Fox Anchor Calls Obama Fist Pound A "Terrorist Fist Jab"

Update: MediaMatters has issued a call to action around this incident.

ACTION: The Obamas' affectionate "fist bump" is no "terrorist fist jab"

On the June 6 edition of Fox News' America's Pulse, host E.D. Hill teased an upcoming discussion on a gesture Sen. Barack Obama shared with his wife, Michelle, saying, "A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? The gesture everyone seems to interpret differently."

A "terrorist fist jab"? Seriously?

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Original Post: MediaMatters reports that Fox News' E.D. Hill referred to the Barack-Michelle Obama fist pound as a "terrorist fist jab" during Friday's edition of "America's Pulse."

During the June 6 edition of Fox News' America's Pulse, host E.D. Hill teased an upcoming discussion by saying, "A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? The gesture everyone seems to interpret differently." In the ensuing discussion with Janine Driver -- whom Hill introduced as "a body language expert" -- Hill referred to the "Michelle and Barack Obama fist bump or fist pound," adding that "people call it all sorts of things." Hill went on to ask Driver: "Let's start with the Barack and Michelle Obama, because that's what most people are writing about -- the fist thump. Is that sort of a signal that young people get?" At no point during the discussion did Hill explain her earlier reference to "a terrorist fist jab."

From the June 6 edition of Fox News' America's Pulse:

HILL: A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? The gesture everyone seems to interpret differently. We'll show you some interesting body communication and find out what it really says.

CNN notes that the fist-pound is catching on. Witness Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kay Bailey Hutchison share a fist-pound here during CNN's Late Edition.

Related: Obama Fist-Bump Rocks The Nation! [ETP]

Comments

[SharonB]

I guess he should have grabbed her and smooched her up like Al did Tipper.

Now, THAT was so painful to watch... It made me cringe so bad that my back went into spasms.

[alexaii]

I agree, but I found this to be a turn off too.

[Bill C]

Attn: Eva Hart - I feel for you, you poor soul.

[evahartselftlanguages]

TO: Bill C June 13, 2008

Somehow my post of yesterday did not get in here. I suspect the computer at Sfc Library was not working. I will try again.

Let me answer you Mr. Bill C. I am right a lot of the time. One does not know what you are talking about since you did not present a specific reason and thus I cannot answer you nor defend myself. Let me clarify a point I made in my above post on this article of customs and gestures. It is entirely possible that one can learn customs and gestures within the family or relatives one is around all the time. One can learn these things. Additionally, when I mentioned Senator Barack Obama took Christian steps I meant he got married in a ChristIan Church and did not just get married for political reaons nor did he baptize his children in a Church out of political reasons. We must be fair in judging a man for God'upholds highly the value of fairness in dealing with other people. One cannot go in two directions at one time.

Eva Hart A Christian

[nivek]

From his special perch in heaven? the reverend Falwell tells Fox news, 'you gotta watch 'em, he's too smart, she's too strong, they're too happy, normal and well adjusted. I tell you brothers and sisters... ( in the lord ),that they ain't right , they ain't natural, THEY AIN"T WHITE FOR CHRIST"S SAKE!!!!!!

[masterself]

E.D Hill was reading a teleprompter, don't u people understand
she was just doing her job.

[Suthngal]

Just because it's on the teleprompter DOES NOT mean that she has to read it. There are things that many of us are required to do in our jobs, but don't do. It's that easy!

[saun8934]

Bull! She said that on her own, please stop making excuses for this racist channel! Fair and balanced that is a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[StarkRavingNakedEmperor]

Yeah...so were the Waffen SS.

[SharonB]

You are being sarcastic, right?

[masterself]

Obama is something very special, it's so funny watching the American
Media being exsplosed the way they are.

[Suthngal]

My 2 year old is always making terrorist threats, because she always fist pounds me. Oh, wait!

She just did it again. How do I tell her that she will be wanted for terrorists acts? LOL

[whatsmyname]

Suthngal, king dubya, does it all the time.....a­nd did you see him over at the graduation at some academy (Naval?) he chest bumped a few grads and gave the whoooo yaaa, a few times?

[Blkav8tor2003]

I bet it's kinda hard to see a blackman today in a suit, in the highest office in the land who is not doing some subordinate position but he is the man in charge. If it was Hillary and Bill and they raised their fist in the air and pumped it like Arsenio Hall did back in the day, would that be a terrorist gesture too??? Oppps my bad...no because when they do it we can tell what it means, "we have begun to fight"!!! Is that it, explain it to me!!!

signed,

Another Educated Black Man, To Scare You In The Streets And The Boardroom!!!

