The mainstream media hasn't bothered to hide its infatuation with President Obama. They get physical thrills at the sound of his voice. His inauguration caused them to reach for religious imagery. Now that he's in the White House, they want us to know us what a breath of cultural fresh air he is - more informal, healthier and family-centered. Unwittingly, though, they're also showing a man who listens to hateful rap music, scarfs fatty foods and doesn't practice what he preaches on environmental responsibility.
Take for example the fluffy pieces that closed ABC and NBC's Jan. 29 evening news programs. On "Nightly News," Brian Williams gave nearly three minutes to the new White House dress code. "It was an article in this morning's New York Times that told the wider world what folks in Washington were already buzzing about," Williams said, "the change in style surrounding the Obama White House."
Obama has relaxed the "jacket required" policy of President Bush's Oval Office, and has been photographed at his desk in shirtsleeves. The reason? He keeps the Oval Office very warm.
Over on ABC, reporter Jake Tapper also noted the temperature change as part of his larger report on the president's typical day. "America's first Hawaiian-born president keeps the Oval Office warm causing economic advisor Larry Summers to break out in occasional sweat."
In that New York Times article Williams mentioned, David Axelrod, Obama's senior adviser, explained the president's habit saying it's because he's from Hawaii. "He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there."
But neither the Times nor the networks remembered something Obama the candidate had said. Back in May of 2008, Obama addressed an Oregon crowd about being responsible homeowners, noting that "We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times..." Obama said. "That's not leadership. That's not going to happen," he added. NBC's report even showed a hand pushing a thermostat to well past 72 degrees.
NBC's Williams did remember to take a backhand swipe at George W. Bush, however, saying, "So far in this White House, the work has taken precedence over what to wear."
ABC World News Tonight's report on "the White House Obama-style," as Charles Gibson introduced it, was a study in unintended consequences. Tapper described the president's day in loving detail, noting that he listens to the music of rapper Jay Z while he pumps iron. But would the Great Uniter admit to listening to Jay Z after hearing what the rapper said about his predecessor just the week before? "You can keep ya ****, I don't want no more Bush / no more war, no more Iraq, no more white lies, my president is black!" Jay Z rapped on stage at an inaugural party.
Then there was Obama's breakfast. "Now off the campaign trail, the president is joined by his kids for a healthier breakfast in the residence," Tapper said, describing a menu of hard boiled eggs, wheat toast, bacon and/or oatmeal. But that's not what the camera shows. On screen, Obama is tucking into waffles at a table laden with home fries, bacon and butter.
Tapper noted that presidents pay for their own food and that President Bush "warned President Obama, he'd be surprised by that first grocery bill." However, since the Obamas are bringing their own personal chef to the White House from Chicago, superseding the chef already on staff, they're probably not going to trouble over the cost of the president's "herbal tea, trail mix and guacamole."
Matt Philbin is managing editor of CMI. Erin Brown is a CMI intern.



















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Comments Policy
Well serprize, serprize, serprize!
January 30, 2009 - 14:27 ET by HelenSThe fraud is also a hypocrite.
I'm sure we didn't see THAT coming!
Me - "The libs/dems of today are the Quislings of former years. The cowards who would vote a fraud into office in exchange for handouts from the devil."
If he keeps his pants on in the Oval Office...
January 30, 2009 - 19:16 ET by Tailgunner...I won't 'sweat' the shirt sleeves and high temperatures.
NOLI PUGNARE ME OCCIDERE
Buzz this
January 30, 2009 - 14:28 ET by the struggler"...folks in Washington..." are buzzing about Obama taking his jacket off.
These people need to get a life or a hobby or something
When you've acquired a treasure so easily and undeservedly,
January 30, 2009 - 14:35 ET by Calypso JonesYou don't appreciate it nor respect it.
And another thing: The
January 30, 2009 - 14:35 ET by HelenSAnd another thing: The great Fraud in Chief was born in Hawaii. So what? He lived and dodged gainful employment in Chicago. So he's a self-indulgent hedonist and self-serving narcissist. Because being born somewhere does not hard-wire your ability to withstand cold or not.
