President Obama's Non-Pander to the Miami 'Heats'

Reuters
Eric Randall 587 Views Jun 27, 2012

At a fundraiser in Miami last night, President Obama congratulated the "Miami Heats," accidentally (or perhaps masterfully?) fulfilling his press secretary's spin-line that the president 'has always refused to pander on sports." Obama made a minor slip in his speech Wednesday night, noting "It would be incomplete if I did not congratulate the city of Miami for having the world champion Miami Heats" prompting gentle ribbing from the media. This feels like an inconsequential but fun slip-of the tongue. Obama certainly knows the correct name of the Miami Heat (video evidence!) and this is almost certainly just a case of tripping over consonants

But wouldn't it be fun if Obama, a Bulls fan, had begrudgingly congratulated the Heat, but only if he could mispronounce their name? Think of Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada and her Satanic character's masterful mispronunciation of her assistant Andrea's name throughout the movie -- a power play that says nothing more than "You don't matter." Oh yes, this would be fun. (Indulge us.)

After Obama received bushels of attention for goading Red Sox fans at a fundraiser Monday, his press secretary Jay Carney somehow turned the audience's boos into a net positive for the president, saying, "I don't think the American people appreciate it when politicians suddenly pretend they are fans of other teams to curry favor. The president is very serious about that, he will not do that. He will not cross that line." Now we find that it's truer than Obama's errant tongue probably even knew. 

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