Obama: Nah, I'm Not Going to Release All Those Photos of Me and My Staff Skeet-Shooting

Obama claimed "I go shooting all the time."

Asked in a magazine interview whether he had ever fired a gun, Mr Obama said he did so with guests at the president's rural retreat.

"Up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time," he said. "And I have a profound respect for the traditions of hunting that trace back in this country for generations.

"And I think those who dismiss that out of hand make a big mistake".

He claimed this nonsense in order to appear Just Like You to those on the fence about gun restrictions. Just Like You is how the liberals sell their agenda and how the media helps them sell it. You'll give more credence to someone Just Like You to someone Not Like You.

The Tea Party very much got the Not Like You coverage -- look at all these angry old people!

Occupy Wall Street, on the other hand, got Just Like You coverage. Look at these earnest young patriots! Why, some are mothers. Some are even grandmothers. Some are accountants, some are plumbers, some are teachers, and some are just optimistic kids just worried about the future.

Whenever the media uses lots of specific examples, they're attempting the Just Like You con. They're naming every possible example in hopes of casting the widest possible net to name someone like the reader, and thus to elicit the reader's natural tribal sympathies for someone Just Like Him. They also use descriptors that people use for themselves -- positive descriptors. People generally think of themselves as well-intentioned, concerned, etc., and so calling a group these things makes them Just Like the Reader.

On the other hand, the Not Like You treatment focuses on the narrowest possible profile (such as claiming all Tea Partiers are white, despite there being plenty of minority Tea Partiers) and casts them in negative language. People don't usually think of themselves using negative descriptors-- so casting a group as these things, which the Reader is most assuredly not, makes them Not Like the Reader.

Well, Obama says he's Just Like You but he's not willing to release any photographs demonstrating his status as Just Like You.

I guess I'll just have to take his word for it. The man has never lied to me before, except for always.

[Update - Andy]: The administration has apparently backtracked and released the following photo just moments ago.

posted by Ace at 01:44 PM

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