GMGaston has a post up for comments on the Press Conference, and I urge you (in the spirit of blog friendliness) to wander over and join the conversation of the performance in general there.
I don't want to talk so much about President Obama -- I want to talk about the press.
What the hell, folks?
Chuck Todd, let's start with you. Mr. Todd, the chief White house correspondent for NBC News and their political director, asked the following:"In your opening remarks, you talked about that if your plan works the way you want it to work, it's gonna increase consumer spending. But isn't consumer spending, or overspending, how we got into this mess? And if people get money back into their pockets, do you not want them saving it, or paying down debts, first, before they start spending money back into the economy?"
What followed from the president was a long statement, but it started with this: "Well, first of all, I don't think it's accurate to say that consumer spending got us into this mess." And then Professor Obama, he of the multiple economic advisers and daily briefings, held a nice little class for Mr. Todd on the precise history of the financial crisis to this date.
First, a, I'd like to know where Chuck Todd has studied economics. His living room? Yeah. That's what I thought. And that's fine -- it's pretty much the same school I've attended on this matter, which is why I research like crazy any time I step up to bat on it. Chuck Todd's strength is politics and its analysis and while that makes him a stellar choice to send into the press conference with the intent of asking about bipartisanship (is it possible his ONLY question was taken by the first questioner?), or when you want to quiz the president over his choices for cabinet posts, it makes him a very lousy choice for a conference like this. Why they didn't send Maria Bartiromo someone else from CNBC, I can't imagine. Seriously, folks, if you show up to fight with the President of the United States, and Topic A is the Economy, do me, do us all -- those of us who depend upon you to bring an A game that's way above our two-econ-courses-in-college-or-less heads -- a favor and send your business reporters with their best boxing gloves. A vigorous and informed press is the best defense of democracy.
Todd wasn't alone in his mushy questioning. Michael Fletcher, of the Washington Post, wasted his question asking President Obama what he thinks about Alex Rodriquez and the drug testing and admissions today. I'm sorry, what did you think he was going to say? "Oh, yeah, I heard about that -- drugs are awesome!" Come on. Maybe, on a light news day, on the 57th press conference of the year, I would accept this question as credible -- but today there was a huge question ignored, a huge issue dodged, by the president and the press: The question of the Jeppesen Case.
Today the adminstration, as so ably fumed about in Glenn Greenwald's post, said it would stick with the previous administration's policy and not let the case go forward. According to ABC's Jake Tapper, who was present at the conference and asked an economy question:
The Obama Administration today announced that it would keep the same position as the Bush Administration in the lawsuit Mohamed et al v Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc.
The case involves five men who claim to have been victims of extraordinary rendition -- including current Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed, another plaintiff in jail in Egypt, one in jail in Morocco, and two now free. They sued a San Jose Boeing subsidiary, Jeppesen Dataplan, accusing the flight-planning company of aiding the CIA in flying them to other countries and secret CIA camps where they were tortured.
A year ago the case was thrown out on the basis of national security, but today the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard the appeal, brought by the ACLU.
A source inside of the Ninth U.S. District Court tells ABC News that a representative of the Justice Department stood up to say that its position hasn't changed, that new administration stands behind arguments that previous administration made, with no ambiguity at all. The DOJ lawyer said the entire subject matter remains a state secret.
Now, Eric Holder has said he's reviewing the policy on state secrets -- but why, at a press conference in front of the whole country, did A-Rod take a front seat to asking the president, point-blank, what his administration is doing about this?
I applaud Ed Henry from CNN for asking a point-blank, awareness-raising question about the coffins at Dover (and for using Biden's old quote about it). But for nearly every one else: hey, kids, it's a new game. You have to do your homework before you show up from now on.
Updates: 1). If you missed the conference and want to watch, video is available at CNN: The Statement, The Q&A. It's running crazy slow right now, though. Democracy in action?
2). If you missed the conference and prefer to read, the transcript is up at The New York Times (and will probably be in their print edition tomorrow).
3). If you just want to hit the highlights, you could do much worse than the Atlantic's politics channel, where Marc Ambinder live-blogged the whole thing.
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Catherine Forsythe
Writer to the Stars
Emily Holleman
Iron Skillet
Leslie Harpole
old new lefty
Salon.com
Comments
Jesus. Christ.
And Saturn, sorry to take away from your post, which is really good, but this was soooooo bugging me.
But, yah know, these events always seem to have a light question, just to relieve the heaviness of serious stuff - he may have been the designated hitter, or the whole thing was a set-up - ??
I agree with you about some of the questions asked. Where were the questions about Iraq, or Treasury Secretary Geithne (sp) or many others.
