Scott Van Duzer, the charming beefy pizzeria owner who gave President Barack Obama a big ol’ bear hug the other day, says that he has been targeted for retribution by angry Republicans who are boycotting his Fort Pierce, Florida, restaurant. He was also the target of a brief war on Yelp, between negative and positive reviews, most of which came, of course, from “reviewers” who have probably never even been to Florida for chrissakes and what is WITH people anyway?
Van Duzer, a Republican who voted for Obama in 2008, rode his bicycle over 1000 miles from Florida to Washington DC earlier this year to raise money for a charity he founded to promote blood donations in St. Lucie County, Florida. Obama scheduled the campaign visit in part because of Van Duzer’s civic-mindedness. The president-hugging pizza man says that, in the wake of his moment on Youtube,
“People are saying a lot of bad things and boycotting my restaurant…There’s no middle line anymore, and that’s exactly what’s wrong with our country right now.”
The possible boycott of a guy who hugged a filthy leftist follows in the wake of momentary business surges for a cupcake-selling guy who refused a campaign visit from Joe Biden and an asshole baker lady who proudly told the Poors that their filthy food stamps are not good enough to purchase her fancy cakes. Oh, and there was something about the deep-seated desire of wingnuts to show support for homophobic deep-fried chicken sandwiches, too.
We are planning to start a Facebook petition in support of Scott Van Duzer. That should set everything right.
Update: PayPal linky for the Van Duzer foundation. Also, “Presidident”? How did we miss that? Fixed!
[Politico / New York Daily News]
{ 222 comments }
Count me in – this poor guy is getting hammered on Yelp.
The liberals, who p0wn Yelp, have stepped up and given him approximately 7 million positive reviews.
I see that now – very pleased! Last night it was ugly. Thanks, Internet, for being less evil.
Although, the backlash has kicked in – now showing a five star average on almost 3,000 reviews, apparently only 2 of which predate the wingnut freakout.
We should order pizzas from this guy's shop and have them sent to the nearest Obama phone banks.
That's a really great idea. I was initially thinking of ordering some and having them delivered, but they'd probably get cold by the time they got to Denver.
Just don't try that with an iPhone. I hear they're really hard to dial.
Now that's what you call Bromance!
A wingnut told me his pizza sales help to fund the Red Brigades.
I think you misheard "he sells pizzas with fun breadsticks"
I did not know you could get pizza in Florida. Must be all those elderly New Yorkers that retire there.
It’s only fair, I stopped eating in Saudi Arabia after their King kissed G.W.
Funny, had to stop eating for a while around then, too.
Dude got hugged by a black guy. He better check for his wallet.
I bet Barry paid with food stamps…and left no tip.
I bet he also asked for 'motherf*ckin' iced tea'.
Or, dude hugged a black guy. Probably had a record.
I think Obama got to 2nd base?
Or, dude got hugged by a big, white guy. Now he smells like gunpowder and sweat.
And his bicycle.
Like an Albanian stealing
Liam Neeson's daughterGeorge W. Bush's watch?Man, the right wing sucks.
There's the problem in a nutshell. When liberals have a problem with a company or a person, we just boycott them but we don't go and savage them (at least not most of us). We just nobly stay away.
These assholes, noooooooooooooooooo, that's not good enough! They have to grind him under shoe like he's a cockroach!
Well, all I can say is, what goes around comes around and the next time it comes around, it will be you being ground underfoot.
With votes. And I mean that literally.
Let's take all fifty states back
Do we have to take all fifty states back? Couldn't we give a few to Mexico?
Hey now! Bereft of Republicans, Texas could actually be pretty nice! At least the parts around Austin, Houston and maybe bits of Dallas.
Besides, we need a national garbage dump.
After Julian Castro's speech at the convention last week, I am going to shun you for leaving out San Antonio from your list.
*shun*
I'm not that familiar with Texas to know if he might be an outlier in SA. My apologies.
Yay! I'm going to San Antonio next month on vacation and will compliment the citizens on their fine mayor.
Can Austin be the garbage dump?
Also, I think you mean all 57 states. too.
Not without my teleprompterz!
