24
Mar
Press Conference Open Thread
“It took a couple days because I like to know what I am talking about before I speak.” – President Obama, just a minute ago.
Take your gotcha nonsense and get out of here. Was that as good for the rest of you as it was for me?
*** Update ***
CNN now has John King describing a word cloud of the press conference as part of their post press conference “analysis.” I wish I was kidding. These guys are in so far over their head with Obama and they don’t even realize it. I wonder if they will bring back the “human hologram.”
Laura W
Er…the party’s in the previous thread, but if you have chips and dip we could probably move.
SGEW
Better. (smokes metaphorical cigarette)
SGEW
From The Economist’s live blog:
Hee.
Kris
Oooh another reminder that our President is black.
Hell yeah! Go sit yo ass down Ed Henry, you’ve just been told.
valdivia
that was very satisfying.
dissatisfied customer
I laughed out loud. More, please!
gizmo
I’m not sure this nation deserves a President as decent and as smart as this guy.
And God, please send us better media people…..
thrashbluegrass
Loaded question from Fox News, working communism and soc1alism in for good measure.
Color me shocked.
Just Some Fuckhead
Just got home from school. Did I miss anything cool?
gizmo
I think that one of the reasons the corporate media can’t deal with Obama is that he is thinking long-term about the health of the nation. He doesn’t go for cheap, short-range political wins—he is trying to fundamentally change things so that we are on more solid footing decades from now. The media whores just aren’t used to thinking in those terms.
Ash
Some dude from Ebony asked the best question so far. All the network and cable types should go slit their wrists now.
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
Oh, God, the gormless race question. "You’re black. Do you govern like a blackitty-black-black black man, or do you feel as if people treat you differently because you’re a blackitty-black-black black man? Not counting this question, Your Blackness, of course."
scruncher
@Just Some Fuckhead: Obama told one reporter to STFU … in so many words.
Ninerdave
@Just Some Fuckhead:
We had a really big party. Just finished up.
Elle
Hell yeah! Even my little brother said that reporter got schooled.
Bad Horse's Filly
Geez, I leave the party for one minute and it moves. Here’s the question I had from the last thread:
I had to answer the door, so I missed it…was CNN’s guy as embarrassing as he started out being and did the President hand him his ass when he was done? (Meaning, was it really as bad as it seemed before I left – or was that the Ed Henry question everyone is wowing about??).
Wayne
The President’s response was wonderful. I’m so grateful that we finally have a grownup in the White House. And thanks, John, for operating one of my favorite blogs.
SGEW
Hoot! Obama speaking of our nation’s pride over overcoming the searing divide of racial discrimination by inaugurating him:
"That lasted about a day."
I think I like this guy.
rob wolfe
I am so happy that he is handling some of these really stupid questions with the kind of answer that they deserve.
I wish that he could have blown through the question from the Moonie Times guy about embryonic stem cell research a little better though.
Laura W
@Just Some Fuckhead:
POTUS promised heavy funding for the short bus!
rob wolfe
@Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse: I was astonished at that question too. It almost sounded to me like the dimwit was asking if his staff was giving him due respect because he was black.
ScreamingInAtlanta
Stupid, stupid question about race in the white house.
sgwhiteinfla
I am going to need a cigarette after this presser. And I don’t even smoke!
President Obama smacked all the Drudgites in the mouth. Fucking Ed Henry had already written down his question so even though President Obama had already thoroughly answered about the deficit TWICE he still asked again. What a bunch of fucking losers. Major Garrett, Ed Henry, Chip all gets the gas face tonight. I was just hoping JMart would get his ass handed to him as well but Politico sent the other cat instead. I do have a question though, why doesn’t that dickhead Michael Scherer ever ask a question?
They better stick to trying to haggle Robert Gibbs. Obama is WAY out of their league.
demkat620
You ever get the feeling he could do this for hours?
MikeJ
Dammit, why does TCM sked their Chuck Jones retrospective opposite Obama’s smackdown?
MikeJ
Was Axelrod chewing gum?
pikhoved
ScreamingInAtlanta
@demkat620: Yes, and I could listen to him for hours. I find him calming.
valdivia
I like the shot of Rahm smiling in the back and i love this answer of persistence and patience.
John Cole
@demkat620: He taught. He effectively CAN and HAS done this for hours.
Laura W
Oh man. I hope someone still-captures the satisfied, downright gleeful smirk on Rahm’s face with the index finger in front of the mouth that the camera just panned to. That man is PROUD tonight! And confident. I feel happy now.
SGEW
That’s kinda the sexiest thing ever said about the President.
Shaina
Wait, wait a minute-Barack Obama is BLACK?
Why didn’t anyone tell me?
platkat
The difference between the current presidency and the previous one in a simple sentence. Nice.
demkat620
Damn that was good!
barkleyg
Y E S ! ! Don’t you bring that trash question to MY press conference!
