The Golf Summit

1. I’m curious how Boehner — the hard-core golfer — seems to wear those baggy shorts on the golf course, like he can’t afford real golf duds. It wouldn’t have to do with the fact he’s trying to downplay the elitism, is it, more closely imitating weekend duffers on the public links?

2. Obama has had his own visual agenda on the manicured lawns. As the first African-American president, one with the foreign name who rode into Washington with the supposedly liberal pedigree, Obama’s fascination with golf, and particularly, golf photo-ops (yeah, what happened to those bball games?) can be seen to reassure conservatives and and the establishment, in the most symbolic way, that he’s a member of the club. Since elected, he’s been featured time and again on the White House Flickr site doing the golf thing. The first slide above (click for full size) is from this weekend’s “golf summit” with Boehner. The rest of the slide show is just a sampling of my favorites from the WH Flickr stream.

3. As much as Obama preaches and practices bipartisanship, and is fanatic about patronizing the opposition, he hasn’t been known to actually spend much time, especially social time, wooing the other side. As he engages the campaign, however, Obama seems to be going out of his way to not just butter up his antogonists, but to also co-opt them in appealing to the middle-right electorate.  Fore!

(photo 1: Pete Souza/White House caption: After playing a round of golf, President Barack Obama has a drink with Vice President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House John Boehner, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, at Joint Base Andrews, June 18, 2011..photo 2: Pete Souza/White House caption: President Barack Obama waves to an onlooker while playing golf during his vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, Aug. 24, 2009.. photo 3: Samantha Appleton/White House caption: President Barack Obama takes a practice putt with a golf club presented to him by golf legend Arnold Palmer prior to the signing ceremony for H.R. 1243, the Arnold Palmer Congressional Gold Medal Act, in the Oval Office, Sept. 30, 2009.. photo 4: Pete Souza/White House caption: President Barack Obama looks down the fairway while golfing at Vineyard Golf Club near Lobsterville Beach during his vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, Aug. 27, 2009.. photo 5: Pete Souza/White House caption: President Barack Obama puts a little body English on his shot during a round of golf at Farm Neck golf course during his vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, Aug. 24, 2009. photo 6: Pete Souza/White House Pete Souza/White House: President Barack Obama takes a break from his golf game at the Mid Pacific Country Club in Kailua, Hawaii, to give a child a golf ball, Dec. 28, 2010..)photo 7: Pete Souza/White House caption: President Barack Obama practices his golf swing at an outdoor hold prior to an event at the Miguel Contreras Learning Center in Los Angeles, Calif., March 19, 2009. photo 8: Pete Souza/White House caption: President Barack Obama plays golf at the Kaneohe Klipper Marine Golf Course in Oahu, Hawaii, Dec. 26, 2010.)