Steve Kroft caught Barack Obama "laughing and chuckling several times while discussing the perilous state of the economy", at one point asking "Are you punch-drunk?" Politico says "his awkward laughter highlighted an issue Obama has faced dating back to the campaign, a sense that he sometimes is too 'cool' and detached to fully grasp the public anxiety over mounting job losses and economic worries."
We learn in the 60 minutes interview that Mr. President has time off in the afternoon to see his kids, have dinner with the family, and takes weekends off after poking his head in to see what's going on. So basically, the POTUS puts in less hours per week than I do. Kroft also fawns over the first family's playground. What Kroft won't tell you is that while millions of Americans wonder how their next mortgage payment is going to be made, and while their father demonizes Americans for having a culture of greed, the Obama children are literally playing in a castle.
The Obama's went with a Rainbow Play System which Obama himself called "the Rolls Royce of swingsets", specifically the model is Supersized Monster Castle Package IV with a Double Bubble on the Penthouse, which retails for $14,799 plus $1500 install, not including the surface it sits on. Taxpayer* money well spent in a down economy. What, don't your children have a penthouse on their swingset?
(*There is no official word yet on who paid for this swing set.)



















Editor at Large
Comments Policy
I believe this cat has lost
March 23, 2009 - 04:08 ET by ConservativeRexI believe this cat has lost his mind! He is so out of touch it is not one bit funny.
Watch the highlights of this interview. He's acting weird....I've never seen anything like this. Chuckling at what this reporter is asking him. Punch drunk? Maybe he's hitting the stuff he wrote about again.."Pot had helped, and booze, maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack, though".
Remember, those are his words, not mine. B. Hussain Obama...keep saying it. While we get flushed down the drain.
Elections have consequences!!!
March 23, 2009 - 04:12 ET by flyingmonkeyThe "Wizard of Uhs" is your typical "do as I say, not as I do" liberal. What!!! Still hoping for change??? Don't hold your breath.
You dumbmasses who weren't paying attention have handed the keys to the kingdom to Satan himself. Enjoy the next 4 years.
Obama spending taxpayer
March 23, 2009 - 04:24 ET by SlicksterObama spending taxpayer money like a typical "opressed african-american" welfare recipient. We foot the bill for this and the zeituni criminal's lifestyle. He sure acts like a stereotypical negro.
WTF?
March 23, 2009 - 09:38 ET by dervishWere you born a dick, or did you take lessons?
Were you born a dick, or
March 24, 2009 - 09:24 ET by Dan The Man 2Were you born a dick, or did you take lessons
He took lessons like all of us hav for all our lives in teh USA. We have been taught and we all bring away different ideas. His take is one of many about the sterotype as he said of the balck welfare recipient never working and spending money tehy dont have. Driving in a late model high end car while on governmnet assistance.
You are offended because you recognize the truth of it and are embarrased to discuss it. That is the reason or one of them Obama was elected, the failure of discussion of the issues.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
Is a solar panel tree house next?
March 23, 2009 - 05:26 ET by metaphorsbwithuWait until the President finds out former President Carter built a tree house for daughter Amy!
Maybe one with air conditioning?
He's annoyed almost everyone already so he might as well start alienating the environmentalist left.
Of course he could limit any negative reactions by installing solar panels to run their video games and stereo.
metaphorsbwithu
FDR
March 23, 2009 - 16:02 ET by UtherpendThis so reminds me of the accounts of FDR that stated when a large number of Americans were without a job and standing in soup lines FDR and his kids were having snowball fights in the white house in the middle of summer.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquillity of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you."
Obama should have used his
March 23, 2009 - 05:26 ET by 2ConservativeWomenObama should have used his teleprompter for this interview. It would have given him some hints on how NOT be be a dumbass.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
March 23, 2009 - 05:35 ET by BondPlainBondWhen I saw on the news a few weeks back the successful installation of this playground system on the White House lawn, I wondered why these two girls had never had such a playground system before while living in Chicago.
