On PBS, Stephanopoulos Insists Obama's 'Done Remarkably Well' in Office Despite Tough Times
ABC's George Stephanopoulos appeared on Tuesday night's Charlie Rose show to discuss what Rose described as "the political implications of the debt-limitation talks." Rose tried to compare Obama to Clinton. Stephanopoulos resisted the idea that Obama was more "cautious."
In fact, when asked how Obama is doing overall, Stephanopoulos pulled out the old line about how nobody "in our lifetime" has been dealt a tougher hand coming into the White House, as if Ronald Reagan had it easy faced with Carter-era inflation and unemployment. Grading on a recession curve, he's "done remarkably well," said George:
CHARLIE ROSE: How is he doing overall in your judgment, the president?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Solid. I mean, it's hard to imagine -- I'm trying to think in our lifetime if anybody has been dealt a tougher hand coming into the White House. And given that, I think he has done remarkably well.
The fact, if you just looking at the politics first, the fact that he`s been able over the course of two years now to maintain a personality favorability for most of the time above 50 percent when he has had most of the time nine percent unemployment, that is pretty remarkable. That's pretty steady. I think people respect him even more than they like him. I think that. I think in terms of the big policy decisions he has had to make, and I know a lot of people would disagree with this, I think that any president that came in in January of 2009 would have had to make the moves he did, shore up the financial system. There is no question.
To talk up Obama's personal favorability rating is a sure sign of spin -- Bush's was higher than his low job approval rating. Denizens of the Rose show would have laughed at trying to tout Bush's favorability numbers. To pick up where it left off, Stephanopoulos favored a bigger "stimulus," just like the liberal Clinton aide who felt Dick Morris was dragging Clinton too far right, but didn't think it was politically feasible:
ROSE: He had to stop that, stop the slide before doing anything else.
STEPHANOPOULOS: On the stimulus, you know, I was going to say I understand the argument, the critics on both sides. I tend to agree personally more with those who say that more was necessary then. On the other hand --
ROSE: They should have made it $1.3 trillion or something.
STEPHANOPOULOS: See, I don`t think that was possible.
ROSE: It wasn’t. That’s what they say.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I mean Paul Krugman may have a valid argument when he says, and I know a lot of people disagree with it, when he said you needed a $1.3 trillion. I’m 99 percent sure that there was no way that you were going to get anything with a "1" in front of it through the Congress.
- Tim Graham's blog
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Comments
Does ABC know that one of it's on air employees
Submitted by no tingly legs on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 5:31pm.
is apparently using hallucinogenic drugs?
Poor Georgie, he has tried so
Submitted by AngryInOhio on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 5:35pm.
Poor Georgie, he has tried so hard to get a gig in the West Wing.
O'l George
Submitted by jessieH on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 5:44pm.
That's how different his opinion is from mine. I think he's a treasonous, corrupt, holier than thou, asshole, who never should have been elected to any office. But, then, I'm not sleeping with him.
Great comment jessieH
Submitted by woburn828 on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 9:25pm.
Very funny and spot on. Wonder what Steffies wife thinks of his man crush on Obama?
Remarkably well? Three years
Submitted by Van Halen on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 5:50pm.
Remarkably well?
Three years of Obama has given us:
- $14 trillion deficit
- ruined economy - ignores the War Powers Act
- gas/food/clothing prices skyrocketing
- 5 wars, one with a record death toll
- foreign policy disasters
- raiding the public pension fund to avoid the debt ceiling
- lost 800+ seats for his own party
- poll numbers in the toilet
- 44 million Americans on food stamps
- 1 in 4 mortgages under water
- ATF gunrunning scandal unfolding
- And today, Moody's getting ready to downgrade the United States credit rating again
and.....
Submitted by almostacowboy on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 5:54pm.
-Set back race relations 60 years (or more)
- Government take over of 1/6 of the US economy by imposing socialist health care plan against the will of the American people.
Yes, remarkably well....
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 6:35pm.
The soft bigotry of low expectations.
Points
Submitted by buttercup815 on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 6:42pm.
I could make an arguement on several of those points. But I'm lazy so I'll pick the easiest.
"-5 wars, one with a record death toll"
Gosh, I had no idea Obama was responsible for WW2.
sour milk
Submitted by jon_torlin on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 6:54pm.
And you proved right there in that statement what you said before that which is "I'm lazy."
He said "in three years," not 70 years. And you make a really lazy comeback regarding WW2.
Bravo! Well done on your laziness!
-Jon
Thank you
Submitted by buttercup815 on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 7:06pm.
I had no idea that anything that happened prior to three years ago didn't count for the record..dang I knew there was a reason I skipped all those history classes..apart from being lazy.
j_t nailed you pure and simple.
Submitted by no tingly legs on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 7:44pm.
Why not just admit you were wrong?
Because I wasn't
Submitted by buttercup815 on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 8:17pm.
Let's parse this. The list of points began with the statement
"In the past three years.."
The list goes on to claim that Obama started 5 wars, one of which caused a "record" number of causalities.
Ok record compared to what? Veitnam, the Gulf War, WW2? Or does Obama history only count for 3 years?
Ok, I'm amazed
Submitted by jon_torlin on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 8:45pm.
