It won’t surprise you that ABC News is rallying around the Daily Caller.
Update. Klein later retweeted something from another reporter saying he didn’t believe Munro’s story. Jim Newell sums the whole thing up pretty well:
This was a great PR thing that Tucker Carlson did for his little website and your ethical rebukes will only make him happier. Pure bad faith, baby, that’s how we roll in the Greatest Country In The History Of The World these days.
Villago Delenda Est
Yup, it’s bullshit. Fuckstick thought the Prez was “wrapping up”. Sure.
ABC News is a sewer.
arguingwithsignposts
I thought the president always said “I’ll take questions” when he was “wrapping up”?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Who ya gonna believe? Me, or your lying eyes?
‘
From Think Progress.
JenJen
I called it! Thought it would be Tapper but was told in the other thread he’s in Mexico.
jl
The miserable Note is still around?
And as silly and transparent as ever.
Guess I have missed a lot of updates from Rick Klein. Too bad.
Since I am admittedly out of the loop on this stuff, is if fair to identify a pathetic political gossip and BS blog like the Note with ABC News? I hope not.
Zifnab
@JenJen: If he had a TV in his hotel room, I wouldn’t be surprised if he spent the evening yelling at it.
Roger Moore
@arguingwithsignposts:
Yeah, but that only works if the reporter is actually listening to what the President is saying. If he’s ignoring his words because he’s only there to be an asshole, he’s going to judge by body language, skin color, etc.
Punchy
Has Neil Munro ever interrupted Sullivan before?
Valdivia
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
but isn’t he some pinko because he works for NPR? Am I wrong?
arguingwithsignposts
@Roger Moore: I saw what you did there.
Joseph Nobles
Klein also retweeted David Kerley’s response to his tweet:
So perhaps the Klein tweet was a “can you believe these morons” situation.
Dork
Is it true that lily-ass white, guy-named-Neil tried to claim he was an immigrant? If true, that’s just comedy.
cat48
Mike Vacarro, NBC, was standing next to him & he strongly thinks the Fucker knew what he was doing b/c he did it more than once. Vacarro said “NO ONE” has ever done that before. He had a temporary pass for 1 day only. Betcha he doesn’t get another. Everybody thinks they “cave”; not so much when it comes to the press. It will be his final performance.
Bort
Yeah, but Sam Donaldson was really loud 25 years ago, so both sides do it! It’s all good!
cursorial
Given that the Daily Caller can get WH press credentials, can we start issuing them to the Onion as well? You know, just so all points of view are represented.
Cris (without an H)
Yeah, I’m not sure a sentence starting “Daily Caller folks say…” constitutes a rally-round. It’s sort of like “Oliver North claimed…”
Mark S.
@arguingwithsignposts:
That’s what they teach you at those fancy news organizations. You can’t expect a Daily Caller guy to know that.
jl
@cursorial:
“Daily Caller can get WH press credentials”
The weirdness of that fact did not register until now.
Does Wonkette have WH and Congressional press credentials?
Wonkette seems to be funny on purpose, so seems like they are more qualified, editorialwise, for credentials.
Bruce S
Not sure this qualifies as “ABC News rallying around…”
Actually, I’m sure it doesn’t.
japa21
@cursorial: Well, at least The Onion would be a more accurate news organization than The Daily Caller.
arguingwithsignposts
@jl: I think they pass around a 1-day blogger credential to all the non WHPC members.
Roger Moore
@cursorial:
I’m pretty sure The Onion will ask more interesting, relevant questions, too.
RP
I don’t think they’re defending The Daily Caller. The “THOUGHT” in all caps suggests that they don’t find the defense persuasive.
MikeBoyScout
President Obama sometimes forgets that an important presidential statement does not have to be endless. […] It’s hard to imagine that the statement, overgrown as it was with policy details, won the hearts of many independent journalists, yearning for a clear understanding of when it is the right time to ask the president a question.
See? It writes itself.
JenJen
@Zifnab: Can’t you hear him now?? “TUCKER CARLSON’S VANITY PROJECT IS A LEGITIMATE NEWS ORGANIZATION GRRRR SMASH ME ANGRY OHHHHH WAIT ME WRONG”
dr. luba
Just plain rude. No manners.
FuriousPhil
ABC News is more like Entertainment Tonight than a news program. Basically, it’s for showing old people drug ads and youtube videos because they can’t figure out how to use the internet.