We think here, not like the last 8 years of press conferences with GWB
scruncher
I read a tennis newsgroup that debates the biggest "clown" eras ever, meaning eras in which a few top players are never challenged by lower ranked players who are a bunch of clowns.
Anyway, we are in a truly frightening clown era of White House reporters.
Bad Horse's Filly
Do you get the feeling these guys are getting thorougly smacked down and they’re too stupid to know it?
Dennis-SGMM
At least one reporter in that room is yearning for the good’l days of chatter about clearing brush.
demkat620
@John Cole: Yeah, I meant school the wankers in that room.
Litlebritdifrnt
Yeah, okay, so I will admit, I am in lurve. Calm, considered answers to questions, well thought out, an immediate answer to every question, while after initially giving his points, he then thinks through the follow through. As my boss so rightly said last year "this is the smartest son of a bitch in the room, THAT is the guy I want in charge" I think he showed that tonight, (and he is still talking – IRA etc)
All you right/left/center pundits bring it.
Just Some Fuckhead
Did he ever do a hunch, shrug and grin and declare "Presidentin’ is hard"?
sgwhiteinfla
Can you imagine Bush or McCain trying to answer those questions? McCain probably would have cussed Ed Henry out on national Tee Vee. Seriously imagine for a moment that ill tempered idiot had won.
Comrade Stuck
Mr. Professor President Obama, or hey , yo Mr. PPO
Dennis-SGMM
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Obama sounds better at presidentin’ after nine weeks than Bush did after eight years.
jcricket
President Obama. Black President? Or blackest president ever?
gizmo
Every time I start having doubts about Obama, he gives a speech or an interview and just hits it out of the park and reminds me not to have any more doubt. He’s what leadership is all about.
sgwhiteinfla
By the way, lets not forget how blatantly he called out the Republicans now. They HAVE to come up with an alternate budget now or he just punked their asses and everybody will remember it.
Just Some Fuckhead
@sgwhiteinfla:
I’m getting stuck on imagining McCain being asked those questions.
Darcy
@MikeJ:
Don’t worry, TCM is repeating everything twice tonight. Luck on their part, and happy accident for us. I had the same reaction till I looked at my TV listings.
ksmiami
I’m so bored with the GOP
valdivia
apparently Rahm will be on larry King that should be fun!
SGEW
The media’s ability to selectively remember is more powerful than any mere mortal’s press conference.
Xenos
@ksmiami: But what can I do?
t jasper parnel
Speaking for myself, that was a very good press conference.
Best evidence of Obama’s success? K-Lo’s House of Crazy has more less than nothing than usual to say.
geg6
Ok. I must gush like a school girl. OMG! I love, love, love him. That was like awesome sex. Okay, that’s out of my system now. I can go back to middle age now. But damn, that was good.
Dennis-SGMM
@Xenos:
There’s always mockery.
scruncher
Chris Matthews just called the reporters a bunch of zombies.
ksmiami
Xenos… Burn things???
JenJen
I think that was Michael Scherer sitting behind Ann Compton; the look on his face was pure jealousy (and bronzer).
Sure, Compton didn’t expect to be called,but fergawdssake prepare a question. She winged it, poorly, and POTUS blew right past it. Way to blow it, Ann! Maybe he’ll call on you again in the second term.
Chuck Todd’s question was just dumb. If it weren’t for Russert’s passing, he’d still be crunching house races. I’m thinking he’s in over his head. I also liked him better when he’d crunch house races.
I actually cheered the pitch-perfect response to Ed Henry. President Obama seems to be settling into the office. I thought he was excellent tonight.
Cain
dammit.. I missed it :( Can I at least inhale the cigs you guys are smoking after all this? Dibs on anybody with clove cigs. ;)
cain
JL
Where are the trolls? Are they waiting for the GOP to issue them talking points?
Ash
Am I mistaken, or was there seriously not one question about the new Geithner plan? I’m totally Geithner’ed out, but SERIOUSLY? NOT ONE QUESTION?
Jesus, someone take these jokers out back and shoot them please.
passerby
A reasonable man. The press is not accustomed to being reasoned with. They’ll have to resort to the teleprompter issue and continue to mumble about socialism/communism until they find a better way to hold the attention of their audience. Tough time to be a media whore.
Hasselbach on the View will decry his stem cell policy and go on about aborted fetuses being farmed to provide the goods.
Scarborough will whine about higher taxes for those who earn more and isn’t Obama such a Socialist. Teleprompter thrown in just because he’s gotta maintain his little oh-my-god squad.
passerby
do the words soc. and commu isms trigger "awaiting moderation"?
demkat620
Bill Bennet is whining on CNN that this was a bad presser. Completely unexpected, I should think.
