March 12, 2014

"He shook my hand very firm, very sexy. He said today was a beautiful day to be in New York. He’s more handsome in person, very sexy."

Said the lady shopping at the Gap in NYC who got to shake Barack Obama's hand. 

Why was Obama shopping at the Gap in NYC?
  
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45 comments:

Larry Davis said...

2,3,and 4

CatherineM said...

It was a way to promote a higher minimum wage because GAP voluntarily raised wages for new workers to $10 an hour.

Before that he was at the home of Wall Street fat cat 1%'ers raising money for Democrats.

CatherineM said...

PS they have GAP in DC

Anonymous said...

Do parents really still "shop" for clothes for their teenage girls? Mine go online themselves, find what they want, and then make lists for us to order or pick up in the store.

Surely, in the off chance there isn't parcel delivery at the White House, there is someone who could be tasked to go to the GAP for the President.

Anonymous said...

The old "Fall In-to the GAP" jingle just got stuck in my head.

Annie said...

I doubt Mooch would wear anything from The Gap. Their stuff runs a little small.

Known Unknown said...

I'll take it as all 4.

George M. Spencer said...

All of the above, but, more important, the retail sector is crashing. He's trying to get people out of their homes shopping in physical stores.

Sears, Penney's, Macy's Am. Eagle, Wal Mart, Amercrombie, and Target are all either closing stores or laying off people. People aren't going as much to big indoor malls anymore. Sbarro's just declared bankruptcy. McDonalds is slumping. And, of course, Christmas sales were disappointing.

"Shoppers will likely see an average decrease in overall retail square footage of between one-third and one-half within the next five to 10 years, as a shift to e-commerce brings with it fewer mall visits and a lesser need to keep inventory stocked in-store, said Michael Burden, a principal with Excess Space Retail Services.

Overall, he's trying to help push a possible recession off until after the fall elections.

tim maguire said...

Mostly 2, some 4. Probably not much 3 (he doesn't need to go to the GAP to be gushed over, it's enough to turn on any non-Fox news show) and no 1 at all.

madAsHell said...

"He shook my hand very firm, very sexy."

Yeah....that comment was planted by the Obama team. No one in their right mind would respond like that. No one would respond so......stupidly.

Dr Weevil said...

5. A man with an empty soul and a damned-near-empty mind is naturally attracted to a place called "The Gap".

RecChief said...

b,c,d

MadisonMan said...

Do parents really still "shop" for clothes for their teenage girls?

Hell no.

Sasha and Malia will look at what he bought them, roll their eyes, and put them in the 'donate' bin.

mccullough said...

Nice ad for The Gap. Surprised anyone can afford to work at the one in Manhattan. Hope they get more than $10 an hour

Anonymous said...

Probably to promote The Gap as a thank you for raising their wages. Michelle is not overweight, Annie, the constant disparagement of her body is mean spirited and stupid.

Jane the Actuary said...

You know, I can understand why many bricks-and-mortar stores are struggling, but I would never buy any clothes online. I just would not trust the sizing. (Maybe it's just my ill-proportioned body?) I further don't see how stores aimed at teens would be impacted by online retailing, since the whole point is to shop as a social activity, isn't it?

But I find Obama's visit creepy. Yes, it's a good way to get into the paper. But is GAP raising its starting wages to recruit higher caliber employees? (In which case, a raise in the nationwide minimum would hurt them.) Or is there some payback here, a way in which they expect favorable treatment from the administration for being so public about it? Or is GAP struggling by no longer being a favored brand among teens, and they're trying to recover?

(P.S. -- when are you going to talk about the "BanBossy" campaign?)

Clayton Hennesey said...

When a man in his 50's starts shopping for young girls' clothing, I start looking for a plywood-covered pit in the ground.

The Crack Emcee said...

"She put a post on her blog, very sexy. She said today was a beautiful day to be online. She’s more beautiful in an avatar, very sexy."

Women are weird.

jacksonjay said...

Gullibility testing! Just how far can we go to punk the media and the lo-info mofos?

Charlie said...

He's on the front lines in The War On Women.

bleh said...

Take him at his word? Well, his word was that he was there in part to highlight Gap's decision to pay its employees above minimum wage. So he admits it's a photo op.

It's sort of ridiculous, isn't it? Is Obama going to visit my place of business to congratulate my employers on paying me above minimum wage?

alan markus said...

Choice #2: It was a photo-op designed to make him seem normal and nice so we'll all like him more.

Notice the women in the pictures.

Then take note of this:

WSJ/NBC News Poll: Obama's Approval Rating Hits New Low:

And Mr. Obama's support among women, particularly white women, as of now is strong enough to create a bulwark against GOP gains in the midterms.

Expect a lot more photo-ops with women, as long as they are the "right" color.

CWJ said...

The idea that it was anything other than 2 goes right out the window when the photo credits are "AP" and "Getty Images."

What amazes me about these slice of life vignettes is that with all the SS, photographers, stringers, and aides in tow, they manage to get all of these people out of frame to make it look like the President is alone in the shop.

Known Unknown said...

I miss Inga so much. Where has she gone?

lemondog said...

Always campaigning. Since he ain't in Hollywood, this is his 'I'm just plain folk' schtick.

Sears, Penney's, Macy's Am. Eagle, Wal Mart, Amercrombie, and Target are all either closing stores or laying off people.

