Media quote Jindal without noting he is misrepresenting Obama's comments
SUMMARY: Media outlets have uncritically reported Gov. Bobby Jindal's misrepresentation of a quote from President Obama. The outlets reported that according to excerpts of Jindal's response to Obama's address to Congress, Jindal would say: "A few weeks ago, the President warned that our nation is facing a crisis that he said 'we may not be able to reverse.' Our troubles are real, to be sure. But don't let anyone tell you that we cannot recover -- or that America's best days are behind her." In fact, Obama stated that if his economic recovery plan were not passed, "we may not be able to reverse" the current economic crisis.
In reporting on released excerpts of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's response to President Obama's February 24 address to a joint session of Congress, media outlets including the Politico and MSNBC.com have uncritically reported Jindal's misrepresentation of an Obama quote. The media outlets reported that Jindal would say, according to the excerpts: "A few weeks ago, the President warned that our nation is facing a crisis that he said 'we may not be able to reverse.' Our troubles are real, to be sure. But don't let anyone tell you that we cannot recover -- or that America's best days are behind her." In fact, in the January 8 speech and the February 5 Washington Post op-ed in which Obama used the phrase "we may not be able to reverse," he did not suggest that "we cannot recover" or that "America's best days are behind her." Instead, he stated that if his economic recovery plan were not passed, "we may not be able to reverse" the current economic crisis. Indeed, during his speech, Obama said of the possibility that his plan would not be passed and thus, "we may not be able to reverse" the crisis: "That is not the country I know, and it is not a future I will accept as President of the United States."
Media outlets that advanced Jindal's false attack include:
- In a February 24 post on his Politico blog, senior political writer Ben Smith stated that Jindal "accus[ed] the president, basically, of pessimism" in the released excerpts, and then uncritically repeated Jindal's statement.
- In a February 24 post on the MSNBC.com blog First Read, NBC political researcher Domenico Montanaro reported that in the excerpts, Jindal "channels Bill Clinton, taking a swipe at Obama for not being hopeful enough," then uncritically repeated Jindal's statement.
In his January 8 speech, Obama stated:
It is time to set a new course for this economy, and that change must begin now. We should have an open and honest discussion about this recovery plan in the days ahead, but I urge Congress to move as quickly as possible on behalf of the American people. For every day we wait or point fingers or drag our feet, more Americans will lose their jobs. More families will lose their savings. More dreams will be deferred and denied. And our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse.
That is not the country I know, and it is not a future I will accept as President of the United States. A world that depends on the strength of our economy is now watching and waiting for America to lead once more. And that is what we will do.
Similarly, in his February 5 op-ed, Obama wrote:
What Americans expect from Washington is action that matches the urgency they feel in their daily lives -- action that's swift, bold and wise enough for us to climb out of this crisis.
Because each day we wait to begin the work of turning our economy around, more people lose their jobs, their savings and their homes. And if nothing is done, this recession might linger for years. Our economy will lose 5 million more jobs. Unemployment will approach double digits. Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse.
That's why I feel such a sense of urgency about the recovery plan before Congress. With it, we will create or save more than 3 million jobs over the next two years, provide immediate tax relief to 95 percent of American workers, ignite spending by businesses and consumers alike, and take steps to strengthen our country for years to come.
Likewise, at a February 9 town hall in Elkhart, Indiana, Obama stated:
Economists from across the spectrum have warned that if we don't act immediately, millions of more jobs will be lost. The national unemployment rates will approach double digits not just here in Elkhart, all across the country. More people will lose their homes and their health care. And our nation will sink into a crisis that at some point we may be unable to reverse.
So we can't afford to wait. We can't wait and see and hope for the best. We can't posture and bicker and resort to the same failed ideas that got us into this mess in the first place. (Applause.) That was what this election was all about -- the American people rejected those ideas because they hadn't worked. (Applause.) You didn't send us to Washington because you were hoping for more of the same; you sent us there to change things -- (applause) -- the expectation that we would act quickly and boldly to carry out change. And that's exactly what I intend to do as President of the United States of America. (Applause.)