I was born in Uganda and currently live in Fairfax, VA (within puking distance of DC) and me and my truelove keep our house at 61 degrees. Because it's just more comfortable.
Conclusion: 100% of my frame of reference (me) indicates that where you're born does not guarantee that you'll grow up to be a pathetic, excuse-making, hypocrite.
Me - "The libs/dems of today are the Quislings of former years. The cowards who would vote a fraud into office in exchange for handouts from the devil."
Do as I say...Not as I
January 30, 2009 - 14:41 ET by bigtimerDo as I say...Not as I Do!
Typical proof positive of leftist hypocrisy.
Animal Farm folks
January 30, 2009 - 14:45 ET by Prester JohnAnimal Farm.
Or perhaps Soviet Russia.
We are all equal, but some are more equal than others.
I was born and raised
January 30, 2009 - 15:01 ET by choselife3xIn NC. My house is 65 in the winter and 78 in the summer. Whenever the outside temperature is within that range, the windows are open.
I keep showers under 5 minutes, I compost and collect rainwater for the veggie garden. I don't do any of it because I'm an environut, I simply see no point in being wasteful.
Or needlessly self-indulgent.
I suppose now that 'the planet is healing' and the oceans are no longer rising Obama feels free to use as much energy as he wants. On our dime, anyway.
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
one of the most annoying things
January 30, 2009 - 18:44 ET by puredmashieto me, is the do as i say not as i do environmentalist. it's a reason i have little respect for al gore. i think i recycle more waste than him, and i'm certain i have a much smaller carbon footprint.
however, i do have respect for ed begley jr. at least he practices what he preaches.
swing hard in case you hit it.
And just the other day
January 30, 2009 - 20:16 ET by Mean Gene Dr. LoveAnd just the other day Obama ridiculed people in the D.C. area for not being able to handle the cold temperatures!
Good job on your thriftiness and resourcefulness. It really doesn't take much effort and working in a garden is a great way to relieve stress or get some thinking done too.
"An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life." --Robert A. Heinlein, "Beyond This Horizon," 1942
This is what the network news has become.
January 30, 2009 - 15:18 ET by midnight cowboyThis is NBC News with Brain Williams
Williams: Good evening, President Obama awoke this morning bathed in glorious sunlight protruding in from the east, casting a maginicent glow around 44th president. Mr. Obama then proceeded to the White House master bedroom lavatory to urinate. In stunning fashion he exited the restroom with his fly already closed. This is in dramatic contrast to the previous administration where the Commander in Chief would be seen raising his fly while exiting the bathroom. To discuss this situation further we've invited an expert on bathroom sanitation and the ramifcations of proper lavatory etiquette, we have from Harvard University Dr. I.P. Daily.
Funny
January 30, 2009 - 19:37 ET by echojackNow that's funny. Dave Barry funny. And sadly, close to the truth.
Maybe a little warmer than Hawaii?
January 30, 2009 - 16:22 ET by expatriotAmerica's first Hawaiian-born president keeps the Oval Office warm
Methinks he comes from warmer climes......
Lower the temperature
January 30, 2009 - 16:22 ET by expatriotPut on your darn suit jacket! That will keep you warm!
Maybe Jimme Carter can lend
January 30, 2009 - 18:28 ET by BuffNBoneMaybe Jimme Carter can lend him a sweater or two.
"Fighters are fun but bombers make policy"
Sooo,
January 30, 2009 - 16:33 ET by NorthCoasterJust another hypocrite huh!
Showing up at 9:00 instead of 6:00; harder to put in 16 hour day
January 30, 2009 - 16:40 ET by upcountrywater"So far in this White House, the work has taken precedence over what to wear."
Tearing down some elses work is easy!
Soon and very soon, the Oaf will need to do some original work.
I ain't holding my breath..
No way will be work those 16 hour days that Bush did.
