Obama Teleprompter Jokes a CPAC Favorite

(AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

CPAC Convention, Washington -- At this year's Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, the featured speakers have found a few surefire ways to rally the audience. Mentioning Dick Cheney, for instance, is always a crowd pleaser. The other dependable way to garner cheers is with a joke about President Obama's use of a teleprompter.

In his highly anticipated speech today, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty bemoaned that last year it seemed, "The new era of hope and change was sweeping aside our values and principles." Then came the punchline: It was a new era of "hope and change, and teleprompters."

Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio, who is running as a Washington outsider, said Thursday that the snowstorms that recently hit Washington were a good thing because, "The president couldn't find anywhere to set up a teleprompter to announce new taxes."

Sen. Jim DeMint, who spoke after Rubio, said, "You can't govern from a teleprompter."

All of these remarks, however, were delivered with two teleprompters sitting in front of the podium.

Other speakers who made took teleprompter jabs at the president include David Keene, chair of the American Conservative Union, the actor Stephen Baldwin, RedState.com blogger Erick Erickson and conservative columnist and talk radio host Herman Cain.

More Coverage from CPAC:

Tim Pawlenty: Let's Get the 9-Iron, Like Tiger Woods' Wife
Michele Bachmann: "Miss Me Yet?" Billboard is "Innovative" Political Message
Michele Bachmann: Obama Is "Intending to Fail"
Mitt Romney: Obama's Agenda Is "Reckless"
Dick Cheney Urged to Run for President at CPAC
Eric Cantor: Government Jobs Good, but Don't Grow Economy
CPAC Convention Courts Young Conservative Women
Washington Unplugged: Sen. Jim DeMint On CPAC, Tea Party Movement
All CBSNews.com Coverage from CPAC

[CNH]

More petty snarkisms from the Whining Wannabe from Wasilla.

Sarah loves to cite the overused snipe about "teleprompters" when insulting the POTUS, mainly because she misinterpreted her handlers' recommendation to utilize "digital media" during her stump speeches ... and therefore used a Sharpie to write crib notes on the palm of her hand.

CPAC exemplifies everything that has gone wrong within the Republican Party, as the annual gathering is essentially a full-fledged political circus ... complete with a multitude of bombastic clowns and an abundant supply of elephant poop.

Furthermore, this coven of right wing reactionaries and social regressives provides a vehicle for conservative extremists and tea party lunatics to engage in a "Stuart Smalley-esque" affirmation-fest ... as well as present banal, snarky speeches laden with rehashed Bush-era talking points, petty insults, and a healthy dose of misogynistic and racist innuendo.

[Rodeo_Joe]

Aren't these the SAME folks that gave us the Depression we're in? It's NO joke - to those losing their homes and jobs!

[tabicakes]

uh no genius, Congress controls spending, and the Democrats have controlled Congress for the last billion years.
Are you seriously that uneducated about how our legislative system works ?!?

Do yourself a favor and go find the end of this sentence:
"The power of the U.S. Congress to tax and spend for the general welfare is granted under Article I, Section 8, Clause 1, of the ..."

[info-hunter]

The retardlicans had control of Congress and the House for the first 6 years that Quick Draw George and Darth Cheney were killing the economy and the American dream as well.

[lucilioness]

NOT A DAY GOES BY WITHOUT REPUBLICANS LYING AND MAKING COMPLETE FOOLS OF THEMSELVES. GEESH!

[iirishamerican]

It's true, the guy has to use a teleprompter for everything. I remember when people gave Palin a hard time about a couple words scribbled on the palm of her hand, she ended up giving a 40 minute speech using only a few words on her hand. Obama can't remember what he ate for breakfast with out the use of a teleprompter, how sad.

[esme2288]

Of course, when you're just repeating the same crap over and over again, a few words scrawled on the palm of your hand is all you need. Presidents have been using teleprompters forever, as have musicians, actors, newscasters,... George W. Bush even used one - unfortunately he couldn't read it very well.

[velma179]

by iirishamerican February 20, 2010 7:20 PM EST

No, it's not true -- nothing you posted is true. You are consistent in this sense, iirish... have to give you that.


I am curious about one thing. You didn't see Mrs. Palin's speech? I would think you had.

