Obama Articulates Case for Stimulus Package in First Major Press Conference [w/video]
After the Senate today voted to end debate on the economic stimulus bill; and after the strong showing in his first prime time press conference, one might argue that—to borrow a Seinfeldian term—Mr. Obama has gained some serious ‘hand’.
During the sixty-minute session Mr. Obama fielded questions from the standard mix of TV, wire service, and print journalists (including Helen Thomas), but he also called on reporters from Mara Liasson of NPR and Sam Stein of The Huffington Post, giving the East Room event a decidedly different feel.
Perhaps most striking about tonight’s press conference was listening to the President of the United States give thorough and well-elucidated answers to complex questions about, among other things, what this stimulus package is and what it means for the American people and the economy of the United States.
>>See also: Economic Stimulus Package: Will Obama Push a Smart Grid?
For those of you who may have forgotten or for those who haven’t seen otherwise, this is what a president should be like. (Big thanks to firedoglake for uploading the video and making it available)
While President Obama was sharp in his prepared marks:
He was even sharper in his responses (1):
(2):
(3):
