All-Star crowd greets Obama with cheers, some boos. Your thoughts?
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch didn’t report or comment this morning on the reception given President Barack Obama’s at his All-Star game appearance — perhaps because the reporters and columnists covering the event didn’t find it notable or out of the ordinary. It’s been the subject, though, of some internet and talk radio discussion.
The president was greeted with a smattering of boos when he emerged in blue jeans and a White Sox jacket. No doubt, cheers and applause outweighed any booing. (Al Rodgers on the Daily Kos described it as a “thunderous reception.”)
Yahoo!Answers poses this question this morning:
Obama got a worse reception at the All-Star game than a recorded message from Pres. Bush. Why?
At the All-Star game, Obama’s presence got considerably less applause than a recorded message from President Bush. Obama also got some boos. He compounded things by throwing a pitch that didn’t make it to the mound. (President Bush, in 2001 threw a perfect strike to open the game.)
Why do you think things went so badly for him?
Several blogs contrast the reception given Obama’s in-person appearance to earlier applause for George W. Bush during a taped public service message. Obama appeared first on that taped message, followed by Bush, George H. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. The applause given Obama’s taped appearance — in which he wore a suit, not a White Sox jacket — was markedly less than the applause that greeted Bush’s image on the giant centerfield screen.
From a blog post at Yahoo!Sports:
The more debatable point from the historic moment was the reception the President was afforded by the self-described “best fans in baseball.” Though Obama was roundly cheered by the All-Star fans, his live presence still didn’t attract the applause that George W. Bush did during a taped announcement by the four previous Presidents before the game and some boos could even be heard among the cheers.
Whether or not those fans were booing Obama’s politics (Missouri voted for John McCain last November) or his choice of attire (he chose to wear a long-sleeved White Sox jacket in support of his favorite team and a pair of regular old blue jeans) was unclear.
What are your thoughts about the reception given Obama? A product of his attire or politics?
Steve Parker is the deputy managing editor for news, and oversees the Post-Dispatch's front page. STLtoday's online news editors are on his newsroom team. Parker has been at the paper since September 1980. 
Well, first the pitch did “make it to the mound”, it didn’t make it to the plate. This leads me to believe that the people who are posing such questions or making such statements are doing so for political purposes not because they are sports fans who are confused about some 10 seconds of an All-Star pre-game.
I wasn’t there. I did watch on TV. I didn’t hear any boos. However, given the price per ticket and who could probably afford that, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these corporate execs would be booing because their days of taking advantage of the American populace are coming to an abrupt end.
I think the point that he was wearing his hometeam’s jacket at a game that represents every team is just petty.
Obama, and in a White Sox jacket at that? I’ve been more excited about having a bowel movement.
I was in the upper deck between first base and the foul pole on the right side.
Overall, I heard respectful cheers and applause when President Obama came out - but nothing that resembled a ‘we love you, Mr. President!’ type of cheer. It communicated to me that it was respectful of him - and respectful of the office.
When President Obama appeared on the video, there was little reaction. Everybody was listening and they didn’t know what was coming. When President George W. Bush appeared on the screen, there really WAS thunderous applause - far more than President Obama received in person. One had the impression that the crowd emphasized the cheers for Bush as if to let the world know that they didn’t appreciate Obama’s policies - but that they were the kind of people who would NEVER ‘boo’ the current President. I heard almost no ‘boos’ when Obama came out.
I had the sense that the crowd gave a cordial, respectful reception for President Obama - regardless of whether they voted for him - but they REALLY appreciated President Bush. The cheers for President Clinton’s video were weaker and then got a little stronger for President Bush I.
The folks in the stands were not the folks who ushered Obama into the White House. The majority of the folks at the ASG would keep in power the knuckleheads who started this whole mess than to seek a change of direction. Also most of the folks in this crowd still have issues with anyone who doesn’t look like them while at the same time making the tanning salons rich trying to look like them.
The fans of St.Louis have a lot of class when they gave president obama a great standing ovation.
It sounded like more boos than cheers to me. And when President Bush threw out the first pitch at Busch Stadium he threw a strike. Obama threw like a left handed girl and didn’t make it to the plate.
Why does everyone have to be in awe of the guy? I respect the person, but I cannot stand his policies and the direction he is taking this country. He isn’t playing both sides of the aisle, he is going far far left. Obama is in a phony, and a control freak. It is a free country, and if people want to boo, let them boo! And for those who try to claim there was a smattering of boos, please. I was listening on TV, and the boos were pretty prominent. I was thinking more 50/50, and I told my wife right away, “watch the press downplay this or pretend the boos didn’t even happen” and sure enough! Have you checked his approval ratings lately? They’re falling like an out of control plane compared to where they were when he entered office. I gave the man a chance, and he quickly ruined it!
St.Louis showed respect by booing the dangerous Socialist Obama who is ruining this nation. He should have been run out of town on a rail.
A bunch of greed-ridden old white people long for the days of Bush? That’s a shocker. The rest of us are glad that your days of abusing the rest of us are nigh.
Memo to the GOP…the demographics of this nation are not your friend. I’m a successful white male, too, so the fact that I think you suck ought to give you pause. So just keep putting morons like Palin and hypocrites like Newt front and center, and I’ll keep hating your guts.
Cheering W? Really? He did more harm to this nation than the axis of evil. And you cheered that. Wow. How embarrassing.