Sarah Palin: Glenn Beck's "chalkboard technique changing our country"

By GottaLaff

Babbles McPreScreen has a few pre-existing conditions, only hers have nothing to do with her health. Well, maybe her mental health.

No, this is all about Bush envy and controlling the media. Bendy straws were a prerequisite for he university keynote screeching, and pre-screening questions was a must for her latest little Q and A fest.

She has clearly run out of hands to write on, realizes that risky, off the cuff word salad won't cut it, and is now doing her level best to fill Boy Georgie's teensy weensy inept little media-restricting shoes.

Welcome to liberal-leaning Eugene, Oregon, Babbles:

"It's the belief that the government who governs least governs best," she said.

That should win 'em right over. Try again. This time be more convincing:

“I eat granola,” Palin said. “I just happen to shoot and catch my organic food before I eat it.”

“Here I am in Track Town USA and my kid’s name is Track. How Eugene hippie can that be?” she added.

Thud.

Then she dissed "Obamacare." Way to win a more progressive crowd over, Ace. Okay, there's still hope. Maybe she could make it up to them by throwing them an environment bone:

She also called for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and addressed head-on environmentalists against her plan. She argued America has more stringent environmental restrictions than many of the foreign governments we currently rely on for oil.

“So environmentalists are kind of hypocritical on this one,” she said. “I don’t know how environmentalists can sleep at night.”

Ooooo, wrong answer.

There's still time for her to make it up to them, though. I'm sure Babbles will toss them a bone or two. Who would be so stupid and tone deaf that they would refuse to dish up one measly little overture?

Palin accused the media of being inextricably linked to the political left.

“Sometimes they are kind of one in the same,” she said. “We call them the 'lame-stream' media lately.”

See, that's not what I meant. Okay, one more shot. Try again, Babbles. Offer that paying crowd of yours a crumb or two.

She said the media has been unfair to the tea party movement, going so far as to say they make up lies about tea party supporters.

No, no! You're not getting this at all!

“The left, well, they had to grab hold of something to discredit,” she said. “The press then just started making things up. I’ve had to deal with that for quite some time now.”

Deep breath.

She must have one redeeming quality, just one. Maybe she'll have a moment of spontaneity during which we'll discover something good and kind and reasonable and....

During a question and answer session, Eugene City Councilwoman Jennifer Solomon read a pre-screened question from the audience about her role at Fox News. Palin said she was proud to be a part of Fox News for being “fair and balanced.”

Never mind.

She also praised Fox host Glenn Beck and said with “his chalkboard technique he’s changing our country."

And if all that isn't bad enough, journalists were not allowed to use cameras or any other kind of recording device. They were only allowed to watch her speak [sic] on a live video feed... from another room.

One-- count 'em, one-- photo--taken by a hired photographer-- was given out. One.

All this and less could be had for $250 a pop. Yep, 800 people paid that much. And some of them had to settle for a video feed from a separate room at... $100. Yes, they paid a hundred bucks to watch her on TV.

To add insult to injury, 70 people shelled out a thousand smackeroos for a photo op with her. But, hey, that included a copy of her book.

Glenn Beck would be proud.

H/t: Palingate

Entire VIDEO: Obama takes questions from Senate Democrats

By GottaLaff

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Here you go.

Entire VIDEO: President Obama answers YouTube questions

By GottaLaff



Here it is, all 35 + minutes of it.

Can you imagine Boy Georgie doing this, answering questions from the YouTubes... without pre-screening them?

"Neither the President nor his staff will know which questions will [be] asked ahead of time," blogged Steve Grove, who heads News and Politics on YouTube.

Now: Obama answers YouTube questions live

By GottaLaff

For the past five days, 55,340 people asked 11,695 questions to President Barack Obama on YouTube. Voters then cast 643,507 votes to determine the top questions YouTube will ask Obama Monday at the White House in an unprecedented live interview streamed on YouTube.com/CitizenTube.

