“I know everybody here is on a 24-hour news cycle. I’m not.”

[babylonsister]

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/obama-mocks-media-its-been-a-week/

Obama: “It’s Been A Week, Folks!”


Obama spent a great deal of time during the health care debate mocking the media for its obsession with which party would benefit most from passing reform.

Today, speaking in Maine with the public still deeply divided over the new law, Obama picked up this theme again, but with a twist: He mocked reporters and pundits for pointing out that public opinion has yet to turn around. The whole riff is worth quoting:

“You have to love some of the pundtis in Washington. Every single day there’s been another poll saying, `the nation is still divided on health reform.’ The polls haven’t changed yet.’

“Well, yeah, it just happened last week! It’s only been a week!

“Can you imagine if some of these reporters were working on a farm and you planted some seeds and they came out next day and they looked — Nothing’s happened! There’s no crop! We’re gonna starve! Oh, no! It’s a disaster!

“It’s been a week, folks. So before we find out if people like health care reform, we should wait to see what happens when we actually put it into place. Just a thought.”

The target audience for this message, obviously, isn’t the Maine crowd. It’s Obama’s fellow Dems in Washington, who are hitting the panic button almost hourly right now. And the message is a serious one: Keep your cool; we’re asking people to adjust to a massive transformation in a highly personal area of their lives; it will take some time and effort to change minds on this.

Whether Obama and Dems will succeed, particularly in time for the midterms, is an open question, to put it mildly. But for now, Obama is hoping to calm frayed Dem nerves with a bit of levity and perspective.

Update: And, of course, he’s probably wishing the media would stop writing daily stories about how badly the new law is tanking in the polls…

Update II: Judging by the prepared remarks, it looks like the bit about crops and the farm was ad-libbed.

[Uzybone]

1. great line about planting seeds

and seeing starvation the next day when they aren't ready for harvest. I love it.

[Rage Inc.]

7. Oh noes!

Teh Socialists are coming!

[bluestateguy]

2. For a blogger, his writing prose sure has a decided MSM tinge to it

Very smirky and elitist.

[blogslut]

3. Greg Sargent is a righteous dude

I'm not sure where you get the "snarky/elitist" description from. I find him to be an clear and objective writer.

[babylonsister]

4. Prior to this gig he worked for TPM iirc. I don't get that impression. nt

[lxlxlxl]

9. as opposed to?

example please...if you dont mind. im curious.

[rhett o rick]

5. k&r

[jenmito]

6. K&R. The farm scenario was the best part. And to hear he ad-libbed it just proves once again

that his critics are waaaaay off when they call him "TOTUS." :eyes:

[lxlxlxl]

8. too bad everyone else is...including some of DU

would love to find somewhere not so obsessed with huff, drudge and FR refreshing and pasting here...

i hope this message resonates, but will it.

also, damn if the farm bit was adlibbed, wow. that was the best part! wish he would stop with the grandma joke though.

[BlooInBloo]

10. Except for the "some of", yah.