I mean, Bennett is such a neutral guy.
TR
How long before they change Chip Reid’s affiliation to "GOP"?
Fairfield123
Good stuff. Nice to hear something smart for a change.
J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford
O’Reilly thinks Obama screwed the pooch and bored the people tonight. He said the same thing last time, that Obama talks too much and sounds like a stuffy professor.
Laura W
@JenJen: I was hoping Helen would get a question in, if only as compensation for having to sit next to CHIPPER.
Gak.
ksmiami
The Republitard trolls aren’t out yet cause they have been trying to convince us all that Obama isn’t smart and needs a teleeprompher, but anyone sentient can plainly see that this Obama guy is teh awesome and might just be president some day.
JL
@sgwhiteinfla: McCain was a POW; he wouldn’t be asked tough questions.
AhabTRuler
Dig. Peter principle.
Edit: I just loooove the way that preview totally trainwrecks as soon as you try to do anything interesting. Points for style.
geg6
Yes, passerby. Fucking crazy, huh?
demkat620
Okay, never mind, John King is on CNN now.
I think it’s another hologram.
Laura W
I think Rahm is either drunk or high!
Fun!!
John Cole
@demkat620: Check the update. You and I have a mindmeld going.
JL
@passerby: The soc word has to await moderation because of the middle section so…c..i..a..l…i.s….m. For some reason you can’t say that item that the Iraqi through at Bush either.
passerby
@Ash:
Surprised me too. Cramer and co. on cnbc were lauding the positive results that are beginning to manifest. They were supportive of the POTUS. Perhaps their producers have done some soul searching. Who knew reasoning with people would be such an effective strategy.
r€nato
BIG WORDS MAKE HEAD HURT! OBAMA TALKS LIKE A FAG!
/o’reilly
os
ok i know that comment was a serious slap in the face to ed henry and his gotcha shit, but the most impressive part was when he was talking about the tax write offs. I know it was wonky but he was literally talking about tax policy an giving figures and examples. Do we really think that bush couldve given figures like that
sgwhiteinfla
To everyone saying McCain wouldn’t get tough questions, don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying they would try to grill him like they do Obama. However even the shitty journalists turn on a President when the economy goes south and at this point McCain would probably be trying to push through a spending freeze with no earmarks. I think he would have been getting his ass handed to him at this point in his administration purely because he would have fucked everything up worse by now.
passerby
testing 1. 2. 3. Shoe at socialism shoe communism.
Go!
Edit: At least one can still edit while awaiting moderation. Is that a function of Wordpress or Big Brother. Who chooses the words? Anyone know?
r€nato
And if the market takes a dump next week, they will go back to harshing on Obama. They’re as bad as a bipolar girlfriend.
Just Some Fuckhead
I miss Fineman’s pretty orange hair.
geg6
Wow. Rahm just almost busted a gut trying not to laugh at the Ed Henry replay on Larry King. If it hadn’t been split screen, he’d have been rolling on the floor. Awesome.
Brachiator
@Bad Horse’s Filly:
Yes.
They tried hard, and even the camera crew tried to get in on the act. I watched the news conference on ABC and at one point, when Obama appeared to stumble over his words, a camera shot of the room showed Obama and the teleprompter off to his left. I’m sure that this will provide everyone from Faux News to the View’s Elizabeth Hasselbeck with their pre-digested anti-Obama video bite.
But this not prevent Obama from plowing through a dumb set of questions.
And the shot of Rahm, Axelrod, Valerie Jarrett and the rest of the Obama Wrecking Crew? Priceless.
As an aside, Obama announced some other Treasury appointments. Most, if not all, are prior Clinton appointees. I think that Obama is missing an opportunity in not seeking out more new people. I get a sense that there are a lot of people who are willing to sign on who are not connected with past Democratic Party regimes.
demkat620
@John Cole: That’s cause we share a brain. :)
But joking aside, any bets on how long it takes the media to grow up? My bet: Two years. They are real slow learners.
mr. whipple
Dood makes a fine pitcher of lemonade from the lemons he’s been handed.
I doubted him a lot during the primaries, but got over it.
sgwhiteinfla
Amanda Terkel will be on Countdown shortly. Should be good stuff
Laura W
@Laura W: I take it back.
The man is exhausted and "punch drunk".
Ed Marshall
McCain would have been pushing a mixture of tax cuts and stimulus more (maybe much more) larded toward the tax cut side than Obama. It’s not like he would have brought Ron Paul’s economic team with him, maybe some esoteric de-reg bullshit to go along with it, but John McCain doesn’t know shit about economics and the team he would have brought along wouldn’t be proposing something radically different than Obama.
cleek
man, just imagine an hour of McCain.
mr. whipple
No.
Dennis-SGMM
@J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford:
Because stubborn and stupid worked out so well.
