2010-02-10

Mr. President - Please step out of the spot light!

Yet again today, I see President Obama giving another news conference on the state of the health care debate and using it as an opportunity to admonish the Republican side of Congress for being the "No" party.  Upon see this, it turned out to be all I could handle and I finally snapped.  Screaming at the TV, frightening the dog, and sending the cats running, I, in no uncertain terms, asked the President to please shut up in my own characteristic way.

Seriously Mr. President, you get more media coverage than a Brittany Spears crotch shot!  When, oh when, will you give the TelePrompTer a break and take a step out of the media lime light?  We don't want to see your face every time we turn on the TV, nor do we want you using your characteristic phrases of "Let me be clear" or "Maybe I'm not fully explaining my position".  WE GOT IT!!!  We know what you meant and we know your intentions.  No matter how many times you get on TV, you will not change the public view.

According to the CBS News organization, (hardly an Obama hating news front), you have only spent 21 days of your first year in which you didn't give a public, or press, appearance.  21 days out of 365 that you weren't directly in the public eye!  Even YOU have to admit that may be a bit too much to handle.

In your first year, you've given 42 news conferences and 158 interviews, which is more than twice that of your predecessors combined.   Of those, you've used your beloved TelePrompTer a total of 178 times (177 1/2 if you take into account, that during your July 13th speech, one of them broke).  Is it simply impossible for you to give a speech without their aid?  Yet, ironic that your press secretary made fun of Sarah Palin for making notes on her hand considering the previous fact isn't it?  You've attended 28 political fund raisers (compared to GWB's 6) and 7 campaign rallies, all of which garnished media attention.  Of the 124 bills you've signed, you saw fit to ensure that 13 of them were public ceremonies.  Don't you think that your time as President would be better spent "presiding" rather than getting a spotlight tan?

Worst of all, in the large majority of these appearances, you've given the American people nothing new.  You continue down the same path of "Let me be clear", when it's abundantly clear that the people understand you.  You make no announcements of direction changes, of policy shifts, of any indication that you have heard the people and what they are trying to tell you.  You seem to believe that if you spend enough time invading our personal lives, that maybe we'll change our minds.

We won't!  We do not want what you are offering.  We are growing tired of seeing you every time we turn on the TV.   We can't open a news paper without seeing a story of you on the front page.  In fact, the Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University states that number of stories regarding you appearing on the front page thru August 2009 equals 119,678 column inches or 9,973 column feet.  It's too damn much!

Of late, most of your appearances have been used to blame the Republicans for standing in the way of a health care plan that the people do not want!  You use phrases such as them being the "No party", that "Just saying no is not leading", and blaming the election of Scott Brown as a Republican effort to thwart your health care takeover.  In fact, that statement is what prompted my outrage.   I take you to be an educated man, in fact, the media has crammed that idea down my throat since you took office.  If that is true, then please tell me how you cannot see that the people are speaking and the Republicans ARE the ones that are listening and leading!?  Scott Brown ran on a promise to stop your health care plan and IT GOT HIM ELECTED!  How can you miss such a loud and resounding statement?  You admonish the Republicans for "just saying no", but that is exactly what the people want them to do with respect to health care, cap and trade, and frankly, most of your policies.   It amazes me that you can be so tone deaf to the American people to not see that you are traveling the wrong way with regards to public opinion.

Look, it's simple.  We do not want a media celebrity for our president, we want someone to lead.  We do not want a President that spends his days with public appearances full of broken promises, explanations for failure, condemnations of news outlets that disagree with him, or false accusations towards the opposing party, but instead someone who spends his time affecting change and making this country a better place.  You have made it clear that you are unable and unqualified for this job, so please do us, and yourself, a favor and quit wasting our time with your appearances.

Maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time reading your TelePrompTer and giving interviews about how your policies are just misunderstood, but instead actually spent time listening to the people who elected you, you might just get the point.   Forgive me if I don't hold my breath waiting, cause as I sit here writing this, guess who is on TV again.

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