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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > People and Politics > Obama's special St.Patrick's Day offer --- Contribute to his campaign and get a 2012 O'Bama T-shirt

People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

Obama's special St.Patrick's Day offer --- Contribute to his campaign and get a 2012 O'Bama T-shirt

Posted on Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 07:33 AM

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President Obama has begun his campaign to have Irish Americans support him in November with a special St.Patrick's Day offer.

Politico.com reports that the Obama campaign is offering supporters a chance to buy a special 'O'Bama' T-shirt — just in time for St. Patrick's Day.

Obama is capitalizing on the success of his visit to Ireland last year.

Last week in New York current Irish leader Enda Kenny stated that Obama had said his time in Ireland has been "one of the best days" of his presidency.
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Obama went to Moneygall in Offaly where he received an ecstatic reception in the village where his ancestor, Falmouth Kearney, had left during the Famine era.

The Obama e mail to supporters stated:

"St. Patrick's Day is around the corner. This year, show your support for a presidential candidate with Irish roots: Barack Obama," the campaign wrote in an email to supporters. "You might recall that back in 2007, as he was on the campaign trail, the President found out about ancestry. Last year, he traveled with the First Lady to pay a visit to Moneygall, the town of 300 people where his great-great-great-grandfather was born, and jokingly told a crowd there: 'My name is Barack Obama, of the Moneygall Obamas, and I've come home to find the apostrophe we lost somewhere along the way.'"

The shirt features a four leaf clover, not a shamrock, which is sure to draw some comment but Obama officials are clearly hoping his irish trip will serve as a reminder to Irish Americans of his heritage.

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seanieNYC | Mar 10, 2012, 03:29 PM EST

'Patrick Roberts' doesn't exist. The photo here is of Kevin Mangan, accountant for Niall O'Dowd's company that publishes this load of dung.

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seanomelb | Feb 22, 2012, 06:19 PM EST

I/ nth I may change my name to sean Seanomelb and Ciara can use "sean bhan bhocht".BTW I never liked the replacement of the bulta with an "h"(I don,t think I spelt bulta correctly)

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IrelandNorth | Feb 22, 2012, 06:37 AM EST

One hates to spoil a good re-election gimmick, but the apostrophy which President O[']Bama came to Ireland to reclaim last Spring isn't grammatically correct in the Sean (phon. shan) Gaeilge/Old Irish. The introduction of Gaeilge Nua/New Irish in the 1960's by the Irish Government's Department of Education was a policy to encourage its usage. Sean Gaeilge/Old Irish doesn't use apostrophies, as in O Donnachadha/O Donoghue. It's conventional usage in English is to represent an ommitted letter, as in the old Irish rebel song: "At the Risin' o' the Moon." Consequently, Pres. O[']Bama came to Ireland to reclaim something that never existed in Sean Gaeilge/Old Irish. All of this would never have happened if the best president America [n]ever had i.e. Al Gore, had not had his presidency stolen from him in Florida.

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seanomelb | Feb 21, 2012, 04:39 PM EST

I wonder what ancient PR person came up with all this bull about shamrocks and snakes.The fact the Patrick ever existed is tenuous at least. BTW Obama saved The USA from a financial meltdown which began under the discredited Bush administration.

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jamieLM | Feb 21, 2012, 11:29 AM EST

Many Americans don't see the difference between a shamrock and a 4 leaf clover because they associate both of them with "good luck." Many Americans think the "luck of the Irish" is a positive phrase, linking it with a pot o' gold, rainbows, smiling leprechauns, and good luck which is represented in the U.S. by a green 4 leaf clover. The religious-meaning shamrock gets mixed up with the secular clover. Those with no Irish ancestry are even more likely to make this mistake. The clover is more appropriate than a shamrock on a T-shirt with Obama on it who is running for re-election and is hoping for a "lucky" outcome.

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DLW12183 | Feb 21, 2012, 08:35 AM EST

He had to use the 4 leaf clover otherwise he would not have had a leaf for himself.

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TomDem55 | Feb 20, 2012, 06:29 PM EST

So how has he not run this country? 22 months of straight economic growth Killing Bin Laden Rescuing the entire American Auto Industry Starting us on the road to helathcare for all Getting us out of Iraq Winding down the Afghan War Trying to get the Rich people to pay at LEAST as much as you and I pay in taxes Putting the war cost IN the budget (I am sure you don't recall that President Bush did not pay for the war and kept it off budget in an accounting trick) Why do you folk keep talking in discredited talking points? really Obama is an American, and pretty smart, I know I and probably you all did not graduate with honors from Harvard Law school...

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TomDem55 | Feb 20, 2012, 05:24 PM EST

And Tom, yea, Jesus did all that--and they hung him on a cross for it, while His Dad stood by and did nothing. Mayhaps, Pop was a bit more conservative?

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TomDem55 | Feb 20, 2012, 02:31 PM EST

Jesus was a liberal Jesus was NOT a capitalist Jesus fed the poor helped the sick preached peace and love thy neighbor was Jesus a liberal snake? He chased the peddlers out of the temple He chastised the rich was Jesus a liberal snake?

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Peggy P | Feb 20, 2012, 02:26 PM EST

Why the surprise Obama used the four leaf clover to celebrate St. Patrick, he certainly didn't want anything to do with the shamrock which the Patron Saint of Ireland used to represent the "Holy Trinty". If only Blessed Patrick would return and cross the pond to drive the liberal snakes out of Congress and the White House. Let us Pray.

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TomDem55 | Feb 20, 2012, 02:08 PM EST

President was schooled in Hawaii, left Indonesia when he was 10, go there when he was 4 so he is culturally Hawaiian and Chicagoian and Harvardian He can refer to his ethnicity all he wants to no law or no PURITY law against it MY hight regard for the president is his handling of two wars, and the worst economy since the early 1930s and for his try to get us here in the US a medical system which is enjoyed all over the world in developed nations, INCLUDING Ireland. I don't know about you but I am tired of seeing charity drives for kids who will DIE of some disease because they are deprived of healthcare because their parents are too poor to pay for it... and congrats to all for continuing this pointless dialogue with insults but no facts or cogent arguments. I don't know about you but the Nuns who taught me would slap your hands with a ruler for the name calling and non fact based lies...

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eiriamach | Feb 20, 2012, 01:16 PM EST

The Obama campaign web site that sells these shirts ($30) mentions nothing about shamrocks. There's only the green color and the apostrophe that recalls O'Bama's quip about his Irish heritage. Don't like the Irish allusion? You might prefer the "Made in the USA" T-shirt with Obama's photo under the slogan, my favorite.

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KevinPKavanagh | Feb 20, 2012, 12:34 PM EST

Anyone who calls this guy "Irish" is a moron and the fact that his shirt shows the Clover, rather than the Shamrock, just confirms my feelings.....

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colkelley | Feb 20, 2012, 09:54 AM EST

I think that a contribution should get the giver a shirt with the flag of Indonesia. Obama grew up attending Muslim school in Indonesia from age 4 to age 17 so he is culturally Indonesian, NOT American and not Irish or Irish-American. Tomdem55, are you still getting a "thrill up your leg" worshipping this buffoon? Aren't you just a tad racist by having such high regard for him simply because he is half-Black?

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gobdawpaddy | Feb 20, 2012, 07:47 AM EST

maggiepoo, the Democrats won control of the house in the 2006 elections and the senate with the help of two Independents. The Republicans re-took control of the house in the 2010 elections and John Boehner and his Republican cohorts have been blocking everything Obama trys to do since.

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