Anyways, this is the double standard at work. A MI state rep says ‘vagina’, Repubs get all verklempt, conservative blogger/professional asshole interrupts POTUS, he’s a hero of the movement. As an old black lady once told me, it doesn’t cost anything to be polite.
taylormattd
goddamn I love the Wonket. I finished reading Jim Newell’s fine screed, and moved on to this: http://wonkette.com/475485/alleged-sex-creep-in-peter-pan-hat-is-prominent-oregon-gop-politican-of-course
My favorite part:
RP
from the comments at Wonkette:
beltane
@jl: Wonkette is far more reality based than the Daily Caller. I am trying to think of a left equivalent to Daily Caller ever having received WH press credentials but I’m drawing a blank.
Violet
If the Daily
FTucker can get a press pass, why can’t Balloon Juice? If trolling the President is the next big thing, DougJ would do a far better job.Redshift
@cat48:
I’m betting that was part of the plan all along. How many hours do you think it will be before the Tucker Post is trying to raise money off being blacklisted by the administration?
jl
@Violet: I was about to suggest that. But I think the closest person to DC is ol’ misanthropist hisself. No way he will do it.
Maybe if he can bring the pets with him to meet Bo. Otherwise I am doubtful.
Any random BJer in DC can volunteer.
jl
That was supposed to be question, but WP won’t let me edit, so repeat:
Any random BJer in DC can volunteer?
Edit: After hearing the clip again, I guess the Daily Caller jerk also THOUGHT Obama was finished with his just as Obama got six words into the answer.
Flying Squirrel Girl
When do we get our own?
dr. bloor
@Violet: Once the WH realizes that DougJ would spend his time trolling the reporters rather than POTUS, they’d give him a permanent credential.
arguingwithsignposts
@jl: I think eemom is in DC. wouldn’t that be a hoot!
Or cryptolibertarian SteveinDC.
Violet
@dr. bloor:
Maybe lefty blogs should start clamoring for credentials. I mean, if the I-Get-Fired-From-Every-Job-I’ve-Had Carlson’s vanity project gets a credential, why can’t TBogg or someone from Balloon Juice?
beltane
@RP: Almost every comment on that thread is a thing of beauty. In the event of a Romney win, I think the entire Wonkette commentariat should be given WH press credentials.
Jennifer
TPM has credentials, don’t they?
Not that they’re the left equivalent of Daily Callgirl. There is no left equivalent of Daily Callgirl, which is something we should all take pride in.
David Koch
@Redshift:
No, they would have done it before if it was planned or at lest they wouldn’t have done it on a Friday, the lowest news cycle of the week.
It’s all about the brown people. Mexicans really makes them go crazy.
Valdivia
@jl:
raises hand. I am a random BJer in DC :)
Metrosexual Black AbeJ
@Violet:
I used to troll the WH Press Secretary, Jay Carney, when he was at Time. Rick Perlstein even wrote an article about it.
Cap'n Swag
Rick Klein is a dipshit. How can anyone read that transcript and think Munro thought the president had wrapped up.
Fuck this stupid media.
Redshift
@David Koch: Hmmm, maybe. But if the point isn’t to make it known to the world at large, but only to make it well-known to the wingnutosphere, I’m not sure it’s being on Friday makes as much of a difference.
srv
Doug, after years of calling out the media to question our dear leaders, you mean everyone but Obama?
quannlace
Yeeaaahhhh, but calling out loudly, ‘Mr. President, Mr. President’ when Q&A has started (The adult equivalent of a student yelling ‘Ooh, ooh, Mr Kotter.’) ain’t close to the same thing.
That’s called being an obnoxious fuck.
Violet
@Valdivia: I nominate you for a Press Credential. Can you please smack around Chuck Todd when you are in the briefing room?
Hunter Gathers
Magua is going to be really pissed off when he finds out that the seed of Munro has survived.
Violet
@Metrosexual Black AbeJ:
You’d be perfect as our White House correspondent. And if you’d troll Chuck Todd, I”d appreciate it.
Gravenstone
Would it upset the delicate sense of decorum in our
Fifth ColumnFourth Estate if there were a couple secret service agents patrolling the press gallery with shock prods?Redshift
@srv:
I’m trying to decide if you’re really so thick you don’t understand why a “reporter” doesn’t have to interrupt the president’s speech in order to “question” the president at a press event where he has press credentials, or if you’re just trolling.
