If White House Was Surprised by Applause at Tucson Pep Rally… Why Did They Ask For It On Jumbotron?

On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that they were surprised by the applause at the memorial pep rally on Wednesday for the victims of the Tucson shootings.

I will say that I read the speech several times and thought that there wouldn’t be a lot of applause if any. I think many of us thought that. But I think there was a celebration, again, of the lives of those who had been impacted. Not just at that grocery store but throughout the country. And I think that, if that is part of the healing process, then that’s a good thing.

Oh really?
Then why was it printed on the Jumbotron?

(Flickr)

Rush Limbaugh: Tucson Memorial T-Shirt Obama Election Slogan

Remember the t-shirts on the back of chairs at the memorial for Tucson shooting victims? Rush Limbaugh found proof that the text on the shirts “Together We Thrive,” comes from the “Organizing for America” website – Barack Obama’s election website, now turned over to supporters. Does it get any smarmier than this – memorializing the dead with an election t-shirt? See video and hear all the details below.

Obama Slogan - Tucson Memorial T-Shirt

From Rush:

One thing on the pep rally-disguised-as-a-memorial on Wednesday night.  I happened to, as I have been told, anger a lot of people yesterday by saying that the president delayed the memorial while waiting for the polling data to come in and the T-shirts to get printed.
Well, guess what?  I was right on both counts.  The polling data shows, as you know, that the American people do not associate conservative rhetoric with what happened out in Arizona.  In fact, there’s a Quinnipiac poll out that shows a majority of America don’t think that; but that 54% of Americans think that the worst of the political rhetoric comes from the left, comes from Democrats.  The second thing was they had to wait to get the T-shirts printed.  And that’s true.  Not only that, they had to wait to get a new logo for the T-shirts.  It was a pep rally.

“Together We Thrive” is about “revolution” and “diversity,” (racism), according to John Berry IV blogging at Organizing for America on February 11, 2008: (snippets)

What I see in Obama is a chance for a revolution. A chance for every group to participate and be heard; A chance to live the American dream that has been denied to so many…In a previous career, I was the global leader of Diversity for a global fortune 500 corporation, I have studied the affects of diverse groups working together and the results can not be denied. Together we Thrive!!!!!!!!!!!

Rush Limbaugh: Tucson Memorial T-Shirt an Obama Slogan (video)