Comments on: Presidential Pen

By: Felisa

Felisa — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:19:15 +0000

It is a tradition for the President to have his own specially engraved pen. Google it if you are not in the know. Former President Bush used one similar to President Obama’s, except the color (an of course signature) are different.

BTW they are not actually replicas. There are so many of these pens manufactured for the President. Who knows who has the “original” or not…

By: Duros 62

Duros 62 — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:09:34 +0000

All in all, after seeing those 3 photographers in the NYT, I’m glad to see what they were shooting at.
And hey, Presidential mementos are a cottage industry. Somebody’s got a job because of them. What’s the big deal?

By: fafaroo

fafaroo — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 23:19:10 +0000

I get that. It’s still stupid.

And I’m a sure a Bic appear just as significant 80 years from now in the Smithsonian.

By: ed

ed — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:27:43 +0000

It’s a bad habit, but a pen’s relatively harmless.

Which is essentially what I said.

The Presidential Pens are also used as mementoes at a signing.

I get that. It’s still stupid.

By: Parthenon

Parthenon — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:57:59 +0000

Fair point. It’s probably more accurate to say celebrities and the president split monarchical ‘duties’ in the US.

By: fafaroo

fafaroo — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:46:05 +0000

We monarchize the president a little bit in this country precisely because we DON’T have a titular royal head of state, a face of the nation, as it were.

Aren’t you forgetting Tom Hanks or Scarlett Johansen?

By: Crusty Dem

Crusty Dem — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:58:29 +0000

Of course, if this were a George W Bush pen, we’d all joke about how the signature is on the pen so he can remember how to sign his name. I miss the easy jokes, if not the source of them…

By: Carol

Carol — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:52:32 +0000

The Presidential Pens are also used as mementoes at a signing. Everybody gets a replica pen. Think of it as the equivalent of calling cards or business cards, or those freebies people get when visiting an office.

By: Parthenon

Parthenon — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:53:06 +0000

We monarchize the president a little bit in this country precisely because we DON’T have a titular royal head of state, a face of the nation, as it were. British MPs can scream at and boo the PM all they like; we’d never see that kind of thing in the US.

It’s a bad habit, but a pen’s relatively harmless. Barack strikes me as a pretty down-to-earth cat.

By: ed

ed — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 15:58:56 +0000

Get over yourself, ed.

Um, I’m not the one with a George Bush, Junior-esque pen. It’s like Momma used to say, shitty fetishization is as shitty fetishization does.

Anything to avoid the appearance of monarchy and what have you.

By: Luv

Luv — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:31:00 +0000

Are you kidding me? It’s just a pen. If the damned President can’t have a personalized pen, noone should. This is a pen used to sign executive orders and laws into existence. Things that affect BILLIONS of people.

Get over yourself, ed.

By: ed

ed — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:19:02 +0000

Don’t like. The fetishization of the office of the President is an unfortunate trend. This isn’t as bad a Commander Bunnypants’s presidential sox or faux military garb, but I still don’t like it. If the office of really needs a fancy pen to convey importance (and I guess it might), so be it, but spare me the emblems and signatures and what have you.

By: durablend

durablend — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 12:38:07 +0000

Damn elitist!