When NBC announced Chuck Todd as the new White House Correspondent, I email everyone I could at NBC and said I thought he was the wrong person. Todd did a great job during the election with all the poll results, but what journalistic experience has he had to be at the White House. So many others would have been better. So I agree with you Todd comments.
Thanks for posting a great overview of this press conference.
RATED
GMGaston, I, too, would've liked to see more pointed questions on Iraq -- perhaps about the elections from this weekend? Or a comment on the upcoming Israeli elections? Yeah, missed opportunities for the press, but a homerun for the president.
I wasn't as happy with Obama's answer as I could have been, but I don't know how he could easily have done better. Reading between the lines, I heard him trying not to say “the problem isn't spending, it's that the previous rules of lending caused people who didn't have a right to money to have some and then spend it.” We need to get people some money they do have a right to spend and then have them spend that. (Of course, this still doesn't explain why we don't want people to save.)
I half-listened to it on the radio, so will catch up tomorrow, but did hear the A-Rod question and some of the others & was like,
oh god, now I'm totally more confused than ever and no wonder he (Pres. Obama) sounds a bit petulant and dismissive to these assholes
I think his division of short-term versus long-term goals was good on that question, in that he said, in the short term we want to shore up the credit markets and make people able to borrow if needed to survive, but in the long term we need to have a national dialogue about, in his word, how to be more fiscally "prudent." So maybe a few years down the road we'll see an Obama Saving Stimulus or something.
I did wonder, LPS, if his tone sounded sharper to those not watching his facial expressions. That's an interesting side-note of the whole thing -- he looked pretty calm throughout.
certainly more so than on the campaign trail
They are generally uncaring, selfish, boring, tragically stupid and overly and deliberately misinformed.
I know people that actually like Steven Colbert because they can't see that he mocks everything that they stand for.
There are people that walk this planet that are such a waste of skin and time to try to convert. They are sure that Obama is a 'socialist' and that Iraq is hiding weapons in some back alley that hasn't been irradiated and bombed to gravel and are sure that 'liberals' and 'progressives' are out to kill all of their equally misinformed, bigoted and hatred spewing spawn...
They fear the 'death tax' and 'latte liberals' who they are told are bent on taking their money and giving it to crack whores and terrorists...
If it weren't so damn tragic it would be funny... I've had people ask me if I'm a 'liberal' with a look like they just found me under a moss covered rock.
All of the damage wrought by the death of the 'fairness doctrine' and dawning of 'fair and balanced' media...
It's all about distraction, to keep the sheeple calm and under control so they don't forget to take their Paxil and Abilify with that Lyrica chaser. The biggest Kabuki theatre this side of Japan...
The A-Rod question---Let's just say the whole drug in professional sports issue makes me crazy. Who cares??????And why???/
But nothing beats Chris Matthews' suggested question. He opined that one of the reporters might ask Obama what he thought about Andrew Card's comments on the necessity for jackets being worn in the Oval Office. "I'd ask that," Chris said.
Really? What f-ing planet are you living on Chris? Take a look around you buddy. We are in the hand-basket and those of the gates of hell just up ahead!
The A Rod thing was inevitable. It was "the hot story" yesterday and it's old news. Anyone who doesn't know by now that all the heavy hitters of that era weren't juiced is just naive.
I was pleased at Obama's answer to Chuck Todd. I hope everyone listened to his explanation of what got us into this mess.
Glad to see Helen Thomas is in the mix again.
Good post.
When, answering the first question he was asked last night,
President Obama said "I think that what I've said is what other economists have said...".
Until last night, I didn't know that Mr. Obama was a trained economist. The University of Chicago is a place, if there is such a place, where one might learn economics by osmosis. However, I don't think our president studied economics while he was teaching law there.
I'm not a Chuck Todd apologist, but where, exactly, did President Obama receive his training in Economics ? In his living room ?
the question about consumer spending was a good one. i think in that answer, can't be sure, he talked about corporate greed in using private jets when not necessary, and how taking $1 and trying to go out and spend $30.
anyway, i think he was trying to get a point across. one that is if you make a certain amount, and buy a house in you price range, then you will be able to continue to shop at the mall, go out to eat, get your latte's at starbucks.
if you buy a big house or suv you can't afford, well then you won't be out spending. something like that. and the folks who lent it to you should have checked to see how much you make and should not have put in the equation that you buy a lotto ticket....so maybe???
the dude is trying. i am surprised on the coffin question he said he had not read the patrick leahy report. he did say he would and would have a statement for us today. i am waiting.
someone mentioned the gitmo case. and someone, maybe not here, has mentioned he should go after bush and company. i saw him say last night that he wants to move forward in terms of ending torture now and closing gitmo. but i do hope he does not forget what has happened at gitmo in the past 8 years. i hope he does go after bush and company.
i am in california and thinking of leaving for washington d.c.
this recession is hitting my state hard. i am a part time teacher $$$ and have not been getting work. i also do some film work as freelancer. no calls lately.
just heard the lausd may go on strike. this will end my paycheck for sure. heard that if i file my state tax return, i may not get my refund.
so some friends have offered a job in d.c. area and i will probably go. should be an interesting time to be there with my main man in office. i will miss the sunshine. but wow!!! i only see the situation getting worse.
a friend works in barnes and nobles. been there for 10 years. i went by to see her for a chat the other day. the store was completely empty!!! scary. anyway, i digressed. sorry.
i do not work for the lausd, but a smaller district. i was at a school last week and read the union bulletin. it said that they may follow whatever the uta, lausd union does. so it is really bad. 10.8 billion cut.
so i for one am for the stimulus package. it will save education. teachers i work with on a regular basis are so nervous. so not fair.
what did that idiot governor do to our budget?? someone should "termintate" him.
Some of them might have asked better questions if Obama didn't ramble on for thirteen minutes over the first question.
Reporters don't know s**t. But neither does Obama.
Helen Thomas need to go into retirement. In her question she used the term "so-called terrorists". When do people who wear explosive vests in to markets, run bombs loaded in boats in to ships not rate as terrorists? Even President Obama called them what they are.
When did the Huffington Post become a news group? Even the question show exactly what they are. Maybe at the next news event we can get Kerry called on to ask a question.
And let's not go thinking I have anything against any particular class of people...unless we are defining ILLEGAL as a class, then yes, I do have problems with ILLEGAL. Some say were are all immigrants, well yes, and for all of us, provided it was done legally whenever that initial crossing took place there is nothing wrong with it. Legal immigrants I have no problem with, although I would also closely watch the level of legal immigration, especially during a time when my own citizens needed jobs. I have no doubt these ILLEGALS lead a hard life and that sucks, but you take care of your citizens first and then move on. Everyone hated us being in Iraq; putting out nose into other peoples business; how could we help those over there when we have problems here...yes, exactly that, short of it having a direct economic or national security effect to our citizens. This is just the same; you make choices and citizens come first when it involves government. If individuals want to take care of illegals, that's why we have charities.
Lilgeneral -- yeah, I think that was a slip of the tongue in an unscripted answer. I would imagine Obama does study economics in his living room -- but I think he's much more likely than I am (or than Chuck Todd is) to have Paul Krugman sitting in the living room with him, explaining things.
Catnlion -- sure, HuffPo is partisan and all that, but it's not like that's an unprecedented presence in a presidential press conference.
Citizen Justice, I'll accept your assertion that baseball can be important to local economies, but that wasn't the way the question was framed, and it's counter to your accusation that everyone else here wanted a press conference solely focused on the economy. I wasn't calling for that -- I think that's clear from the 1/3 of my post that's dedicated to calling for address of a legal question that wasn't brought up.
I'm also happy to have criticism, and counterpoints, such as those provided civilly by catnlion and Jon Boni today, but please -- if you feel the need to insult the intelligence of people for espousing certain opinions, a). get the opinions right, and b) try and direct your fire at me, and not the commenters and readers who wander here. The idea is to stimulate discussion, not squelch it. You could also consider writing a post of your own, which I'd happily read and comment upon, if you want to discuss a topic other than that on hand.
I wan't talking about it being partisan. There are lots of groups like that, on both sides. You are at the first press conference that he did, with the biggest names in news.
If you are going to include the Huffington Post why not the Star or National Enquirer? We need news reported straight by news people.
I think it was the right idea, wrong person.
I think Obama's use of the internet shows some of his forward thinking. We are going to need that today.
So while I will debate some of his politics and ideas, I never said he was all bad. :)
on Obama's left? The eagle's talon held the arrows. The other
talon holds an olive branch, but they chose (I do believe) to show
the one with the arrows. Bush always had the flag displayed that
way.
There as a time the story was the hero now it is the story teller. The problem with 24/7 new networks is there is just not enough story to go around, so to keep the cameras rolling they have to create buzz and drama out of little or nothing.
I mean 5 minutes devoted to what the Obama kids had for lunch? And baseball and steroids? And hours devoted to PETA ads. How many times can we watch someone having sex with broccoli?
Hey media its not the presidents job worry about some athlete shooting stuff in his butt. All 20 million government employees report to him, he is the president doing big picture stuff. He should not be wasting his time making sure he can answer your stupid questions about Michael Phelps, or A-rod.
If the news media want respect, then start asking respectful questions.