In the pop culture reference heard around the nerd world, President Barack Obama mixed his sci-fi metaphors Friday while blaming Republicans for the lack of a deal on the sequester. He mashed up terms from both "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" to form a new one, setting social media ablaze as fans of both franchises weighed in at the President's expense.
During a press briefing at the White House today, President Obama made the reference when answering a reporter's question about why he and Republicans were unable to make a deal on the sequester:
I am not a dictator, I’m the president...I know that this has been some of the conventional wisdom that’s been floating around Washington that somehow, even though most people agree that I’m being reasonable, that most people agree I’m presenting a fair deal, the fact that they don’t take it means that I should somehow, you know, do a Jedi mind meld with these folks and convince them to do what’s right.
Well, you know, they’re elected. We have a constitutional system of government. The speaker of the House and the leader of the Senate and all those folks have responsibilities.
What I can do is, I can make the best possible case for why we need to do the right thing. I can speak to the American people about the consequences of the decisions this Congress is making or the lack of decision-making by Congress.
Of course, the reference President Obama meant to make was a "Jedi mind trick," in which a Jedi uses the Force to make people do what they want. Obama mixed the term with the phrase "Vulcan mind-meld," in which Vulcans like Mr. Spock are able to telepathically "join" with another mind and read their thoughts.
President Obama has mentioned before that he was a "Star Trek" fan (or "Trekker"), but no self-respecting "Star Trek" fan would make such a mistake. "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" fans are in constant debate as to which sci-fi franchise is better. The competition got worse with the recent announcement that "Star Trek" director J.J. Abrams would direct the new "Star Wars" film as well.
In response to the goof, the term #jedimindmeld began trending on Twitter.
Victor Medina writes for Yahoo News and his political blog WhenLiberalsAttack.com. His other writing credits include The Dallas Morning News and SportsIllustrated.com. He has served as a Dallas County election judge and on the Board of Directors of The Sixth Floor Museum. You can follow him on his blog, VictorMedina.com or on Twitter at @mrvictormedina. He can be reached by email at vic@victormedina.com. To be notified of future stories by Victor Medina, click the SIGN UP or SUBSCRIBE button at the top of this page.
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