Obama and the flag pin controversy.

[Bronco Bob]

Important issue or trivial distraction?

We Report. You Decide.

Candidates Have Their Say on Obama's Decision Not to Wear Flag Pin

Friday, October 05, 2007

By Melissa Underwood

Barack Obama may choose not to wear an American flag pin on his lapel, but many of the presidential contender's political rivals say they wouldn't leave home without one.

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton told FOXNews.com Thursday night that she sometimes wears a pin to show her patriotism. “Wearing a flag pin, flying the flag, pledging allegiance to the flag, talking about the values that are important to America, teaching your children about what a great nation you have, standing up for those values, speaking out … there’s just so many ways that one can demonstrate patriotism,” Clinton said at a Chicago fundraiser.

A spokesman for Joe Biden told FOXNews.com that the Delaware senator usually wears a flag pin. It wasn't clear whether Dennis Kucinich wears a pin, but a spokeswoman told FOXNews.com that the Ohio congressman does "does carry a mini copy of the Constitution in his pocket."

John Edwards, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson didn't return calls for comment.

Republican hopeful John McCain said he doesn’t wear a flag pin on a daily basis. Brooke Buchanan, a spokeswoman for the Arizona senator, said “his record of service to his country shows his dedication.”

Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo said he wears a flag pin to show he’s proud to be an American and dismissed Obama’s decision. A representative for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said he always sported the pin when he was governor.

A spokesman for Sam Brownback said he wasn't sure how often the Kansas senator wears a flag pin. "It might be on some of his jackets — just there," ready for the wearing, said John Rankin. He said he didn't know if the Brownback had a set policy on wearing Old Glory as an accessory.

Brownback apparently doesn't wear one all the time. On the cover of his 2007 book, "From Power to Purpose," displayed on his campaign Web site, his lapel does not show a flag.

California Rep. Duncan Hunter "is proud to wear an American flag pin as much as possible and on any occasion," said spokesman Gary Becks.

Other Republican contenders Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul didn't respond to calls.

Clinton wouldn’t comment on Obama’s decision not to wear the pin.

“You’ll have to ask him,” she said.

Hunter wouldn't comment on Obama's decision and said he will let the senator speak for himself, his spokesman said in an e-mail. "Though there are several different ways to demonstrate your patriotism and love for our country, the flag has always represented the very best of America and it continues to serve as a great tribute to, and reminder of, the men and women who are fighting for our nation."

FOX News' Greg Simmons, Catherine Donaldson-Evans and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,299578,00.html

[Garcia Bronco]

This is stupid and yet important all at the same time.

[Crushaholic]

This is stupid and yet important all at the same time.

I found it funny that Hillary was in talking points mode even for an idiotic issue such as this. What a robot...Hilarious!

[Garcia Bronco]

I found it funny that Hillary was in talking points mode even for an idiotic issue such as this. What a robot...Hilarious!

LOL...good point.

[orangenblue2]

I find it f****ng ridiculous that people even give a rat's ass who does or doesn't wear a "flag pin". I've never owned a piece of jewelry, tie tack, ball cap, shirt, pants, underwear, or a "flag pin" that displayed Old Glory, and I'm confident that I never will. I believe the US flag is for flying...high and proud...unless its at half staff for one reason or another. 'Course, thats just my opinion...others can do whatever they want...

[TheDave]

These days... nothing suprises me.

[sisterhellfyre]

Barack Obama may choose not to wear an American flag pin on his lapel, but many of the presidential contender's political rivals say they wouldn't leave home without one.

Tempest. Teapot. Done.

We'll know that Obama has sold his soul to the party machine when the flag shows up on his lapel.

Regards,
m.

[Bronco Bob]

Tempest. Teapot. Done.

We'll know that Obama has sold his soul to the party machine when the flag shows up on his lapel.

Regards,
m.

I'll bet Hillary starts wearing a flag pin more often.

.

[Spider]

Sean Insanity went ape**** , basically calling Barak un American ...... well Sean ?
you communist terrorist loving bastard care to explain ?

[Spider]

well you terrorist loving bastard ? America was attacked on 9-11 you bastard , where is your support ?

[Falconer]

I hope he will not change his mind at this point and wear one. This is just another stupid issue that makes headlines, instead of the real issues that should be talked about. Maybe we can talk about what kind of dogs each candidate owns next...oh wait, that has already been done. ::)

[Spider]

I hope he will not change his mind at this point and wear one. This is just another stupid issue that makes headlines, instead of the real issues that should be talked about. Maybe we can talk about what kind of dogs each candidate owns next...oh wait, that has already been done. ::)

;D yeah I just went off cause òf Insannity

[NYBronco]

I'll wait to hear his reason why he chooses not to wear the symbol of the fifty states that make up our country. Not that it makes any difference to me. I won't lose sleep waiting for a response.