Both are about equally stupid.
BGinCHI
Anyone else point out that it’s pretty much true?
Daily Caller and ABC and AP and other ARE sister news orgs. There are distinctions but precious little difference.
Wag the fucking dog, bitches.
Martin
@arguingwithsignposts:
You can’t really fault the guy for figuring the black presidents would be too lazy to do that.
dr. bloor
@Hunter Gathers: (Golf clap)
jl
@Violet: Second that!
I can hear it now, at the next presser:
“Valdivia, BJ Washington Bureau”
It has a ring to it.
Edit: When the BJ correspondent, says “I have a BJ question”, that will fit right in with the rest of the corporate press.
Odie Hugh Manatee
OT: There are more comments in the first four posts on the front page here than there are in all twelve front page posts at Redstate. The last eight FP posts at Redstate were posted yesterday, with the balance from today. Every single FP post here is from today.
Enthusiasm, I think they lack it. Hate, bitterness and envy? I think they’re full of it.
In more ways than one.
The Sailor
The guy questioning Obama’s immigration plan by asking if it won’t have immigrants taking American’s jobs is an immigrant taking an American’s job.
Valdivia
@Violet:
oh I promise to do much more than that. I have plans, evil secret nefarious plans. :)
@jl:
And I promise to do you all very very proud. The Village won’t know what hit it
lacp
@Gravenstone: It would be an interesting test of security if, the next time one of these mouth-breathers pulls this trick, the person next to him/her/it immediately drowned them out by shouting “Oh my god! He/she/it’s got a gun!”
lacp
The spirit of Jeff Gannon lives on….
Valdivia
@Martin:
because you know they do think that.
Violet
@Valdivia:
I think a bunch of blogs on the left should start loudly demanding press credentials. I mean if that idiot Tucker Carlson’s blog can get them, aren’t they just giving them away to anyone who asks?
jl
Oh Lord, not only is the Daily Caller dude a rude jerk, he is a very incompetent troll.
Transcript of this world shaking press incident is up at TPM
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/full-exchange-between-obama-daily-caller-reporter
If we are going to have trolls at WH press events, dammit, these Great United States deserve at least half competent ones.
Doug Pseudonymble TrollJ would do better, even while sober.
Southern Beale
Also, this:
Betcha anything in 6 months we find out this whole thing was planned.
Odie Hugh Manatee
I see that the manic progressives at Kos are taking credit for Obama’s move today. They Occupied his campaign offices in three states and forced his hand! I think they found a poni!! Not to worry though, I’m sure there will still be plenty of whining and moaning.
That’s one thing the emoprogs really enjoy, it makes them feel like they are fighting or something.
Southern Beale
They gave Fox News the seat held by Helen Thomas. What the fuck did you people expect.
jl
@Southern Beale: My heading is spinning! OMIGOD what new astonishing angle will reveal itself next!?
srv
@Redshift: What’s stupid is Obama rarely takes questions at these events – probably didn’t even at this one.
As long as your idea of ‘press’ event is few or no questions…
How Bushian of y’all
Valdivia
@Violet:
I completely agree. And I think our job would be to report on the Village, and their sister orgs.
Odie Hugh Manatee
Is Munro going for the Elton John look with his haircut? He almost nails it.
Yutsano
@Southern Beale: Did you read her whole Tweet thread? She is having way too much fun with this.
Mike in NC
@Villago Delenda Est:
Would that be the same ABC News whose anchor is Diane Sawyer, former employee of Richard Nixon?
Amir Khalid
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
The thing about Elton John’s current look is, that’s not his real hair. Sir Elton’s been bald on top since the mid-1970s. So Munro would be trying to imitate a wig with his hairstyle.
Roger Moore
@The Sailor:
Sure, but he’s a white immigrant, so it’s totally different.
Keith
Give Jeff Guckert back his day pass, Neil!
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Roger Moore: as a “Cold War Bridegroom”, he practically brought down Stalin single-handed
Valdivia
@Roger Moore:
@The Sailor:
you two are full of win.
Southern Beale
@Yutsano:
Yeah. Hippie.
This is the mother of all distractions — and it’s a good distraction, hell I blogged about it. But with the GOP looking like a bunch of racist cranky McCranks what better way to throw Dems off message than making the story be about the media instead of about immigration.
Davis X. Machina
@Odie Hugh Manatee: They forced his hand on DADT too.
Dude’s humeri got teflon balls…
Crusty Dem
Punchline?
