President Obama Will Not Attend Funeral Service For Justice Scalia
[guest post by Dana]
It’s hard not to see this as anything but a partisan snub. All things considered…
The White House announced today that the president and Mrs. Obama will not be attending the funeral of Justice Antonin Scalia. According to White House spokesman Josh Earnest, they will instead pay their respects Friday at the Supreme Court. Joe Biden and his wife will go to the funeral in the president’s stead.
*When asked whether Obama’s Saturday plans include golfing, Earnest stressed instead that the president believes it is important to honor Scalia’s life and service.
There has been no indication from the Scalia family that they requested the president not be in attendance.
As expected, there is anger at the president’s non-attendance, especially given his reaction to the GOP’s decision to wait until after the election to replace Scalia.
*Interesting to note that Politico omitted the golfing line of question from their report…
–Dana
Hello.
Dana (86e864) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:04 pmThat one caught me off guard. You’d think that the funeral of any supreme court justice would be a priority.
But then, you’d think that about Paris too.
scrubone (c3104f) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:06 pmThis was expected by anyone who has paid attention to Obama, was it not?
When he had the opportunity, he snubbed the SCOTUS to their faces before national TV. You can’t snub a dead person except by not going to their funeral.
MD in Philly (at the moment not in Philly) (deca84) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:16 pmthis was a chance for food stamp to show a little class
happyfeet (831175) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:22 pmI’m pretty sure you can’t snub a dead person, period.
Leviticus (a8efb0) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:22 pmHe already had plans to play golf on Saturday.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:27 pmWhen he had the opportunity, he snubbed the SCOTUS to their faces before national TV. You can’t snub a dead person except by not going to their funeral.
MD in Philly (at the moment not in Philly) (deca84) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:16 pm
Exactly. If being president doesn’t mean you get to openly dis your “enemies” (i.e. anyone who dares to disagree with you) at every possible opportunity, what good is it?
no one of consequence (2098b1) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:34 pmhe sees the trashy tatted-up uneducated millennial filth of america embracing socialism
and he’s high on his own farts
he thinks
history will say that the president did not deign to honor this evil man by attending his funeral
yes yes yes
this is a man what’s always thinking of the present moment as the next chapter in his memoirs
tell me i’m wrong
happyfeet (831175) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:36 pmPerhaps the president will spend Saturdsy readying for his trip to Cuba. Because oppressive dictators rate but justices who serve decades on the bench and adhere to the Constitution don’t.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/obama-cuba-219412
Dana (86e864) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:38 pmIf the late “Antonin Scalia” had been an under-employed, uneducated punk who was a suspect in a violent assault and robbery in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven at one o’clock in the morning, Barack would volunteer to give the eulogy.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:41 pmThis would be my preference as well. You know, maybe he is honoring Scalia’s wishes. It’s probably in his will, “Should I die don’t let President Karkashian anywhere near the services,” and the family is honoring his wishes. That is a possibility.
Obama pretends to deplore the incivility of our public discourse, the divisiveness of our politics. As far as I’m concerned if he’s sincere about wanting to elevate the tone in D.C. he can demonstrate by staying the h3ll away from it. That’s how I’d feel if it were my funeral, too.
Prom Queen is the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral. Recall his eulogy of Sen. Daniel Inouye.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/12/barack_obama_s_eulogy_to_daniel_inouye_told_us_more_about_the_president.html
Yeah, I don’t know about the rest of you but I could do without that at my funeral.
Would you want President Selfie hijacking your funeral if you were Scalia, the guy who is ISIS-at-Palmyra-like hell bent on razing the man’s life work to the ground so no stone is left one on top of another?
I wouldn’t. Besides, President Yapping Yorkie loves wag his finger at captive audiences who can’t talk back and lecture them about how they got everything wrong.
Think the justices of the SCOTUS at Obama’s SOTU a few years back, when Tiger Beat went off on Citizen’s United. All Roberts could do was fold his arms and shake his head.
Scalie can’t even do that. This would be the first time in his life the Mediocrity-in-Chief could beat Scalia in a debate and I doubt he could resist the opportunity. Why give him the opportunity?
Steve57 (f61b03) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:43 pmSo good to see you here, no one of consequence!
Dana (86e864) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:45 pmno one of consequence (2098b1) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:34 pm
Hey there,
MD in Philly (at the moment not in Philly) (deca84) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:46 pmyou been lurking?
