Is it appropriate that the TX station played tape of President taking off mic, lecturing them?

[wndycty]

Hmmmmmmm, watch the video at the link. He is clearly taking off his mic.

Obama to reporter: 'Let me finish my answers' next time

President Obama has troubles with voters in Texas, and, apparently, with interviewers from the Lone Star State as well.

"Let me finish my answers the next time we do an interview, all right?" Obama told reporter Brad Watson after an interview with WFAA-TV of Dallas, one of four interviews with local television stations at the White House on Monday.

The exchange is toward the end of the video.

At one point, Watson asked the president: "Why do you think you're so unpopular in Texas?"

After some jousting about the size of his loss in Texas in 2008 -- the president said it was "a few percentage points," but it was more like 11 -- Obama told his interviewer: "If what you're telling me is that Texas is a conservative state, you're absolutely right."
-snip-

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/04/obama-to-reporter-let-me-finish-my-answers-next-time-/1

[Buzz Clik]

1. Appropriate? Not sure.

Professional? No.

Can it be undone? No.

Will the station suffer any consequences? Probably not.

[slackmaster]

2. Not only was it appropriate, it was their civic duty to do so

The President of the United States has no legitimate expectation of privacy when he's out in public.

:hi:

[dipsydoodle]

3. Wholly appropriate

Same was done to both Bush and Blair on other occasions. Just means more care should be taken.

[ClassWarrior]

4. Who cares? It's a non-story. Why are you promoting it?

NGU.

[mochajava666]

5. I don't see how it ever could be inappropriate

I hate Scott Walker, but a phone conversation with a guy impersonating a Koch brother was aired and discussed without people here saying it was inappropriate.

There is no one I hate more that Reagan, but Reagan saying that the Soviet Union was declared illegal and bombing will commence in a few minutes was aired and discussed.

Sometimes it's only the off-mic comments that are revealing, since the politicians are "handled" so much.

Republicans off-mic are the only time we get glimpses into their dark souls.

Having a problem with Obama's off-mic comments would be just partisan hypocrisy by shallow thinkers with situational ethics.

Plus, I would bet that most, if not all, off-mic comments from Obama would be gems, not embarrassing gaffs.

[Buzz Clik]

8. Although I'm not sure about this one, I'm real sure the phone fraud with Walker was inappropriate.

I suspect that a handful of laws were broken in that charade and the only thing that kept Walker and Koch from suing was that it would have brought even more attention to the unavoidable fact that Walker is a political whore.

We have become so accustomed to journalists abandoning their professional ethics that we have forgotten that such a thing exists.

[mochajava666]

10. I agree. I think the Walker thing was a bit too far, but

it didn't reach the level of the secret Lewinsky taping, where for some reason that was OK. I still have a problem with that one.

If Lewinsky was OK, then in my mind, the Walker thing is not as egregious.

Maybe I'm practicing situational ethics. When it comes to Walker, as a Wisconsinite, I have a hard time feeling too objective. It was my union that he was crushing.

[Ozymanithrax]

6. Talking off tape shows the Presidents combative side...

To often, all we see is the smiling and handshakes after an agreement. It is in the nations interest to see him stand up to assholes, whether they be Texas Assholes or Republican Congressional assholes.

This is the second time I've seen him caught by a live mic, and both have made him look better.

[tammywammy]

7. It's appropriate.

There's definitely no expectation of privacy when a reporter is present. :shrug:

[AngryAmish]

9. The reporter should be chained to a wall

[GSLevel9]

11. that reporter is NOT going to get a WH Christmas card this year... nt

[GSLevel9]

12. Not that long ago Texas was a deep, deeeep blue state.

Then all around 1980 "something happened"

1976



1980

[mochajava666]

13. I remember the 1976 election well, and Jimmy's religion helped

him immensely in the South. The South was lost by LBJ when he signed the civil rights amendment. The "Solid South" only returned to Jimmy due to his Southern Baptist roots. Before Jimmy, being "born again" was never heard of.

By 1980, Reagan took over the religious and racist vote with his anti-abortion stance, and his black welfare queen myth.

When you are religiously intolerant and racist you OWN the South.

Lincoln was an asshole to spill blood keeping those hillbillies in our nation, but that is bloody water under the bridge...

[Arkana]

14. Sounds to me like he got upset--and rightfully so.

"Gee, Brad, I don't know--maybe because Texas is full of fucking idiot cowboys whose hats are bigger than their brains and who think that Jesus rode around on dinosaurs?"

[tanyev]

15. That's the local station I usually watch.

I switched channels after the first few seconds because it was clear Brad was going to be a jerk. Funny thing is, I've never seen him act that way before. I wonder if he's putting together an audition tape for Fox News?