Robert Gibbs: “Reaganesque†Barack Obama “Doesn’t Need A Lecture About Hope†From Bill Clinton - Actor Obama Plans To Play Reagan Tonight
Tweet
“Seems that Bill Clinton’s advice to his wife’s boss to express a bit more hope about the economy might not have gone down too well in the White House.
After President Barack Obama used the word “crisis” some 25 times in his Arizona speech last week, Clinton told Good Morning America with mock helpfulness: “I just want the American people to know that he’s confident that we are going to get out of this and that he feels good about the long run.”
On NBC’s Today Show this morning (hat tip: Mike Allen), White House mouthpiece Robert Gibbs said sharply: “This president doesn’t need a lecture about hope. We’ve done that before, we’ll do that again. We understand there are brighter days again.” He didn’t mention any names but I wonder who he might have been referring to?
It seems that Obama will suddenly be all sweetness and light for tonight’s address to a joint session of Congress after a month of doom, gloom and long faces. Gibbs said last week that the president was “an eternal optimist”. If that’s the case, Tony Blankley quips, “one can only tremble at what he would sound like when he turns a little glum”.
On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” today, Gibbs (who showed off his West Wing office, complete with Bobby Kennedy picture over the mantelpiece) indicated that Obama would be back to his old hopemongering self tonight, even suggesting his boss would be “Reaganesque”.
He said: “The president believes very clearly that we have to be honest with the American people about where we are. But … tonight he will … tell the country that we’ve faced … far greater challenges than the ones we face now, but we as Americans always meet those challenges. But in the Reaganesque words, there are always better days ahead.”
Interesting that the comparison was with Reagan and not, say, Bill Clinton.
You might recall that when Obama said back in January last year that “Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not”, the former president and then would-be First Spouse went bananas.
Looks like the rivalry between the two Democratic presidents isn’t over.”>Times Online:
Seems that Bill Clinton’s advice to his wife’s boss to express a bit more hope about the economy might not have gone down too well in the White House.
After President Barack Obama used the word “crisis” some 25 times in his Arizona speech last week, Clinton told Good Morning America with mock helpfulness: “I just want the American people to know that he’s confident that we are going to get out of this and that he feels good about the long run.”
On NBC’s Today Show this morning (hat tip: Mike Allen), White House mouthpiece Robert Gibbs said sharply: “This president doesn’t need a lecture about hope. We’ve done that before, we’ll do that again. We understand there are brighter days again.” He didn’t mention any names but I wonder who he might have been referring to?
It seems that Obama will suddenly be all sweetness and light for tonight’s address to a joint session of Congress after a month of doom, gloom and long faces. Gibbs said last week that the president was “an eternal optimist”. If that’s the case, Tony Blankley quips, “one can only tremble at what he would sound like when he turns a little glum”.
On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” today, Gibbs (who showed off his West Wing office, complete with Bobby Kennedy picture over the mantelpiece) indicated that Obama would be back to his old hopemongering self tonight, even suggesting his boss would be “Reaganesque”.
He said: “The president believes very clearly that we have to be honest with the American people about where we are. But … tonight he will … tell the country that we’ve faced … far greater challenges than the ones we face now, but we as Americans always meet those challenges. But in the Reaganesque words, there are always better days ahead.”
Interesting that the comparison was with Reagan and not, say, Bill Clinton.
You might recall that when Obama said back in January last year that “Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not”, the former president and then would-be First Spouse went bananas.
Looks like the rivalry between the two Democratic presidents isn’t over.
 |
|