Me too Proud, I recorded it on my DVR and I haven’t watched it yet, I will wait and see the comments and reactions from TODiers. I want to keep Michelle Obama’s beautiful speech in my heart all day today because she revealed so much about our President that we already knew but it touched me so deep and moved me in away i can’t explain. I love My President even more if that is even possible.
M4O I couldnt agree more with your comment about loving PBO even more after reading Michelle Obama’s speech. Words can not express how much I loven and admire him.
I am just fuming that Ann Curry had the nerve to ask President Obama why he was not angry about 14 million people being out of work. BWD has posted the transcript of the speech that FLOTUS gave where she laments how the presidency is taking a toll on her husband. It is remarkable to hear first hand from a reliable source just how hard he works for the American people. I plan to forward the transcript to Ann Curry and ask her to explain how she could ask such a stupid and insulting question.
They are totally stumped and stymied because he isn’t “angry” enough. They want their emo President. That’s the teevee talking, what our country has become thanks to them. UGH, they repulse me.
Every question was offensive. I don’t watch that show ever since I saw Matt Lauer fawning over palin – it showed me who they are. And I was happy when Bill Cosby gave Meredith Vieira a smackdown over her stupid interview with the Chump. The whole show is made of doo-doo, and I’m so disappointed in Ann Curry, whom I thought was one of the decent ones. I hope that’s the last interview she ever gets from the President. The President was masterful, as ever.
Don’t be. I think we were led astray a bit by a soundbite that was leaked last night. I thought the interview was excellent, and even though some of the questions may have seemed like they were missing the point (not knowing about how health care reform and economy are connected), President Obama was allowed without interruption to answer every question in his calm, clear, smart, sensible way. I just watched the latest segment, where they were walking through the lighting co. in N.C., where he was asked about Michelle and the girls’ feelings about his decision to seek a 2nd term, with all the pressure and trials and tribulations, and I thought he answered the questions beautifully. The depth of his character was in evidence. And my feeling is—-Curry is an Obama voter.
I folks! Ann Curry is most definitely an Obama voter. She is a liberal. How do I know? We both went to the U. Oregon in the late seventies. There is NO WAY you could be from that generation/time and from that place and not be liberal. I think the headlines were, as usual, inflammatory to get clicks on the website.and viewership on NBC. Same old same old. That said, I think it is appropriate to let her know how she came across on the unemployment question. The question and her tone came across as snarky and sarcastic and Ann needs to know about it. I wrote her a note BTW.
He was very careful to push her back on the notion that he is not “angry” and didn’t go the “kiss ass” way the way he handled Matt Lauer’s gotcha question about BP last summer that unfortunately was talked about more than all he did for the folks down there.
The Nonsense answer was simply brilliant and she shut her trap.
I meant her a few years ago while sitting at O’Hare airport and she was very nice but these so-called “journalists” should know better than to interrupt the President mid sentence a la Brier/O’Reilly and that Texas fool 🙄
It wasn’t that bad. It was actually good and PBO was eminently reasonable…as per usual. My initial reaction to the deficit question and the deep cuts the GOP wants is that the President is playing the GOP like lotto. He is not going to give them the cuts they want, and he is just running the clock by having Biden having these meetings with them and have the Chamber of Commerce and the Koch Brothers push the screws in the Repubs to raise the debt ceiling.
I am a bit offended, though, by a number of people’s assertions in these interviews that PBO should just call it a day with one term. I have never heard anyone ever ask another president if they should just stick to one term. I know some people mean well when they say it, that we don’t deserve him, but it seems so racist to imply the first black president should stick to one term when no one asked the other 42 such a question.
Jojo – it’s because they know they don’t deserve to beat him, so it would make them feel better if he just gave up. They’ve thrown everything nasty at him, and yet him and his family still are willing to sign up for a second term. It has to drive them crazy! Especially since they have no real ideas of their own. It’s like asking a prize fighter to take a dive.
It’s like asking a prize fighter to take a dive.