That's why I put forth a recovery and reinvestment plan that is now before Congress.
Salon.com's Alex Koppelman also noted Jindal's misrepresentation of Obama's quote in a February 24 post on the War Room blog.
From Smith's post, headlined "Jindal accuses Obama of pessimism":
The early excerpts of Bobby Jindal's response to Obama's State of the Union are largely standard fare, but the conclusion strikes an interesting note -- one hinted at recently by Bill Clinton -- accusing the president, basically, of pessimism.
A few weeks ago, the President warned that our nation is facing a crisis that he said 'we may not be able to reverse.' Our troubles are real, to be sure. But don't let anyone tell you that we cannot recover -- or that America's best days are behind her.
From Montanaro's First Read post:
He also channels Bill Clinton, taking a swipe at Obama for not being hopeful enough.
"A few weeks ago, the president warned that our nation is facing a crisis that he said, 'We may not be able to reverse,' " Jindal will say. "Our troubles are real, to be sure. But don't let anyone tell you that we cannot recover -- or that America's best days are behind her."
jindal says "don't let anyone tell you that we cannot recover". ok, obama didn't say that. maybe jindal should speak to "party leader" rush limbaugh, who said he hoped obama fails.
"uncritically reported" shows up a lot here. Unfortunately the alternative is "critically reported", suggesting that the media is in some way capable of producing a thoughtful, reality-based judgment.
There is no path to salvation.
Gimme a break. Even by factually-challenged gop-slop standards that's weak.
The schmuck is lyin' and the scmsm is letting him get away with it.
Jindal doesn't have his facts straight. He's either too dumb to know any better or he's purposely distorting the facts. There is no door number three and he's lyin' gop slime no matter how you slice it.
Take that trash back to freeperville. It don't fly here.
Hey Coop, both you and Steeve are saying the same thing if I'm reading him right. He's one of the good guys. Maybe reread his post is all I'm saying. He's definately not giving the media or Jindal a pass here.
George Lakoff, a linguist that I and some others here are familiar with, wrote an interesting article on the "Obama Code" . I'm gonna excerpt a few paragraphs of the article here. It gives some good insight into the man and his ideals.
http://www.truthout.org/022409R
As President Obama prepares to address a joint session of Congress, what can we expect to hear?
The pundits will stress the nuts-and-bolts policy issues: the banking system, education, energy, health care. But beyond policy, there will be a vision of America - a moral vision and a view of unity that the pundits often miss.
What they miss is the Obama Code.
For the sake of unity, the President tends to express his moral vision indirectly. Like other self-aware and highly articulate speakers, he connects with his audience using what cognitive scientists call the "cognitive unconscious." Speaking naturally, he lets his deepest ideas simply structure what he is saying. If you follow him, the deep ideas are communicated unconsciously and automatically. The Code is his most effective way to bring the country together around fundamental American values.
For supporters of the President, it is crucial to understand the Code in order to talk overtly about the old values our new president is communicating. It is necessary because tens of millions of Americans - both conservatives and progressives - don't yet perceive the vital sea change that Obama is bringing about.
Coop likes to argue. Yesterday, he jumped on me for counterpointing one of our resident troglodytes. It was obvious by Coop wrote that he either (1) has reading comprehension issues, or (2) he didn't read it at all.
It's probably best to ignore him. Too bad we have to ignore one of our own, eh?
He's been banned multiple times, and from his inability to control himself it's apparent he has no capacity to change his behavior. Flag him when he crosses the line, and he'll be banned again like he should be.
Obama was mistaken to say that, regardless of the misquote.
Attaboy, Brucie. The schmuck purposely misquotes Obama in a deliberate attempt to distort his meaning but it's Obama's fault that Bush left him this mess.
You're in for Jeter. Go watch billo so we don't have to.
I already did and there will be an O'Reilly thread tomorrow on MMFA because he repeated the $70/hour autoworker falsehood in his talking points memo.
Just a little sneak preview for you as you watch your Nickelodeon marathon.
My "Nickelodeon marathon", eh? In other words, brucie's got bupkis. Thanks for clearin' that up, little fella. I never doubted ya for a second.
