In a high profile example of what not to post on Facebook, Obama’s chief speechwriter, a 27 year-old guy destined for even more greatness, was photographed grabbing the boob of a life size Hillary Clinton cardboard cutout while his friend shoves a beer up her nose. As The Washington Post points out, Obama’s team must have anticipated this type of problem as they ask applicants to list all their social networking websites. The photo was only up for a couple of hours on Facebook, but it’s now all over the Internet and the damage is done. The boob grabbing writer has apologized to the future Secretary of State, whose spokesperson hilariously notes that she is reviewing his job application now. They make it sound like Clinton can reject his application, but he’s already been appointed Director of Speechwriting for the future President.
Question No. 58 in the transition team vetting document for the Obama White House asks that applicants: “Please provide the URL address of any websites that feature you in either a personal or professional capacity (e.g. Facebook, My Space, etc.)”
Question No. 63 asks that applicants “please provide any other information … that could … be a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the President-Elect.”
For a while there this afternoon, President-elect Barack Obama’s immensely talented chief speechwriter, 27-year-old Jon Favreau, might have been pondering how to address that question.
That’s when some interesting photos of a recent party he attended — including one where he’s dancing with a life-sized cardboard cut-out of secretary of state-designate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and another where he’s placed his hand on the cardboard former first lady’s chest while a friend is offering her lips a beer — popped up on Facebook for about two hours. The photos were quickly taken down — along with every other photo Favreau had of himself on the popular social networking site, save for one profile headshot.
Asked about the photos, Favreau, who was recently appointed director of speechwriting for the White House, declined comment. A transition official said that Favreau had “reached out to Senator Clinton to offer an apology.”
Favreau is not the first campaign aide whose online presence has proved awkward. Last March, John McCain aide Soren Dayton forwarded an anti-Obama YouTube video to his private Twitter feed linking Obama with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, leading to his suspension from the campaign. And in 2007, two bloggers hired by former North Carolina senator John Edwards stepped down after blog posts they had written before he hired them became a subject of controversy.
Favreau’s case seems unlikely to be so dire; Clinton senior adviser Philippe Reines cast the photos as evidence of increased bonhomie between the formerly rival camps.
“Senator Clinton is pleased to learn of Jon’s obvious interest in the State Department, and is currently reviewing his application,” he said in an e-mail.
[From Washingtonpost via Huffington Post]
You have to be careful what you post on your social networking sites – even if you think they’re hard to find. Tell your friends not to tag you in compromising positions either.
She should have a sense of humor about it and let him keep his job. If she fires him for that, she’ll be known as an ice bitch, or some other awful name.
If it was a writer grabbing the crotch of Obama, Im sure he’d be canned in an instant
It’s nothing and I doubt it would be anything even if the roles were reversed, Heehee.
It’s a cardboard cutout, for the love of God. 🙄
““Senator Clinton is pleased to learn of Jon’s obvious interest in the State Department, and is currently reviewing his application,” he said in an e-mail.”
I have to give props to Clinton’s camp for having a sense of humor about the picture. 😀
While not highly professional, I don’t think the picture warranted so much coverage. JMO, though.
Yeah, that’s real classy. What an idiot. Obama should can his ass. Totally unprofessional.
I weep for the future if this frat boy is the best speechwriter our new president could find.
The guy should at least be talked to about this. He’s 27 years old, not a dumb teenager, and this shows a lack of respect for Mrs. Clinton. Beer plus the “show-off syndrome” to other immature party goers can cause a loss of already limited stores of brain cells.
I’m not surprised. Though I voted for Obama, the campaign against Hillary was totally sexist and biased. This photo is disgusting. As a feminist, I’m really dissapointed that nothing will come out of this. Don’t look at it as just Hillary, look at it as a woman and maybe the public will be more sympathetic. Favreau should be fired, a simple apology is just not enough. You take a presidential candidate, demean her, making her a sex object of scorn. Have we really stooped so low?
Whatever, he’s hot.
Whenever I see I a backwards baseball cap, I know that something stupid happening is right around the corner.
Re: Gina
While I respect your POV, I have to disagree with your idea of O’s campaign “making her [Hilary] a sex object of scorn.” I have no evidence to back this up, just a gut feeling that this brand of “feminism” has done a whole lot more harm than good for our gender. It makes us look like whiney bitches who can’t take a joke. Better to fire back with some rapier wit, as Hil’s camp appears to have done.
the fact that they have a cardboard cut out of hillary is weird in and of itself!
😯
You can’t blame the quality of Hillaryyy’s post really, since the Bible isn’t exactly the ‘go-to’ source for grammar.