THIS.RIGHT.HERE. is everything. After what I saw of the debates last night, none of the Repub nominees can beat him and it is like the press and the bigwigs can’t bear to have their Repub heroes utterly shamed at the eventual debates when PBO brings facts and not innuendo and dogwhistles. I am rearing for the President to tell all these fools to the right of him that they have a pamphlet and not a plan like he did at the Baltimore Massacre.
Ann Curry is really full of herself. That look on her face and her body language tell the tale. She really thinks she is such a serious journalist and yet the most important thing on the tip of her tongue right out of the gate is a question about the Wiener carnival show. How very deep. What a waste of our President’s precious time. If i had to sum her attitude up in one word: SMUG.
If Ann Curry asked such a stupid question, I would have asked her what corporation or business that I own where I could employ workers. MSM is crazy. They think this election will be about the economy. I assure it will not Obana is a praying man and he is anointed for this presidency. God will make Baracks enemy be at peace with him.
I watch briefly the repubs talk show because it certainly was not a debate. Their statements went unchallenged and it seem that they are stuck in a time warp. They seem so old school. No one had any ideas. All they could talk about was our President. It seem so foolish to do so st this time.
Hi Mae who love our CIC, I so agree with you that our President has been anointed for the presidency at this time. I get really annoyed when people can’t see the humility and compassion in this man. It is so obvious in his mannerisms that he Cares. We have been so used to “Power” presidents. Now we have a President that W O R K S in this job he has undertaken. Most Americans don’t know what to make of him. I so believe God has placed him in this position and when He gives us a task, He allows us to be tested but He Never walks away from us while we are in that tested state. Often trials and tribulations gives us more courage, stamina and just plain a “gotta finish this” attitude. Our beloved President will prevail!!!
Guys, I think you’re being too rough on Ann Curry. She asked pretty good questions. That “why aren’t you angry?” question was phrased pretty inartfully, but the point she was getting at was the sense that Washington isn’t doing anything about jobs. The answer is obvious (PARTY OF NO), but people who don’t pay attention to politics have no idea what the GOP is doing to bring this President down. The healthcare question is also a reflection of what regular folks don’t see as a connection between healthcare and the economy.
It’s unfortuante, but it’s the truth. Luckily, we have a POTUS who calmly answers the quesitons with intellect and common sense.
But Halo, these are they questions Ann and her colleagues should be asking the republicans who are the cause of this economic mess and who are doing everything to keep people unemployed to give themselves a shot at getting elected. Curry knows how hard President Obama is working to turn things around. But now that she’s been promoted she’s doing the bidding of her corporate-owned media master.
You know, I’m kind of giving the entire media the side-eye for putting all the blame for the lack of a faster recovery on the President. The media cheerleaded and cosigned the Tea Party, a group of people who believe the government shouldn’t be doing anything about jobs other than let business do what it wants, and then act surprised that the federal government isn’t doing more. How do the press and voters in general expect the president to do more when they VOTED for people in 2010 to not do anything? The midterm elections tied the president’s hands.
You’re absolutely right. These are the consequences. People expect the recovery to continue at the wonderful pace that it was doing when President Obama and Speaker Pelosi were in charge. Instead, they’ve tied his hands, as you say, but still expect him to perform miracles. It’s ridiculous, and the media and the public just need to grow up. Otherwise, they’re going to vote in a Republican President, and then wonder why they are back in the 1960s. Actions have consequences. You voted for Republicans, so welcome to the Republican reality.
I heard someone say on NPR the other day that Americans want more government than they want to pay for and that they want to eat cake but stay thin and that is the problem. People want Medicare and Social Security, but don’t want to pay the taxes to buttress those programs. They want a strong job market, but don’t want the government to dictate to business what to do. You can’t get either of these outcomes without the federal government playing a role. The reason why we have the constitution we have now is because the Articles of Confederate was so decentralized–states could make their own currency and international policy it created chaos. That’s why I found our debates whether the government is doing too much is tiring. The point of the US Constitution we have now is that the federal government has to do a number of things because you can’t have 13 or 50 states working out of sync. People have to realize as the President does that there has to be tradeoffs. If you want full employment, you have to have to accept that businesses are fundamentally selfish–they won’t hire unless the government does something–like remove incentives for them to ship jobs overseas–to compel them to hire. You can’t complain about big government and expect government services. We can’t remain a superpower unless we invest in infrastructure sponsored by the feds in partnership with business but that is going to mean EVERYONE and especially the upper class will have to pay more for taxes to pay for the lifestyle and services we want/need.
