Thoughts on the Press Conference

Some thoughts from President Obama's press conference:

Did you learn anything new? Me neither. He seemed to be a bit off his game and started off slowly. Instead of the teleprompter screens on either side, he read from a large screen in back of the reporters present. He does better with the teleprompter.

I find it disturbing when an elected official wins the office sought and then whines about the tasks going forward. President Obama has a nasty habit of taking responsibility for solving the problems we face as a nation while continuing to say it is a mess he "inherited". He didn't inherit anything. He asked for the job and he received it. He also blamed the Republicans in Congress for our problems, especially in their criticism of his budget. The budget is what he is trying to sell now, but it is not only to Republicans. Many Democrats are complaining about the out of whack budget numbers and projections, too. That is his bigger problem. He had to make an appearance on Captiol Hill today to twist arms as he met with Democrats.

The finger pointing is an action that diminishes President Obama as a leader. This is when his inexperience at the executive level is most obvious. He is paid to figure it all out, just as he said he could as a candidate. He told us he had the necessary experience to handle this moment in history. He has to step up and let the criticism go - develop a thicker skin. There is no way the Republicans will sit by and accept his economic rush toward socialism with a fight, especially since those in office now are receiving the message loudly and clearly to get back to the basics of the fiscal philosophy of the Republican party.

Obama falsely claims that the Republicans in the House have not offered up an alternative to his massive spending budget. That is out and out false. As the tech guy he is, surely he checks out youtube regularly. Minority Leader Boehner has an alternative budget proposal in a March 17 youtube video. Also, Rep. Paul Ryan wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal with his ideas.

And, we remember that it was the Democrats - with him as a member himself - that were in control of both houses of Congress since 2007.

Obama feigned "anger" about the AIG executive bonuses. What baloney. He was part of the plan to protect those bonuses in his bailout program. He cannot continue to have it both ways. Perhaps some of those journalists in the room will begin to put the dots together and write about the whole timeline and actions.

Obama made some swipes at the former administration's foreign policy decisions, too. The last question asked had to do with the peace process for Israel and Palestine. Who was the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee since the 2007 takeover by Democrats? Now VP Joe Biden. And, it was President Bush who was the first president to call for a two state solution in his road map to peace.

The International Herald Tribune, "The Global Edition of The New York Times", called his press conference boring. They described him as lecturing, not talking to answer questions.

Frank Luntz, author of "Words That Work" and a pollster said that according to his polling American viewers don't respond well to complaining. They also thought he didn't offer specifics for his plans to expand the government as it has never been expanded in our nation's history. He pledged he could do the job as he campaigned and voters expect him to do it, not complain about what he "inherited".

No reporters from the major newspapers were called on for questions. The Washington Times and Stars and Stripes were called on as representatives of the nation's newspapers. Obama only answered 13 questions as he reverted to long lectures instead of concise and informative answers. He chose questioners from a chart by calling out a name and then looking around and asking if that person was there. What?

All in all the performance was not his finest.