Correction: Mediaite reports that the slogan “Rocking the Vote” did not appear on the “Together We Thrive” t-shirts. While the author of this article cautiously noted in the text that we had not verified the claim made at the Canada Free Press that the slogan had appeared on the shirts, our original headline implied that we knew the information to be fact. We have updated the headline to reflect what is reported in the column.
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Did it seem odd to you that even the Fox all-star panel would have us believe that the President with the most micromanaged image in recent memory had no control or influence whatsoever over the preparation, format, and tenor etc. of the commercialized, pep rally memorial we witnessed this week, and that the White House can blame the embarrassment entirely on the University of Arizona? The entire event was about Captain Greek Columns – who gave a half hour speech – and his time to shine and show off his magical healing abilities.
“Togethere We Thrive” sure sounded a lot more campaign like than memorial like. Usually the themes for memorials – assuming they’re meant to feature those we’re supposedly remembering – are not about “thriving” or “prospering” or anything of that sort. It was a jarring oddity. Now we have an idea where it came from. Not only did the slogan for this Obama 2012 campaign kickoff, “Together We Thrive,” originate from President Obama’s campaign organization Organizing for America, but it was the title of a post calling for revolution:
“For too long Americans have been set one against the other. It is a side affect of a free market society,” Berry IV posted. “How can profits be maximized, how can I get the work down for the lowest possible costs. This continually sets one group against the other, especially in the blue collar sectors of America. It has become part of the American Business model, whether it was indentured servants, slaves picking cotton, sharecroppers, the industrious people that built the railroads or today’s migrant workers. As long as we remain divided, fighting for the scraps that America has to offer it will be one group against the other.
“What I see in Obama is a chance for revolution. (Italics CFP’s). A chance for every group to be heard; A chance to live the American dream that has been denied to so many…
“In a previous career, I was the global leader of Diversity for a global fortune 500 corporation. I have studied the affects of diverse groups working together and the results can not be denied. Together we Thrive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Revolution was just a metaphor, you say, not a call for political violence? Doesn’t matter anymore, apparently.
But worst of all is that according to Judi McLeod of the Canada Free Press, at the bottom of the t-shirts is the DNC slogan “Rocking America and Rocking the Vote.”
Here’s what McLeod reports:
University of Arizona brass did not originate the “Together We Thrive” T-shirt. They merely recycled it for Obama–and recycled it in time for what should have been a dignified Memorial for the dead.
If you were a mourner who took home a “Together We Thrive” T-shirt have a look at the bottom of your shirt. “Rocking America and Rocking the Vote” is a common theme of the DNC, and it’s right there on your Memorial T-shirt memento.
Welcome to the era of Obama, where cheering and standing ovations, for the first time in history, became part of the Requiem for the Dead.
If that is true – and it should be easily verifiable as thousands of people now possess those shirts – I’m not sure how that will be explained; the University of Arizona distributed and reportedly purchased the shirts – but not without the knowledge or approval of the President’s team. They can’t simply be unused Obama campaign T-Shirts (though that would be bad enough) because they specifically say “Tucson and America” on them. I can’t wait to hear the explanation on this one, but at the very least, if it is true that those T-Shirts had that DNC “rocking the vote” slogan on them, don’t you dare try to blame this whole disgraceful event and the T-Shirts solely on the University.
My goodness.