Pete Souza: President Obama during interview with Chris Matthews of MSNBC earlier today at the Fairfax (Va.) Chamber of Commerce.
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The interview
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A White House link that breaks down TPP
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21
Apr
15
114 Responses to “President Obama Plays Hardball”
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The Obama Diary 
NW, thanks
You’re welcome, GGail.
Congratulations on first.
Awesome! Thanks sweetie 🙂
GGail! I don’t mind second if you are the winner 🙂 Thanks for the post, NW!
LP, you smoooooooth talkin’ Auburn man! Thanks 😀
Meaning? 😦
I thought you were happy with your status of “I naturally strut around as if I own this place because I do” didn’t know you still needed placating 🙂
🙂 🙂 Of course I’m happy with my status, even more so now that you’ve acknowledged it! 😀 😀 😀
😉 😉 Just curious who that ‘dig’ was aimed at.
What dig vc?
“I was teasing. Figured you’d get hot under the collar at the implication” 😆 😆
I guess this is an “A” & “B” convo so I’ll “C” my way out of it 😀
Don’t worry just trying to stoke VC’s fragile ego….and using her own quotes against her…all in jest 😎
I ‘c’ you leaving. 😀 Yes, LPlains and I have an ongoing….friendship, and a marvelous way of elbowing each other. (Since you asked, his comment to you on entering was code to me. We have fun not understanding each other. 😀 😀 )
Well, while you too were josting one another, I slipped away to listen to PBO talk facts (sans teleprompter) and make some great points that even an 11th grader could understand. Bravo Mr. President!
Was Matthews spitting all over the place? I know PBO would be commanding, but I honestly can’t watch Mathews without feeling nauseous, especially when he gets all excited.
Matthews was a non-entity to me. My focus was on what PBO was talking about. It was a vehicle for PBO to get his points across and for that I’m thankful that PBO is willing to suffer fools if it allows him to have a platform.
Hopefully Matthews picked up as much as an 11th grader would, 😉 and may more of his audience have been enlightened by their exposure to clear and informative responses.
You’re welcome.
GE TOD
Say Waaaaat?!!!! Did I really land on First? I was sure somebody would slide in ahead of me. I was typing with one hand while eating my tuna & cracker in the other 😀
Thank you everybody!
Nice sliding on you part, GxG. Tuna? Do keep it away from me, thank you very much.
Fish is good for you VC. What kind do you prefer?
Of the canned type, I eat sardines only because of its calcium content, and I very occasionally make myself eat ‘fresh’ salmon when I’m feeling guilty about my fish intake.
This was fresh ahi tuna. I buy several different kinds of seafood, season & package them in my freezer to thaw, cook & eat with veggies. I love my tuna on Triscuit crackers – Yummmmmm!
*That* will be waaaay down the road for me! Knowing fish is healthy and desirable in your diet and actually cooking it often are worlds apart.
As time shows, things that once were “options” will become necessary if one intends to maintain a certain quality of a healthy senior life style. For me, fish has been a necessary food choice all my life. My father came from Florida where he learned to cook fish in some very tasty varieties and passed his meals on to his children.
Oh well, as I said, *that* will be a ways down the road for me.
So. Freaking. Cool.
Alright now! Bill Nye, the Science Guy and PBO, the Presidential Guy. What a dynamic duo 🙂
Wow!
My favorite part was when tweety tried to get President Obama to say why HRC was wrong that the TPP hurts small business (remind you her husband supports the legislation) & the woman owner jumped in to say HRC was flat wrong.
Okay, I’ve got to leave for so I can watch the video.
BBL
ICYMI: A really innovative way to get around governments trying to suppress speech…
This weekend, the protest group No Somos Delito sent a parade of holographic protesters past Spain’s parliament building in Madrid in probably the most incredibly technologically advanced “screw you” move ever. The Madrid-based group, whose name translates to “We Are Not a Crime,” took to the streets and “marched” against having their right to protest taken away. An introductory video on the group’s website shows a woman explaining the group’s reason for action: “Ultimately, if you are a person, you won’t be allowed to express yourself freely. You will only be able to do it if you are a hologram.”