Martin
ZOMG! Obama totally said ‘IndyBank’ instead of ‘IndyMac’. What a fucking retard! He doesn’t know anything about the financial sector – he’s totally unqualified to be President. Sarah Palin wouldn’t have that problem because I’d have a boner the size of Coit Tower and would have passed out due to lack of blood to my brain before the first question got answered. Enough of the answers with verbs and indirect objects and shit. Can we just get a hot white chick to cut my taxes already please?
Signed, tomorrow’s wingnut pundits
Ed Marshall
Whatever else he is Obama is an educated man. Everytime I see him, I just remember what it was like for a barbarian to run the country.
jcricket
I’m not watching, but is CNN doing one of those "insta-poll" things that "instantly" show how wrong the pundits are (based on the results differential during the debates where the pundits were way off in how the public saw the results of the debate)
TheOfficialHatOnMyCat
Heh. John King, or BillO Riley, juxtaposed with Barack Obama?
That’s like watching two dogs trying to figure out the periodic table.
Those guys are trying to operate way above their pay grades.
Hilarious.
sgwhiteinfla
Ed Marshall
I disagree. That crotchety old bastard called for a spending freeze on the campaign trail and during a debate in response to the economic crisis for fucks sake. I really think he would have probably gone with an all tax cuts stimulus and he probably wouldn’t have sought the second tranche of TARP and or he wouldn’t have gotten it. I truly think he would have fucked up the economy worse just to try to make a wrong headed point.
passerby
@Brachiator:
I agree. One senator (the Independent one from somewhere in New England) is holding up a nominee for having ties with Goldman Sachs. There are way too many Clintonians (and Goldman Sachsians) already. Are the pickings really that slim. I’m rolling with it though because I’m guessing that Obama is using the old "it takes one to know one" reasoning.
Davis X. Machina
Who’s got the over/under on the first use of ‘petulant’ or ‘sarcastic’ in an Obama presser story?
There are some asses that just must be kissed, dammit. What part of that does this man not understand?
TheOfficialHatOnMyCat
@Ed Marshall:
Yes. Educated, articulate, and not self-absorbed or constantly self-justifying.
These are things that by themselves would be refreshing. Together, they make the presidency a whole nother thing.
Cain
@cleek:
I don’t know, bring back that green screen and it would be comedy hour at RedState as they try to defend him.
cain
Dennis-SGMM
@cleek:
McCain would have been assuring the press that in just six more months we’d be turning the corner in our war with Iran.
Ricky Bobby
In line with the other commentators here. Every time I start to get tense about things Obama comes swooping in like Winston Wolf and lays the smack down.
Swear to God, first thing that popped into my head when I heard Obama start to take questions: "You calling the Wolf? Well shit negro, that’s all you had to say!"
Comrade Luke
I didn’t watch the conf because I’ve been getting the feeling that this administration was not all that different from the last, especially with how they deal with the media.
I guess I blew it. Will it be posted somewhere?
Comrade Stuck
"There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again." —President George W. Bush, Nashville, Tenn.,
He almost made it to two.
Bill H
To paraphrase,
Could Bush have ever explained something in such a cool manner? And
Not only that I just found out tonight he’s black. Did you know that?
valdivia
the Treasury has been very hard to staff. The people with the knowledge are either tied to Wall street or have been in previous administrations. Just hiring academics would not be very smart even if they want to serve. Also I hear the vetting has lead quite a few number of people to pull their names. See Think progress for some good posts on this.
Ed Marshall
@sgwhiteinfla:
Maybe, but you would have seen a brand new opposition develop instantly, business wouldn’t have time to hold meetings about how to screw over unions they would have been plotting the overthrow of John Sydney McCain.
passerby
I don’t often find it necessary to berate someone, but who was that stupid woman who asked about race. I didn’t catch her name. I recognize her as one of those washington cocktail circuit panelist types.
It was a nebulous question and more muck raking than enlightening.
camchuck
Obama was poised, had a firm grasp of policy specifics and took time and care to explain things. So of course…
Drudge Headline: BEING BORING
Oh, and also this: "OBAMA DITCHES TELEPROMPTER FOR GIANT TV MONITOR…"
mr. whipple
@Ed Marshall:
Shorter Obama: if your motivation to donate to charity is a tax write off, and this small difference means you won’t donate, yer an asshole.
valdivia
so can someone tell me about this Ed Henry guy? Was he really a gossip columnist? Really?
So Ed Henry, Gossip Boy?
passerby
@valdivia:
Thanks.
Laura W
@Dennis-SGMM:
At first I snickered quietly at your funny joke…and then I threw up in my mouth a little bit while imagining What Could Have Been.
Deep cleansing breath…
Davis X. Machina
I noticed he chose ‘plumber’. Heh.
passerby
@mr. whipple:
I gave him a Booya! when he said that.