"Neither the President nor his staff will know which questions will [be] asked ahead of time," blogged Steve Grove, who heads News and Politics on YouTube.

The event, which will air at 1:45 p.m. ET.

VIDEO: President Obama offers condolences, and maybe more, to Chip Reid at G20 presser

By GottaLaff


President Obama called on Chip Reid at the G20 press conference today, which would have been rewarding enough for any correspondent. But the president may have quietly offered a boost that Reid wasn't expecting:

When Mr. Obama called on Reid, the president took a moment to offer a personal sentiment.

"Chip, my heart goes out to you," the president said.

Reid replied, "Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. President. I appreciate that." He then posed his question.

The reason the president offered his condolences is that Reid's father passed away shortly after the correspondent arrived in London to cover the president's trip to Europe.

Chip Reid was going to go home, but his mother and his wife wanted him to stay. They said that that's how his dad would have wanted it, that he'd have wanted his son to cover the president at an event as historic as this.

Reid sent a note to his CBS News colleagues today in which he addressed his loss.

"My father was my hero and I’m here to make him proud,” he said.

Paddy and I were talking about this exchange on the phone earlier. President Obama could have called on somebody else, and then privately offered his condolences to Reid. Instead, he took Chip's question, which might have been his way of reaching out to Reid, who most likely wanted to be back home with his family.

Reid made his dad proud, and maybe even that much prouder due to a little extra assist and sensitivity from President Obama. Just a thought.

Live, from London... It's President Obama

By GottaLaff

Move over SNL. President Obama is speaking right now, live from the London Summit. I'm taking very rough quick-notes:

We have agreed on a series of unprecedented steps for growth:

We're committed to growth and job creation. All 20 nations have voted to act... The U.S. is partnering to clean out the legacy assets... leading directly to loans to businesses who depend on credit.

Plus... bold action to help developing countries.

We've rejected protectionism.

Multi-lateral commitment to trade finance. That's all on the growth front. Next, we committed to reform of the failed regulatory system.

We must end the bubble and bust economy.

Back in the States, we began with Geithner's approach to regulatory reforms. That enabled action with G20 partners.

We're extending supervision... to products, markets, including hedge funds. We'll expand and reform the IMF banks to make them more efficient, effective.

I'll work to provide assistance to vulnerable nations... double support to food safety... give tools to lift themselves out of poverty. Plus assistance to prevent humanitarian catastrophe. This isn't charity... these are future markets. I will work with Congress to provide $448 million in immediate assistance to vulnerable populations like Africa.

I'm pleased that the G20 has agreed to meet again this fall.

Meetings outside of G20: I met with leaders of Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, India [I think I missed one in there]... productive.

Agreement won't be easy, results won't come quickly. But I'm committed to hearing opposing points of view. That's how we made progress in the last few days. A new Era of Responsibility shouldn't end at our borders. We should work together to solve common challenges.

Questions:
Q: How have you done so far? [couldn't hear the whole question]
A: Uhhh... I think we did okay. I came here with the intention of listening and learning, but also providing American leadership. I think the document that has been produced, as well as the concrete actions that will follow, reflect a range of our priorities. We had a strong regulatory response. It was important to strengthen our international financial institutions...

Q: Chuck Todd: What concrete items can you tell the U.S. families...what happened here that helps them?
A: We have a global economy. If we take isolated actions in U.S. that are contradicted overseas, we'll only be halfway effective, or less. There's a decline in U.S. exports... Caterpillar, for example... So, to get them back on their feet, and other export companies... we have to make sure the global economy is successful. This document encourages the openness of markets... will be helpful to us.

