Obama: Punch drunk on '60 Minutes'?
The online debate over presidential laughter in hard times
Steve Kroft sure knows how to get bloggers stirred up, said USA Today. Kroft noted that President Obama chuckled a few times during questioning about the economy, and asked the president, "Are you punch drunk?" Now the exchange is a hot topic of conversation online. (watch the video)
"Who would have thought that anyone at CBS would have the guts to ask Obama something like this?" asked Michele McGinty on BeliefNet. It's arrogant of Obama to joke around and at the same time act like he knows more than the financial wizards of Wall Street. "Hey, lefties!" You cringed when Bush smirked—how do you feel now?
Obama and his team have "a lot on their plate," said The Women on the Web blog. The nation is "facing a bevy of economic crises," and it's true these are not joking matters. But it's silly to suggest that Obama's not taking the economy seriously. Still, "a little humor goes a long way" for a White House that has to get across how serious the crisis is without turning us into a nation of pessimists.
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