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President Obama thinks 'Austrian' is a language?
By most accounts, President Obama had a pretty successful maiden voyage to Europe this past week. But it was not without its gaffes.
But relative to the era of George W. Bush, this one seems pretty minor.
In response to a question from an Austrian reporter about his impressions of European leaders, President Obama said that in fact the interaction between European lawmakers was really not all that different than the way in which the US Senate operates (it's unclear whether he meant to draw the comparison between the two sides as examples of people who can't seem to get things done).
Elaborating, President Obama said on both sides of the Atlantic "there's a lot of -- I don't know what the term is in Austrian -- wheeling and dealing -- and, you know, people are pursuing their interests, and everybody has their own particular issues and their own particular politics."
Of course, there is no such language as Austrian, though if you're a speaker of high German hearing a Viennese speak can seem like you're hearing a different language. But that's more of an issue of dialect. Austrian German is certainly night and day more intelligible than Swiss German, which can be nearly impossible to understand even for native German speakers.
Anyway, my guess is most people missed this little misstatement, and just as well as in the scheme of things it matters not ounce.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 12)
jmchez Apr 7th 2009 2:01PM
Doesn't matter? Yes, keep thinking like that. You obviously have a lot of psychic investment in your belief that Bush was stupid and Obama is smart because, he speaks without that twang. So far Mr teleprompter has mouthed more "ahhs, and ummhs" and contradicted himself (he's a lawyer after all) than any previous President.
The gaffe's have been many (you haven't been paying attention) but they really pale in comparison to his constant bashing of his own country in foreign lands. (we had slavery, we killed indians, we dropped an atom bomb, Europeans know the world better). Yeah, yeah, we get it. The US was a criminal enterprise until you came along to change everything.
That's Obama's real crime and those are not just mind farts.
posse732 Apr 8th 2009 8:26PM
It really depends on how you view President Obama's statement did he mean the Austrian People or as suggested the non existent Austrian langauge or just a refferal to the dialect in that part of the world.Also it's about time someone suggests that America has had major flaws internally, I know a lot of folks would respond what occurred centuries ago should be laid to rest but as an African American Veteran it affects minorities on a daily basis the racism that is still existing in this great nation
mary Apr 8th 2009 9:12PM
well stated, I agree, the liberal,worshipping press does not report most of the trash that Nobama says, they are embarrassed to admit that they made a BIG mistake in pushing Obama and cutting the others down. Imagine them making such a big deal over Palins clothes and never a word about the dollars being spent on the designer clothes and shoes for Michelle. I am sick of hearing on the news about how Michelle is a fashion icon and that the Europeans are just worshiping her. Somehow I just don't believe that. What about the 900 people he had in his
traveling group in Europe? Wonder what that cost the taxpayers. Never a word or question about these things. Imagine that.
Bob Apr 8th 2009 9:18PM
You are right, if this would have been Bush making this comment, it would have been all over the news, in headlines in fact.
Onekeg Apr 8th 2009 10:49PM
No you and others must have a psychic investment in Bush's world and believing all the lies that were told that got us into a damn war where nothing was accomplised. Saddam Huessin did not bomb the World Trade, hit the Pentagon and all the other damage on 911, and the person who said to Bush's face tha the was responsible for all of it, he(bush) chickened out and convinced those who did not know any better that weapons of mass destruction was to blame. When are YOU PEOPLE going to wake up and realize you were pimped, gangsterd, bamboozled, tricked like a hoeby BUSH, CHENEY and RUMSFIELD to think it was a war that had to be fought. Get with it you brain washed idiots and know the facts before speaking. Obama will solve the problems of this country or get very close to doing it if you people will let him.
Margaret Apr 8th 2009 11:16PM
Well said JM.
angelika Apr 8th 2009 11:45PM
Austrian is a language. I am from Vienna and I should know. Have you ever heard it? it's not German, it's Austrian, a Germanic language but AUSTRIAN.
Get a grip
Joseph Apr 9th 2009 12:02AM
This was not Obama's first gaffe, nor his most stupid.
Check out:
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/21/barack-obama-gaffe-machine/
Had you heard of any of these? Probably not, because the biased, liberal news media mostly spiked them. You know damn well if these gaffes had been made by George Bush or Sarah Palin, you never would've heard the end of it from the likes of Keith Olbermann, Tina Fey, Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, et al.
ANGIE HARRMORE Apr 9th 2009 12:57AM
You are a dumb fool.Every president reads with a telepromter.It is not a gaffe.The president meant austria language.This is a president who graduated top of his class at harvard law.He gives tons of speeches everyday.
Try applying to harvard and graduating at the top of your class.