"Let's take all fifty states back"
Rmoney's bringing it home for us.
*best Montgomery Burns voice*
Exxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxcellent!
'kna! I'm in. Fired up and ready to go!
if you don't have the right countertops, then shut your trap in public.
Good lord. The guy removed aborted fetus toppings from the menu. What else do these people want?
He did WHAT? Oh man, those were the best!
But he left the halal embryos, so there's that …
So the pies now come with Legitimate Broccoli Rape?
With a nice big Rape Lemons into Lemonade.
Babs Bush left her jar at the restaurant, huh?
Oh, I thought those were anchovies….
My god, that bowling ball! It's my WIFE!!!
It's rumored that Obama told him to put arugula on his pies.
I love arugula on pizza! But that's because I'm a filthy hippie.
Agreed. Very common topping in Italy. But, considering conservatives ridicule anything that is more exotic than iceberg lettuce, you are, in fact, an effete, chardonnay-swigging communist.
it's funny because actual Italians eat arugula.
Well, they are all commies too, you know.
That guy is so adorable. See? There are Republicans who aren't filled with hatred and vitriol. Remember when that was common-ish?
Yeah, pretty sure the President was white at the time.
No.
That would have been Eisenhower, a Teddy Roosevelt sort of Republican. Thought of the country first instead of his rich buddies. Probably being written out of Texas textbooks right now.
Just goes to show that us libtards are the angry ones, or something.
He is a saint and a true patriot.
You're damn right he's a commonish!!1!1
I think the last Republican politicians not filled with hatred and vitriol retired or were primaried in 1994.
My dad used to be like that. Now he's an Obama-hating wing nut. It makes me really sad, actually.
I hear ya brother.
Is it a Fox New thing? Asking for research.
Partly Fox and partly because he has these rightwing friends and relatives on Facebook that do a great job providing the false consensus effect.
The first person I ever heard actually use lugubrious in a sentence was a Republican. He was a great guy and a good friend who had read Wodehouse in his youth, used to take me sailing … but yeah, a Republican. Back then they weren't all either crazy as peach orchard boars or greedy rich bastards protecting their own. Of course, Tom's dead now, but not as dead as the Rockefeller Republicans.
Yep…well, I've only been alive since the Raygun years and was a teenager when Newt and his gang of dickhead stooges took over so I've known such Republicans in my private life but have rarely seen them as elected officials. I have read about the dreaded Northeastern liberal Republicans who helped pass the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act and helped Nixon pass the EPA, Affirmative Action, etc. I know LaGuardia was a VERY liberal Republican who absolutely loved the New Deal. This bunch we have now all hail from what was a sliver of lunatics like the Hunts that Eisenhower once derided as "their numbers are negligible and they are stupid"…then the New Right came along…and now we have these prancing jackasses…
Only alive since the Raygun years and I was already a federal employee when his administration did a witchhunt on projects at my agency. We somehow couldn't find a lot of the files they were looking for(pre-computer and huge storage rooms and the people doing the witch hunt were pretty stupid.
"Hey, where are the white men at?"
You could have just stopped the headline at "Wingnuts Furious: Obama". What excuse they're giving for their fury today is immaterial.
Or just "Wingnuts Furious." The Obama is implied.
You might get away with merely "wingnuts" at this point. All they can do is have cardiac events over this shit, anyway.
Remember kids: It's patriotic to hate on them poorz and leftists. Hugging a Democrat is downright seditious!
Fuck those nation-dividing commie bastards! The country should be united… in hating all Democrats and also all Republicans who ever say nice things about Democrats!
I upfisted SpeedoFart, for the name!
Awe, thanks! *luv!*
Dang… who do I report my spouse to? Spouse insists on hugging me…
Sharing AIR with a Democrat is treason! Besides, what's with this "sharing" anyway, you some kinna commonist? Ghey? Aborted fetus evolutionist? Huh?
By the way, that name is awesome…I have a sneaking suspicion it's related to Chris Christy visiting the jersey shore…but that's hilarious.
Scott, how many of those trolls will ever get to hug a President? Exactly.
I seriously doubt I would have hugged W, except maybe to choke the life out of him like an anaconda.
You have those thoughts too?
