Obama To Hold Third Presser On Economy
Yet another Obama press conference on the economy?
The Obama transition team just announced that tomorrow morning Barack Obama will be holding his third press conferences in three days. Yesterday's press conference dealt with Obama rolling out key members of his economic team, today's was a general-purpose event that heavily dealt with the economy in practice, and tomorrow's is specifically billed as being an economic announcement.
This looks like a sign that the Obama team has recognized the seriousness of the problem posed to financial markets by the lame-duck period, with the country's resulting lack of true political leadership. Obama seems to be stepping in to provide at the very least the image of competent national leadership by quasi-assuming the presidency itself, as opposed to the ham-fisted efforts of George W. Bush and Henry Paulson.
At least somebody seems interested in talking about the economy!
November 25, 2008 2:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
...Obama is definately good at talking about stuff...
November 25, 2008 2:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Get a life sfc.
November 25, 2008 2:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
I would never get surprised to confront sarcasm and chutzpah from the right even when they were caught in daylight stabbing a child.
Bush has ransacked us at every front and you are here make a point of comfort.
By the way, may be they're going to introduce Seceretary of Commerce tommorow?
Richardson?
November 25, 2008 2:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Serious question. Aren't you disturbed by the absence of the actual President during this transition? Do you ever remember a President taking his last two months as unseriously as this?
November 25, 2008 2:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
For that matter, do you ever remember a President taking his entire 8 years in office as unseriously as this?
November 25, 2008 2:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
I disagree. For his first few years, he acted as though this job was his true calling. But usually the last few months are all about "legacy". Bush 41 acted in concert with Clinton and even entered Somalia. Clinton gave lots of speeches.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1125290.stm
Wonder what Bush 43 will say?
November 25, 2008 2:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
My bad...I thought it was "serious question" time.
November 25, 2008 3:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Then come back when you have a serious question, fraud.
November 25, 2008 3:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
The President's job isn't to get in the mix of a transition, it's to facillitate it. Has there been a request of the administration by the Obama team that hasn't been met? If Bush were on TV everyday y'all'd be whinning about him getting in Obama's way.
November 25, 2008 2:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Seriously? That's your response? We're talking about Bush doing his job and steering the ship of state while he's still Captain. Are you honestly, no bullshit her, satisfied with his job performance right now? You don't think he could and should be doing more?
And we're not talking about generating criticism by "getting in Obama's way"( a straw man). Do you think there's no role for him to play to calm the markets right now?
November 25, 2008 3:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not SFCWallace, but I really can't imagine any scenario where Bush has ANY influence at this point. The markets, foriegn affairs, anything.
So, No I don't think there is a role for him for the next 56 days.
November 25, 2008 3:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Other than making irreversible damaging last munute decisions.
November 25, 2008 3:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
...all last minute decisions are reversable (well not all, but all the ones you're worried about). Remember all of Clinton's last minute regulations? Bush's first Exec order was to rescind everything Clinton impliamented in the last month (which was all the stuff that Clinton knew wasn't feasible but wanted to be able to claim he implamented during his administration). As a matter of fact, Obama's first exec order should be to re apply all of Clinton's last minute regulations.
November 25, 2008 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
all last minute decisions are reversable (well not all, but all the ones you're worried about).
Yay!!!!
November 25, 2008 3:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not just that he's unserious, he has given up. He just seems resigned- as if "I fucked up and I don't think we can get back up- ever."
His demeanor makes us feel like we've a lost a parent or something.
Dreadful.
November 25, 2008 3:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
My husband and I were discussing this last night; doesn't it seem like the last few presidents viewed their Lame Duckhood as a chance to make a grand, big, serious gesture that they didn't need Congress' help with? All BushCo seem to be doing is gutting as many rules and regulations as they can find.
November 25, 2008 3:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bush was never interested in governance. His motivations even to have been president in the first instance are hard to fathom (other than his Oedipal issues), given his utter lack of insight, his fundamentally unprincipled nature and his deep disengagement from ideas. He seems to bring to the end-stage of his sorry, illegitimate tenure the same kind of puerile attention-deficit reflexes he's always brought to everything else..."this isn't fun anymore; I'm done; seems to have gotten all fucked up; I'm outta here."
November 25, 2008 3:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
"His motivations even to have been president in the first instance are hard to fathom (other than his Oedipal issues), given his utter lack of insight, his fundamentally unprincipled nature and his deep disengagement from ideas.'