So right, but too many people are completely clueless. Barely anyone knows how a bill becomes law, or that the Constitution is the guiding document for running the government, or that Republicans are in charge of the House and that’s where the budget comes from. How one earth can they get up to speed on these complex issues, when they spend their evenings watching American Idol and such?
Hi theo67, then there is the recovery of jobs we will never regain because we are in a different era, i.e., I used to go into the bank for all my transactions–now I use ATM almost always: teller jobs lost; I used to go to the grocery store to shop now I pick up the phone or go on line, they bring my groceries to the door; checker and checker stand bagger jobs lost; we used to have a station attendant pump our gas, gas attendant jobs lost; I have no land line telepone anymore (only cell) look at the thousands of jobs lost there: no phone booths, installers. Not to mention the many, many thousands of jobs shipped out of the country. I could go on and on as we lose jobs for unskilled workers that will never return in this computer age. A lot of that 9.1% unemployment are workers that didn’t see this Automated Age coming. I see it everyday as people struggle to try to make sense of what has happened to their jobs. President almost can’t help these people without allocating funds to help them upgrade their skills because the Republicans keep stopping him. It’s like banging his head against a stone wall.
True, graciouslady. I’ve heard snippets of Thom Hartmann this week and last screeching for a return of the manufacturing jobs that are now done by very poorly paid workers in developing countries. I think that’s the wrong way to go – as you’re saying, so many of those jobs are no longer needed here. But there are so many industries that are just waiting for investment.
I’m telling you – if Republicans take over the government in 2012, then it’s going to be very bad times for the US. No investment in anything important (infrastructure, education), no partnerships with international countries, lack of proper education, a desperate society, no middle class. I don’t think the answer is to go back to manufacturing jobs from 50 years ago. That’s a race to the bottom. The answer is to be first in the future – and if the President can get a second term, and a good Democrat can be waiting in the wings for 2016 (Future President Biden???), and Americans can wise up to the games of Republicans – then there is hope.
Halo, I agree with your assessment of the interview. PBO was calm and in charge, having to make complicated points about the economy, its relation to investment, healthcare, and the debt ceiling, in precise language which people could understand. And we know his priorities regarding medicare, etc. i.e.–taxes must be raised, not slashing everything in sight a la Paul Ryan.
The Weiner stuff and the anger stuff were just fluff, but inconsequential to the substance of the interview. PBO is a serious guy trying his best, and I think many people appreciate his focus and hard work and practicality. They don’t like fluff, they just want to know there are some serious people trying to help them out. And PBO is just the man who is needed now.
So agree. We can’t expect all softball questions. Curry was trying to appear tough at times, but you could tell by the way she nodded and looked at Obama—-no way is she the enemy. And having seen so many disrespectful interviews with constant interruptions, I think Curry’s interview was one of the most respectful. She allowed President Obama to shine and should (almost) be applauded given the sorry present state of our news media. My husband, who is not near the Obamabot that I am said after the interview, “He is just so smart. I don’t know how anyone can touch him.” That truth came through in that interview.
For the first time ever I wrote an email to a teevee personality. For years I’ve been impressed with Ann Curry and rooting for her to achieve more exposure as journalist. I was surprised by her rudeness and disrespect for the President of the United States and wrote to tell her how extremely disappointing she was in this interview. Chipsticks and TOD family, thank you for all the information you provide each day to make it easy for us tech challenged lurkers to make our own voices heard. If I had not already divorced the msm, I would have been watching the interview and simply screaming/throwing something at the screen. Again, thanks for this wonderful blog.
I loved President Obama in this interview…..the media really needs to come up with new questions…..but if that’s all they’ve got, that’s all they’ve got….