Neil Munro was born in Ireland, attended Dublin’s University College, and is an American through marriage.
He’s also well-known for being a world-class asshole.
SamR
Nothing says “I’m a good-faith reporter seeking an answer to my legitimate question” like interrupting a prepared statement with a yelled “why won’t you stop beating your wife” type-question without a notepad out.
lacp
@Southern Beale: How very Breitbartian!
Trentrunner
Diane Sawyer reminds you of the divorcee down the street whose robe “accidentally” falls open when signing for UPS.
Linda Featheringill
We had a discussion a while ago about, among other things, whether Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance would work in the US.
This article brings up an interesting idea. Maybe those techniques would work on Obama. Maybe they would work on other democrats.
Hmmm.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/15/1100336/-POWER-OF-PROTEST-Occupations-of-Obama-Campaign-Offices-in-CA-MI-CO-Influenced-DREAM-Decision
Hunter Gathers
@Crusty Dem: An Irish immigrant? Where’s Bill The Butcher when you need him?
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Amir Khalid:
IOW, a real phony? Natch.
I know about his rug, the album cover for Caribou clearly showed his balding long ago.
@Davis X. Machina:
More like Delrin; lightweight, tough and as slippery as Teflon. ;)
kay
The headline at CNN is “Obama bristles..”
I knew it. I knew we’d be getting to the bottom of this and it would be AL)L due to Obama’s arrogant insistence on acting as President.
Back in the real world, he’s up 8 in Michigan, and it’s Rasmussen, which means he’s up 12.
trollhattan
@Roger Moore:
Pretty sure it takes some serious smarts to become an Onionite. Tucker’s hall o’ shame requires only having chosen the right parents.
Seanly
@Hunter Gathers:
You win the intertubes for the day with the literary reference.
Valdivia
@kay:
you know because he is blacketyblackblackblack
everything is his fault even the ridiculously rude behaviour of deranged right wing bloggers.
I see via Pareene that when he was a science correspondent he dedicated a lot of column inches to defending the vaccers. Figures.
Raven
@kay: I was on the road this afternoon and listened to Hannity for a couple of minutes. He was about to have a stroke about that arrogant n*(&*^&(&%*.
David Koch
PPP:
patroclus
@Hunter Gathers: For the thread Win! CJK5H to you all!
Valdivia
@Southern Beale:
believe me that the people this is aimed at–Latinos–wont give an eff about the media narrative and will hear and know about the policy. This is the difference between their news organizations and the Village. They actually care about it and report accordingly.
Valdivia
This is the news report most read in the Univision news website
http://noticias.univision.com/inmigracion/dream-act/article/2012-06-15/obama-frena-deportacion-de-dreamers#axzz1xuAYcXdT
Note that it is super long and it details everything about the law, who it covers, how it will be implemented and how the Dream Act got lost in Congress.
srv
Stenographers are sometimes a feature
gwangung
@Valdivia: Yeah. I don’t think people realize that the community press plays a large part in shaping community opinion. Mass media plays very little and are often held in contempt by the community.
I mean, for one thing, folks in the ethnic community actually know the owners of the ethnic presses by name. First name.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@dr. bloor:
“Mr President, DougJ, Balloon Juice here; which of these reporters do you think best embodies the spirit of late, great David Brooder by always understanding that both sides do it, when “it” is a bad thing? Thank you Mr President.”
Valdivia
@gwangung:
The Village is going to focus on whatever it wants but those affected will know from their own news sources and care. I love also that the article from Univision is the most complete policy oriented thing I read all day on it. Instead of the glib all politics all the time bs from the DC Press Corpse.
Baud
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
I can’t tell you how much I would give to see this.
Hill Dweller
@srv: Has any President done more press conferences/interviews than Obama in his first term?
kay
@Raven:
I thought he was amazingly restrained and polite.
Judges are much, much meaner, and way more personally humiliating. The White House press corps don’t know the meaning of “dressed down” :)
Raven
@kay: He called the little weasel shit “sir”.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Hill Dweller: You don’t understand, Obot. One of our intrepid reporters was just dying to ask the question that would lead to the end of drone attacks and the implementation of single payer! Are you so far gone in your slavish, starry-eyed devotion to The One that you’re telling yourself all those junior Chuck Todds were just going to attempt gotcha questions about “How do you respond to those who say the timing here is related to the Latino vote?” and “You’re aware that this issue is very personal to Senator Marco Rubio. Did you consult with Senator Rubio?”