Dana, MD in Philly,
no one of consequence (2098b1) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:51 pmGood to see you guys (and all the usual suspects 🙂 ) too! Yep, been lurking, not on every thread but many of them. Got two jobs now but love coming by to read the great posts/comments. Dana, it’s great to see you regularly posting all the time, esp as we come into full swing election season. MD, I read a lot of your comments too and too many times say Wish I said that first! see you around 🙂
Contrary to what’s being reported today, Clinton did attend Thurgood Marshall’s funeral.
Milhouse (87c499) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:52 pmwhen Tiger Beat went off on Citizen’s United.
have heard all these titles before but Steve57’s cramming them all into one post is pretty great. lolz
no one of consequence (2098b1) — 2/17/2016 @ 6:59 pmI think if the family did not ask the president to skip the funeral, then he has intentionally given Republicans the back of his hand. He is letting the GOP know he is not going to back down. And if so, then he has behaved disgracefully as he with intent, politicized Scalia’s death as much as one can.
He is an ungenerous man in both spirit and heart.
Dana (86e864) — 2/17/2016 @ 7:04 pmThat’s because if Obama had an Italian grandfather he’d look just like Scalia.
Rev. Hoagie™® (f4eb27) — 2/17/2016 @ 7:04 pmLOL HARD 2: LOL HARDER
this is the front page promo of a national soros radio story today
happyfeet (831175) — 2/17/2016 @ 7:07 pmMaybe Obama feared that if he announced he would attend the funeral that Scalia’s family would tell him publicly to keep his distance – he isn’t welcome. Obama snubbed Scalia in life and he wouldn’t get a chance to disrespect the great man’s passing in front of his friends and family.
ropelight (b67c9a) — 2/17/2016 @ 7:08 pmYou can’t, Levidicus but you can snub their family just as easily as you can the Constitution he loved and revered so much. And you can belittle his life accomplishments by making him inferior to a game of golf. That is if you don’t mind appearing to be a petty, small-minded, vulgar low class pig. So with Obama, the shoe fits.
Rev. Hoagie™® (f4eb27) — 2/17/2016 @ 7:13 pmThat depends on your opinion on what happens after death. If you think that the moment life ends the person either no longer exists, or else immediately moves to another world and has no more connection to or interest in this one or in the body, then you can’t hurt, snub, or otherwise affect the dead. If you think that a person continues after death, and retains at least a temporary connection to the body that was part of him for so long, then you can hurt him.
Milhouse (87c499) — 2/17/2016 @ 7:34 pmObama couldn’t be bothered to put on a necktie to make a statement about Scalia’s death. Who’s surprised that he wouldn’t let a funeral interfere with a tee time?
It’s for the best. Obama would have chewed gum, probably would’ve played games on his phone or giggled with his flunkies.
He can apparently control his zipper, unlike the last Democratic president, but he’s pretty pathetic.
Beldar (fa637a) — 2/17/2016 @ 7:39 pmropelight, Mr. Justice Scalia went to every performance of the opera in Washington with his dear friend of decades, Madame Justice Ginsberg.
His family would never be anything less than gracious to the President of the United States, acting in his official capacity.
Beldar (fa637a) — 2/17/2016 @ 7:41 pmGinsburg. Sorry. I always guess wrong on that.
Beldar (fa637a) — 2/17/2016 @ 7:42 pmThat sentence right there about sums up our fearless leader. Thanks, Beldar.
Rev. Hoagie™® (f4eb27) — 2/17/2016 @ 7:45 pmSnotty little man.
f1guyus (9cbd15) — 2/17/2016 @ 8:01 pmBeldar, respect the office – not the man.
ropelight (b67c9a) — 2/17/2016 @ 8:20 pmPresident Clinton went to Nixon’s funeral, and gave a eulogy.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 2/17/2016 @ 8:24 pmAnd I am sure that Obama will go to Castro’s funeral.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 2/17/2016 @ 8:25 pmBarack may be able to control his zipper, but he still manages to screw the country! (LOL)
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/17/2016 @ 8:27 pmIt’s better that Obama continue to show how petty, vindictive, petulant and arrogant he is. A man whose words are nothing more than empty platitudes, insincere soapboxing and unworthy of the position he holds. In truth, his presence would sully the funeral of the late Justice.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/17/2016 @ 9:24 pmScalia must have known he wasn’t long for this world, and knew it for awhile. There has to be a great book/memoir/manifesto he left behind.
jcurtis (7b618f) — 2/17/2016 @ 9:43 pmEven if you can’t snub a dead person, you *can* hurt his friends and family by insulting him.
