I just saw a media clip that enraged me. With the latest Daschle and Killefer tax scuffle, of course this was not a day of celebration for the new Obama Administration. I have laid very low in the last couple of months primarily because I just want to see how everything unfolds. But I think I have reached my personal tipping point when it comes to the "expectation game" that the media and Republicans have set Obama up in.
Charlie Gibson, our favorite anchor of the primaries, asking questions that Perez Hilton himself would be embarrassed of, decided to offer this tidbit of the news conference today with Obama.
We said, "Was it an embarrassing day, Mr. President, for this administration?" And he said yes, this is an embarrassment.
I ask a humble question Mr. Gibson, where the hell were you to ask the Bush Administration "Was it an embarrassing decade Dubya?" When the hell were you going to ask the Bush Administration, "Are you sure Mr. President, are you sure there are WMD's?"
The abbreviated transcript is here:
[T]hose were the first questions -- about Tom Daschle, about Nancy Killefer and about Timothy Geithner, who, though confirmed, still didn't pay all of his taxes. And Obama said, Well, it's my fault. He took responsibility.
We said, "Was it an embarrassing day, Mr. President, for this administration?" And he said yes, this is an embarrassment. And he takes responsibility for it. He's the one who, in his inaugural speech, talked about an era of responsibility, saying there can't be two sets of rules for the people in Washington and for the people back home who pay their taxes. Nonetheless, it is an embarrassment for the administration.
video clip here:
http://abcnews.go.com/...
I understand that there are many here who had dissenting opinions regarding Daschle. Regardless of the fact that he was the first of many to put his full support for Obama out there during the primaries, he does have a responsibility as public figure to respond to the questions regarding his taxes. Regardless as to how those discrepancies came about and regardless as to whether he paid back the taxes with interest, the fact is that the Obama administration vowed to unveil a new era of responsibility. I agree with Daschle's decision to step down, however I still admire the abilities that he brought with him to reign in the senate around a future Universal Healthcare program. I think Dr. Dean is a natural candidate then and now.
All this however is besides the point. The media has really bucked tradition in terms of analyzing every key move that the administration makes. I'm cheered at the fact that they seem to have learned a very valuable lesson from the Bush years. I can't however shake the feeling that they are literally framing every topic towards the more controversial angle. "Obama cuts his hair...with a new brush....he does not recycle, he has not kept his promises...'is this a bad day for your Mr. President?'"
Seriously, I know this is their M.O, but once, just once I would like to wake up in the morning and hear something other than, "Obama promised bipartisonship, but he can't even get the Democrat leaders to agree with the Republicans. President Obama is misleading the very trusting and generous Republicans. The Republicans want Tax Breaks. Only tax breaks will work.....The democrats, are they obstructionists?"
And my God man, the President actually took responsibility. WTF? Since when does a president take responsibility? I'm shocked!
If this is what we are in for during the next 4 years, I need a serious stockpile of wine and aspirin.
Thank you for letting me vent.