Hey Coop, Jeter is my hunny bunny. So I'm not unbiased. But he's a pretty fair guy most of the time. Now Bruce....he's a real scoundrel....:-0) Kidding Bruce :-0)
If this dweeb is the future of the GOP, it's gonna get even harder to be a Republican.
Coop
You seem to be confused. As far as I can see, your response to steeve has absolutely nothing to do with what he wrote. His point appears to be that the media is incapable of executing reality-based judgment. He's not saying Jindal was telling the truth.
Brab, Firefox might be your solution. It fixed my posting problems here.
Well, if that's the case and I've misunderstood, then steeve and the rest of you have my sincere apologies.
Hey, I'm a sarcastic schmuck, but I'm no gop or phony moderate who watches fox to get "both sides". Just give me the facts. Ya heard one fixed news/gop-slop lie, you've heard them all.
That said, they're not unable to render reality-based judgement, they're unwilling to. Big difference.
It goes to the heart of what renders MMFA necessary in the first place. The media doesn't have a liberal bias, the facts do. The msm is just lazy.
Just take one look at tweety suckin' up to toxic tommy delay on the slimeball replay. He loves the schmuck. That's your liberal media for ya.
People like tweety don't care about anything except hangin' on to their beach houses and making sure they don't lose their favorite tables and cocktail party invites.
I love how he invoked the disastrous federal (non)response to Katrina as an argument against government intervention.
I hadn't heard Jindal speak much, but had heard a lot about him as the dynamic new star of the GOP. The guy's a corpse. He's got the delivery of a late-night infomercial huckster, and about as much in the way of interesting ideas.
I had to watch a rerun of his speech, as I honestly went into a power nap about a minute into the live feed. OK, part of that was due to a bad night's sleep last night, followed by a long day at work and a visit to my tax guy, but Jindal sure didn't help.
I really think it's healthy for this country to have at least two viable, decent political parties. If Bobby Jindal, Sarah Palin, John McCain and Fred Thompson are models for the modern GOP, I don't think there are enough moran-Americans to keep that party afloat. I could be wrong.
Bobby Jindal, or, as we call him in Louisiana, "Bo-jingles", is no corpse. He just smells like one. He gives us yet another reason to throw out our chests, hold our heads high and swagger down the avenue, proclaiming to all the world what fools we are. His "performance" was sent by the gods. If Republicans needed another embarrassment, old Bo-jingles was it. He and Sarah would make the dream-team for the GOP. (Rhymes with "slop")
For once I have to disagree with you, Col. "I don't think there are enough moran (sic) - Americans to keep that party afloat. I could be wrong." You are most certainly wrong on that one.
Well, of course his buddy, G. W. Bush presided over that fiasco and for sure, it demonstrated the utter failure of the Bush Administration. I can see why Jindal would skirt that little issue and NEVER discuss the horrors of that mess thet "you did a great job Brownie" made of the Emergency. What an apt description of a Republican of this modern era. Good old Brownie and G. W., the Bobsie twins. Never have two more incompetant folks existed. You know the two who did not even understand their gross incompetance
You are exactly right! I laughed out loud when he referenced Katrina. Good job Bobby. Thanks for reminding the American people how utterly the Republican controlled government failed us time and again, with it's response to Katrina and also it's dismal handling of the federal budget. He forgot to apologize for the Iraq war, but maybe in his next speech he can hit that too.
Anyone care to mention the failures of the democratically controlled gov't of NO and La that were the initial failures. Bush did offer help before the storm hit, Blanco turned it down. Both she and Mayor Nagen blew it big time, so there is more blame to spread around. But democrats never mention the failures of their own and of course neither do repubs. There is another article today about how Politico always blames dems for the market going down, maybe one should be written about dems always blaming repubs for everything about Katrina.
Do you have a link regarding Blanco refusing help? Thank you.
dems always blaming repubs for everything about Katrina
Here's why I blame the repubs for Katrina. They had the power to save people, and were asleep at the wheel. Blame Nagin? His entire city was underwater. Blame Blanco? Her National Guard was in Iraq. Who does that leave?