So they did…
According to the Guardian, bills passed in March criminalize certain forms of protest, including demonstrations outside parliament buildings, which carries a €600,000-plus fine, and taking pictures of or insulting police officers. In a video posted by Ukraine Today, the scene outside the parliament building was made up of the holograms of 80 protesters speaking out against laws stifling freedom of expression and giving too much power to police. “I find it a good idea,” Alejandra De La Fuente, a protester, told Ukraine Today. “If the only way to demonstrate is in silence and with holograms, then we must do it this way. And I find it a very original way of demonstrating, given all that has happened.”..continued
OMG
My favorite tweet from NW’s awesome roundup on yesterday’s overnight thread. 😉
I wonder what the reaction would be if say Media Matters struck deals with these so called *news* orgs
Author has aleady been discredited….can’t wait to see his name on a NYT byline. What a joke!
I don’t know if anyone else caught the complements PBO gave to VP Joe BFD Biden today. It was interwoven with his praise of the NASCAR winner & alluded to how instantly Joe fit in Team Obama once he was selected and how Joe constantly whispers words of encouragement. PBO partly attributed this to shared values
I did pick up on that, Linda.
I loved it! And the complements were given from the heart
Me, too!
Yes!!!! Didn’t see it, so glad to hear this.
Wait a minute! There you are, JO’B, at about the very time I was downstream writing that I hadn’t seen you in a bit! smh
If you have a moment, you can catch this in the video clip of NASCAR at the White House – a few blog entries before this one
Thanks again so much!
I did! I did! 🙂
It was a nice thing
Oh to be a fly on the wall!!!!
Saturday, May 25, the First Lady will travel to Oberlin College to speak to the Class of 2015. You can watch Oberlin College’s winning video, below. The video features student talent from their Ninde Scholars Program, which helps Oberlin undergrads who provide support to those in need.
Then on Saturday, June 9, the First Lady will deliver the commencement address to the Class of 2015 at King College Prep in Chicago. You can watch King College Prep’s winning video, below. The video features students performing in a mock episode of the hit TV show “Scandal.” King College Prep has a 100% college acceptance rate.
Under reported story of the day:
LOVE the way the people sitting around that round table on TPP have this blown away dumbfounded look on their faces because President Obama is THE SMARTEST MAN IN THE ROOM.
What i noticed was that the Chamber of Commerce guy was looking at PBO with adoration—in Yiddish,”kvelling”– and the first remark he got to make was highly approving. So Chris shut him up and the poor guy barely got to say a word after that.
I DID notice that. I could barely hang in there with the entire interview because of Matthews. But to witness the expansive knowledge and facility with language from our President made it all worthwhile. Amazing man in all respects.
I was amazed that Chris Mathews was actually civil and respectful allowing PBO to answer the questions without his usual constant interruptions. Also I was amazed that PBO spoke more quickly than I had ever seen him do before. I wonder if he wanted to get his say in before being interrupted by CM or if he was concerned about getting all the needed info out before time ran out?
Also, can you imagine any of the Republicans able to speak on this topic in the way? Or Dems for that matter.
Honestly, I’m not sure that there is any other person in this country with PBO’s intellectual and language skills.
As Don’s been saying for some time now. It is the vast superiority of Our President that is making so many people unhinged,crazy.
Good evening TOD! Thought the Hardball interview with PBO was interesting, and for a change Chris Matthews asked some decent questions, including this one: Why are Presidents always in favor of trade deals and Dem Congress opposed? Is there a different perspective? Basically, PBO said yes, there is. He is looking out for the US overall while the individuals in Congress must be responsive to their local constituencies. Unions will always be opposed because they fear losing jobs, while PBO sees it as we play in AP or China will fill the gap. He also–once again– noted that the US will never be able to compete again for the very low income factory jobs, in part because they don’t exist in the US any more. I saw also saw a clip where Harry Reid said he has NEVER voted for a trade agreement in his 30+ years in Congress, and doesn’t intend to start now.
In short, I don’t think any of this is directed at PBO personally, but simply is part of Dem politics. PBO clearly is taking that perspective and I intend to follow his example. We cannot go back, no matter how much Chris Matthews and others would like to. The world is moving forward and either we become part of it or pay the price. And, btw, I do remember candidate Obama railing against NAFTA. He believes he has fixed many of the NAFTA issues with this agreement and I hope he is correct.
Nice explanation, FoxFire, Thank you. Appreciate knowing this info.
Excellent summary. That is what I heard and thought too. My brother is one of those people wanting us to be isolationists and not interact in any world trade.