Also, too: Nobody will ever be as open and honest as President Ralph Deancinich!
jl
@Baud:
That would be OK for a warm up, but I would expect a good BJ correspondent to troll the prez once in awhile, and do it well, not like this miserable Daily Caller hack.
After this display, how will the Onion, Wonkette, or our intrepid corps of BJ would be DC bureau correspondents ever get their passes?
So, this epic story of press rudery in itself is nothing, and probably serendipitously useful to WH and Obama campaign for calibrating their protocols for freaking out the wingnuts and the Mittster.
Edit: and looks like Mitt has emitted enough verbiage to not stand by his previous positions, which he does not remember, whatever they were. That is a big surprise too.
Edit: a good troll would do something that passes the laugh test initially, at least for a minute or two.
gwangung
@kay: Mr. Zimmerman may have found this out.
harlana
I am so sick and tired of this President being disrespected. If he were white, he’d be hated, but not disrespected over and over in this particular fashion.
This is a minor example compared to shouting YOU LIE! at the SOTU and that trailer park hag Jan Brewer sticking her bony old finger in his face, but thought the President handled it well and that’s what I came away with. I’m glad he asserted himself. DailyCaller seems to be taking the victim route. Obama bullied poor innocent reporter.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Baud:
You can see how it plays out too; Obama’s look of “oh, this is to delicious,.. NO the President can’t snark!” and then making some vague statement about how Mr Brooder is missed. After that the press corps get goes into a frenzy of patting their own backs for a cycle over how Brooder lives on in them, until someone puts the words Brooder, DougJ and Balloon Juice together.
gwangung
@Valdivia: Yup. Because it isn’t a horse race to the community. It’s our lives.
srv
@Hill Dweller: Your perception of reality is wrong, unless a couple more a year than W is the awesome
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/207567-obama-finds-virtual-end-around-to-bypass-the-white-house-press
harlana
This is a subject that resonates not only with teabaggers, but self-described moderates as well. Most of them resent immigrants as much as teabaggers.
It’s easier to justify because you can say they are not citizens. And it doesn’t matter whether they are or not, they’re all going to get lumped together in their minds.
So it’s getting the airplay intended which, when you think about it, is kinda unfortunate.
TooManyJens
@cursorial:
What I wouldn’t give for Baratunde Thurston to have press credentials for one day.
Yutsano
@srv: Do you even have a point? Hell I don’t blame the President for blowing them off after he got so disrespected. He’s not obligated to dance for the howler monkeys. Get. Over. It.
harlana
honestly, Tucker Carlson must have the tiniest penis in the world.
Violet
@harlana:
In the long run it’s not going to do much for Munro’s reputation or career as a journalist. The Villagers don’t like it when one of their own disrespects their own seat of power and that’s what Munro did. He showed “reporters” (since that’s who he was once he got that press pass) as being uncouth, disrespectful jerks. Mainstream Villagers won’t like the guilt by association he’s bringing to their insular house.
He may be fluffed on wingnut TV in the short term, but even wingnuts know that disrespecting the office of the President of the United States doesn’t play well in most parts of the country.
LAC
@Odie Hugh Manatee: Did they occupy the headquarters or think real hard about it in front of their computers? :)
Well, at least Tucker Carlson can take a break from deep throating his backers in coat rooms and bask in the glory of getting attention for a day. That’s gotta count for something.
lacp
@srv: I’m not sure what your point is in regard to the subject of this thread. Are you saying that it would have been more acceptable if Munro had interrupted the president and shouted “Why don’t you answer more impromptu questions?”
kay
@gwangung:
The judge in Zimmerman told the lawyer he was a “potted palm”. Judge said “you can’t just sit there like a potted palm while the defendant leads me down the garden path”, which made me laugh because here judges say “potted plant” when they’re cruelly berating us on that sort of thing.
It’s Florida. Regional differences in judicial insults. Palms, there, not plants.
Valdivia
@kay:
can we start calling the media in DC potted plants? or the regional equivalent?
Tonal Crow
@Redshift: Your Snarkometer is borken.
harlana
I missed the whole Romney thing with the donuts. I just watched it. How excrutiatingly awkward. He’s not just uncomfortable, he’s in pain. And, of course, he wasn’t going to touch the fucking donut, not with a ten foot pole. Do people really believe he is enjoying any of this? He looks like he cannot get out of there fast enough. And, if you don’t drink, what do you do to unwind after doing something you absolutely hate day after day? Pray?
