1,000 Words

Michael, our 1,000 words are to generate snarky snide comments as captions or comment. The more clever of us certainly have savaged the Obamas at times.

However, I don’t think this photo from a funeral is appropriate for the purpose. If it were simply showing a moving photo, it would be great.

Agreed, Ivy.
And to channel kbang…
It is vitally important not to even acknowledge any trolls’ posts on this thread. Even disagreement will indicate to them that their message has been heard.

1,000 words were for snark.

This post is a plot by the liberal Time.com to trick Republicans into making insensitive remarks.

I agree with all of them.
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1,000 words was intended for entertainment. A break from the nasty political atmosphere. A breather from the snarling and snapping in the Swamp.
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Please re-post with a different picture – one with humorous possibilities…

Thanks for the shout-out*, Joe.
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*(…channel-out…?)

I suggest a strike until the situation is repaired.

What’s a picture worth, guys? Duh!

Sigh…and this is why Karen is soooo missed

I don’t think even sacred can save this one…

Micheal Scherer is the wrong individual to do 1000 words anyway. He’s not evenhanded about Obama and I don’t think we need a right wing crackpot who constantly dresses himself in false equivalencies to do so.
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He can continue as a lightning rod for the Swamp on both sides, but this is not his cup of tea…

Michael Scherer – what was your rationale for choosing this picture?
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I thought that the point of the 1000 words piece was to allow bloggers to make their own amusing interpretations of photos that might be ambiguous without proper context.
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I frequently check out the Time WH photo blog. There are plenty of photos that could be open to all sorts of interesting interpretation without the context.

I think everyone is trying to read to much into this picture and make it somehow political. We all have a right to feel some pain when someone we respect dies.
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Leave it at that and stop trying to gain political points in every situation.

I don’t understand your comment. I don’t think the commenters here are trying to make this somehow political, we are complaining that Michael Scherer chose a very inappropriate photo unless it was for the very moving depiction. In that case, he should have chosen a different title.

I do NOT UNDERSTAND the RATIONALE for sharing this picture of the President having some sort of emotional moment.

Is this to alert the enemies of our country that we have a President who can cry??

I know it is the function of reporters to report news as seen but sometimes there should be regard given to the weight of matters shared.

News reporting should not only be ethical it should be RESPECTFUL. It should not share foolish or deeply personal moments which could portray our leader as a weak basket case to the world.

Sharing this picture of a crying Obama, on this page, in this section under this caption is n OUTRAGE!!!! utter contempt and total disregard.

I guess we can safely assume that all semblance of Scherer being fair and balanced has been exposed as contrived and false.

Showing our president crying should not be a 1,000 words article. It is disrespectful, immature and smacks of a dire lack of thoughtful reflection on news.

I know these days news reporting no longer has the likes of Klein and other elites at the forefront But surely even this petty and insulting picture is a little excessive for crass and silly reporting.

Even if the President cried at the loss of a friend should this be a news story??? Is this REALLY NEWSWORTHY??? This was a rhetorical question because the answer is an obvious and resounding NO!

A few more classes in ethical journalism or a few more years of high level political coverage is probably required for the current author of this “1,000 words section. G-O-S-H.
How ant-climactic for such an esteemed publication.

LM
http://theblindspotsofgod.wordpress.com/2010/04/22/technology-savvy-nigerian-criminals-are-the-greatest-threat-to-national-security/

No caption today, as the picture used in the ’1000 Words’ post isn’t a fit subject for humorous re-interpretation.

Leave it to Scherer to suck all the fun out of something.

Agree with all of you. Was not requesting snark. Was asserting that the 1,000 words brand could include earnestly powerful images. Perhaps I was mistaken.

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.
Abraham Lincoln, (attributed)
16th president of US (1809 – 1865)

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Not that this quote has anything to do with the 1000 words, only that folks on this site continue to amaze me to no end everyday with their faux outrage.
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For you Michael Scherer:
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“You can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not please all of the people all of the time.”

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I actually find the picture to be appropriate, and thank you for sharing it.

I think the picture says enough. Thanks for responding.

Mikey is remarkably clueless.

MS: Thank you for the moving photo of the President and the First Lady. I think it captures the basic truth that no matter how high a position of power a person may hold, affiliation with one party or another or our individual personal circumstances, we are all just people making it through life. We react to loss and grief in the same way. It’s a powerful reminder that our differences are petty and ultimately meaningless.
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Again, thank you.

