Quote of the Day

Tainting the tea party movement with the charge of racism is proving to be an effective strategy for Democrats. There is no evidence that tea party adherents are any more racist than other Republicans, and indeed many other Americans. But getting them to spend their time purging their ranks and having candidates distance themselves should help Democrats win in November. Having one’s opponent rebut charges of racism is far better than discussing joblessness. Mary Frances Berry

Obama the adoration junkie

From ABCNews.com/Karen Travers and Brian Braker

Unlike most guests who come to ABC’s “The View,” President Obama does not have a new movie, album or reality show to promote.

Instead, he’s promoting himself and his agenda, sitting in the hot seat of the daytime talk show in an effort, once again, to go beyond the traditional media filter and speak directly to the American people, especially women.

Already, off the block this article is full of holes. True enough, at this point in time, Obama is not promoting a book. What he is promoting is his crap-n-tax agenda, his entire socialist check list to screw the American people.  But make no mistake that this is not a “hot seat” for him, either.  He couldn’t find a more favorable, fawning, slobbering audience and hostesses anywhere in American.

After all, during his first visit to The View in 2008 (with Walters present), Walters called him the sexiest man on earth:

(Did you notice, he only shook hands with the conservative lady but hugged all the rest of the ‘hostesses’?)

He’s going “beyond the traditional media filter.”

Media filter? What media filter exists in this country today? He is, once more, side stepping the press and the possibility – as remote as that really is in this day of JournoList ‘reporters’ – of probing questions by going “beyond the traditional media filter” to “speak directly to the American people, especially women.”  The press doesn’t seem to be bothered that he’s only held 2 press conferences in his first 18 months and the last conference was forced on him by bad publicity. They don’t care that he has walked around them and refused to answer questions and signed orders and bills without press being present.

[…]

In an exclusive preview clip that aired on “World News” tonight, Barbara Walters asked the president what the recent high and low points of his time in office had been.

“In the last month what has been the rose and what has been the thorn?” she asked, referring to an Obama family tradition of taking stock of their lives.

Call me a cynic, but I find this whole “Obama tradition of roses and thorns” to be totally contrived. It reminds me of the all-time goofiest question, hands down in a press conference. Who was that guy who asked Obama what he found to be the most enchanting part of being president? (insert rolley eyed emoticon here, please.) Now that’s a media filter we all want TheOne to avoid. But I digress. Regarding Walters question, talk about softball crap!

[…]

So why sit down with “The View’s” feisty and opinionated five hosts in the first place?

“I was trying to find a show that Michelle actually watched, and so I thought this is it, right here,” he said. “All those new shows, she’s like, eh, let me get the clicker.”

Part of me is hoping that Michelle is actually watching daytime television, although I’m sure she’s not. She’d be much less dangerous to our culture is she were.

On Tuesday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the decision was made to put the president on “The View” because it provides an opportunity “to talk to people where they are.”

//

“People have busy lives and it’s best to go where they are,” Gibbs said.

Again, it is best to go where the housewives are and where the press isn’t. But who is he talking to? An audience that is overwhelmingly supportive of him and an agenda that most of them have no idea about. Dare I say it? Most women who watch The View, really aren’t deep thinkers or book readers, unless they are reading Danielle Steele or Oprah’s book of the month. That’s not a bad thing, mind you. Reading anything is better than reading nothing, but let’s don’t mistake the demographics of The View with those who tune in to, say, Glenn Beck.

[…]

As Obama’s overall approval ratings have dropped, he also has lost support from women, from a high of 72 percent support in February 2009 when he was still glowing from the presidential campaign and inauguration to an approval of 51 percent today.

But now I come to my favorite part of this article:

[…]

Jessica Coen, editor of Jezebel.com, a popular website aimed at women, sees “The View” appearance as a prime opportunity for Obama to show some personality and “lay on the charm,” which she feels has been in short supply given recent challenges.

“You go on ‘The View’ and you sit Obama down with these women and some of them may fawn on him; some may not. But either way he’s going to be charming,” said Coen. “The target audience for ‘The View’ is going to appreciate and be reminded of Barack Obama’s personality when he goes out here.”

And that’s why they voted for him: his personality, his charm, his coolness. How much more condescending can a writer get than this? The audience (those housewives) will be reminded once again of his charm, lest they have forgotten why they supported him in the first place. It was all shallowness and no substance that attracted women to Obama. I tend to agree  with Jessica Coen, but it’s still a patronizing statement. The only current events this demographics get is from women on The View or Oprah and they get no contextual American history, at all.

[…]

Coen cautioned that while Obama excels in off-the-cuff situations, he might approach the appearance too casually at his own peril.

//

“Yes, it’s daytime television, but that doesn’t mean it’s light and fluffy,” Coen said. “Obama’s an intelligent man. He’s not going in there thinking he’s sitting down with the knitting circle. He knows what he’s getting into. But the risk would be if he plays it a little too casually, takes it a little too lightly.”

It’s not possible for him to be too casual and too cool. It’s his trademark and what attracted a great many of this audience to swoon over him. I think there’s no question that  he’s in real safe territory on this show.

[…]

The Obama White House clearly believes that the president’s message is best conveyed straight from the source and has made it a goal to reach as wide an audience as possible when the president wants to address key agenda items.

That generally has meant shunning traditional White House press conferences and photo opportunities in favor of one-on-one interviews aimed at specific audiences.

Yep, yep and yep, yet again. By pass the press and any questions that might be uncomfortable.

[…]

//

“I’m not sure at this point if hearing more Barack Obama is going to be an asset or a liability,” Thompson said. “We kind of know what his response is to this oil spill, we kind of know what he wants to tell us about extending [unemployment] benefits and about medical care — all the things that he is talking about. I’m not sure if he’s in a place right now where he needs to reiterate a message but needing to do things that people will consider moving things along.”

What he really needs to do is shut up and stay off television. I, for one, am sick of hearing his voice and  his droning on and on about stuff while saying absolutely nothing.  But this guy is a adoration junkie. He can’t get enough of the swooning and the tears, the fainting hysterical women at every one of his appearances.

This is not Obama’s first time in the hot seat: He was a guest in March 2008 when he was running for the Democratic presidential nomination.

At the time, he faced questions about the controversy surrounding his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Oh yes, and they were tough questions, too:

[…]

This time, Obama will face all five co-hosts, who come from a wide range of political views and backgrounds.

Oh paleeeeze. Enough already. (insert glassy eyed emoticon here, please.)