ALBUQUERQUE - Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is retiring a presidential seal that made its debut at a Chicago event last week.
“It was a one-time seal for a one-time use,” Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. The seal, which resembled the official presidential seal, had a picture of a bald eagle on it. A phrase inscribed above it read “Vero Possumus,” a Latin expression that roughly translates to the campaign’s slogan, “Yes, we can.”
The seal helped complete a presidential-looking setting as Obama sat at the head of a U-shaped table with Democratic governors in a stately hall of a Chicago museum. In addition to the seal on the podium, blue curtains adorned the backdrop along with a row of flags.
Our earlier blog post on the Obama seal posted on Friday prompted mixed reviews from readers. Some liked the seal and thought the Latin expression was clever. Others thought it conveyed a penchant for image over substance.
Marc Ambinder of the Atlantic.com said there were second thoughts about the blog at Obama’s campaign headquarters.
“The worry for Obama’s image managers is that it gives the press a pretext to call Obama arrogant, an example for them to add to a list of arrogant moments, and a way to distract them from what Obama is saying,” Ambinder wrote in his blog.
Photo credit: Reuters/Carlos Barria (Obama delivers speech)
Trackback
102 comments so far
Previous | 6 … | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Next
In Latin, E Pluribus Unum means ‘Out of many, One.’ Or as you can rephrase it: ‘We’re in this all together.’
- Posted by BWhat’s wrong with that? One Heart. One Soul. One Love. One Peace. One Freedom. One vision. Abraham Lincoln said it best, “United we stand, diveded we fall.” One America. People who come to America, and yet refuse to learn English, are dividing the USA. Obama using “Vero Possumus,” a Latin expression roughly translating to the campaign’s slogan, “Yes, we can” - is not uniting the USA, but saying,”Anything goes.” Rome, in its debauchery, fell. Today the once great Roman empire is a city on a hill. A legend of another time. Is this Obama’s vision?
Our country is like a driver falling asleep at the wheel. First veer off into one ditch, then wakes up long enough to overcorrect and plow into the ditch on the other side of the road. Let’s just cool it and start driving straight down the road. There are far too many problems staring us in the face to be indulging in narcissistic personalities.
Just not good here - Obama and Bush are flip sides of the same coin. Very, very scary.
- Posted by Keiththis is a non issue. of coarse obama’s a politician trying to win an election. the seal was an obvious attempt to make obama look presidential, and get voters used to (and therefore unaffraid) of him as president. every candidate does what he can to appear presidential, obama went a bit farther because in poll after poll his biggest weakness in the election is people fear he might not be ready to be comander in cheif. this was obviously a sight gag put in place to alieve those fears. silly, yes. big deal, no. its not a sign of arrogance or anything else, it was just a politician being a politician, and trying to create a powerful image of himself.
- Posted by a.n.What this may prove is that Barak Obama does not have control over his campaign. Advisers he appointed should have caught the problem presented by the seal before it ever saw light. By this time he should have a trusted team who knows which ideas should be pushed forward and used and which ones to axe. And if his website goes forward with ideas without getting them vetted by his advisers then the website team should be fired for putting him in an untenable position.
Politics is business people, and at this level you don’t get to make stupid mistakes like this.
- Posted by Carole ClarkeWe as American are loosing our sense of humor. We have become so sensitive that little things hurt our feelings. Most of the haters are the so-called hypocritical conservatives who with bible in one hand and white-collar pen and paper criminal in another hand.
I do not see any arrogance in Obama or McCain. I cannot even listen to talk radio in Texas where the so called lip serving conservative talk jokeys espouse hatred for half of America just because they happen to identify themselves to be Democrats or liberals. Most Republicans and their pretentious conservatives will be willing to go to bed with the same people that Bush said will kill us all as long as they support the Republican ideology.
These are the same people who wanted to have a constitutional amendment to allow Arnold Swatznigger of California to run for president, even when he Arnold is more liberal than anybody you can find in the Democratic Party.
You guys should see beyond rhetorics of being manipulated by the so called conservatives. These people are not conservatives, they preying on the trusting gullible American patriotism for their selfish interest.
Whether you are for Obama or McCain, listen to your candidate’s messages and refrain from being controlled by radio millionaires who are using us for their selfish gains. I call them “RADIO SALESMEN”, all they are doing is to sale you a product by monopolizing on your love for America.
- Posted by J. EmekaI find it much more offensive that George W. Bush stands in front of the *actual* presidential seal.
