Obama Gives Clinton the Finger?
Filed under: 2008 elections — Michael van der Galien, Editor-in-Chief on April 18, 2008 @ 11:32 am CEST
If you watch the video carefully, you’ll see that he suddenly scratches his cheek with his middle finger, right after he mentions Senator Hillary Clinton.
On purpose? Not on purpose? Judge for yourself. I do know this:
1. It’s the oldest trick in the book to give people the finger (while being able to deny it nonetheless). I’ve used it many times and still use it sometimes (what can I say, I’m in my early 20s).
2. The crowd interpreted it as him giving Clinton the finger.
3. Obama will obviously deny it and say that those who say they are sure that he gave Hillary the finger are paranoid. And many of his supporters will agree. And perhaps they are right.
Many people believe that it was on purpose:
The Democratic Daily (also go here to see a photo short from the other side; it’s perfectly clear that Obama did not scratch with two fingers):
It’s appears that way to me. The timing, the gesture, the sheer passive-aggressiveness of the act, which would fit Obama’s passive-aggressive campaign, couldn’t be simply a habitual gesture.
And that’s the part of the videotape, courtesy of Fox News, where viewers need to pay some attention to the hand that Obama raised to his face, and the finger with which he scratched it.
This is one of those political moments that really needs few words.
We’ll no doubt hear much more about this incident in coming days. […]
The presidential candidate raises his right hand to seemingly scratch his cheek.
He doesn’t use his whole hand though. Just one finger. Briefly. A couple of strokes.
He pauses. He smiles slyly as the crowd begins to mumble and then he tries, somewhat distracted, to continue his remarks, smiling as the buzz spreads through the crowd.
He’ll no doubt deny it later, but that mischievous smile seems to confirm plenty. And the crowd sure sees something.
After losing the debate tonight, Obama gave Hillary the finger today. I don’t know if he intended to do that hand gesture in his pause while talking about Hillary, but it is obvious the crowd thought it was an intentional raising of the middle finger.
1 Interested
April 18, 2008 @ 12:28 pm CESTIt’s perfect
It’ll let HRC play the victim - the role she knows so well. Gives Obama exposure since hey - we have all done it.
Next time does not need to be so coy, come out and do it.
2 C Stanley
April 18, 2008 @ 4:14 pm CESTPerfect for McCain too, since the one way that his age disadvantage could turn around into an advantage is for his opponents to continue acting like children.
3 Lydia
April 19, 2008 @ 12:24 am CESTShortly before that he had used his baby finger to touch his face, lips, etc.
4 Condor
April 19, 2008 @ 12:44 am CESTWonderful contribution to our political dialogue PoliGazette. You should be very proud.
5 BJ
April 19, 2008 @ 5:41 am CESTListen to the Obamanuts; stop drinking the kool aid you poor pathetic creatures. Political Dialogue? Are you kidding? His hands did all the talking I need to hear from him. He is childish, immature, and much too full of himself for his own good to say nothing of ours. He is not fit to be Potus, and I don’t want that finger close to any nuclear buttons. Here’s hoping he loses PA and Indiana.
6 Haydn
April 19, 2008 @ 4:18 pm CESTYou’ve got to see the whole video to really see his intentions. He’s not ever recieving my vote after that incident. I will not follow a leader that can show such disrespect. Maybe he should run for president somewhere like Venezuela. They like his type.
7 goldenstate
April 19, 2008 @ 8:41 pm CESTAfter seeing Obama give Hillary "the finger", I won’t vote for him if he is the nominee. He has no class.
8 I SPEAK
April 20, 2008 @ 1:53 am CESTObama gives Hillary the middle finger and brushes his shoulders off like Big Pimpin’ Jay-Z after acting like a comedian with his Annie Oakley BS. He is not presidential. At all. He does not take this seriously. I DO!! IT’S MY (OUR) COUNTRY.
9 Interested
April 20, 2008 @ 4:35 am CESTlooks like the paul-bots are supporting HRC now.
10 Rei
April 20, 2008 @ 8:47 am CESTUm. Hello, there are videos of this “flip-off” shot from the side. And from the side, it’s blatantly obvious that he was scratching with both his middle *and* ring fingers. He scratched his cheek with two fingers. Not too long after he scratched the same spot with his pinky finger. Whoop-de-doo — it’s apparently now time to analyze which fingers (or sets of fingers) Obama scratches itches with. And since when to politicians write-in televised flip-offs into pre-planned speeches anyways?
This whole “controversy” is idiotic from all angles.
11 Hassan
April 22, 2008 @ 2:36 pm CESTyo I dont read the long conversations you guys write
Obama 2008!!!!!!!!!