Obamateurism of the Day

posted at 8:05 am on October 5, 2010 by Ed Morrissey

Maybe Barack Obama got a little too accustomed to those set-up townhalls. When he decided to venture beyond those scripted events and talk to the common folk (an admirable idea, of course), he got honest feedback about his policies. In fact, Obama and his team apparently thought it was a little too honest, and perhaps just a little too on point:

Trying to sell his economic record in Iowa yesterday, President Obama got an earful from a successful businessman who pleaded with him not to raise taxes.

“One of the things that concerns me is the repeal of the Bush tax cuts,” said David Greenspon, referring to Democratic plans to raise taxes on individuals earning more than $200,000 a year and on families and certain businesses earning more than $250,000.

“The repeal — I don’t care if it is 5 percent — that’s 5 percent that would create a job,” he told Obama during a meeting with about 70 people in a couple’s back yard in Des Moines.

“Five percent on millions of dollars of profit creates many jobs . . . As the government gets more and more involved in business and more and more involved in taxes, what you’re finding is you’re strangling those job-creation vehicles.”

And what was Obama’s immediate response?  Er …

Before Greenspon could complete his question, his microphone was cut off and taken out of his hand.

Hey, pal.  If Obama wanted a real debate on tax policy, he would have invited John Boehner to the White House.

Got an Obamateurism of the Day? If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at obamaisms@edmorrissey.com with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.

Illustrations by Chris Muir of Day by Day. Be sure to read the adventures of Sam, Zed, Damon, and Jan every day!

Tags: , , ,

Related Posts:

Breaking on Hot Air

Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Trackbacks/Pings

Trackback URL

Comments

Comment pages: 1 … 3 4 5

davidk on May 20, 2013 at 6:20 AM

I’m starting to believe there isn’t anything too far fetched to believe with this administration. I remember the Jack Ryan incident. The crazy part? The Illinois GOP powers-that-be backed away and then destroyed their own candidate. The Dems play for keeps. The GOP doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude to fight them.

Ajackson, great information and analysis, as usual.

I still just sit here and shake my head. This is crazy, futuristic dystopian stuff going on in this administration and so many people are oblivious to all it. And, Obama’s minions find it “offensive” to challenge him. *shaking my head*

Fallon on May 20, 2013 at 8:31 AM

I’m starting to believe there isn’t anything too far fetched to believe with this administration.

Fallon on May 20, 2013 at 8:31 AM

Fast and Furious alone already told us this, and that’s just one head of 0dumba’s hydra!

Keep your popcorn ready – there’s more to come!

Anti-Control on May 20, 2013 at 8:36 AM

Senate Judiciary – Immigration amendments
http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/

House Gov. Reform Oversight Hearings – IRS Wed. 5/23
http://oversight.house.gov/release/oversight-announces-irs-hearing-next-week/

Commerce (HHS)
http://energycommerce.house.gov/press-release/look-ahead-committee-announces-hearing-schedule-week-may-20

workingclass artist on May 20, 2013 at 8:45 AM

davidk on May 20, 2013 at 6:24 AM

Could Borowitz actually parody Zero with those QUOTES, and get away with it ?
Did Preezy truly say those things ?
Praps I need to suffer through the address, to know for sure ?

pambi on May 20, 2013 at 9:11 AM

Bingo: Obama and the IRS: The Smoking Gun?

According to the White House Visitors Log, provided here in searchable form by U.S. News and World Report, the president of the anti-Tea Party National Treasury Employees Union, Colleen Kelley, visited the White House at 12:30pm that Wednesday noon time of March 31st.

This scam is being run through the greedy-union management structure, which thanks to an Executive Order signed by the REB, cannot be FOIA’d.

The Republicans have to put the greedy-union org structure on the wall and work their way through it like Mafia investigators do.

slickwillie2001 on May 20, 2013 at 9:15 AM

President Obama’s professed ignorance of the targeting of conservatives by one government agency and his support of tracking journalists’ sources by another highlight one of the great paradoxes of his presidency: Sometimes he uses his office as aggressively as anyone who’s held it; other times he seems unacquainted with the work of his own administration.

I nominate this one for the Butterfield Effect award.

Maybe we should help the writer out?

It’s called plausible deniability. He uses the office more aggressively than anyone who’s ever held it, then pretends ignorance when caught. Fortunately, absolutely no one is so stupid as to buy the innocent act.

Oh, wait…..

There Goes the Neighborhood on May 20, 2013 at 10:19 AM

Just four months after his second inauguration, the president is buffeted by gushing investigations, smug and deranged Republicans, and cat-who-ate-the-canary conspiracists. The man who promised in 2008 to make government cool again is instead batting away charges that he has made government “Nixonian” again…

It turns out that Treasury officials knew during the 2012 campaign that an investigation into the targeting was going on. But, enhancing his image as a stranger in a strange land, the president said he learned about it from news reports on May 10. Then he waited three days to descend from the mountain and express outrage…

The president should try candid; wistful and petulant aren’t getting him anywhere. The Republicans who are putting partisan gain above solving the country’s problems deserve a smackdown.

Speaking of awards, this one ought to win Maureen Down an “unintentional humorist” award. The president targets his political enemies, and the only outrage she can muster is those nasty Republicans who are, in her mind, taking advantage of the scandal.

There Goes the Neighborhood on May 20, 2013 at 10:22 AM

Comment pages: 1 … 3 4 5