Put down the cellphone child, and aspire to typing with digits other than your thumbs.
He mimicked grabbing her breast for chris sakes! Can can can his ass. If he is too stupid or immature to understand the position he is in he has no business there. Obama does not need a misogynistic frat boy dragging his administration down.
I think Hillary’s response, re: his application, is brilliant. Just for the record: I think it could be argued that he’s not necessarily grabbing her breast in the photo. Still, I bet he feels pretty stupid about now.
Can him LOL
Its not about being like the guys, in fact thats anti-progress. Men are not the standard of how things should be done. I personally htink that especially for someone in his position, there ought be a bit more brains and respect involved. At least brainy enough to have kept this photo out of reach of the public.
I truly wish this was the biggest problem Obama had to face.
As professsional woman who is the occasional subject of mild sexual harassment in my male-dominated profession, and someone who voted for both Obama in ’08 and Hilary for Senate in ’06, I can honestly say this photo does not bother me at all.
This guy had some beers. He took some dumb photos. And he may just be holding the cardboard up, not grabbing Hilary’s breast.
If he’s going for the breast, he’s aiming a bit high. She’d have to be wearing a MAJOR push-up bra.
Sexism on Obama’s staff?
We haven’t seem women (and Hillary in particular) being treated with disrespect did we?
I wonder had the cutout been of Michelle Obama- if the treatment was so humorous.
Stupid stuff we do when we’re drinking. Decorum be damned.
People show off for friends all the time but it shows really bad judgement
first to allow a picture to be taken and then to post it on Facebook. If nothing else he should be canned for that, because the least thing you want from someone who works for you is common sense
Who knew Hilary’s tits were damn near in her armpit. Honestly, the state of things today, anything gives people a reason to bitch and complain.
Way to pick a winner of a speech writer BO!
i thought it was hilarious. and good for hilary’s camp making a joke. its FUNNY. not the end of the world.
Frat boy needs fired.
Hope this will serve as a lesson for the Obama staff–they’re playing in the big leagues now, welcome to life in the public spotlight!
The article doesn’t say who posted the photo. Whoever did it wasn’t a friend.
Oh, So what? Girlfriend’s hubby got a blowjob in the oval office, and we’re supposed to be scandalized that some guy messed with a cardboard cut-out? He was just trying to make sure cardboard Hillary was having a good time at the party. Also, WTF happened to having a sense of humor? Everybody hollering about firing that guy needs to pull the sticks out of their asses. Damn- I bet Y’ALL are waaaaaay fun at parties!
It’s sexist, plain and simple. You can’t minimize or defend this. I’m sure the President-Elect is not a happy about this.
But I cant help but wonder when last poor Hil got groped like that in real life? 😳
MSat: I totally agree. And I really believe that if he was a GOP speechwriter, people wouldn’t be be nearly so forgiving. This clown has a golden career at 27 — I don’t think it’s too much to expect him to keep his douche antics off the internet (at the very least).
Wait, I thought Obama wrote his own speeches?
oh wow, big deal. this is getting blown way out of proportion. its just stupid, but no harm done.
get a sense of humor people!
I am so much in awe of President-elect Obama and was over the moon when he won. However, this picture disturbs me, and I think the behavior of this moron is reprehensible. Job offers have been pulled for less, and I would like to see this guy fired. At the very least, if he keeps his job, I would like to hear that there were some consequences.
I doubt highly that any of you would find this funny if it were YOU in that cutout. Or your sister or your mother or your daughter.
It’s not funny. It would’ve been funny if Hillary were there and they were including her in the joke. It would’ve been funny if this were people from her own campaign who knew her and were engaging in this humor from a place of familiar ribbing.
But that’s not what this is. This is a guy who ran against Hillary with Obama. They don’t “like” her. This is not just a funny joke. This is derisive and debasing because of the place it comes from.
You’d think this was funny if it was a Palin cutout. You think it’s funny because it’s a Hillary cutout. But you’d be LIVID if it were a Michelle cutout…OR if the boys in the photo doing the faux groping were Republicans.
This was nasty…and a man with so little character has no business writing speeches for my President.
He needs to go.
I agree with you, Aspen – people wouldn’t think it was so funny if it were Michelle, and if the guys were Republicans, they would not get a pass.
But I still think this photo is about #45,768 on the list of things Obama should be dealing with now. There’s real work to be done.
Gina – Were you on here when Sarah was poster girl for sexual harrassement? If so, I don’t recall seeing any objections.
That being said, this is someone being young and dumb, someone who should know not to be photograped as such, but still, blowing off steam hyjinks. But I have to agree that if this were a poster of Michelle or they were GOP frat boys. . . well let us just say Sayonara Boys!
