Maureen Dowd Trolled for Labeling Obama Birthday Party as ‘Orgy of the 1 %’: ‘Racist Bulls-‘
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd’s labeling of former president Barack Obama’s 60th birthday party last weekend as an “orgy of the 1%” was met with hostility by many on Saturday, like musician Mikel Jollett, who told Dowd to “F— all the way off with this racist bullshit.”
“Barack Obama gave a big, lavish, new-money party at his sprawling mansion on the water because he wanted to seem cool. Being cool is important to him,” Dowd wrote in a Saturday op-ed titled, “Behold Barack Antoinette.”
But it was what Dowd wrote further down in the article that hit a nerve with many: “The party crystallized the caricature of the Democratic Party that Joe Biden had to fight against in order to get elected. It was as far from Flint and Scranton as you can imagine: an orgy of the 1 percent — private jets, Martha’s Vineyard, limousine liberals and Hollywood whoring — complete with a meat-free menu.”
The response on social media was brutal. TheWrap reached out to Dowd for comment about the reaction, but has not heard back yet.
“Maureen Dowd has been to plenty of fancy parties at the houses of successful white friends but she’s mad that a successful black man had a (gasp) party for his (gasp) birthday with his (gasp) friends. F— all the way off with this racist bulls—,” musician and author Mikel Jollet tweeted.
Maureen Dowd has been to plenty of fancy parties at the houses of successful white friends but she’s mad that a successful black man had a (gasp) party for his (gasp) birthday with his (gasp) friends. Fuck all the way off with this racist bullshit.
— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) August 14, 2021
“If Obama had had a bday party with real meat, Maureen Dowd would complain about the double standards and hypocrisy of the global warming-concerned elite,” tweeted Isaac Chotiner.
If Obama had had a bday party with real meat, Maureen Dowd would complain about the double standards and hypocrisy of the global warming-concerned elite. If he has Impossible Meat, she can call him an out of touch elitist. Nice gig. https://t.co/qNO7HoHt98 pic.twitter.com/X4KeWniQKe
— Isaac Chotiner (@IChotiner) August 14, 2021
“Seem to be a lot of white journalists co-signing Dowd’s take on ‘Obama excess,’” musician Charles Johnson tweeted.
Seem to be a lot of white journalists co-signing Dowd’s take on “Obama excess.”
Calm down, guys. He couldn’t invite everyone.
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) August 14, 2021
“Let me get this straight: According to Maureen Dowd, Obama’s (meatless) 60th birthday party was too big & lavish … but he disinvited too many people?” author Greg Toppo wrote.
Let me get this straight: According to Maureen Dowd, Obama's (meatless) 60th birthday party was too big & lavish … but he disinvited too many people? https://t.co/RVoAVkcFYt
— Greg Toppo (@gtoppo) August 14, 2021
Originally, Obama planned a massive 60th birthday party to celebrate the milestone, with 500 guests and 200 staff packed into his tony Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, home. Given the rise in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant’s spread — and let’s be honest, after some pretty intense criticism — the Obama family announced on Aug. 4 that the event would be scaled back “to include only family and close friends.”
Here are some more reactions to Dowd’s article:
Yes! And Maureen Dowd isn't even a particularly talented writer.
She made a career out of click-bait-type pieces, even before the Internet existed: https://t.co/RVpCLAIf4H
— Litsa Dremousis (@LitsaDremousis) August 14, 2021
Huh. I guess Maureen Dowd is still alive.
— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) August 14, 2021
If you're actually engaging with a Maureen Dowd column on Twitter in the year 2021, just go ahead and block me.
It's like someone sending me a videotape of an Andy Rooney rant. Why would you even bother.
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) August 14, 2021
I'm not sure who needs to hear this, Maureen Dowd, but Obama can invite whomever he wants to his birthday party. He's a private citizen and his social life is none of our business.
— Catherine Ryan Hyde (@cryanhyde) August 14, 2021
Maureen Dowd getting a lot of play for her new column comparing to Obama to Jay Gatsby for his lavish parties. Such elitism! The last time she got this much attention is when someone shared pics from her cocktail party. pic.twitter.com/TRiMwbciOS
— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) August 14, 2021
I stopped reading Maureen Dowd back in the 90s and have no plans to break that happy streak.
— Mark Sarvas (@marksarvas) August 14, 2021
