# obama conference **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2009, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154 "2009-02-10T01:08:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/1 "2009-02-10T01:08:35Z")
This is probably not in the right forum, but: Why is he not looking at the camera? He is looking everywhere but out at the people he is trying to speak to. Who suggested this format? ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/2 "2009-02-10T01:20:02Z")
I’m just so thrilled to have a President that can use words like bellicose. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/3 "2009-02-10T01:28:19Z")
Well, it seems like he’s trying to really answer the questions, instead of just spewing talking points. He certainly is paying attention to things. But I think the whole thing about CEOs and their profligate spending of bonuses is not really the most serious problem. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/4 "2009-02-10T01:32:32Z")
“I didn’t come here just ginned up to spend money.” That’s pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/5 "2009-02-10T01:43:12Z")
I rushed home, made a quick supper, turned on the TV to watch Chuck… and got Obama. On every freaking channel. I know he’s popular and all, but this show sucks! 😉 I think I prefer seeing him talk to the reporters directly rather than to the camera, although during his speech when he swiveled from teleprompter to teleprompter, it was pretty weird. He says “Taliban” funny… unless it’s actually a more correct pronunciation and we’re very used to mishearing it? Tally-bon. ---
**Author:** ![Race\_Harley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Race\_Harley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Race_Harley)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/6 "2009-02-10T01:48:49Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > I rushed home, made a quick supper, turned on the TV to watch Chuck… and got Obama. On every freaking channel. I know he’s popular and all, but this show sucks! 😉 > > I think I prefer seeing him talk to the reporters directly rather than to the camera, although during his speech when he swiveled from teleprompter to teleprompter, it was pretty weird. He says “Taliban” funny… unless it’s actually a more correct pronunciation and we’re very used to mishearing it? Tally-bon. I’m waiting for him to say Pakistan (Pocky-son). LOL Put the weight of the world on someone’s shoulders and see if they’re as level-headed as Obama. Give the guy some credit for trying to doing something right. (Not at you Mnemosyne). ---
**Author:** ![Race\_Harley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Race\_Harley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Race_Harley)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/7 "2009-02-10T01:49:53Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > I rushed home, made a quick supper, turned on the TV to watch Chuck… and got Obama. On every freaking channel. I know he’s popular and all, but this show sucks! 😉 > > I think I prefer seeing him talk to the reporters directly rather than to the camera, although during his speech when he swiveled from teleprompter to teleprompter, it was pretty weird. He says “Taliban” funny… unless it’s actually a more correct pronunciation and we’re very used to mishearing it? Tally-bon. I’m waiting for him to say Pakistan (Pocky-ston). LOL Put the weight of the world on someone’s shoulders and see if they’re as level-headed as Obama. Give the guy some credit for trying to doing something right. (Not at you Mnemosyne). ---
**Author:** ![mike\_ahndembroak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mike\_ahndembroak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike_ahndembroak)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/8 "2009-02-10T02:08:20Z")
I’m glad someone asked him about A-rod using steroids because that’s so impotant to the american people right now ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/9 "2009-02-10T02:10:39Z")
How much does an infomercial like this one cost taxpayers? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/10 "2009-02-10T02:12:29Z")
He kind of dodged the question about photos of military dead coming back. And he kind of dissed Helen Thomas by not giving her enough follow-up. After all, the woman has been covering the White House since before he was born. She deserves some respect. ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/11 "2009-02-10T02:13:28Z")
Wait, you don’t think it’s important for us to actually see these news conferences unedited? I’d rather watch it live myself than see NewsNetwork give me what they think are the important points when I’m actually home. I hope all of the major press conferences are held during prime time. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/12 "2009-02-10T02:14:16Z")
> [@Queen\_Tonya](#): > > I’m just so thrilled to have a President that can use words like bellicose. 🙂 And a President that isn’t bellicose. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/13 "2009-02-10T02:15:22Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > How much does an infomercial like this one cost taxpayers? For that matter, how much is the rent on the White House? I say the president find his own digs. Why should we pay for it? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/14 "2009-02-10T02:18:02Z")
I cannot believe that the government is paying to tell us about its plans and to take questions from the media. I would much prefer they just act without any accountability. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/15 "2009-02-10T02:24:02Z")
> [@](#): > > He kind of dodged the question about photos of military dead coming back. And he kind of dissed Helen Thomas by not giving her enough follow-up. After all, the woman has been covering the White House since before he was born. She deserves some respect. He gave her enough – he said he wasn’t going to speculate, and she tried to get him to do so. I’m surprised that someone as senior as her tried to push that. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/16 "2009-02-10T02:28:42Z")
> [@sinjin](#): > > This is probably not in the right forum, but: > > Why is he not looking at the camera? He is looking everywhere but out at the people he is trying to speak to. Soledad O’Brien on CNN after the news conference posed the idea that the President is speaking to the powers that be not the American people per se; Obama is telling the members of Congress, the bankers and the business leaders what Americans would like to tell them. He is speaking _for_ the American people. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/17 "2009-02-10T02:40:36Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’m surprised that someone as senior as her tried to push that. They all try to push it. It’s their job. In fact, the more senior, the more they push it, because they aren’t in fear of losing an in, as they’ve so much been so recently. It’s just a question of whether the Secretary or President moves on and ignores them. The follow-up question has been greatly neglected in the last eight years at White House press conferences. But that’s the nature of the forum. The new ones are the meek ones. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/18 "2009-02-10T02:46:57Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > How much does an infomercial like this one cost taxpayers? Some of us older folks remember back in the day when presidents did this on a regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/19 "2009-02-10T03:11:29Z")
I’m still knocked out by the novelty of having an intelligent, articulate president, who can answer questions in-depth and with a semblance of knowledge. A president who makes me proud to be an American. I watched and didn’t cringe, or want to scream, cry or throw something at the screen. And I’m with **wmulax93**. I like seeing the entire press conference. The MSM tells people “he’s not getting his message out to the people” but they’re the ones who aren’t letting him. I like that he’s going directly to the people. Isn’t there something tomorrow night too? Networks can suck it up, or look like dicks if they choose not to show him in prime time. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154/20 "2009-02-10T03:13:46Z")
With regards to Helen Thomas, she was also trying to get him to admit that Israel has nuclear weapons with her question on whether any Middle East powers had nukes. Of course, no American president is ever going to come out and say that, and she surely knew that going in. It was a pretty lame “gotcha” question and not the best use of her time, I don’t think. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-conference/485154.md?page=2)