Gibbs on Transparency: We Kept Our Promise; CNN’s Cafferty: You Lie!
The sparks kicked up by C-Span’s request to televise healthcare negotiations have erupted into a firestorm, as White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was grilled about the President’s campaign promise of complete transparency, and responded testily. CNN’s Jack Cafferty delivered a stinging j’accuse to President Obama, calling the pledge a “lie just to get elected.”
At today’s White House briefing, Robert Gibbs answered another raft of questions about President Obama’s campaign promise to show all healthcare negotiations on C-Cpan. He was testy from the start, referring Chip Reid “to yesterday’s transcript.”
When pressed, Gibbs reiterated his answers from yesterday, asking if the media had lacked information about the healthcare reform process in producing stories. Finally, Fox News’ Major Garrett asked Gibbs if the President kept his promise. The answer he gave was surprising.
“Yes.” That’s not what I got from his answers yesterday. It sounded more like “We did pretty well with that,” a debatable position, but there’s no way to square this with the President’s promise to air everything.
On the other end of the scale sits Jack Cafferty, whose apoplectic comments during the 2008 campaign made him an unlikely darling of liberals. He came out firing at Gibbs and the President, saying the transparency promise was a lie.
While Gibbs is clearly wrong, Cafferty well overstates his case here, saying that President Obama “hasn’t even made a token effort to keep his campaign promises of more openness and transparency.” To be sure, the failures at transparency are big ones, but this administration still has a record of openness that is unprecedented.
The decision to skip formal conference committee negotiations, and not to televise them, is going to continue to cost the administration politically. The calculation here, I believe, is that entrusting the healthcare reform bill to a full conference of a Congress that can’t get out of its own way is a recipe for disaster. If skipping conference saves the bill, it may well be worth all the bad press.
15 comments
TfT says: Yes, Obama released the White House logs, but then when people review them and see:
Jeremiah Wright
Bertha Lewis
William Ayers
on the list, the White House says:
It wasn’t that Wright
It wasn’t that Lewis
It wasn’t that Ayers!
LOL — so much for transparency.
Furthermore, Obama also promised to post legislation for five days for the public to review prior to voting and we all know that promise of transparency has been thrown in the trash can, just like his promises to be open to CSPAN during the legislation process.
Fail.
dhg says: Seems to me we’re getting transparency on what the Obama administration wants to be transparent about.You can’t pick and choose and expect it to all go by unnoticed.Of course they don’t want to actually show us the health care negotiations just like the Dems don’t want to lose any time getting the bill passed and signed.If we knew everything,saw everything and had time to think about it we’d vote them all out.We’d see the corruption and dysfunction of the system.We’d also see the vast load of carp this bill actually is.Just wait and see,there will be some transparency but it will only be for topics and so forth the administration feels they can display and not get nailed for.That will allow the stupiest press secretary ever known to say they are being transparent.
Personally, I think both Mr. Cafferty and some members of the press corp could use a refresher on the concept of “Separation of Powers”. This is not to say that I think televising is a bad idea or that it’ll actually get done, but as I said on this forum yesterday and as I said a month ago when a commenter brought it up: it’s not the President’s call.
BTW: Somebody should get in touch with Bob Dole. I don’t know how he’s been feeling lately, but last we heard from him, he had shed a lot of the political posturing and as an expert on procedure with nothing to gain, he could have something to say.
the White House says:
It wasn’t that Wright
It wasn’t that Lewis
It wasn’t that Ayers!
Do you have proof that it was?
Moderate says: Perhaps Congressman Joe Wilson should receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for shouting out “You Lie” to Obama during his speech to Congress last year.
Joe Wilson deserves an apology.
libra blue says: Cafferty called his messiah Obama a liar? Sorry I missed hearing this one!
ImNotBlue says: Vidiot says:
January 6, 2010 at 6:42 pm
I don’t think TfT’s point was that it was the “real” Wright, Lewis, Ayers… rather it was the White House who was attempting to “punk” (if we can use that term) the media. They knew who the names they were releasing… and they knew the media’s reaction. They were essentially baiting the press.
Although, it is suspicious that they had so many people with the same name visit. But, nobody checked up on it, and I’m not sure if anyone knows who these new folks are either.
The Real Royal King says: When did we decide the Press Secretary needs to be an abrasive jerk? Look at the Jerk Squad W gave us, ending with the horrendous Perino. Look at Gibbs. Can’t we do better?
ImNotBlue says: The Real Royal King says:
January 7, 2010 at 7:52 am
Well, I agree about Gibbs… but disagree about Bush’s selections (why must everything come back to Bush all the time… move on already… but anyway). Tony Snow was well liked and respected… Scott was in over his head, but not a jerk… Perino didn’t look the part, but wasn’t mean… and Ari was knowledgeable but not rude as I recall. So in your mind, were they jerks simply because they worked for W… or was there something specific?