I was glad when they replaced Meridith with Ann Curry. Never liked Meridith-the way she always interrupted the guests. I always liked Ann Curry. Now, not so much. She made her own personal politics too clear. Very unprofessional. It seems unfair to ask such biased questions of our President, when he has to be so guarded in his answers so as not to be taken completely out of context. The fact that she asked that stupid question about Weiner to start off just shows that she is also planning on a new career as a reality t.v. journalist.
Seems like there are differing viewpoints on just how Ann Curry and PBO came across in the interview. I will watch it in its entirety tonight. I usually don’t find these things to be as bad as people say, and I don’t want to go just off of sound bites.
Actually, I think we all agree that President Obama handled the interview as brilliantly as ever, and I was kind of happy to see him get a little angry and call out the “nonsense”, but sad that he has to be confronted with these stupid questions. But the differing perspectives come from whether An Curry is a tool or not. I’ll see what she does in the coming weeks, but given that her TV partner is Matt Lauer, it doesn’t look promising for her…
I watch the President talk to Curry and it was okay, except for one thing, When Curry ask him why isn’t he showing more anger over the 14 million people out of work. I didn’t like that, but I think he answer her right on. When he told her he doesn’t think the people are wondering about him showing anger, it more the media problem. He said something like that. I might didn’t get it word for word, but I think it was close. I will be sending Ms. Curry a email, not a ugly or nasty one but just asking her what she think this President isn’t concern about the people who are out there suffering. I believe he is.
I don’t think Ann Curry was that bad. She didn’t interrupt him; she let him get his point across. I liked the interview. PBO always knows how to articulate himself brilliantly. I hope a lot of people watched this interview this morning to realize that he is doing everything he can to get people to work.
your right CollegeKay, President Obama was his usual brilliant self, and I agree that Ann Curfry didn’t interrupt him. But one thing I have repeatedly said to my self is, I am not going to lower the bar for these people in the MSM. I am not giving them a pass, just becasue they don’t interrupt the president or they are not confrontational. They all need to have the same respect for the President of the United States and that includes the content and not just tone.
I was struck by the way he cocked his head and looked at her with such consternation when she was asking the question about not being angry because 4 million people are out of work. I think he handled the question beautifully, especially when he implied that it’s the media that is making the characterization that he does not care – not the people he meets.
I didn’t like the question, because they pull this same B.S. when that oil spill was going on. They ask why wasn’t Obama showing more anger? And now Ms. Curry comes again with this same old B.S. Stupid question, what do they want this President to do, scream, yell, break something, or just act like the angry black man they are dying to protry him to be. I want our President to keep on being the man we respect and believe in. Be his self.
The early sound bite was for sensationalism purposes only. The interview was not that bad. True, Ann Curry could have reviewed and edited her questions better, but I think overall the interview was handled very well by our wonderful well balanced President Obama. He is always in charge!
What next situation will come up and some journalists or the media will ask why Obama isn’t showing enough anger. Imply he do not care unless he is showing anger. Well I don’t buy that. And I still believe Ann should have ask that stupid question.
I just watched the interview for the first time and I thought it was good. The President was able to present his competent and intelligent self to the public yet again. Ann was pretty good except for the irritating “Why aren’t you more angry” question. I would like to have said. Where would anger get you in this situation? Do we really want an angry President? I know I don’t. But apart from that she asked questions that allowed him to give thoughtful and sensible answers and she can not be accused of soft-balling. I remember that Bush gave hardly any interviews so that when he did the interviewers were fawning all over him. It was one of the things that bugged me about him. President Obama has been generous and fearless in giving interviews which has led the interviewers to take too much for granted. He still handles every situation with skill and although it must be tiresome for him every time he handles these situations, I think he gains respect.
I loved the way he handled the Weiner question. I thought that was perfect.
Obama White House.gov
The Obama Diary 
Don’t know if I can watch I ‘m still so pissed at Curry.
I know PoB …
Me too Proud, I recorded it on my DVR and I haven’t watched it yet, I will wait and see the comments and reactions from TODiers. I want to keep Michelle Obama’s beautiful speech in my heart all day today because she revealed so much about our President that we already knew but it touched me so deep and moved me in away i can’t explain. I love My President even more if that is even possible.
