Obama Presser Open Thread
I won’t be able to post tonight on Obama’s prime-time press conference — other obligations call, and no, I’m not talking about the Yankees-Red Sox exhibition game tonight. (Really, I’m not!)
In any case, I’d rather hear what you have to say about it, so here’s an open thread for you all to weigh in.
The advance excerpts are here. They suggest that Obama is moving away from recent expressions of optimism about the crisis towards a more hard-headed effort to prepare us all for what looks to be shaping up as a very long slog. And he continues to cast himself as the leading advocate for our collective interests, and implicitly casts opponents of his agenda as driven by self interest, a view that polls suggest the public is willing to accept.
Key quote:
We will recover from this recession. But it will take time, it will take patience, and it will take an understanding that when we all work together; when each of us looks beyond our own short-term interests to the wider set of obligations we have to each other –- that’s when we succeed. That’s when we prosper. And that’s what is needed right now. So let us look toward the future with a renewed sense of common purpose, a renewed determination, and most importantly, a renewed confidence that a better day will come.
Please share your thoughts about Obama’s presser or anything else.
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Data have shown that it is the working and middle classes that are most into philanthropy and volunteer work. I bet that in this case it will be the same groups that work together and sacrifice for the betterment of the country. The monied class, with a few rare exceptions, will do next to nothing in comparison to what they could be doing. The recent exercise on Wall St. demonstrates that they feel entitled, not obligated.
A rather somber presser for the most part — unsurprising, given the weighty subject matter. I don’t think President Obama’s quite in tip-top form this evening, and there have been precious few openings for him to flash that rapier wit and keen sense of humor. But clearly he’s highly knowledgeable and exceptionally well informed, a refreshing change from the man who used to appear behind that podium. That’s how I’d characterize this evening: Somber but substantive.
I think the WH press corps needs to step up their game. There is not a single worthy opponent among them — not even MikeDrudgeAllen, who impotently tried to fire up the troops this morning w/ a bunch of **** about the MSM’s inherently “adversarial” stance. Whatever.
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These reporters need to do a basic Google News search before they attempt to sputter out a inane question to a President who runs circles around them. They are simply not up to his level and never will be. He is just too smart and too quick for them, especially when they arrive to a live, prime time presser armed-to-the-teeth with GOP talkingpoints.
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White House Press Corps — BOOOOOOO!!!!!
President Obama owned the joint. Ed Henry and his lowly band of Drudgites got smacked around silly. Awesome Sauce all around.
best line of the night–I want to know what i am talking about in response to Ed Henry, Gossip Guy.
And I actually thought it was an excellent presser. He has a handle on all the policies, explains it clearly even if the journalists are all Village Idiots. The only guy with a decent question was the guy from Essence. Props to him.
Oh and notice what everybody is talking about on the after presser shows.
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Health Care
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Energy
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Education
It’s really refreshing to watch a President give coherent, multi-sentence answers to some questions I considered pretty baiting. He plays “Gotcha!” quite well, smashing the serves right back into the reporters’ courts. He’s also getting better with his off-script performance.
I give him an 8.
my bad upthread the reporter that asked the great question about the homeless was from Ebony.
Not much I can say about this impressive individual that I haven’t said before.
But it does strike me how absolutely phucked we could be right now had McCain won this election with Sarah Palin as his VP.
Amen, Bernie. Aaaaaaaaaa-MEN!
Don’t Mess with Malia & Sasha…Didn’t Ed Henry mention the Obama daughters in his question? I think that was what pissed off Obama. So he shut Ed Henry down, it was such a shut down, that even the other members of the press corps laughed at Ed too. Go back and re-watch the tape, they laughed at him
And you know it hit home since after the press conference, CNN was hating on POTUS: “He looked tired” “He seemed angry”, etc…
Whatevah CNN! Is it any wonder CNN is 4th in the ratings
What made Ed question so bad was that he tried to name drops the Obama daughters, that whole “what about your daughters” ****. If there is one thing we’ve learned, do not mess with the Obama daughters. Haven’t anyone noticed yet, that all the vulgar criticism have been directed to Obama or Michelle, not Malia or Sasha.
That is where the line was drawn, and that was what made Ed Hengy’s question rude, he was trying to get a rise of POTUS by mentioning the daughters. Well he poke the lion, and the lion bit his head off.
Someone said on DKOS, wouldn’t it have been just as rude to ask Bush a question like “what if it was your daughters…” in reference to 9/11 or Katrina.
That’s where Ed’s question went wrong. Plus, he asked once and POTUS answered, but the mofo asked the same question again?
Ed Henry was afraid to be called a “butt-boy” by Rushbo again. And it the process, made himself look like a total tool.
Chip Reid was the Republican buttboy this time, bringing a list John Boehner’s silly questions about the deficit 8 years from now. And, can Ed Henry’s seething dislike of Obama be any more obvious? That whole thing was a pathetic indictment of the superficial morons of television journalism. The print people did better. AP opened a question on regulation of non-banks, AFP asked about Israel/Palestine, Stars & Stripes about veteran’s funding and the military, even Village gossip Mike Allen had a somewhat decent question.Univision about border security.
But those TV guys, blow-dried 40-year-old petulant prima donnas with massively over-inflated, but exquisitely tender, egos need to be strung up on the nearest lamppost.
I liked when he was looking at Ed Henry.. with that stern look.. the I think he levitated, just a bit.
Woah!
Yankees won.