Posted on 06/15/2010 7:56:55 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Appearing on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports on Tuesday, Politico columnist Roger Simon described a recent interview with President Obama: "...he showed a genuine irritation....when people like Bobby Jindal, you know, standing up, screaming about more federal action...a small-government, no federal aid kind of guy. And the President is calling out those people for hypocrisy."
Simon was discussing a quote from Obama in that interview, in which the President whined: "Some of the same folks who have been hollering and saying do something are the same folks who, just two or three months ago, were suggesting that government needs to stop doing so much." Apparently, asking the federal government to do its job in a national emergency but not take over people's health care is the liberal definition of hypocrisy.
Earlier, Mitchell asked Simon to preview the President's prime time address on the oil spill. Simon gushed: "...he's cool and collected about things but he also realizes that he has to break through that, and tonight is his chance. You know, speeches have never failed Barack Obama. They started his presidential career. They've always rescued him at tough times.... I think he wants to re-establish that personal bond he once had with voters." He could hardly wait for Obama's performance: "I think tonight we saw a preview of it in Pensacola. He likes to preview the speeches like opening a play out of town before you go to Broadway."
Here is a full transcript of the June 15 segment:
1:15PM EST
ANDREA MITCHELL: For months a voice has been missing. We've been missing the voice of Politico's chief political columnist Roger Simon. He has been struggling with blood poisoning. He's now made a welcome recovery and is back stronger than ever, having just had an exclusive interview with the President, and then appeared on Meet the Press and Hardball and you join us now. Roger, it is wonderful to see you.
ROGER SIMON: Wonderful to be back with you.
MITCHELL: I can't tell you how happy we are in person and also to read your great interview with President Obama.
SIMON: Thank you.
MITCHELL: Now you spent time – you're the only journalist who spent time with the President recently as we prepare for tonight's big speech. Tell us your impression of how he is handling the crisis and what he wants to project tonight.
SIMON: Well, it won't surprise you to learn that he's cool and collected about things but he also realizes that he has to break through that, and tonight is his chance. You know, speeches have never failed Barack Obama. They started his presidential career. They've always rescued him at tough times and I think tonight we saw a preview of it in Pensacola. He likes to preview the speeches like opening a play out of town before you go to Broadway. And he said in Pensacola, 'I am with you.' He didn't say 'we are with you.' He's making it very personal. And I think he wants to re-establish that personal bond he once had with voters.
MITCHELL: Now there's also a thin-skinned aspect to the President at times. You wrote in the Politico interview, discussing the role of the government in the oil spill, you said some of the same – this is quoting the President – 'some of the same folks who have been hollering and saying do something are the same folks who, just two or three months ago, were suggesting that government needs to stop doing so much. Some of the same people who were saying the President needs to show leadership and solve this problem are some of the same folks who, just a few months ago, were saying, this guy is trying to engineer a takeover of our society through the federal government that is going to restrict our freedoms.' So he's reacting to these criticisms.
SIMON: He is. And that troubles him, and that's one of the two moments I think where he showed a genuine irritation there, and – well, three moments. There, dealing with Congress on the same way: 'Congress, if I had gone to six months before for extra money they would have said no,' and also with the press, a continuing irritation of his. When he sees people like Bobby Jindal, you know, standing up, screaming about more federal action, more federal aid, well, six months ago, that's not the person that Bobby Jindal was. He was a small-government, no federal aid kind of guy. And the President is calling out those people for hypocrisy.
MITCHELL: Let me just ask you on a personal note, because you've been through Hell and back, and there you are, you've covered Barack Obama during the campaign, you've had interviews in the past, and now you're entering the Oval Office in a very different way. They reached out to you. You also reached out to them. But how was it different and how did the President accommodate you?
SIMON: I was really nervous. I felt like a summer intern on his first job. I've been interviewing people for decades. This felt different. You're in the Oval Office, you're in the center of power. And also, I must say, the President was extremely gracious. He didn't wait in the Oval Office behind his desk for me to come in. He came out and walked down the hallway. He greeted me, we entered together, he turned around his chair to face me. So the task is to be grateful for that, which I was, and also as a journalist to fight it and still ask tough questions.
MITCHELL: Well, you did it brilliantly. Roger, we are just so grateful you're back.
SIMON: Oh, I'm so happy to be back with you, Andrea. Thank you for this.
MITCHELL: Thank you. And we look forward to other exclusive interviews from you, from Politico.
SIMON: Thank you.
—Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here.
The main problem with government is that politicos and bureaucrats can’t handle jobs in the private sector so they gravitate towards do-nothing jobs where they get to order private citizens around.
The bamster is a prime example of this.
This cheerleader Simon gushes more than the Deep Horizon well!
What about Obama’s hypocrisy?
On one hand, after spending billions of tax dollars on regulations that were supposed to prevent this, he now says that the government could not have prevented this and can’t stop it. On the other hand, he appoints a blue ribbon panel of famous retired politicians, and tells us, “We’ll make sure this never happens again.”
Both statements can’t be true. If government can’t prevent this, then why waste our money?
Federal Gov’t doesn’t fulfill its responsibilities on immigration. Arizona takes action. Leftos complain!
Federal Gov’t doesn’t fulfill its responsibilites in protecting beaches and waterways. Lousiana acts. Leftos complain!
Trend?
Bamster is a certifiable PUKE that will go down in history as a traitor to our country.
This is their last line of arguments... The whole how can you be for smaller government but want the government to help you.. They have nothing else to come with so they are acting like kindegardeners.
The Obamistas wants to suck up all the power and money, take these away from the states, and in general control everything, making everyone beg. But when called upon to perform, somehow they seem to be muscle bound, unable to do what they have to do.
But then, he is what he is..., a Marxist.
OK. because we do not want the govt dictating what health care we get, that has nothing do to with the ACTUAL responsibilities of the federal govt to handle crisis such as an oil spill threatening the entire gulf area. Some things could be state-based but those powers have been usurped by the Fed. Now the Fed can’t deliver.
ROFLMAO
It is not hypocrisy to want big government to get out of the way. It is hypocrisy to say big government is the solution by saying it is not big enough.
Come to think of that - already existing bureaucratic paralysis and incompetence are just another good reasons not to expand the Government.
Simon is either a certifiable IGNORAMUS or a MORON or maybe BOTH. Let’s call him “Simple” Simon from now on.
Governor Jindal wasn’t asking for a handout to clean up the mess. He was asking for the federal government to follow it’s own rules and do the job it says it would do according to the Oil Pollution Act. It says that Obama (supposedly the Commander in Chief) is the executive agent for clean up actions.
Obama wants to ingest the Federal Government on issues it should not be handling, and then not be responsible for issues it should be handling.
This is the same Fed that fails to enforce our borders ( clearly its responsibility).
Politico is a mouthpiece for the Democratic Party.
.....Crickets....
That @$%^#&^$&*%*^&*(&$^* a$$h0L3 !@!!!!#%q@$%$@q%@
If the idiot did his damn job in the first place then Jindal and the other govs could do theirs. May God have mercy on that POS’s black evil soul because I sure don’t. (I am not referring to his race when I say black, evil soul.) The color of his skin is not the problem.
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