"off ice"

[Joel S. Berson]

At 2/20/2013 12:57 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>And yet another infamous golf round, according to the implication of
>a HuffPost headline today:
>Obama Golfed With Oil Men As Climate Protesters Descended On White House
>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/obama-climate-protest_n_2719338.html
>
>I read one of the comments in response to this piece as proposing an
>interesting new sports metaphor that I couldn't quite work out:
>
>========
>Obama is merely a brand that American people have vicariously
>bought. The off ice of the presidency, after Kennedy (and perhaps
>the exception of carter) has become merely a resume builder.
>========
>
>But on closer examination the "off ice of the presidency" was not a
>hockey-inspired allusion to Obama's "on ice" vs. "off ice"
>activities, but a mere typo.  Unless there really are no mistakes.

I read "off ice" as (presidential) activities not related to the "on
ice" real, or at least official, duties of the presidency.  Such as
appearances with celebrities in other endeavors, as "resume
builders".  So it strikes me as a clever and useful metaphor.

"On [basketball] court", "off court"?  (Although perhaps these days
it should be "in court", "out of court" for Hollywood and sports
celebrities.)  Etc.?

Joel

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