Presser for One

The idea of a primetime news conference isn't bad, what with angry mobs on intimidation bus tours of AIG employees' homes while tea parties get ignored by mainstream media folks all over the country. Obama is the optimist-in-chief, it's time to speak!

CNN has leaked part of his speech, which will mainly be a lobbying effort for his new 2010 trillionaire budget proposal. It includes the following:

"We will recover from this recession," the president will say, according to excerpts of his opening remarks.

"But it will take time, it will take patience, and it will take an understanding that when we all work together; when each of us looks beyond our own short-term interests to the wider set of obligations we have to each other -- that's when we succeed."

Well now, a conspiracy minded person could certainly find common ground with that kind of stuff and this kind of stuff:

Marx intended the initial part of his slogan, "from each according to his ability" to suggest not merely that each person should work as hard as they can, but that each person should best develop their particular talents.

Claiming themselves to be at a lower stage of communism ("socialism") in line with Marx's arguments, the Soviet Union adapted the formula as: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his work (labour investment)".

Especially when considering the new bill just slipped through Congress yesterday (today's volunteer is tomorrow's indentured servant). But that's just a bunch of Beck-inspired neocon fantasia, right?

Of more interest will be observing how Obama handles himself with the presser. Will the questions--and questioners--be scripted? Will they ask real questions? Which new media entity will get the most shots, Huffington Post or Ed Schultz? Will Obama be using the clarification screen to help him sort through answers to tough questions from Tapper or Garrett? And will Miss Helen make weird O'Reilly-like shrieking noises? We await the hilarity.

MORE 3/24/09

Liveblogger. Obama, for the first time, bashed those who would bash capitalists. Bout time. But his speech was less Marxy than CNN led on.

Tapper just tried to pin down the prez on budget showstoppers and got a speech on the budget. I have no idea what his answer was, nor did Tapper.

Reid from CBS just asked about the spiralling debt, using Obama's own words against him (passing on our problems). Obama just blamed Bush. Wait, is he looking down at the screen?

No screen! They just showed the back of the podium and there are only notes. Even Emanuel isn't that bold. But Obama's filibustering again anyway, wandering off into talking point woods with something about his grandiose budget not passing along huge debt to our kids, or something.

Again, as mentioned here earlier, Obama's right about the procurement system is broken and riddled with lobbyists and ex-government officials. But so is the REST of the government procurement system. He seems adamant about fixing only the one, which is coincidently handled by spending less on the military.

"We're doing everything we can to reduce this deficit"... yes, by doubling it. The reporters are trying to attack his projection of cutting the deficit in half by 2012, but not getting anywhere.

The worst economy since the Great Depression has now been improved to a "rough patch". And Obama just patted himself on the back as to his flowering global reputation. Did the reset button actually work?

Night's challenge--cracking the filibuster fog. Ann Compton seems to be the first winner.

With a recent order to send 17,000 troops to Afghanistan there was not one question about the war from the same pack of journalists who hounded the previous occupant about it incessantly.

No surprise there. Obama is now back in the wandering woods on the Israeli-Palestinian question as we sign off.... turning to MSNBC to monitor the sexual reaction--only briefly.