- Posted by grapemonkWhat a spin! That seal was not intended for one time use with a bunch of governors….they just responded to feedback on the pompous, ridiculous, and unseemliness of it for any use at all.
- Posted by nanaWhat poor judgement. My oh my, how we continue to be informed, a bit too late for the Democrats, again. This time, they deserve everything they get in November!
When will the official Obama Salute be unveiled?
If it were not so frightening, it would be hillaryious!!
I don’t know how she will keep a straight face on Friday, knowing with whom she will be for a Command Performance, with the tin can emperor who has no clothes. I give her lots of credit.
All kneel before Obama. He will be the next president. And history will repeat itself.
- Posted by Slim Ballhe better be superior or he should run for president… Do we really want another c average president?
- Posted by joeNobody cares about this nonsensical crap except for those with vacuum tube brains.
- Posted by Alan TruismI say vote for Bob Barr. I would not vote for anyone that is already in Washington. Democrat or Republican they don’t care about the American people.
All they do is argue about who said this and that.
- Posted by TimThat is really embarrassing, Mr. & Mrs. Reader.
I’ve said more than once that this election is Mr. Obama’s to give to Mr. McCain.
If he lets his staff do any more stupid stuff like this, that’s exactly what could happen.
As they say, “What was the man thinking?”
A man who could be the President of the United States of America does not use a “fake” presidential setting for any reason. I’ll give Mr. Obama a break on the flags. However, the “fake seal” was really stupid.
OK Jack
P.S. The good think about supporting Mr. Obama is that when he does something stupid, one feels as though he can take the criticism of telling him so. This is a far cry from what we’ve been through for the past almost eight long and dreary (and stupidly wasted) years.
- Posted by OK JackDemocrats should have never selected such an inexperienced politician. Experience includes working and making your contribution, and he has done neither. He wants to placed himself at the top without walking up a single step.
- Posted by DudeI think it is disturbing that people get disturbed by public images but at the same time, it does say a lot about Obama’s character as stated by a few others. A big problem with Obama for me is his stance on Osama bin Laden. As a military wife, I think it is deplorable that he thinks Osama deserves access to the civilian court system. Osama only deserves execution…period.
- Posted by AGee, some of you think that seal proves Obama is awful. Ok, so it does slightly remind me of “Mission Accomplished.”
However, it seems that some of the comments are just short of “so let’s kill him.”
This can’t be that big an issue!
- Posted by Bruce in ColoradoDid you hear about the staffed McCain bloggers? Apparently there is a small army of them… and they read reuters…
- Posted by College studentDoes it matter which one we vote for?
- Posted by James MRoger G - what nonsense. One could not run for president and not be without ego. Some staffer came up with a corny idea and Obama fell for it once. Big deal. W has fallen for things that have led to people’s deaths and billions of dollars for destruction. The question is whether one’s ego is balanced and what drives that ego. Frankly, after 8 years of W’s stupidity and lack of aesthetics of all stripes, this is just another same ol’ right-wing he said-she said innuendo and distraction that doesn’t mean squat.
- Posted by theoThought J’s post was so good I wanted to see it appear twice.
Official talking points team memo #157: How to discuss “Sealgate”
This is going to be another arrogant imagery vehicle. Be sure to emphasis the terms “arrogant” and “arrogance” in your writing, while stressing how a little more “humility” is needed.
Other good euphemisms we would like to implant are “Superior” and “offensive.”
Be sure to come across as a self respecting patriotic American who cares more about imagery than any campaign issues. Adding a democrat is a nice touch too, a voter reconsidering his support over this outrage is a powerful weapon that must be exploited in ANY comment section take-over.
Remember, you are DEEPLY OFFENDED at this egregious outrage against our nation! Nobody cares if nobody is angry. Just don’t go overboard like people did in the “Obama/Osama” campaign, which violates tenet 47: Excess means no access. A tempered and tacit outrage is the current best practice on your posting tone.
Use several accounts if you must, it is important that we give the appearance of a massive outpouring of anger to get this issue traction with the press. As we all know the most effective way is to flood any channels of reaction to the story that you can find so POST POST POST!
P.S. Be sure to sign up for our voter registrar class!
——
IF YOU VALUE DEMOCRACY, VOTE DEMOCRATIC.
- Posted by Martin HewittIF YOU DON’T, YOU SHOULDN’T VOTE AT ALL.
I think they found Senator Obama at central casting.
- Posted by T Foreman