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The President at a Boston fundraiser thanked the Red Sox for trading Kevin Youkilis to the White Sox (the President’s favorite team). Reports of the event said the crowd had booed the President. Press Secretary Jay Carney then said they weren’t booing the President, they were simply saying Youuuuuuk, something crowds says when Youkilis bats or is mentioned. From the White House pool report [2] (HT:Catherine Rampell [3]):
There has been some really silly reporting about the president’s remarks regarding Kevin Youkilis last night. It is highly commendable in my view as a Red Sox Fan that the president has always refused to pander on sports. He is a White Sox fan, he owns his fandom of the White Sox . He proved that again last night, And anyone who knows Boston, knows the Red Sox and anyone who was in that room last night knows that the preponderance of people shouting in response to what the President said about Kevin Youkilis were saying ‘Yoooook and not Booo’ for God’s sake. I don’t think the American people appreciate it when politicians suddenly pretend they are fans of other teams to curry favor. The president is very serious about that, he will not do that. He will not cross that line.
Here’s a video that will let you judge for yourself, assuming the video hasn’t been tampered with:
I think the President’s reaction says it all. I love Carney’s attempt to wipe this away and turn it into a measures of the President’s commitment to principle. You have to love politics.