Monday
Apr212008
Don't baby Obama
Monday, April 21, 2008 at 9:49AM
By Ellen Ratner
Talk Radio News Service Bureau Chief
After last week's Pennsylvania debate between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, my very good friends on the left were screaming.
ABC moderators George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Gibson were being denounced as traitors, knaves and, in a few instances, things that cannot be mentioned in a family news website. The complaint was that for the first 45 minutes of the debate, the questions were mostly issue-free and centered on Obama's negatives and such matters as his relationships with the incendiary Rev. Wright and ex-SDS weathermen Bill Ayres.
Some on the left say that it was unfair, unbalanced, tilted against Obama and favoring his opponent.
I agree.
I disagree.
Yes, it was unfair; yes it favored Hillary and indirectly, McCain. Yes, it was a radical departure from previous debates.
And yes, it was in Barack Obama's long-term interest that he be subjected to an onslaught of unfair and unbalanced questions, bias and a strong tilt against him.
Why? Because George and Gibson offered Obama a mere light appetizer of what he can expect in the general election. Because Obama had better get used to the big time of opposition research and negative ads, of Republican 527s, of whisper campaigns and anonymous Internet "mail" campaigns. Obama and his people better get used to the fact that once inside the big tent of national politics, he won't be able to declare, as he did at a recent press conference, that "eight questions" about Chicago sleaze ball Ton Rezco are "enough" and just walk off the stage. Taking umbrage doesn't work in a national debate, any more than staring at his watch did for George Bush No. 41.
The old line that, "Life is short, and then you die" is truer about presidential politics than any other endeavor. Just ask Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Mike Dukakis, Al Gore or John Kerry.
I plan to fight like hell for any Democratic nominee. But hell is a notoriously hot place, and all George and Gibson did for the Democrats was raise the temperature to general election levels.
My fellow Democrats take note: We are doing our candidate no favors by babying him now.
Talk Radio News Service Bureau Chief
After last week's Pennsylvania debate between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, my very good friends on the left were screaming.
ABC moderators George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Gibson were being denounced as traitors, knaves and, in a few instances, things that cannot be mentioned in a family news website. The complaint was that for the first 45 minutes of the debate, the questions were mostly issue-free and centered on Obama's negatives and such matters as his relationships with the incendiary Rev. Wright and ex-SDS weathermen Bill Ayres.
Some on the left say that it was unfair, unbalanced, tilted against Obama and favoring his opponent.
I agree.
I disagree.
Yes, it was unfair; yes it favored Hillary and indirectly, McCain. Yes, it was a radical departure from previous debates.
And yes, it was in Barack Obama's long-term interest that he be subjected to an onslaught of unfair and unbalanced questions, bias and a strong tilt against him.
Why? Because George and Gibson offered Obama a mere light appetizer of what he can expect in the general election. Because Obama had better get used to the big time of opposition research and negative ads, of Republican 527s, of whisper campaigns and anonymous Internet "mail" campaigns. Obama and his people better get used to the fact that once inside the big tent of national politics, he won't be able to declare, as he did at a recent press conference, that "eight questions" about Chicago sleaze ball Ton Rezco are "enough" and just walk off the stage. Taking umbrage doesn't work in a national debate, any more than staring at his watch did for George Bush No. 41.
The old line that, "Life is short, and then you die" is truer about presidential politics than any other endeavor. Just ask Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Mike Dukakis, Al Gore or John Kerry.
I plan to fight like hell for any Democratic nominee. But hell is a notoriously hot place, and all George and Gibson did for the Democrats was raise the temperature to general election levels.
My fellow Democrats take note: We are doing our candidate no favors by babying him now.
President Takes Swipes At GOP Over Economic Proposals
President Barack Obama spent a good portion of his eighth full press conference in office touting his administration’s efforts to turn the nation’s weak economy around.
Responding to questions from reporters, the president accused his White House predecessor, former President George W. Bush, of creating a years-long recession America has yet to climb out of. Obama said his decision in the past year to cut taxes for middle class Americans and spend billions on domestic programs saved the U.S. from succumbing to a depression.
The president did not mention Bush by name, but argued that the two-term Republican’s poor stewardship of the economy ignited the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the months before Obama took office.
“We know where that led,” the president said of Bush’s eight years in office.
Mr. Obama touted his recent proposals to create jobs by spending even more on infrastructure. Though he would not refer to his new plan as a “stimulus” measure, he argued that last year’s Recovery Act has worked, albeit not as well as the administration had hoped. In perhaps a mini-battle over semantics, Obama told CBS’s Chip Reid his new proposal would be aimed at stimulating job growth.
Read more about today’s press conference on Twitter
In his opening remarks before taking questions, the president spoke with a firm voice, leveling blows at Republicans for disagreeing with him on not wanting to renew tax breaks for wealthy Americans, and imploring his political opponents to stop standing in the way of passing a small business jobs bill.
“If the Republican leadership is prepared to get serious about doing something for families that are hurting out there, I would love to talk to them,” he said.
Obama did, however, kindly acknowledge Ohio Senator George Voinovich (R), who earlier in the day said he would urge his GOP colleagues to vote ‘yes’ on the bill when Congress returns to session next week.