Sunday's "Superbowl Interview" between Barack Obama and Bill O'Reilly proved to be every bit as frustrating and pointless as conservatives expected it to be. The good news is that O'Reilly actually asked some tough and legitimate questions. The bad news is that Obama not only didn't provide any meaningful answers, but dismissed the credibility of the questions themselves by suggesting that Fox News promotes the alleged "scandals" surrounding his administration for ratings.
Obamacare? It works great, the website works great, millions are getting insured and everyone is happy. And Kathleen Sebelius and others responsible for the disastrous rollout have all been held accountable...in some manner which doesn't involve so much as a reprimand. His promise that everyone could keep their health insurance? It was true thanks to a "grandfather clause" buried in the original bill, and the millions of people who just happened to lose their insurance were just a mumble mumble mumble what's your next question, Bill?
Benghazi? B. Hussein made it very clear that he almost immediately called it a terrorist attack. The fact that he's clearly on record as saying there was "not enough information" to make that determination weeks later, when he was still blaming YouTube on "The View" and on the floor of the United Nations, is apparently a fever dream isolated to Fox News viewers.
The IRS oppression of Tea Party groups? Why, there's not even a "smidgen" of corruption or real wrongdoing - just a few boneheaded moves by a few boneheaded folks in boneheaded Cincinnati. And if IRS official Lois Lerner appeared to be hiding guilt by pleading the Fifth Amendment, well, she was probably being boneheaded.
None of the president's lies (and trust us, there were plenty more) were surprising - and there was nothing O'Reilly could do to force the truth out of Obama short of waterboarding him (better still, he could have beerboarded him with Budweiser and Anheuser-Busch would have had the greatest Superbowl commercial ever!)
But what's hugely disappointing, albeit not at all surprising, is how the interview has been subsequently portrayed in the mainstream media. Far from pointing out the president's lies and evasiveness, many outlets have reported that the president "smacked down" O'Reilly and Fox News as serial liars.
Ambassador Chris Stevens could not be reached for comment.
28 comments:
At the risk of sounding racist, I would say that Obama calling Fox News liars is like the pot calling the kettle African-American.
What a Dog & Pony show. Probably all rehearsed.
Although the beerboarding is a clever and amusing concept, my preferred methods of interrogation would be more like what Louis Zamperini experienced at the hands of his tormenters. But that's just me.
Mr. O'Reilly went into this expecting to get no straight answers and the Curly shuffle from 'O'Liar. That's what he got, but I think the interview was a success in that a much larger chunk of the population got to see O'Liar squirm, deflect blame, and generally make shit up.
Granted, the Chris Matthews crowd all went away doing the fist pump at how O'liar kicked O'Rielly's ass, but I'll bet there were some fence sitters out there that finally saw the naked emperor.
@Geoff,
Sad to say, but you already proved your racism the first time you agreed with anything on this fine blog, as did I. I just wonder why it isn't racism when a liberal criticizes a black conservative like Herman Cain, Clarence Thomas, Tim Scott... Also, I'd argue that obama calling Fox News liars is more like the pothead calling the shiny, new, polished stainless steel kettle black.
Poor widdle Bawack. Is mean old Fox not kissing your "lower face" like all the others? Wah. Boo effing hoo.
Just read that they found the drug dealers the sold the heroin to that actor guy, Phillip something something. Maybe if an actor had been killed in Benghazi we would have had all the information and everything solved in 4 days.
Bill O had been downplaying the interview the entire week before, so I suppose he expected the stonewalling by His O'liness.
To me, Bill O didn't really push it on anything except Benghazi. In Bill's case, it is more about getting ratings than getting the truth.
I give His O'liness the win on this one since the MSM is taking his side on matters.
What Mrs. O said!
I hope you meant Lois Lerner appeared to be hiding guilt by pleading the Fifth Amendment, because I REALLY don't like the mental image of her pleasing it.
I think Bill would have pushed harder, but for all the covert snipers stashed about the studio. You know: in case some YouTube video extremist gets in. This administration would NEVER use its resources to intimidate anyone...
I'm not an O'Reilly fan (I think he's a blow-hard who's gotten rich by throwing red meat to Fox's core audience) so I didn't partake of his Obama interview. But I did hear a few clips of it the next day, and was totally befuddled. I thought it odd that the guy who promotes his show as the "no spin zone" would allow Obama to freely offer up his 2008 campaign spin as an answer to practically every question. What was the deal Bill? Afraid of getting audited?