I understand that Walmart is pouring billions into online shopping. The others you can put a fork into....

Step Aside Amazon.com Here Comes Wal-Mart To Go

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Michelle is not overweight, Annie, the constant disparagement of her body is mean spirited and stupid.

True. She is not fat.

Just unfortunately shaped.

Anonymous said...

2-4.

Seeing Red said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bill Crawford said...

#5 He's practicing for Life After the White House

Seeing Red said...

Fundamentally transform America. What did you smarties think he meant?

Larry J said...

How many hundreds of thousands of dollars did this little shopping trip cost the taxpayers? Add up the costs of Air Force One (over $220,000 per flying hour), Secret Service and police security details, support costs, etc. and it comes to a lot of money. Don't forget to include the cost of the transport plane that carries the presidential limo or helicopter. C-17s don't come cheap, either.

I don't even want to hear a single word from Obama about anyone's carbon footprint.

ErnieG said...

Jane the Actuary said...

You know, I can understand why many bricks-and-mortar stores are struggling, but I would never buy any clothes online. I just would not trust the sizing.


The problem with clothing sizes is that clothing manufacturers would sooner use the same toothbrush than the same sizes.

rehajm said...

No one in their right mind would respond like that. No one would respond so......stupidly.

I say the statement is 100% genuine. Some chicks are just addicted to political power.

I'm in Boston standing in line at Starbucks when a below average looking Kennedy spawn walks in. Every woman over 35 with a masters degree swooned like he was the Beatles in 1964.

damikesc said...

What I don't get is all these leftists bitching that Wal-Mart is "killing mom and pop stores" ignoring that Amazon is doing that far more effectively than Wal-Mart ever could.

bandmeeting said...

CatherineM: It was a way to promote a higher minimum wage because GAP voluntarily raised wages for new workers to $10 an hour

Then Gap is still bad because to true make a living wage is supposed to be $10.10.

cassandra lite said...

This reminds me of a terrific scene in the vastly underappreciated "Soapdish." Sally Field, a soap opera star, is feeling suicidally despondent. But Whoopi Goldberg, as the show's head writer and her best friend, knows exactly what Sally needs: an impromptu trip to a Paramus shopping mall where, instigated by Whoopi, all the shopping ladies notice Sally and make a huge fuss over her. Voila, lavishing in the attention, Sally feels much better about herself.

Lnelson said...

St. George said...
All of the above, but, more important, the retail sector is crashing.


Exactly right. Technology is fundamentally transforming so many things in our culture that neither political party can keep up. All they know is how to impress the pop culture.
He is not shopping. He is still campaigning, the one thing he is really good at. He connects with America on comedy shows, MTV, or hobnobing with Hollywood stars. Does he tweet yet? Anything to avoid the 3:00AM call..or answer questions on the job numbers.

Once upon a time our leaders understood priorities. Probably because the electorate understood them as well.

George M. Spencer said...

We're also coming up on the end of the first quarter. The retailer's lobbying group may have wanted him to do this now in an effort to juice sales a wee bit for the rest of March.

Wonder if he bought green clothes in time for St. Patrick's Day Monday....got to remember that all-important Irish Catholic vote.

Lnelson said...

Sorry, I mis-spoke. I called them leaders, meant to say betters.

Anonymous said...

"Take him at his word? Well, his word was that he was there in part to highlight Gap's decision to pay its employees above minimum wage. So he admits it's a photo op."

Shouldn't this embarrass Obama?

The Gap is saying, "Hey look, we understand the free market and we want better employees, so we are voluntarily raising the wage we pay our employees."

Whereas Obama and the Democrats (And sadly, Walmart) is saying, everyone must be forced by the government to raise the wage they pay their employees.

Does such a thing hurt the gap? If the Gap wants to hire higher quality employees, and the minimum wage is raised to the lowest level they are paying, they'll need to pay even more.

Which I'm sure makes Walmart very happy, as it'll help to put the little guy out of business.

Walmart knows this, or they wouldn't need the government to force them to pay their employees more. They would simply choose to do so like the Gap has. Instead, Walmart wants the minimum wage raised because they can weather that storm until prices raise enough to make the minimum wage raise meaningless. But small businesses will be put out of business in the short run, which helps Walmart.

cubanbob said...

He connects with America on comedy shows, MTV, or hobnobing with Hollywood stars. Does he tweet yet? Anything to avoid the 3:00AM call..or answer questions on the job numbers."

larry you forgot to insert the word "only".

Steve M. Galbraith said...

"Attention K-Mart shoppers, attention K-Mart shoppers: with President Obama's approval ratings near 40%, Michelle Obama will now be available in aisle seven."

"Mr. Obama will appear tomorrow in aisle twelve.

Thank you for shopping K-Mart."

rehajm said...

Lame duck acting lame...

Oh, wow. So you can sign the machine?

Anonymous said...

@Larry J, 10:33am "Add up the costs of Air Force One (over $220,000 per flying hour),..."

You can probably double the flight costs because "AF 1" almost never flies alone without "AF 2" going along as backup (or possibly as decoy), intentionally being hidden discreetly at a different airport so its presence goes unnoticed.

Big Mike said...

I have to admit, the first image that came to my mind was Nixon walking along the beach in dress slacks and business shoes.