Bush did offer help before the storm hit, Blanco turned it down.
I could not find any link to verify this claim, but I did go find the final report of the bi-partisan congressional commission to investigate Katrina. Check out the summary of their findings on pages 2-5 here.
You are correct that Nagin and Blanco bear a large part of the blame for not initiating a "mandatory" evacuation sooner, which would have initially saved lives. However, as this report documents, the majority of documented failures in this bi-partisan report were the responsibility of the federal government under the leadership of Bush. Indeed, one of the findings states that, "earlier presidential involvement might have resulted in a more effective response."
Clams
Negatory on the Firefox fix. I've been using it for quite some time, including right now. I get the same thing on explorer and google chrome, so it's not the browser. I can be able to reply one minute, then the next minute the box won't pop up. Restarting doesn't work, neither does cleaning the registry. Since I keep the threaded comments off, it doesn't make a big difference as far as my viewing goes, but it's still quite annoying.
I saw the Katrina reference on Americablog. That truly is hilarious, especially considering the volume of criticism that Bush got for his abysmal handling of that disaster from the left. Now that a Democrat is in power, pledging to do things differently, Jindal reminds us about the Republican who screwed up and was the inspiration to handle things differently to begin with. What that man was thinking, I have no idea.
Clams
I forgot to mention I appreciate the tip, it's one I've given to people in the past as well. It beats the holy hell out of explorer, that's for certain. If you or anyone has any idea what's wrong with my computer, you can email me at brabantio2@gmail.com.
Try giving it a sharp tap with a hammer.
Seriously, though, is all your software current? My home computer is about 2 years behind on everything, (because I'm too cheap to upgrade it,) and I can barely use this site on that computer.
My computer at work (sssshhhhhh) is up to date and everything works fine. I use Safari (Mac) and don't have much trouble. Unfortunately, I'm too dumb to figure out all the formatting for putting in italics and spiffy stuff like that.
This is an older computer, but firefox and my virus protection are updated. I won't "upgrade" to Vista if I can help it. Do you have the same problem where it will work one minute (like right now) and then not the next, or does it just not want to post at all?
I have a sledgehammer in the pole barn, I've thought about giving it a couple of taps with that now and then.
One word. Linux. Windows is a disaster.
I'll bear that in mind, thanks.
The problem I have on my older Mac is that I can't reply to a post. Even if I click on the "Reply", it posts it at the end of the thread. I can read it, but it just doesn't interact very well.
One thing I've noticed on my newer machine is that sometimes formatting code will appear in the thread, and sometimes in individual posts. I don't know if that is something with the site or on my end.
I love computers, but the software is changing so rapidly that it's hard to keep up. There are free downloads available for some software, but for operating systems and major applications, keeping up can get expensive.
That's bizarre. What happens on my computer is I hit "reply" and nothing happens. It just says "done" on the bottom toolbar, as if my browser just shrugs as says "eh, I don't feel like making a text box right now". On Explorer it turns the reply button into an "x", as if it can no longer find the image.
As far as cost goes, it's just more effective to get a new computer. I've really just had this one for too long, but I don't have the cashflow to buy one right now.
Same here. I really want a new iMac, but just can't justify the expense. The one I have will do what I need for my freelance work, but it just doesn't have all that FUN stuff a new one has.
Jindal is also one of the GOP Governers who says he might not take portions of the stimulous for his state. So look at anything from him through this.
I missed his speech last night, but I did see him on Meet the Press. A very unimpressive fellow, this Jindal the Exorcist.
He reminds me of a slightly more educated version of Sarah Palin... essentially a talking points robot.
I felt embarrassed for Gov. Jindl and listening to the Clowns from FoxNews explain Gov. Jindl's failure by saying that he was "NOT" speaking to a crowd of people - what? - Speaking in front of a camera should have been easy for Gov. Jindl, I thought. Wait, now I was trying to find a reason for Gov. Jindl's poor performance like FoxNews and the rest of the Republican Pundits were doing. Hmmm, it is what it is...Gov. Jindl was "NOT" good - period.