[Spider]

I'll wait to hear his reason why he chooses not to wear the symbol of the fifty states that make up our country. Not that it makes any difference to me. I won't lose sleep waiting for a response.

Bull**** ........ Simple as that . just like these turds that drive around with support the troops stickers ........ ****ing magnets , they dont even lose paint on their ride over these things ....... some support ......... the more I see people with those stickers , as in hey look at me a great American , the more I think they cheat on their taxes , get some kind of government assistance , or flat out think , hey I bought these dumb ass stickers so I dont have to send a care package ....... I dont fly those stickers , nor do I wear a flag pin ..... But I pay my ****ing taxes .......

[yavoon]

I'm not sure I care who wears a flag pin. but u sure as **** better not make it a point to NOT wear one.

[Bronco Bob]

I hope he will not change his mind at this point and wear one. This is just another stupid issue that makes headlines, instead of the real issues that should be talked about. Maybe we can talk about what kind of dogs each candidate owns next...oh wait, that has already been done. ::)

Maybe we could discuss what kind of Halloween candy they give out too.

{Old time OM'ers will get the joke.}

[Bronco Bob]

Bull**** ........ Simple as that . just like these turds that drive around with support the troops stickers ........ ****ing magnets , they dont even lose paint on their ride over these things ....... some support ......... the more I see people with those stickers , as in hey look at me a great American , the more I think they cheat on their taxes , get some kind of government assistance , or flat out think , hey I bought these dumb ass stickers so I dont have to send a care package ....... I dont fly those stickers , nor do I wear a flag pin ..... But I pay my ****ing taxes .......

Well, I will concede that I do have an American flag decal on the back window of my pick-up.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Yep, the corporate media is still doing its job (read: trying its damndest to distract Americans from the real issues that affect their lives.)

[spdirty]

Bull**** ........ Simple as that . just like these turds that drive around with support the troops stickers ........ ****ing magnets , they dont even lose paint on their ride over these things ....... some support ......... the more I see people with those stickers , as in hey look at me a great American , the more I think they cheat on their taxes , get some kind of government assistance , or flat out think , hey I bought these dumb ass stickers so I dont have to send a care package ....... I dont fly those stickers , nor do I wear a flag pin ..... But I pay my ****ing taxes .......

My support the troops magnet covers up the scratch on my tailgate.

Sometimes, they have a purpose.;D

[Spider]

My support the troops magnet covers up the scratch on my tailgate.

Sometimes, they have a purpose.;D

^5 Baby wipes , cookies , tape , old cell phone ( one I havent ran over ) calling cards , or a simple thank you, and we are thinking about you letter ........get after your congress man , senator , tell them no excuses , fix walter reed , get these troops more pay , stop ****ing them over cause they are 1 day short meeting a requirement , and we are getting sick and tired of hearing about these vets coming home , and losing everything for the lack of money .......

[spdirty]

^5 Baby wipes , cookies , tape , old cell phone ( one I havent ran over ) calling cards , or a simple thank you, and we are thinking about you letter ........get after your congress man , senator , tell them no excuses , fix walter reed , get these troops more pay , stop ****ing them over cause they are 1 day short meeting a requirement , and we are getting sick and tired of hearing about these vets coming home , and losing everything for the lack of money .......

especially like the part about giving them a pay raise. ^5

[Rohirrim]

"Politics is the business of making mountains out of molehills."
Tip O'Neill

[Spider]

especially like the part about giving them a pay raise. ^5
from what I understand , most enlisted men could qualify for foodstamps , then you see blackwater making 10x the scratch and damn near doing the same job .....

[Bronco Bob]

from what I understand , most enlisted men could qualify for foodstamps , then you see blackwater making 10x the scratch and damn near doing the same job .....

Don't know what things are like now. But when I was in the Navy back in the 70's
I knew personally of another sailor who was married and had to get food stamps
to make ends meet. So not only did they qualify, sometimes they had to.

[spdirty]

from what I understand , most enlisted men could qualify for foodstamps , then you see blackwater making 10x the scratch and damn near doing the same job .....

I remember being in Korea, always always got preached to about how the North is comin down, we are all going to war, and we are all probably gonna die cuz we didn't have our shlt together. Doing a weeklong exercise a month simulating war with those bastards, and you know what my monthly pay was? 1k a month. Then when we weren't doing exercises our schedule was 8 on 1 off 10 hour shifts. And that was during peacetime.

Now those guys out in Iraq and Afghanistan, they SHOULD be pullin in at least 150K a year. Me, I would have no problem with a politician saying that they need to raise my taxes to give these troops a pay raise.

