The C-Span snub: more Big Lies, anyone?
So, is the breaking of Obama’s well-known and oft-repeated C-Span promise, and his concomitant refusal to address that fact, a function of his contempt for the American public? Is it his idea that the majority of Americans won’t notice or care, just as they seemed not to care about his lies during the campaign? Is it the arrogance of unchecked power? Or all of the above, and more?
Here’s a transcript of Press Secretary Gibbs’s exchange (if you can call it that; I’d call it a verbal flipping the bird) with the press when MSM reporters uncharacteristically tried to press him on the matter. I saw a clip of the back-and-forth on TV that I can’t find online, or I’d embed it here. But it showed a closeup of the face of CBS’s Chip Reid asking some of these questions, and he appeared to me to be simmering with anger towards Gibbs, although he controlled it well.
The press hasn’t gotten nearly angry enough. The Washington Examiner makes the point that:
The most radical expansion of central government power in American history is happening right under these journalists’ noses, and yet they raise not a peep of protest when the doors close, effectively barring them from doing their jobs at a critical juncture. Where are the Society of Professional Journalists, the American Society of Newspaper Editors, and the Radio and Television News Directors Association? These august organizations vigorously and rightfully protested former Vice President Richard Cheney’s secret meetings with oil company executives in the early days of the Bush administration. They also wailed loud and long about the Bush administration’s abuses, many real and some imagined, of the Freedom of Information Act.
To be sure, many of the reporters on the Hill gripe and complain to each other and to their editors about these closed-door meetings. And many of them stand keeping vigil outside the doors, waiting for Reid or Pelosi to come out and offer them a morsel of information. But that’s not good enough.
Nope, it’s not. The piece ends with the following, “[S]how some cojones, people.” I second the motion. But despite Reid’s simmer, I sure wouldn’t sit on a hot stove until they do.
In the meantime, Obama’s Chicago Way seems to be to clam up when you’re made to look like the liar that you are, and imagine (probably rightly so) that you’ll get away with it.
Gibbs has to be one of the worst presidential press secretaries in history, although Obama may be quite pleased with his smarmy, condescending manner. Gibbs is the bad cop to Obama’s “good” one; the real picture of Obama’s Dorian Gray. I almost feel sorry for Gibbs—almost, but not quite. If he had a shred of integrity he’d resign. And now I understand why the unlikeable Gibbs holds this post; how many people would be able to swallow their pride and lie like that to cover Obama’s tracks?
I hope the answer is “not many.” But I’m beginning to think it’s “quite a few.”
Gibbs reminds me of Bagdad Bob. I’m waiting for him to have a real meltdown in front of the press.
“the majority of Americans won’t notice or care” about covers it. Remember the Teflon Mafia Don on who the law could get nothing to stick, well introducing the Teflon President.
I really don’t understand why the press doesn’t do more criticism of Obama. They could do it in a “nice” way.
Are they ALL paid by George Soros to be in the bag for Obama?
Or what?
Obama and Gibbs aren’t getting away with this; they are suffering the Death of a Thousand Cuts.
True, Republicans like Bush or Palin would have their heads handed to them for just a few of these whoppers.
But the Obama administration has been brought low in a very short amount of time. In his first year as President, Obama has enjoyed the most precipitous fall in the polls since approval has been measured.
And it’s not from any one thing, but the aggregation of all the small lies, big lies, gaffes, and tone-deaf behavior he has inflicted upon Americans since assuming office.
The C-Span issue has legs. Although I never drank the Obama coolaid, I am always amazed at the people who did. One of the key memes was that Obama would be the calm professional who would bring a more rational mood to washington and at the same time curb the inside deals. Continuous MSM and Leftist shouting about Republican graft or hookups with evil corporations like Halliburtion made this easy to do.
Had Obmana even attempted to do this on a superficial level he would not have lost the independent vote, no matter how left the policy was. His completely hands off arrogance will sink him.
The CSPAN lies may be the equivalent of George H.W. Bush’s “read my lips, no new taxes pledge”.
The reason I think that is because the issue is black and white. There is no nuance. Either the deliberations are broadcast on CSPAN, or they aren’t. EVERYBODY can see for themselves that it is obviously a lie.
So the question becomes, if he is unwilling to honor such a simple promise, how can one trust anything he says ever again?
The Anchoress has a video of Jack Cafferty’s reaction to the secrecy. He ends by hoping the voters will remember “this crap” at the midterm elections. Use Neo’s sidebar for a link to the Anchoress.
This is a MUST SEE.
Of course, President Obama could try to salvage the situation by broadcasting SOMETHING — anything — on CSPAN. In fact, I strongly suspect he will; it’s just the sort of dodge we’re learning to expect. Pick some minor aspect of the hearings, one with hardly anything controversial, and let THAT be broadcast. If necessary, invent such a hearing, and give the participants instructions on what to say.
Will we see something like this before it’s all over? I bet we will.
Will it work? I surely hope not.
respectfully,
Daniel in Brookline
Truth be told, the transparency issue is just the icing on the cake of broken promises. At the heart of this total partisan play to skirt around input form any opposing corner and by-pass the principles and safeguards of our political system intended to protect the American people.