Mom (partnered with David Axelrod, Daddy's now Senior Advisor) was making well over $300K a year from her insurance swindling job at the Chicago hospital that gave Obama over $100K in campaign contributions; Daddy is a millionaire, plus more, from the sale of his two ghost-written books; Mom and Daddy got a super sweet deal on the house and property in Chicago because Daddy has many close friends in low places that broke the law on Daddy's behalf so Daddy and his scum friend could both benefit from the scam Daddy's scum friend ran on the purchase of the house and property.
Just seemed strange to me that Obama would make such a big production about how he had spent our money when so many are losing their retirements and jobs, his plans ensuring the greedy continue to be rewarded, lying about it, and thenmaking a production again, on 60 Minutes, about how foolishly and unnecessarily he's spent our money.
Those girls should have had the benefit of a playground system, with the double penthouse, when they frigging lived in Chicago.
Obama's "awwwwwwwwwwww" factor dried up a long time ago.
Perhaps it was simply a demonstration...
March 23, 2009 - 07:11 ET by JohnMcGrew...that "everyone" is better off when the government foots the bill.
$14,799 ????
March 23, 2009 - 05:40 ET by Sergeant ROCKThe next time you drive by a public playground that's in disrepair, you should feel relief that Barry's kids are better off.
"Let them eat cake!" - Barry Obama
"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
George Mason
Whether or not he intended
March 23, 2009 - 06:09 ET by motherbeltWhether or not he intended it in jest, Kroft was dead on target.
This President acts like he is playing with Monopoly money!
OK, I'll buy two hotels for over here, 2 houses each over there....like it's all in theory. He talks about the Dow being like a daily "poll"....as if there aren't real people losing their savings and retirements as it falls!
It seems like it's all a game to him; you know, like filling in his NCAA picks!
BTW, f it were George Bush joking on Leno and filling in basketball brackets with the economy in its current condition, the media's outrage would be deafening.
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
GWB took alot of heat when
March 23, 2009 - 07:27 ET by T-Bone MassGWB took alot of heat when he announce that he would'nt play golf while he was running the war in Iraq.
Obama is a bore! Who knew? Except us?
March 23, 2009 - 06:11 ET by Jack BauerHeard the latest? Obama is a BORE!
No crap Columbo! Who knew... well how about all us conservatives at Newsbusters?
We've been pointing out this stuff for two years. That Obama is an empty suit, he hasn't a useful thought rattling around his socialist head, he's very very TEDIOUS.
The number of times I've pulled out my hair as even some deluded conservatives have praised his one talent, reading a Teleprompter... neglecting to point out how his flat emotionless voice grates like nails on a blackboard.
It seems it's finally getting through to the great washed in the Lame Street Media.
Read and enjoy, reader and enjoyers...
Wolff hits the nail on the
March 23, 2009 - 06:28 ET by motherbeltWolff hits the nail on the head!
Our President is realizing that he is in over his head.
He only knows how to campaign; so that's what he continues to do: appear on Leno, fly around doing "townhall" meetings, etc.
Every time I see him appearing somewhere else, I think: Go back to Washington and do your job!!
Joe Biden had one thing right about him (even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut...) during the primaries: this isn't a position that lends itself to OJT....as we are sadly finding out.
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
Motherbelt,Don't forget
March 23, 2009 - 06:40 ET by msh1973Motherbelt,
Don't forget that he is an "elegant man"...this according to Brooks or Noonan (I can't remember). That makes me feel so much better. :-(
Every time I see him
March 23, 2009 - 07:12 ET by Jack BauerTrue. But that's a double-edged sword. In a way, you think the more he stays away, the less damage he can do.
Except there's also the Nut Houses aka Congress.
Obama was as high as a kite
March 23, 2009 - 06:56 ET by nadadhimmiObama was as high as a kite when he giggled with Krofts. His synapses were burned out years ago. This guy reminds me more and more of Jeff Bridges character in "The Big Lebowski". The Dude. The Dude. Well, I can't abide the Dude.