TheOfficialHatOnMyCat
@passerby:
Her name is Ann Compton and she works for ABC news.
She is a complete idiot.
valdivia
@passerby:
No prob! It may have been Matt Yglesias. I will try to find the links and post them. (I also think Ezra Klein may have some on this too)
TheOfficialHatOnMyCat
@Laura W:
You might want to take a mint.
fledermaus
They still call it the white house but that’s a temporary condition too
Comrade Jake
@camchuck:
Obama’s boring? That meme will stick, fer sure dude. Man these people are dense.
Laura W
@valdivia:
Don’t you mean: "I’ll try and find you some and bring ‘em to ya"?
gwangung
Awwwight!
And as a fundraiser…all of our major donors who give the big bucks feel the same way—-they give because they dig the organization
valdivia
ZOMG! Teleprompter, teleprompter!
maya
I was trying to remember what Bush did during his first 67 days.
Wasn’t he well into his stride to eclipse, Ronnie the Sacred’s, total number of vacation days taken while in office record? Damn that 9/11! Damn! Damn! Damn!
Laura W
@TheOfficialHatOnMyCat: Sorry.
"Deep cleansing breath mint" is what I meant to type.
Nancy Pppfffttttwhatever is distracting me, talking about fudge and magic and such.
C Nelson Reilly
@Just Some Fuckhead: Fineman’s hair is change you can believe in
Ash
@valdivia: That was a fucking AP article? As in….the Associated Press? Someone please help me before my brain explodes all over my pretty MacBook.
TheOfficialHatOnMyCat
@Laura W:
Just trying to help you out. You were throwing up in your mouth.
I always like a quickdissolve Tums™ and then a mint after that action.
Blogreeder
I predict you wouldn’t give a shit.
passerby
I’ve been giving more thought to the idea of Obama giving well reasoned answers to the press and it occurs to me that all other politicians have grown used to communicating in sound bites, ever leery of saying something the least bit unpopular. They were aware that the press could repeat it and/or misconstrue it and in such a way, they were controlled by the press. Always walking on eggshells.
But Obama doesn’t operate that way. He doesn’t play that game. He gives the bad news in a reasonable fashion seemingly unconcerned about media blow back. He takes it like a man, so to speak. I think he understands that people can be reasoned with and that we’re not as dumb and the media think we are.
Eventually, the talking heads should tire of sensationalizing the unsensationable and maybe we’ll see a more intelligent treatment of events. [wonder how long that would take]
Of course there will always be a market for hair-on-fire shows but I predict a shrinking audience.
or not.
valdivia
@Ash:
yep. I have come to expect it of them given that their political editor is that guy (cant remember the name) who was offered a job with Rove.
Bhall @ 138 yes that is who I meant, he not only writes for them he is the one who determines what gets written as he is BC for AP in DC I think. I actually had not noticed he had written the piece. What a tool.
gizmo
It just occurred to me that the media had weeks to prepare their questions for the President. And we just saw what they came up with.
Yikes….
Laura W
@TheOfficialHatOnMyCat: Yeah, I know your intentions were pure.
I think I’ve chewed my daily allotment of antacids already.
I guess I could clean up my diet and quit drinking wine again, but then I turn on the teevee and ask: Why bother?
What to do, what to do?
Bhall35
That AP article is by that genius Ron Fournier. Remember him?
AkaDad
Up The Creek reference FTW.
SGEW
Some perspective, from March 15th, 2001:
Sure was a long eight years, wasn’t it?
Davis X. Machina
Yeah. President McCain’s first-term press secretary.
Library Grape
late to the party but i have to say that i feel so supremely comfortable that my government is probably generally doing the right thing right now. it’s hard to describe how fundamentally unsettled Bush and his cronies made me. Adults In The White House FTW!
P.S. Wingnut assholes who continue to whinge on about teleprompters need to STFU already
sgwhiteinfla
I feel the need to make a point about Major Garrett’s question where he tried to scare people with the words communist and socialist. There is a reason you will hear wingnuts flog the "China wants a world currency" meme. Supposedly in the end times there will be a one world currency a one world religion and one world rule by the anti christ. I only know this because I am actually a fan of the "Left Behind" books. Thats really the subtext of his question so when you hear other wingnuts like Michele Bachman trying to make hay out of the issue just understand that its a dog whistle for the religious right.
JenJen
CNN is entertaining tonight! They’re awfully salty about the Ed Henry exchange, which of course makes it all the funnier.
Alex Castellanos just said we got our first gilimpse of Obama as a One-Termer, do guffaws from David Gergen and Paul Begala.
Begala FTW though (doubt I’m getting this exactly right): "Alex, he’s 62 days in with about a 62% approval rating. If by the end of the first term he’s awful, we can just do what we did with George Bush and re-elect him anyway!"
