Townhall's Matt Lewis: Obama "out of the country" in Hawaii


Via Huff Post and DailyKos from MSNBC, Matt Lewis from TownHall:

HALL: Matt, I bring up location because obviously I think if it were really a big deal and there was something that he needed to do, meaning the President-Elect, any type of damage control, he would be in Chicago and not on vacation, which gives off the idea obviously he knows what's in the report. If he's easy-going at the golf course, whatever we read tomorrow won't be a big deal.

LEWIS: I think it's very likely what we read tomorrow will not be a big deal. However, you know, you could make an argument that if he wants it to appear to be not a big deal he would be out of the country.

The thing is, he's right! And the people at TownHall actually know it. They are friends with the Grassroots Institute, and familiar with the arguments about Hawaii's political status as an independent country. Looks like subliminally he knows the truth, and just let it slip!

It's actually a fairly common mistake, though. Which says even more. It isn't just a TownHall Freudian slip, it is really a common perception based on some common sense notions of geography, culture, etc. Some kind of reference to Hawaii being a separate country is often heard among visitors and people who have no sense of the specific political and historical issues of sovereignty. They just know that Hawaii is, well really far away, and not connected, and is kind of different in a lot of ways. It just kind of feels like you're in a foreign country. Thing is, you actually are!

But here's some other examples in the media:

Cokie Roberts: Hawaii some "foreign, exotic place"

And in the unscripted moments of the coverage from the Oct. 15, 2006 earthquake, reporters on both CNN and MSNBC referred to Hawaii as if it's a foreign country.


Posted: Mon - December 22, 2008 at 10:51 PM    
   
 
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Published On: Dec 23, 2008 09:07 AM
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