Speaking of spin: In what was not a surprise to any of us who've been paying attention to the ObamaCare train wreck, the CBO released a report stating that 2.5-million Americans are going to be quitting their jobs because welfare and ObamaCare subsidies pay better.
This is something that I've been on the warpath about for decades now; where over time the base level government benefits keeps increasing while the taxes to pay them increasing. Or, the more money you make, the fewer benefits and subsidies you qualify for, while at the same time your incremental tax burden increases.
This is why that in some states, it's now possible for a family of 3 to have an effective income (meaning limited money from working plus the value of government benefits like housing, medicare, food stamps, etc) of greater than $60,000!
http://watchdog.org/102295/in-many-states-welfare-can-pay-better-than-an-honest-days-work/
This is what is really destroying the middle class. We are systematically eliminating the incentive to climb up the economic chain by enticing people not to, while punishing those who try to.
Today, over 1/3rd of Americans get some form of means-tested welfare. You can now add a few million more to that count.
Of course, the Obama Administration is ecstatic about this. That's 2.5-million that will not be counted as "unemployed", further padding the Obama Administration's dismal record. Yesterday, Jay Carney said this was great because now "Americans can spend more time with their families"! Isn't that special? Not to be outdone, the New York Times says that this "is mostly a good thing, a liberating result of the law."
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/02/05/opinion/freeing-workers-from-the-insurance-trap.html?hp&rref=opinion&_r=0&referrer=
What the Times or White House doesn't mention are the rest of us who now have to pick up the slack to pay for the benefits to these addition 2.5 million who've made the rational decision to drop out.
"The new law will free people, young and old, to pursue careers or retirement without having to worry about health coverage." says the Times.
Well isn't that nice? Wouldn't we all love to live in a world where we didn't have to worry about life's basic needs and responsibilities, and it was all taken care of by some faceless somebody somewhere else!
This is fullfillment of Nancy Pelosi's dream that "...if you want to be creative and be a musician or whatever, you can leave your work, focus on your talent, your skill, your passion, your aspirations because you will have health care."
I'm thinking more and more of being an "artist" on a beach in Hawaii. I'll let you youngsters try to figure out how to pay for that.
I agree Billyboy did it for the ratings - which totally blows the cover off his 'I'm looking out for the people.' He had to know that the left can now crow 'asked and answered.'
What I got from the interview is that obama (I refuse to capitalize his name - my own little protest)feels FOX NEWS has more power in this country, to control "the folks" thinking, than he does.
Mrs. O,
Thou makest a fine point, m'lady, but only if it was a liberal actor! If Kelsey Grammar or Jon Voight died from an overdose, the MSM would hunt down the pusher to pin a medal on his chest.
It's truly amazing what happens when you acutally investigate a crime and follow leads instead of paying your entire staff to scramble for their shovels to bury it.
Thanks, TrickyRicky, I was not familiar w/ his story. What an inspiration!
@Geoff King- Actually, I think you expressed that in a very politically correct way!
@Anonymous- I don't doubt that Obama, in particular, had rehearsed with stand-ins for O'Reilly as part of his preparation. As the questions were entirely predictable, tailoring canned answers ahead of time would have been easy.
@TrickyRicky- That would be harder to fit into a 60-second commercial slot. Although it would work as a new cable channel...
@Colby- I agree that the interview was probably as good as it could have been. O'Reilly couldn't have pushed much harder without being made to look like an asshole, which would only have been to Barry's benefit.
Like you, I do hope that a few people might have tumbled to the president's dodges and had their curiosity aroused a bit.
@Mrs. O- We still don't have answers in Benghazi because this administration is actively discouraging investigations.
Interestingly, it's now seeming like the person most likely to have hidden the Al Qaeda connection and substituted the YouTube video lie in the talking points is an operative who is now in the private sector and consulting on Hillary's upcoming presidential run - making it likely that the coverup was as much about covering Hillary's ass as Barry's.
@Reiuxcat- O'Reilly was predestined to disappoint anyone who really wanted to see a bare knuckle brawl. And in fairness, he was in no position to start one. Darn it.
@Anonymous- Yeah, the pleasing/pleading typo slipped through (and has been corrected). I don't imagine Lois Lerner in any pleasing capacity (although seeing her shipped to prison would put a smile on my face).
