But, nothing - I'm sure - compared to the pain that is coming.
He didn't even look us in the face while he's asking for an 800 package. Come on, the audience is not the press in the room (or the teleprompters) it is we the people. Can't he look us "in the eye" while he speaking to us?
He certainly wasn't very impressive off prompter either. A lot of pauses, uncertainty and trying to remember what he said during his campaign. I didn't actually hear a lot of answers (the casket question, what are the indicators, etc.).
What'd you guys think?
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35 comments:
Sean, he didn't even answer a single questions to the point, with out putting me to sleep!
A lot of 'spin', then "uhm, uhm, and more uhm's".
I thought he was suppose to be smart, brilliant or the Massiah?
Ric,
I believe that's spelled "Messiah".
I find it incredible that someone would make light of uhm, uhm and more uhms after the last eight years of the Alfred E Neuman show we've been subjected to as a nation.
Did the former President look us in the eye when we were being administered prison love to the tune of $800 Billion for the Financial Industry bailout? Much of which nobody seems to know where the heck it went.
He actually did answer the questions. Perhaps not to the standard of the average ADD american citizen, but the answers were there.
And how refreshing is it to see the Commander In Chief taking questions from all spectrums of the media. CNN, FOX, Reuters. Notice how he took questions from those who might have an opposing agenda? That's called Freedom Of The Press and it is celebrated by those who love Democracy. Try to recall the former President taking a question from say, a reporter from Huffington Post. Hell he wanted to have Helen Thomas banned from his press conferences because he didn't like her tone. Instead they just put her in the back of the room and rarely recognized her existence.
This was a press conference. Typically it is considered good form to address the questioner or the audience.
I do find it remarkable that the new guy has been President all of three weeks and all the opposing party members can do is find ways to fuck him over and make him look like an asshole. It's no wonder nothing ever gets done up there.
We deserve exactly what we're getting.
Doug, You said it well.
Our president was in my home town this morning. I couldn't be there because I couldn't camp out for two days like most people did, all wanting to see him and hear him.
He addressed every single worry we all have here. jobs and home forclosures and more. If you were asleep Ric and sean, then you missed it...sorry about that.
I think MOST people have embraced him and what he's trying to do. Mccain and bush are gone. get over it. move on
The thing that caught my attention: His closing words before he turned and walked away.
"I, am the "ETERNAL" optimist"
When he said it, his eyes glazed over. It would be nice, if they would each at least read the bill before voting on it. Government dictated and mandated health-care is on the way. Doug's right. Those who voted for him, are going to get what they deserve.
Thanks Doug for the on-line 'Spell Check' thing going on there! Typo...my bad!
I have also noticed he doesn't look the camera in the eye, because they are yours and my eyes. I can't even listen to his voice without getting a really sick feeling in my gut.
Long live plurality. From many, one.
Oh, and Dave I don't think you need to worry about government dictated health care this year. We can't afford it.
Unless you live in CA with your parents, are a single mother and have 14 kids.
But that's a thread for another day.
Doug - since when do the Huffington Post and Ed Schultz qualify as "the press". I know you said "spectrums of media" but, really, bloggers and talk radio asking questions at a presidential press conference?
When he also has Matt Drudge and Rush Limbaugh in the front row asking questions, then talk to me about "oppoging agendas".
Why is it you say the reps are fucking him over and making him look like an asshole? The real battle is going on in congress - Pelosi and Reed are the real 'holes' if you ask me. Obama is jumping in with both feet - his mistake was letting Pelosi and the that party draft the bill with no input from the other side.
I am sure he will develop his camera skills as time goes on. I would rather he look away, than the years of George Bush blinking into the camera as he spew his lies to the American Public.(blinking is a body language characteristic that often accompanies lying. "Putting you to sleep" if only.
Juliet - When Obama says there isn't a single earmark or pet project in this bill - do you think that is truthful? Have you actually read the bill?
The entire thing is a liberal agenda driven pet project. Make everyone more dependent on the federal government, usurp more power, curtail more of our liberties. It is all in there - just read it.
Sean, specifically where does the bill usurp more power and curtail more of our liberties? Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending the bill - I'm just curious how you came to those conclusions. If it does as you say then I certainly want to know so I too can rally against it.
Where I struggle with your words is in how you frame your argument. Since your statements lacked specific detail they sound more like bullshit rather than fact. What you say may very well be true but unless you can back it up with specific references no one with an ounce of intelligence is going to listen to you.