M4O I couldnt agree more with your comment about loving PBO even more after reading Michelle Obama’s speech. Words can not express how much I loven and admire him.
I am just fuming that Ann Curry had the nerve to ask President Obama why he was not angry about 14 million people being out of work. BWD has posted the transcript of the speech that FLOTUS gave where she laments how the presidency is taking a toll on her husband. It is remarkable to hear first hand from a reliable source just how hard he works for the American people. I plan to forward the transcript to Ann Curry and ask her to explain how she could ask such a stupid and insulting question.
I just wanted to slap her
They are totally stumped and stymied because he isn’t “angry” enough. They want their emo President. That’s the teevee talking, what our country has become thanks to them. UGH, they repulse me.
Every question was offensive. I don’t watch that show ever since I saw Matt Lauer fawning over palin – it showed me who they are. And I was happy when Bill Cosby gave Meredith Vieira a smackdown over her stupid interview with the Chump. The whole show is made of doo-doo, and I’m so disappointed in Ann Curry, whom I thought was one of the decent ones. I hope that’s the last interview she ever gets from the President. The President was masterful, as ever.
Don’t be. I think we were led astray a bit by a soundbite that was leaked last night. I thought the interview was excellent, and even though some of the questions may have seemed like they were missing the point (not knowing about how health care reform and economy are connected), President Obama was allowed without interruption to answer every question in his calm, clear, smart, sensible way. I just watched the latest segment, where they were walking through the lighting co. in N.C., where he was asked about Michelle and the girls’ feelings about his decision to seek a 2nd term, with all the pressure and trials and tribulations, and I thought he answered the questions beautifully. The depth of his character was in evidence. And my feeling is—-Curry is an Obama voter.
“the depth of his character” … I really love that because he is one in a million.
I folks! Ann Curry is most definitely an Obama voter. She is a liberal. How do I know? We both went to the U. Oregon in the late seventies. There is NO WAY you could be from that generation/time and from that place and not be liberal. I think the headlines were, as usual, inflammatory to get clicks on the website.and viewership on NBC. Same old same old. That said, I think it is appropriate to let her know how she came across on the unemployment question. The question and her tone came across as snarky and sarcastic and Ann needs to know about it. I wrote her a note BTW.
that question pissed me off big time.
He was very careful to push her back on the notion that he is not “angry” and didn’t go the “kiss ass” way the way he handled Matt Lauer’s gotcha question about BP last summer that unfortunately was talked about more than all he did for the folks down there.
The Nonsense answer was simply brilliant and she shut her trap.
I meant her a few years ago while sitting at O’Hare airport and she was very nice but these so-called “journalists” should know better than to interrupt the President mid sentence a la Brier/O’Reilly and that Texas fool 🙄
Thanks for that dotster. I had the same reaction when I saw the promo clip. I stand corrected.
I recorded also. I totally dislike Ann Curry. I can’t stand how she has a tendency to get upclose in the face of the interviewee.
It wasn’t that bad. It was actually good and PBO was eminently reasonable…as per usual. My initial reaction to the deficit question and the deep cuts the GOP wants is that the President is playing the GOP like lotto. He is not going to give them the cuts they want, and he is just running the clock by having Biden having these meetings with them and have the Chamber of Commerce and the Koch Brothers push the screws in the Repubs to raise the debt ceiling.
I am a bit offended, though, by a number of people’s assertions in these interviews that PBO should just call it a day with one term. I have never heard anyone ever ask another president if they should just stick to one term. I know some people mean well when they say it, that we don’t deserve him, but it seems so racist to imply the first black president should stick to one term when no one asked the other 42 such a question.
Jojo – it’s because they know they don’t deserve to beat him, so it would make them feel better if he just gave up. They’ve thrown everything nasty at him, and yet him and his family still are willing to sign up for a second term. It has to drive them crazy! Especially since they have no real ideas of their own. It’s like asking a prize fighter to take a dive.
It’s like asking a prize fighter to take a dive.
