The Atlantic - Latest Comments in Obama Presser

Re: Obama Presser

TW Andrews — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:26:22 -0000

It's easy to focus on how bad a president Bush was, but don't forget what awful candidates Gore and Kerry were. An incumbent VP, running in good economic times, with no major foreign crises, who was part of an administration that left with historically high levels of popularity, managed to lose a close election.

Kerry didn't have Gore's structural advantages, but I think Bush was beatable in 2004 if Kerry had run a decent campaign.

Still, it's good to have president I can be proud of, rather than cringe over.

Regarding the press conference itself, I liked his answer to the torture question. Rather than saying explicitly, "the previous administration authorized torture," he left it as "waterboarding is torture." It avoids falling into the trap where a journalist can write the headline "Obama accuses Bush of torture" but leaves his feelings on the matter clear.

Everybody knows that the previous administration used waterboarding--they've admitted as much, but I liked the fact that he

Re: Obama Presser

Mr. Shrimp — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:09:12 -0000

Not to hijack the thread, but man, are you serious you couldn't see it coming? Bush was clueless, and he picked CHENEY as his VP running mate. Al Gore wasn't attractive, but he was an adult.

I saw it coming from Bush was governor of Texas, and I wasn't of voting age then, either. 2000 felt very consequential. What's amazing is that they actually were even worse for the country than I expected.

Re: Obama Presser

underceij — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:34:41 -0000

Why do reporters for black media outlets always ask the same stupid question: "The economic downturn is affecting black people disproportionately. What are you going to do to address this?" To which the president responds with the same elementary line, "My policies are aimed at getting EVERYONE out of the rut, which will disproportionately help black people, since they are disproportionately in the rut!" I'm thinking, get the man to address a real, salient issue. The black farmers lawsuit would've been a good one, but I think an even better one would've been concerning the issue of continuing the Opportunity Scholarship Program, a voucher program for low-income families to attend private schools in DC. This, in my opinion, is the civil rights issue of our time, and we are not receiving promising signs from the administration to this point. Juan Williams, who I definitely have my qualms with at times, nevertheless hit the nail on the head regarding this issue. WSJ hit him on it as well. Obama sends his kids to Sidwell Friends, a private school where many low-income families receive vouchers from this scholarship program to attend. The academic performance of kids after entering this program far exceeds that of their peers at their home schools. The voucher program is set to expire next year. The administration initially said they would fight to extend the program, but after pressure from the teacher's unions, they've caved, repealing 200 scholarships this year alone with a senseless justification that there's no point in letting kids stay in the program for another year after which the program will expire. It reflects poorly on Obama's image as post-politician as well as the Educator-in-chief. He should be championing programs like these in DC and all across the country. Instead it seems that he's cowtowing to the unions. I'm very encouraged by the vast majority of his actions in the first 100 days, but this one is very disappointing and doesn't bode well for the education debate going forward, and to my knowledge he hasn't been asked about it once. Last night was the perfect opportunity for BET make such an inquiry on the national stage, instead they wasted it with another useless question about the unemployment rate of black men in NYC approaching 50%. Not sure how to hyperlink, but here's the article by Juan: http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/04/20/williams_obama_dc/ and the other by the WSJ: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123897492702491091.html

Re: Obama Presser

CitizenE — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:52:26 -0000

The hard questions about banking industry decisions, the skepticism of Krugman et al in specifics, or the long term Afghanistan policy, once again with hard hitting specifics, were not asked. The press went the center right way on torture; ie the questionner to the stance of asking about well, isn't troture maybe a good thing, rather than--look Mr. President you know this abrogates international and national law, perhaps the Constitution as well insofar as it abrogates international treaties, goes counter to the grandeur of our historic culture, why not investigations, and prosecutions, or at the very least a truth commission?

Obama showed some deftness in sidestepping questions and turning them to his advantage, which probably would have been the case if the press had gone after him on above said nettlesome issues. He's an intelligent man who is a Godsend to the American populace. Even if one does not agree with him, even about significant issues, the nation, not just me and people like me, is more than happy to see a man who appears equal to the task.

Watching Bush was always like looking at a quarterback without an offensive line worth diddly who was wont to happy feet, bad decision making, and staying overlong in a collapsing pocket--it was like rubbernecking a trainwreck. With President Obama the issue of competence is a great comfort.

However, those who are wont to throw monkey wrenches into the gearbox are more than happy that Obama looks at things long term and has the patience to spell out his point of view because they know that the nation is so hyped up that many of Obama's better angels will put their followers to sleep.