Telling someone to sift through thousands of pages of written jargon does nothing to support your cause. That method of debate works better when directed at the TV evangelist crowd. It doesn't work on the rest of us.
Sean.
Rush Limbaugh in the front row? Are you serious? The man that takes pre screened calls from his fawning dittoheads in his bunker? Are you sure you wouldn't like to add Bill O' Reilly in there as well? You consider Rush Limbaugh & Matt Drudge the media & not the Huffington Post.
Now that is peculiar.
Let's review what I said. The President took questions from among others, both FOX and the Huffington Post. Opposing spectrums. That was the point. Not whether the questioner met some subjective litmus test for media credentials.
It's about as likely that Rush Limbaugh be in the front row of the media room as Michael Moore or Bill Maher.
How is being screwed over. Well hmmm...let's see here. He holds several meetings with leaders of the minority party. He has them over for lunch. He goes to their place for dinner hosted by George Will. He appoints three members from the minority party to his cabinet. After which the country is regaled with indignant mewling from the Republicans about the President's lack of bipartisanship. A case could be made for this being both contrary to the facts as well as a partisan attempt to screw him over.
Holding up one small percentage of the proposed bill, funding for family planning, in an attempt to paint the entire package as Democratic pork is an attempt to make him look bad. It is worthy to note that that particular aspect of the package has been removed at the Republicans behest.
Let's be clear on something. The current administration, Executive & both branches of Legislative were placed in office by all accounts by fair representative elections. Dissent from the minority is not only fair but vital.
Partisan political grandstanding however is little more than a deliberate and cynical attempt to frustrate the will of the majority.
Doug and Rac, as always thank you for doing such a good job of expressing the view points of those like me, who often think like you do but don't do as well at putting those thoughts down in writing. Patsee..good job too. It's funny how the blog has changed from several months ago when I was pretty well thrashed and accused of being an unpatriotic, anti-American, almost wanna-be terrorist for posting a "Pink" video that was a song critical of President Bush. Now it appears that President-bashing is very "in" ??????
rac, if you do get a chance to read the bill or parts of it, find the verbiage on health care. It is buried deep within the bill and just might scare the hell out of you. And besides, what the hell is it doing in a stimulus plan anyway?
Something to the effect that if it costs too much or the govt deems it not in your (or their) best interest to receive treatment, then they send you home to die. In other words, no longer will it be your or your doctors choice on the amount and type of treatment you receive. Soon the federal government will decide for you. Hey, whadda you know, it kind of sounds identical to the VA. I would encourage each and every one of you to visit a VA hospital sometime and just wander the halls, the floors and the wards.
Then take yourself out of your personal doctors office or local hospital and put yourself into that government institution that is currently only reserved for members of America's armed forces, or what is left of them. It's not a matter of if you'll end up there, it is only a matter of when.
Kind of reminds me of the movie Soylent Green.
Dave, are you referring to some sort of government funded insurance such as Medicare? If so, this is no different than what private insurance has been doing for decades. It's one of those things a Republican like yourself should be able to appreciate... conserving capital. If I didn't know better I'd say you were turning into a liberal with this sudden display of human compassion;)
Doug, I do not consider the Huffington Post or Ed Schultz or Rush Limbaugh or Matt Drudge to be reporters or the press or reporters. Maybe Huffington and Drudge, perhaps, are "reporting news" but certainy Limbaugh and Schultz are talk radio hosts, commentators, they give their opinions. My point is that none of them had any place in a presidential press conference.
It is interesting that you rail against Drudge and Limbaugh, but are aparently fine with Huffington and Schultz. They are opposing sides of the same medium. Why is it OK for Schultz to sit in the front row and ask questions, but not Limbaugh? They both have an audience of "fawning" listeners, albeit Limbaugh has far more of them.
I do not "rail" against Drudge. Limbaugh, well that's another matter. Huffington Post i can live with or without, it matters not to me. Although I must say Arianna's not bad looking.
I don't have a preference for who sits in the front row, second row, third row or is partially obscured by the potted ficus tree in the back. A sampling of media representing a broad ideological spectrum seems to me appropriate.
My point there remains how I found it refreshing that the President seems willing to take what were likely to be pointed questions.
I find an openness to opposing viewpoints to be an endearing quality.
FOX news (way in the back) asked a question about the veep's 30% failure comment. Obama laughed at it and didn't answer the question.
Huffington (I think) asked a question about the flag draped caskets. Now, this seemed to be a barb at Bush rather than anything in opposition to Obama. However, now that Obama is in charge he owns the issue. He didn't answer this question either.
