Should Obama accept a GOP congresswoman's skeet-shooting challenge?
The president's claim that he shoots guns "all the time" has led to loud guffaws among conservatives
In a recent interview with The New Republic, President Obama asserted that he had no intention of taking guns away from hunters, saying he had a "profound respect for the traditions of hunting that trace back in this country for generations." Adding a personal anecdote to presumably strengthen the sincerity of his claim, he said "we do skeet shooting all the time" at Camp David, a hitherto unknown hobby that has drawn no shortage of skepticism, not to mention outright ridicule, from conservatives.
On the conservative Drudge Report, the news was accompanied by an image of Obama running around a pool with a water gun. There was a gleeful rehashing of Obama's athletic blooper reel, including the time he sent a bowling ball thundering into the gutter. Obama was also mocked for shooting clay pigeons, as opposed to animals. Fox News' The Five was a veritable comedy club of zingers: "We all know he's a bull-shooter, but evidently he's also a big skeet shooter"; "What is he actually shooting? Clay pigeons shaped like the Fox News emblem"; "I love how he picked the safest thing. No live animals hurt"; and "He shoots to the left."
Taking the taunts one step further, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, challenged Obama to a skeet-shooting contest. "If he is a skeet shooter, why have we not heard of this? Why have we not seen photos?" Blackburn demanded on CNN. "I think he should invite me to Camp David and I'll go skeet shooting with him and I bet I'll beat him." In the political version of an endzone dance, Blackburn went on to discuss her preference for 20-gauge shotguns over 12-gauge shotguns, a distinction quite possibly lost on the liberal president.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Obama's claim seems to belong to that great tradition of hunting-averse politicians shoring up their Second Amendment credentials with dubious hunting stories. (See: Mitt Romney, "small varmints.") It is odd given the fact that Obama has never bothered to sell his gun-toting bona fides; indeed, his best known statement on guns is the controversial remark that people "cling to guns and religion" during times of economic distress. Press Secretary Jay Carney had no answers for an inquisitive White House press corps. "He does go to Camp David with some regularity," he said, "but I'm not sure how often he's done that."
So should Obama accept Blackburn's challenge? It may not be a bad idea, actually. Obama has been criticized for not inviting more Republicans to Camp David. Perhaps this most cerebral of presidents could surprise his Republican critics with an upset victory, a la Revenge of the Nerds. And at the very least, with the guns safely aimed at clay projectiles, we can be somewhat sure that no one will be sprayed in the face.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.
-
'Republicans want to silence Israel's opponents'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - priority delivery, USPS on fire, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published