Obama's First White House Press Conference

Obama's First White House Press Conference

Obama's First White House Press Conference Obama's First White House Press Conference Obama's First White House Press Conference

President Barack Obama's first prime time press conference has the feeling of a lecture on economics, political scienc
Obama's First White House Press Conference
e and history. Unfortunately the professor (i.e. President Obama) was long-winded, sleep-inducing, and somewhat dishonest in his lecture.

President Barack Obama started the press conference by making a fifteen minute speech on the economic stimulus package. Then President Obama took a question from Jennifer Loven of AP.:

"Thank you, Mr. President. Earlier today in Indiana, you said something striking. You said that this nation could end up in a crisis without action that we would be unable to reverse.

"Can you talk about what you know or what you're hearing that would lead you to say that our recession might be permanent when others in our history have not? And do you think that you risk losing some credibility or even talking down the economy by using dire language like that?"

It was a good question, which President Obama answered with a ten minute speech on the economic stimulus package.

Karen Boeing of Reuters asked, "Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to shift gears to foreign policy. What is your strategy for engaging Iran? And when will you start to implement it? Will your timetable be affected at all by the Iranian elections? And are you getting any indications that Iran is interested in a dialogue with the United States?"

That was another excellent question, which President Obama answered with a five or so minute speech about Iran. Fortunately Barack Obama's answers grew shorter with every subsequent question.

President Barack Obama clearly, as would any good politician, used the White House news conference as an opportunity to get across his talking points about the economic stimulus package, now wending its way through Congress. Among the talking points were, to summarize.

The American people are really hurting out there. People are losing their jobs and their homes and can't pay their bills.

Only the government has the resources to "jolt the economy back to life."

The economic stimulus package has all sorts of wonderful things, including creating jobs and starting investment, which will revive the economy.

George Bush started the problem and Barack Obama just inherited it.
Obama's First White House Press Conference


The Republicans who oppose the stimulus package want to just do nothing because they are ideologues.

Tax cuts alone will not do the job. Tax cuts helped to cause the problem.

Anyone who questions the idea that FDR's New Deal was less than wonderful is clearly fighting battles that were resolved long ago, or President Obama thinks.

President Obama is happy to consider new ideas from across the political spectrum, except for "failed theories of the last eight years that got us into this fix in the first place, because those theories have been tested, and they have failed."

President Barack Obama was clearly successful in using his first White House press conference to get his points across about the stimulus package. But were people listening and inclined to change their minds? This writer found President Obama's answers long winded and unconvincing. In fact, if it were not for the fact that he had to watch the press conference in order to write what you are now reading, this writer would have changed the channel to something on the History Network or the Scifi Channel. One suspects that a lot of people did.

A taste of public opinion on the White House press conference can be found in this open thread on Hotair.com. Media opinion was somewhat mixed, with some people breathless at how adroitly the President was able to prevaricate and spin, and others not buying a bit of it, One thing is clear though. The debate over the stimulus package is not over.

Source: Transcript: Obama takes questions on economy, CNN, February 9th, 2009

The "If we don't spend a trillion dollars then the terrorists have already won" presser, Allahpundit, Hotair.Com, February 9th, 2009

The Verdict on President Obama's First Prime Time Presser: Pain. , Jeff Emanuel, Red State, February 9th, 2009

Obama presser: Does Obama pay attention?, Ed Morrissey, Hotair.Com, February 10th, 2009

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