A Ban on Goofballs
At today's press briefing, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked by the NBC correspondent, Tom Costello, to respond to the complaints of CNBC's Jim Cramer, made on NBC's "Today" show that the president is scaring investors. Anyone who has listened to Jim Cramer already has plenty of reason to be scared because his advice has been so consistently wrong. Anyone listenting to Tom Costello might think that NBC is in the business of self promotion. Anyone listening to Gibbs respond might thing that the White House loves to use goofballs as strawmen.
This comes on the heels of the administration responding to Rush Limbaugh--and elevating his status to leader of the Republican party--and the White House using CNBC's Rick Santelli as a foil. Before we have the president responding to Glen Beck or Erin Burnett, can we have a ban on reporters asking the White House to respond to a blowhard and can the White House stop using blowhards as a foil?
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
"can we have a ban on reporters asking the White House to respond to a blowhard and can the White House stop using blowhards as a foil? "
Who decides who is a "reporter" and who is a "blowhard"? How does the public tell the difference?
I'm all for Gibbs and Obama engaging debate with all comers. They tend to do pretty well responding to even the most outrageous, and in the long run it makes their case even stronger.
March 3, 2009 3:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Um, Matt, what did Gibbs say in response to Costello (the alleged goofball). Do you have a link to the video?
March 3, 2009 3:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
yldoow,
One issue Gibbs pointed out that may be influencing the market fluctuations was the adjustment of the 4th quarter GDP that has now been factored into the market.
March 3, 2009 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gibb's last response was great just now in the press briefing.
This might not be exact response but it was close to:
"I was surprised at the speed of the apology from the head of the RNC to the head of the Republican party"
hah
March 3, 2009 3:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Matt Cooper says;
Boy, the right wing bloviators are gonna get you for this.
March 3, 2009 3:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
In a loosely related matter, can we please set a two-hour time limit for that big fat liar's ugly mug on the front page of TPM?
Jeebus, my gag relfex gets stronger every time I pass by that elephantine puffer puss. Yecch!
March 3, 2009 3:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree.
March 3, 2009 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Me three. I like olberman's pic of lush sucking a stogie. Or how about some other insulting kind of pic. That would at least be better. He looks like a cheshire cat in that pic.
March 3, 2009 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, normally I tend to agree with all of you, but I gotta say no on this one.
In fact, instead of the dancing people dancing about the great mortages that can be had, I'd like the image of Rush bouncing back and forth at CPAC to be displayed any time Rush is mentioned.
It was truly weird.
March 3, 2009 4:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
True, the bouncing around was beyond bizarre and kind of creepy. The problem is that the bouncing around doesn't come across in a still photo. I still vote for the stogie shot, or how about his mug shot when he was arrested trying to sneak a bottle of viagra back into the us. That has to be floating around out there somewhere.
March 3, 2009 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ah, the mugshot photo isn't so bad. He looks like he's posing for a headshot to sell viagra or something. Here it is:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/limbaughmug1.html
There has to be some insulting photo shots out there somewhere.
March 3, 2009 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gee, Matt, you're not any fun. Fixing the mess that the Bush Administration left behind isn't much fun either. Doing some Priceless on the silly, self-absorbed defenders of incompetence is just a good way to let off steam.
I don't want an entire press conference to be that level of entertainment, but one or two shots lightens the mood and reminds people how completely unqualified the critics of President Obama really are.
March 3, 2009 3:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why shouldn't they? Wouldn't it be more pertinent to ask the blowhards to stop bloviating and the Republican Party to stop kowtowing to the blowhards?
It's not the White House that made Lush Rimbaugh the de facto leader of the GOP. It's the Repugnuts themselves. What is wrong with Gibbs, Emanuel et al pointing this sad fact out?
March 3, 2009 3:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
What is wrong with Gibbs, Emanuel et al pointing this sad fact out?
It's class warfare, don't you know?
They're picking on the rich guy. Why does the White House hate rich people so much?
March 3, 2009 4:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
ROTFLMAO!
March 3, 2009 5:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
can we have a ban on reporters asking the White House to respond to a blowhard and can the White House stop using blowhards as a foil?
If reporters continue to think that what Rick Santelli, Jim Kramer, Rush Limbaugh and Joe the Non-Plumber have to say is important, then I'm all for the White House exploiting the banality and triviality evident in today's "reporters".
Don't blame the White House for taking advantage of some really shallow "coverage" of politics these days.
March 3, 2009 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Left On CT Voter! Perfectly said.
March 3, 2009 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Second this.
March 3, 2009 4:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nailed - third this. (OK, I know 'thirding' ins't in Robert's Rules of Order.) This is spot on.
March 3, 2009 4:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Over at Crooks & Liars on a thread where everyone was whipped into a frenzy of righteous outrage about Santelli having pre-arranged his little rant (yeah, real shocker there), I got ripped for asking why anybody cares what that group of idiots thinks. So apparently there are people on the left who think they're relevant as well.
March 3, 2009 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
They are relevant precisely because, and precisely as long as, the "mainstream" press Makes Them So. Which is why Gibbs is, quite correctly, pointing out their inanity for all to see. I doubt the press will really be shamed into letting the goofballs slide into deserved oblivion, but at least it's getting into the record now.
March 4, 2009 4:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know what the original post is trying to say? Where is Gibbs answer to the question?
March 3, 2009 4:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who should they use as foils if not the blowhards?
March 3, 2009 4:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Matt, not to seem like I'm making it personal, cuz I'm not, but I don't think anyone who has been a part of the press establishment in DC over the last 10-20 years has the right to complain about this. They're just pickup up where the ground rules were set by them that was in the game previously. They're just playing it even better!
March 3, 2009 4:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
CT Voter--
Exactly. We have the great, good fortune to have as the Republican Leader-by-Default a:
-porcine
-morbidly obese
-physically repulsive
-obnoxious
-histrionic
-arrested adolescent, i.e.,
Rush Limbaugh.
Why not take every advantage? Make Limbaugh the poster boy for the collapse of unregulated finance capitalism and for the bigotry, racism, xenophobia, jingoism, and willful, science-denying ignorance of the authoritarian, medieval right.
And once in a while add to that same poster the image of the:
-cadaverous
-condescending
-creepy
-cringe-worthy
Ann Coulter.
Maybe the two of them could be the Republican Ticket-by-Default in 2012. Here's their bumper sticker (with an intentional typo):
Rush/Ann 1212
Restoring Medieval Values
March 3, 2009 4:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
For some reason, the phrase "Fat rolled over and skinny was dead" popped into my head after reading your comment.
March 3, 2009 5:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh Jesus, now I've got to find a way to scrub my synapses to get that image out of my head.
March 3, 2009 5:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry.
Ok, not really.
Now I can't get that fragment out of my brain.
March 3, 2009 7:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wince-worthy.
Just imagine the two of them together, groping frenetically somewhere over there on the Dark Side....
March 3, 2009 6:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
G Norquist is on the Lehrer show right now slamming Obama and Bush and everyone except Limbaugh.
No Republican dares to disagree in any way with The Leader.
Norquist : Bush was a boat anchor around our neck - but The Leader is beyond reproach.
Amazing for many reasons.
March 3, 2009 6:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gee, Matt, I seem to remember a certain "goofball", formerly of TIME magazine, who spoke at length with then-Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff about the identity of a certain CIA agent, which was a felony breach of national security, and then publicly assumed the role of tragic drama queen when subpoenaed by the special prosecutor over the matter.
Goofballs who live in glass beltways shouldn't throw bricks and mortar.
March 3, 2009 9:23 PM | Reply | Permalink