For a lib who got some stuff wrong, he got this one right: "Does Obama history only count for 3 years?"
Because as we know, as far as lot of people are concerned, history only started 3 years ago when it came to this bogus potus!
-Jon
Van Halen talking points
Submitted by woburn828 on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 9:27pm.
Van Halen, details man details. Why let facts get in the way of a good liberal story.
Don't they ever get a headache.....
Submitted by almostacowboy on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 5:51pm.
...from the wind constantly whistling through their heads?
Short term memory loss?
Submitted by Bill Brasky on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 6:11pm.
Cry me a freakin' river. Again with this leftist BS about how tough poor old Obama has had it. Bush had to deal with 9/11. End of story A-hole.
Short term memory loss?
Submitted by Bill Brasky on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 6:12pm.
Cry me a freakin' river. Again with this leftist BS about how tough poor old Obama has had it. Bush had to deal with 9/11. End of story A-hole.
george
Submitted by grammajane on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 6:22pm.
Georgie looked, sounded like a teenage boy blabbing about his favorite rock star. It was a pathetic interview............as usual
Little Georgie
Submitted by The_Barrel_Guy on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 6:28pm.
has spent his entire career whoring for democrats and the democrat party... Why should now be any different?
Georgie says:
Submitted by Jerry Mack on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 6:50pm.
And given that, I think he has done remarkably well. Just look at how much of his socialistic agenda that he has gotten passed in congress.
Georgie Stephanopoulos
Submitted by NotFondOfLibs on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 10:24am.
Isn't it refreshing that a village nitwit like Stephanopoulos is more concerned about Obama than the 14 to 17 million unemployed Americans, many being out of work for a year or longer. Mr. Stephanopoulus does not seem to grasp the reality that Barack Obama is not capable of curing the country's economic ills if he were President for 20 years.
He's done well?
Submitted by Jake6 on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 8:06pm.
At what? Why, if failure is not an option, has he made it a goal? Every time you turn around it's another crisis. If we don't do A by X, civilization as we know it will cease to exist. The time/space continuum will be ripped asunder. TARP, Financial bailout, stimulus, healthcare, debt ceiling, ... and the hits just keep on coming.
Duh...wrong George, no wonder Hilary kicked your butt.
Submitted by desert3030 on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 8:17pm.
The man just scared all senior citizens with his no check notice.Today in hearings the response from SS...Stephen Goss, the chief actuary of the Social Security Administration, couldn’t help but smile as Huelskamp asked for his help getting to the bottom of why Social Security checks might not go out Aug. 3, when the nation clearly has enough money
Long and short ...he either plays race, or scare tatics. I was here for Jimmy Carter and this is worst and doesn't have 18% interest. George how do you and POTUS look in mirrors?
The lying little commie
Submitted by Semus on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 8:21pm.
The lying little commie bastard
Despite Tough Times
Submitted by TheHistorian on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 8:31pm.
...of Obama's own making. Remember that he was part of the 2006 "most honest Congress" that Nancy Pelosi promised. That Congress hastened this country's "slouch to Gomorrah" by 1000 times.
Dennis Prager
You know it's funny that the
Submitted by Martin2717 on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 9:01pm.
You know it's funny that the libturds never bring this up? Oh, Obama came into office with the situation already bad (it's gotten much worse since then mostly thanks to him). They tend to forget that he was apart of the Democrat-controlled Congress when the economy started going south in '07 and '08. Stephanopoulos is an idiot as usual and he proved it with his prediction of the NBA Finals. Picking the Heat to sweep my Mavs, only to see the Mavs win it in six and become NBA champions for the first time.
Let's be fair with Obama
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 8:59pm.
“We measure progress by the success of our people, by the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer” - President Obama
Dat Gummit! Let's judge him by the criteria he sets for himself!
Underachiever in Chief
Submitted by Boudin on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 9:26pm.
Puffing out his chest, but wont tell anyone of his plan for getting a handle on the debt, jobs, or anything else.
goober
Submitted by MaryofAz on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 11:43pm.
Thank you Van Halen on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 5:50pm.
Remarkably well?
Three years of Obama has given us:
- $14 trillion deficit
- ruined economy - ignores the War Powers Act
- gas/food/clothing prices skyrocketing
- 5 wars, one with a record death toll
- foreign policy disasters
- raiding the public pension fund to avoid the debt ceiling
- lost 800+ seats for his own party
- poll numbers in the toilet
- 44 million Americans on food stamps
- 1 in 4 mortgages under water
- ATF gunrunning scandal unfolding
- And today, Moody's getting ready to downgrade the United States credit rating again
What a goober. Creepy toddler throwing a fit.
If Boy George believes that a 51% disapproval rate...
Submitted by PrairieSky on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 12:37am.
along with a 9.2% unemployment rate, irresponsible spending and skyrocketing debts and deficits are considered as Obama having "done remarkably well", Stephanopoulos has lost touch with reality. If a Repub were in office in the same circumstances, he would be lambasted, hourly, as an incompetent failure...But Obama has "done remarkably well."
Uff da. :-P
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction...It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them (our children) to do the same." ~President Ronald Reagan