Following the release of a photo showing President Barack Obama shooting clay targets — a response to those who have raised doubt at Obama’s recent claim that he goes skeet shooting “all the time” — two members of the White House’s inner circle on Saturday responded to the skeptics on Twitter.
David Plouffe, Obama’s 2008 campaign manager and an outgoing White House adviser, took a swipe at the “skeet birthers.” “Make our day,” wrote Plouffe:
Attn skeet birthers. Make our day – let the photoshop conspiracies begin! m.flickr.com/photos/whiteho…
— David Plouffe (@davidplouffe) February 2, 2013
White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer addressed the doubters as “skeeters” — a neologism that draws from other 21st century fringe labels:
For all the “skeeters”: POTUS shoots clay targets on the range at Camp David on Aug. 4, 2012. bit.ly/WlDMYG
— Dan Pfeiffer (@pfeiffer44) February 2, 2013
Chief among those “skeeters” was Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who questioned Obama’s claim and then challenged him to a skeet shooting contest during an appearance on CNN earlier this week. Blackburn actually wondered why there had been no photos of Obama skeet shooting, before expressing confidence that she could best the President if the two ever went toe-to-toe.
“I’ll tell you what I do think, I think he should invite me to Camp David and I’ll go skeet shooting with him, and I bet I’ll beat him,” she said.
Jon Stewart on Thursday found it rich that Obama faced pressure to release a gun-toting photo, suggesting the material would only exacerbate his threatening image on the right.
“Why won’t the black man half the country lives in fear of release a picture of himself holding a gun?” Stewart said on “The Daily Show.” “I don’t understand. It would put everyone at ease. Why won’t he do it?”