I wanted to vomit after I read this:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100107/ts_ynews/ynews_ts1049
Nice comment, Army Mom. Baghdad Bob would have answered the C-Span question the same way as Bob Gibbs.
Gibbs is channeling Ron Ziegler. And what he and Speaker Pelosi are saying about Obama’s C-Span pledge is spoken in New Speak. Really.
I wonder if Gibbs ever got around to reading Brian Lamb’s letter.
They tell him its courage.
Love the literary reference…. that’s one that swill stick with me.
Since Joe Biden has been so quiet, Gibbs is the biggest jackass in the Obama Administration.
DirtyJobsGuy, Scott: Yes, I think the C-SPAN story is so blatant that it hurts Obama more than most of his missteps.
That the MSM is pressing at all is proof.
The White House press corp are a little miffed, but the rest of the media can give a rat’s ass how many dogs, cats, and goats
are thrownaccidentally fall into the sausage maker. Why? Because they are rooting for Obamacare to pass. NOT health care reform, but Obamacare.It is now about saving Obama’s presidency with a hallmark piece of legislation. Obama is one of the few presidents to not have one in his first year.
Thinking about the stimulus? * snicker* So is Obama. Which is why he is trying to get another piece of big legislation passed, because everyone knows the stimulus was a turd.
Here is the deal. The media would have loved for Obama to lower med costs, while having a public option for the uninsured/poor. A funny thing happened though. The drug companies/insurance companies walked into the White House for a meeting, and walked out with American tax payer-provided dollar bills falling out of their wazoos. We won’t hear about that though.
Throw in the Dems in Congress who trampled over old ladies with walkers, getting to a mike/camera to vilify the insurance/pharm companies, but ended up being as big as trough feeders as they accused the Repubs of being.
So now, instead of the press calling those in power on their chicanery, it’s about the “obstructionist Repubs”… not, “this bill is horrible, expensive, filled with bribes, and so far off from the purpose it started with”, that it shouldn’t pass.
It’s no longer about the legislation. It’s about helping Obama not look like an idiot/liar/incompetent/dishonest.
Oops. I meant to strike through “thrown in”. Argh!
[note from neo-neocon: I fixed it.]
Cubs_Fan, I think what you’re supposed to do is open with an “s” and close with a “slash s”, sort of like I have done here with “i” for italics.
Gibbs has been the gift that keeps on giving. No one with any judgment can fail to see that he’s “one of the worst presidential press secretaries in history.”
Gibbs has been a gift to Sean Hannity’s show where he is regularly shown in all his pompous glory to be a pompous A**.
Too bad more citizens don’t track this stuff as closely as the blogosphere. If they did, Obama’s polls would be even worse.
Ever since Obama did a 180 on his promise to accept federal campaign funds and was given a pass by the MSM, all of his public statements have had a sell by date.
All of Gibby’s blather and sloth should have received a returning echo, “He said everything would be on CSPAN”, and nothing more. Ad perpetua. “He said everything would be on CSPAN, He said everything would be on CSPAN, He said everything would be on CSPAN”> Eventually the stubbornness of “He said…” would have become the story. “Gibbs refused to reply repeatedly…” etc. The point is not to get facts from Gibbs, the point is the sideshow.
The root problem is that campaigners can say ANYTHING to get elected. Once elected, the campaign promises become inoperative. The electorate lacks a sufficiency of BS meters.
A great way for campaigning but a rotten way for governing.
Army Mom says: “Gibbs reminds me of Bagdad Bob.”
Perhaps, we should work toward ridiculing him by attaching our own moniker to him. …… “Beltway Bob” ….. “Bullshit Bob” …….. “Baffling Bob” ???
White House Again Dodges Question About Health Care Transparency
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJCdLYHcoEk
Typical from buffoon Gibbs!
I wish you well 🙂 Melek
“The disconnect between what President Obama says and what he’s doing is so glaring that most people could not abide it. The president, his advisers and allies have no trouble. But reconciling blatantly contradictory objectives requires them to engage in willful self-deception, public dishonesty, or both.” ~ Robert J. Samuelson
“Bad Gag” Bob Gibbs
“Bad Gag” Bob Fibbs
Words do not matter to a postmodern leftist. See Understanding Postmodernism by Stephan Hicks. The Administration assumed that only low-rent bitter clingers would hold them accountable, and seems truly surprised that someone in the White House Press Corps would be so unsophisticated as to point out the earlier promises.
I heard that Baghdad Bob turned down an offer of the job Gibbs now holds, citing insults to his dignity and credibility….
Yes, Obama is a transparent liar, Gibbs is a joke, and the press continues to run cover for the Administration. But where are the Republicans? We’re on the verge of a possibly irreversible takeover of 1/6 of the economy. McConnell, Boehner, Steele et al. should be jumping unmercifully on any opportunity that presents itself. Unfortunately, they are completely cowed. As Neocon reminds us, it’s all pitifully reminiscent of McCain’s failure to hammer Obama again and again and again on his failure to accept public funding in 2008, an issue that was supposedly near and dear to the hearts of both the press and John McCain.