To which Alex sniffed, "This is no laughing matter, Paul." Actually, in my house that entire segment was a laughing matter.
passerby
@TheOfficialHatOnMyCat:
She gets to ask the leader of the free world a question and that’s what she does with the opportunity? She could’ve ask what Obama hoped to accomplish at the upcoming G-20 summit but no. (Wished someone would have asked that.)
Ann Compton, complete idiot.
Davis X. Machina
@JenJen
Begala gets the lay-up….and the foul. Three-point play. Flashes of his old, Clinton-era, pre-tool days.
sgwhiteinfla
Stuck in moderation so reposting.
I feel the need to make a point about Major Garrett’s question where he tried to scare people over China. There is a reason you will hear wingnuts flog the "China wants a world currency" meme. Supposedly in the end times there will be a one world currency a one world religion and one world rule by the anti christ. I only know this because I am actually a fan of the "Left Behind" books. Thats really the subtext of his question so when you hear other wingnuts like Michele Bachman trying to make hay out of the issue just understand that its a dog whistle for the religious right.
valdivia
@JenJen:
what did gergen have to say? I turned CNN off after Rahm.
Brachiator
@passerby:
Unfortunately, the natural and most comfortable stance of the media is political kabuki, shallow sensationalism and gotcha moments. Look how many journalists have fought back against Jon Stewart’s dismantling of Cramer. Instead of using this as an opportunity to bring consistently good economic reporting, they have to defend the status quo, i.e., that broadcasters make money on "rah rah" economics infotainment commercials, and desperately resent that Stewart, a mere comedian, would dare shake the money tree or mock their empty preening.
Similarly, modern political journalism could not exist without conference calls, talking points, cozying up to sources, and the content-empty posturing of the Sunday pundit shows. There are hours of faux news to fill so that eyeballs can be delivered to advertisers. An informed public is the last thing on anyone’s mind.
By the way, you will know that the nadir has been reached when a reporter asks the president, "Nice suit. What designer are you wearing?" Or when someone comments that the president smiled too much. Oops. This last has already happened.
Laura W
Matt Taibbi up on Rachel in a few..
JG
CNN is too stooopid to even quantify, but why do they keep showing idiots saying the Ed Henry smackdown was a "dodge" and sign of "simmering anger," and – my favorite – a sign that Obama will be a one-term President (go Alex Castellanos!).
Also – word cloud? Really?
Last, Jake Tapper, always an idiot, might have asked Obama to commit to not signing a concurrent budget resolution he doesn’t actually need to sign.
Dennis-SGMM
Part of the reason that the press sucks so badly in this setting is that they were conditioned to a presser every few months at which they’d get malapropisms, smirks, "That’s a trick question," and boilerplate. Bush loved stupid questions. Ask enough of them and you got a cool nickname. We need some new journos, ones who haven’t been conditioned by eight years of teh stupid.
camchuck
@sgwhiteinfla:
Thanks for the info. Unsurprisingly, the top google search result for "one world currency" is a Glenn Beck clip.
mr. whipple
@valdivia:
Gergen just said Obama looked tired and is lowering his goals.
In general, CNN is bashing the hell outta him. They all must help their buddy Henry, it’s the code.
NonyNony
@Brachiator:
I ain’t going to defend the journamalists, but this isn’t exactly a dynamic that is unique to them. In any job I’ve had, and in any school I attended, if one group gets criticized they immediately band together and get defensive. It’s a human dynamic – some outsider says mean things about someone in your group and you jump to defend him. At least partly because you know that those criticisms are true of you too, and partly because shaking up the status quo is never good if you’re in a comfortable position.
Most of our press corpse lives pretty comfortably and they like the status quo. They don’t want to shake it up. I’d even argue that anyone who makes six figures plus a year and isn’t in favor of maintaining the status quo is either one of nature’s few natural-born rebels, an idiot, or crazy. So of course 90-some percent of the press corpse is leaping to Cramer’s defense – the status quo that Stewart (one of nature’s few natural-born rebels) is shaking up is one that has done some pretty damn good things for them. And Cramer is their friend. It’s a one-two punch and it’s human nature to defend it.
(Actually a lot of politics boils down to some variation of this dynamic in the abstract. Kind of sad that the same dynamic that determines who sits where in a middle school lunchroom also gets to determine what your tax rate is going to be and whether your 401K is being adequately regulated, isn’t it?)
sgwhiteinfla
Dennis SGMM
I don’t know if you noticed but most of these clowns are actually new, not the same one who coddled Bush. But the problem is most of them also covered McCain during the Presidential campaign instead of Obama so they were conditioned to hate President Obama but also to ask shitty questions. Seriously, I think only Jake Tapper covered Obama during the campaign and he was a major douche even then which is probably the only reason he got to keep the gig.
passerby
And about the teleprompter. I noticed that Obama had the teleprompter directly in front of him, looking right into the camera instead of his usual side to side. He came across as speaking directly to the viewers vs to the press assembly. He should keep that in the act.
