I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this, but I am the child of a bunch of socialist hippies. That’s right, my family is exactly who Rush Limbaugh warns you against. We’re those crazy weirdos who support things like gay marriage (can I get a shout-out from my Boston gays?), universal health care, and marijuana legalization. If we had our way, our country would have been Sweden about two decades ago, everything would be organic and free-trade, and everyone would join hands and sing Kumbaya around a campfire made from sticks that volunteered to be burnt. We’re really sorry about making America godless the way the founding fathers intended, but that’s sort of what we do on the weekends in between tending the arugala we grow in our pesticide-free garden. (Sidebar — that is the only non-facetious thing I’ve said so far. My dad just really likes gardening and arugala.)
So, as you can imagine, everyone in my house is pretty fond of Obama. That fondness, however, does not extend far enough to watch his press conferences for anyone in my household but me. But I love President Obama. I simply adore him. I would watch the man mow the lawn or discuss an ingrown toenail all day long. I would quit CliqueClack in a hot second (sorry guys!) if I thought the White House would take me up on my offer to be Executive Cookie Baker and Dog Walker In Chief. I would give all my limbs if Michelle Obama wanted to go clothes shopping with me so my remaining torso would look fabulous. But let’s be honest — Obama’s press conferences? They’re kind of boring.
Now I, like a great many Americans, am thrilled we finally have a president that can string a sentence together. I’m beside myself that the word “nuclear” is being pronounced correctly. I will happily go my entire life without hearing a brainless little “heh heh heh” and a folksy cliche. So I say this with complete fondness, but President Obama, could you please speak a little faster?
That’s not to say there weren’t some great moments last night — like Obama wore a blue tie instead of his usual red one. I was shocked. Awed, even! Perhaps it was a symbolic middle finger to senate Republicans now that Democrats are near to a fillibuster-proof majority. Perhaps it’s simply because they’ve finally realized that Obama looks nicer in blue than he does in red. Whatever it is, I eagerly await all the rumors and conspiracy theories the internet can come up with.
But in all seriousness, upon re-watching the press conference this morning (because the notes I took last night while watching mostly consist of variations on “WHERE IS BO?!?”), it isn’t nearly as bad as I’m making it out to be. There were some nice new questions brought into the fray. I would not have predicted that of all things, abortion would come up. And that question from the New York Times’ Jeff Zeleny was pretty priceless too, about what Obama’s been most “enchanted” by since taking office. I am 99% sure that they didn’t know what to ask him, so what happened was something close to the following:
Jeff Zeleny: Will! Quick! I need a good question for the President and I can’t think of one. What’s 32-down?
Will Shortz: Ecru?
Jeff Zeleny: No good, can’t ask about the china patterns. 21-across?
Will Shortz: Enchanted?
Interviewer: Perfect! Thanks, Will, I owe you one.
And there were some disappointments. I did not see my requisite shot of Rahm Emanuel glowering in the back of the room like he was part of the mob. (Though I am told on some cable news channels, they cut to him. Curse you, PBS!) Helen Thomas didn’t speak (and I love her beyond all reason). There was, in my opinion, entirely too much time dedicated to Swine Flu. I understand why, given the World Health Organization’s baffling move to upgrade it to a “pandemic”. Really, World Health Organization? A pandemic? There are only 22 confirmed deaths and 170 suspected that are linked to this disease, and that’s what gets you to raise the world health threat level to a five out of six? What do you call the estimated over four thousand people dying of AIDS and over two thousand children being infected every day? A fluke? An unfortunate occurrence?
And I was also severely disappointed in BET’s question on what the president will be doing specifically for job loss in the black community. Now I know BET is, well, Black Entertainment Television. I get that they have a target audience that has specific concerns and they wish to cater to them. But I still find it sort of weird and tacky that you only asked about black people out of work. And I give props to Obama for both acknowledging that the black community may be disproportionately effected, but that they were part of a larger, raceless problem. Atta boy, Barack. A+. Would elect again.
So I guess, all in all, it was a press conference. If you were dorky enough like me to catch it, good for you. If you missed it in favor of Lie To Me, don’t cry yourself to sleep tonight. After all, I’ll probably be back writing about a different press conference in about a month. Any bets on the president’s tie color? I’m going with purple, and I’ll be starting a pool.
Clacked by Julia Hass
on Apr 30, 2009 @ 16:00 EST5EDT
Actually, the WHO (and the CDC, and all reliable health organizations) does characterize the spread of HIV/AIDs a pandemic (see the second sentence of the second paragraph if you want proof: https://www.who.int/vaccine_research/diseases/hiv/en/). And the classification of swine flu as Phase 5, an imminent pandemic, has to do with the spread and transmission of the disease, and not the number of deaths.
*POST AUTHOR*
They do, but they don’t raise the world health level over it, nor does it receive media attention. Also, I think the way they classify is extremely outdated. When we live in a world where international travel is so common, it isn’t very hard at all to spread disease to multiple countries in a matter of days. By that logic, most manifestations of the flu or even common cold could easily be classified at level five too.
It’s amazing that such an idiotic question came from the NY Times, and then that the president managed to actually answer it in an interesting and illuminating way.
Is it ok that I missed it because David Plouffe was lecturing at my school? I read the transcript when I was done and was surprised that it took me less than 5 minutes to read a 1 hour speech.
I would argue the founding fathers did not intend America to be godless, just the government.
*POST AUTHOR*
I’m pretty sure that’s a thin line to be walking on. Laws and government reflect the society they are created by. I highly doubt a government could be non-religious if the population it governed was extremely religiously faithful. Early American history pretty much proves that, I’d say.
Obama is a charming man with a lovely family, but clearly not ready to protect and defend this nation from all enemies foreign and domestic. He’d rather have ‘em over for tea.
I do wish him well and hope that he’s not caught completely unaware when some third-world fanatic decides to make another run at us.