House of Eratosthenes

Pop quiz: When President Obama uses the phrase “let me be clear,” it means:

a) Pencils up: This is the takeaway.

b) What I’ve said doesn’t mean what you might fear it means – or what my opponents will tell you it means.

c) I am not going to get rolled on this one.

d) All of the above, and then some.

“Let me be clear.”

In the first six months of Obama’s presidency, this simple sentence has gone from political pet phrase to full-on rhetorical signature, appearing (along with its variants “let’s be clear” and “I want to be clear”) scores of times in the commander in chief’s pre-written and extemporaneous remarks – sometimes more than once in a given speech.

But what does he mean when he says it? And why does the president who made “transparency” a national buzzword use it so often?

It depends on whom you ask.

Interesting thoughts. I’ve always interpreted it to be synonymous with the word “basically,” which means, basically, that I’ve interpreted it to mean “let me be UN-clear.” I totally hate that word “basically.”

And yeah, “let me be clear” is suffering from quite a bit of abuse lately. It’s headed toward my word-hate-list as well. It seems, more and more, like if you have no intent to deceive anybody, you have no need for this phrase as His Holiness has decided to deploy it.

Would you buy a used car, or some real estate, from someone who says “let me be clear” a lot?

The correct answer is d)

Also, “this is not about” or “it’s not about” means “this is excactly what it’s about, but I want you to ignore that fact. These aren’t the droids you’re looking for. I can go about my business.”
- philmon | 08/03/2009 @ 09:24
He’s obviously skilled in the fine art of distraction. One must wonder how much of it is a natural aptitude, that people of His aptitude profile can pick up any ol’ time, and how much of it has been practiced over years. When did He get started on this? Age 22? Age thirteen? Age three? Do I even want to know the answer?

Whenever I see Him speak, I envision countless authors of character-based fiction, the ripe ones, retired already or with their most productive years behind them — kicking themselves for failing to insert a Barack Obama into this-or-that magnum opus. He is both a commonality and a rarity. Real life is chock full of His kind…but you have to wait a very, very long time to see someone come along as skilled and dedicated as Him. We are truly blessed with the opportunity to watch Him work, so soon after Bubba.

Still & all, I feel like screaming at whatever chosen deity or kismet suits your fancy — “alright alright, we get it already!!”
- mkfreeberg | 08/03/2009 @ 09:34
“Truthfully…”

“In all honesty…”

“Truth be told…”

And there are more where those came from. And they all mean the same thing: BS.
- bpenni | 08/03/2009 @ 10:41
In the ’70s, as the Human Potential (later to become the New Age) Movement got rolling, it was fairly common knowledge that anybody who regularly assured you of his truthfulness was shucking you. Watching this crap close up was the first opportunity many of us had to see sociopathy in action, and it was a real education. Buck no doubt remembers the miasma of obfuscation that descended on the culture, and how quickly those of us with bullshit detectors became pariahs. The 0, of course, was 10 years old at the time….

“You need to examine your resistance to new ideas, and ask yourself why you don’t trust people.”

Would I lie to you?
- rob | 08/03/2009 @ 12:51
“To be fair…”

I would be thrilled to hear “let me be clear…” if it were followed by something plainly obvious. Something like: “Let me be clear, I haven’t worked this thing out yet, so it would be irresponsible of me to try to sell you on it right now.”
- Andy | 08/03/2009 @ 12:56
Read through some of today’s newer nonsense about raising taxes on the middle class, and it becomes clearly clear that the word clear has been clearly targeted by this administration to be used clear up until the point that the definition of the word clear becomes completely unclear:

“The president’s clear commitment is not to raise taxes on those making less than $250,000 a year,”

Gibbs added, “I hope you’ll take my reiteration of this clear commitment . . . in the clearest terms possible, that he is not raising taxes on those who make less than $250,000 a year.”

Yeah, there’s an article I am not citing. Sue me.
- Andy | 08/03/2009 @ 14:06
Buck no doubt remembers the miasma of obfuscation that descended on the culture, and how quickly those of us with bullshit detectors became pariahs.

That I DO, Rob. Well said. That was the point in time my slow conversion from Moonbat Hippie to Conservative Old Fart began… helped along in no small part by those same asshats that lacked BS detectors and took pleasure in slagging us that had ’em.
- bpenni | 08/04/2009 @ 13:57
Basically? REALLY?
I’ve always used it to replace “I couldn’t possibly express all of contempt I
hold, in the language of polite company or civil discourse, without droning on and on and on, possibly rupturing a vein in my neck”
- CaptDMO | 08/04/2009 @ 19:34
Basically, I’m good with basically as long as it’s basically true. You know, if it expresses the gist and the spirit well. When it grabs on to a little detail and attempts to do the opposite with it, it is basically lying.

Love your comment re: “couldn’t possibly …” , Captain. ‘Cause I basically feel the same way.
- philmon | 08/04/2009 @ 19:48
If you’re willing to take responsibility for saying something, leave the “basically” out of it, because that’s the only reason it’s there. It’s a buffer against taking responsibility for saying something.

If you’re not willing to take the responsibility for saying it, then don’t say it.

So basically, this word has no reason to be. It’s just an insulator used to plug the gap, when people want to say sensationalist things they know aren’t really true, without losing face.

“In the 1960’s, basically, Republicans became democrats and vice-versa.”

“George W. Bush, he’s basically a war criminal.”

“Ronald Reagan basically murdered the gays.”

“Obama is basically God.”

“Tea parties are basically white separatist parties.”

“During Super Bowl Sunday, domestic violence basically quadruples.”

Keep your ears peeled from here on when people use the word “basically.” You’ll see I’m right.

Basically.
- mkfreeberg | 08/04/2009 @ 20:28
[…] After an extensive process 2. Let me be clear 3. At this (particular) point in time 4. In service of a more well-rounded education 5. To serve […]
- House of Eratosthenes | 09/18/2009 @ 07:05

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“Let Me Be Clear”Monday, August 3rd, 2009

“Let Me Be Clear”
Monday, August 3rd, 2009