I can certainly agree with you there, CandyKay.
The Obama press won’t pump it up like Palin’s turkey outing and Obama will gloss over it and say “it’s nuthin sweetie”. OH but a male grabbing the a cardboard cut out of his wife huge butt or whatever part of HER body….. RACIST, SEXIST,RACIST, SEXIST,RACIST, SEXIST!!!!! HOW DARE YOU!!!!! This is representative of the mentality that the mindless, celebrity obsessed U tube generation possesses & has chucked upon the country in the form of Obama! Enjoy!
You all did see the beer-holding friend’s shirt, right? It has “Obama Staff” written on the chest. This photo is reprehensible and disrespectful. Those of you who think it is merely a joke have simply been desensitized by our highly sexualized culture that sexually objectifies women on a regular basis. This would not go unpunished at a corporate holiday party, so why should it go unpunished by the President-Elect???
What an idiot. Fortunate enough to be in the position he is in, and then go do this stupid shit. Half-wit.
Bad taste is nonpartisan. 27 is old enough to know better, can his ass.
Has eight years with a moron in office caused you all to lose your minds?
This, my fellow Americans, is a JOKE. Not a good one, but not the worst.
Have you never seen Hillary masks, dolls, etc? Were people fired for that?
I remember Nixon being called “Tricky Dicky” is that better or worse? No one was fired for that.
I keep hoping that our Society is going to grow-up and move away from the childish “he poked me” over-politically-correct syndrome. You can find offense from anything if that is all you care to see.
This is just silliness, people letting off steam. There is no apparent malice.
You are only fooling yourself if you don’t understand that as human beings we all need to laugh.
Vern, it’s one thing for the average Joe to do something like this, but this guy ?
this is so inappropriate for someone who has a pretty important role in politics… esp since obama is known for his speeches… pretty surprising…
i hope he gets fired… it’s bad enough that most women are sexualized in the media… can’t we keep that shit out of politics? grrrr
While I agree that it was stupid of him now that he has this new position, WHO CARES!!! Man I have done way more stupid stuff than this! He was drunk, he was at a party and he mad a bad call. Its NOT sexist or antifem, chill out you guys!
I agree with Cletus – you guys must be super boring at parties!!
Its a cardboard cutout! Its not real AND it was in his own time! It would be different if it was at the staff xmas party!
if it’s not sexist, then what is it? why don’t you see male political figure cutouts with people’s hands on their crotch?
The disintegration of social morals is always the death knell of every great society.
You can cover your own lack of courage in convictions with sarcasm and petty insults like “boring” and “prude” all you like. I am not afraid of you, and I am in a much better position than you are to judge whether or not I’m backward and incapable of social levity.
There is nothing funny about this kind of thing because it was not meant in light. It was meant as an insult to Hillary Clinton…and like men have done from the beginning of time…these two chose to use sexual objectification to belittle a woman because despite being educated beyond their intelligence, they STILL haven’t been taught how to respect values and morals and their obligations to the people around them.
and P.S….I’m a conservative republican who wouldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton in any circumstance that I can foresee.
So, for those who have the opinion that republicans love things like this…check mate.
Now we are confronted by the double standard. This is a political joke because it involves a politician. It could be a man or a woman. They are putting beer in her nose, not humping or worse.
As a woman who has always been for equality for everyone it saddens me when women pull out the sexist card for everything just like people pull out the race card for everything.
Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.
And Aspen,
great quote, but you have to actually have a great society before you can lose it.
All we have is a bunch of greedy misanthropes who are losing their footing.
i WISH people would call out sexism as often as you claim Vern… then, perhaps, people would think twice before objectifying women…
let’s not forget how much hillary has been belittled for being a “frigid, cold ugly etc ball buster” a title that none of his male “frigid, cold ugly ball busting” counterparts don’t have to deal with…
Any one know any relations to the other (actor & director) Jon Favreau?
I find this typical behavior for so called liberals or progressives.
Remember it’s not his fault as a matter of fact it’s not anyones fault. Just keep on refusing to hold anyone accountable for anything, unless of course they might be “CONSERVATIVE”.
catwoman: How can you pretend to care about sexism, and then talk about Michelle Obama’s “huge butt.”
The difference is that Michelle Obama is a spouse. It would be better to compare this to Condaleeza Rice being depicted.
Overall, it’s sexist and despicable. A 27-year old is not a child. If he didn’t respect his job enough not to do something sexist like this, why should he keep it?
I think it is pretty funny, even though I don’t like either of these socialists.