I don't like how Obama laughed at that exhausted supporter.

[LLStarks]

He should've taken it more seriously.

[jtuck004]

1. The killer there is I would bet a thousand bucks she voted

for him, and fully intended to (or intends to) again, and she is going home to more exhaustion and little to no hope from his answer, other than she may want to stock up on the hot dogs and beans. He did really well nailing the investment banker's selfishness and on a few other points. But the "list of accomplishments" isn't going to provide much help to that woman, or the millions of people just like her.

We need to create, fund, and implement the program which re-employs 15 million people right now, with an eye towards what their jobs will be in the 21st century. And people like her need to be told it is coming, not that she should appreciate the fact that student loans are now made by the government.

[stray cat]

2. You and I need to create and fund jobs and help her

easier said then done if we have to do it but we make it sound so easy for everyone else

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jtuck004]

4. You and I aren't the sitting president, treasury, and federal

reserve chairman. They have lots of resources to draw on.

Nobody ever said it was easy. Just necessary. Or we can continue to walk over the 30 million bodies who are unemployed or underemployed. And I guarantee it's a damn site harder for them than it is for someone to sit in a suit and talk on tv with
a million bucks in the bank.

[pennylane100]

5. Well I was wondering what made her so exhausted.

She has a job, the family income includes money to send two children to private school. She has no credit cards, so she must be pay cash for all her living expenses. She did not mention health care so I am going to assume that the family has medical insurance. Did I miss something or does her life seem pretty good.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

16. Exactly! What is she doing to educate herself, because if she really understood how things worked...

she would have been able to tell Obama detractors that:

1. We have three separate and distinct branches of government.
2. Each branch of government--the legislative, the executive and the judicial--have their own powers, each also "checking" the other two branches.
3. The legislative branch (Congress) checks the Executive branch (the President) by obstructing ALL of his nominees, blocking legislation in the Senate with filibusters and holds, and running away from his policies, so much so, that he has to cave on watered-down bills.
4. We gave Daddy Bush 1 full presidential term. We gave Clinton 8 years, with many of his policies taking us down this bad economic road that we face today. The country gave "Dummy" Bush, Jr. 8 more years. But, let me get this straight: we cannot even give Barack Obama one full term to turn an economy that was destroyed by his predecessors and their deregulatory policies??? Really??? I don't get it.

Am I happy with ALL of Obama's decisions and actions? No. No way. I think he made some mistakes, politically and tactically. However, it amazes me how people are convinced that he is some "Magic Hero" who can snap his fingers in less than two years and turn things around.

I think you Brits are much more savvy and much smarter than us Americans who are so shallow and so impatient...and, for some reason, are not willing to give this guy 4 years to address the mistakes that his predecessors made. Forgive me if I think that racial undertones underly some of those double standards.

[live love laugh]

17. You know the "private school" reference was a red flag for me. That and the "change" b/s.

I don't buy her authenticity.

[USArmyParatrooper]

6. Wow, just wow. The lengths people will go to be "offended"

http://www.cnbc.com/id/39272660

9:20 into the video.


Q I am a chief financial officer for a veterans service organization, AmVets here in Washington. I’m also a mother, I’m a wife, I’m an American veteran, and I’m one of your middle-class Americans. And quite frankly, I’m exhausted. I’m exhausted of defending you, defending your administration, defending the mantle of change that I voted for --

THE PRESIDENT: Right.

Q -- and deeply disappointed with where we are right now.

I have been told that I voted for a man who said he was going to change things in a meaningful way for the middle class. I’m one of those people, and I’m waiting, sir. I’m waiting. I don't feel it yet. And I thought, while it wouldn’t be in great measure, I would feel it in some small measure.

I have two children in private school. And the financial recession has taken an enormous toll on my family. My husband and I joked for years that we thought we were well beyond the hot dogs and beans era of our lives.

THE PRESIDENT: Right.

Q But quite frankly, it’s starting to knock on our door and ring true that that might be where we’re headed again. And quite frankly, Mr. President, I need you to answer this honestly, is this my new reality?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, I think that you describe exactly what is the bedrock of America -- a veteran who’s working for veterans, somebody who is a CFO and I am sure knows how to manage their money, have made good decisions.

Q Sometimes. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: I’m not saying once in a while you don't want to get a new pair of shoes. (Laughter.)

Q Today. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: So the life you describe -- one of responsibility, looking after your family, contributing back to your community -- that's what we want to reward.

Now, as I said before, times are tough for everybody right now, so I understand your frustration. But I would just -- when you say there are things that you’d like to see happen or you’re hoping to see happen that haven’t happened yet, let me just give you a couple of examples.

I right now have two children -- it sounds like you’ve got kids, as well.

Q Two girls.

THE PRESIDENT: Two girls. You’re going to be thinking about college soon.

