Avlon On GMA: Obama's Hot Mic Rap 'Heightens His Reputation For Leadership'
Call me a cynic, but I've been dubious about just how accidental were President Obama's supposedly "hot mic" remarks about his budget negotations with the Republicans.
Does a president who has been frequently criticized for a lack of toughness really mind being "caught" sounding muy macho?
My skepticism was sharpened by GMA's report on the matter this morning. The graphic referred to Obama's "tough talk." And for good measure, John Avlon of the lefty Daily Beast was imported to declare that the president's supposedly candid performance "heightens his reputation for leadership." I know what you're thinking: what reputation?
View video after the jump.
Listen to PBO's ostensibly candid comments and consider whether they don't sound . . . scripted for public consumption. Dan Harris introduced the segment by taking the allegedly accidental nature of the leak at face value.
DAN HARRIS: When you've got a mic on, you never know when somebody is listening. President Obama was reminded of that the hard way when his private comments blasting Republicans went public. The mic was supposed to have been turned off, but it wasn't.
DAVID CURLEY: The White House is a formal place: the columns, the pomp and circumstance, the measured words of the president. So when we get one of these unvarnished moments, it really gives us some insight into what the president is really thinking.
Cut to footage of PBO making his tough remarks at a fundraiser. Afterward, Curley undercut GOP criticism as a lead-in to Avlon's praise of PBO.
CURLEY: While some Republicans pounced, calling this a self-serving version of events, analysts noticed a more forceful tone from the normally-guarded president.
JOHN AVLON: He is No-Drama-Obama, so when you get these flashes of insight into how he is behind closed doors in negotiations, I think it actually heightens his reputation for leadership.
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Comments
No-drama Obama???? Who the H
Submitted by motherbelt on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 8:51am.
No-drama Obama???? Who the H is he talking about???
Ohmigod, that's rich!!
This is "Campaign Obama" at his finest. No way he didn't want that to get out!
clean and jerk
Submitted by MidAmerica on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 8:54am.
So Mr Whimpy and indecisive is going to run and be promoted as Mr Tough Guy. A Guy from the 'streets'. What a laugh. But then the dems will depend on the fact that a lot of voters are minimally informed. They are probably bulking up the Vacationer-in-Chief in case he has to run against a Donald or a Christie. They see that this may be the year of the tough guy. If he doesn't pull out the swagga he will look like the ninety pound weakling he is.
Sounds arrogant.
Submitted by Red Jeep on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 9:11am.
Cocky.
" reputation for leadership."= How about Personality disorder?
Submitted by merly1 on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 9:12am.
This psychiatrist thinks our fearless " leader" truly has some type of personality disorder.
I mean, really, what person, what human being (much less Prez) consistently attacks his enemies in public forums where they cant respond? And where IS the media on this bizarre, sick behavior?
1. Has healthcare summit and invites McCain where he immediately slams him, "the campaign is over," when McCain is simply expressing some opinions
2. Attacks the Supreme Court for their rulings, while they obediently sit at the SOTU speech.
3. Now, he invites Ryan front row to his big GW budget speech and then savages him.
WTF? Hello, media?
If one wonders about " leadership" giving us 3 wars, 1.6 trillion deficits, and Marie Antoinette type foreign trips during hard American economic times, then simply look at these antisocial actions.
2012 elections may make or break this once great country................
I don't know about
Submitted by motherbelt on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 10:07am.
I don't know about "personality disorder," at least not as a psychiatric evaluation, but I do know that this is not leadership.
This is the MO of someone who needs to, at every opportunity, set others up to be knocked down so that he can show how "macho" he is.
As Margaret Thatcher famously said:
Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to say you are, you aren't.
Motherbelt and Drsam..
Submitted by ant on Sun, 04/17/2011 - 10:31pm.
I find it interesting that in professional evaluations of Charlie Sheen's recent trouble, the behavior of blaming others for your troubles and feelings of being right and everyone else is wrong, compounded with what drsamhammer related about attacking "enemies" when they are not present to defend themselves has been referred to in Sheen's case as a troubled psyche. So are we dealing with a President with some serious problems? It would seem to me getting to the bottom of BO grandiousity is more important a topic than a Hollywood actors.
I don't know
Submitted by The Irishman on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 10:21am.
Was this "leak" supposed to embarrass someone? It makes Obama sound the way he'd like to sound, and it makes Republicans look like they're trying to make budget cuts. Both parties catering to their bases, it's win/win for all.
Did you read the headline?
Submitted by motherbelt on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 10:45am.
Did you read the headline? I wasn't intended to embarrass anyone. It was supposed to make Obama look forceful and leader-like.
Iit has nothing to do with making Republicans look like they're trying to make budget cuts. I don't know how you derive a "win" for them out of that.
Yes
Submitted by The Irishman on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 10:58am.
I read the article and watched the video too. Did you? There is a cause and effect at play here. The audio clip does nothing more for republicans than it does for Obama. If the president is sounding like he's battling for policy it means he's facing a GOP intent on cutting the budget. That's what the GOP does.
Here's an idea. Let's find out who was in that meeting with the president and inquire as to the authenticity of the tape, specifically if this is the way the president normally sounds in discussions.
Don't change the subject. You
Submitted by motherbelt on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 1:56pm.
Don't change the subject. You said it didn't embarrass anyone. Where did you get the idea that it was supposed to?
It wasn't supposed to do anything for Republicans. But Avlon is airing it, and claiming that it "heightens [Obama's] reputation for leadership."
You started with a non-sequitur and went downhill from there.
It also didn't embarrass Joe Biden, but what would be the point of bringing that up?
Fine
Submitted by The Irishman on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 5:00pm.
Who leaked it? And what was the intent?
I believe it was leaked by
Submitted by motherbelt on Sun, 04/17/2011 - 4:46pm.
I believe it was leaked by Democrats who wanted to make Obama sound like a tough guy.
But I already said that and you kept arguing.
Oh, yeah. We all know
Submitted by ant on Sun, 04/17/2011 - 10:40pm.
Oh, yeah. We all know everything Republicans "leak" gets picked up and carried by the Mainstream Press, kinda like the Acorn, Planned Parenthood stings, etc., etc.,. Gimme a break! Face it, you're pres. has some serious issues which, unfortunately, means we all do as a result. BTW, does the quote, "..try it!." sound like reaching across the aisle to you? I thought we had entered the age of civility.Ha-friggin'-ha.
Hot Mic...Staged.
Submitted by snowshooze on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 1:31pm.
It sounded staged and intentional to me, it was the first thought that crossed my mind.
Yep
Submitted by bkeyser on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 1:57pm.
.
Call you a cynic?
Submitted by Patriot II on Sun, 04/17/2011 - 9:58am.
Nooo.....but I will call you an ignorant, know nothing embecilic liberal dumocrat communist...there, is that better?