Ex-presidential candidate Wyclef Jean resorted to flagrant smear tactics this weekend in rebuffing his critics, perhaps a sign that he wasn’t quite presidential material after all.
If Wyclef Jean wanted to see how a president talks shit, he should have watched President Obama this weekend.
Obama, unleashing a critical invective on the Republican right in his Labor Day speech yesterday, lambasted conservatives for hypocrisy and being generally ineffectual. Having driven the economic vehicle into a ditch, Obama asserted, “I don’t want to give them the keys back. They don’t know how to drive.”
The roasting was as much in his tone as his word choice. It was delivered expertly—and while maybe not quite as satisfying as a Jon Stewart slam, it left us with restored hope that this was a president we can respect and trust to lead us.
Wyclef should have taken this lesson from the Prez: when you’re talking shit, you can’t make it too personal. That’s not how presidents do it. Obama didn’t stand up there and call John Boehner a “giant boner.” He didn’t brazenly accuse anyone of being high, or even (cue Joe Wilson) of lying.
Wyclef was clearly disappointed that he was disqualified to run for president of Haiti, a bid that garnered criticism from the likes of Sean Penn and former bandmate Pras. But given the brash (and erroneous) accusations Wyclef spewed at his critics this weekend one has to wonder what kind of president he would have made.
Perhaps Jean should take a lesson from shit-talking from Mr. Obama. If the candidacy regulations in Haiti are ever relaxed and Jean does indeed run, it’s a lesson he’ll need on the campaign trail.
Watch Wyclef accuse Sean Penn of sniffing cocaine and bandmate Pras of “only kicking 8 bars” in the Fugees:
October 05, 2010 at 12:19 pm, Ivy league Professor Wyclef Jean | Death and Taxes said:
[...] The former Fugees member has had a rough couple months, former Fugees member Pras and humanitarian/actor/intimidating short guy, Sean Penn, spoke openly about how unqualified Jean was to rebuild Haiti. His presidential bid was rejected by the Haitian government. He was hospitalized because of stress and fatigue. And he can’t figure out what color to paint his master bedroom.* As I said it’s been a brutal couple months. [...]