The Swingset
March 23, 2009 - 06:59 ET by NoJelly"...the model is Supersized Monster Castle Package IV with a Double Bubble on the Penthouse, which retails for $14,799 plus $1500 install, not including the surface it sits on. Taxpayer money well spent in a down economy."
This is interesting. When I saw a piece on network news regarding this playground, they reported that the swingset cost only $7000 and THAT OBAMA PAID FOR IT OUT OF HIS OWN POCKET...I tend, knowing the entitled attitude of the "downtrodden" to believe the above...
NJ
March 23, 2009 - 08:46 ET by mom_roxI missed your post while skimming or I would have attached my reply with the link to your comment.
As muddy as any Obama subject
March 23, 2009 - 12:08 ET by Mithridate OmbudWhile there have been press reports from The Chicago Tribune, US Magazine, and Times of London that the swingset cost $3,500, and an email from Debbie Schlussel to the company got a response that the playset was $10,074 on sale for $6,679, I only went off the retail price from the company's printed catalog. The retail price they would quote you or I if we walked in to a showroom.
Obama is really good at getting massive discounts on valuable real estate, so that might be the case here, but he's not talking. He said on 60 Minutes that the White House Usher got it for him, if he had paid for it out of his own pocket I suspect Obama would have opened with that remark.
Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
Obfuscation
March 24, 2009 - 08:20 ET by NoJellyMy comment wasn't intended to confuse the issue, rather seek clarification. I have found that nearly every issue regarding this administration demands clarification.
...By the way, minutia adds up, and there is a boatload of minutia floating right alongside the garbage scowl that is current policy and agenda. This playground thing would mean little, if weren't for the FACT that Obama clearly, by means of this trivial purchase of a very high-end product (regardless who paid for it), puts himself in an elitist position, disconnecting more and more with his minions on virtually a daily basis...
I have never in my life been afraid of my government as I am today. They are actively seeking to opress in broad daylight. This cannot end well...
None of the above
March 23, 2009 - 07:52 ET by SpaceManSpiffHe's not drunk, stoned, or stupid. Obama is destroying wealth with lightning speed. All the while the only thing the media reports is his NCAA picks and his bit on Leno.
When currency is worthless, the only currency will be power, and Obama and his ilk have a monopoly on power.
Did Orwell predict the future? Or are the enemies of freedom following Orwell's example?
→ Swingset
March 23, 2009 - 08:27 ET by Cool ArrowSo, when is conspicuous consumption not evil? When the President does it?
Laughter is
March 23, 2009 - 08:32 ET by sam12663easy when you know that your plan to destroy America and bring about a socialist society is going just as planned.
President Obama is nothing more than a empty suit; a Hollywood style special effects smoke and mirrors show that has shown itself to be a total fraud.
WAKE UP AMERICA! SAVE OUR CONSTITUTION!
→ The Obama Plan
March 23, 2009 - 08:37 ET by Cool ArrowObama is succeeding. It's impossible to deny it. This "man who fell to Earth" is following the plan of his mentors to the letter.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
"his awkward laughter
March 23, 2009 - 08:43 ET by R D Helm"his awkward laughter highlighted an issue Obama has faced dating back
to the campaign, a sense that he sometimes is too 'cool' and detached
to [fully grasp the public anxiety over mounting job losses and economic
worries]."
Make no mistake, Obama grasps it all just fine, but he doesn't care, as repairing our crumbling economy is not what he is trying to do.
The sooner people figure this out, the sooner we can put an end to this extremely dangerous, farcical scam and return to the time-honored things that will actually turn our economy around.
It will not be turned around by running it into the ground while exponentially growing the federal government, nor by bankrupting the treasury and scaring away both private and foreign investment, as this teleprompter-dependent imposter is currently doing.
-Dave
This coup has gone on long enough. The time to put it down is NOW.
Per Jake Tapper's Blog
March 23, 2009 - 08:43 ET by mom_roxPer Jake Tapper's blog, as reported by Sunlen Miller, the Obamas paid for the playset.
So George Soros has himself a spiffy new $15k playset
March 23, 2009 - 08:46 ET by R D HelmBully for him.