Q Next year.

THE PRESIDENT: Okay. Now part of what we did over the last year and a half is to make sure that billions of dollars that were going to subsidize financial service industries under the federal student loan programs are now going to be going directly to students so that millions more students are going to be able to get loans and grants and scholarships to go to college. Now, that's going to have an impact on a whole bunch of kids out there, including maybe yours.

If you have a credit card, which I assume, you do --

Q No.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, see, now you’re really -- now you’ve shown how responsible you are. (Laughter.) But if you have a mortgage or a credit card or any kind of financial dealings out there, as a consequence of the changes we made, the credit card companies can’t increase your interest rate without notifying you, and they can’t increase your interest rate on your previous balances. In terms of getting a mortgage, they -- you can’t have a mortgage broker steer you to a mortgage that ultimately is going to cost you more money, because maybe they’re getting a financial incentive to do so. Those things are now against the law. So there are a whole host of protections in there.

You are a parent who has children -- if your child, heaven forbid, had a preexisting condition, before I took office, you were out of luck in terms of being able to get health insurance for that child. Now, insurance companies have to give you health insurance for that child, and by the way, that health insurance can’t drop you if you get sick.

So there are a whole host of things that we’ve put in place that do make your life better. But the bottom line is if your 401(K) is still down substantially from where it was a while back, if you haven’t seen a raise in a long time, if your home value went down --

Q Keep going. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: -- depending on where you live, all those things still make you feel like, gosh, I’m treading water.

Q Still struggling -- that's right.

THE PRESIDENT: And so my goal here is not to try to convince you that everything is where it needs to be. It’s not. That's why I ran for President. But what I am saying is, is that we’re moving in the right direction. And if we are able to keep our eye on our long-term goal -- which is making sure that every family out there, if they’re middle class, that they can pay their bills, have the security of health insurance, retire with dignity and respect, send their kids to college; if they’re not yet in the middle class, that there are ladders there to get into the middle class, if people work hard and get an education to apply themselves -- that's our goal. That's the America we believe in. And I think that we are on track to be able to do that.

[boppers]

26. Thanks for the transcript.

Lots of Sherrod-style attacks floating around.

[hlthe2b]

7. I laugh when embarrassed or feeling under attack...

maybe that is all it was?

[scheming daemons]

14. No... he didn't laugh at all.... the OP is mistaken (or lying)

[jillan]

22. You're right - he did not laugh at her. Wtf is going on here lately?

Everyday there is a thread that Obama laughed at this or that, when he's not laughing 'at' anybody.

[live love laugh]

24. Mistaken identities? Maybe they're experiencing PSTD from the Bush era. nt

[Merlot]

8. I'm not hearing where he laughed "at" her.

From the transcript I just read, it sounds like he listened to her, and gave his well-reasoned response. Whether or not people like his response is everyone's decision to make. But he respected her and had a conversation with her.

[LLStarks]

12. I saw the video, he cracked a wide smile.

[scheming daemons]

13. Wow... what a lame attempt at a smear by you.

He smiled before she began to speak. He didn't "crack a wide smile" after she asked her question.


What a lame attempt, pal. You can do better.

[LLStarks]

15. Did you see the video at the 9:39 mark?

http://www.cnbc.com/id/39272660

[phleshdef]

27. Obama always smiles when someone attacks him, get over it.

Watch him in the bazillion debates he has participated in. He always smiles when someone says something really negative his way, and she did. She said she was frankly tired of defending him and said it in a very condemning tone. He smiled. Big fucking deal. He is one of those people that smiles, takes a breath and responds in a civil manner. This is petty stuff and I think if anything offended you, it was the fact that Obama doesn't let anything get under his skin.

[Historic NY]

21. thats not laughter its a reaction to being in the hot seat...really is quite a human response.

[Sheepshank]

9. Hey LLStarks

perhaps now would be a good time to provide your documentaion that shows something different that the transcript posted above.

[Sheepshank]

10. self delete dup.

n/a

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Gin]

18. this lady sounds like she is in good shape....maybe she didn't

vote for him like she said....

[Caliman73]

19. He wasn't laughing AT her.

He reacted to her comment about being exhausted for having to defend him. Laughing at someone is belittling them. He praised her repeatedly. He empathized with her. The smile or chuckle seemed to be more about her having to defend him than anything else. Don't strain yourself trying to find criticism of the President. There is plenty out there to criticize, you don't have to make assumptions.

[SidDithers]

20. I don't like how he gave the stink eye to that kid with the black hair...nt

Sid

[ibegurpard]

23. didn't see it but there's no way he laughed at a woman asking him a serious question

in a televised town hall.
no way.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

25. See, now this is why people are tired of defending Obama.

The attacks are so petty and stupid.