Originally posted at Clash Daily
For Veteran’s Day, “Economically Uncooperative” Barack Obama was in China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. While there, he apparently felt it was the perfect time to weigh in on government oversight of the Internet. After all, to ensure that political protest would be held to a minimum, the Chinese have successfully banned social media like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
Now that’s an inspiration if ever there was one.
As Ted Cruz so rightly put it, if Obama has his way “Obamacare for the Internet” will “operate at the speed of government.” Cruz may be onto something, because after the midterms trouncing the Democrats took, Obama is probably hoping there will be a regulated, government-controlled Internet in time to influence the next election.
Meanwhile, back in China, in addition to taking direction on how to tamp down dissent on the Internet, Mr. Obama appears to be taking fashion advice from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is apparently taking fashion advice from his wife, the fetching Peng Liyuan, by choosing Mao-style tunics for the “national costume” tradition started by Bill Clinton in 1993. And even though leaders could choose between purple, green, or brown tunics, Vladimir Putin, who usually prefers to spend his time shirtless, surprisingly chose the same purple version as Obama.
The purpose of the APEC getup is to take a group photo similar to the one where Obama blocked a dignitary’s face as he goofily waved at the camera. The hope is that the matching ensembles will promote an image of solidarity between world leaders, three of whose only commonality is enjoying dressing up like Mao.
With the Internet issue nailed down and the clothing conundrum worked out, there remains but one problem – Barack “You Can’t Take Him Anywhere” Obama seems incapable of comporting himself like a grown-up Communist.
In anticipation of the APEC summit in Beijing, the Communist Party initiated a “manners” campaign where residents of Beijing were given six months to learn how to act civilized. Now it seems as though they shouldn’t have bothered, because despite the purple silk shirt, Barack Obama was so ill-mannered that even people unfamiliar with etiquette were mortified.
It started when the president decided to ride around in the Beast, a Chevrolet Kodiak-based, Cadillac-badged limousine that is more like a tank. By doing so, Obama shunned the pride of the People’s Republic, the Hongqi, or “Red Flag,” a 55-year-old limousine resurrected as part of China’s effort to rescue the auto market share from foreign automakers.
Heck, Putin knew enough to leave his stallion in Russia. Moreover, how would Obama feel if Xi Jinping eschewed his offer to ride around Washington, DC in style and chose a rickshaw instead?
The other leaders graciously agreed to be transported, one-by-one, to the banquet, cultural show, and fireworks in a Hongqi. Ramping up the pageantry, China’s top state-run channel even televised all the other leaders of the 21 APEC member states arriving at the Water Cube, the Olympic swimming venue, in the iconic socialist limousines along red-lit avenues.
In China, where cigarette smoking is ubiquitous, especially among men, Obama then added insult to injury when he stepped out of his souped-up hot rod chewing Nicorette gum. Horrified Chinese Internet users branded the gum-chewing, purple-shirt wearing, American automobile-riding president as boorish and cavalier, calling him an “idler” and a “rapper.”
Yin Hong, a professor of journalism at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, said about the president, “We made this meeting so luxurious, with singing and dancing, but see Obama, stepping out of his car chewing gum like an idler.”
Now the Chinese know exactly how America feels. Hong should thank his lucky “five stars” that Michelle didn’t come along on the trip toting a hula-hoop.
Either way, when it comes to Communist ideology and government control of the Internet, at least in China, America’s “Idler” president is among like-minded comrades.
And just one week after sending a gracious note to Iran’s Ayatollah, the president, seeking out yet another new friend, told the president of China that he wants to “take the relationship to a new level.”
And although rude, crude Obama chews wads of nicotine-infused gum and rides around Beijing in his own version of a Sherman Tank, at least he was wise enough to avoid World War III by choosing not to feminize the purple blouse Putin is also wearing with a pair of Mom jeans.
