Obama tries to show some R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Washington (CNN) - President Obama celebrated the music that shaped "our American story" with some of the biggest female music legends Thursday night at the White House but came up a little lacking when he tried to show his R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
The White House welcomed the performances by American musical icons Aretha Franklin, Melissa Etheridge, and Patti Labelle as well as contemporary female artists Ariana Grande, Janelle Monae, and Jill Scott.
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While the President was paying tribute to Aretha Franklin, he had a hard time with the spelling of a word famously spelled out in one of her best known songs.
"When Aretha first told us what R-S-P-E-C-T meant to her, she had no idea it would become a rallying cry for African Americans, and women, and then everyone who felt marginalized because of what they looked like or who they loved," Obama said to chuckles from the audience.
The spelling error did not bring down the energy of the night as Patti LaBelle kicked off the performances with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," bringing the President and First Lady to their feet.
The "Women of Soul" event was part of the "In Performance at the White House" series that has honored the likes of Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
Let's just hope that if the President ever welcomes the Village People that he practices his Y-M-C-A.
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I love the way that CNN portrays this as a cute "flub" by president Obama. If this were a Republican, the narrative would be much different. The modus operandi of CNN and other journalists would be to highlight other gaffes as a way of suggesting that the offending Republican is prone to gaffes, and therefore an idiot. They didn't do that here.
Also – for those making the Dubya or Quayle comparisons – W regularly butchered the language, and Quayle insisted he was correct when he clearly wasn't. Obama just left out an "E" which, if you know the song he was referencing, is kind of how the lyric cadence goes anyway. But Benghazi.... derp.
here's hoping someone has a rally called "stupidity in african presidents" where Obama can be grand marshall
American From Ohio
Well the rest of us knew he was an idiot.
-------------–
Well, the rest of us knew who the "biters" would be. Apparently CNN did as well.
He will go down in history with Dan Quayle
all you obama haters, no one cares what you think. stay home. try to believe your wives when they say they are going shopping (as opposed to what they are really doing ie seeing their more than liberal lovers who know how to treat a woman with r e s p e c t and a nice slow and gentle touch, you gridiron speed demons) and make sure you keep your hatred alive. that way you'll pass on sooner and real americans will be rid of you.
Seriously? This is news? Isn't there things the whole government is doing or covering up that could replace this snarky news story?
There's a HUGE difference between the occassional gaffe and losing one's spelling grip, and having a "C" student, recession-making, vacation-taking, bush-cutting, war-making, people-drowning, shoe-dodging,travel-restricted-lest-he-be-arrested ex-President that turned gaffes and stupidity into an art form and a way of life for himself in and out of the Oval Office, but mostly in it, to our everlasting detriment.
I don't want to mention any names.
If only the teleprompter was working. He would have been saved from the flub.
Third paragraph of the article:
While the President was paying tribute to Aretha Franklin, he had a hard timing with the spelling of a word famously spelled out in one of her best known songs.
I believe that should be hard time...not timing. People make mistakes...get over it....
Why is this even news? Most important thing going on today? CNN has become a tabloid – not the respected news source it once was.
GOP, just don't worry for spelling, you needs to spell of mantra I told you holding your ears, closing eyes, facing east on one leg then say and recite this repeatedly–"Obamacare, Benghazi, Obama is bad. Ukraine" for 108 times each day. Good lucks, idiots.
Why is this news?
get real the man is a Harvard grad. with all the looney's like cruz palin and paul this is an issue??? Palin can't even speak in full sentances and your complaining.
If anything will cause Obama to be removed from Office, save impeachment proceedings, what have you, it will most likely be this gaffe. Can Aretha forgive or will she sue?
Obama 1
Bush 1,000,000,000,000,000
Remember how the press reacted to Dan Quayle mis-spelling tomato. Compare that to this.
Why is this news? Who cares?
Is it that he can't spell, or doesn't know the lyrics to the song? If he grew up thinking the Aretha Franklin song left the "E" out (and it's not enunciated), then it's just another case of misheard lyrics. I remember having a major spat with a childhood friend who refused to concede that the BTO song was not "Taking Care of Biscuits."
While an anthem for the ladies, I've always preferred the Otis Redding version, which doesn't have any spelling involved.
The journalism at its best…not!
Maybe he was trying to spell R-E-S-E-T ?
Seriously? Why is this news or even information relevant for our lives?
I love everyone trying to make this an issue. 9 times out of 10 when I try to sing/say that song as a joke or something I either do what Obama did and flub over the first E, or I switch the second E and the C and completely mess it up, usually sparking light hearted ridicule for messing it up... over and over. The fact is Obama noticed his flub as he was saying it ("R-S... ...PECT?? ..." *smirk from Obama and laughter from Audience*) knew it was just a light hearted funny mess up.
Quayle on the other hand was at a school, in which a student wrote potato correctly on the chalk board and then Quayle "knowing better," got up, insisted that the student was wrong and "corrected" the spelling to potatoe to the shock of everyone.
Bush got the same treatment as Obama did here by the media. Basically laugh it off. Only people in comment pages and comedians made a big deal of it. Bush just made these mistakes on almost a bimonthly basis. It was part of his personality and something I personally liked about him. đŸ™‚
He can probably spell potato.
Ted Cruz can add that to his long list of presidential grievances.