Q: BBC: In the spirit of openness ... give us insight into something that you compromised on.
A: If you look at the language of the document, there are probably some areas where it wasn't so much a sacrifice as not our number one priority, but it was important to other actors. I don't want to specify, but each country has its own quirks or issues that a leader may think is non-negotiable. We tried to accommodate those issues in a way that didn't hamper the effectiveness overall. Keep in mind... this kind of coordination is historic. If you imagined 10-30 years ago that you'd have the leaders of Germany, France, China, Russia, Brazil, S. Africa, a president named Obama, former adversaries, or former mortal enemies, negotiating this swiftly, you'd say that's crazy. Yet it happened with relatively few hiccups. This alone is not enough. The actions that each of us take are absolutely vital. We have a set of principles that will help prevent the kind of financial crisis we've seen. That doesn't entirely solve [problems]. How well we execute the respective stimulus programs is important. The quicker, more effective they are, the more all of us will benefit. Bureaucracy, mismanagement, corruption will hamper it. It lays the foundation so that if it does NOT succeed, should we still see freezing of credit, etc. we've created a foundation to take additional steps.

Q: How do you and Bush have a different view of the world?
A: I didn't accompany Bush on his summits, so I don't know how he was operating. I won't warrant a guess on that. I try to communicate the notion that America is a critical actor/leader in the world, we shouldn't be embarrassed about that, but we lead best when we listen, when we recognize that the world is a complicated place, that we have to partner with others, lead by example, when we show some element of humility and recognize that we don't always have the best answer, but support and encourage the best answer. We come in in extraordinarily challenging times, which calls for this type of leadership even more. Ultimately, we won't know how effective we are until we look back 3 years from now and see if it worked. Hopefully, we've set a tone internationally where people give us the benefit of the doubt. There will be tough negotiations, and sometimes we'll have to walk away if we can't have a common accord. But at least we can start... by listening, work cooperatively to nations around the world.

Q: Australia Broadcasting Corp: Executive salaries/bonuses... who makes decisions as a result of today's agreement? Guided by principles or legislation?
A: There is some accountability re: exec compensation. Theoretically that should be the shareholders, but ... the CEO has selected his board, and then the board in a cozy relationship, hires an executive compensation firm that thinks they should retain the best talent by paying millions a year... and that leads to habits that haven't served shareholders well... When I was a Senator, I worked on legislation for a "shame function". That principle is in these guidelines. Success based on not short term performance or flip quick profits, but based on sustained effective growth. That's what's embodied in these documents. It doesn't' mean the state micromanages [SNEEZED TWICE: "I've been fighting this all week"]. In America, we don't resent the rich, but we need mechanisms that hold people accountable.

Q: Jake Tapper: Can you say with confidence that these steps will prevent the world to avoid a depression? And Brown says we've reached a new consensus. What did he mean?
A: There are no guarantees in life or economic. The steps are critical for preventing a slide into depression, bolder and more rapid to date, to any international crisis. They'll have a concrete effect for each nation to create, save jobs, grow the economy, loosen up credit, restore confidence. I think the steps were necessary. Sufficient? We gotta wait and see. But I'm confident, given the common commitment, that if we see other inklings of panic, that this group will respond as needed. You got a sick patient, apply the right medicine, the patient is stabilized, but there are wounds that still have to heal, emergencies can arise... but good care has been applied.

Consensus in Washington: That's a term of art ... cookie cutter model... that was popular, and was led by some of our leading economists in Washington... There's always been a spectrum of opinion about how unfettered the free market is. Some believe in fierce regulation, others think the market is always king. We've learned here... that the market is the most effective mechanism for creating wealth, distributing resources, but goes off the rail sometimes. It needs regulation. We just went through a couple of decades of artificial complacency. We now have to put in some common sense rules, without throwing out globalization benefits.