@Emmentaler- I agree; if Bill had pushed harder he'd have been days away from being on the receiving end of a Breitbart-style heart attack.
And no, I don't really think Barry had Breitbart snuffed using an EMP-type weapon which disrupts brain function and stops the heart. It's just that I don't really think it's impossible, either.
@John the Econ- I'm no O'Reilly fan; he's an insufferable egotist and not a particularly deep thinker.
But moving on to your other topic, it IS a helluva thing to see how Obamacare is not only killing jobs, but killing the very incentive for Americans to want jobs.
Being unemployed is NOT going to turn people into poets, artists, philosophers, or strengthen the bonds of family and community. The best case scenario is that it turns people into the Eloi (from HG Wells "Time Machine") - people who live a live of casual comfort with all of their needs provided for, until they are herded like cattle to be eaten.
@Jane K- I can't blame O'Reilly for wanting that many eyeballs on him, but I agree that this gives the Left yet another chance to say that even Fox News has nothing on their boy.
@DeF- I agree that Barry tips his hand by attacking Fox News; it shows that they're doing something right.
And while I do capitalize Obama's name, you may have noticed that I never capitalize "president" when used in connection to him. If and when we get an actual President in office again, I'll change that.
@Colby- Good point about the lack of love for conservative celebs.
@Pete(Detroit)- I, too, had to look up Louis Zamperini's story...and it's amazing and inspiring. Here's a link for everyone to find out more about this American hero.
@DeF- as another option, you can hold down the alt key on your keyboard, then type 0216 on your numeric keypad to find another satisfying (and appropriate IMO) way to type Øbama.
Another option for the presentdunce last name is
alt-0-2-4-8 = ø
@All- do yourself a favor and read "Unbroken", the biography of Louis Zamperini. It is an incredible story of redemption, survival, and the American dream personified. The man is a true hero (and the polar opposite of the current "commander in chief").
txgreg and American Cowboy,
... and yet another way to type it (my favorite) is to press the alt key, then let the alt key back up and type:
selfcenteredsocialistassholeselfproclaimedkingofeverything
Stilton said, "...the coverup was as much about covering Hillary's ass as Barry's."
Now, THAT'S a big coverup!
A true story:
A few years ago after a long winter, Mrs. Econ & I were looking for something to do outdoors on a sunny spring Saturday morning. While browsing through a community news site, Mrs. Econ found an arts fair near downtown that we’d never heard of before. So we hopped in the car and headed near downtown to enjoy the morning.
Since the point of the exercise was, well, exercise, it didn’t really matter so much that the so-called “art” at this so-called art fair was crap, and almost amusingly so. Pretty much everything we saw was depressing and derivative. Lots of supposedly spooky-death themed stuff, or items seemingly created to conform with a meme of societal decay; lots of broken-looking things. Literally, everything looked exactly the same. Most of the “artists” appeared to be local 20-somethings who either weren’t wealthy enough or good enough to get in to the other regional art fairs that take place during the more comfortable months of the year. It was as though they had all gone to the same art school, and relied entirely upon what a series of unimaginative tenured instructors, other artists, textbooks, and media had told them what was hip and relevant. As a result, absolutely nobody was. They all desperately strove to be non-conformists by doing the exact same thing. Lots of face piercings and tattoos; all nearly identical. It was an example of group-think at its worst.
Normally at the beginning of these sorts of outings, Mrs. Econ evokes the “no mocking rule”, where I am required to withhold my sarcastic thoughts to myself. That was soon lifted. There was no way that even she could comply.
Every half-hour or so, there was live music. The next band was setting up, so with a still somewhat open mind, we sat and waited what they had to offer. We watched a group of 40-to-50-somethings set up. We watched as a couple of guys tweaked the sound equipment, making seemingly microscopic adjustments as though they were tuning a fine Swiss watch. And then the lead singer appeared. At 40-something she was not unattractive, but she was certainly old enough to know better than to be wearing the dress she had on. Even Paris Hilton would have thought twice about wearing that.
And then the band started. I really don’t understand why all that fine-tuning was necessary; it was all distortion by the time it hit my inner ear. Even our normally fearless dog was scared. When the woman began singing, the purpose of the dress became clear; It was in hope that my eyes would remain transfixed upon her cleavage, causing my brain to totally disregard what my ears were hearing. After about 45 seconds of this, Mrs. Econ and I concluded that it would be best to leave before our skin delaminated from our skulls, and we started to look like much of the supposed art work we’d been mocking for the last hour.