THIS.RIGHT.HERE. is everything. After what I saw of the debates last night, none of the Repub nominees can beat him and it is like the press and the bigwigs can’t bear to have their Repub heroes utterly shamed at the eventual debates when PBO brings facts and not innuendo and dogwhistles. I am rearing for the President to tell all these fools to the right of him that they have a pamphlet and not a plan like he did at the Baltimore Massacre.
Ann Curry is really full of herself. That look on her face and her body language tell the tale. She really thinks she is such a serious journalist and yet the most important thing on the tip of her tongue right out of the gate is a question about the Wiener carnival show. How very deep. What a waste of our President’s precious time. If i had to sum her attitude up in one word: SMUG.
If Ann Curry asked such a stupid question, I would have asked her what corporation or business that I own where I could employ workers. MSM is crazy. They think this election will be about the economy. I assure it will not Obana is a praying man and he is anointed for this presidency. God will make Baracks enemy be at peace with him.
I watch briefly the repubs talk show because it certainly was not a debate. Their statements went unchallenged and it seem that they are stuck in a time warp. They seem so old school. No one had any ideas. All they could talk about was our President. It seem so foolish to do so st this time.
Hi Mae who love our CIC, I so agree with you that our President has been anointed for the presidency at this time. I get really annoyed when people can’t see the humility and compassion in this man. It is so obvious in his mannerisms that he Cares. We have been so used to “Power” presidents. Now we have a President that W O R K S in this job he has undertaken. Most Americans don’t know what to make of him. I so believe God has placed him in this position and when He gives us a task, He allows us to be tested but He Never walks away from us while we are in that tested state. Often trials and tribulations gives us more courage, stamina and just plain a “gotta finish this” attitude. Our beloved President will prevail!!!
Guys, I think you’re being too rough on Ann Curry. She asked pretty good questions. That “why aren’t you angry?” question was phrased pretty inartfully, but the point she was getting at was the sense that Washington isn’t doing anything about jobs. The answer is obvious (PARTY OF NO), but people who don’t pay attention to politics have no idea what the GOP is doing to bring this President down. The healthcare question is also a reflection of what regular folks don’t see as a connection between healthcare and the economy.
It’s unfortuante, but it’s the truth. Luckily, we have a POTUS who calmly answers the quesitons with intellect and common sense.
But Halo, these are they questions Ann and her colleagues should be asking the republicans who are the cause of this economic mess and who are doing everything to keep people unemployed to give themselves a shot at getting elected. Curry knows how hard President Obama is working to turn things around. But now that she’s been promoted she’s doing the bidding of her corporate-owned media master.
Sorry, she gets no pass from me.
You know, I’m kind of giving the entire media the side-eye for putting all the blame for the lack of a faster recovery on the President. The media cheerleaded and cosigned the Tea Party, a group of people who believe the government shouldn’t be doing anything about jobs other than let business do what it wants, and then act surprised that the federal government isn’t doing more. How do the press and voters in general expect the president to do more when they VOTED for people in 2010 to not do anything? The midterm elections tied the president’s hands.
You’re absolutely right. These are the consequences. People expect the recovery to continue at the wonderful pace that it was doing when President Obama and Speaker Pelosi were in charge. Instead, they’ve tied his hands, as you say, but still expect him to perform miracles. It’s ridiculous, and the media and the public just need to grow up. Otherwise, they’re going to vote in a Republican President, and then wonder why they are back in the 1960s. Actions have consequences. You voted for Republicans, so welcome to the Republican reality.
I heard someone say on NPR the other day that Americans want more government than they want to pay for and that they want to eat cake but stay thin and that is the problem. People want Medicare and Social Security, but don’t want to pay the taxes to buttress those programs. They want a strong job market, but don’t want the government to dictate to business what to do. You can’t get either of these outcomes without the federal government playing a role. The reason why we have the constitution we have now is because the Articles of Confederate was so decentralized–states could make their own currency and international policy it created chaos. That’s why I found our debates whether the government is doing too much is tiring. The point of the US Constitution we have now is that the federal government has to do a number of things because you can’t have 13 or 50 states working out of sync. People have to realize as the President does that there has to be tradeoffs. If you want full employment, you have to have to accept that businesses are fundamentally selfish–they won’t hire unless the government does something–like remove incentives for them to ship jobs overseas–to compel them to hire. You can’t complain about big government and expect government services. We can’t remain a superpower unless we invest in infrastructure sponsored by the feds in partnership with business but that is going to mean EVERYONE and especially the upper class will have to pay more for taxes to pay for the lifestyle and services we want/need.
