Olbermann, Matthews and Fineman React Badly To Obama Speech

[niceypoo]

Run time: 10:00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOh8e_Q0m5E   Posted on YouTube: June 16, 2010 By YouTube Member: FixedNewsChannel Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: June 16, 2010 By DU Member: niceypoo Views on DU: 2555

 

[grasswire]

1. They were obviously hoping for a Rooseveltian speech

...and it wasn't that. They had advance embargoed copies; they couldn't have truly been as surprised as they sounded.

I wouldn't characterize their reaction as "bad." It was opinions.

[breadandwine]

10. Is Obama aware that he is president of the United States?

Just asking.

[breadandwine]

12. The singing around the campfire didn't work, Mr. President.

Got it?

[AlbertCat]

38. Prayer as an action for a solution is a sign of utter desperation...

I have just watched the 1st few minutes of Rachel Maddow's coverage of the speech and couldn't get through the Prez's song and dance about the "Blessing of the Fleet" without venting! I want to scream! But I'm alone so I need to come here and rant!

Calling on prayer just tells me we are screwed. Supernatural solutions are not what we need. We need real solutions! We need real action. Obviously there is NOTHING we can do.... or are gonna do. That's what all this Kum ba ya sing along crap tells me.

If corporations are "persons" then BP is guilty of negligent homicide, vandalism and fraud. Shut it down.... take it over.... freeze its assets.... SOMETHING! (not gonna happen obviously)

In a time when we need bold action, we've got nothing but a "how can we reform without reforming... how can we shake things up without shaking things up... how can we show Corporations who's boss without hurting their feelings (and profits)?"

I know decades of GOP operatives infect every corner of our Government and that is a REAL roadblock to progress, but...

IS THIS ALL WE'RE GONNA GET? pretty speeches and singing around the campfire?

[readmoreoften]

27. Is Obama the President of the United States? Or a spokesperson for various "Big" interests?

I'm not sure. The speech was weak and the religiosity was weird as anything.

[Thrill]

2. Since Obama actually became President

Fineman has belonged on Faux News

[saracat]

3. They were disappointed. And now that I see it, rightfully so.Olberman was on the money.

[bc3000]

25. I concur. Obama has been such a disappointment.

I wonder if it's ever worth voting again when even someone with Obama's potential turns out to be so out of touch and useless.

He seems to be less informed about what is actually going on than most people. Either that or he's a liar.

[papadog]

31. Great Campaigner, Poor Leader

You're spot on. I'm frustrated by this President. I won't vote for him nex time and may just leave that box unchecked. What's the use? With all the potential and all the suppoort he had upon taking office, he's done very little to TAKE CHARGE and LEAD this country. He tries to rule by concensus, like a committee chairman, instead of being in charge and doing what he was elected to do-the people's work.

[swilton]

42. He was manufactured just like a brand

during the campaign - it wasn't his campaign....

[Larkspur]

4. I was disappointed in Obama tonight

The one big PR area he could show leadership in is taking over the clean up from BP. Make sure the workers in the clean up crews are appropriately protected from the toxic chemicals they are cleaning up and they have proper instruction in cleaning up the marshes without trampling through bird nests. BP doesn't want the workers wearing haz mat suits because its bad PR for them. BP's PR ambitions should not trump worker saftey.

The other area Obama needs to take over is allowing journalists to photo the dead animals BP's disaster has and is caused. Showing photos of dead dolphins and birds that tourists can see at Sea World would do plenty to galvanize the public to demand Congress to get to work getting us off our addiction to fossil fuel.

Right now BP looks to be in charge of the cleanup and they are doing it to suit their liability and PR problems, not what is best for this country.

Obama has missed an historic moment to transform our country.

[SharksBreath]

9. Obama has missed a historic moment to transform our country.

Sounds like the legacy of Obama to me.

He had a chance to restore the rule of law to this country.

But he doesn't want to look back on Bush crimes.

He had a chance with his surplus to really help the middle class.

Instead he went with the GOP tax cuts that they voted against anyway.

He was for Single payer.

But he let the bill be watered down to nothing.

Wall Street.

Why hasn't anyone been arrested except a few ponzi scheme artists.

When the entire market was a ponzi scheme.

You hit the nail on the head.

The legacy of the Obama administration is written.

Blowing historic moments to transform our country.

[eternalflame]

11. Couldn't have said it better myself

[breadandwine]

13. Obama and the DLC crowd around him are wimps.

It's all about the wimp factor.


He's afraid of his own shadow.


Nobody told him he was president of the United States.......

