Media Didn’t Ask President about “Stimulus” Specifics!?!?!?
Didn’t watch the press conference. Preferred Ann Althouse’s live-blogging. (Personally, I’d label her the best “live-blogress” and Vodkapundit‘s Stephen Green the best “live-blogger.”)
Because I didn’t watch the conference, I’m probably not going to comment on it*, save to note something which William A. Jacobson of Legal Insurrection, a blogger who did, (via Malkin) pointed out:
The press failed. Not a single reporter challenged Obama on the specifics of the stimulus plans, which (contrary to Obama’s statements) are loaded with pork barrel spending (as Sen. Claire McCaskill admitted this weekend) and surreptitious attempts to restructure the health care system.
No questions about the specifics of a several hundred page near-trillion dollar plan? No questions about the myriad items contained within a proposal drafted by the most liberal members of Congress? My quick scan of the transcript confirms Jacobson’s observation.
Is he wrong? Did he, did I, miss something? Did the media really fail to ask the president about the specifics of legislation costlier than the Iraq?
*Unless I discover something juicy in the transcript.
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The specifics? Obama went thru plenty of specifics (school building, making federal buildings more energy efficient, rebuilding dams, 2,500 tax cut, etc.). I know you weren’t watching, but… They asked about the Republican involvement, why we’re spending money (something you claimed was a bad idea), and you claim media failure because they didn’t perform an impossibility: an item by item run through on a bill of this magnitude?
Comment by torrentprime — February 10, 2009 @ 3:42 am - February 10, 2009
Um, torrent, once again, please read the post before commenting. This is a post on the media.
I didn’t ask for a line by line rundown, but at least questioning some of the items not related to immediate economic recovery, like, say, some of the money that won’t be spent after the immediate economic crisis.
So, please, if you’re going to respond to my question, address the question, about the media’s failure to ask about the specifics. The best way to do this would be to cite a specific question. I understand there were only 10 or so.
Comment by GayPatriotWest — February 10, 2009 @ 3:53 am - February 10, 2009
The same media who claimed that they regretted not questioning Bush more skeptically about the WMD and the Iraq War are now completely incurious about a spending bill that is equal or greater than two Iraq Wars.
Tiger Beat asked more probing questions of Zac Ephron.
Comment by V the K — February 10, 2009 @ 7:50 am - February 10, 2009
Dan, we watched it in our household -and then shut off the TV when the talking heads started in with the usual blather.
To answer your question: the media didn’t ask terribly pointed questions on the Democrat Spending Bill. Heck, Obama spent his preliminary remarks getting his spin out before the tame, gentler, kinder press corps tossed the softball questions to him. It was almost like they were channeling Larry King or something. For the media, the honeymoon and slobber fest is definitely NOT over. When Obama finished, I really thought the press corps was going to applaud and give him a standing ovation –the love fest was without precedence in our Nation’s history.
I thought Obama did pretty well as a crafty spinmyster… there wasn’t an issue that he didn’t effectively work that ol’trick of “That’s a good question. Some of my friends think this, some of my friends think that; I’m sticking by my friends on this issue”… it left us with the feeling that there was no hope for change in the old, tired tricks of presidential news conferences.
I was surprised to hear HelenThomas call the jihadist bastards fleeting between Pakistan and Afghanistan “so-called terrorists” (really, those were her words).
I was also surprised that the Huffington Post got to ask a question right after NPR got their reporter called upon… or maybe not. I think it was CNN, NYT, WaPo, NPR, HuffPo and then Helen Thomas. You gotta love that kind of press corps loyalty to the man they elected and his “friends with benefits” treatment of them.
The only thing lacking? If Susan Collins had shown up, I’d have expected her to come out from behind the podium with a brown stain around her ample nose. But that didn’t happen.
Comment by Michigan-Matt — February 10, 2009 @ 7:52 am - February 10, 2009
And you know this how?
Comment by American Elephant — February 10, 2009 @ 9:00 am - February 10, 2009
[...] as usual, the media knelt in front of soul brutha number one and lovingly stroked him? Or the media avoiding specifics like you would avoid the chick standing at the end of the bar with the bright red “cold [...]
Pingback by Obama Still Pissing Up America’s Leg | Democrat = Socialist — February 10, 2009 @ 9:11 am - February 10, 2009
I watched the press’ questions which were all of the “when did Republicans stop beating their wives” and “why are you so fabulous” order. Obama’s answers were evasive and often downright dishonest. Naturally there were no follow-ups.
