Here is Cenk Uyger's take on President Obama's first press conference.
Watch it here:
LibertyAir Blog
Showing posts with label Press Conference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Press Conference. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Bush Defends His Economic Record
At yesterday's news conference President Bush was asked about the economy, and while Bush at least acknowledged that "obviously these are very difficult economic times" he deflected all responsibility for the economy's troubles.
In fact Bush did what he does best, blaming others:
Bush also vigorously defended his 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. Falling back on his tired defense and seriously stupid statements he flatly stated:
But as the Washington Post noted yesterday, Bush "has presided over the weakest eight-year span for the U.S. economy in decades." The federal government "had a modest budget surplus when Bush took office," but his administration ran up deficits "even as the economy was growing at a healthy pace." When Bush took office, it was projected that the federal government would run a $710 billion budget surplus in 2009.
Now, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has calculated that Bush's tax cuts accounted for 42 percent of the fiscal deterioration between 2001 and 2008. Though Bush claims he "sided with the people" through his economic policies, he really just squandered their money.
In fact Bush did what he does best, blaming others:
"This problem started before my presidency, it obviously took place during my presidency," said Bush.
Bush also vigorously defended his 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. Falling back on his tired defense and seriously stupid statements he flatly stated:
"[He] will defend them after my presidency as the right course of action."
"There's a fundamental philosophical debate about tax cuts. Who best can spend your money, the government or you? I've always sided with the people on that issue."
But as the Washington Post noted yesterday, Bush "has presided over the weakest eight-year span for the U.S. economy in decades." The federal government "had a modest budget surplus when Bush took office," but his administration ran up deficits "even as the economy was growing at a healthy pace." When Bush took office, it was projected that the federal government would run a $710 billion budget surplus in 2009.
Now, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has calculated that Bush's tax cuts accounted for 42 percent of the fiscal deterioration between 2001 and 2008. Though Bush claims he "sided with the people" through his economic policies, he really just squandered their money.
Bush Defends Katrina Response
At yesterday's Press Conference he was of course asked if he had "made any mistakes" while in office. Lamest question of all time.
Bush made his reflective face and said he had "thought long and hard about Katrina" and admitted that "things could have been done better."
However, showing how clueless he really is, he denied any problem with the federal response to the disaster, insisting, "Don't tell me the federal response was slow." He actually became quite heated.
The fact is that the federal response was disastrously slow.
As the White House itself acknowledged in a February 2006 report, "the response to Hurricane Katrina revealed a lack of familiarity with incident management, planning discipline, and field-level crisis leadership."
This is not just the view of partisan bloggers, Republicans have also come to this conclusion. A 2006 report compiled by House Republicans slammed what it called "a failure of leadership," saying that the federal government's "blinding lack of situational awareness and disjointed decision making needlessly compounded and prolonged Katrina's horror." The report specifically blamed Bush, noting that "earlier presidential involvement could have speeded the response" because the President alone could have cut through bureaucratic resistance.
In fact, despite a FEMA official's eyewitness accounts of New Orleans's levees being breached starting at 7 p.m. on Aug. 29, the Bush administration "did not consider them confirmed" until 11 hours later.
Also FEMA did not order the evacuation of New Orleans until 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 31, two full days after Katrina made landfall. Bush even praised the rescue efforts as a "pretty good response."
CNN's Campbell Brown focuses on what was perhaps Bush's single most startling disconnect from reality: His insistence that the federal response to Katrina was not slow.
"Now, many people will disagree over many aspects of the Bush legacy," Brown said. "But on the government's handling of Katrina, it's impossible to challenge what so many of us witnessed firsthand, what the entire country witnessed through the images on our television screens day and night.
"New Orleans was a city that for a time was abandoned by the government, where people old and young were left at the New Orleans Convention Center for days with no food, with no water. We were there. The whole country saw what was happening."
Bush made his reflective face and said he had "thought long and hard about Katrina" and admitted that "things could have been done better."
However, showing how clueless he really is, he denied any problem with the federal response to the disaster, insisting, "Don't tell me the federal response was slow." He actually became quite heated.
The fact is that the federal response was disastrously slow.
As the White House itself acknowledged in a February 2006 report, "the response to Hurricane Katrina revealed a lack of familiarity with incident management, planning discipline, and field-level crisis leadership."
