Was the CNBC town hall a wake-up call for the White House?By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 21, 2010; 1:58 PM
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Anyone wondering what ails President Obama found the answers during CNBC's economic town hall meeting on Monday.
From start to finish, the hour-long telecast underscored the public's frustrations and the White House's challenge. The questions illuminated the deep dissatisfaction the president's allies and opponents feel about his performance. The president's answers raised anew the issue of how effectively he communicates on the economy.
Will the town hall provide a wake-up call to the White House? Administration officials may believe that their policies are correct, but even voters disposed to be with the president have their doubts. The president may believe that he has set the foundation for long-lasting growth and prosperity. But he hasn't found a way to provide the short-term reassurances people are looking for as the economy struggles.
The opening questioner set the tone for the event. She described herself as a middle-class mother of two and the chief financial officer for a veterans organization. What she said cut to the heart of the president's problems.
"I'm exhausted of defending you, defending your administration, defending the mantle of change that I voted for and deeply disappointed with where we are right now," she said. "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."
A 30-year-old recent law school graduate said he had made use of student loans to go back to school in order to pursue a career in public service. Now he can't even pay the interest payment on those loans now.
"Like a lot of people in my generation, I was really inspired by you and by your campaign and message that you brought, and that inspiration is dying away," he said. "It feels like the American dream is not attainable to a lot of us."
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