White House Moves Swiftly To Stem Fallout Of Obama Interview

[laughingliberal]

The White House is moving swiftly to stem the fallout from a potentially damaging interview President Obama gave on Tuesday, in which, it was reported, he did not "begrudge" the multibillion-dollar bonuses of Wall Street executives.

Administration aides insisted, in email exchanges with the Huffington Post, that the quote was largely overplayed. The story, they say, made it appear as if the president didn't mind massive compensation packages when he was simply stating that he didn't fault anyone for his or her personal or professional success. Moreover, they added, the president has made similar remarks many times before without getting the critical reception he received on Wednesday morning.

"The president has said countless times, as he did in the interview, that he doesn't 'begrudge' the success of Americans, but he also expressed 'shock' at the size of bonuses and made clear that there are a number of steps that need to be taken to change the culture of Wall Street," spokesperson Jen Psaki told the Huffington Post. " a sentiment he has consistently expressed since long before he took office."

On Wednesday morning, Bloomberg Business Week published the write-up of the 30-minute interview it conducted with the president the day before. The story led with Obama saying he does not "begrudge" the $17 million bonus awarded to JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon or the $9 million issued to Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein. Acknowledging it was "an extraordinary amount of money," Obama went on to note that "there are some baseball players who are making more than that and don't get to the World Series either, so I'm shocked by that as well."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/10/white-house-moves-swiftly_n_456739.html

With the Republicans kicking our butts in co-opting the populist rage, was this the best thing to say, right now? Or does it have to do with the stories last week that the GOP is courting donations from the big banks and Wall Streeters?

[juajen]

1. No, I think it was the wrong thing to say, as much can be made of it.

It helps these days to speak in tongues. Perhaps he should get should coaching from Georgie.

[sandnsea]

2. That interview hasn't even been released yet

This is sabatoge by Bloomberg and Business Week. There's nothing wrong with not begrudging someone their wealth, a lot of sports figures make millions of dollars. That's what he said and that's what most of America would say, especially the right wingers who are going to turn right around and attack him over this. And what's so incredibly stupid is the people on the left who think there is really some outraged right winger out there who would be upset if Bush said he didn't begrudge someone getting rich. They lie. Why does anybody care what they say.

[girl gone mad]

8. Seriously?

The last time I checked, tax dollars weren't going to pay the salaries of sports figures and sports figures weren't responsible for worldwide economic collapse.

The statement is incredibly tone deaf. Almost recklessly so.

[Statistical]

16. What was the last stadium built without any public funds or tax breaks?

[blondeatlast]

22. Glad someone picked up on that at the whistle. Big kudos to you. nt

[blondeatlast]

23. Edit: dupe. nt

[Donnachaidh]

12. uhh, those sports figures make too damned much money too.

And to *not begrudge* millions in bonuses after the TAX PAYERS bailed their criminal asses out? WHAT? That's a comment that would seem fine coming out of the mouth of his predecessor.

It's not sabotage if it came from HIS mouth. Stupidity - yes, sabotage,no.

[sandnsea]

25. He said that too

The fact that you don't know it is because of the way the media and the left chose to play it. They chose to sabatoge.

"an extraordinary amount of money" for Main Street, "there are some baseball players who are making more than that and don't get to the World Series either, so I'm shocked by that, as well."

"I do think that the compensation packages that we've seen over the last decade at least have not matched up always to performance. I think that shareholders oftentimes have not had any significant say in the pay structures for CEOs."

He's calling for a reduction in the bonuses. That is just how fucked up the media and people in general are.

[DrDan]

15. "Bloomberg Business Week published the write-up of the 30-minute interview it conducted"

And they sabotaged their own interview. An interesting perspective.

Nothing wrong with not begrudging their wealth? Regardless of how earned, I guess. Regardless of the size. Regardless of from where the money originates. Another interesting perspective for a DUer.

So most Americans would agree that the bonuses are warranted. One further interesting perspective.

[sandnsea]

24. I guess you didn't bother to read the excerpts

"an extraordinary amount of money" for Main Street, "there are some baseball players who are making more than that and don't get to the World Series either, so I'm shocked by that, as well."

"I do think that the compensation packages that we've seen over the last decade at least have not matched up always to performance. I think that shareholders oftentimes have not had any significant say in the pay structures for CEOs."

He's calling for a reduction in the bonuses. That is just how fucked up the media and people are.

[DrDan]

26. oh I guess I did

and I still find it an insensitive comment.

And obviously the WH senses this as well - else they certainly would not be rushing to put out the flames.

[sandnsea]

27. They rushed to correct the distortion

because the left is too fucking stupid to do it themselves.

[frylock]

29. fucking retards

[AllentownJake]

3. They are so ridiculously tone deaf right now they are making Marie Antoinette look like a populist

:rofl:

[laughingliberal]

5. That's hilarious! Depressing but hilarious, nonetheless. nt

[lonestarnot]

4. Fast Eddie is talking about it now.

[AllentownJake]

6. Rendell?

[lonestarnot]

7. No, I don't think that's his last name.

I can't think of what his last name is at the moment. Over now though, Keith back on again.

[AllentownJake]

10. Fast Eddie is Ed Rendell's nickname

Has been since the 70s.

[ChicagoSuz219]

9. There's an explanation at whitehouse.gov n/t

[yodermon]

17. If you're explaining you're losing. NT

[ChicagoSuz219]

19. Whatever. n/t

[earth mom]

11. Of course Obama doesn't begrudge them the money.

Did anyone expect anything different of him? :grr:

[DrDan]

13. to "not begrudge success" and to "not begrudge multibillion-dollar bonuses" are two entirely

different things.

I am not sure the millions of unemployed want to hear the latter.

How about a comment about not begrudging employment to anyone who wants it. And perhaps a plan to allow that to actually happen. We sure did allow the bonuses to happen.

[TexasObserver]

14. I nearly fell out of my chair when I heard this story.

He's really got to stop making these rookie mistakes.

[lame54]

18. It was downright stupid

[branders seine]

20. Sorry to all his supporters, but

Obama screwed this one up bigtime. What a blockheaded set of comments.

I'm with Krugman on this one. It speaks volumes about what has gone wrong (or always was wrong) with this administration.

[AzDar]

21. He is speaking to a business journal, so he has to 'prove' how pro-business he is.

The American People could really do without this sort of political whoring at this point in time...:eyes:

[earth mom]

28. Meanwhile in America the homeless numbers are rising but it's all good because the banksters

got theirs. :puke:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7692994&mesg_id=7692994

[MisterP]

30. that's another problem with conservadems: they don't apologize (why should, they, they genuinely

believe the rich deserve it?), so they hire PR flacks to spin and to infiltrate the media (or pretend to be all sciencey)--further enraging the left (and rightfully so)

[backscatter712]

31. It's your basic quote taken out of context.

He was saying that he didn't begrudge success to business leaders, but he thought the Wall Street executive bonuses were excessive, didn't reflect their companies' performance, and were dished out without input from shareholders. Of course, this got shortened by our "liberal" media to "I don't begrudge executive bonuses."

And people here on DU are more than happy to join the shit-flinging brigade based on a half-assed quote taken completely out of context. Don't you all feel like assholes now that the full quote's come out?