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White House Weighs In On Justice Who Won't Marry Interracial Couples
Rachel Slajda | October 16, 2009, 5:13PM
WH Spokesman Bill Burton
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White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton responded today to a question about a justice of the peace in Louisiana who refused to sign the marriage license for an interracial couple out of concern "for the children."
"I've seen the story and I've looked into this a little bit. And I found that, actually, the children of biracial couples can do pretty good," said Burton, who is biracial himself.
"So in terms of anything else, I just think it's something that they're dealing with locally."
Burton was also asked about White House Communications Director Anita Dunn. Fox News' Glenn Beck attacked Dunn for saying Chairman Mao Zedong is one of her favorite political philosophers.
"I caught some of that from the Glenn Beck show yesterday, but I don't think anybody takes it -- takes his attacks very seriously," Burton said. Tensions between the White House and Fox News have come to a head recently.
He also remarked on the "balloon boy" hullabaloo.
"I think that everybody is happy that the boy is safe and -- but other than that I think this is an issue for those individuals to deal with," Burton said.
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ohyeathatsright
October 16, 2009 6:46 PM
These are the questions that are being asked in press conferences now? No wonder our democracy is in shambles...
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commie atheist
October 16, 2009 7:37 PM in reply to ohyeathatsright
Well, these are the same idiots who were more interested in where Bill Clinton's dick ended up than in the lies that Bush told about WMD and al Qaeda being in Iraq, so par for the course, I guess,
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ohyeathatsright
October 17, 2009 12:17 PM in reply to commie atheist
Agreed. I guess it never ceases to amaze me. What does Obama think about Jon and Kate Plus 8!? THE NATION MUST KNOW!
Tabloid journalism gets pageviews. Look at the Political Ticker on CNN. It's all gossip. And every article has 300 (the max) comments. That directly translates to ad revenue for CNN. Because advertisers on the internet pay for exposure, and if you write a BS article about Sarah Palin getting a haircut and that generates more pageviews then an insightful piece of investigative journalism, why spend the money to hire good journalists?
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SqueakyRat
October 17, 2009 1:04 PM in reply to ohyeathatsright
Yes, amazing. Chairman Mao? A bigoted Louisiana justice of the peace? Balloon boy? I wonder if anyone ever got around to Afghanistan, or the public option, or whether Obama will ever get his thumb out of his ass.
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MonicaDickey
October 18, 2009 1:57 AM in reply to ohyeathatsright
I can't say I'm surprised anymore. Now I just wonder if they ask such weak questions because they think it gets viewers/readers or because they're afraid of having a bad media/administration relationship... or are they just lazy?
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ohyeathatsright
October 26, 2009 1:56 PM in reply to MonicaDickey
I kinda hope the administration keeps up their vilification of Fox News but expands that to include all ridiculous excuses for journalism. Something like an all-out challenge to muckrake (and back it up with evidence).
A free press is a foundational piece of our democracy. We're losing that in news today. BTW, I highly recommend "The Onion Movie" which addresses this topic quite well through its satire.
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Goshen
October 16, 2009 10:38 PM
I dunno. I think Bill's boss, who's also biracial, has done pretty well, too.
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colbito
October 17, 2009 2:57 AM
Well if it was a homosexual couple it wouldn't even had made the news....that's the irony
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Cal Gal
October 17, 2009 3:57 PM
There should be a warning system for those with coveted White House Press Passes.
A strike for any inane question having nothing to do with serious issues facing the country.
A strike for repeating something heard from a talking head on Faux News or a tea-bagger and asking for the White House's "response."
A strike for asking about the Obama girls or their dog.
Three strikes, and you give up the pass to someone who hopefully WILL seek to report serious news.
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grimshizzle
October 17, 2009 6:50 PM
All this, yet no discussion of Mylee Cyrus dropping her Twitter account?!
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sisterkevin
October 17, 2009 9:27 PM
Nice comments. Pissed me off to. two fucking wars with no end in sight, a pres dancing to Geitner's music, a pres hoping to get a HCR "trigger" legislation so everyone in DC gets something (we get nothing) and will then call it change in another wonderful speech. Meanwhile a JP in Louisiana won't marry an interracial couple, the Senator and Gov are besides themselves, the WH is talking about it and let's not leave out the "balloon boy", and also engaging Glen Beck, as if he mattered at all. What, no more conversations about Sarah or .... Think I'll just watch free porn to calm me down.
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Elizabeth2
October 17, 2009 10:28 PM
Agree with the innanity of it all, but do love to have Burton back in that "groove" he hits some time with the absolutely perfect, understated, idiocy-exposing response comes out in almost the next breath. A lot of them are good at that - he's a master.
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Frankly_my_dear
October 18, 2009 8:36 AM
A JP who won't marry an interracial couple? I see another "teachable moment" in the offing. The Justice of the Peace, the biracial couple, Obama and Biden sitting around quaffing beer and pretzels. It's getting pretty chilly for the Rose Garden though — perhaps in the Lincoln Room (if that's not too subtle)?
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