I also noticed Jake Tapper, of ABC News, after actually asking a tough question of the Press Secretary the other day, was not called upon. And while the Huffington Post was called upon, I think for the first time ever during a prime time press conference, Major Garrett of FOX News just coincidentally happened to be the only reporter Obama called upon without also mentioning the news organization he worked for.
Considering Obama is working from a pre-approved list of reporters to call upon, its obvious the president is trying to steer Americans toward some sources and away from others.
I wonder, how long before the Daily Kos gets a front row seat?
Comment by American Elephant — February 10, 2009 @ 9:19 am - February 10, 2009
AE inquires “I wonder, how long before the Daily Kos gets a front row seat?”
At presidential press conferences, too? Because they’ve had a front row sit, dead center, for the duration of Obama’s march to glory.
Comment by Michigan-Matt — February 10, 2009 @ 9:34 am - February 10, 2009
We depend on the media to do what we can’t. Question and hold accountable, powerful leaders. There is very little journalism anymore. They aren’t working to find out facts and ideas not available to regular people. All so called journalists do now is get talking points from Democrats, get talking points from Republicans and then pit them against each other. Whoever yells loudest wins, unless the reporter has a preconcieved bias, whcih most do. The public is turning away from the MSM and old fashioned reporting because it is so squewed and undependable. No one gives you facts, they give you opinions. The public is drifiting towards media they agree with most of the time….though I for one would prefer facts and information to entertainment. So these “reporters” at these pressers are not there to ask probing questions to get new facts, they are there to preen, look nice and curry favor. After all this new White House plans many more state dinners and entertainment for the fawning press to attend.
Comment by Gene in Pennsylvania — February 10, 2009 @ 9:42 am - February 10, 2009
#3: “Tiger Beat asked more probing questions of Zac Ephron.”
Oh no you DITT’ENT! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO!
Comment by Sean A — February 10, 2009 @ 9:42 am - February 10, 2009
Far left talk radio host gets front row seat at Obama press conference.
Comment by Gregory of Yardale — February 10, 2009 @ 9:53 am - February 10, 2009
The Dear Organizer has been outfitted with long answers that avoid dealing with substantive questions. This bill has a frightening government intervention into the health care of seniors buried in it. There were no public hearings and little motivation for a lazy, monkey see-monkey do press to examine it. As a result, this H-bomb of socialism will have fall out discoveries for months and years to come.
The Dear Organizer told a group in Elkhart, Indiana that he will measure his success if he “saves 4 million jobs.” OK, that makes him a success. I doubt we will get down to under 4 million employed people. That is demagoguery 101 and should have sent the press howling. But the Dear Organizer has them in his spell.
There is a substitute blue dog Democrat stimulus bill that makes pretty good sense. But I suspect the omnibus stinker of socialist bells and whistles will get approved and the recession will take no notice.
Comment by heliotrope — February 10, 2009 @ 11:02 am - February 10, 2009
#10 – Yeah, imagine the outcry from the DNCMSN if McCain had won the election and had put Laura Ingraham or Sean Hannity in the front row.
Hypocrisy, thy name is liberalism.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — February 10, 2009 @ 11:53 am - February 10, 2009
Peter,
imagine the shock from the right if McCain had done that
Comment by The Livewire — February 10, 2009 @ 12:33 pm - February 10, 2009
LW, I’d be celebrating if that had happened. But unfortunately it didn’t. We couldn’t drag McCain’s lame carcass over the finish line.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — February 10, 2009 @ 12:45 pm - February 10, 2009
I’d be celebrating as well, but I’d still be shocked that McCain reached out to the people pulling the lever for him.
Comment by The Livewire — February 10, 2009 @ 2:41 pm - February 10, 2009
I have an idea: Let’s spend money we don’t have on programs we don’t need.
Gotta love Liberals. Take an time-tested, failed idea and repackage it to sound like a new idea.
Comment by Sharp Right Turn — February 10, 2009 @ 2:54 pm - February 10, 2009
Or you could be like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) who flat-out states that “the American people don’t care about pork spending in the stimulus package.”
Don’t believe me? Here’s the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEfICUoWKBw
What utter arrogance from a wretched little man.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — February 10, 2009 @ 3:12 pm - February 10, 2009
But, Chairman Zero said there was no pork in the spendulus. Is Chuckie calling Chairman 0 a liar?
Comment by V the K — February 10, 2009 @ 5:26 pm - February 10, 2009
The thing about Ed Schultz is that he’s saying he “earned” the front seat. The blathering liberals are squealing like Ned Beatty that he earned it, yet nobody is saying how or why.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — February 10, 2009 @ 6:21 pm - February 10, 2009
Apparently, our economic crisis is not so severe that we need more jobs in the energy industry.
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