But then, there’s your answer to what Mitt Romney really is. And that’s why he can’t hide who he really is.
Remember about a year or so ago when the WH was accused of calling Romney “weird”?
kay
@Valdivia:
It’s supposed to be this rough and tumble adversarial encounter. Why are they always whining?
Obama called him “sir”, twice, and he said “please”. I don’t know that it gets much more respectful than that, for God’s sake. What did he expect? “Your Highness, may I trouble you not to interrupt me?”
They’re big babies.
srv
@lacp: The point is, democrats made hay forever about W and his admin not being held accountable by a press that could never ask a question, or got softballed all the time by always picking friendly reporters.
If someone at ABC had done this to W, y’all would have been swinging by the chandeliers.
Fuck any President that can’t stand in front of the press corps and answer questions outside of his safe zone.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@srv:
With all of the Heathers in a faint over this, I strongly approve of the President dissing them all. Why in the fuck take questions from a bunch of assholes every time you speak to them? Obama is right to have delivered his message and then walk off.
Why let them control the narrative with their bullshit questions? Let them create it themselves, as they always do, then he can fire back with something that pulls them up short.
Obama understands this and is going to use it to his advantage, if possible.
Maude
@srv:
You used to be better at this. Are you okay?
Omnes Omnibus
@Raven: Come on, you were in the army. I know you can say sir in a way that sounds like an insult.
Jebediah
@Yutsano:
Is there any significant peer pressure among them? I’m wondering if getting blown off after one of them acts like an asshole would prompt anything like ” do that again and there will be ex-lax in your coffee…” from other reporters.
Yutsano
@srv:
Lovely. So he was just supposed to stand there and take being rudely interrupted in the middle of a sentence? That’s not good journalism, that’s being a dick. The fact he blew off the rest of them afterwards is no big surprise. Munro already made it a clown show.
Jebediah
@srv:
Well, not me. What I wanted was W to be asked tough questions by reporters, and not let off the hook for lame answers, not heckled and shouted at. I wanted the general public to do that whenever possible, however.
arguingwithsignposts
@srv:
When the WH Press Corpse starts asking those questions, I’ll be right there with you.
I thought the president got tougher questions from the average citizens in the Google hangout thing he did last year.
srv
@Yutsano: You need to get out of your bubble and read the links. He never takes questions. If you excuse him for this time, do you excuse him for all the others? It’s peachy for a President to never answer to the press corps?
Fine standard to set.
His prior behavior an opportunity Munro saw.
Yutsano
@srv:
Holy fuck. You did not just excuse Munro’s behaviour just to pursue some firebagger agenda. You’re no better than he is. I hope you enjoy your right-wing brethren, because you’re now officially a wingnut.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@srv:
Let the conservatives complain, they set the standard with their acceptance of Bush doing the same thing. Need some cheese to go with your fine whine?
Try Limburger, the bouquet fits perfectly with your
opinionwhine.The Sheriff's A Ni-
@srv:
Unless its President Mitt Romney, then the press should treat the office with the respect it deserves. Fair is far, and we ‘progressives’ are nothing but fair, aren’t we?
srv
@Yutsano: “la la la I can’t defend my position so I’ll just call you a firebagger when you point out those facts!”
You’ve got a lot of growing up to do, start today, mkay?
Yutsano
@srv: Your facts are irrelevant to this thread. The President is obligated under law to give one report per year. Obama can choose whether to answer questions or not. He is not bound to just to make you happy. And the fact that you find common cause with a rude right-wing hack puts you in the same boat as Jane Hamsher. You are neither a liberal nor a progressive.
srv
@Maude: Used to?
Citizen Alan
@Mike in NC:
Never new that about her. I did recall her anecdote about doing an interview with Reagan in which he was so out of it that he didn’t know who she was, and yet she decided it wasn’t newsworthy enough to tell until after the senile old coot was out of office.
Lurking Canadian
I think the president showed great restraint and political skill by not saying, “Excuse me? Do I come to where you work and knock the dicks out of your mouth?” or words to that effect.
The prophet Nostradumbass
The Daily Caller isn’t a news organization, it’s something Tucker Carlson’s family gave him to keep him from eating his crayons and wandering out into traffic.