And I don't know, guess I'm trailin off, but one of the things that has always grinded on me was the teachers who whine and bitch all the time about their pay, when they make probably double what an E-2 or E-3 makes. That young troop...if he were to go out and whine about his pay to someone in the media, he is in a whole wide world of shlt...cuz they DON'T have freedom of speech...they just bust their asses, fight and die for that teacher who has theirs.

Now I'm not saying that what a teacher does is not important, it is. But when you compare a teacher to a troop, I give the troop the benefit of the doubt all the time.

[spdirty]

I don't know, I guess if you are married, and if you get base housing, you are good to go. But that is tough to get. Ive never personally known of married couples who were on food stamps...but I know it happens in the Army.

[Spider]

I don't know, I guess if you are married, and if you get base housing, you are good to go. But that is tough to get. Ive never personally known of married couples who were on food stamps...but I know it happens in the Army.

sad .......

[Rohirrim]

I remember being in Korea, always always got preached to about how the North is comin down, we are all going to war, and we are all probably gonna die cuz we didn't have our shlt together. Doing a weeklong exercise a month simulating war with those bastards, and you know what my monthly pay was? 1k a month. Then when we weren't doing exercises our schedule was 8 on 1 off 10 hour shifts. And that was during peacetime.

Now those guys out in Iraq and Afghanistan, they SHOULD be pullin in at least 150K a year. Me, I would have no problem with a politician saying that they need to raise my taxes to give these troops a pay raise.

And I don't know, guess I'm trailin off, but one of the things that has always grinded on me was the teachers who whine and b**** all the time about their pay, when they make probably double what an E-2 or E-3 makes. That young troop...if he were to go out and whine about his pay to someone in the media, he is in a whole wide world of shlt...cuz they DON'T have freedom of speech...they just bust their asses, fight and die for that teacher who has theirs.

Now I'm not saying that what a teacher does is not important, it is. But when you compare a teacher to a troop, I give the troop the benefit of the doubt all the time.

I spent some time in Korea, north of the Imjin River. I remember we had some general give us a speech where he said, "If the North ever attacks us, this unit can expect 90% casualties. The other ten percent are on stateside leave." It was very inspiring. ROFL!

[Bronco Bob]

I remember being in Korea, always always got preached to about how the North is comin down, we are all going to war, and we are all probably gonna die cuz we didn't have our shlt together. Doing a weeklong exercise a month simulating war with those bastards, and you know what my monthly pay was? 1k a month. Then when we weren't doing exercises our schedule was 8 on 1 off 10 hour shifts. And that was during peacetime.



You were making more than me then. I got $400 a month, and that included
sea pay, and this was while the Vietnam war was still going on. Course
when you are on cruises for a month out at sea without seeing land once
there isn't much to spend it on.

[spdirty]

I spent some time in Korea, north of the Imjin River. I remember we had some general give us a speech where he said, "If the North ever attacks us, this unit can expect 90% casualties. The other ten percent are on stateside leave." It was very inspiring. ROFL!

:rofl: we had this old crusty chief. His name was Chief Msgt Davis. We couldve sworn he was John Wayne's long lost brother. He use to argue to our commander to get us to put bayonets on our rifles.

I still remember word for word what he said during this commanders call. "those squint eyed bastards are coming down. And when they do, y'all are gonna die. They aren't like those lazy bastards in the middle east. these ****ers are committed to killin your sorry asses. They will lay down in a rice pattie motionless for days just waiting for the opportunity to kill you. You have that kind of committment? And when they come down, y'all are gonna die. Cuz y'all don't have your shlt in 1 sock. I look at this generation of troops, and all I see is this 'me me me me me me me attidude.' Y'all don't shave, don't get your haircuts, don't bring your proper equipment. Y'all don't have any discipline. All y'all care about is gettin off so you can go get drunk or go get that juicy girl."

Man that guy was a trip.

[Bronco Bob]

{I love this guy. (In a manly sort of way, not in a gay way.) :D }

Huckabee: A flag pin could literally hurt Obama

by William Neikirk

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says Sen. Barack Obama has a good reason for not wearing a pin with an American flag on it. Since Obama is seen bare-chested in photos so often, pinning himself "could be very painful," Huckabee said.

Huckabee, running for the Republican presidential nomination, is known for his sense of humor on the campaign trail, and he used it to make light of the national brouhaha over Obama's pinless lapel during campaign appearances in the nation's capital on Friday.

"There are so many things we need to be talking about" other than what a candidate wears on his lapel, Huckabee said, adding that he does not wear a flag pin on his.

"A lot of people wear insignias of their fraternities," he said in a brief interview. "Now if you wore a satanic symbol, that has a relevance. That would be an issue."

Obama's failure to wear a flag pin became a big issue this past week when a reporter noted that he wasn't wearing one, as many politicians do since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The senator said it is not unpatriotic to do so, and that he shows his patriotism in what he is trying to accomplish in the campaign.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/huckabee_a_flag_pin_could_lite.html