Ha ha...you read the imd synopsis of "W" didn't you?
November 25, 2008 4:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
actually I didn't.
November 25, 2008 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, but given the fact that the only GWB synapses that actually fire in a lively, motivated way run to connivance, he'll probably solely devote genuine effort to pardons, unconscionable legislative maneuvers to pay back members of his "base" and embedding loathsome politically appointed right-wing toadies into civil service positions.
November 25, 2008 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oedipal issues? It seems more like he had anti-Oedipal issues (not to be confused with antipodal issues such that Spain and New Zealand might have). He wanted to revenge his father, not to kill him.
November 25, 2008 4:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Using the term loosely...poetic license. Who could resist waxing poetic when discussing President Blutarski?
November 25, 2008 4:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, if you do it again, I'll kill your father and, wait, no … don't press that button!
November 25, 2008 4:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
It wouldn't surprise me if Bush gave Obama the green light to give these press conferences in order to ease any concerns. I'm sure Bush is aware of his "effect" on the market whenever he opens his mouth. Bush did say that his people talks to Obama's people whenever they make a major decision, so it's plausible that they may have agreed to this.
November 25, 2008 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Astral66's post's title says it all.
November 25, 2008 2:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Assuming so much responsibility without authority is a risky move, precisely the move that FDR went out of his way to avoid in 1932. I have deep respect for his willingness to assume it, but I hope it turns out to be a good risk. If things go further south and the public starts getting in the mood to blame him, we'll be faced with a President who has used up a lot of his political capital prematurely- a scary prospect.
But anybody who's been betting against his political judgment is wearing a barrel by now, so I guess I'll assume he once again knows what he's doing.
November 25, 2008 2:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
I feel your concerns...But I was thinking just yesterday that if Barack doesn't step forward and take ownership of this crisis, he risks getting lumped in with Bush, Paulson, et al and being viewed as another ineffectual politician. Basically he had two (crappy) choices: stay on the sidelines, trust Bush, and hope things get better, OR get involved, take some control of the situation and hope things get better.
Jan. 20th can't come fast enough.
November 25, 2008 3:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am concerned as well and agree with both observations. I dunno. Obama is a genius, so I am inclined to believe that he knows what he is doing. I am just very concerned, as everyone is.
November 25, 2008 3:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Brennan out of running for top intel post
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/25/america/CIA-Brennan.php
November 25, 2008 3:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Excellent news. Thanks for relaying it.
November 25, 2008 3:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yup, whatever the truth is, we don't need that association.
November 25, 2008 3:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
I say this with tongue partly in cheek, of course....
November 25, 2008 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jonze,
Great reporting. I recommend Obama look @ someone like Richard Clarke to head CIA.
November 25, 2008 3:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
I figured y'all'd want Daniel Ellsberg or Noam Chomsky to head the intelligence depts.
November 25, 2008 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
It would be difficult for anyone who was not him or herself a long time insider with the CIA to have the clout and insider-insights necessary to make the changes. Not impossible, but very difficult.
November 25, 2008 4:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great news. This is the rumored appointment that gave me the most pause.
November 25, 2008 3:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
The cat with the fish avatar has paws?
November 26, 2008 12:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
Paulson needs to resign. Everyone keeps talking about how incompetent he is... It would be best for the company if he did. I am glad that President Elect Obama is stepping up the way he is.
November 25, 2008 3:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
I meant It would be best for the country... but I guess it is a corporation in and of itself.
November 25, 2008 3:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Paulson looked like a mental case at his last press briefing with Bush over the Citi Bank bailout. He kept darting his worried head back and forth like a turkey on the chopping block.
I knew from the start this guy didn't have a clue what to do. His unsteady hand is largely responsible for the mess we're in today.
When I think of the hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars he's given away to his crooked speculator pals - with absolutely no transparency or oversight - it makes me sick to my stomach. And his decision not to save 3 million autoworker jobs or help out homeowners with bad mortgages will likely prove as prescient as his decision to let Lehman Brothers go under.
An absolute disaster for the country who will keep doing more damage the longer he's on the job. Steve Forbes was right about that. And likely he's every bit the crook that Sen. Inhofe implied.
November 26, 2008 2:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thank jeebus for Obama - a leader who recognizes his responsibility to LEAD. In this case the responsibility has been thrust upon him prematurely, due to W's defaulting - but hey, Obama sees what must be done and actually DOES IT! How refreshing!
November 25, 2008 4:07 PM | Reply | Permalink