Q: China TV: Catchphrase of your own. And politics is local, despite global solution. How can you make sure that local politics won't affect global?
A: I'm terrible with sound bites and catch phrases. If you have any suggestions, let me know. In terms of local politics: I'm the president of the U.S.. not of China, Japan, other participants, so my responsibility is to my constituents. I'll be judged by my effectiveness in meeting their needs. But in an era of interdependence, it's also my responsibility to lead America into recognizing that its interests are tied up with a larger world. If we neglect those who suffer in poverty, not only are we depriving ourselves of markets, but that despair may turn to violence. ... Americans' self interest is tied in with yours. Sometimes short term interests will differ... [He went on at length about this]

Q: Jonathan Weisman: A diminished power of the U.S. over the last decade... what evidence did you see? Is the end of Washington consensus evidence of this?
A: I didn't say that some of that loss of authority was inevitable, I said it was traced to Bush decisions that lowered our standing in the world. It was also the opinion of many in the world. You're starting to see some restoration of America's standing in the world... although I always mistrust polls. But international polls indicate more hope about America's leadership. We remain the largest economy... the most powerful military on earth... our production of culture... our politics, media... still have (I didn't mean to say that with such scorn, guys, I'm just teasing) influence. We have important things to contribute. We can still lead. We must forge partnerships rather than dictating solutions. That's not a loss for America, it's an appreciation that Europe is now rebuilt and a powerhouse, same with Japan, China, India. That's good. That means billions are working their way out of poverty, which leads to peace. Leadership helps guide the process of orderly integration, yet it's only as good as the benefits of individual families... America can lead for a very long time based on those standards.

Q: Times of India: What is America doing to help India [fight] terror from Pakistan?
A: We didn't just discuss terrorism emanating from Pakistan. We spoke more broadly. We also spoke about, that in a nuclear age, and poverty being the biggest enemy, that it may make sense to create a more effective dialog between India and Pakistan. We discussed energy. And that U.S. must reduce its carbon footprint so we can forge agreements with China and India. Our European counterparts have moved more quickly than we have, but they know it's not easy.

Q: Chip Reid: There's sentiment that the U.S. was a cause of the meltdown. Did that come up a lot? Was it hard for others to accept our advice?
A: My colleagues were gracious... They continue to express the desire to work with the U.S., admiration... There were occasional comments, wedged into other topics... that this started in America... or Wall St., or w/ particular banks. What helped was my willingness to acknowledge, and it's hard to deny, that some started on Wall St. ... Regulators were asleep at the switch.. But they didn't give me TOO hard a time is because Asian and other banks had their own issues. Given global financial flows, unless we have more effective coordinated regulatory strategies/standards, this will occur again. Overall, there was a constructive approach. I'm excited about healing the economy and making progress on a sustainable mode of economic growth not relying on bubble and bust.

VIDEO: President Obama answers questions about AIG

By GottaLaff

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Video has now been added, noted in the blog title. Now you'll be able to see all my mistakes. Snerk!

Liveblogging President Obama (excuse the shorthand, I caught what I could):
They represent an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds. But what's also outrageous is that we have to clean up after AIG's mess. I just met with my economic team and Barney Frank about a resolution authority similar, not identical, to powers that the FDIC has over banks... they can protect creditors, depositors, consumers, while also exercising greater power over institutions like AIG, not a bank an insurance company with a hedge fund, get out in front, separate bad assets from good, dealing with contracts that may be inappropriate...

My economic team will consult with the Hill, moving it on fast track... part of a package of regulatory steps in the future, so we won't be in terrible positions like this again.

People are outraged by the bonuses, but just as outrage is the culture the bonuses are a symptom of, excess greed, compensation, and risk taking have all made us vulnerable and left us holding the bag.

One message I want to send is as we get out of this crisis, I hope Wall St. and the marketplace don't think we can return to business as usual. The models that created paper wealth resulting in this crisis, can't be the model for economic growth going forward. We have to move beyond a bubble/bust mentality. Make investments on health care, energy, education... not just rely on the financial sector for all our growth. Hold executives more accountable.

Why were they making that much beforehand ? We strive to put an end to that culture.

We are exploring every possible avenue, as is Congress. We need tools, not just find ourselves with only two options: Withhold money from AIG, leading into a spiral that could affect our whole financial system... or, take bonuses and deal with them via the legal system [Sorry, didn't catch this accurately at all. Did that even make sense?].

