So the President fielded the questions himself in today’s White House press briefing, and FOX’s Ed Henry couldn’t help himself, earning this:
“Ed, just from a political perspective, do you think the President of the United States, going into reelection, wants gas prices to go up even higher? … Is there anybody here who thinks that makes a lot of sense?”
It was nice of President Obama to relieve Ed of his burdensome lunch money and then get Ed a milkshake from the White House kitchen, and then drink it all up like that. I wonder what FOX Nation will sa…oh hey. Pre-emptive Uppity.
Why Did Pres. Obama Hold His First Press Conference in Three Months on Super Tuesday?
It’s like they knew Ed Henry was going to be a douchebucket beforehand.
feebog
Shorter Obama:
Excuse me while I bitch slap this moron from Faux Noose into next week.
cathyx
That line to Ed Henry made me laugh. I wish the right wing media would get that point.
trollhattan
Is he the douchenozzle who snagged Helen Thomas’ chair? Putting it to good use, I see. Too bad “Special Ed” is already taken, because it would apply here.
Short Bus Bully
Shorter Ed Henry: “DEERRPPP! NEEP NORP NERF!”
Someone get that guy a propeller for his hat and show him where the bathroom is so he stops shitting in his hands.
Egg Berry
It’s like Pujols taking batting practice against the little league pitcher.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I heard this whine earlier. Just heard it from Howard Fineman, actually. I wonder how many people, nationally, know which states are having their primaries, including in those states.
Mattminus
I love the contrast between the shit eating grin on his face while he’s asking the question and the “but… but…but” look on his face when Obama takes him behind the woodshed.
scav
I think we’re now within the seeing the whites of their eyes range, I do indeedy.
David Koch
Ed isn’t the problem.
He’s only reading what he’s told to read by Roger Ailes et al.
muddy
@Mattminus: It was delightful, the president had to bite his lip so he didn’t grin too big. And the camera stayed on the stupid guy as Obama is asking, Really? and he just sits there looking like a doof. Sweet stuff.
jl
What I wonder, and have wondered for years, and wondered about all the corporate news networks, is why are they willing to have their national affairs reporters act like gibbering loons, jackasses, and tendentious corporate hacks in public?
One would think it would be bad for business.
Oh, wait, maybe it IS bad for business.
Edit: and, apologies for implicit hate speech directed at all jackasses of the animal kingdom, and many among the human race whom I just insulted.
Edit edit: Obama should just throw the press conferences wide open and ask specifically for only non dumb non dishonest questions. See how many are eager to speak up.
c u n d gulag
It’s a toss-up as to who the new worst young male “reporter is” – this f*cking idiot, or Chuckles “The F*cking Moron” Todd?
I’d call it a tie, and fire both of their stupid f*cking asses.
How do you like them gas prices now that you’re out of work, Ed?
Btw – Yeah, Ed, Obama’s a genius – raising gas prices is a political winner!
What did these idiots study – joornahlizm?
OY!
Redshift
I was looking up another article on The Atlantic and saw this:
“Megan McArdle: Neil deGrasse Tyson Is Wrong About NASA”
There is nothing anyone could say to make me click on that link. It is possible someone could write a post with that headline that would be worth reading, but the prefix of “Megan McArdle” just transforms the title into a bat-signal for illogic and wrongheadedness.
Seebach
Obama’s back to being the whiz kid that causes his enemies to destroy themselves. Breitbart’s heart exploded, Limbaugh’s spleen exploded and Henry’s brain exploded.
I can live with this for the next few months.
New Yorker
pwn3d
muddy
@c u n d gulag: They want both low gas prices and a war with Iran at the same time.
Um.
Fax Paladin
OK, I don’t know how many other people are seeing this, but there’s an ad over here asking us to “Support Sheriff Joe’s Efforts to Take Our Country,” credited to the “Sheriff Joe PAC”…
Truth in advertising? Or is this someone’s idea of a joke?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Seebach:
Is that what that was? I thought somebody was playing with bubble wrap.
James E. Powell
A guy who gets a front row seat at a president’s press conference should be able to avoid looking like a moron. As with most of the big time press/media people, I do not understand how they get or keep their high paying jobs.
jl
@Mattminus:
” the shit eating grin on his face while he’s asking the question ”
I take that as evidence he knew it was dumb but was told, directly or indirectly to ask it, and he is an obedient corporate hack.
arguingwithsignposts
@jl: To answer your question in an oblique fashion: What’s a CEO worth?
burnspbesq
The taxonomy is a bit confusing to me. Can someone explain the relevant differences between/among a douchebag, douchebucket, and douchenozzle? And why would one choose to use any of these words when “idiot” is both commonly understood and completely accurate in describing Mr. Henry?