-Dave
This coup has gone on long enough. The time to put it down is NOW.
Think of the money you could be saving by switching to Rezko
March 23, 2009 - 09:44 ET by mom_roxDave, I was thinking it was purchased by the saps who bought his "memoirs". But perhaps we could call it the Rezko Rec Center because of the money the Obamas saved by going with Rezko.
"Dave, I was thinking it
March 25, 2009 - 19:24 ET by R D Helm"Dave, I was thinking it was purchased by the saps who bought his "memoirs"."
Probably so.
LOL-I wuzz just dropping a little troll bait. :-)
-Dave
This coup has gone on long enough. The time to put it down is NOW.
Confirmed by whom?
March 23, 2009 - 12:15 ET by Mithridate OmbudThere's no citation on who said they paid for it. I'm not saying they did (though I'll revise the post until I know more), but until we have official comment, I'm not entirely persuaded.
Why the giggles?
March 23, 2009 - 09:12 ET by slickwillie2001I'm thinking more along the lines of perhaps Xanax, or even really good weed. Too bad he wears his hair so short, we might be able to get a sample and have it tested. And don't forget, we never did get a look at medical records. Perhaps he has always been on prescription drugs?
so where's that dog, Barrky?
March 23, 2009 - 09:34 ET by SickofLibsSince my daughter could first speak, we told that she would get that dog she wanted so badly, but not until she turned 7. We kept our word, went to the pound and picked out her dog.
Looks to me like the little Obamas sold out for a crappy swingset... just like Daddy.
Wonder if any of those poor public school kids will ever be allowed to play on it.
In the interview, Obama said
March 23, 2009 - 10:41 ET by balboaIn the interview, Obama said someone else bought the swingset for the girls.
Tax him
March 23, 2009 - 11:52 ET by AuH2oSo, if someone else paid for the swing set, would that be considered a bonus or gift?
Maybe he should have to pay a 90% tax on that swing set.
In all seriousness, I wonder if that swing set was made in China and, has the optional lead paint feature.
Just wait till the O finds out, that the plastic in that swing set is made from........shudder........petroleum. How's he going to explain that to algore.
per the AP article
March 23, 2009 - 12:55 ET by katainkentMay 4 -
The Obamas paid for the swing set, which was made and installed by Rainbow Play Systems of Brookings, S.D. The company's Web site says it's the most trusted brand name in wooden swing sets.
I am happy for his girls. I am happy for the people who got paid and got to keep their jobs at least for awhile long in this very down economy where "Royal" playhouses/playsets are not in high demand.
But, why not buy his daughters a $5K playset instead of a $15K one and spend the other $10K on buying two more for dilapidated parks in DC. Share that wealth.
Talking the talk is fine... until it comes down to walking the walk that goes with it.
Not wood!
March 23, 2009 - 13:18 ET by AuH2oNot a wood play set!! For the love of earth firsters & tree huggers every where.
Does this messiah have no compassion for our fellow trees?
Just think of all the CO2 that those trees could have absorbed. Oh well, just pass a cap & trade law and everything will be better.
Meh, only 24 more days till the tea party. I think my sign will say "Please bail me out, my kids need a Rainbow Play System"
On Leno and in other
March 23, 2009 - 13:34 ET by celatorOn Leno and in other venues, Obama is simply displaying his mastery of the Art of Cluelessness.
By now we know that he is a compulsive liar, is not well grounded in basic American culture, doesn't understand what the Stock Market is really measuring, acts in direct opposition to what he says he will do, and hasn't got the management skills to even build an effective staff.
He has a heart of stone when it comes to the physically or psychologically challenged, is a fanatic supporter of abortion in all cases, doesn't have a deep knowledge of history and can't speak extemporaneously without making a fool of himself.
The list of his inabilities and acts of buffoonery have already become the stuff of Presidential legend.
And we've only just begun our journey with this dude.
"We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded
If you think about it, that
March 24, 2009 - 00:25 ET by RR GOPIf you think about it, that playset actually cost us trillions.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).