So, aside from Fox, I didn't hear anything remotely pointed or opposing. Did I miss something?
I also enjoy listening to RAC's and Doug's comments as well! Some I find very factual, others pure entertainment, and what I find offensive I have learned to just ignore.
As for Dave, JULS, and Sean, it is obvious (as every one must know by now) I pretty much think and feel the same way they do.
But gosh dang it, it's so good to see everyone together on the same thread or page! ;)
For the record, the Drudge Report is on my list of daily web reads and has been for years. I like the way he packages the day's "top stories"... even if they do tend to lean a little right.
For the record, I rarely look at Drudge. Sure, it is right leaning, but I don't think Drudge would have any more place at the presidents press conference than Huffington Post, or Limbaugh, or Schultz.
Andrew Wilkow made the point today, that since Schultz was presented by Obama as a member of the press he would not be impacted by the (contemplated) fairness doctrine. If Schultz is press and not an opionionator, then surely so would Wilkow be.
So, I stand by my original point that if Obama is truly to be considered fair in his press access, then he must include Rush or Sean or Laura or Levin or . . .
I believe that freedom and liberty must include the freedom to achieve success, but also the freedom to fail. If you buy a house and cannot pay for it and cannot sell it, the bank must foreclose and recoup their losses by selling the property.
If you are a bank and make loans to people who default on them, you must take your losses.
If you are an investor who buys into packaged real estate securities because they are performing better than they should be and they then turn out to be based on nothing, then you must also take your losses.
All of these things MUST happen in the market in order for it to function. Most of the problem we are seeing now is not because of the free market, but rather because of the meddling of the feds. The community investment act and other policies led to banks/Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac lowering the qualifications and making risky loans. If the feds had just left things alone, it would have been painful, probably very painful, but it would have passed. The market forces would have remaining in place and the recovery could commence.
Instead, we have uncertainty. What will be bailed out next? Will the tax cuts expire? Will money be plowed into troubles corporations throught feds "largess" only to be used later on to micromanage those same companies according to the current governments values.
These are all external market forces that the feds have no business creating.
So, when we loose the freedom to fail, we loose a little of our freedom.
I think it's more a sign of the times than anything else. The fact is that web based "journalism" is quickly evolving into the mainstream media and the numbers back this up. The print press has been getting their asses waxed while web based advertising is still holding relatively strong. The President's acknowledgement of this medium should not be a surprise. He is after all, our first truly tech savvy president.
As for your last comment Sean, I couldn't agree more.
Sean,
I have to assume that the President had no prior knowledge of what the FOX representative or any other would ask. Pointed or not, there was at least the potential for a question that could cause one to squirm.
Now that we've hung out the wash some I must admit to finding Obama's first foray into the realm of the press conference as President a bit tedious. I don't think it's a secret that the President excels at the delivery of a tele prompted speech. And that his delivery wanes at the impromptu.
I fear that at the moment he may find himself in a bit over his head.
To me he bears a little resemblance to the adventuresome snorkeler who has paddled a bit too far from the reef, has now taken a moment to look up and sees nothing but fins to the left and fins to the right.
Pray that he finds his bearings.
And Sean I too agree with what you said in your last post.
Accountability has almost become extinct in this culture.
Doug, RAC - It is comforting to know that we can find agreement amid the sea of rhetoric and brimstone.
We can agree to disagree.People must learn to do that more often I think.
I'm going to throw a party for my daughter Aubrey and then the day after,I'm heading to Yigo Fiesta. I need to kick back and realize that small things in life are so important.Maybe drive to our families land in Hanom,being that it's a holiday!!!:)Have a nice weekend,You All.
Jo - I would almost kill to go to a fiesta in Guam. I have a real jones for some Chamorro food (the DC Reunion last year only made it worse).
Hey Mat, when are you and the MRS. going to start your mail order busines selling original Guamanian food? I coud sure enjoy munching donw on some of that food that you and your wife made while in Vegas Baby! Yummy!
Sean, I ate too much today and will continue tomorrow at the fiesta(2) at least to show face.Today's menu for my Aubrey was Red rice,Tamales,finger steaks,short ribs,Danish ribs,homemade potato salad from us,Pancit and cake and a lot of sweets.Oh and a turkey that was so moist. Wow.I think I'm going to the fridge.
This post was in 2009. What do you think now at the end of 2012?
"But, nothing - I'm sure - compared to the pain that is coming."
The pain is still here, it is getting worse and there's no relief in site.
How's that "Arab Spring" working out for you, Juliet?
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