Just like they blamed Katie Couric for Simple Sarah Palin's poor performance.
I think MMFA is nit picking on this one. The way Jindal said it with the inflection in his speech I do not think indicated he was quoting Obama on the cannot recover part. Since Jindal did such a lousy job delivering the speech, if this is the best the republicans can come up with, man have they got problems.
It doesn't matter. His citation of what Obama said, whether meant to be a strict quote or not, doesn't reflect the fact that Obama's statement was conditional.
"But don't let anyone tell you that we cannot recover -- or that America's best days are behind her."
Note the context above. That is clearly misleading.
THANK GOD FOR MEDIA MATTERS! Indeed it does. For some time I have been watching TV more than usual. I finally came to the conclusion that the so-called news is mostly a pack of lies peddled by people with no conscience or integrity. And a lot of them are just plain stupid. The bigger problem is that these idiots have too much air-time to fill! I learn more from bull sessions with my friends! Thank God you are calling these people on their B.S. And by the way, Jindal and Michael Steele make George Twig look like a man of intelligence and integrity. Keep on keepin' on!
Shame, shame on Jindal! Governor of Louisiana? The man lies with the ease a snake slithering through the Everglades! Don't he and Michael Steele understand that they are front men for the Republicans? The party wanted brown faces spouting their nonsense as a rebuke, not to Obama's views, but to his election. They ignore the will of the people and continue to fight the vote. Democracy indeed! Good! They are showing who they are. I hope everyone learns from the spectacle.
I didn't see his speech either,fell asleep in the 1st minute,but I wonder if he explained why he was for unemployment insurance before he was against it? I saw this @ thinkprogress.org:
FLASHBACK: Jindal Supported Federal Unemployment Funding After Katrina Devastated His District
On Friday, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) announced that he would reject roughly $100 million in unemployment assistance from the federal recovery package, claiming the aid would lead to a tax hike on businesses. Jindal’s decision ensured that at least 25,000 unemployed Lousiana residents would not be eligible for unemployment insurance.
As the congressman representing parts of Lousiana devastated by Hurricane Katrina, Jindal actively sought assistance from the federal government. Yesterday on MSNBC’s Countdown, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) called the Republican Party a “heartless and insensitive organization” and criticized Jindal for rejecting the unemployment funds. Jindal, she noted, was singing a different tune about unemployment aid when Katrina hit his district:
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: This is a guy, who while I served with him in Congress, voted for that [unemployment] assistance twice, and is certainly willing to take funding from the federal when people are out of a job and out of their home as a result of a hurricane, but not willing to take that assistance when his constituents are out of a job and out of a home as a result of this economic crisis. I’m not sure what the difference is. A crisis is a crisis.
ThinkProgress spoke to Wasserman-Schultz’s office, which said the congresswoman was referring to the Flexibility for Displaced Workers Act (109-72) and the Hurricane Katrina Unemployment Relief Act (109-91).
Furthermore, in December 2005, then-Rep. Jindal cosponsored H.R. 4438, which extended federal unemployment benefits to workers who lost jobs due to Katrina. “The President shall make such assistance available for 52 weeks after the date of the disaster declaration,” the bill read. Today, Jindal is opposing a provision that would extend 20 weeks of federal benefits to individuals unable to find work “who had already collected all regular state benefits.”
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) released a statement on the matter today: “Jindal cosponsored and supported legislation to expand unemployment benefits and inject federal dollars into Louisiana’s unemployment trust fund. Yet today in the face of a financial disaster and record unemployment, he opposes similar action under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. What changed?”
Jindal GOP - Grand Opposition Puppet
I don't know about yall... but this guy would do much better being the next Mr. Rogers than the next POTUS
His eyes are too creepy to be on a children's show.
Yeah, but he's got one helluva future as a villain in Bollywood and M Night Shyamalan films.
Scumbag Governaire
Is it me, or does it look like he cut up an American Flag to make that ugly tie? (And no, turning the american flag into a necktie isn't patriotic - it's SACRILIGE.)