[pundaint]

18. started out with the peace prize - could have done something to deserve it.

[readmoreoften]

28. I agree with this. He could take a worker's rights angle that'd be hard to criticize.

But he's never been strong on labor, so that's too much to hope for.

[awoke_in_2003]

5. hear those bumps?...

that is KO being thrown under the bus :(

[Divine Discontent]

6. Keith is already under their bus, c'mon now, don't you keep up with this??? It was done in the

summer last year.

What a good 25% of Dems here don't get is that they can give the president all the A pluses they want - but the majority of Democrats are not happy with the WH or outright disgusted with them (basically C to F grade).

[breadandwine]

16. They will stay home on election day.

The GOP is energized and will vote.

What votes they DON'T get will be handed to them by hacking.


The GOP is going to take over Capitol Hill.


It's not a leak.

It's a GOP tsunami.

Obama has made many of the same mistakes Clinton made that brought in the GOP on Capitol Hill with healthcare.

He blew his wad on the wrong legislation and alienated his own party without winning over those on the other side.

Now everyone is against him and the GOP is going to take over in the Fall.

[liberation]

17. The "GOP is energized" Really?

Where do some of you come up with this stuff... LOL

[Honeycombe8]

22. The GOP would win in November, no matter what. That is what history says.

Any time the same party holds the W.H. and both houses of Congress, the country takes out the party from Congress and puts the other party in charge. That's the way it has always been, that I'm aware of.

The only question is will the Dems lose BOTH houses of Congress. That's where the current administration's mistakes come into play....and the tea party extremists.

What issues do you think Obama didn't press, therefore losing base support? And what issues do you think he pressed, for which there is no base support?

I'm part of the base, even though I consider myself a left leaning Independent. I wanted him to press the following issues:

Deal with the extreme economic crisis. Half a check. (too many deals having nothing to do with the economy, stimulus $ going to the wrong things, the AIG and other co. bonuses, etc., etc.)

Get some sort of health care reform. Half a check. (doesn't go far enough, but it's a start, and more than any President has ever accomplished in health care)

Get going on alternative energy, government involvement in it, and focus on the environment (these are related). Strong check. I can't think of any other candidate who would have, or could have, done as much as Obama has in this area. He has surprised me at how strong he has been in this very important area.

So I'm disappointed some, I'm satisfied some.

What are your key issues that you are disappointed in?

[readmoreoften]

29. More like the GOP hasn't been obliterated due to the DLC's lack of vision. I don't think America

likes them either. America wants a fighter figurehead. Someone criticizing the media and fighter for worker's rights will get just as much respect as "have a beer with Bush". But no one who fights for average Americans will be permitted to win an election. It's something like a catch-22. I don't think the GOP is particular strong, it's just that the Democrats are particularly weak.

[awoke_in_2003]

37. true. nt

[Tx4obama]

7. Obama could NOT come out blasting BP CEO since he's meeting w/ him this week. n/t

[Mithreal]

8. inconvenient for some, convenient for others

[liberation]

15. Why not?

Obama, last I checked, is the President of the United States... The last thing on his mind right now after almost 2 months of one of the worst environmental disasters in this country, should be the preservation of the feelings of the CEO of the company which caused this disaster.

Good grief, enough with the arbitrary excuses.

[readmoreoften]

30. Can you believe these people? Obama doesn't want to offend the pres of BP. Who runs this country?

WTF!

[breadandwine]

20. Who the hell gives a sh*t if he's meeting BP this week? Who says he can't come out against BP?

...

[Honeycombe8]

23. What purpose would "blasting" BP serve? He's spoken against BP's actions....

and failure to pay claims timely. What do you want? You want him to jump up and down and stomp his feet and call BP names?

No drama Obama has spoken as harshly about BP as he will speak harshly about any company.

The point is....the pipe needs to be plugged, and the area needs help desperately, both immediate and long term. The govt has to work WITH BP for a time to accomplish these things, even though BP is being blamed and apparently at fault.

The Dept of Justice handles the criminal negligence part regarding BP. Let them do that. Obama's focus should be on accomplishing goals, which means using the power of the Office of the President to bear down on BP and make it do certain things. But I don't see how publicly "blasting" the company does anything toward that goal.

You have the luxury of blasting BP without there being negative consequences...so go ahead and blast BP all you want. There are plenty of pundits and politicians who can do that without causing harm. Obama doesn't need to lower himself to that level. The Office of the President is all about accomplishing goals for the country and showing leadership. Temper tantrums don't give the public much comfort.