Also, for those following the the press conference post mortem on the chatter box, is anyone pointing out that the teleprompter was only in use for about 8 minutes? For the rest of the hour he was extemporaneous. Bet they won’t focus on that tidbit else they’d have to sit down and shut up.
Payasos.
valdivia
@mr. whipple:
sigh. why am I not surprised. I wonder sometimes if they see what we all see or if they live in a parallel universe. And Castellanos really said Obama would be a one term president? Based on this press conference.
head. hits. desk. again.
inthewoods
Yes. Who’d want to do the hard work of figuring this stuff out, when you can just relax at home and critique?
Anyone head over to Redstate for their open thread? Man, just sad. Jokes about the teleprompter and that’s about it. And only about 20 comments. Dead.
Chup
@valdivia:
Ron Fournier needs to have a new job.
I’ll pay him what’s he’s worth—a nickel a day.
someguy
The unremitting media hostility was a real embarrassment but the President has really won me over to his way of thinking, in spite of the media being completely in the bag for the Republicans or totally taken with blowing each other. How he ever gets his message out at all is beyond me.
mr. whipple
@valdivia:
Castellanos also kinds inferred that goopers would be against regulating wall street. I only hope they keep listening to people as dumb as he is, like limbaugh.
Jeebus, they are dumb.
Brick Oven Bill
Obama’s team is on to my OSI. This team has now switched to a single monitor for Obama to read his talks. This has to be Axelrod or Rahm. Bastards.
Now how am I supposed to judge my President’s mood? What am I supposed to do?
Svensker
Jonah Goldberg is talking about the teleprompter over at NRO. And he gave Obama a "B" for being boring.
I’ll take one of them there cigareetes, though, if there are any left.
Comrade Luke
Watching it on dkostv right now.
Wow – Ed Henry is a tool.
passerby
@sgwhiteinfla:
That’s interesting because when Bernanke answered her "one currency" question this afternoon, he sorted waved his right hand in a dismissive motion. I thought it a peculiar gesture and felt that he wanted to elaborate but she moved on, with her air of affected superiority and self importance, to her next question.
valdivia
Ron Fournier should go report from mars about water being found there. Or maybe partner with Glen Beck?
I want to see the republicans square the circle of populist outrage while opposing financial regulations.
akonuche
@Shaina: LMAO
!
Oh, man. That smackdown was lovely. You could see that Prez O was annoyed by teh stupid.
Davis X. Machina
The only thing Jake Tapper ever covered was Jake Tapper. I’ll bet dollars to donuts he does internal monologues, like the young Reverend Scott Sloan in the early Doonesbury: ‘Here comes Jake Tapper, hard-hitting journalist….’
passerby
"Gergen just said Obama looked tired and is lowering his goals."
I thought when he first came out that he seemed a little tense. Also, there was tension in his voice as he read his opening comments—up to the point when he began answering questions when he was smooth and engaging.
Michelle and the girls are at Camp David this week, spring break. With them gone, bet he’s working overtime in preparation for the G-20.
valdivia
so according to some guy from Hearst Newspapers Obama’s honeymoon ended because he went and did the Leno show. Huh?
MikeJ
You know, when I posted earlier in the Deep Thought thread, Joe will want to know why everything was soooooo serious and dull. I was making fun of the "how dare he make a joke" meme.
Reality moves faster than parody these days.
Brachiator
@passerby:
The chattering media doesn’t realize that Obama is using them to communicate to the American people. They think it’s all about them. And I don’t mean "using" cynically. If a reporter asks a good question, Obama uses it to communicate. If a reporter asks a stoopid question, Obama deflects it and communicates.
Reviewer Jonathan Mirskty, in the February issue of the UK magazine, Literary Review, says all that anyone needs to know about Jonah Goldberg:
passerby
@JenJen:
JenJen, sorry, I had missed your observation about Compton’s stupid stupid question before I made my up-thread comment. Was she really not expecting to be called on? I remember her kind of acting surprised when she stood up but now that you mention it, this makes her not only stupid, but lazy. Who goes to a press conference by the POTUS and doesn’t have a question prepared? (Compton, evidently)
Exactly. He’s a nice guy trying to be a tough, hard hitting guy and it seems like he out of his league. i though he was great in his number crunching days.
Elie
#99The OfficialHatonMyCat—
Man, you have me laughing so hard! "two dogs looking at the periodic table" Yuk,yuk,yuk—
Lots of great comments tonight gang, so enjoying it!