Michael, I think it is too late for that. As I said above, I find this a very moving photo and am glad to see it. If you wanted to try to change the branding here, I don’t think this was the right one.
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Had it not been for the long time that the snarky captioning has gone on, this would be a wonderful photo for the original thought of the phrase. I’m sure you can come up with another one for this kind of photo that I’m sure we would all like to see.

So, I don’t get the pile on here. I think this was a great choice Mr. Scherer

A serious photo for “1000 Words” is rare, but I seem to recall that KT posted a framed photo of Barack and Ted Kennedy together on a table after Ted’s death. I think Mike gets the benefit of a doubt on this one. I prefer a “1000 Words” that we can rip into, but this was a change of pace. As long as they’re rare, I have no complaints.

Was asserting that the 1,000 words brand could include earnestly powerful images.
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That’s like the Raffi ‘brand’ changing from children’s music to death metal…

Michael, I appreciate your motives. I saw this picture on another site yesterday and hoped someone would post it. Thank you.

I’ll give Mike the benefit of the doubt too.
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Just the fact that he’s willing to discuss it tells me that such an approach is appropriate.
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I do think your photo gives a human touch to POTUS, and should remind us all that he is just a man, and as such, doen’t need to be sullied with the year long campaign of industrial-strength hatred.
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Those on the right should remember that he is not a conservative*, and as such, I would not expect him to do “conservative things”.
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*I’m referring to real conservatism, and not the cheap plastic spittle and froth ideology that is built around defeating Obama in every effort just for the purpose of handing him a “Waterlooo”.

1000 words, when KT started it, was a light hearted “refuge” from the sh!tslinging that goes on in everyday politics. Everyone, as long as they kept within certain bounds, right or left, would post what they wanted, even facetious criticisms, and not have to fear reprisal.
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It was a playground…

Hay, none of us bat 1,000. Mike deserves to benefit of the doubt on this one.

“Everyone, as long as they kept within certain bounds, right or left, would post what they wanted”
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There are bounds? I think I missed that memo. I can be more tasteless than tofu.

I was talking about facetious criticisms, not hideously disgusting parodies!
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Those are an entirely different kettle of fish!
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Ooops. Mixed my metaphors again. Sorry.

Leave it alone.
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The picture shows the human side of a President that is too often characterized as cold. From an historical and personal perspective this funeral must have had particular meaning to the Obamas.
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Again, Michael, thank you.
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We can always be snarky but it is good to be empathetic once in awhile.

Thanks for the picture, I wouldn’t have seen it otherwise.

I am so proud to have as president a man who can cry. It makes me want to be an American!

This is the song that brought Obama to tears. Springstein’s version posted here.

President Obama is doing exactly what i feel like doing right now. I’m touched. Thanks for the photo Michael.

Scherer shouldn’t do the 1000 words thing. However, he could do “1000 Reasons I’m a Super Terrific Big Fan of President Obama.”

To wit:

1. He’s dreamy . . .
2. He’s awesome . . .
3. He really sticks it to those awful Republicans!!!
4. He’s soooo dreamy . . .
5. I think he smiled at me when I passed him in the hallway on the way to World Geography yesterday.
6. He just soooo dreamy . . .
7. He’s a Jedi Master playing three dimensional chess!
8. Jon Stewart said he’s awesome.
9. [the beat goes on]

Ditto #19.

Also like someone else said, nice to see seemingly cold dispassionate president showing emotions.

3X,
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So far 1,000 words has been like things Letterman, Leno and other comics have done and taken shots from the news which are totally unclear, can be totally misinterpreted and, therefore, can be hilarious.
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This has 0 Comedy potential and, personally, I think it is unbecoming of the media to show any man (no, not just Democrats, not just presidents – any man, including you) at a moment when he is brought to tears.
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I was ready for a laugh, but couldn’t get one.
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I haven’t been so disappointed since sometime in 2004/2005 when Letterman had Bill Clinton on and, instead of political humor they talked about having heart surgery. It was like instead of seeing a comic I ended up sitting next to old people at the IHOP. (Discuss you aches and pains, but, don’t expect anybody under 50 to find it entertaining).
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Micheal, do us all a favor and see if you can find a picture totally out of context ready for us all to make some jokes about.
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I can’t wait for Sacred’s remarks.

Thanks for posting the picture, which is an interesting caught-off-guard moment for a person many think is bloodless.

I guess you probably should have posted it under a different rubric. Find a different category, perhaps, but don’t stop posting pictures that are out of the ordinary.

Tears at a funeral? Now that’s a new one.