Q: Do you wish you'd found out about the bonuses before Thursday?
A: Ultimately I'm responsible, as president of the United States. We have to clean up the mess. Nobody here drafted the contracts. or supervised AIG.. and allowing ourselves to put the economy at risk. But we ARE responsible, the buck stops with me. My goal is to never put ourselves in this position again.

Q: New round of bonuses coming up. How do you quell the anger?
A: I don't want to quell anger, they have a right to be angry. I'm angry. We should channel our anger in a constructive way. Stabilize the financial system, get credit flowing, and change how these businesses operate... so the taxpayers don't have to foot the bill when things go bad. There's a lot of folks feigning outrage about bonuses that a few years ago said we should never meddle in these compensation plans... My point consistently is that we believe in a free market, capitalism, getting rich... but based on performance.... It's appropriate to have regulations in place. We should not have the government step in any more... this requires some regulatory framework. Lesson: Putting smart regulations in place, oversight-- these are not anti-market, they're pro market.

You gotta be accountable to somebody. That measure of accountability is what made America strong, we've gotta get back to those values.

Q: You got $100 K from AIG. How do you feel today? Will you do something about it? Should Geithner resign?
A: I have complete confidence in Tim Geithner and my entire economic team. Geithner didn't create these contracts with AIG. Nobody's working harder than this guy. He's making all the right moves in terms of playing a bad hand. We need to provide him with support to work through these problems.

Q: Was it a mistake to prop up AIG?
A: This can get technical, but I'll try to simplfy: Last year when the Fed stepped in, it was not a decision that we made, but it was right... AIG had insured a bunch of losses for a bunch of banks that made bad bets on subprime loans.... Massive insurance policies, and a lack of regulations made it possible to have more policies than they could pay out... And had AIG been allowed to liquidate, all those banks would have experienced such big losses that it would threaten the entire financial system.

My answer is not protecting banks. It's protecting the American people. The prospect of all that unraveling would have been an unacceptable risk. We're trying to get into position where we make sure that going forward we're not held hostage to the bad decisions in the past, but create a system where they can't make these bad bets.

I am confident that we can strike the right balance [....] but don't allow them to put eveyrone's savings , homes, jobs at risk.

MSNBC Commentary: He didn't talk about what's happening now. He didn't look forward or back. Chris Matthews agrees: He shifted away from what did he know and when did he know it... the press let him get away with it, by the way... He's back to the change message, moving forward to causes of reform. Richard Wolffe: He's in touch with the anger mood, but he still has to educate us in how we got into this mess. Eugene Robinson: He was very lucid about AIG, took the heat off Geithner, saying the buck stops with me. He used the word "voters". He's very aware that he's there because he got elected.

Mike Viqueira: He and Barney Frank will go after them with litigation.

President Obama answers questions on health care reform

By GottaLaff

FYI:

He's on the Tee Vee Machine right now. Ted Kennedy spoke first, and he's lost some weight. President Obama is answering a question from Mitch McConnell as we speak.

Henry Waxman just paid tribute to Kennedy.

Prez O: Make decisions on data, what works, and facts, not on dug-in positions. There's no dispute between Gingrich and Kennedy about digitalizing the health care system. Other things won't be so easy. [paraphrasing]

Max Baucus: The American public wants health care reform, that's a no-brainer. There needs to be a uniquely American solution, not Japanese, not European...

Chuck Grassely: Baucus and I have a good bipartisan record. But we have to keep what we have now, and make it stronger.

Prez O: "There's nothing harder in politics than doing something now that costs money that will save money in 20 years. It's the single hardest thing in politics."

Direct answers from John Podesta

By GottaLaff

Think Progress has two original videos of a Q and A session they held with John Podesta. Examples of questions: “Why is President Obama giving up so much to try to appease the conservatives?” and “Does Obama plan to create some kind of commission to look into past abuses of our obligations under both domestic law and foreign treaty?”

Since they did all the work, I won't post the videos here. I'd rather give them the traffic. Go take a look.