President Obama, Prime Minister Harper Place Wager on Today’s Hockey Game
EmailPresident Obama and Prime Minister Harper have made a friendly wager on the Men's Hockey Gold Medal Game set to begin at 3:15 ET, a White House official said.
If the US wins, Prime Minister Harper will purchase a case of Yuengling beer for President Obama.
If the Canada emerges victorious, President Obama will purchase a case of Molson Canadian for Prime Minister Harper.*
On Thursday, the White House announced a bet on the USA vs Canada Womens Hockey gold medal game. If Canada won, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was to wear a Team Canada jersey during his next press gaggle. (These are not televised.) If Team USA won, Dimitri Soudas, Prime Minister's Press Secretary, was to wear a Team USA jersey during his next briefing on the day the Canadian Parliament is scheduled to return on March 3.
Canada won.
So now the two spokesmen have a second bet, double or nothing, for the USA vs Canada Men's Hockey gold medal game.
If Canada wins Gibbs will wear the Team Canada jersey for the first 15 mins of an on-camera briefing sometime in the next two weeks. If USA wins, the two are even, "but Gibbs will of course then have official bragging rights," says White House spokesman Nick Shapiro.
-jpt
*This post was updated after the White House sent out a note correcting the actual bet.
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Oh, can I join for the beer fest?
Posted by: Bill | February 28, 2010, 3:43 pm 3:43 pm
Biden: Hey Barry! Can I get in on that?!
Posted by: For the Record | February 28, 2010, 3:48 pm 3:48 pm
“Stephen Joseph Harper … is the … leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became Prime Minister after his party won a minority government in the 2006 federal election. He is the first Prime Minister from the newly reconstituted Conservative Party, following a merger of the Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties.” – wikipedia
Cool. Bipartisan gambling!
That’s what the GOP needs: a reconstituted conservative party.
Posted by: For the Record | February 28, 2010, 3:52 pm 3:52 pm
It’s too bad Obama has nothing better to do.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | February 28, 2010, 6:51 pm 6:51 pm
That’s what the GOP needs: a reconstituted conservative party.
Posted by: For the Record
the difference of course is that the canadians are reasonable thinking people as opposed to the american republican/’conservatives’.
what the GOP really needs can not be said here, the post would be banned
Posted by: XXX | February 28, 2010, 6:56 pm 6:56 pm
Canada wins GOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!! Canada are hockey champions!!!
Posted by: Chris | February 28, 2010, 7:18 pm 7:18 pm
Sorry we lost, but still a wonderful event that I enjoyed so much. I am very grateful to NBC for airing the game. Love the friendly wagering.
Posted by: godhearus | February 28, 2010, 8:20 pm 8:20 pm
What? They have this betting thing backwards!
If America wins, why would the Canadian PM send us a product we make here, in America, vice-versa if the Canadians win? The idea USUALLY is that loser gives a gift to the winner, this is all topsy-turvy!
The Press Secy’s have the right idea, the loser supports the winning team – spot on, good natured fun, took Sec’y Gibbs upo a few notches in my book.
But we already know that Blue Moon is the President’s favorite/preferred beer (remember the beer sumit?), apparently his staff researched and found the most politically correct beer in the US.
Obama should be sending the Canadian PM the best beer America has to offer, Yuengling Lager.
Had Sen McCain been in the Whitehouse, I wonder if he would have offered up a case of Budweiser (I hear his wife can get a discount ;^)…
Posted by: n2vip | February 28, 2010, 9:07 pm 9:07 pm
Can this guy win anything anymore ?
Posted by: nat turner | February 28, 2010, 9:48 pm 9:48 pm
The USA team played a hell of a game.Canada created a Frankenstein today-hockey just expanded out of Minnesota and New England today-you will see thousands of kids pursuing the sport.
Posted by: Nephron | February 28, 2010, 10:29 pm 10:29 pm
Can this guy win anything anymore ?
Posted by: nat turner | Feb 28, 2010 9:48:29 PM
=======================================
You are so right. Obama has been so weak to win the Olympic Games; Chicago in 2016, Hockey Game in 2010 and so on.
Only the game Obama won was to BLAIM GAME TO GEORGE BUSH SO THAT HE BECAME THE PRESIDENT OF USA.
Posted by: Chances | February 28, 2010, 11:03 pm 11:03 pm
Isn’t it great that two world leaders can actualy sit down, watch a hockey game and make a small beer wager.
I think the world could learn something from this.
Posted by: john | February 28, 2010, 11:43 pm 11:43 pm
The USA team played a hell of a game.Canada created a Frankenstein today-hockey just expanded out of Minnesota and New England today-you will see thousands of kids pursuing the sport.
Posted by: Nephron | Feb 28, 2010 10:29:01 PM
The USA team did play a heck of a game. I was so proud of them and I felt so badly for Miller (even though yes, he has every reason to be proud of the job he did. )
AND you’re right about the hockey! I have an ice rink behind my place of business. We freeze it every winter– and the kids– and some grownups– were out before the game, and after the game. Lots of excitement and fun.
Posted by: progressive mama | March 1, 2010, 2:06 am 2:06 am
Maybe we need universal health care, like Canada.
Then they couldn’t taunt us with signs about having both hockey gold medals AND health care.
(Not really, I didn’t see those signs, but I did see the signs Flash mentioned that said, “At lease WE have health care”– lol.)
Posted by: progressive mama | March 1, 2010, 2:14 am 2:14 am
Being committed to some goal in your life-a sense of having a mission, a purpose, even a calling-is a very motivating, very comforting thing.
Some people’s mission steps up to greet them, others have to hunt theirs down.
Posted by: Bro Dare II (The Second) | March 1, 2010, 3:16 am 3:16 am
Add another victim to Obamas “luck touch”!
1) Pittsburgh Steelers
2) Indianapolis Colts
3) Jon Corzine
4) Marcia, err… I mean Martha Coakley
5) Hawaii
6 Creigh Deeds
7) Arlen Specter
8) Chicago (Olympics Bid)
9) Copenhagen
10) ACORN
11) MSNBC
12) CNN
13) Las Vegas
and now, drum roll please….
14) U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, Now which Dem wants him campaigning for him this Fall? Huh?
Posted by: pauldia | March 1, 2010, 7:51 am 7:51 am
I found this innocent bet very amusing. It shows the winning style of each leader, the ability to remember how to be an ordinary guy making a bet.
n2vip, I think the idea behind the loser buying the opposing country’s beer is the bragging rights for who makes the better beer. There is a lot of friendly argument among beer lovers about which country in the world makes the best beer.
Posted by: Lydia | March 1, 2010, 10:44 am 10:44 am
I wish Obama would stick to sports he plays or claims to know.
Thanks for the jinx, Obama!
Please don’t pick our national team for the WC or pick any team I support for anything.
Posted by: Ed | March 1, 2010, 11:25 am 11:25 am