Obama Press Conference LIVE 9PT/12Noon ET

[Zomby Woof]

CNN, CSPAN, etc.

Discussing the economy and two more members of economic team.

[Zomby Woof]

1. Peter Orszag as Director of OMB

Rob Nabors as Deputy Director of OMB

[eleny]

2. Sounds like the Farm Bill is going to be under the microscope

Obama talked about "millionaire farmers" getting subsidized.

[Zomby Woof]

3. He needs to address waste

It will make the necessary spending aspects of the stimulus package a bit easier to promote, and will take the edge off the inevitable added debt burden.

He effectively defended his mandate with the first question.

[FormerDittoHead]

4. HE USED THE "M" WORD (Mandate)! OH, YEAH!

You got it, Mr. President!

[Zomby Woof]

5. That was key

And he handled the "one president at a time" issue very well too, to quell the critics who are talking up his headlines of the past few weeks.

[eleny]

11. Yes, the short Q&A worked well

And I like having to paying attention and hearing substance.

[RepublicanElephant]

6. Peter R. Orszag

"Like other young economists who are in line for economic advisory jobs in the Obama administration, Mr. Orszag (who turns 40 in December) is a protégé of Robert E. Rubin, the former treasury secretary. The prominence of such "Rubinesque" centrists is vexing to liberals and union leaders in the Democratic Party, who favor some trade protectionism and more domestic spending and oppose the centrists' emphasis on free trade and fiscal responsibility."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/18/peter-orszag-obamas-budge_n_144704.html

[Zomby Woof]

12. Berkeley prof Cristina Romer

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-romer25-2008nov25,0,7705868.story


and perhaps 'centrists' won't exactly be 'centrist' due to the nature of the times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-fi-econ25-2008nov25,0,1325856.story

[Zomby Woof]

7. "When we make mistakes, we admit them"

Yes, it was during light banter about the Cubs/White Sox rivalry, but it was a SMACK. "Part of the change we will bring..."

[Diamonique]

8. Taking questions from the press... two days in a row!

And giving distinct, well-thought-out answers.

Wow. The sun is surely shining on the U.S. of A.

What a welcome change!

[LittleApple81]

9. Isn't it wonderful? He CAN answer questions, he can put sentences together, he is direct...

swoon.....

[democrattotheend]

10. How nice will it be to have a president who knows his stuff?

He isn't always super smooth when speaking extemporaneously, but you can tell that he really gets the issues...even if I wasn't a hardcore Obama partisan, I feel like I would be reassured by what we have seen from him so far since the election.

[Zomby Woof]

13. I play a game

Where I imagine Bush answering the same questions as Obama is asked.

But after seeing it in action the past 8 years, the game gets old, and I just breathe a sigh of relief the end is near.

[Median Democrat]

14. Once Again - Obama Sounds Like A Buzzkill, Yet DOW Is Not Crashing

This is the second day in a row that Obama points out the numerous problems in the economy, including the comment that things will get worse before they get better, yet the DOW is not immediately crashing. Am I missing something?

Yes, Obama is speaking the truth about how screwed up things are, but the DOW has crashed on much less dire news. What gives?