Shelf Life has learned that a quote from Pres. Barack Obama has been removed from the book jacket of Hard Work: A Life On and Off the Court, a memoir by University of North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams that will be published by Algonquin in November.
Here’s the quote: “What makes Coach Williams one of the great coaches isn’t just his extraordinary record, but his dedication to his players. He’s just as serious about making these guys into men and into leaders as he is into making them champions.” Obama, who made the statement when he stopped to shoot hoops with the Tar Heels team during his campaign last year, clearly intended to extol Williams the man and not to blurb the legendary coach’s book (which has been getting rave advance notices). According to a publicist for Algonquin, the company has deleted the statement from the jacket after consulting with its legal team, which determined that sitting presidents cannot make commercial endorsements. A staffer at the The White House press office confirms this: “As a general matter, the White House does not authorize the use of the President’s likeness or words for commercial purposes.”
Interestingly, though, recent printings of the paperback edition of Joseph O’Neill’s 2008 novel Netherland include a sticker with this blurb (a quote pulled from an Obama interview published last spring): “‘Fascinating…A wonderful book.’ President Barack Obama, Newsweek.” Vintage, the book’s publisher, did not check with the White House before issuing the stickered edition. (with reporting by Keith Staskiewicz)
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This is a perfectly fine quote. Why pull it? Afraid you’ll offend rednecks? They don’t know how to read! Shame on Algonquin for their censorship.
Did you not comprehend the article? Yes, it was a perfectly fine quote. But it is against policy for a sitting president to endorse a commercial product, for good reason. There is enough real racism directed toward President Obama without inventing more.
Censhorship? You sir (or madam),are a moron.
Wow, way to show your support of Obama by making racist comments.
Maybe *you* need to learn to read:start by looking up the word, hypocrite.
Who is Barack Obama?
GO TO HELL CAROLINA, GO TO HELL!
Let me clear, I AM NOT an Obama supporter. Where does the White House get the idea that they OWN the rights to statements made by a President, sitting or otherwise. The last time I checked, the American People OWN the Office of the President so any and everything a President, sitting or otherwise, says is in the public domain so it is up to the American People, not the White House Press Office, to determine how and when to use their statements. If a President doesn’t want their statments used then they shouldn’t make them. I realize the statement in question was made before Obama became President, but it was made while he was trying to influence voters to vote for him in his attempt to win the Office. If his statement was honest and sincere, then it is more than just a little disingenuous for the White House to now determine that it is inappropriate for Roy Williams to use the statement in any way he sees fit since the statement was made by Obama ABOUT Roy Williams. THIS IS CENSORSHIP OF THE MOST HEINOUS KIND AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SHOULD BE OUTRAGED. THIS DECISION BY THE WHITE HOUSE USURPS EVERY RIGHT PROTECTED BY THE CONSTITUTION WITH RESPECT TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. If Roy Williams was black I doubt very seriously that the use of the statement would be an issue. Not just white people can be racist bigots. Sitting Presidents can be too.
You are possibly the stupidest person on the internet, which is saying something.
Bill, I’m reading the article, and it clearly states that the publishing company (not the White House) who decided to pull the quote after consulting with their legal dept. Also, just because a statement is made in public domain does not mean you can just use that statement in whatever fashion you choose because the copyright laws may prevent you from doing so. For example, if you attempt to use another person’s quote/statement to make it appear that that person is endorsing or approving your product, then the copyright laws may require that you seek permission from that person first. In this particular case, the publishing company’s legal team may have determined that under copyright laws, they needed permission from the White House to use President Obama’s quote. And all that the White House did was basically deny permission. So basically, that’s not censorship, that’s just a person exercising their legal rights under the copyright laws.
Obama’s statement was CLEARY an endorsement of Roy Williams, the man and his work. It was made in a public forum. Obama meant for the statement to be disseminated to voters for their consideration. It was “OK” for Obama to make the statement when it served his purpose but not “OK” for Roy’s publishing company to use the satement when it served their purpose? Can we all say in unison, “double standard.” It’s clear that the publishing company pulled the statement out of the fear and intimidation they felt from the
White House. The idea that every word that comes out of a President’s mouth is copyrighted is spurious. Besides, as was stated, the statement was made BEFORE Obama was elected President. How far back can the White House go to claim “privilege” with reagrd to Obama’s comments? Third grade, fifth grade? How far? I stand by my original statement. The AMERICAN PEOPLE own the White House and it’s OCCUPANT. No one seemed to have any “copyright” issues with George “Bushisms.” But let a black President say something about a white man being a positive influence on young black men and all of a sudden we can’t let that statement be published. Perhaps Obama really didn’t believe his original statement and only made it pander to white voters. Now he, in essence, wants to retract it. The American People are not stupid. They can see through this smokescreen.