[liberation]

26. Blasting BP would help reinforce the notion that the President of the United States works for us

and he is not beholden to the interests or sensibilities of any corporation, domestic or otherwise.

But then again, you're more interested in preserving a specific narrative... so spin away.

[SemperEadem]

34. they want a performance--kind of like the one bush gave in LA after Katrina

that's what theyr'e after--a hollywood president who acts like a goon on cue.

[DeadEyeDyck]

14. I think Obama missed the bus two months ago...

As soon as he was sure that this was a true disaster, say 5 days after the explosion, he should have mustered the best minds in the world to solve this. The national guard and coast guard should have been mobilized to guard the beaches with defense dunes. Grandiose ideas should have been tried. Take a battle ship out of moth-balls, fill the bilges with concrete and float it over the leak and sink it. This should have been the equivalent of the Mahattan project. As a matter of fact, I have read that a properly place nuclear bomb could be exploded and cause a minor quake that woudl seal the hole.

Everything should be tried!! We are destroying our nation. They are destroying my state!!!!!!!

[pundaint]

19. and don't forget the space aliens in their uso's

[breadandwine]

21. If Obama doesn't want to be president, he and Biden should step aside and let Pelosi run the country

I believe she's next in line of succession.

Obama should resign.


Man.

Talk about no cojones.


When is he going to do more than give speeches just to hear the sound of his voice?


Another speech mentioning his stupid commission to find out what to do. Is he aware that the buck stops with him? Is he aware that HE is in charge and not some commission or underling?


When he finds out that he is the president, someone let me know.


Really, if he doesn't want to be president, he should resign........

[swilton]

44. Olberman, Matthews and Feinmann

gave the first substantive analysis of the Obama rhetoric that I've heard - I mean his campaign speaches were somewhat like this in that they were all things to all people.

What Olberman,et. al. have just done is point out to us that the Emporer is naked.

[swilton]

43. ++1

I totally agree with you - if this much damage (the equivalent of bio/chem warfare) had been perpetrated on the US by a foreign country - there would have been a NATO meeting, etc...the USAF planes would have been flying...

The only mindset this country has for 'national security' is the one of military vs. military...

We need a visionary who can think of new paradigms such as defining national security in terms of environmental security, peace and social justice should be as high a priority as consumer goods....Unfortunately our system (capitalism) is designed to discourage that kind of innovative thinking...And we have a president that reflects that kind of a system - defending the status quo....I don't know if there is that much time (how much beating can the planet take?) left for all of us unless real and substantive change appears on the horizon.

[Sky Masterson]

24. I thought they sounded like a bunch of tools.

What the hell did they expect?
They annoyed the hell out of me so bad I switched to cspan

[spiritual_gunfighter]

32. Wow

I didnt expect that to be so bad. I guess he felt like he didnt want to give us specifics on what is going to be done, it makes me think that he doesnt know.

And what was with the "lets pray the oil away" stuff?

Worst speech I have seen Obama give, and this was the worst possible time for him to give a horrible speech.

We want answers, not promises that it is going to be okay.

[Larkspur]

36. The prayer crap was Obama trying to emulate Saint Ronnie Reagan

Remember, Obama saw his Presidency as a transformative Presidency on par with Reagan. It was a lame attempt at trying to appeal to Republican voters.

[Maureen1322]

33. This is not who I voted for, where is my president???

[bobburgster]

35. Obama, great job!

Olbermann, Matthews and Fineman could not have been more off....IMO

[Stuart G]

39. I disagree...Olbermann, Mathews andFineman were not off.

They expressed views that have validity. Many people watching expected a more powerful speech, the kind Obama is capable of. We didn't get it. Ok, there are reasons, but they were not off. They and others wanted more specifics from a President who is quite capable of specifics. There were a few mistakes in the speech, and that is not good. We will see what actions are really taken, that is the most important thing

Unfortunately, if we look towards the past, and what the President has done, in my opinion, we are lacking in strong powerful leadership.

[Stuart G]

40. Proof that Olbermann, Mathews and Fineman were correct..

Rachael Madow has a terrific take on this..in another thread on this page..please listen to what should have been said: (If you haven't listened to Rachel, please do so..it shows what could have been said. If Rachel can think of it, so can Obama.)

Rachel Maddow: What I Wish President's Oval Office Address Had Been posted by Hissyspit







http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x476450

[demwing]

41. Or, Olbermann, Matthews and Fineman React Properly to Bad Obama Speech

Because really, this was more appropriate for a Wednesday Night Bible Study than Obama's FIRST speech from the Oval Office.