This is not just the view of partisan bloggers, Republicans have also come to this conclusion. A 2006 report compiled by House Republicans slammed what it called "a failure of leadership," saying that the federal government's "blinding lack of situational awareness and disjointed decision making needlessly compounded and prolonged Katrina's horror." The report specifically blamed Bush, noting that "earlier presidential involvement could have speeded the response" because the President alone could have cut through bureaucratic resistance.
In fact, despite a FEMA official's eyewitness accounts of New Orleans's levees being breached starting at 7 p.m. on Aug. 29, the Bush administration "did not consider them confirmed" until 11 hours later.
Also FEMA did not order the evacuation of New Orleans until 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 31, two full days after Katrina made landfall. Bush even praised the rescue efforts as a "pretty good response."
CNN's Campbell Brown focuses on what was perhaps Bush's single most startling disconnect from reality: His insistence that the federal response to Katrina was not slow.
"Now, many people will disagree over many aspects of the Bush legacy," Brown said. "But on the government's handling of Katrina, it's impossible to challenge what so many of us witnessed firsthand, what the entire country witnessed through the images on our television screens day and night.
"New Orleans was a city that for a time was abandoned by the government, where people old and young were left at the New Orleans Convention Center for days with no food, with no water. We were there. The whole country saw what was happening."
More on Bush's Final News Conference
As I wrote earlier, President Bush appeared yesterday for his 47th press conference, taking mostly milk-toast questions from the White House press corps in what he called "the ultimate exit interview."
Despite his dismal job approval ratings that have been below 30 percent since February 2007, George W. Bush is completely cluesless. In fact he seemed largely in good spirits as he reflected on his years in office.
President Bush was in turns heated and impudent, sometimes actually reflective and but mostly sohmoric, even as he reluctantly conceded that some things 'didn't go according to plan.
Of course he never quite takes the blame for anything, and those things that he somewhat accepts are minor, and he always made clear that he didn't actually understand why they were mistakes.
At one point Bush goes back to that day on the aircraft carrier, "Clearly putting a 'Mission Accomplished' on an aircraft carrier was a mistake," said Bush.
Bush continued his administration's efforts to paint his legacy in a positive light, declaring that he had "a good, strong record." Unfortunately for Bush, the American public believes his administration "will be remembered more for its failures than its accomplishments."
Despite his dismal job approval ratings that have been below 30 percent since February 2007, George W. Bush is completely cluesless. In fact he seemed largely in good spirits as he reflected on his years in office.
President Bush was in turns heated and impudent, sometimes actually reflective and but mostly sohmoric, even as he reluctantly conceded that some things 'didn't go according to plan.
Of course he never quite takes the blame for anything, and those things that he somewhat accepts are minor, and he always made clear that he didn't actually understand why they were mistakes.
At one point Bush goes back to that day on the aircraft carrier, "Clearly putting a 'Mission Accomplished' on an aircraft carrier was a mistake," said Bush.
Bush continued his administration's efforts to paint his legacy in a positive light, declaring that he had "a good, strong record." Unfortunately for Bush, the American public believes his administration "will be remembered more for its failures than its accomplishments."
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Barack Obama's Economic Press Conference - 11/26/2008
Another day another news conference by the President-elect. Barack Obama came out this morning and named a board of economic experts from outside the government who will advise him when he is President.
The President-elect tried to reassure Americans that "help is on the way" for the economy. He said during the news conference:
Watch the video here:
President-elect Barack Obama also pushed back against criticism that he was recycling former Clinton administration officials as he builds his new economic team. He said his Cabinet would "combine experience with fresh thinking."
CNN’s Ed Henry challenged President-elect Barack Obama on the naming of some recent appointees who have had experience serving in the government. “What do you say to your supporters looking for change?” Henry wondered. Obama noted that there is a “conventional wisdom floating around Washington that ‘well, there’s a recycling of people who were in the Clinton administration.’”
Addressing the criticism directly, Obama explained:
The President-elect tried to reassure Americans that "help is on the way" for the economy. He said during the news conference:
"I was elected with the charge of getting this economy back in shape."The announced panel will be called the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board, and it is intended to help Obama bring stability to the financial markets and create jobs. Former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker will be the head of this advisory board, while it's top staff official will be Austan Goolsbee, a University of Chicago economist.
"We are going to implement starting Day One when I come into office."
Watch the video here:
President-elect Barack Obama also pushed back against criticism that he was recycling former Clinton administration officials as he builds his new economic team. He said his Cabinet would "combine experience with fresh thinking."