I do not know what President Obama is doing instead, but he really ought to be going to the funeral.
aphrael (3f0569) — 2/17/2016 @ 9:59 pmHe is an ungenerous man in both spirit and heart.
So I’m in the minority opinion here, but I kind of appreciate the fact that Obama — who almost certainly had great disdain for Justice Scalia — isn’t going to show up to the funeral and fake any kind of sorrow. Sure it’s petty and small-minded, and yeah, maybe the President of the United States should be bigger than this, but at least Obama is honest on where Scalia stands with him. Bill Clinton would have gone to the funeral and been certain to have been photographed solemnly bowing his head and biting his lower lip, but he would be just as glad to see Scalia go as Obama undoubtedly is.
We’ve known all along that Obama is boorish and ungracious. I’m kind of grateful that he isn’t trying to be anyone else in his final year.
JVW (30a532) — 2/17/2016 @ 10:15 pm#35 JVW,
Your comments remind me of Bill Clinton emerging from Ron Brown’s funeral, alongside Leon Panetta. Clinton and Panetta were laughing and joking until Panetta realized there was a TV camera filming them, so he nudged Bill, and once Bill saw the camera, he kicked into “Emoter-in-Chief” mode, complete with the furrowed brow, the biting of the bottom lip, and I think he even did the “I’m wipin’ a tear from the corner of my eyyyye” deal.
It’s on YouTube.
Reagan was a professional actor. And while he never aspired to be a groundbreaking naturalistic thespian in the mold of, say, Montgomery Clift or Marlon Brando, he was still an effective film actor who always hit his marks and delivered dialogue in a straight-forward manner without pretension or difficulty.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/17/2016 @ 10:55 pmBut Bill Clinton was almost like a disciple of Lee Strasberg or somebody. That guy sees that the red light is on (pun intended, ‘Roxanne’! LOL) and he just goes to work. Bill will never be on Mount Rushmore, but he should get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
WTF? How are any of you, in any way surprised at this?? Do you not understand what a pile of crap Obama is?? I’m not kidding. Obama is a pathetic bag of dog feces. I do not mean to ad hominem, it’s just that Obama has proven himself to be a vile scumbag. So we are surprised when he confirms again and again and AGAIN what a vile douchebag that he is????? Wake the fock up.
Gus (a084f0) — 2/17/2016 @ 11:12 pmWhat has always confounded me, is that seemingly intelligent people cannot separate, COMPLETE and UTTER FRAUDS who have been ELECTED, from real, genuine, Patriotic, public servants. For example, Hillary Rodham recently told us about her lifelong PUBLIC SERVICE. Who on this F@#KING PLANET buys that steaming pile of scat?? Why would someone so WITHOUT VIRTUE, not be laughed out of town????
Gus (a084f0) — 2/17/2016 @ 11:19 pmObama is likewise, BECAUSE, the LEFT has no morality. Let me repeat. The LEFT has NO MORALITY.
None.
Very true. But would Obama be capable of responding in kind? I think not.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/12/21/president-obama-pays-tribute-senator-daniel-inouye
(Unfortunately the link to the full text no longer works, but only the link to the WH summary)
Of the available four paragraphs, Prom Queen generously manages to work Senator Inouye’s name into Inouye’s eulogy twice. TWICE! And as Danny. Please. Daniel Inouye was 88 years old, he had lost his right arm in combat, and earned the Medal of Honor, the Purple Heart, and the Bronze Star.
And President Selfie is talking about him as if he were a five year old. I doubt Sen. Inouye’s closest friends called him Danny. And I doubt President Professor Ditherington BombyPantsStompyFoot McMomJeans was among his closest friends.
But notice how President Miley Cyrus refers to himself at least 11 times in those same four short paragraphs.
Ironically given the Hillary! email situation that we are going to find that Obama didn’t really learn the lesson he claimed he learned from Danny.
He can’t even get through a eulogy without lying. I have no doubt the Scalia family is extremely gracious, but if it were me and my family we’d be breathing a sigh of relief knowing he won’t be yukking it up and fist-bumping and giving shout-outs throughout the funeral, taking selfies, and possibly (gasp) making any remarks about his close friend Andy Scalia.