FREEDOM
(D)
If the Oval Office is so
January 30, 2009 - 16:43 ET by MidAmericaIf the Oval Office is so uncomfortable that when a mature professional enters the room and they feel a need to remove their coat then obama is just being an inconsiderate host. Sometimes just little things bely big indicators about a persons true characteristics. Many years ago when I was in Basic Training we had rotating stints as Squad Leader. Most guys had no problem with it. But we had one meek quiet guy that everyone liked, who got the assignment and became a raving dictator. He could not handle having authority without letting it go to his head and abusing it.
Some Think It Goes Beyond Puff Peices
January 30, 2009 - 16:52 ET by lareeMSNBC is opperating as an arm of the Democrat Party show me where a Republican is anything but derided on MSNBC?
http://sarah-palin-2...
Well, there you have it.
January 30, 2009 - 16:53 ET by bassndudeWell, there you have it. First, off comes the jacket. Next is the intern wearing warm weather atire. Then we get the trousers optional speal. The Clinton White House is back boys and girls.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
So, they film him eating a
January 30, 2009 - 22:15 ET by balboaSo, they film him eating a breakfast that isn't healthy, and that immediately means he's a liar. Super!
I see your point
January 30, 2009 - 22:31 ET by choselife3xAfter all, it's not like he carries on about the environment while running the furnace full blast...
Or talks about a new era of transparency while removing press reports from the official website and refusing to answer questions...
Or talks about how important it is to be healthy, while smoking....
Or talks sh!t about Fannie and Freddie after taking their money...
Or declares that lobbyists will have NO place in his administration while hiring a lobbyist for his administration...
Nope, no hypocrisy there!
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
But definitely waffles is
January 30, 2009 - 22:47 ET by balboaBut definitely waffles is the last straw!
C'mon Bal, you've gotta
January 30, 2009 - 23:32 ET by Mean Gene Dr. LoveC'mon Bal, you've gotta admit it's pretty sloppy for the media to extol the healthy breakfast menu of the Obama family whilst showing footage of him eating something different. So maybe that doesn't necessarily make him a hypocrite, but rather, is another scoop of dirt on the mountain of evidence that shows a clear liberal media bias toward making the masses believe that Obama is the best thing since sliced bread was invented.
"An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life." --Robert A. Heinlein, "Beyond This Horizon," 1942
Wow balboa
January 31, 2009 - 00:58 ET by well99You win.All bow to Obama.The annointed one is allow to be a hypocrite.None should dare point it out.As the winner you are awarded a date with the Queen of Pork.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb-staff/2009/01/30/weekend-captionfest-0#new
chose,
January 31, 2009 - 01:12 ET by R D HelmLOL-You forgot President Ahab's belief that we little people should be sure and pay our taxes (after all, it is patriotic), yet he puts a rich tax-cheating crook in charge of the IRS.
-Dave
Our clueless political leaders are about to drive us all over a cliff. The time to HITM is now-before we go over.
Dave
January 31, 2009 - 07:54 ET by choselife3xI had to stop somewhere, my thumbs were tired!
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
Or...
January 31, 2009 - 07:17 ET by JohnMcGrew...goes on endlessly about the end of partisan politics and "business as usual" in Washington, and then pushes the most government-expandanding Democratic special interest pork bill ever conceived.
the waffle eating was during the campaign
January 31, 2009 - 12:58 ET by mom_roxErin, you misconstrued the waffle footage (taken during the campaign) - it was meant to show then and now with the current healthier breakfast he is eating in the White House. No more food on a stick until the next campaign appearance.
No No No you all got it wrong. Please listen up.
January 31, 2009 - 07:37 ET by JWF"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times..." Obama said. "That's not leadership. That's not going to happen,"
He said this when he was a private citizen. We private citizens can't keep our homes at 72 because his insane green laws are going to drive the cost of energy through the roof.
He is now a public citizen. He does not pay for the heat. The taxpayers do.
Think of it like this. There is a button on the wall and it cost you a dollar to push it. How many times a day will you push it?
Now there is another button on the wall. Pushing it is free. What will you do now? Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke.
President Obama has the free heat button on the wall.
Sincerely,
a Veteran of a 1000 psychic wars.