Toni Morrison, the only living Nobel laureate in literature from the United States and a leading voice on race, has her own test to determine when racism will truly be over in the U.S. “People keep saying, ‘We need to have a conversation about race.’ This is the conversation. I want to see a cop shoot a white unarmed teenager in the back,” Morrison said in a recent interview with the Telegraph’s Gaby Wood. “And I want to see a white man convicted for raping a black woman. Then when you ask me, ‘Is it over?’ I will say yes.”
Evoking images of Michael Brown, Walter Scott and countless black men whose dead bodies have filled our screens in recent years, the 84-year-old literary lioness, whose new book God Help the Child went on sale Tuesday, makes a powerful point about the racism that underlies America’s criminal justice system. Her point is not about promoting violence, but rather that the disproportionate amount of violence and police brutality against black people would not be tolerated were it perpetuated against whites….continued”
These freaks need to be busted:
Gowdy looks like fucking Pee Wee Herman! Doesn’t he ever look in the mirror?! This weapon isn’t allowed in DC. Period. Nail them.
They’re all such grotesque juvenile punks.
They really, really are.
And the idiot decided to mention “chastity belts” in the conversation about the gun. Sex and guns are the fixation of RW idiots – and this is the US congress!!
Yep. And the US congress is where the RWNJs go to die.
This magnetic levitation bullet train is capable of speeds of 366 miles per hour—and possibly more:
“Turbo-swift floating trains sound like a thing of the future, but in Japan they’re already out there breaking records. On Thursday, a maglev bullet train hit 366 miles per hour—the fastest train speed ever recorded. The locomotive, made by the company JR Central, is able to move so fast because it radically cuts down on friction with magnetics that lift the train nearly four inches off the tracks. And it’s super-efficient, too: instead of relying on a fossil fuel-powered engine, the train is propelled forward by electrified coils that create a magnetic field…contniued”
LP, thanks for all these interesting facts you always share with us. I checked this one out yesterday, wow that’s fast!
My pleasure, sjterrid! Imagine if the losers (WI,IL,FL all had deals that Gov. rejected) here the U.S. would have invested in high-speed rail when the stimulus was around….only CA is as far as I know (and I think those max out at ~180 mph)
Why don’t the greatest country on earth have a train like that?
Good evening, TOD.
Hi, Alycee! It’s good to see you. I hope you are well.
Hey, Terri! Doing the “Life 101” thing; alternating between medical issues, trying to get caught up on paperwork, and taking a few moments to “smell the roses…” I’m still here, so I am Blessed!
I’m glad your taking time to smell the roses. There always seems to be endless amounts of paper that accumulate.
I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
Good to see you, Alycee, and “anything Biden.” ❤
JO’B, how come I haven’t run into you in the last couple of days? Also, too, how is CanadaBarb?
So funny to scroll down (trying to catch up) and see this! And how are you? I’m fine … just preoccupied since granddaughter and great grandson are off to Florida next Monday, so I’m soaking up the good times every minute! We are all hoping not to cry in front of him when the little action figure leaves, so he isn’t upset on the plane. (He’s the kinda kid you sorta miss when he just goes to sleep at night.) Told him when he said he’d miss me that it’s another great adventure and to keep saying “I’ll see you when I see you!” and call me the minute he lands!
CanadaBarb is magnificent! She told me she was going to try to return to the blog one of these days, especially to thank everybody for their prayers and good thoughts. But I think she’s been too busy being out in the sunshine and doing other fun things to have gotten here yet! I’ll let her know you were asking for her.
This is too funny, JO’B – seems you are going down the thread as I am going up! 😀 😀 Once again you were writing this about the time I was responding to your appearance above. 😎
We’re neck-and-neck (if that’s the correct term), VC!
This missing you are talking about doesn’t sound like a vacation. Is little live wire moving away, and if yes who is going to be supplying you with funny anecdotes to share with us?
For now, it’s a vacation, but you never know – my Florida granddaughter “no likey” that Illinois winter we just finished!