Steve57 (f61b03) — 2/18/2016 @ 12:12 amoh my goodness pikachu woke up to the stench of desperation
the transport index has 20 components
each one of which uses copious amounts of fuel
you do the math
decent leading indicator my fuzzy yeller butt
happyfeet (831175) — 2/18/2016 @ 2:59 amWhat ever else you can say about President Clinton, he grasped the moment of Nixon’s passing and gave a very nice statement. If you consider Hillary! was a staff attorney for the Watergate committee (and was fired for lying) and he had been part of the McGovern campaign, that probably wasn’t his favorite way to spend a few hours. But there are times to put aside any partisanship, and Clinton did that.Also recall Ron Reagan Jr. reaming out Bush Jr. at President Reagan’s funeral. In retrospect I agree with much of what Reagan Jr. said that day, but it wasn’t the time nor place to say such things; it was classless. Bush Jr. nonetheless kept his mouth shut. The One is incapable of such Big Picture thinking. Obama is devoid of common decency and has no class.
Bugg (db3a97) — 2/18/2016 @ 5:59 amWord on the street is that Obama is skipping the Scalia funeral for two reasons. First as a moslem he’s always hated being in real live Christian churches which is why Rev. Write’s church was his vestige of last resort to appear Christian. Second, he needs time to prepare for his “historic” visit to Cuba. He knows Castro will be depending on Obama imparting his knowledge of how to surreptitiously run a communist state and make a deal to accept Cuba’s criminals, insane and terminally ill as the newest American “refugees” thereby adding even more burden to the American taxpayer a la Saul Alinsky.
Rev. Hoagie™® (f4eb27) — 2/18/2016 @ 6:11 amSorry, “Rev. Wright”.
Rev. Hoagie™® (f4eb27) — 2/18/2016 @ 6:12 am#39 Steve57,
He actually referred to Senator Inouye as ‘Danny’ in the eulogy.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/18/2016 @ 7:54 amThat is so tacky. But this is all part of the “let’s strip polite society of all of its politeness” in chapter one of the Alinsky Playbook.
We see it so many times…he refers to Senators, Congressmen, Governors, et al, by their first name when speaking to them, or when speaking about them when they’re even in the same room. I remember in Feb 2010 when they were having those semi-formal roundtable meetings about health care, and he kept addressing Senator McCain as “John,” and Vice President Biden as “Joe.” Whereas everyone addressed him as, “Mr. President” and used proper titles when asking questions of one another.
As always, when Obama has the choice of doing the right thing or the petty thing, he goes for petty every time.
Rochf (f3fbb0) — 2/18/2016 @ 9:30 amUpon further consideration, I’m relieved he is not going. I can only imagine him giving a eulogy that would devolve into a castigation of Scalia’s decisions and beliefs.
I hope to live to see Obama’s funeral, and how few attend.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 2/18/2016 @ 10:25 amRecall his eulogy of Sen. Daniel Inouye.
It is typical of people speaking at funerals that they mention their own connection to the deceased – and not unreasonable to speak about how some well known things the deceased did influenced him. Obviously, a person with only a brief acquauntanceship with someone should not be the main speaker, or even one of the top ten. Although it might make sense for someone important to say how he, too, lost something or remembers the person.
Calling him “Danny” might be explained if he heard other Senators refer to him that way.
Sammy Finkelman (882d94) — 2/18/2016 @ 10:47 amAs Yogi Berra allegedly famously said, “Always go to other people’s funeral, otherwise they might not come to yours!”
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 2/18/2016 @ 10:47 amWe see it so many times…he refers to Senators, Congressmen, Governors, et al, by their first name when speaking to them,
That’s why he doesn’t deserve the title of “president” to be placed before his name. If I ever met him in person, I’d grimace and cringe if I had to use the salutation “Mr. President.”
For those Americans who feel the importance and dignity of the office of the US presidency somehow deserves special treatment regardless of who occupies it, that’s a quaint and (post-Clinton, post-November-2008) passe notion.
Regrettably, there’s no turning back.
Mark (6c93d5) — 2/18/2016 @ 11:38 amSeriously, the only way Obama can dignify an event is by not being in the same state.
Steve57 (f61b03) — 2/18/2016 @ 2:51 pm