TPMDC
WATCH: White House Spoofs Turkey Pardon
Christina Bellantoni | November 25, 2009, 6:33AM
President Barack Obama
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Move over, BarneyCam!
The White House new media team had some fun with President Obama's first official pardoning of a turkey for the Thanksgiving holiday.
In a video posted to the White House YouTube page, a "turkey" does the slow walk right through the gates outside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, past "Pebble Beach" where reporters do stand-up television shots, through the West Wing and Oval Office into the Rose Garden.
The spoof is the brainchild of Arun Chaudhary, who traveled with Obama during the long primary and general election campaigns.
But Ben LaBolt from the White House press shop steals the show as narrator.
The bird will "be trotting a little prouder as he walks down these hallowed halls for his appointment with destiny," LaBolt deadpans.
It's all geared toward getting people to watch the pardoning live today on the White House Web site.
Today, "one turkey will be a free bird," LaBolt said.
Watch it after the jump:
Late Update: A White House source tells TPMDC the turkey's name is "Courage."
Chaudhary tells us he wrote another script titled "Citizen Turkey" that was considered over-complicated. This version took him three hours from start to finish.
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Will
November 25, 2009 7:07 AM
That video is so liberal. Just like a liberal turkey, always looking for a handout and not having to own up to his past mistakes like a man-turkey. So he's a "product of a bad environment"? Where were the turkey parents? Probably selling drugs. That liberal turkey needs to be shot with a gun (MY damn gun) and placed in a conservative belly.
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mikedrevguy
November 25, 2009 10:02 AM in reply to Will
parents off selling saline injections laced with steroids on the street corner.
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NegSpin
November 25, 2009 8:26 AM
Obama Death Panel Decides Turkey's Fate! I'm just getting a jump on the Republicans' spin on this.
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nova voter
November 25, 2009 8:29 AM
no way is that turkey a liberal. it's dumber than a box of rocks, sounds annoying as hell, and is named "Courage."
sound like any conservative alaskan families you know?
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DancingBear
November 25, 2009 8:55 AM
And now the Obama White House has shown the terrorists the precise way to get to the Oval Office.
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rynato
November 25, 2009 9:07 AM
Has anyone seen that turkey's birth certificate?
What did they name the turkey, "Rev. Wright"? Maybe "Bill Ayers"?
Why is Obama dithering over whether or not to pardon the turkey?
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DonDavis
November 25, 2009 9:13 AM
Cheneys Slam Obama for Turkey Pardon, Urge Military Tribunal for Gobbler
http://satiricalpolitical.com/2009/11/25/cheneys-slam-obama-pardoning-turkey-military-tribunal/
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CVille Dem
November 25, 2009 9:26 AM
BREAKING NEWS!
The turkey died last night; it had no health insurance and so delayed seeking care for his chronic beak-rot. He went to an emergency room, but there were so many Canadians ahead of him seeking American Medical Care that he croaked right there in the waiting room.
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gharlane
November 25, 2009 1:51 PM in reply to CVille Dem
That turkey was obviously a left-wing political Osama Obama socialist Kenyan operative that staged its own death to try to discredit the patriotic American teabaggers who are trying to save Real America from the government death panels.
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CityGuy
November 25, 2009 9:28 AM
Yeah, just how DID this turkey bet chosen, over all of the other deserving (more deserving) ones? I suspect ACORN had a hand in this. Grassley.... get thee to thy hearings!!
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CVille Dem
November 25, 2009 9:40 AM
Dana Perino was quoted: "No turkeys were pardoned during President Bush's term in office. Our friends didn't expect it and our enemies would have seen it as a sign of weakness."
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masanf
November 25, 2009 9:54 AM
How appropriate that he did a little spoof, but that is what this entire "presidency" feels like.
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rynato
November 25, 2009 10:05 AM in reply to masanf
you are aware that Bush is no longer the "president", yes?
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CityGuy
November 25, 2009 10:32 AM in reply to rynato
Cut them some slack Rynato. They're still getting used to having a sensiate, adult-type person in the White House. Not the smirking frat boy Bush.
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rynato
November 25, 2009 11:08 AM in reply to CityGuy
i think you meant, 'sentient'.
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CityGuy
November 25, 2009 12:56 PM in reply to rynato
Yes that's a sensible choice indeed.
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converse
November 25, 2009 10:02 AM
Of course Obama's willing to pardon the turkey. They're having fried chicken, pork chitlins and watermelon for Thanksgiving!
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rynato
November 25, 2009 10:05 AM in reply to converse
I really, really hope you are simply being sarcastic.
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ilovebacon
November 25, 2009 10:40 AM in reply to converse
White-supremacist bigotry not funny converse. CUT IT OUT!
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gharlane
November 25, 2009 7:26 PM in reply to ilovebacon
Reason and experience suggest that, if one does not already "know" the poster, one might want to peruse one or two of the individual's previous posts before jumping to conclusions about whether they are, indeed, a white supremacist bigot.
In the present case, a review of some of converse's recent posts (available through a fairly straightforward Google search, although it does involve use of the site: restriction), suggests that your snark-o-meter does, indeed, need recalibration.
Cheers.
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DancingBear
November 25, 2009 3:20 PM in reply to converse
Are you really Fuzzy Zoeller?
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rubyxyz
November 25, 2009 10:16 AM
In a world where the U.S. condones torture and refuses to ban landmines, there is nothing amusing about this lame tradition.
One turkey, indeed.
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CVille Dem
November 25, 2009 1:30 PM in reply to rubyxyz
Oh, lighten up.
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CN
November 25, 2009 10:23 AM
I kept expecting the "turkey" to turn out to be Joe Lieberman.
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CityGuy
November 25, 2009 10:35 AM in reply to CN
He had his one "pardon" right after the '08 campaign. No more pardons for Traitor Joe!
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calbearinillinois
November 25, 2009 11:07 AM
I'm just glad to see that these folks can laugh about the goofy stuff Presidents do. Sometimes people make the whole thing so darn serious (like Kyl et al going nuts because Obama doesn't make everyone wear a coat in the Oval).
Speaking of which - was that turkey nekkid in the Oval Office? Oh the humanity!
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fitley
November 25, 2009 12:35 PM
In Kentucky the turkey plucked ,basted,trussed and then cut it's own head off and jumped in the oven. Hard to believe isn't it.Cops claim that's what happened. Things are different in Kentucky. Real different.
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gharlane
November 25, 2009 1:54 PM
FREEBIRD!!!
um.... ahem... sorry.
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Dunvegan
November 25, 2009 6:31 PM
Re. Beck saying "Obama hates White people" he can now see that President Obama pardoned a white turkey.
This should make that turkey Beck feel a lot less paranoid.
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Mike Licht
November 26, 2009 12:09 AM
President Obama's second holiday pardon was just announced.
See:
http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/obama-thanksgiving-pardon/
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barnacle
November 26, 2009 2:50 PM
Oh sure, Obama will make a big show of pardoning ONE turkey while MILLIONS of turkeys nation-wide will be KILLED, then EATEN. WHY DOES OBAMA HATE TURKEYS?
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