But to your original point, of course they knew Henry was going to be an idiot. He’s incapable of being anything else.
redshirt
Important to remember: With Right Wing media, facts, truth, profits, ratings don’t matter. All that matters is getting the daily message out, and the long term implications in that.
PeakVT
@jl: I saw somebody who thought he had made up a clever line that would back the President into saying something stupid. Oops.
Mattminus
@jl:
Perhaps you’re right. My read was more that it was the look of self satisfaction for “catching” the prez with such a zinger.
TaMara (BHF)
@Redshift: Them’s fighting words. I admire and <3 Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Elizabelle
Virginians: Polls open until seven pm.
Open to all registered voters; nobody cares if you’re a Republican or asks.
I voted for the coot in the suit, and it felt good to throw up a tiny roadblock on the way to Romney’s inevitability.
Mutant Poodle
It’s not the first time Ed has had his lunch money stolen by Obama…you’d think he’d wise up by now.
You think there’s a pool in the WH Press office to see how badly Ed Henry gets bitch-slapped by POTUS?
scav
OT Update on Judge Cebull of the email. At least two other (apart from his) complaints filed with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Additionally, two Democrats (Conyers, MI; Cohen, TN) on the House Judiciary Committee called for a hearing to examine his conduct and the potential consequences of his email (seems this would be the first step the get any ball rolling on the legislative end of things).
asiangrrlMN
@Redshift: No no no. That title shouldn’t even exist.
Tom Levinson! Yoo-hooooo! Looks like your next MM post needs to be written!
lamh35
Ed Henry was a douche on CNN and he sold his soul for I guess a bigger paycheck and a higher status in the newsroom, but unfortunately he sold his soul to Fox and even the Devil is better than FoxNews.
tc
The press conference clip gawker has up is really funny, too.
Redshift
@TaMara (BHF): There are some contests where you don’t have to have to see a single minute to know who’s going to win. I can’t imagine a pairing that would illustrate more clearly than this the phrase “battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.”
jl
I guess there must be an audience for this crud, the constant accusations of, the horror!, autonomy and independence (why a presser on OUR ‘lection day?), the simultaneously idiotic and arrogant questions. Problem is, there are too many people walking around today, who could come right out of the 1850s, except they can’t talk so publicly about their attitudes as in the past.
I use the Huck Finn’s pappy test, are they basically talking like Finn’s ol’ boozer pappy:
” Oh, yes, this is a wonderful govment, wonderful. Why, looky here. There was a free n***** there from Ohio… They said he was a p’fessor in a college, and could talk all kinds of languages, and knowed everything. And that ain’t the wust. They said he could VOTE when he was at home. Well, that let me out. Thinks I, what is the country a-coming to? It was ‘lection day, and I was just about to go and vote myself if I warn’t too drunk to get there; but when they told me there was a State in this country where they’d let that n***** vote, I drawed out. I says I’ll never vote agin. Them’s the very words I said; they all heard me; and the country may rot for all me–I’ll never vote agin as long as I live. And to see the cool way of that n*****, why, he wouldn’t a give me the road if I hadn’t shoved him out o’ the way. ”
The ‘cool way’ of certain people (racial/ethnic minorities, women, damned kids, poor lesser people parasites, etc.), adds insult to injury to many ‘right thinking’ in this country.
Need to convey to them that they are 160 years behind the times.
Edit: I censored the N word to avoid offense, but missed one on the first go around. So, I can get the N word past the filter but Bo3HN3r ppllzz is naughty?
Edit edit: I guess that is the economics of it. Too many old coots with the limpy third leg trying having sinful slutty sex is the problem with this country. Why are our tax dollars paying for this sin and licentiousness?
Redshift
@Elizabelle: Good for you. I can’t do it; I’m not willing to pay the price of ending up on Republican mailing lists.
West of the Cascades
But the real question the right wants answered … was President Obama using a teleprompter when he zinged Ed Henry?
shep
Ick. A Kool-Aid milkshake.