CNN’s Ed Henry challenged President-elect Barack Obama on the naming of some recent appointees who have had experience serving in the government. “What do you say to your supporters looking for change?” Henry wondered. Obama noted that there is a “conventional wisdom floating around Washington that ‘well, there’s a recycling of people who were in the Clinton administration.’”
Addressing the criticism directly, Obama explained:
"It would be surprising if I selected a Treasury secretary who had had no connection with the last Democratic administration because that would mean the person had no experience in Washington whatsoever. And I suspect you would be troubled and the American people would be troubled if I selected a Treasury secretary or a chairman of the National Economic Council…who had no experience whatsoever."Obama said his personnel selections will “combine experience with fresh thinking.” But he underscored that the buck stops with him:
"But understand where the vision for change comes from first and foremost. It comes from me. That’s my job — is to provide a vision in terms of where we are going and to make sure that my team is implementing it."
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Barack Obama's Economic Press Conference - 11/25/2008
President-elect Barack Obama gave another press conference today to discuss his plans for the economy and his idea's on government intervention. The President-elect stated quite clearly that some spending cuts will be needed. Mr. Obama used today's news conference to continue to define the two objectives that will guide his economic policy: properly invest the peoples money and not waste the Federal budget.
With the economy in crisis, Mr. Obama said, "Budget reform is not an option. It's a necessity."
Later he echoed Abraham Lincoln, "I will ask my economic team to think anew and act anew."
For some Obama's focus on careful federal spending is a contrast to yesterday's discussion about a stimulus package. I do not believe this is quite the contrast the talking heads will try to make it. Restoring the economy to health will be the priority over the budget deficit, but there is a lot of waste in our system. There is a lot of money that could be better targeted to help the economy.
With the economy in crisis, Mr. Obama said, "Budget reform is not an option. It's a necessity."
Later he echoed Abraham Lincoln, "I will ask my economic team to think anew and act anew."
For some Obama's focus on careful federal spending is a contrast to yesterday's discussion about a stimulus package. I do not believe this is quite the contrast the talking heads will try to make it. Restoring the economy to health will be the priority over the budget deficit, but there is a lot of waste in our system. There is a lot of money that could be better targeted to help the economy.
Countdown's Take on Barack Obama's Press Conference
Keith Olbermann reported on President-elect Barack Obama's press conference, and then on comments made by President Bush on the transition. Olbermann's first guest was Countdown regular Richard Wolfe, and the two spoke about the politics of this situation. We are in very unique times, where the economic crisis has forced Barack Obama to speed up the process of putting together a cabinet and an economic team. Richard Wolfe made the bold statement that we are no longer a nation with only one President. Circumstances had forced the President-elect to act in ways that would normally be seen as out of bounds.
Keith Olbermann then spoke with Robert Reich about the New NEW DEAL, and the economics that might be a part of President-elect's stimulus plan. I am a huge fan of Robert Reich, and I like his idea's about the direction America's economy should take. In this discussion I believe Mr. Reich is correct that this nation really needs a seamless transition between President Bush and President Obama. I believe Professor Reich is correct that Obama's immediate challenge is to fill the leadership vacuum created by President Bush.
Here is Olbermann's discussion with Richard Wolfe:
Here is Olbermann's discussion with Robert Reich:
LibertyAir Blog
Keith Olbermann then spoke with Robert Reich about the New NEW DEAL, and the economics that might be a part of President-elect's stimulus plan. I am a huge fan of Robert Reich, and I like his idea's about the direction America's economy should take. In this discussion I believe Mr. Reich is correct that this nation really needs a seamless transition between President Bush and President Obama. I believe Professor Reich is correct that Obama's immediate challenge is to fill the leadership vacuum created by President Bush.
Here is Olbermann's discussion with Richard Wolfe:
Here is Olbermann's discussion with Robert Reich:
LibertyAir Blog
Monday, November 24, 2008
Barack Obama's Economic Press Conference - 11/24/2008
President-elect Barack Obama came out and held a press conference today to introduce his economic team. At the press conference Obama formally named New York Federal Reserve president Timothy Geithner as the next Treasury secretary to replace current holder Henry Paulson, and tapped former Treasury chief Larry Summers as his chief White House economic advisor.
During the news conference Obama said, 'We can't allow the auto industry to vanish,' Obama says, but urges no 'blank check'
Here is video of today's press conference:
LibertyAir Blog
During the news conference Obama said, 'We can't allow the auto industry to vanish,' Obama says, but urges no 'blank check'
Here is video of today's press conference:
LibertyAir Blog
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