She READ from the written text of her speech that was on the podium in front of her. Just like those that use teleprompters, she constantly referred to the written text, with the occasional portion delivered looking directly at the crowd (or camera). It is very easy to see this on the video. It's called following eye movement.

The notes on her palm were for the pre-screened Question and Answer session after the speech. That is also seen on that portion of the video. She needed notes for answers to questions that she knew were coming.

Keep up the bogus posting. It is at least consistent.

[velma179]

by -One_American- February 20, 2010 11:58 AM EST
When Obama has to use a teleprompter in order to speak to elementary school students - that demonstrates that he is severely lacking intelligence.

_______________________

When anyone repeats this lie, it proves that they are not only lacking in intelligence, they are also lacking in the common decency it tales to admit error.

That applies to Tim Pawlenty (a guy who lies about this president, but wants to be president himself!!!??)

and you.. 2258
__________________________________________

BELOW: THE FACTS
...though, sadly, I imagine neither Pawlenty nor mr 2258 (by any screen name) will give a rat's behind about letting a fact get in the way of an accusation against our current president.

Obama meets with the kids:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj99_FqaOSo

Obama, clearly speaking to the adult members of the press:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VQYAkMD7HE

[confused2byu]

um....thinking maybe George W. should have used a telepromter more often. Here is to hoping all conversative telepromters develop a short circuit.

[ribbie014]

A couple of weeks ago Obama sat a meeting of REPUBLICAN'Ts at their retreat and answered their every question, making them look pretty stupid. No prompter, no notes (on his hand or otherwise), just articulate, informative, TRUTHFUL responses. How many unscripted press conferences has Palin given since receiving the nomination for Vice President? None. How many unscripted press conferences has Cheney given since leaving office? None.
A pattern begins to emerge. Unlike Bush, Obama can actually put a coherent sentence together, so the GOP (Grand Oil Party) criticizes his eloquence. Obama is unscripted more than any president since Kennedy and these morons (IN FRONT OF A TELEPROMPTER) ridicule him for his use of one and accuse him of not being spontaneous. I am very happy that for the first time since 2001 our president is the smartest guy in the room- smart enough to KNOW when the use of a teleprompter is appropriate...and smart enough to be able to use one effectively. Just who are your eloquent leaders, REPUBLICAN'Ts?

[velma179]

by ribbie014 February 20, 2010 1:54 PM EST

Right on!

I wonder if Pawlenty, etc. and the CPAC crowd understand how this kind of juvenile and completely false, back stabbing will play in Dem advertisements later this year and into 2012? Not everybody in the country appreciates their "humor" or their hypocrisy, you can bet on that!

[KHLady7]

Umm would you rather if Obama spoke like Bush?

[info-hunter]

The retardlicans would just love the president to not use a teleprompter in hopes that he would miss speak or say something that would be more fodder for their non stop whinning and hollow attacks. The retardlicans do not have any real issues to attack so they invented an issue with the purpous of makeing him look stupid and foolish. What has been accomplished is makeing themselves out to be the foolish ones for using their object of ridicule to rant with due to the fact they need it to remember just what they are whinning about. Hay they can't remember that long and it is just a tool to remind them of "STUFF"? so it's OK for them to use because just ask them "their not stupid it's the Democrats". If you believe this argument you are in danger of being marked as a conservative and believer of weapons of mass deception. What a pack of festered clowns as*es. The retardlicans are more then willing to let our great county go down the tubes by stopping any progress to fix the economy or any progressive programs so as to make this administration look inefective and dangerous. The retardlican montra of fear mongering is alive and well. We can thank Newty for most of the dirty tricks in play, hay they worked so well up till now why help and resolve the countrys desperate situation when they can stand firm and stay the course and destroy this president and all he stands for no matter if the country spins out of control and drops the citizens democratic as well as republican deeper into this depression we are liveing threw as you read. Win at all cost, take the country back, stop this president are all that is important to retardlicans, not band together to pull the country back from the brink of desaster that the republicans drove us to at the behest of their rich contributers. Trickel down " The urine trickeling down the faces of the working class American families from the rich and well placed retardlicans", need I say more? God bless America and the working class families that made it great!

[tryhonesty]

The RepubliCan't/No party of true LAZY clowns...