“That Barack Obama’s one cool character,” said no one ever. But he tries. God, is he trying!
Yesterday, he was at it again. Business Insider observes he was at the University of Michigan to promote his plan to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10. The message should have been well received by students at this elite college, who — thanks to Obama’s artful handling of the economic mess he inherited — can look forward to flipping burgers when they graduate.
Obviously invigorated by the energy of the crowd, the President decided to “go young” in criticizing a budget plan unveiled on Tuesday by chairman of the House Budget Committee, Rep. Paul Ryan, glibly declaring:
If they tried to sell this sandwich at Zingerman’s [a local deli] they’d have to call it the Stinkburger or the Meanwich.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX21BwJN2xw
Urban Dictionary defines stinkburger (lower case “s”) as:
1) A very horrible movie, with underdeveloped and unintelligent characters, and an equally unimpressive story.
2) A movie that is painful to watch.
Popularized by the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000, where many horrible movies were refered [sic] to as “stinkburgers”.
After Obama’s oh-so-presidential-sounding bon mot, he added buoyantly:
I say, why don’t you youngsters join for me one of those pizza pies you like so much?
OK, he didn’t say that, but probably because he had exhausted his inventory of “hip words” when he came up with the clever stinkburger reference.
But he instantly became the butt of a joke (again!) on Twitter. Here are just a few of the well-deserved jibes.
You didn’t make that #stinkburger. Someone else made that happen #Obamainsults
— Shelby Metter (@ShelbyMetter26) April 2, 2014
If you like your #stinkburger, you can keep your #meanwich.
— Krystal Heath (@TheFriddle) April 2, 2014
I mean NOTHING says Superpower like a country with a leader who says “stinkburger.” Am I right?
— Nancy (@Of_Angelis) April 2, 2014
It is understandable that the President found little to like about Ryan’s plan, which after all aims to balance the budget within a decade, principally by government spending (God forbid), overhauling Medicare, and calling for broad tax system. But couldn’t he have simply said (to Ryan), “I disagree with your plan”? Better still, couldn’t the two have sat down together to work out a mutually agreeable approach? If nothing, couldn’t Obama for once have tried acting like a President?