So right, but too many people are completely clueless. Barely anyone knows how a bill becomes law, or that the Constitution is the guiding document for running the government, or that Republicans are in charge of the House and that’s where the budget comes from. How one earth can they get up to speed on these complex issues, when they spend their evenings watching American Idol and such?
Hi theo67, then there is the recovery of jobs we will never regain because we are in a different era, i.e., I used to go into the bank for all my transactions–now I use ATM almost always: teller jobs lost; I used to go to the grocery store to shop now I pick up the phone or go on line, they bring my groceries to the door; checker and checker stand bagger jobs lost; we used to have a station attendant pump our gas, gas attendant jobs lost; I have no land line telepone anymore (only cell) look at the thousands of jobs lost there: no phone booths, installers. Not to mention the many, many thousands of jobs shipped out of the country. I could go on and on as we lose jobs for unskilled workers that will never return in this computer age. A lot of that 9.1% unemployment are workers that didn’t see this Automated Age coming. I see it everyday as people struggle to try to make sense of what has happened to their jobs. President almost can’t help these people without allocating funds to help them upgrade their skills because the Republicans keep stopping him. It’s like banging his head against a stone wall.
True, graciouslady. I’ve heard snippets of Thom Hartmann this week and last screeching for a return of the manufacturing jobs that are now done by very poorly paid workers in developing countries. I think that’s the wrong way to go – as you’re saying, so many of those jobs are no longer needed here. But there are so many industries that are just waiting for investment.
I’m telling you – if Republicans take over the government in 2012, then it’s going to be very bad times for the US. No investment in anything important (infrastructure, education), no partnerships with international countries, lack of proper education, a desperate society, no middle class. I don’t think the answer is to go back to manufacturing jobs from 50 years ago. That’s a race to the bottom. The answer is to be first in the future – and if the President can get a second term, and a good Democrat can be waiting in the wings for 2016 (Future President Biden???), and Americans can wise up to the games of Republicans – then there is hope.
Halo, I agree with your assessment of the interview. PBO was calm and in charge, having to make complicated points about the economy, its relation to investment, healthcare, and the debt ceiling, in precise language which people could understand. And we know his priorities regarding medicare, etc. i.e.–taxes must be raised, not slashing everything in sight a la Paul Ryan.
The Weiner stuff and the anger stuff were just fluff, but inconsequential to the substance of the interview. PBO is a serious guy trying his best, and I think many people appreciate his focus and hard work and practicality. They don’t like fluff, they just want to know there are some serious people trying to help them out. And PBO is just the man who is needed now.
So agree. We can’t expect all softball questions. Curry was trying to appear tough at times, but you could tell by the way she nodded and looked at Obama—-no way is she the enemy. And having seen so many disrespectful interviews with constant interruptions, I think Curry’s interview was one of the most respectful. She allowed President Obama to shine and should (almost) be applauded given the sorry present state of our news media. My husband, who is not near the Obamabot that I am said after the interview, “He is just so smart. I don’t know how anyone can touch him.” That truth came through in that interview.
For the first time ever I wrote an email to a teevee personality. For years I’ve been impressed with Ann Curry and rooting for her to achieve more exposure as journalist. I was surprised by her rudeness and disrespect for the President of the United States and wrote to tell her how extremely disappointing she was in this interview. Chipsticks and TOD family, thank you for all the information you provide each day to make it easy for us tech challenged lurkers to make our own voices heard. If I had not already divorced the msm, I would have been watching the interview and simply screaming/throwing something at the screen. Again, thanks for this wonderful blog.
I loved President Obama in this interview…..the media really needs to come up with new questions…..but if that’s all they’ve got, that’s all they’ve got….
