Are Obama supporters all "Prius-driving, Birkenstock-wearing, trust fund babies"?
Oh, the poor Prius. The world's best-selling hybrid vehicle just can't catch a break. The green icon was used by Tom Buffenbarger, president of the machinists' union (aka the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) and Hillary Clinton supporter, in an attack on Barack Obama and his supporters.
As MSNBC's video (available after the jump, the quote starts at around minute 9) shows, Buffenbarger said, "Give me a break! I've got news for all the latte-drinking, Prius- driving, Birkenstock-wearing, trust fund babies crowding in to hear him speak! This guy won't last a round against the Republican attack machine. He's a poet, not a fighter." Guess he's got the number of all of us "cashed up greenies." What do Hillary and McCain supporters drive, I wonder?
[Source: MSNBC]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Christine Smith 8:43AM (2/21/2008)
I'm an Obama supporter, and my husband & I do own a Prius...however, I do not drink lattes, I don't even know what a birkenstock is, and as my Dad insisted that I put myself through college (even though they could've helped out financially), I am certainly no "trust fund" baby. Seems Mr. Buffenberger is only 1 for 4.
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mike k. 8:49AM (2/21/2008)
As if I didn't need a reason to hate Hilary Clinton even more. I do own a Prius... I hate Birkenstocks... and I definitely haven't seen enough real views from any candidate on either side of any part to make a decision to support anybody yet.
F that guy.
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MarkR 9:09AM (2/21/2008)
Don't know about Billery, or McCain supporters. But this Huckabee supporter drives a Toyota Tacoma 4x4 when I'm not riding my bike.
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Truth Seeker 9:38AM (2/21/2008)
"Republican attack machine"?, I guess then there is no such thing as the "Clinton Hit Squad"? Hypocrite Much?
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Tim 9:20AM (2/21/2008)
Bush, Chaney and Barack Obama are all in the same family (cousins).
All are CFR and ALL are working to collapse the US in order to destroy the protections of the Constitution and create a North American Union much like the European Union under the control of multinational corporations and international bankers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qy97pFDLig
Watch what the DO, not what they SAY!
If you support Obama, you need to know where this guy is REALLY coming from!
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Tim 9:28AM (2/21/2008)
It is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to learn about the candidates from the main stream media. They do not REPORT the news, they MAKE it.
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Tim 9:32AM (2/21/2008)
OUR country is being stolen. Why do you think the Executive, Legislative AND Judicial branches are totally IGNORING the Constitution and the will of the people.
CFR / NAU & 2008 Presidential Candidates
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5CZvD3-QM&feature=related
SHEEPLE, WAKE UP!
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Carl Caum 9:37AM (2/21/2008)
Well I'm a Clinton supporter but I would love to own a prius if I could afford one. I love my coffee and am involved with three different environmental groups. So why do I support Clinton? Because she's the only one who can tell me where every last cent of her amazing plan will come from. Barack gives me ideas with no hard numbers to back it up. $150 billion in to new research? That would be awesome if he'd tell me where the money is coming from. So to tree hugging choice is very clear.
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Golden Boy 10:18AM (2/21/2008)
I've never voted for a Democrat in my life but would drive a Prius no problem. Currently, I carpool with my wife in a Toyota Matrix, so I'm saving more gas than I would alone in a Prius.
I do this not only to save money, but so I'm sending less petrodollars to thugs like Hugo Chavez and terrorists in the Middle East.
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1985 Gripen 10:34AM (2/21/2008)
McCain supporter here. Two 4-cylinder 2-liter turbocharged Saabs and a Chevy Impala flex-fuel (company car).
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Whopper 11:08AM (2/21/2008)
GWB has been a disaster which makes it very tough for the Republicans to retain the Whitehouse. But the Democrats are helping by offering a young inexperienced guy (in another 8 years Obama will be a serious contender) and a grasping power-hungry...ah...person. While I have some major disagreements with McCain's positions I'll just have to count on Congress to hold him in check.
I commute on a 50 mpg Harley when weather permits, a full sized pickup when it doesn't. I have no desire to own/drive a Prius, but when I can purchase a full size electric pickup with no penalty in price, range or carrying capacity, I'd do it.
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david 11:39AM (2/21/2008)
My wife and I are Obama supporters. When I'm not riding my bike to work I drive a VW TDI. I do own a pair of birkenstocks, and I do make espresso every morning before I go to work. Damn...of course I'm missing the trust fund part.
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James 11:56AM (2/21/2008)
I am an Obama supporter and I can promise you that we neither have a prius or a trust fund. In fact, both our cars are over ten years old (mine is 20). My dad, who is a construction worker and likely supports McCain, loves cappuccinos, although he doesn't wear birkenstocks. Making broad generalizations about any group of people is always a reflection of someone's ignorance.
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Karen Pease 12:26PM (2/21/2008)
"That would be awesome if he'd tell me where the money is coming from."
Is it really that hard to look up?
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/fiscal/
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* Reinstate PAYGO Rules: Obama believes that a critical step in restoring fiscal discipline is enforcing pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) budgeting rules which require new spending commitments or tax changes to be paid for by cuts to other programs or new revenue.
* Reverse Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthy: Obama will protect tax cuts for poor and middle class families, but he will reverse most of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers.