TaMara (BHF)
@Redshift: I have’t caught the whole thing yet, but he was on Science Friday on NPR last week. This is paraphrased, but I almost drove off the road I was laughing so hard. When asked about a future meteor disaster:
“For a society with a space program it shouldn’t happen, that would be so embarrassing. Future aliens would laugh at us”
muddy
@Mattminus:
You both sound right, not much air between those descriptions. The part I liked best was when the camera just stayed on him (I was on CBS) and his stupid smug face just sets and he has to hold it like that the whole time while the president laughs merrily. And everyone else too.
Suffern ACE
To be fair to Fox, Was CBS any better? “Mr. President, what do you have to say about Romney’s comparison of you to Jimmy Carter?
JoshA
Alternative Fox Nation: We object to Obama not having a press conference in 3 months, and we also object to him having a press conference today.
Reminds me of Mittens’ “Obama has irresponsibly refused to cut entitlements like Medicare, and also irresponsibly cut Medicare.”
freelancer
@Redshift:
Oh, it’s fucking ON!
lamh35
BTW, I think the President’s answer on Sandra Fluke was pitch perfect and even better than this clip.
Ben Cisco
This is shaping up to be a good week.
__
Oh, and McArgleBargle needs to be smacked for even going there.
Democratic Nihilist, Keeper Of Party Purity
@Redshift: McArdle is not worthy of washing Neil deGrasse Tyson’s jockstrap. She has as much business writing about space as I have writing about what it’s like being on Koch Industries welfare.
BGinCHI
That’s a preview of the Presidential debates, right there.
Fucking brains, how do they work Ed?
Steve
It’s actually not McArdle, it’s a guest blogger.
FlyingToaster
M@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Very few.
Massachusetts, polls opened at 7am, close at 8pm, closed primary, local 2-way race for the Democratic State Committeeman.
More workers than voters at my precinct.
Raven
@BGinCHI: I really wish Obama would have the chance to rip Newt from asshole to earlobe with a dull deer antler when he pulls that “I’m a historian” bullshit.
Surreal American
@Democratic Nihilist, Keeper Of Party Purity:
Fixed.
Democratic Nihilist, Keeper Of Party Purity
@scav: Might be OT but I thank you for it. I’m willing to give judges a LOT of leeway but I think this guy probably needs to be impeached for conduct unbecoming.
I’ll give him this, though – I think the good Judge has at least realized that he really fucked up this time.
MattF
I do wish Obama did this sort of thing more often, and not just in election years. Maybe he was doing a sort of psychology experiment to see how long it would take wingers to genuinely forget that he’s a smart guy, not to mention somewhat coldblooded, truth to tell.
BGinCHI
@Raven: I wish Newt would run as an Indy. That would be sweet. Maybe his billionaire will let him.
Romney will probably shit his pantalones when he sees that clip.
Raven
@BGinCHI: “He’s the only one that can get in Obama’s face”. Wouldn’t you love to see them play one-on-one to 21? Post his fat fucking ass and drill him!
arguingwithsignposts
@MattF: head/desk
Did you not pay attention when he beat them about the head and neck during their little GOP caucus meeting on health care? Do we have to roam through the archives of whitehouse.gov to find all the times he’s called them on their bullshit?
This meme that the president has just sat there and taken it for the last 3 years needs to die in a fire.
Martin
@MattF:
Agreed.
Short Bus Bully
@BGinCHI:
Romney doesn’t shit, he hires Mexicans to do that for him.
Redshift
@Steve:
Aw, that’s kind of disappointing. False advertising!
Scott
I don’t think Ed Henry is the dumbest reporter on TV, but he’d definitely place.
Mino
Too bad our lame excuse for a press didn’t ask Obama about the article in Haaretz reporting the approveal of the sale of bunker busters and refueling aricraft to Israel. Did they promise to hold off until after the election??
I really hope this is just a planted rumor. My cynicism is not great enough.
MattF
@arguingwithsignposts: Well, perception counts, and my perception is that I’m now seeing Obama respond clearly and strongly to the various lies and slanders coming from the right, and that I hadn’t seen it so much before.
freelancer
@freelancer:
She (McArdle’s guest-blogger) links to a Reason article that lambastes the useless non-utility of NASA experiments that is right in the wheelhouse of know-nothing mockery of “fruit fly research” or Volcano Monitoring. Stating that NASA doesn’t even have the launch capabilities they used to have, she scoffs at his suggestion that NASA’s budget be doubled. NASA’s 2012 budget is $18.7 Billion Dollars.
