President Obama was "elected to be the smartest guy in the room," said Mike Lupica in the New York Daily News, but he's acting like he just wants to be the "most popular kid in the class." He goofed around with Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show," and for his second act he yukked it up during a long interview with Steve Kroft on "60 Minutes," giggling so much about the disastrous economy that Kroft said Obama was acting "punch-drunk." (watch the video)
It may seem like Obama is selling his economic plan the way a Hollywood star promotes a movie, said Ellen Gray in the Philadelphia Daily News, but Obama is just "going where the people are." This is a major win for Obama, and for the mainstream media. As broadcast networks struggle to compete with cable, "60 Minutes" showed that viewers are still interested in "the kind of long, sometimes complicated stories no one's supposed to have time for anymore."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.