Here’s more proof that President Obama really likes to recycle old speeches: The resurrection of Cousin Pookie.
At rallies for Democrats in Maryland and Illinois on Sunday, Obama dropped the name “Cousin Pookie” — a character that he used frequently to energize black voters during his 2008 campaign — during his speeches.
“You’ve got to get that cousin Pookie sitting at home on the couch — he’s watching football right now instead of being here at the rally — you’ve got to talk to him and let him know it is not that hard to exercise the franchise that previous generations fought so hard to obtain,” Obama said at a rally for gubernatorial candidate Anthony Brown in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
He recycled that line later that evening at a Chicago rally for Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, who is running for reelection.
“You’ve got to grab your friends, you’ve got to grab your co-workers, you know, don’t just get the folks who you know are gonna vote, you’ve got to find Cousin Pookie,” Obama told the audience. “He’s sitting on the couch right now watching football, hasn’t voted in the last five elections, you’ve got to grab him, and tell him to go vote.”
But who is Cousin Pookie? As the Washington Post points out, Pookie is a “folk hero” that Obama references to get out the black vote.
In 2007 and 2008, Cousin Pookie made multiple appearances in Obama’s speeches ahead of the primaries. And, he was still sitting on the couch watching sports then.
However, Cousin Pookie is also a crack-addicted character played by actor Chris Rock in the 1991 crime drama “New Jack City.”
We already know that Obama likes to channel Chris Rock; he did so during a speech on the economy this summer by stealing a phrase from the mouth of Rock’s character in “Head of State.”
So, could it be that Obama has lifted Cousin Pookie right out of “New Jack City”? Somebody better get him off the couch and ask him.
H/T Washington Post