To give a sense of scale, The US Marine Corps budget for 2012 is 23 Billion, The Air Force’s Budget for Procurement of Classified Programs is 17.8 Billion, and the budget for the DOD Missile Defense Agency is 8.5 Billion Dollars a year.
I fucking hate these people.
JPL
@Raven: Did you vote for Santorum? It’s questionable that he’ll reach twenty percent.
tofubo
ot, of course
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/251fa6410b/women-s-health-experts-speak-out?rel=player
oh, and why does a refresh sometimes beget the mobile version of the page ??
arguingwithsignposts
@MattF: Paying attention counts, too.
Perception is created by who frames the message. And all the Bully Pulpit in the world won’t change the perception if your opponents are 24/7 with their bullshit. The man’s been out there the whole time against a concerted effort by the GOP and their media enablers.
freelancer
@tofubo:
Server issues due to update. Cole’s working on it.
gogol's wife
@arguingwithsignposts:
Yes, absolutely. People just don’t pay attention.
Marcellus Shale, Public Dick
if the gop wants to sell super turdsday outrage, they ought to be more convincing about their desires to crown raw money.
jnfr
I love it when Obama brings his best game. In those moments, I believe he’s gonna trounce whoever is the Republican nominee.
samara morgan
@freelancer: and you cant even SEE the black budget.
foo’
Schlemizel
I love that guy! I wish he could be my President.
sorry but I do wish he had been that combative early on. That was perfect, nobody could say he was being mean or offensive but he put that useless prick in his place.
Maude
@arguingwithsignposts:
An now for the other side, He’s worse than Bush, he sold us out.
Mark S.
I’m worried. Shouldn’t veritas be here telling us how Romney is going to seal the deal tonight? Either word on the street is telling him that this is going to be a bad night for the Mittster, or his mommy caught him looking at porn again and grounded him from the Internet.
JPL
In GA those that voted in the repub primary..(As you probably know it’s been called for Gingrich).
Immigration was the biggest issue
Two-thirds identify themselves as evangelical.
58% against abortion in most circumstances..
Gingrich did nothing for immigration while in office and how and evangelical can vote for a cheater is beyond me.
Redshift
@freelancer:
They don’t have the capability they used to when their budget was much larger, so we shouldn’t give them a bigger budget. Wow, that’s some weapons-grade stupidity…
I don’t get the whole hipster thing — I mean, what’s the point of naming your magazine “Reason” ironically?
Calouste
Interesting that Georgia has been called immediately for Gingrich, but Virginia, where Romney and Paul are the only candidates on the ballot, hasn’t been called yet.
Schlemizel
@jnfr:
almost makes ya feel sorry for the Marquis de Mittens doesn’t it?
BBWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
muddy
Bob Scheiffer just said that Mitt, “lived to fight another day.” What’s the rest of that rhyme?
Schlemizel
@Mark S.:
After the repeated spankings the lair posing as truth probably is starting to learn. You can bet that once Willard gets 1440 delegates he will be back here pretending to have known all along & how we are all losers blah blah blah
We should be prepared
Egg Berry
@Mark S.: I was really waiting for veritas to give me investment advice tonight. I thought he might have some UNLIMITED DONATIONS to TAKE TO THE BANK and assure VICTORY!
Midnight Marauder
@MattF:
This has been updated for accuracy purposes.
/O-BOT…AWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!
pragmatism
@muddy: that’s a pretty high bar sheiffer set. only way to set it lower is to do some excavation first.
SiubhanDuinne
@JPL:
I asked for a Dem ballot, and was paying careful attention to the poll workers in case one of them collapsed of shock and required first aid; or, alternatively, in case they robotically gave me a Rethug ballot. But in the event it was, well, uneventful. I voted for Barack H. Obama (D) (Incumbent) for President of the United States, and in favor of alcohol sales on Sunday in Gwinnett County. Whole thing took less time than walking from my car to the voting booth.
BGinCHI
@muddy: Man, that Schieffer is really bringing the A game.
Seriously, is he even compos mentis?
piratedan
@JPL: hey just because you’re evangelical, doesn’t mean that you can’t cheat. Hell, its almost a requirement if you look at all of the family values Republicans that have been caught stepping out. The flesh is weak and all of that, those evangelicals can be very forgiving as long as you’re lacking in skin pigmentation, otherwise, we can’t tell where you’ve been branded with the sign of the beast.
