Obama remarks caught by open mic

Obama remarks caught by open mic

Christi Parsons
Los Angeles Times
April 15, 2011

President Obama gave supporters in Chicago a glimpse of insider Washington during a fundraiser Thursday night, casually critiquing House Republicans, government workers and even the White House telephones.

While the words themselves weren’t that newsworthy – Republicans tried to play him in recent budget talks, he said, and some federal workers are kind of lazy – the means of delivery has the White House a little red-faced Friday morning.

The late-night remarks were accidentally piped back into the White House press room, where a couple of diligent reporters heard them and took notes.

Their wire reports and Twitter updates show the president in casual mode, a rare thing to slip through his highly disciplined and scripted operation.

According to veteran newsman Mark Knoller, of CBS radio, Obama ridiculed GOP efforts to whittle away at healthcare reform "by nickel-and-diming me in the budget."

"You think we're stupid?" Obama said he told the Republicans.

Obama appears to have offered a defense of federal workers, saying he thinks they compare favorably to private sector workers, but government employees may find more memorable his description of the exceptions to that rule.

He said some government workers are "slugs and not trying to do their job," according to the Knoller report.

White House information technology isn’t much better, in the president's appraisal. When it comes to technology, he says, "we are like 30 years behind."

"We can't get our phones to work!" Obama reportedly complained.

While reporters were in the room, Obama delivered the flattest set of remarks of the night. At an earlier fundraiser, he had just given donors a spirited critique of Republican plans for Medicare, and later in the evening he would fire up a crowd of 2,300 with Chicago Bulls players at his side and a Bulls cap on his head.

But after the pool reporters were hustled out of the event at MK restaurant, the 50 or so Democrats giving the maximum contribution got a little something extra for their $38,000 and change.

White House: President Obama “Not At All” Embarrassed By Open Mic Moment

Sunlen Miller
ABC News
April 15, 2011

Aboard Air Force One today White House press secretary Jay Carney said that the president was “not at all” embarrassed by his comments caught on the open microphone last night and that any comments picked up in private last night were consistent with his public message.

“There’s nothing he said that contradicts anything he said in public,” Carney said, “I think what he said in that session you’re talking about and the things that he’s said in more public forums have been entirely consistent.”

President Obama had harsh words last night in a seeming private moment for the Chairman Paul Ryan whom president has praised in public for offering serious attempts to address the deficit.

"Eliminating the health care bill would cost us $1 trillion dollars," the president said. "It would add $1 trillion to the deficit. So when Paul Ryan says his priority is to make sure, he's just being America's accountant and trying to you know be responsible, this is the same guy that voted for two wars that were unpaid for, voted for the Bush tax cuts that were unpaid for, voted for the prescription drug bill that cost as much as my health care bill -- but wasn't paid for. So it's not on the level. And we’ve got to keep on you know, keep on shining a light on that.”

When asked today, Carney said that the president “does believe that Chairman Ryan is absolutely sincere,” adding though that the president believes his own budget is the right path for America.

Carney said the point that the president was making is that there is “more here than the goal of deficit reduction, it is a vision of government….and what America should look like.”

Carney characterized the open microphone, and the audio being sent back to the White House as a “miscommunication, nothing more than that.”

“It’s not a problem, it’s not an issue,” he concluded.

Press Gets Earful over Obama Open-mic

Doug York
Gather.com
April 15, 2011

An open-mic caught President Obama expressing his true partisan feelings against all who would challenge him. On Thursday, the President, feeling emboldened at a Chicago fundraiser, spoke freely about his feelings on House Republicans.

After insulting federal workers when he called them lazy, an open-mic gave Americans an earful. Obviously, Obama is not interested in bi-partisan agreements, but instead he is insulting. The open-mic allowed reporters in the White House Press Room to hear the President's words spoken freely. The words were not the President's usual perfected speech, but nor were they to be overheard. Obama, who is usually reserved and well-spoken, ridiculed the Republicans.

Obama was insulting many Americans, Republicans, and even Federal workers. He reportedly does not want to "nickled and dimed" in the budget. However, he needs to remember that those nickels and dimes belong to all Americans and not just him. As his poll numbers slip, President Obama may find he has to eat his words, and his 'Obama open-mic' routine may cost him the 2012 election.

Whatever respect I had for this guy (which wasn't much) is now gone. I have some harsh words for this guy but will leave it be.

Obama is just showing his true stripes yet again - another "bitter clingers" moment.

I cannot even begin to express how much this guy disgusts me.

He will lie through his teeth at the drop of a hat and the why he treated Ryan by seating up front during his speech a couple of days ago and then unleashed lie after despicable lie about Ryan's budget plan was absolutely unconscionable! If I were Ryan I would have walked out on him.

dblboggie wrote:Obama is just showing his true stripes yet again - another "bitter clingers" moment.

I cannot even begin to express how much this guy disgusts me.

He will lie through his teeth at the drop of a hat and the why he treated Ryan by seating up front during his speech a couple of days ago and then unleashed lie after despicable lie about Ryan's budget plan was absolutely unconscionable! If I were Ryan I would have walked out on him.

I know open mic's are going to happen. It's a given and Obama isn't the first that it's happened to. But with this, he's insulted many people including federal workers. It also shows what he's really thinking.

I saw this piece on ABC News tonight. They showed the interview with Obama by Stephanopolous. Obama was praising Ryan. Then here, he stabs him in the back. What a good way to keep the opposition in your corner when the going gets tough.

Yeah, sure, open mics happen. But Obama just takes the cake. He has blatantly lied (provably so) so many times that the fact that anyone, much less the mainstream media, gives him any credibility is beyond all comprehension.