Re: Obama Presser

ThatPirateGuy — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:38:00 -0000

I voted for gore out of fear of what bush would do(and did) to the supreme court. I was very upset about Florida. Though at the time I thought the person in the white house didn't really matter other than the courts. How wrong I was. Ah youth.

Re: Obama Presser

Doctor Jay — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:54:21 -0000

I didn't think the torture answer was all that dodgy. It was dodgy in the sense that he didn't want to show his hand about prosecutions, etc. But he said, of waterboarding, "I think it's torture" with a nod. Watch it again.

Yes, he's dodging because he doesn't want to be quoted as saying certain things. He's turning the ocean liner a degree at a time.

Re: Obama Presser

Jordan — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:45:27 -0000

It is kind of odd to think back to the election of 2000 and remember how inconsequential it felt at the time. There weren't any wars going on. The economy wasn't doing fantastically, but it also wasn't in the crapper. I wasn't of voting age at that point, but I can definitely remember thinking that while this Bush fellow seemed like a putz, Al Gore wasn't that much more attractive. It was definitely an election of picking the lesser of two evils. After the outrage over the Supreme Court decision died down a bit, Bush mostly kept looking like an unimportant schlub. He spent so much time on his ranch that some days it felt like the president was an unnecessary individual. If only we'd been able to get four years of irrelevance instead of what we actually got.

Re: Obama Presser

dwhite10701 — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:59:48 -0000

I was hoping the BET reporter would ask about the black farmers lawsuit. That's been my only real disappointment with the Obama administration (I expected his state secrets stance, after his FISA vote during the campaign), but it's not something that the mainstream media has had much to say about. Oh well.

Re: Obama Presser

GAPeach7 — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:42:25 -0000

That we could elect both of these guys says something about us, though I'm not sure what.

Perhaps...

1. We understand that blind ideology will only take us so far and then we have to buckle down to critical analysis?

2. We collectively decided that 8 years of the country being run by children on a sugar high was enough and we should elect an adult?

Just an option or two for consideration.

Re: Obama Presser

Jonathan — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:40:09 -0000

Come on now it's all about his "SWAGGA" (and "flava").

At least, according to CNN. smh

Re: Obama Presser

gsk+ — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:37:03 -0000

To flesh out my little note above:

Washington/Hamilton & Lincoln came out of the (loosely/symbolically termed) "Right" as imaged in the Nation's self-understanding traditions; Jefferson & FDR the "Left". Those terms have always only had relative appropriateness in this context. And, as more than one African-American has noted, the differences were for long stretches mostly differences among White Men.

As we & the World re-toll (and in many cases let go of) our various meanings of Left & Right, it's not surprising we've elected a non-ideological Black Person to help us work toward whatever New Day lies ahead.

Re: Obama Presser

Alesis — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:36:13 -0000

He did as well as you could expect.

He had good talking points and he weaves so much better than Bush it's a little funny.

He dodged the heck out of the torture question but then, given his position, he had to.

He was also careful about the BET reporter, you could see the trepidation on that one.

As usual I'm down on the press corps themselves, after all the nice things I say about NYT they go and embarrass me with that ignant "enchanted" question.

..and too much swine flu not enough actual policy.

Yet at all, that's one intelligent fellow that Obama.

Good presser.

Re: Obama Presser

lebecka — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:30:59 -0000

Absolutely-- the joke is only funny if its grounded in the truth.

Re: Obama Presser

Storm — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:23:29 -0000

I must admit in these first 100 days I have had a few moments of disappointment with some of the decisions Obama has made. The glow was fading for me, a bit, as it looked like "politics as usual." But, he did such an AWESOME job at the press conference -- he is even better when taking questions, to me, than when he's reading his prepared text; the man thinks very well on his feet -- that I am back in awe and adoration again.

I BELIEVE him when he says that the enonomy will turn around -- and that things will change for the better for the country.

Re: Obama Presser

gsk+ — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:15:40 -0000

A person could go nuts thinking about the electings of both Bush & Obama.

Maybe put it another way:

Every once in a while, there shows up a Washington (well, Hamilton), a Jefferson, a Lincoln, an FDR, an Obama...

Re: Obama Presser

BabylonSista — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:11:51 -0000

When The Onion ran the headline, "Black Man Given Nation's Worst Job," I think they were only half-joking.

Re: Obama Presser

rikyrah — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:01:57 -0000

Folks need to admit it:

Without George W. Bush, we never would have gotten Barack Obama.

Facts are facts.

Bush was so bad, this country said, ' well, let's give the Black man a chance.'

But, yes, it IS night and day...and then some.