[learnsomething]

It's absolute lunacy, how these folks are acting in this country.

[Blkav8tor2003]

You see this is why things in this country need to change. The same gesture that pro atheletes in all sports, young and old alike do this or some form of it and nothing is said!!! Now when Barrack and his wife do it heis doing terrorist coding and telling the world what's coming up next and the only people that don't know what's going on is the media or most of "white" America who does not or never have played sports in the last 25 years. Fox news and all media who will be reporting news of any type should quit trying to "see **** that ain't there" (Those words used on purpose). American media get used to the fact that a educated, articulate, clean cut African American may be the next POTUS.

signed,

Another Educated Black Man, To Scare You In The Streets And The Boardroom!!!

[javagirl322]

Ditto...

[StarkRavingNakedEmperor]

LOL! I like your nom de plume! You are right on! Yeah, two black people (in one family!) with JD degrees from Harvard certainly seems to terrorize some Americans! All of these accusations against Barack--that he & Michelle used a terrorist hand sign, that no one knows who Obama is or what he stands for, that he is a Muslim Manchurian Candidate, that his wife seems inordinately angry, that Obama is a "radical" etc. etc. are just code talk and fig leafs for the racism of people who dont have the stones to just stand up and look people in the eye and say, Yeah! I AM a racist, plain and simple, a weak-kneed white person who us just terrified at the thought of black people in the Whitehouse!

[sandtats]

Now, be fair Blkav...as the MSM informed us ad nauseum in PA, hard working Americans, white Americans, have a sport! Bowling! I'll never forget Chris Matthews, post bowling-gate, after Barack kicked some butt at a roadhouse somewhere in Indiana (redeeming himself one might think) proclaimin­g..."But THAT'S not a sport that middle America can relate to. Do you know how much those pool tables cost?" lol. This coming from the same man who confessed on Hardball that he never had an AA as a classmate, EVER, not even in college! And HE'S going to school the black man on how to win over the white vote? We have a lot of work to do, America.
Signed,
Typical white woman

[csaddlem]

Terrorist fist jab? Way to be subtle, fox.

[MissingAmerica]

Last night I watched some skateboarders finish their ride at the skate park and bump congratulatory fists. This morning I watched a show in which the two lead characters bumped congratulatory fists. Boy, we sure do have a lot of terrorists among us!

[Xgal08]

Thanks for the link, Exit!

[Exit]

Fight back here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fightthesmearshome/

[IndependentMynd]

Verizon must be a terrorist organization because they use the "fist bump" in one of their FIOS commercials. Also, doesn't Howie 'the germophobe' Mandel (Deal or No Deal) also use the "fist bump". Gee, where have all these 'terrorists' come from, FAUX?

[aasesq]

There is way too much fascination with this “fist bump” gesture which is now out of date among its creators-the inner city youth. Here is something that Michelle and the readers of this fine post should know if you want to properly use the "fist bump". The fist bump is no longer habitually used to greet a person; however that’s not to say that you can’t use it whenever you want too. Among the youth and young adults, this gesture is now reserve for use under certain circumstances. For example, if you’re in a eating establishment and you see a friend eating, protocol requires you to give the friend a "fist bump" instead of an open handshake. A person that’s eating may have greasy hands or you may have not washed your hands yet. This also applies if you see a friend in a public restroom and you want to greet him; however, If you see Senator Larry Craig in a public restroom just give him a "foot bump".

[YvonneH]

Please....­..... give this one a rest! Pure and simple, Hillary Clinton blew her own campaign by playing the part of bully/victim. It got old fast. You're talking about a woman who had every advantage and more from the start of the primaries over a year ago. She had the most money, the most recognizable name, she had to back her one of the most (then) popular presidents in memory - her husband, she was able to hire the most prominent and experienced managers, and yet, she lost. And she lost because she was outsmarted by Obama and his less expensive and superior team of people. Obama and his team had a consistent message, Hillary and her team didn't. Obama and his team stayed away from drama, her's thrived on it and created it whenever possible. Perhaps her biggest blunder however, was this: she failed to see that Obama is always a gentleman. The only way to compete with that is to act like a lady. But she just didn't know how......
She has only herself to blame for her fall. Sexism by the media had nothing to do with it....

[YvonneH]

Ridiculous comment, but what else would one expect from FOX?

[iluvsam]

We all know how bad Fox News is, but calling this gesture "a terrorist fist pump" is just completely outer limits.

[collima]

Barack Obama's The One - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxT8NiZ67-E