Bennett
It’s rather easy to figure out when the President is ready to answer questions. This occurs when he says he is ready to answer questions. Easy-peasy, no?
Paula
In place of press conferences where there’s no actual “news” anyway, Obama’s taken advantage of tech to go directly to regular people. Where they ask him about policy and not whether or not he’s disrespecting John McCain. Youtube, townhalls, linked-in forums … If srv wants to see the president answer questions about policy, they can probably google/youtube every single white house townhall event over the last 4 years. That’s not to assert that these public forums are more or less transparent than the White House Press Corps or that Obama gives more satisfying answers in them, but they probably make a good substitute for Beltway forums where neither Obama nor the press corps feel much pressure to be clear and/or truthful.
“The White House is making a strategic calculation on when it offers the president for a news conference. The Obama communications team has shown it’s willing to have the president face the firing squad of questioners, but it would prefer to hold it during the television networks’ prime time line-up.
A prime time slot equals more viewers and the administration wants to get the most bang for its buck.
The networks have strongly pushed back against this becoming a trend because airing an hour of the president means an hour of no commercials, and a loss of revenue.
The White House knows it has to balance its requests for network prime time coverage: Ask too frequently and the networks could simple decline to cover the president.
The other option is to put the president before the media during the day. But the concern there is that the potential audience is dramatically smaller.
As a result, the White House is making the strategic calculation that it will get better results by doing many selected interviews across a variety of platforms — television, radio, print — instead of daytime news conferences. ”
James Fallows writing about Obama vis a vis the press during the Week of the Birth Certificate:
“The “affably” acid comments in the first 20 seconds of this clip (from the White House) almost justify the whole birther extravaganza. Well, actually, they don’t –and don’t even come close. But the hyper-controlled Obama’s decision to let out that bit of bile about how the press works, including dropping the affable mask for a few seconds with the punchline “and you know it,” reveals the real feelings of every politician about the instincts and workings of the press.”
LAC
@srv: Still trying to have the last word, dick for brains?
LAC
@The prophet Nostradumbass: They shouldn’t spoil him like that. He might make a career out of traffic dodging and crayon eating.
myiq2xu
@srv:
^^This^^
Paula
Well, tl, dr to me …
Shorter version of what I wrote: Obama’s “exposed” himself so many times to public questioning that I’ve almost got his equivocation on legalizing marijuana memorized. (Admittedly, as a Californian where his raids on medical clinics are getting people legitimately angry, I don’t mind him getting continually hassled on the issue.)
amk
@arguingwithsignposts: SteveinDC.is neilmunro ? He sure sounds like him what with his WATB act here 24×7.
LAC
@Paula: Wow….didn’t know he had time to personally raid medical clinics. The guy gets around… :)
Paula
@LAC:
http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2012/05/obama_marijuana_smoke_teen_hot_box_dpa.php
Paula
Speaking of needing some weed, PUMAs are bored today, I guess …
amk
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: LOL. Now I’m convinced. dougj must get a pass. /pun intended.
amk
@srv: Yes, Obama is a dictator. Now FO and go back to playing in firebagger/redstate land
Bago
@Davis X. Machina: Teflon coated tibia and fibia would probably prevent wrist injuries.
amk
These are the 14 points of fascism. The rethugs hit every.single.one.of.them. Just see for yourself.
http://www.rense.com/general37/char.htm
Xenos
@Odie Hugh Manatee: Heathen. Limburger should be eaten with beer, never wine.
A slice of black bread and a slice of onion is also recommended.
tjmn
@Valdivia:
No water for those potted plants, says the one who can kill silk flowers.
LAC
@Paula: Nice link. Based on the comments there, who knew potheads could be such nasty paranoid bitches.? And if the only thing they got to be concerned about is getting high , things in California must not be too bad. Next time link me to high living. Better writing and their comment section is much nicer.
The Sailor
@srv: “If someone at ABC had done this to W, y’all would have been swinging by the chandeliers.”
You have proof of this, of course?
Oh, wait, it never happened. So you sit in your mom’s basement and imagine things that never happened?
You too can work for the Daily Yeller!
The Sailor
@srv: “You need to get out of your bubble and read the links. He never takes questions.”
That’s just a lie. You do know that a speech from the POTUS isn’t the same as a press conference?
Name any other President that got heckled by the press corpse while giving a speech.
Just because you think the nig_CLANG shouldn’t be in the White House doesn’t give you the right to just make shit up.