There's something about the noise an eyeball makes when it pops out of the skull and leaves a hole perfect for fucking…
Pop goes the weasel?
If you don't add "with votes" the Enn Ess Ehh is gonna' get you.
Deviation from the program, in the form of signs of common humanity, will not be tolerated.
Conservatives really do have goldfish brains. Weren't they JUST whining about this type a behavior a mere MONTH ago during their Chick-Fil-A rapture?
That's what a second term looks like bitches, compulsory interracial gay marriages for everyone!
Van Duzer, a Republican who voted for Obama in 2008, rode his bicycle over 1000 miles from Florida to Washington DC earlier this year to raise money for a charity he founded to promote blood donations in St. Lucie County, Florida.
Do you think we can get Wingnuts to start boycotting blood transfusions?
They're suckers for Biblical snake-oil salesmen, so there's a chance they could all be converted to Jehovah's Witnesses. That'd do the trick.
It's not like they have blood to begin with, the bloodless bastards.
You get a really bad reaction from GOP-positive blood.
See how easily Mr. Pizza swept him off the ground? Clearly: Kenyan, Communist, and light in the loafers.
Giggle.
I fear a "stand your ground" resolution to this story, on grounds of contact miscegnation.
Even the republicans I know realize that the right has completely Lost Its Shit.
Some may disagree, but I think the solution is merciless ridicule. These people aren't going to change their minds. Best we can do is make it so normal people don't want to be associated with them in any way.
"…merciless ridicule." Sounds fun and man, oh man, do they ever make it easy!
it'll be self destruction. When you put out that high degree of hate and racism, it comes back to you, seasoned and much more deadly. But their too stupid to understand that. Blinded by rage.
And if the left would have done this fox would be going ape.
I just threw the guy's foundation a few bucks, and not just because of the uproar. There's always a need for blood.
I popped him 50.
If I get a linkie, I'll do the same…(hint hint)
Ah – looks like Doktor Zoom just took care of business….
White people get angry when you hug their whiteness too hard. Or too deep. Or too soul achingly sweet. Or too…whew…is it hot in here?
It is now, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Is there an address on that charity website? 'Cause I feel like writing someone a check and putting "Have you hugged a president today?" on the memo line.
As a matter of fact, yes. There is
Pay Pal donations
Snail Mail address
Would you please put this up at the end of the story? I gave the guy some money, and think it woudl be awesome if people here showed our support by doing what we can – even if it's just $5 of something.
Sure, why not! It's linked in the text, but no harm adding it at the end.
Thanks for the info. I sent them a couple of bucks. I would have given blood in his honor, but I just donated over the Labor Day weekend at D*C.
Between this and the "Michelle's dress" foofaraw last week, I think the Republicans just sewed this election up.
Fuckin' Florida!
Hey, Arizona! Are you going to let wingnuts in the nation's dingle-dangle out crazy you?
Where was the Secret Service rounding up hookers?
The owner did ask the SS first. I was anxious for the Pres as I thought it might startle him.
ETA: I was wrong.
In Colombia.
OK, not to be TOO much of a grammar nazi, but if you mean:
"Where was the Secret Service? Rounding up hookers?"
Then the answer is, Probably.
If you mean:
"Where was the Secret Service rounding up hookers?"
Then you should probably ask them that.
WIN
Like Lionel Hutz on the Simpsons: "No money down!" "No, money down."
Del Boca Vista. 'Cause they need to one up Orin Incandenza.
This guy hugged a black person, AND he rode his bike a long way, so there's no telling what he puts on his pies.
Maybe he's part of that UN conspiracy to take over the world via bike sharing programs.
http://www.denverpost.com/election2010/ci_1567389…
Think how the ambiance will change not having tweakers as customers any more.
"There’s no middle line anymore, and that’s exactly what’s wrong with our country right now.”
The middle line you refer to Mr. Pizza Man, has moved and been pushed so drastically to the right in the past thirty years, and that is what's wrong in this country.
Who will stand up and defend the honor of America's huge white dudes from this latest assault?
"Obama Hugged A White Guy"
Guess Obama should have just got DiGiorno.
