Obama on Merrick Garland's SCOTUS Nomination: He Sold His Comic Books
The President empathized with his SCOTUS nominee's sacrifice, saying "It's tough."
This morning during his speech to nominate federal judge Merrick Garland, 63, for the United States Supreme Court, President Obama described Garland’s heartbreaking path he had to endure to pay for law school: Selling his comic books.
“[SCOTUS nominee Merrick Garland] put himself through Harvard Law School by working as a tutor, by stocking shoes in a shoe store, and in what is always a painful moment for any young man, by selling his comic book collection,” Obama said. “It’s tough. [I’ve] been there.”
Obama, who actually exists in the Marvel Universe since his appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #583, has regularly spoken about his nerdy childhood spent with comic books and Star Trek.
“What’s remarkable is the way ‘nerd’ is such a badge of honor now. Growing up, I’m sure I wasn’t the only kid who read Spider-Man comics and learned how to do the Vulcan salute, but it wasn’t like it is today,” Obama said in a recent interview with Popular Science. “I get the sense that today’s young people are proud to be smart and curious … I think America’s a nerdier country than it was when I was a kid — and that’s a good thing!”
What’s not a good thing is expediting a conference so he can watch The Force Awakens, but hey, who didn’t skip work for that?
If you’re interested in watching Obama’s full speech today, here the video from the White House’s YouTube channel:
