A trip down memory lane – Obama’s Press Conferences!
The first one he gave wasn’t until February 9, 2009. After giving a rather lengthy discourse in which he blames everything on Bush, vows to create 4 million new jobs, save homeownership, and make sure the financial system is ‘working again’ – whatever that means.
Obama job creation was right in there with George Bush for his first term, second term numbers not finalized.
Home ownership dropped by about 4-5%,
and Banks are posting enormous losses…
- His first appointed question came from Reuters about Iran relations. Obama’s response was to state that the previous president built up a lot of ‘mistrust’, and he was going to fix that.
- The next from Chip Reid, a liberal who had recently been appointed to CBS by NBC. He asked about Bipartisanship. Obama’s response? “There have been a lot of bad habits built up here…”.
- He then called on Chuck Todd, asking where he was, because he didn’t see him but knew that the question was most likely already staged. Chuck Todd was the iberal from NBC and MSNBC. He asked about the financial stresses of credit. Obama answered by blaming the banking institutions for tight money and claiming his solution was to loosen credit restrictions. Which he never managed to do.
- His next question came from Bloomberg – a liberal publisher. The question was also directed at the financial crisis. Obama claimed to have averted the worst by passing TARP, which was actually passed by Bush – and Obama’s claim to WE was misrepresentational. He then deferred the questions to the Secretary of Treasury.
- Jake was the name of his next questioner, no reference to last name or news outlet. CNN was searched out, “Ed Henry, Where’s Ed Henry, CNN?”
- Then Helene Cooper of the New York Times, who he also ‘searched out’, “Helene Cooper, where’s Helene?” Deferred the question to Secretary of Treasury.
- Major Garrett, whose affiliation is broad having worked for CNN, Fox and MSNBC. He too was “searched out for a question”. He asked about some secret conversation Obama had with Biden and would the President come clean. He said he didn’t remember the conversation.
- Then there was Michael Fletcher of the Washington Post who asked a question about steroid use by the Texas Rangers …what?
There was a question from Helen somebody, then the Huffington Post, “Where’s Sam”? His question related to setting up a ‘Truth Committee’ to investigate Bush. And last from Mara Liasson of NPR who asked ‘again’ about bipartisanship to which he ‘again’ deferred.
Hardly a snappy performance – and obviously a staged one in asking specific journalists whose question were most likely previously agreed to and thus staged answers.
And while it’s true that we have known for decades that politicians pay actors to show up at their events as rallying supporters, the dimension of the targeted attacks at the recent Townhalls is truly unprecedented and over-the-top. Hecklers are a dime a dozen, but it used to be fair game to also ‘have them removed’. Sometimes forcefully, if necessary.
It is also interesting to note that in 2009 and 2011, The Washington Post and Huffington Post labeled these hecklers as “evil conspirators staging scenes for UTube”. They went on to say that these hecklers were crazies exploited by the elites during the bloom of liberal ascendancy.
Even more interesting is a report by The Washington Post in which it comments about the hecklers as being more ferocious and gang-like – at Republican Townhalls. So even when Obama was president, the voices were most vociferous at Republican events. Of course, WAPO suggests that these hecklers are more a nuisance and political theater, and we should not pay attention. That was then – now, it is quite different…
It’s always fun to toss words back in the face of a media source that flip-flops it’s indignation so righteously.
Of course let us not forget all the times Obama went out on a limb to diss Fox News, Rupert Murdoch, and Republican’s on CNN, via the State Department, Politico, CNBC, and all major networks via his numerous appearances on late night television!
The BULLY just got BULLIED – and is whining…no fair.