I propose sending money to Wonkette Drinky Thing to honor this brave patriot.
Pizza man there is a total RINO, like all Republicans who don't deserve to be shot out of a cannon into a manure pond.
Shouldn't that be "into a vast lagoon of pig feces"?
ALTERNATE HEADLINE:
"Moderate Republican hugs other moderate Republican. Batshit crazy Republicans go batshit crazy."
The idea of that beefy dude riding a bike is pretty funny. I hope it was a BMX.
Guy's about my size. I ride.
It looks like he got bikes donated by Felt Bikes. They make some awesome road bikes. I'd be surprised if one of the US bike makers hasn't been in touch with him by now to give him some American lovin'
Guys that size always completely smoke me on the bike path. Which is not that hard to do, but you get the idea.
by smoke you, you mean ride really fast and leave you in their dust?
That's what she said.
OK, now if you don't show up be-muscled in beefcake photos at the NYC Drinky, we shall all haz a dissapoint!
You are 6'6"? Are you going to try out for Harvey in the next revival?
http://thevanduzerfoundation.org/
Support this good guy and his good foundation.
I just sent a donation. This guy can't be a Republican; he has a heart.
I suppose that we need to hide the white womenz now…
Of course, with a name like Big Apple and its New York connotations, I'm sure that most Republicans wouldn't set foot in there anyway.
They would today. If it weren't for NYC, we couldn't have Wingnut Christmas.
Between the God squads and the Goon squads I think it is safe to say the terrists won. Happy 9/11 everyone!
Hey, where is Newell?
I thought he said he was going to quit. Last week, on the twitterz.
But shouldn't there be "an important announcement regarding your Wokette?"
Maybe he tried to keep up with Trix at the conventions and checked into rehab?
Writing for Grantland? Meaning, Jim likes his Cali based editors to be big boobs, not have big boobs?
Here he was!
Yeah, and notice he's changed the description to "Ex Gawker/Wonkette, current Guardian/Salon/Grantland contributor." I've been hoping for an explanation for why he's left, myself. Because I'm hopelessly naive about Wonkette's behind-the-scenes goings-on, I can't tell how much of the Rebecca-was-on-acid stuff to take at all seriously (the whole "Jim is probably going to quit because of how we left him all day yesterday and then ran out of battery and never checked in and were just on acid all night like a fucking hippie 17-year-old girl…" from the "Dave Weigel is a Crazy Bitch" post); and thus I don't know if Jim's tweets are just playing along with that narrative (e.g. "I'm still sad that Gary Johnson wasn't able to borrow Wonkette's convention pass last night from the editor on acid whose phone was dead") or if there was indeed some sort of falling out between them. I'm guessing it's all for fun and there's no actual drama there, but it'd be nice to know what the story is then.
I love that the first photo on the Yelp page is of the owner hugging the prez. Excellent.
I hate people.
I could be so stinking mad right now if I knew what Yelp was/is.
It's a user-feedback site. Seems pretty good for finding motels and diners. I use it for trip planning. It's also entertaining to read the long-winded reviews from prissy, self-involved whiners who will spend half an hour writing a scathing screed against some very good diner because they saw a fly in the parking lot.
In my defense, it was one huge, motherfuckin' fly.
HELP ME!
You really don't want to know. It's where people go to complain subconsciously about their botched first dates and their miserably petty lives by blaming everything on a waiter who forget to bring them water or a plate of Kung Pao Chicken that didn't have enough peanuts.
Stay ignorant. It is better that way.
Hey, I found an Afghan restaurant in MD on Yelp last night and it was delicious. And full of Afghani's. Suck it, wingnuts!
True story.
Seems like a genuinely decent human being. Donate to his foundation.
The Rightwing Nuts are just mad at him because he's trying to get people to donate blood, rather than sell it and let the free market sort it out.
Blood transfusion libel!
That cuts into Dick Cheney's supply.
Dude, he's not collecting newborn kittens.
Or spill it for fun and profit. Fukkers.
If Romney had been picked up, he would have claimed he had levitated all by himself.
Nah, he'd have been all "Oh no, a plebeian!! Smithers, get it off me!"
