Obama Pardons Turkey: Far Right Reacts

by Stuart Shapiro

President Obama gave the annual pardon of a turkey for Thanksgiving today.  Reactions were swift:

Newt Gingrich called Obama “soft on crime.”

Jim Demint said it was evidence of a “far left vegetarian agenda.”

Rush Limbaugh made a thinly-veiled racist reference.

Sarah Palin claimed we were at war with Turkey and Obama should not apologize for America.

OK, none of this happened.  But would any of it surprise you?

Happy Thanksgiving to all (even Republicans!).

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.