The Real Royal King says: Ari: profound prevaricator and snotty. Scotty: a decent sort, a bit over his head as you suggest, proufoundly uncomfortable with all of the lies he was asked to tell. Snow: profound, over-powering arrogance; Perino, ill-informed, rude, but a highly accomplished liar. I wasn’t singling out W. I only went back in recent history. If you wish, we can go back to Salinger. I best say, you W types are a profoundly prickly lot. One would think people so deserving of humility would be humble.
Kevin says: “it’s not the President’s call.”
I didn’t realize the president was that weak. It’s sad he doesn’t have more control over Pelosi, Reid and the legislative process in congress. But, leadership isn’t really his strong suit, is it.
ImNotBlue says: The Real Royal King says:
January 7, 2010 at 1:18 pm
I think your analysis of Scott tells a lot about your distain for these folks. It wasn’t them, per se… it was what they were talking about, what they represented, and the opinions that contradicted yours. Snow was a lot of things, but arrogant wasn’t one of them. He was well liked by the media pool, many of whom had real issues with what he was saying… but liked him and his presentation. You’ve gotta separate your political opinion, from the opinion of their job performance and personality. There’s a difference.
I best say, you W types are a profoundly prickly lot.
What are “W” types? People who don’t think he was sent from Satan, and should be burned on the stake? Are those “W” types? People who prefer to look at the current situation, instead of constantly dwelling on the past 8 years… using Bush as a scapegoat and defense for all things wrong presently? Yeah… we are “profoundly prickly” (was profound your word of the day? You used it 4 times in one paragraph.), if “prickly” means tired of Bush being blamed for everything from a stubbed toe, to Obama lying about transparency… but I prefer to think of it as being more “intellectually and historically honest.”
The Real Royal King says: Your analysis of Scotty is simplistic. He repeated lies about the US Attorney firings and Scooter,constantly. He regurgitated lies about Iraq. Just how are these political opinions? They are facts, falsified facts, lies, not political opinions. Pure and simple. While many in the W Administration were very adept liars, Scotty was not. I prefer to believe him to be too decent to lie well.
And, yes, you colored yourself a W type very well. Of course, you don’t want to examine the preceding eight (8) years. It makes all of you very uncomfortable. A successful and unpunished terrorist attack on US soil and a complete economic collapse. By all means, let’s take no lessons from these at all. Let all who suffered and died do so in vain. Much better than “dwelling” on the past.
Pathetic.
pyrope says: This episode is one more nail in Mr. -0bama’s political coffin, and I think the Democrats are just beginning to understand how much power they will lose because of their ridiculous legislation. The mantra for many who voted for Mr. -0bama and his flock of socialists, communists, facists, so-called “progressives,” criminals, and every manner of perverts has become “We shall not forget.” With the spectre of higher taxes and the pawining of our grandchildrens’ futures staring us in the face, I am predicting a political purge, the likes of which has never been seen before. Unfortunately, this country has been caused to rot from within so much that cutting out the cancer that would otherwise destroy it will be more painful than most people have the intestinal fortitude to accept. This is not all the fault of the current gang of idiots but has been going on since the days of Woodrow Wilson and the father of socialism in the US–Franklin Delano Roosevelt–held power. The jig is up, now we must pay the fiddler. Are you ready? Do you have the guts for it? Most aren’t and most don’t, but it’s either correct our course or drown in a sea of woes caused by bad government.
ImNotBlue says: The Real Royal King says:
January 7, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Just how are these political opinions?
Well… because there were no lies about Iraq… at least no evidence of lies. You can argue that they knew they were misleading, but you have nothing other than circumstantial evidence… no actual proof. Furthermore, the “lies” you point to are the same “lies” regurgitated and accepted by the majority of Democrats in congress at that time. As for the firing… how’d that case wind up, I forget…
Of course, you don’t want to examine the preceding eight (8) years.
Nah… I just don’t want to talk about them anymore because we talked about them for 8 years already… and everytime you start to talk about it, you make up new “facts” to fit your spin. It’s much easier for you to talk about 8 years ago, than to talk about today… attacking is always easier than defending. It’s a “change the subject” technique by a group of people perpetually obsessed that they lost two elections to a man who they hate. Not disagree with… but absolutely hate. It’s not about “learning lessons,” it’s about distraction and obsession. That’s what’s pure and simple… W was your scapegoat for 8 years, and blaming him is much easier than having to take responsibility for anything.
Try to talk about what’s going on now… try to focus.
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