Hope vs. change (0 presser: Chuck Todd, "How have you changed Washington?")

POLITICO ^ | September 10, 2010 | Ben (JournoLista) Smith

[maggief]

President Obama's response to a simple question from Chuck Todd just now -- how has he changed Washington? -- revived a central campaign tension.

The tension was between hope and change, between his promises of a new tone and of new policies. It seemed hard to imagine he'd get both, and from the start there was little question that he'd take policy victories at the expense of harmony, as there seemed little room for compromise on his terms with a reduced, and more conservative, Republican congressional minority.

[maggief]

[GeronL]

Oh yes, the media is so hard on him with questions like this

[ken5050]

I thought that was renamed the “Nina Burleigh Award”

[ReneeLynn]

Obama sounded like a nervous breakdown waiting to happen.

[OldDeckHand]

What reporter asked the obligatory "Why are Republicans so mean and smelly" question?

[Vendome]

someone buy this guy stilts for Christmas.

[albie]

“someone buy this guy stilts for Christmas”.

...he got a pair for Ramadan. Didn’t he use them?

[maggief]

Zero stammered all over this one ...

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/09/obama-press-conference-todays-qs-for-o-9102010.html

TAPPER: ... CMS study from February predicted a 6.1 percent increase, and now post-health care 6.3 percent. So it seems to have bent it up.

OBAMA: No — as I said, I haven’t read the entire study. Maybe you have. But — you know, if — if you — if what the reports are true, what they’re saying is, is that as a consequence of us getting 30 million additional people health care, at the margins that’s going to increase our costs, we knew that. We didn’t think that we were going to cover 30 million people for free. But that the long-term trend in terms of how much the average family is going to be paying for health insurance is going to be improved as a consequence of health care. And — and so our goal on health care is if we can get instead of health care costs going up 6 percent a year, it’s going up at the level of inflation, maybe just slightly above inflation, we’ve made huge progress. And by the way, that is the single most important thing we could do in terms of reducing our deficit. That’s why we did it. That’s why it’s important. And that’s why we’re going to implement it effectively.

TAPPER: Sorry, and then the House Democrats running against health care, if you could comment on that.

OBAMA: Well, you know, there are — we’re in a political season where every candidate out there has their own district, their own make-up, their own plan, their own message. And, you know, in an environment where we’ve still got 9.5 percent unemployment, you know, people are going to make the best argument they can right now. And they’re going to be taking polls of what their particular constituents are saying and trying to align with that oftentimes. You know, that’s — that’s how political races work.

[OldDeckHand]

"OBAMA: Well, you know, there are — we’re in a political season where every candidate out there has their own district, their own make-up, their own plan, their own message. And, you know, in an environment where we’ve still got 9.5 percent unemployment, you know, people are going to make the best argument they can right now. And they’re going to be taking polls of what their particular constituents are saying and trying to align with that oftentimes. You know, that’s — that’s how political races work."

Wow, what an orator. /s

[Hawthorn]

> what an orator <

Y’know, we just didn’t know, y’know.

[MNJohnnie]

The facts say otherwise President 0.

[Foolsgold]

[Paine in the Neck]

300 million Americans would love to be able to get face time with Obama to ask him some direct questions. Todd is one of only a few dozen who are actually afforded the opportunity. Acting as surrogate for those 300 million this Barbara Walters-ish twaddle is the best that he can come up with? Pathetic.