Yesterday, President Obama gave another warmed-over version of the same economic policy speech that’s been given for the past five years at Knox College in Illinois. He saved the automobile industry. He’s overseeing an economic recovery. Republicans are intransigent. And he’s the best person to ever breathe oxygen on this planet. Yada, yada, yada.
Now with polls showing a record number of people calling for the repeal of ObamaCare, the president needed to pivot towards, well, jobs – again. Not that the liberal media have noticed the maddeningly repetitive same-old, same-old of it all. We’re getting to the point where the media should be calling the president out on this tactic, although with very few exceptions, no one's doing that.
To his credit, MSNBC’s Chuck Todd should be commended for calling out the administration during the July 24 broadcast of his show, The Daily Rundown, where he said, “You know what they’re [the Obama administration] acknowledging? That they have nothing new to say. Because what are they saying? ‘Hey, look back at this speech!’ He’s said it all before, so he doesn’t have anything new to say. He’s just going to say it differently.” Other than Chuck, however, the media really aren't picking up on the president's tired, repetitive talking points.
Maybe network producers and executives should take a look at what Daniel Halper found. The Weekly Standard writer posted the times Obama has executed the ol' jobs "pivot," finding the president has "pivoted" back to "jobs" a whopping 14 times since 2011, following a midterm election drubbing of the Democrats:
JANUARY 2011: “The White House Has Quickly Pivoted To Jobs After The President’s State Of The Union.” “Turning to domestic politics, the White House has quickly pivoted to jobs after the president’s State of the Union -- even if it’s being overshadowed by the situation in Egypt.” (Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg, “First Thoughts: Balancing Act,” NBC News’ First Read,1/31/11)
APRIL 2011: “Obama’s Day: Turning Back To Jobs … President Obama Returns Today To What He Calls His Top Priority: Jobs.”“Though his presidential hours have been crowded by Libya, Japan and other foreign policy challenges, President Obama returns today to what he calls his top priority: jobs.” (David Jackson, “Obama’s Day: Turning Back To Jobs,” USA Today, 4/1/11)
AUGUST 2011: “OBAMA AND SENATE DEMS PLAN PIVOT TO JOBS” “OBAMA AND SENATE DEMS PLAN PIVOT TO JOBS: Senate Democrats hope they now have ‘checked the box’ on debt reduction and can move to an agenda focused on job creation and economic growth, through a combination of spending and tax cuts.” (Mike Allen, “DEMS PLAN PIVOT TO JOBS: Transportation, Infrastructure, Tax Breaks On Fall Agenda,” Politico’s "Playbook", 8/2/11)
AUGUST 2011: The Huffington Post Headline: “Obama’s Jobs Pivot” (Joe Peyronnin, “Obama’s Jobs Pivot,” The Huffington Post, 8/2/11)
AUGUST 2011: National Public Radio Headline: “Obama, Democrats ‘Pivot’ To Jobs But May Be Hamstrung” (Frank James, “Obama, Democrats ‘Pivot’ To Jobs But May Be Hamstrung,” National Public Radio, 8/3/11)
AUGUST 2011: Yahoo! News Headline: “Obama ‘Pivots’ To Jobs – But What Can He Do?” (Zachary Roth, “Obama ‘Pivots’ To Jobs – But What Can He Do?,” Yahoo! News’ The Lookout, 8/5/11)
SEPTEMBER 2011: Politico Headline: “President Obama Pivots To Jobs – And Dares GOP To Follow” (Glenn Thrush, “President Obama PivotsTo Jobs – And Dares GOP To Follow,” Politico, 9/8/11)
JUNE 2012: The Wall Street Journal Headline: “Obama To Revisit Economic Debate” (Carol E. Lee and Laura Meckler, “Obama To Revisit Economic Debate,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/11/12)
JULY 2012: MSNBC: “The Jobs Pivot: With The Economy Struggling, How Does President Obama Make The Case To Be Reelected?” (MSNBC’s “NewsNation,” 7/6/12)
FEBRUARY 2013: National Journal Headline: “Stung By Media’s Focus On Liberal Agenda, Obama Pivots Back To Economy” (Ron Fournier, “Stung By Media’s Focus On Liberal Agenda, Obama Pivots Back To Economy,” National Journal, 2/8/13)
ABC’s Rick Klein: “He’s Pivoted Enough To Have Spun Himself Around, More Than A Few Times.” “ABC’s Rick Klein: He’spivoted enough to have spun himself around, more than a few times. But President Obama’s latest turn toward jobs, in tomorrow’s State of the Union address, will be about as memorable as the other turns so long as the fiscal and budget debates that have paralyzed Washington for two years now remain unresolved.” (Michael Falcone, “The State Of The Union Is…,” ABC News’ The Note, 2/11/13)
FEBRUARY 2013: The Associated Press Headline: “Obama Will Pivot Back To Jobs In State Of The Union” (Julie Pace, “Obama Will PivotBack To Jobs In State Of The Union,” The Associated Press, 2/9/13)
APRIL 2013: The Wall Street Journal Headline: “In Mexico Visit, Obama To Pivot From Security To Economy” (Thomas Catan, “In Mexico Visit, Obama To Pivot From Security To Economy,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/30/13)
MAY 2013: ABC News Headline: “Obama Pivots To Jobs Tour At End Of Scandal Filled Week” (Arlette Saenz, “Obama Pivots To Jobs Tour At End Of Scandal Filled Week” ABC News’ The Note, 5/18/13)
JULY 2013: BuzzFeed Headline: “Obama Will Pivot Back To Attacking Republicans On The Economy In A Series Of Policy Speeches” (Evan McMorris-Santoro, “Obama Will Pivot Back To Attacking Republicans On The Economy In A Series Of Policy Speeches,” BuzzFeed, 7/21/13)
So, when will the networks call out King Nothing on his recycled rhetoric? Something tells me the "pivot" meter will probably clock out in the 30s somewhere before they do, but your guess is as good as mine.
