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When you say "Barack Obama," Howard Kurtz thinks "Tiger Woods"

December 23, 2009 10:55 am ET by Jamison Foser

Washington Post Tiger Beat columnist Howard Kurtz just can't get Tiger Woods out of his mind:

And for all the heated rhetoric being thrown at him [President Obama] these days -- socialist, sellout, soporific, yadda yadda yadda -- I don't think anyone has accused him of a racial approach to politics. People want to know what he's doing about unemployment and health care and climate change. In a very real sense, he seems to have transcended race.

(I was going to make a Tiger Woods analogy here, but at the moment that seems like a decidedly bad idea.)

Kurtz isn't the first media figure to inexplicably link Obama and Woods:

Newsmax's Ponte compares Obama to Tiger Woods: "eager to give cold cash to get hot love" at climate change conference

Fox Nation: "Why Obama Is Worse Than Tiger?"

Limbaugh reads article comparing Obama to Tiger Woods

And, of course, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd strained to find similarity between Tiger Woods and White House social secretary Desiree Rogers, coming up with some drivel about both of them being entitled swans.

I'm still waiting for a media figure to compare a white political figure to Tiger.  Maybe John Ensign?  Both (allegedly) offered hush money to keep affairs quiet.  But I guess some journalists think that's a bit of a stretch -- not like the obvious similarities between Woods and Rogers.

Tags: The Washington Post, Rush Limbaugh, Howard Kurtz, The New York Times, NewsMax.com, Maureen Dowd, Fox Nation

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    • Author by Max Credits (December 23, 2009 11:02 am ET)
      5  
      (I was going to applaud Kurtz here for not lumping together the uber famous blacks, but at the moment that seems like a decidedly bad idea. By the way, how 'bout that Lebron James, huh? Mad Skillz that one!)
      Report Abuse
    • Author by night-n-day (December 23, 2009 11:05 am ET)
      4 1
      " I don't think anyone has accused him of a racial approach to politics."
      - Howie Kurtz


      So, lets make sure we do since we cannot look at President Obama and not think immediately of his race.

      Your liberal, rightwing media in action, ladies & gentlemen.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by shaggles (December 23, 2009 11:07 am ET)
      5  
      "I don't think anyone has accused him of a racial approach to politics."

      Really? What about "This is reparations." from Limbaugh? Or "I think this guy is a racist." from Beck?
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Don Hussein Fabuloso (December 23, 2009 12:11 pm ET)
        2  
        Come on, Shaggles, do it right. What you should have written was;

        "I was going to mention Rush's use of reparations, or Beck saying that Obama is racist, but that would be too obvious."

        I briefly thought about noticing that Kurtz' out-of-the-blue statement that nobody has accused Obama as having a racial approach to politics is pretty much his clumsy passive-aggressive way of mentioning race.

        And I would have mentioned it, if Kurtz hadn't brought up race immediately before making a Tiger Woods comparison that he was, fortunately, responsible enough to stop himself from doing.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by moe99 (December 23, 2009 12:21 pm ET)
             
          Kurtz, by merely mentioning that he was not going to mention it, jumped the shark.
          Report Abuse
        • Author by Max Credits (December 23, 2009 1:37 pm ET)
          2  
          I came thisclose to posting that I applaud your restraint in not posting what you were briefly considering regarding Kurtz's choice to not not bring up Obama and Woods' race.

          (I was also going to make an Any Famous White Athlete Who Fell From Grace During Bush's Presidency analogy, but at the moment that seems like a decidedly bad idea.)
          Report Abuse
          • Author by Don Hussein Fabuloso (December 23, 2009 2:14 pm ET)
            2  
            I wonder if Kurtz ever tells his wife that he was considering mentioning that her butt is looking especially large, but covers himself by telling her that, at the moment, it seems like a decidedly bad idea.
            Report Abuse
      • Author by MikeC (December 23, 2009 4:34 pm ET)
           
        Yeah, not just Rushbo and Beck, but FoxNation, Teabaggers, Michael Steele, and some select pols in DC who want to deviate from the usual Commie/Nazi/Socialism/Mao attacks, Howie. You might want to search Media Matters for "obama, racist" before you make a fact-free point in order transfer Rush's and FoxNews' words to MSM.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by sherifffruitfly1565 (December 23, 2009 12:33 pm ET)
         
      To white folks, they all look alike, think alike, and act alike. Really, there's only one black person, as far as white folks are concerned.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by rtwmd1230 (December 23, 2009 12:50 pm ET)
      2  
      'When you say "Barack Obama," Howard Kurtz thinks "Tiger Woods" '

      When you say "Howard Kurtz," I think "Alfred E. Newman."
      Report Abuse
    • Author by highlyunlikely (December 23, 2009 6:11 pm ET)
         
      and the passive-aggressive journalism award for 09 goes to Howard Kurtz, for that nonsense between parentheses. no contest.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by frenchdm4132 (December 23, 2009 10:52 pm ET)
         
      It's amazing that after electing our first African-American President the media feels totally comfortable making racist comments unapologetically. Let's be honest here, a majority in our media are racist and they are loving the fact that inside their own sick minds they can say "We told you, even the supposedly "good ones" are bad.

      I believe the American people have pretty much tuned out the media and the few that listen and watch decide what to believe based on on their ideological leanings.
      Report Abuse