If you want to watch the Bill-Signing ...

[Fairy]

... it's being streamed live on cnn.com and msnbc.com. Big links right off their home pages. This is a friendly heads-up for those interested in viewing the signing. CNN is running on a 3 second delay from MSNBC. Pre-start crowd-watching is kind of fascinating at the moment. Again, not a debate thread, just a heads-up thread.

[calv]

TY! watching it now

[Fairy]

What was with the six thousand pens? I don't think I understand that.

[o_mom]

What was with the six thousand pens? I don't think I understand that.

They are given out as souveniers (sp?), IIRC so they use as many as possible.

[GvilleGirl]

According to CNN

"President Obama will use 20 pens to sign the bill into law - a symbolic and customary gesture - so that he can give away the pens later as an honorary piece of history."

[kep]

Removed...

[Fairy]

I really didn't want to debate this.

[kep]

I really don't mean to debate it. I just really never thought it would come to this. :( I'll edit my previous response.

[Fairy]

I understand, Kelli. I don't have your view, but I do understand your genuine feelings. It's ok.

[Fairy]

But about the pens thing, I see the potential for the collector stuff and historic pen, etc., but the actual mechanics of the signature -- what, did he sign part of his name and then continue it with another part with the next pen? that can't be a very pretty signature! I wonder if he presigned it and then traced that? I dunno why I'm all focused on, of all things, the pens, but it's bugging me!

[egoldber]

LOL! I was watching CNN on the treadmill at work and it bugged me too.

[marie]

But about the pens thing, I see the potential for the collector stuff and historic pen, etc., but the actual mechanics of the signature -- what, did he sign part of his name and then continue it with another part with the next pen? that can't be a very pretty signature! I wonder if he presigned it and then traced that? I dunno why I'm all focused on, of all things, the pens, but it's bugging me!

ITA! i was thinking the same exact thing. i also think that one pen would make for a much more dramatic moment (for any bill - not just this one) instead of the choppy, write a letter, put down pen, pick up another pen, etc.

And it did seem like he was writing one letter at a time, didn't it?

And thanks, Fairy, for your original post. I'm glad to have watched it live.

[sariana]

Gee, what if his name were Bo Dun or something? He would have to write one stroke at a time--the back of the B, then the top loop, then the bottom...:rotflmao:

I didn't know about the pen thing. That's kind of funny, really.

[LarsMal]

But about the pens thing, I see the potential for the collector stuff and historic pen, etc., but the actual mechanics of the signature -- what, did he sign part of his name and then continue it with another part with the next pen? that can't be a very pretty signature! I wonder if he presigned it and then traced that? I dunno why I'm all focused on, of all things, the pens, but it's bugging me!

I've always wondered that, too. I've seen them use up to maybe 6 pens and thought that would still be hard to sign your name with 6 different pens, but TWENTY!!! I'd love to know what the story is on that, too. It looks like he (or whoever is signing- Pelosi did it the other day, too) just writes a tiny bit with each pen. You're right-that can't be a pretty signature. I didn't get to see it live, but who was the little boy standing next to Obama, in front of Biden?

[Fairy]

I wonder if it's one pen per letter in his name. But that's 17, I think, not 10. Bush would have been 12 with the "W." Clinton? Would have been 23 with the full first and middle, but only eleven with "Bill." I'm seriosly on a mission to find this ...

[ThreeofUs]

But about the pens thing, I see the potential for the collector stuff and historic pen, etc., but the actual mechanics of the signature -- what, did he sign part of his name and then continue it with another part with the next pen? that can't be a very pretty signature! I wonder if he presigned it and then traced that? I dunno why I'm all focused on, of all things, the pens, but it's bugging me!


Yeah, but presidents do this ALL the time. I used to date a top White House aide, and you would not BELIEVE the souvenir-mongering that goes on.