Um, Bill … the issue is that sitting presidents, as a matter of policy, do not make commercial endorsements. (Please re-read the previous sentence because it’s critical to understanding why the PUBLISHER made the decision they did). The original statement is not being retracted – Obama never denied saying it. It’s just that it can’t be used to suggest that Obama endorses the book – a commercial product. No one’s free speech is being volated. The American people are not being misled. There is no smokescreen, In fact, this is all very transparent.
The big bad black man is going to sleep with your daughter!
“The American people are not stupid.”
Well, at least one of them is.
Stop the madness. A race based interpretation of this incident is completely insane. Obama praises and thanks all types of people, constantly, including Roy Williams and Ted Kennedy, two of his favorites. Being associated further with Roy Williams and the most popular college team in America could only help his public profile, so clearly this was not a decision made in Obama’s self interest. No ulterior motives. Just an unfortunate incident.
Bill sounds like an uneducated racist.
Not sure about his education or what’s in his heart, but he sure is angry.
Most people sound like uneducated racisists
Virginia, I couldn’t agree more. This has nothing to do with race. It is amazing that something so simple can be twisted around so as to seem as if it was racially motivated. This is the policy of the white house. It isn’t as though Obama is going around giving endorsements to black coaches and then withholding permission from Roy Williams. If you want to debate the copyright laws and the conflict they sometimes pose to First Amendment rights then go ahead, you would not be the first to do so. In fact, many defenses to copyright infringement rest on free speech grounds. “Bushisims,” as they were referred to above, however, were never used as endorsements like Obama’s comments about coach Williams were in this situation. But whatever your belief is on this particular white house policy, asserting that it is racially motivated is not only lazy and simplistic but completely unsupported by the facts.
I am not surprised at these responses to my comments. One doesn’t have to be uneducated to be a racist. Obama is educated and because of that he can manipulate the situation to support his position. Obama’s White House can choose to endorse anything it wants to. When the federal government under the Bush administration began the socialist bailout of otherwise bankrupt companies which has continued under the Obama administration by using tax dollars to buy “government ownership” in companies like AIG, General Motors, and numerous banks, it started the practice of “endorsing” commercial enterprises. Obama’s White House can’t have it both ways. They are manipulating the economy by using my tax dollars to support the compaines they choose, not the companies I choose. Now they are trying to hide behind a policy saying a sitting President can’t endorse a commercial enterprise. Hogwash. Roy Williams’ publisher was not asking for money from the government to bail out his book. All they were going to do was print a statement that Obama made about Roy Williams. If Obama didn’t want Roy Williams, or his publishing company, to use the statement, he never should have made it. Again, in my opinion this is an exapmple of the worst kind of censorship imaginable based on the the rights guaranteed to all Americans by our Constitution. If it was acceptable for Obama to make the statement in an attempt to buy votes then it has to be acceptable for Roy Williams’ publisher to use the statement to sell books. So much for free enterprise, free speech, and fair play.
Bill, just because person A makes statement praising person B does not give person B the right to use person A’s statement to endorse or advertise their commercial without permission from person A. That’s part of the copyright law. If we should go by your logic and explanation with no regards for copyright law, then what’s to stop someone from using a statement you may have made in the past to endorse something you find objectionable or would not be caught dead with (say porn for example)? Using your logic to the above scenario I presented, you have no say in the matter.
It was a nice quote. Too bad it wasn’t used. It would have been great to coincide with the book. However, I find it bothersome that everything with President Obama has to turn in to a race issue. The President simply respects what this man does above his coaching obligations. Bottom line, it’s a business decision that was most likely in the best interest of the publisher to avoid any possible controversy or reprint if it was deemed necessary at a later time.
Obama has no place spreading his socialist beliefs on that fine coach’s book.
Whether you agree with Obama’s policies or not, there was nothing in that quote that spreads socialist beliefs. Even if it did, if Williams wanted to use it on the book jacket, that is his decision.
Unless, are you saying that Obama is a socialist because he praised someone who works for a state school? Yeah, I guess you probably have a problem with state schools, public fire departments and Medicare if you are so opposed to even remotely socialist ideas.
This country is going downhill mighty fast. If they aren’t careful, they are going to fly completely off the handle.
Who cares? Obama’s opinion of anything will not sway my decision to read or not read a book.
Finally, someone said just what I was thinking!
Wow. Talk about over-reacting. How did this relatively simple article about a book cover turn into comments about Obama being a socialisit and/or racist? Just goes to show how idiotic conservatives can take any issue and twist it around in order to desperately try to discredit a very articulate, even-tempered, intelligent president who is actually trying to improve the lives of the middle class. How pathetic.
Why is he (Obama) doing commercials for George Lopez?