While much to the chagrin of Hootie Johnson, black people golf. They also swim and ski I’m told. President Obama, however, will never enjoy the acceptance of the masses like Tiger Woods has, despite Tiger’s sexual shenanigans. I’m not one to judge, but some of those women were fugly and what could I say that would hurt more than losing over $100 million.
In an effort to connect with a party that can’t even connect with its own constituents, President Obama invited two Republican Senators to play a round of golf yesterday at a course on Andrews Air Force Base. While not St. Andrews, it’s quite a nice course. But how does one reach across the aisle to a party that has sprinted away from those that elected them? The average Republican believes in higher taxes on the very wealthy, supports marriage equality, believes that gays should be allowed to openly serve in the military, supports background checks for gun buyers, and is open to the idea of immigration reform. Unfortunately, for those progressive Republicans, their senators do not.
One can only draw the conclusion that Obama simply likes to play golf, and in the interest of not being criticized for taking the time to play a round, has created this illusion of bipartisan bridge building. When living in China, I once saw the Chinese government’s plan for infrastructure development for the next 30 years. It included a bridge to Taiwan. This seems a more likely bridge than one from the White House to the Senate floor.
What’s Obama’s swing look like? He has a nice jump shot.
Joining Obama yesterday were three men who golf considerably better. This was exhibited by Sen. Saxby Chambliss (Republican – GA) when he made a hole-in-one on the 11th hole. Democratic Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado and GOP Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee completed the foursome.
Coincidentally or not, Corker, Chambliss and Udall are regarded as highly skilled golfers. In a 2011 survey of “Washington’s Top 150 Golfers,” Golf Digest ranked Udall 11th, Corker 12th, and Chambliss 37th.
Not unlike recent gun control legislation, Obama and Udall’s efforts fell short as the Republican pairing handed them yet another defeat.
“Most of the talk centered on the round of golf and not the latest round of legislative negotiations in Congress,” said a statement from the White House. “The President was pleased that the rain held off, despite the damp forecast.”
I’m sure all Americans who are concerned about the budget and the tens of millions of undocumented workers looking for a path to citizenship will find comfort in the fact that nobody got wet.
