NFL fans on both sides of the aisle hope the refs’ lockout is settled soon. -bo

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 25, 2012

Obama followed up that tweet with another that showed he had espoused this view even before a disputed call caused the Green Bay Packers to lose Monday’s football game.

President Obama last week: “Is it just me or do we have to get our regular refs back?” OFA.BO/bWqfT4

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 25, 2012

White House spokesman Jay Carney met with reporters after the president arrived back in Washington following his United Nations General Assembly address in New York City.

“This morning I talked to [Obama] about the end of the Packers-Seahawks game,” Carney said, according to pool reports. “He said that what happened in that game is a perfect example of why both sides need to come together, resolve their differences so that the regular refs can get back on the field and we can start focusing on a game that so many of us love rather than debating whether of not a game is won or lost because of a bad call.”


“He thinks there were real problems with the call,” Carney added.

Earlier in the day, GOP vice presidential candidate and Green Bay Packers fan Paul Ryan compared Obama to the replacement referees.

{mosads}“You guys watch that Packer game last night?” Ryan said at his Cincinnati, Ohio, town-hall meeting. “I mean give me a break. It’s time to get the real refs, and it reminds me of President Obama and the economy. If you can’t, if you can’t get it right, it’s time to get out.”

“I half think these refs worked part-time for the Obama administration in the budget office,” he added.

The NFL’s lockout of the NFL Referees Association has led to the use of the replacement refs.