One wonders if there has been, over the last few years, a mathematically and clinically demonstrable increase in exhaustion deaths resulting from overindulgence in [faux] outrage among a certain US demographic. Seems likely.
One wonders if it can further be demonstrated that this overindulgence in said [faux] outrage has indeed thus hastened said US demographic's worst fear of becoming a minority in said US.
One sees a true irony. One smiles. This one actually looks forward to aforementioned minority status – especially if above posit proves correct. Tee hee, also.
You're saying that faux outrage causes erectile dysfunction in white men?
One also hopes! (Or should it be, One hopes, also ?)
Well it's nice to see that so many wingnuts took time out from their busy schedule of creating jobs to trash a small independent businessman who does valuable charity work. Because hey — if you don't believe everything the crazies do, your good deeds, entrepreneurial spirit and patriotism are clearly an empty sham.
That's the weird thing about this.
Apart from hugging the Prez, the guy could easily fit in with any number of evangelical fundie nutbags: he raised funds for a local ministry, Tim Tebow (!) endorses him, he seems to be the type to go to church every Sunday and twice on Christmas.
Like I said, fit in with any fundie nutbag, except he gets it and realizes life isn't about hating people, it's about doing the right thing with your neighbors and community.
Yeah, well "doing the right thing" is now the wrong thing with these fucktards. They want their TV, radio, books, magazines, schools and "news" — and now their pizza — to be 100% rightwing fundie bullshit.
Goes to show that in the fevered 'Tard mind, the blahness of the Presidents skin trumps all of their other bullshit
You can't get to heaven through good works. Just faith.
(I have GOT to stop spending so much time in that homeschool textbook)
OT Misplaced fundi action on misplaced fundi action.
U.S. Embassy Cairo. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19562…
I was just about to post something similar.
Also, too, the US consulate in Benghazi
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19562692
And whose film is it?
Friend of the site, Pastor Terry Jones, the threaten-to-burn-a-Koran lunatic
"he film that sparked the protest is said to have been produced by US pastor Terry Jones "
The Salafists can out-crazy Jones by a country mile… they're the nutjobs who've been vandalizing cemeteries in Libya, because all monuments are heresy. I say we match 'em up with Jones' crew and the Westboro Baptist cretins, four at a time, in a steel cage match. Last one standing moves on to the next round.
Even split 50-50 with Al Jazeera, the pay-per-view ought to be worth a fortune.
I can't even with these goatblowing assclowns.
you can't even what?
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/what-is-this-i-dont…
i learn something new on the intertubes every day. thank you for being patient with me.
Sometimes the depth of their perfidy confounds even my rapier wit.
Mmm…pie.
People ain't no good.
Pizza is good, though.
So, you need a job, right?–Unemployed Pizza Slut
He hugged a guy? I don't see what's the big deal.
—Katy Perry
Sorry, my cognizance is dissonating right now, because someone resembling that stereotype is supposed to be polishing his assault rifles to get his country back, not power-bro-hugging that damned Kenyan!
Yeah, I'm not sure how to process a man with a neck like that saying such things.
Takes the edge off the snark, but it sort of makes my day.
It's OK, he's lulling the Blah Soshulist into a false sense of security, so some other big white patriot can gettim later
Look out, Batman, it's Bane! He's going to break your back!!
I guess they're also refusing to give blood donations since this is Scott's big cause and why Obama stopped by for the visit? Of course, donating anything sounds "communist" to these clowns….
Giving blood away is just plain unamercian, dammit. That shit's worth money.
Maybe Republican pizza-joint guy thought the black guy was Herman Cain.
He must have really wanted a job…..
Can I get a pizza delivered to Wisconsin?
This guy is awesome!
Use Ian's in Madison. They fed thousands of lefties during the anti Walker rallies in '011. Folks from Egypt ordered pizzas for us.
will do!
Yeah… still not shopping at Target, Best Buy or Staples.
$20 to the foundation and I'm feeling downright smug.
I can't even imagine the response from the right wing wankers if the white guy had hugged Michelle instead. Well, actually I can, but it's hard to find good hemp these days.
Or if Bamz had hugged this guy's wife? Good thing some hemp products are hard to find!
I am fortunate in that most of my Republican friends are like this guy. They know I'm an atheist, vote Democratic, etc., but they're reasonable people who respect that I have a different point of view. They're also the same guys who called me within 30 minutes of Sarah Palin being named as VP candidate, asking "Tell me about Obama." They're out there, guys. They really are.
wow thanks for that. good reminder that they're not all the trolls on the interwebs.
So, what did they say about Ryan?
Something along the lines of
"What the fuck are they thinking?"
"I really want to vote Republican, but there's none running."
"I could have voted for Huntsman, but then the crazies took over."
It amuses me deeply (which I take GREAT pains to conceal) when they blast their own party's candidates as being un-electable extremists incapable of putting the needs of the country first over some insane ideology.
Well maybe someday, when the nutbaggers are fizzled out (please please be soon) they might be able to return to some sort of functionality. But until Rove, Cheney, and Norquist are dead and buried (with votes, presumably) this isn't likely to happen. I hope the sane ones will vote for Bamz, or at least just stay home.
They can't eclipse the idiots distaste for white on black affection! They shall protest!
Pizza man needs dough? I sent in a batch.
What he really needs is local publicity, so all the communist/socialist/muslin/sane people in town know where to go for pizza.
Short version: The wingnuts know they're gonna lose to the black guy they hate—AGAIN—and it's driving them fucking INSANE.
Close. Insaner.
It will be fun to watch their heads explode this November, eh? Unless they really go off the rails and hurt someone..in which case they should be hunted down* like dogs.
*with votes of course.
If they hurt someone, we don't use votes.
See what happens? See! Ole Bubba tried to warn you, but noooo, you won't listen. We will secede from the Union and take God with us.
I wish I could donate blood, but the blood people are always, like "Oh, noes, you have teh diabeetus, go away."
I'm a mad cow risk, so the only way I can give blood is by being mugged.
Obama says, "Tallest white guy I ever saw."
It would be great if there was a way for Obama supporters to help this guy, but unfortunately he doesn't sell chicken sandwiches.
So the fastest way to anger teabaggers is to simply be a decent person?
That sure is telling.
I have to admit that the republicans are making Obama look good. It's almost as if someone wants them to. It's still a one party state, and the core neocon agenda advances without regard to which "party" is in power. The nature of the political arguments have taken on the sad quality of slaves debating which overseer will be more generous with the food rations, and more sparing with the whip.
Yeah, no wonder the Republicans are calling him a fake. Every Republican knows hoverrounds can't go 1000 miles.
Mark my words, those companies hawking "free" Hoverounds on TV are going to bankrupt Medicaid. But maybe then we'll go back to riding mastodons like our grandparents did.
Thanks for the update. I sent him $10 which is a lot for po' retired-with-no-income moi.
Now I have to cross my fingers that Paypal doesn't do a wikileaks and decide to freeze his funds.
As a child, it was clear to me that a lot of kids were dumb. I didn't hate them, it was just an obvious fact. In my teen years I became aware that it was prejudicial to voice that, though, so I tried to be more tolerant.
Now I DO hate them. Especially today (9/11). The problem isn't the 1%, it's the 80+% who believe the 1%.
A lot of people are still fighting the Civil War (what an oxymoron) because they won't accept that the South lost or the fact that there's a blah man in the White House.
2008 — Joe the phony plumber
2012 — Scott Van Duzer, good neighbor
I am mailing munniez to nice bear hug man's foundation. Thanks Wonket.
Elizabeth Warren too.
Waving my silly librul money wand tonight. Every little bit helps said the fly who pissed in the ocean.
Oh no, you Presidident.
Is this like that time Peggy saw a Mexican?
Had to have been scripted, otherwise the SS would have no doubt lit that dude up when he made a play for the POTUS. Great photo op and story regardless. More, please. ps: can you imagine the look of horror on Mittens face if a big dude ever grabbed him in a bear hug?
I cannot wait to see what national publicity, plus this guy's winning personality, plus the asshattery of the wingnutz, does for his foundation. Absolutely the best outcome would be him thanking the nutters for bringing him a shitload of money. And selling a shitload of pizza, too, also.
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