And – don’t worry – live wire’s mommy and aunts provide their own stories to me about him all the time …
#SoNobodyIsGettingOffThatEasilyFromMyEndlessAnecdotes
Ha! ❤
#SoNobodyIsGettingOffThatEasilyFromMyEndlessAnecdotes
😀 😀 😀
the “inevitable” clinton machine is once again in full effect, and if lady walmart becomes the dem nominee, we will have a republican president next, since lady walmart cannot win a national campaign (and her and her husband’s track record show that we have a republican president even if she does win). senator elizabeth warren is one of the only people out there now who has the smarts to stop this from happening.
maybe it’s my warren-colored, oh i mean rose-colored glasses talking, but seeing her name in “the news” more and more, and seeing president obama talking about her even in this context, is helpful for her if she ever does run, which is unlikely, i know, but i’m seeing more and more glimmers that give me some hope she will. few people have embraced president obama, both figuratively and literally, as consistently as senator warren has, so i saw that clip and it felt to me a kabuki dance. our president knew what to do. senator warren scores some points with the racist white progressives, and he also gets his points out there. president obama had a number of political games he had to play when he ran both times, and even as president (gay marriage rights as an example), but to anyone paying attention knew where his heart was all along and knew he had a tightrope to walk. his history showed what he really wanted. same for senator warren right now. she’s been a great pragmatist in the senate a number of times, and to me, has shown she practices the obama doctrine in term of the political game. i’m still keeping my fingers crossed she enters the race, and soon!
Not sure that I agree with you, but this is an interesting analysis. Thanks!
i hear you. a confusing time for all of us, and not really sure what’s going to happen (except that hillary cannot win a national election). i do know senator warren has been a great defender of president obama 98% of the time though, so it’s been a little dismaying to see some obamabots jump on her so quickly when “the news” overblows something she says that could be seen as a disagreement with president obama. there have been a number of times president obama started out with troubling comments on some issues when he was senator and in his first term, but most of us could see that he had a political tightrope to walk and he earned enough trust where we could trust him to play the game properly, and mainly for getting re-elected. i feel this same thing happens at time with senator warren, so i just try to remind people about this and not get our chains tugged too much by “the news.” i do feel she is the only one on the scene right now (maaaaaybe o’malley, but not so sure) who can navigate these tricky waters. her campaign against scott brown was a sight to behold after all, and showed how quickly she learns. of course, this is all moot if she never runs, which is most likely the case, i know…:(
Sorry but I have never drank the warren koolaid
catchy little number…
Isn’t it though. Makes ya wanna dance. 😆
Shake that money maker! – rotflmao
My mother says this is the devil’s work… 😉
I may be late to the party, but I see there’s a “@DraftDeBlasio” movement afoot.
Hee, hee…
Once again President shows himself to be the only adult in the room, and that includes Senator Warren.
It’s called forward looking………Or let’s find something else to build besides WWII stuff.
Senator Warren gets on my nerve..she’s right on some things, but not all…I think I’m just tired of ALL THE DEMS right now(except the President)…They just don’t seem to be on the same page…too much whinning,back stabbing…What are we to do when #44 has left the building???
I know…
I don’t even like to think about the day after #44 leaves the building! But I do plan to enjoy everything he says and does until then. As far as all the whines from other Democrats, they leave me colder than an Arctic night.
Colder than an Artic Night!
booooom!
I hope Liz Warren just stays in the Senate. She could take the spot of Ted as Lion of the Senate. She has expertise in economics and cares about the Country, but she does not seem to have the necessary characteristics of listening, seeing the big picture or compromising to get the best possible rather than the perfect.
Good night TOD
#TrustBarack
#TrustJoe (and HOPE that he runs)
Oh, I’m HOPING he runs, for sure! Goodnight, Bob.
My brain is so fried, it’ll take me a few minutes to figure out what that means. Ha! Goodnight, Yardarm.
As usual I missed the interview but it is recording now. As much as I despise CM, I am looking forward to watching our superior President take them all on. JO’B I so agree totally — I don’t want to think about the day President isn’t our President.
You will enjoy it, much better than I expected from CM. Will miss the day when we no longer have these interviews and appearances to look forward to. Good night everyone!
To be fair to Chris Matthews the last time he interviewed President Obama he showed respect there as well. He never spoke over the President, he allowed him to finish his sentences and he would follow up.
Gooood Morning everyone…where can i go to see the interview….
thanks
duhhhhh found it at the top of the page. Smh, calls to mind what my momma told me as a child, ” if it was a snake it was a snake it would have bit me” :-[
Mooooooooorning!
http://theobamadiary.com/2015/04/22/early-bird-chat-515/