their disposal to avoid the estate tax. I know, estate planning attorneys make millions off them, saving them hundreds of millions. When you make an uninformed crack about a subject, it makes me believe that americans don’t really read the whole picture, just what they want to hear from those who want to tell them what they want them to believe. Wanna findout more about the estate tax? Try reading the actual laws, talk to financial planners, Estate planning attorneys, and retired individuals about it. Don’t make up facts that you have no basis in. Middle Class is becomming millionairs in many of the most expensive states. As a side note, the poor farmer who has a LOT of real estate, but no cash on hand really gets screwed by the estate tax. EVER THINK OF THAT?
June 14th, 2006 at 7:09 pmif he is so unintellegent
how did he become a good business man
he has faile at every business endeavor attempted
and pres.
he’s a propped up puppet
of the most powerful country in the world
Comment by gardengal — June 14, 2006 @ 6:58 pm
used to be… not any more, thanks to dubbya…
June 14th, 2006 at 7:10 pmOnly sheep I know of are those who baa for Bush > lol.
June 14th, 2006 at 7:11 pmJay, learn to read. I am not being pro-Bush at all. I am being anti-dipshit.
Feel threatened?
June 14th, 2006 at 7:14 pmKaty, the Texzas Rangers have anew stadium, are a revitalized franchise and he made a crap load of $$$ off this little business endeavour…if you have any of these kinds of business you consider a failure, I will buy it now for cash…
June 14th, 2006 at 7:15 pmPost 156 > nice information on estate taxes > I was born and raised in California, but I would never live there again > the real estate market is over-inflated and could crash at any time! As for estate taxes, almost everyone on here including myself have no problem if the exemption was raised to 2 or 3 million, but I do not believe the super-wealthy like the Walton family of Wal-Mart fame should avoid estate taxes! Since you are an estate attorney: if all taxes on estates were nullified, then you would be out of a job > is that not so?
June 14th, 2006 at 7:21 pmPost 159 > Nope I do not feel threatened, because dip—ts are mostly Republicans > lol.
June 14th, 2006 at 7:25 pmNope Iwould prefer to practice helping families to build futures by planning investments and dispursement of property to thier children in an orderly manner. There are also situations of special care need childred ect..
The biggest thing I would be doing is helping families avoid probate. Probate is a public record of a persons estate and its distribution. Addiitonally, because it is a court proceeding the fees for this procedure are mandated and usually cost the estate 2-5% of the GROSS value. Therefore I have seen cases where familes who did not do estate planning had to sell assets to pay for the process, as well as situations where the dispusement would not be in the wishes of the deceased. An example is where one son is a doctor and does not need any help buying a first house ect.. the other is a social worker who is paid nothing but is highly educated and motived. The deceased might have wanted the social working child to inherit 60% instead of 50. That kind of attorney guided planning in the long run cost 10% of what it would otherwise.
June 14th, 2006 at 7:28 pmWhere did all the neophyte right wing retards come from today? Reading this same OLD shit is like being a 1st grade teacher and spending a whole f-ing year wising up and educating “kids” only to have to start from the begining with a new batch of nose picking,bed wetting,whining,uneducated mongoloid simpletons. Time to get your knotted little panties on the short bus and get the F back to Redstate . Sheesh, what queer little red idiots.
June 14th, 2006 at 7:29 pmThis President may the stupidest man to have ever run a country since Idi amin….
June 14th, 2006 at 7:31 pmWow… OK, let me understand this, Jay.. Progressive Liberal thinker-guy.. most dipshits are Republicans…
See.. I could do the Liberal thing and blast you for how insensitive you are to Republicans… Point out the shameful hypocrisy in your closed-mind (yet, ah-so enlightened) thinking. Or maybe do the all time liberal favorite, and bring race into the issue.. How is what you said about Republicans any different than saying it about homosexuals? Or blacks? Or Asians? But I won’t because as a Republican, it does not offend me. Why? BECAUSE I AM GROUNDED IN REALITY.
And all of this, from a dude that it raking the president for what? Insulting YOUR sensibilities?
I think that you are not as smart as you think you are.
June 14th, 2006 at 7:33 pmIs it so hard to imaging that a lawyer believes that something he could be profitting off of is bad for the country? I am a smart guy, if my work dried up I am sure I would find something else to do with my talents. As long as it is something that would help the big picture.
The other problem with estate taxes is that it is simply a punishment for building wealth. I consider it an artificial and ineffective means to re-distribute wealth. The worst way to destroy an economy is to take the money earned in it and give it to the government. The government is not the most efficent spender.
Jay you would love California. Everyone here hates the Republican party. Only after Governor Davis ran the state into the ground did they elect one as governor, and now it seems thay hate him too.
You gotta move back!
June 14th, 2006 at 7:34 pmPost 163 I do not disagree with you on any of that, but as an attorney you get fees for everything you do for clients, so the government has to get some kind of compensation for the estate proceedings! Most Americans want their kids to inherit their personal assets, and everyone would like the government to not be greedy about it, but at the same time the Super wealthy can afford to pay any taxes or fees!
June 14th, 2006 at 7:36 pmWILLI RIOT - POSTER BOY FOR THE LIBERAL AGENDA OF GAY BASHING….?!!?!?!?!?!
June 14th, 2006 at 7:38 pm