Start thinking for your self,use your brain.STOP LISTENING TO RUSH .GIVE CREDIT WHEN IT IS DUE.
julia Apr 9th 2009 2:14AM
I so agree the one thing that gives me great pleasure is that all these dumb asses that voted him (Obama) into office will get to suffer becausee of it
MLG Apr 9th 2009 3:15AM
Most anyone understands that when you are part of a family, you can talk about the problems in the family but you don't go blasting the family to outsiders. Obama, the President of our country is a traitor to our country and I find that sickening, revolting, and scary. That he can so easily disrespect the country he represents just confirms that ole Rev. Wright indeed had a lot more influence on Obama's prejudices against America than Obama admitted to. I just think his comments about America are reprehensible. It makes me feel like theres a fox in the henhouse and here he is with the keys to our hen house. The way his mind works, wanting to appease everyone outside of America, means he could make some fatal errors regarding the security of our country. So many people were fooled by his charm, which will soon be fleeting, when they have to face the reality that he is all teleprompter words and no substance. Who wants a President that is not loyal to his own country? Not me.
Vox Populi Apr 7th 2009 5:08PM
Glad i can just come here instead of Drudge Report.
Just to recap Obama's obviously satanic offenses to the good Christian 'Merica,
He can read...from a teleprompter of SIN! arrgh!!
He's a Lawyer (ok, i give you that one...who wants a president that was a constitutional scholar in the first place, F'ing elitist)
/snark.
Oh, by the way, where were you for the past 8 years? try to catch up now.
ProPalin Apr 8th 2009 1:42PM
Haaaah, how amusing your post is. The last eight years were very good years. Where were YOU? Head up your backside? Most of BO's supporters' heads are.
Forget about is Austrian a language. This ain't nothing. Let's start with no birth certificate and then list the deceit, broken promises, flip-flopping, tax-evasion, etc etc etc and outrageous corruption this administration is becoming famous for. How do you lunatic liberals live with yourselves? Aren't you miserable all the freakin' time? I feel sorry for the people that voted this ultra-liberal un-American person president.
Anyone with any sense at all misses President Bush. Or Ronald Reagan. No somalian pirates would take Americans hostage if these MEN were POTUS.
What a fake Apr 8th 2009 11:28PM
Well, thank God he can read his "save his butt teleprompter", after all he went to "Harvard"!!!
That he really doesn't like "Merica" like you call it, its a fact, hell, he nearly kissed the Prince of Saudia Arabia's feet trying to bow!! For a crooked lawyer, he should know that, NO US President, bows to any other world leader.... well, only when trying to kiss butt... Which he likes to do !!! After all, that's his trade mark!!!
Alex K Apr 7th 2009 5:11PM
Austrian German is frequently referred to as Austrian. Even in German. I'm not quite sure what the point of this article is?
Jiri Apr 8th 2009 2:01PM
That's not quite true - I spent in Austria at least one year and have never heard anybody saying that. There are some politicians now, who are trying to suggest that Austrian German should be called Austrian – but any Austrian would tell you that yes, they speak German and yes, it is a dialect of German (by the way there are hundreds of different dialects of German used in Austria (and in Germany, of-course). But the point is that while it is not a big deal, if Bush would have uttered something like that media would have been all over him right away.
Jay Apr 8th 2009 9:46PM
Mr Moron,
Having lived in Austria for more than 2 years, the language they speak is Deutsch (German). They are a very formal people, they believe in formality in ways we as American's would struggle with. A man who knows someone from grade school and may have known him 20 or more years would approach him and address him as MR. (whatever his job is) (Mr. Baker, Mr. Salesman, Mr. Farmer) this level of formality shows a great interest on what is proper, so to suggest they would throw that out the window for what the language is that they speak is lunacy. It is German, they know it they speak it and that is what they refer to it as.
Pip Apr 8th 2009 9:47PM
As a native speaker of Swiss-German....I can tell you that the Austrian dialect of German is not the same as high-German. High-German is used in business and for formal occasions. Colloquial speach, as it is in Switzerland, is the local dialect. Obama was right - he did not flub this one.
Mickey Apr 8th 2009 1:01AM
Oh please. The critics were all over Palin for her comment about Africa and the continent debacle. Obama can do no wrong. He has made tons of blunders already, but you don't read about them. The nightly pundits don't make fun of him.
He will get a free ride for at least the next four years when it comes to silly errors he makes in his speeches.
They'd be all over Bush for this one.
Kathleen Apr 8th 2009 8:10PM
I have an idea. How about if we all, liberals & conservatives, Republicans and Democrats, Independents and pundits focus not on what divides us but what we have in common. We have enormous problems facing this country and spending time on gaffes in speeches be they Obama's or Bush's isn't helping us solve our problems.