A Closer Look At Obama Handling A Shotgun And Other Manly Shit Presidents Do

Dillon Cheverere12 years ago

It’s no secret that President Obama is a staunch advocate of stricter gun laws in this country, and after the perfect storm — or rather tragically imperfect storm — of highly publicized mass shootings in Aurora, Colorado and Newtown, Connecticut, among others, he has never had a podium so tall to stand on and voice his proposed fixes than he does now. He is right about the gun problems in this country, though. Too many whack jobs are able to get their hands on firearms, legally or otherwise. It’s just the “fixing it” part that has created such a volatile partisanship on the matter. As tempers flare, points from both sides of the debate roll on, and guns are still readily available, Obama and his team are writing up proposed legislation to counter the senseless violence. But is there really a viable solution to this problem? And will gun activists actually give a shit about what he has to say? Probably not.

Insert the release of the above photo on Saturday morning. The photo of ‘Casual Barry’ in jeans and t-shirt southpaw-blasting skeet out of the sky is from a presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland on Saturday, August 4, 2012 (6 months ago). The timing of the release raises a flag in the eyes of many. It seems like an obvious ploy to win over some support from the pro-gun side, depicting Obama as a regular outdoorsman who knows how to get down on a ranch and shoot the shit with the boys, proverbially speaking. He also claims to be a regular skeet shooter and expresses an admiration for hunters:

From ABC News:

In an interview published Sunday the president said he shoots skeet “all the time” during stays at the compound. The comment was a response to a question of whether he had ever held a gun.

“Not the girls, but oftentimes guests of mine go up there. And I have a profound respect for the traditions of hunting that trace back in this country for generations. And I think those who dismiss that out of hand make a big mistake,” he said.

I doubt many will bite on this transparent bid for likeability. It also may have backfired on him a bit as some of his loyal leftists are claiming the photo to be insensitive, given the recent shootings. Whatever. It’s just a man and his shotgun, firing at inanimate objects for sport. Moving on, though, I want to take a closer look at 44’s shotgun shooting form. Then, and because I can’t write this whole piece without being at least a little bit of an asshole, I want to compare Barry’s manly activities to those of a couple recent presidents, Dubya and Reagan.

Barry Shoots a Shotgun

I think it’s decent enough form. Any lefty handling a firearm looks a little awkward in my opinion, but it’s clear he’s done it before. His lead hand may be a little high up on the fore stock, but that hand placement is more about comfort than utility. I do have to give him bonus points for working that gut for all it’s worth. When trying to relate to the common bird hunter, or general gun owner, having the appearance of someone who can throw back a cold one is important. Nice looking shotgun, too.

Now, the action in this photo of President Obama is the single manliest moment of his administration, unequivocally, or at least the manliest moment that has been documented.

But he’s no Dubya.

Dubya Carries on a Casual Conversation While Wielding a Chainsaw

“What are you soldiers working on here?”

“We’re building a house for a family in need, Mr. President.”

“Niiiice.”

“Yes, sir. It should be finished by the end of next week.”

“Cool, cool. Hey, lemme see that thing. What is this, an Oregon? Nice saw you got here.”

“Thank you, Mr. President.”

“Yeah yeah, you bet. Hey, d’you guys hear the one about Barack trying to start a fire without lighter fluid?”

The nonchalant nature by which he’s handling this chainsaw and obviously carrying on in a light-hearted manner is just so George W. Bush.

Dubya Goes Bike Riding with Wounded Veterans

Bush heads for the plains of the Texas panhandle to embark on a grueling bicycle journey with wounded American military veterans to show his steadfast appreciation. The trek is a three-day, 100-kilometer bike ride through Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Just straight man shit.

And heeeeeeeeeere’s Barry…

Look at him just rolling hard through the streets of D.C. on a comfort cruiser, complete with nerd helmet, the jeans-and-white-tennis-shoes combo with matching shit-eating grin. This photo was taken moments before he hopped a curb and followed it up with yanking up on the handle bars to pull off the .75 second wheelie to impress Michelle. No baseball card in the spokes, though, which I found surprising.

Dubya and Barack Throw Out First Pitch

That’s how it’s done, little leaguers. Bush shows flawless form from the bump while sporting the pleated slacks. And is there any question that he painted the outside corner with some high-60s old man heat? Need we a reminder of his pitching history? Look at his demeanor, too. The only thing on his mind was that strike zone.

And Barry:

Dammit, Barry. Again with the jeans and white tennies? He must be a huge Jerry Seinfeld fan. There’s that shit-eating grin again, too, something that is extremely rare to see on someone’s face mid-athletic move. It is a little crooked, though, revealing at least minimal athletic effort in his toss.

Secondly, well done throwing from the rubber. Major respect for that one, seeing as how throwing from in front of the mound has become not only acceptable for the ceremonial first pitch, but the popular choice.

But that throwing form…for fuck’s sake, man. It looks like he’s throwing a dart — absolutely no extension like his rocket-firing Republican counterpart up there. And look at the trajectory of the baseball. Is he firing it into the upper deck? Is he gently tossing it to a gloveless child as if not to harm him? Nope, it’s just Barry slinging it 60’6″ to a big league catcher.

Reagan, Bush and Barry Get Dirty

Then there’s this one:

More photos on the skeet shooting range will better serve you, Mr. President.

[via ABC News]

Images via American Digest, Flopping Aces, The White House, Frum Forum, USA Today