Raven
@JPL: Nah, I was bombarded by more women at coffee so I just said fuck it and stayed home and played with the doggies!
Litlebritdifrnt
Did you guys see this shit?
86 Year old WWII vet not allowed to vote, his VA ID was not sufficient.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/03/06/439324/86-year-old-ohio-veteran-cant-vote-after-government-issued-id-is-rejected-at-poll/
This is getting fucking ugly folks.
Raven
@Calouste: I don’t think Virginia closes till 7:30.
The Dangerman
Yo, Mr. Henry, the tools in my garage are up in arms for you making them look bad; shit, even the box of nails is pissed. Please, for the sake of tranquility in the garage, knock this shit off.
Raven
@Raven:He says as they call it for Romney.
scav
@muddy: “Lived”? When did he become a real boy? I’m sure he just meant shook the batteries or something.
Davis X. Machina
@Litlebritdifrnt: Fishermen have a word for it — bycatch.
Can’t be helped.
JeffH
@SiubhanDuinne: Sounds like what I did, also in Gwinnett. The guy signing in people basically said to the person in front of me “Well you probably want the Republican ballot since that’s the only one with a real race.”
I overheard one of the poll workers saying “I thought it would be much busier than this today.” Between that and the insanely small number of bumper stickers I’ve seen for Republican candidates, I think at least some Republicans are aware of how pathetic their candidates are.
Calouste
@The Dangerman:
Your sack of hammers probably feels smart though.
nellcote
@JPL:
Not enough crops rotting in the fields?
Raven
@nellcote: Like they give a fuck. Hardly anyone voted and those that did were suburban ATL morons.
muddy
@pragmatism:
So low he has to look up to look down?
muddy
@BGinCHI:
No.
muddy
@scav:
Well, he has spawned. One of them looks like an Osmond tho. Was it hanky panky or are all the Mormons related?
waratah
@BGinCHI: But! the press said that Romney was cool and good debater last time. Ready for prime time.
Emma
@arguingwithsignposts: It can’t die because it’s both Republicans and Democrats spreading it. Bipartisanship!!! YEAH!
Dr. Loveless
@JPL:
Fixed.
catclub
fywp
SarahT
@TaMara (BHF): What you said. @Seebach: What you said, too.
amk
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: so fineman is now ready to join pox news ? what an asshole.
Jay C
IIJM, or did anyone else notice that President Obama managed to off two birds with that one well-placed zinger? Not only did he school Ed Henry on his asking a stupid question: but at the same time made it clear that Fox “News” was peddling a line of bullshit with their “higher gas prices” nonsense – which was neatly shot down by his retort.
Bird One: Tool reporter.
Bird Two: Tool network.
And all, we notice, without the use of a teleprompter…
scav
@muddy:
There are tests we can do to investigate for both cyborg and DNA identification. Many corporate leaders prefer outsourcing as the believe it produces superior products at lower cost. Just trying to keep grounded in likelihood and empiricism.
dww44
@SiubhanDuinne: for me as well. I, too, thought that fellow voters would peer at me in absolute wonder. I can’t wait to check my precinct results tomorrow to see if I was the ONLY person casting a Dem vote. Entirely possible, since so few voters of any persuasion were there. Fastest I’ve ever been in and out of the voting booth.
amk
@Seebach: LOL
amk
@Mattminus: yup. the pox news tool like a fucking fish.
Jamey
“Pre-emptive uppity” should be the next BJ category.
OC
I’m sure someone beat me to it but here goes:
DRAIIIIIIINAAAAAAAGE!!!!!!!! DRAINAGE, Eli You Boy….
Mnemosyne
Who’s the gray-haired guy sitting next to Ed? ‘Cause his head snapped around when Ed finally got to the actual question.
JR in WV
@Mino: I’m pretty sure that’s real news. I recall seeing a remark in a strategic foreign policy blog about it a week or two ago.
Mixed feelings – the foreign despots deserve to get smashed, but their followers usually have no choice but to follow or get killed. I have no patience with religious dictators of any stripe; deluded followers are something else.
brantl
How hard can that be? I can predict that the sun will rise, everyday, too.
Nemesis
Back in the excruciating days of the gwb presidency, prior to his rare press conferences, reporter were required to submit their questions beforehand.
This President thinks on his feet. He is quite intelligent, so, yes, in a way, he was prepared for a douchey question from fox entertainment. Que the “harsh, uppity” meme.