When we got back in the car, I looked at her and said, “Remember when Nancy Pelosi said ‘...if you want to be creative and be a musician or whatever, you can leave your work, focus on your talent, your skill, your passion, your aspirations because you will have health care.’? THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE’LL END UP WITH!”
We need to stop this horror now, before it’s too late.
Folks, this is a very weird time to be a true American, and there are so many of us who are completely frustrated with the status quo.
This morning, I was 'fortunate' enough to catch a bit of o'bama at the prayer breakfast...just glad I had already had MINE! Nothing to me is more grating than to hear the Anointed One speak about things of God. In this case, of course, everything he said was tied in with 'justice', 'equality', etc.
IMHO...he knoweth not of what he speaks! And, ditto with me on Sunday's interview, I think O'Reilly did his best, but he can only go so far with the 'president'.
Maybe we can create a new title for him... reflective of the office to which he was elected, but more fitting to his actual experience. Maybe... "presentident." While that covers most of his career as a Senator (voting "present"), it might be giving him too much credit for his activities in his new job.
Great comments here today! And I, too, won't watch O'Reilly condescend, interrupt, and bloviate under the guise of "fairness" to anyone from either side of the aisle who strays one syllable from the truth according to Bill.
Not hearing Soetoro's slip-slides and "smidgin'" comment about IRS corruption is virtually impossible, though, for anyone with a TV or car radio.
Then today while assembling some data FOR the IRS, I heard Trey Gowdy expertly dismantle that Kenyan perjury and excoriate Lois Lerner for her blatant hypocrisy in hiding behind the 2nd Amendment of the very Constitution she ignored by abusing the power of her public office to squash political opposition to her Obamessiah.
Thought struck me as I listened that I wouldn't be surprised to hear one day that he'd been crushed by a runaway train or shot in a crossfire between rival gangs in a drive-by or found at the bottom of an elevator shaft or struck by a meteorite . . . similarly to those foolish enough to get in the way of the Clinton machinery back in the 90s.
John: re the "Art Fair". Much to Mrs Gouda's chagrin I have always referred to such affairs as" Artsy Crap". In most cases it seems to fit better than the advertised name.
bocopro: I hope you meant that Ms.Lerner was hiding behind the FIFTH Amendment. If she was hiding behind the SECOND, Rep. Gowdy might have cause to be really worried.
Yeah, got my merds wixed again. Shoulda been 5th. Wrote another piece today in which I told some non-golfing people that the max number of clubs allowed in the bag is 18.
Hadda go mea culpa on that'n, too. Maybe there IS somethin to this gettin old shit . . . CRAFT and all that. But I still think it's that guy in the mirror who's 73, not me.
@Readers- Great stuff above! I enjoyed John the Econ's story of the art fair. Both of my parents were real artists, as were their closest friends (they all met at John Herron art school in Indianapolis just after WWII). So I was raised in a genuinely artsy environment, and have earned my own living working in the arts.
Maybe that's why I have no patience for poseurs who combine a lack of skill with an absence of personal discipline or initiative. I hate it when people claim the "artist" label as an excuse for being unwilling or unable to act like an adult.
More people having more time on their hands owing to Obamacare will not create more art or artists. Although it might create more fakers who'll soon be receiving NEA grants...
And on an entirely unrelated note, Happy Birthday, Ronald Reagan! I was a liberal dumbass during his service as President, but I'm glad to say I've since seen the light.
@everyone: Thanks for the entertainment, education, and enlightenment contained in all the above comments! Y'all just flat 'fn' amaze me with your intellect, jocularity, and sick(not 'sixth')sense.
I watched the O'reilly/O'distracter interview, (and in between deep breaths to yell at the tube), when Barry spouted off about 'no smidgen' of corruption with the Tea Party IRS attack; I said to my self:"Self, O'omnipotent is so smart, he knows the outcome of an investigation before it's done!" Then I realized that Oblankcheck is also SO smart, he has Trillion Dollar solutions that don't even exist yet. We are ALL 'scrawed'(past tense of 'screwed')
The best thing to come out of the O'Reilly, Bill himself confesses, is 15 second sound bytes to be used in future political campaigns. The tough part is to figure out whether that helps Democrats out more than Republicans.
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