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Economy weighs on midterms
Tough economic times and aggressive campaigning by the Republicans weigh heavy on President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party. Follow Reuters for complete analysis, opinion and polls ahead of the November midterm elections. Full Coverage
Obama seeks his "mojo" on daytime TV's "The View"
President Barack Obama appears on the daytime TV talk show ''The View'' in New York City July 28, 2010. From left are Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
WASHINGTON |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama tried to revive his common touch on Thursday with a mainly light-hearted appearance on daytime television where five women hosts grilled him about his Blackberry, Lindsay Lohan and the Afghan war.
His appearance was the first by a sitting U.S. president on a daytime talk show. It allowed Obama to appeal directly to a targeted audience as he fights flagging poll numbers while he and his fellow Democrats try to avoid big losses in the November congressional election.
"The View" typically draws 3-4 million viewers and is particularly popular with women who are home at its late-morning air time.
In a wide-ranging interview, Obama defended his Afghan war strategy and efforts to lift the country out of recession, but said he expected things would get better, if over time.
"If we get our mojo back over the next several months, then I am absolutely confident that we are going to be doing terrific, but we're going to have to make some fundamental structural changes as we go along," he said.
He said he was frustrated with the anger of political debate, and blamed the media for a recent "phony controversy" that led to the firing of a black Agriculture Department employee who appeared to be making racist comments in an edited videotape that was shown repeatedly by conservative media.
"When you feel as if every single initiative that we're doing is subject to Washington politics instead of 'is this good for the country,' that can be frustrating," he said.
WAR AND POP CULTURE
The Afghanistan war is worth fighting, Obama said, when asked about the recent leak of documents painting a bleak picture of the unpopular conflict, which bitterly divides his own Democratic party.
"If you've got chaos ... in this region where there's no functioning government and warlords and terrorist affiliates are able to operate, that is going to be that much tougher for us to make sure that they are not attacking us," Obama said.
Obama also showed he has some grasp of popular culture. He knew that actress Lindsay Lohan had been sent to jail, although he said he had not heard of "Snooki," the star of a popular reality television show, and dodged a question about tapes of angry telephone calls by actor Mel Gibson.
Obama also lamented his inability to enjoy technology.
He is the first president to use a Blackberry, but he can't enjoy the jokes and pictures that fill most inboxes.
"I have a Blackberry, but only 10 people have (access to) it," he said. "And I've got to admit it's no fun, because they think it's going to be subject to the presidential records act, so nobody sends me the juicy stuff."
(Editing by David Storey)
Way to reduce the honor and prestige of the presidency to the level of an American Idol winner. What an absolute shame and disgrace he is to the traditions and dignity of his office and this country!
“When you feel as if every single initiative that we’re doing is subject to Washington politics instead of ‘is this good for the country,’ that can be frustrating,” he said. So bribing congressmen to vote for a so-called health care reform bill that the public did not want and will actually make health care worse is good for the country? This clown is such a fake. I only hope Americans are smart enough to see it. All he knows is how to manipulate the media to get what he wants but, he is very good at that.
This poor guy is SO lost, you kind of have to feel sorry for the guy, even though he’s driving this country over a cliff, a steep ravine, that we may not climb out of any time soon, if ever!
Look, he’s a rookie roaring 20’s Chicago mob-politics henchman-lieutenant of the windy city political mob. He got lucky and pulled off the stunning miracle of all miracles=
The Chicago mob candidate in 2008 beat the left-wing left-coast nominees, and then was faced with the oldest living (I use the term living loosely) right wing Republican on earth in the general election – what a break! He could have done this with his eyes closed! But you can’t govern with your eyes closed – hoping for the best.
He and his cronies were good at marketing. They are great used car salesmen, and so they got the guy elected.
Governing is a whole other thing, however – and the roaring 20’s Chicago mob-politicians have no clue how to govern. They pull strings, pull in favors, and bump off the opposition like they’ve done for 90 years out there by the southwest corner of Lake Michigan. It’s a wee bit harder to do that in the east-coast corruption capital of the Americas: Washington DC. There are plenty of other henchmen, lieutenants, and mob-politico lackeys in DC to provide competition. Lot’s of blood money to be had here – and that draws out more than five families to come play high-stakes political poker – each with his own marked deck. So, whose deck are we playing with this week, boys?
The only thing certain: nobody’s playing with a full deck; especially the voters, who actually thought they had a say in all this. No, you don’t.
Don’t look now; but your country is sinking like a stone into what will heretofore be known as the OBAMA TRENCH. Grab your scuba gear and a gas mask, and hope you can figure out how to use both at the same time… good luck!
Now, I am just thrilled that he found what he was looking for there, but does this mean he is finally going to enforce all the laws of the land? If not all, enforcing the Immigration Law would just be wonderful.
Well, it looks like the frothing teabaggers got here first with their typical hateful, irrational blather regarding Obama. The ‘baggers are only 20% of the country but somehow always get on these threads first, suggesting that gainful employment doesn’t pose a burden to there time the “Internets”.
I thought our President did a great job, he needs to be seen on daytime T.V. people need to know he has a family life and he is doing his best for all Americans.
I would advise dwightmlee to refrain from further comments. I am sure the mental health people have taken note and have this person under observation.
Look, as someone who worked in both print and brodcast media, nothing baffles me more than the idiotic, dittohead critics of President Obama. I did remind liberal friends to go easy on euphoria when President Obama was elected. Some 48 per cent of the electorate had actually voted for the disastrous candidacy of McCain and Palin.
President Obama has performed in office with same intelligence and thoughtfulness he demonstrated in his campaign. He deserves the support of every true American citizen. Good on the President for his appearance on The View.
I think the poster below has the same name as a good old boy Prof. from Georgia. If that is the case it follows that he would feel like Chicago 1920’s in the same way Al Capone didnt like Elliot Ness missing with his profits. The private enterprise think tank run by someone of the same name is there to make sure that Bankers and Ex FED reserve chairmen have a voice in Washington 99% of the people reading this could not clear the vetting process for the people listed below I mean you couldnt serve them water. So why is he saying Obmama is a crook? It might be that he is one of the same people who bought derivitives on your mortgage and made money when you lost your house.
Dwight Lee Prof.
The Center has brought a number of distinguished speakers to campus, including two Nobel Prize winning economist, James Buchanan (twice) and Vernon Smith. Other speakers include former director of the Federal Trade Commission, James Miller; president of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank, Robert McTeer; Texas Senator Phil Gramm; economists, Gordon Tullock of George Mason University; Michael Cox and Robert Formaini of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank, Richard McKenzie of the University of California Irvine and Steven Landsburg of the University of Rochester. The Center director, Dwight Lee, has averaged approximately one public lecture a month at other universities and outside organizations on different aspects of our private enterprise system, plus a steady stream of scholarly and general publications dealing with a wide variety of economic issues. From 1998-2002, he wrote a monthly column on economics for the national magazine Ideas On Liberty, published by the Foundation for Economic Education out of New York. The Center also funds an economics graduate student every year.
Do you think they care about you or anyone else. Really?
“The View typically draws 3-4 million viewers and is particularly popular with women who are home at its late-morning air time.”
Mr. Obama is doing a good job of keeping his viewership up. I expect the number of people home during the late-morning air time will not decrease anytime soon.