I was glad when they replaced Meridith with Ann Curry. Never liked Meridith-the way she always interrupted the guests. I always liked Ann Curry. Now, not so much. She made her own personal politics too clear. Very unprofessional. It seems unfair to ask such biased questions of our President, when he has to be so guarded in his answers so as not to be taken completely out of context. The fact that she asked that stupid question about Weiner to start off just shows that she is also planning on a new career as a reality t.v. journalist.
Seems like there are differing viewpoints on just how Ann Curry and PBO came across in the interview. I will watch it in its entirety tonight. I usually don’t find these things to be as bad as people say, and I don’t want to go just off of sound bites.
Have a great day, everyone :-D!
Actually, I think we all agree that President Obama handled the interview as brilliantly as ever, and I was kind of happy to see him get a little angry and call out the “nonsense”, but sad that he has to be confronted with these stupid questions. But the differing perspectives come from whether An Curry is a tool or not. I’ll see what she does in the coming weeks, but given that her TV partner is Matt Lauer, it doesn’t look promising for her…
I watch the President talk to Curry and it was okay, except for one thing, When Curry ask him why isn’t he showing more anger over the 14 million people out of work. I didn’t like that, but I think he answer her right on. When he told her he doesn’t think the people are wondering about him showing anger, it more the media problem. He said something like that. I might didn’t get it word for word, but I think it was close. I will be sending Ms. Curry a email, not a ugly or nasty one but just asking her what she think this President isn’t concern about the people who are out there suffering. I believe he is.
I don’t think Ann Curry was that bad. She didn’t interrupt him; she let him get his point across. I liked the interview. PBO always knows how to articulate himself brilliantly. I hope a lot of people watched this interview this morning to realize that he is doing everything he can to get people to work.
your right CollegeKay, President Obama was his usual brilliant self, and I agree that Ann Curfry didn’t interrupt him. But one thing I have repeatedly said to my self is, I am not going to lower the bar for these people in the MSM. I am not giving them a pass, just becasue they don’t interrupt the president or they are not confrontational. They all need to have the same respect for the President of the United States and that includes the content and not just tone.
I was struck by the way he cocked his head and looked at her with such consternation when she was asking the question about not being angry because 4 million people are out of work. I think he handled the question beautifully, especially when he implied that it’s the media that is making the characterization that he does not care – not the people he meets.
I didn’t like the question, because they pull this same B.S. when that oil spill was going on. They ask why wasn’t Obama showing more anger? And now Ms. Curry comes again with this same old B.S. Stupid question, what do they want this President to do, scream, yell, break something, or just act like the angry black man they are dying to protry him to be. I want our President to keep on being the man we respect and believe in. Be his self.
Please excuse my language.
His reply was pitch perfect. Especially the tone.
amen 🙂
New Latino poll out today:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110214005729/en/impreMediaLatino-Decisions-Poll-Shows-Latinos-Strongly-Approve
70 percent approve of the president and 66 percent will definitely vote for him! Woot, yippeeeee!!!
Fantastico!! This can only get better.
This is fantastic jovie! Thanks for the link 🙂
The early sound bite was for sensationalism purposes only. The interview was not that bad. True, Ann Curry could have reviewed and edited her questions better, but I think overall the interview was handled very well by our wonderful well balanced President Obama. He is always in charge!
What next situation will come up and some journalists or the media will ask why Obama isn’t showing enough anger. Imply he do not care unless he is showing anger. Well I don’t buy that. And I still believe Ann should have ask that stupid question.
I just watched the interview for the first time and I thought it was good. The President was able to present his competent and intelligent self to the public yet again. Ann was pretty good except for the irritating “Why aren’t you more angry” question. I would like to have said. Where would anger get you in this situation? Do we really want an angry President? I know I don’t. But apart from that she asked questions that allowed him to give thoughtful and sensible answers and she can not be accused of soft-balling. I remember that Bush gave hardly any interviews so that when he did the interviewers were fawning all over him. It was one of the things that bugged me about him. President Obama has been generous and fearless in giving interviews which has led the interviewers to take too much for granted. He still handles every situation with skill and although it must be tiresome for him every time he handles these situations, I think he gains respect.
I loved the way he handled the Weiner question. I thought that was perfect.