Arachnae
Ed Henry translated: "Don’t You Get It? Why aren’t you channeling the inchoate rage of the Herd Mind?"
Maybe it’s just me, but I’d rather a president spent his time trying to FIX things rather than reacting to our often-inappropriate emotions.
John H. Farr
Decent and smart he is. I’m gonna shut up and let the man work.
ImJohnGalt
FAIL.
Davis X. Machina
The teleprompter thing is whatever lies on the far side of lame.
He had a prepared opening statement. He used a teleprompter.
I have a speech class in a high school in rural Maine, and fer chrissakes, I have a teleprompter—$40 total, mostly for the half-silvered mirror, and a good shop teacher. And if you’re speaking on camera, you use it. This isn’t Gladstone-and-Disraeli-debate-the-Reform-Bill, people—it’s 2009.
It’s what you do.
Xanthippas
Boy, that was just plain silly. Election night and I felt like I was watching a mashup of CNN and Star Wars.
Bad Horse's Filly
I said during the primaries when everyone was so worried about Obama and Clinton, that it seemed like Obama was playing 3D chess and the rest of us were playing checkers*. I ceased to worry about him since then. He’s got it covered in all dimensions.
*It appears, after tonight, that some are playing tic-tac-toe.
os
Teleprompter? Because we know the teleprompter can predict what questions will be asked and spits out the answer so barack has enough time to read it. And i suppose that without a teleprompter somehow the policies would be different or maybe he doesnt know what his own policies are so he has to have them on a screen? Not really sure what traction they are trying to gain but keep running in quick sand if youd like
Bad Horse's Filly
@TheOfficialHatOnMyCat: I’ve been meaning to ask you, when did you become official? Did you get a major league contract when I wasn’t paying attention? :-)
ImJohnGalt
@Bad Horse’s Filly:
I think it’s like a Rap Moniker (cf. The Notorious B.I.G.)
JenJen
@passerby: Ann Compton does remote stuff for ABC Radio affiliates across the country, and this afternoon around rush hour I was listening to her on WLW-700. She was joking about the evening’s press conference and how "amped up" all the reporters were (*cough*BUT NOT ANN*cough*). She also chatted with the host about what kind of questions we could expect, etc. It was entirely banal, drive-time radio filler.
Just some background on how Ms. Compton spent her day, because she sure didn’t spend it preparing a question or two to ask of the President of the United States, you know, in the unlikely event, or something.
Steeplejack
@Laura W:
Just got home from school late. Just Some Fuckhead’s bus ran our short bus into a ditch.
MarkusB
Late to this party, but it was, indeed, very good for me.
Blogreeder
Taking your cue from your leader, now the metally challenged are fair game! Short bus, must mean he’s stoopid, right?
r€nato
yeah, my father is one of those assholes.
Actually, he doesn’t give a fucking dime to charity. If he ever gave somebody something for nothing, his dick might shrivel up and fall off or something.
He just likes to cheat and take the maximum deduction for charity you can get away with (I think it’s $600 or so), without having to provide substantial proof. So in his mind, that bastard Obama is taking money out of his pocket with that one.
Sure glad I don’t speak to that narcissistic piece of shit any longer, so I don’t have to listen to him bitching about that one. I think I’d have to stab the fucker or something.
iluvsummr
@sgwhiteinfla: Hmm, I’m actually wondering whether any other country would take China’s call for an international reserve currency that replaces the dollar seriously. Seems unlikely, but it would be a disaster if they did. Of course, neither Garrett or Bachmann is interested in that aspect of things, since all that matters is pushing the anti-Christ meme.
Oh and Ed Henry is a tool.
r€nato
@Brachiator:
"I think well of ‘Liberal Fascism’!" – Jonathan Mirskty
TheOfficialHatOnMyCat
@JenJen:
What, her "Do you guys use the n-word in your cabinet meetings?" question didn’t impress you?
Nellcote
All week Chuckie T’s been begging people to email him questions to ask the Prez. Sad.
JenJen
@TheOfficialHatOnMyCat: It’s just so funny when the press spends the better half of a lovely spring day boasting of how hard they’re gonna pwn3 the President, only to get pwn3d themselves.
I feel for Ann Compton. But honestly, did she think she was going to a Tea Party? Oh, fuck, I can’t use that metaphor anymore…
Svensker
@Brachiator:
Heh, indeedy. No one pwns like the Brits.
Svensker
@ImJohnGalt:
LOL
DaddyJ
I stopped watching full-length Presidential press conferences in the aughts for reasons of self-preservation, so I’ve been out of the loop for quite a while. But what really struck me about the clips I’ve seen is how much makeup and hairspray many of the journos are slathering on themselves. Mr. Henry in particular looks like he’s in the studio, hosting the Ed Henry Show. When did the preening narcissists start outnumbering the real journalists?