* Cut Pork Barrel Spending: Obama introduced and passed bipartisan legislation that would require more disclosure and transparency for special-interest earmarks. Obama believes that spending that cannot withstand public scrutiny cannot be justified. Obama will slash earmarks to no greater than year 2001 levels and ensure all spending decisions are open to the public.
* Make Government Spending More Accountable and Efficient: Obama will ensure that federal contracts over $25,000 are competitively bid. Obama will also increase the efficiency of government programs through better use of technology, stronger management that demands accountability and by leveraging the government's high-volume purchasing power to get lower prices.
* End Wasteful Government Spending: Obama will stop funding wasteful, obsolete federal government programs that make no financial sense. Obama has called for an end to subsidies for oil and gas companies that are enjoying record profits, as well as the elimination of subsidies to the private student loan industry which has repeatedly used unethical business practices. Obama will also tackle wasteful spending in the Medicare program.
Make the Tax System More Fair and Efficient
* End Tax Haven Abuse: Building on his bipartisan work in the Senate, Obama will give the Treasury Department the tools it needs to stop the abuse of tax shelters and offshore tax havens and help close the $350 billion tax gap between taxes owed and taxes paid.
* Close Special Interest Corporate Loopholes: Obama will level the playing field for all businesses by eliminating special-interest loopholes and deductions, such as those for the oil and gas industry.
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Anyways, Mr. Buffenbarger is apparently really susceptible to propaganda, as he was just repeating a right-wing, anti-Democrat commercial:
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ANNOUNCER: What do you think of Howard Dean's plan to raise taxes on families by $1900 a year?
MAN: What do I think? Well, I think Howard Dean should take his tax-hiking, government-expanding, latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New York Times-reading...
WOMAN: ...body-piercing, Hollywood-loving, left-wing freakshow back to Vermont. Where it belongs.
MAN: Got it?
ANNOUNCER: Club for Growth PAC is responsible for the content of this advertising.
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And, just to answer the question: I get a few thousand dollars in gifts per year from my parents, and they did pay for my college, but I don't think those count as a "trust fund". I hate coffee, wear boots, and drive a Saturn. So he's 0.5 for 4.
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Tim 1:01PM (2/21/2008)
Karen Pease (#14)
You don REALLY believe his campaign promises, do you?
Especially from this silver spoon Columbia & Harvard trained lawyer who seems to have appeared out of thin air within the last few years and is related to both Bush & Chaney. He has admitted to Alcoholism and Drug Abuse including pot & cocaine.
He represents “change” only if that is his code word for more of the same.
You are G U L L A B L E!!!!!
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RoxChkPlusOny 1:28PM (2/21/2008)
Obama supporter, Priuses are too environmentally suspect (manufacture/disposal) to allow myself to drive (but I want an electric or CNG if I can't wait-- point taken), I prefer espressos and the occasional iced cappuccino or mocha chai (ha, point taken), I don't know what Birkenstocks are, and I was raised below the poverty line. So 2/4 nailed =P
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DL 1:34PM (2/21/2008)
My parents are Obama supporters and my dad has a 4WD 04 Honda Element while my mom drives either a 97 BMW Z3 or an 05 Maserati Quattroporte depending on the weather. So take that Mr. Buffenbarfer.
That said I am an Obama supporter too and I do have a Prius but I don't know what a birkenstock is (is it a kind of hat or something?).
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zaedrus 2:01PM (2/21/2008)
Here's a great tool to see which candidates your own views align with most:
http://glassbooth.org
It takes about 4 minutes and is, well, just interesting. You may be surprised.
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KarenRei 2:28PM (2/21/2008)
[quote]Especially from this silver spoon Columbia & Harvard trained lawyer[/quote]
Silver spoon? You've got to be freaking kidding me. He was raised by a single parent and his grandparents (as well as, temporarily, a stepfather in Indonesia). His mother was a long-time student who eventually pursued a career in rural development. His grandfather was a furnature salesman. His grandmother was a bank teller. His only got out of debt accumulated from his years of college by the publishing of Dreams from My Father. This is what you call a "silver spoon"? Are you freaking kidding me? And you have the audacity to complain about him being a lawyer, given the sort of law work he was doing, in comparison to his opponent, who spent her years *defending corporations* (canning companies, logging companies, etc) and serving on corporate boards (including Wal-Mart's)?
[quote]He has admitted to Alcoholism and Drug Abuse including pot & cocaine.[/quote]
He not only admitted it, but he *wrote about it*. When asked whether he inhaled (a reference to Bill Clinton), he responded that inhaling was the whole point. And you're trying to fault him for honesty? At one point, the New York Times did an "expose" on his past drug use, trying to dig up dirt, and all of his former friends that they interviewed remembered *less* drug use from him than he wrote about.
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zaedrus 2:48PM (2/21/2008)
I've almost always felt that elections are like a multiple choice test that comes down to a "lesser of evils" option.
That said, everyone should still vote.
For what it's worth:
Birks - feet are too gangly to show off
coffee/latte - resolutely no.
prius - not comfortable in my budget (bike/VW Golf)
trust fund - meager, but yes.
obama - gravel doesn't stand a chance, so yes.
Karen - you'll have to excuse Tim, he hasn't learned diplomacy as a manner of persuasion. And his arguments rarely follow a thread (or a line of logic). Rather than stating his preference and why (or why you should too), he'd rather call you names and criticize.
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