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February 21, 2009
UnProfessional Obama Hits Back At Rick Santelli's 'tea party' Rant
Obama hits back at 'tea party' rant
Spokesman says CNBC analyst should switch to drinking decaf
The White House apparently noticed yesterday when a CNBC analyst's impassioned critique of President Obama's mortgage-rescue plan became an Internet phenomenon.
At the presidential press briefing today, press secretary Robert Gibbs eagerly responded to a reporter's question about Rick Santelli's rant amid sympathetic, angry traders at the CME Group in Chicago.
"I've watched Mr. Santelli on cable the past 24 hours or so," Gibbs said, according to an account by the newssite Politico. "I'm not entirely sure where Mr. Santelli lives or in what house he lives, but the American people are struggling every day to meet their mortgages, stay in their jobs, pay their bills, send their kids to school.
"I think we left a few months ago the adage that if it was good for a derivatives trader that it was good for Main Street," the White House spokesman continued. "I think the verdict is in on that."
Santelli later responded to Gibbs in an MSNBC interview, pointing out his complaint was based more on philosophical differences than on details of the plan.
Gibbs contended Santelli "has argued, I think quite wrongly, that this plan won't help everyone."
"This plan helps people who have been playing by the rules. ... I would encourage him to read the president's plan. ... I'd be more than happy to have him come here to read it. I'd be happy to buy him a cup of coffee – decaf," Gibbs said with a smile in an obvious reference to Santelli's passion.
The spokesman showed reporters a copy of Obama's plan.
"Download it, hit print, and begin to read it," he said.
But Santelli wasn't the only one giving an emphatic thumbs down to Obama's economic policies yesterday. His nearly three-minute rant drew approving hoots and comments from nearby traders who apparently backed his contention that the Obama administration is promoting bad behavior that must be causing the founding fathers to roll over in their graves.
"We're thinking of having a Chicago Tea Party in July," Santelli told CNBC "Squawk Box" co-anchor Joe Kernan. "All you capitalists who want to show up at Lake Michigan, I'm going to start organizing."
Some viewers already are comparing Santelli's rant to the well-known scene from the movie "Network" in which character Howard Beale stands up in the middle of his newscast and declares, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"
Santelli responds to Gibbs
Later today, MSNBC host Chris Matthews, on his "Hardball" program, invited Santelli to respond to Gibbs' comments.
Asked if he was offended, Santelli said he was a "little disappointed" but understood the presidential spokesman's stance.
"I guess I would say it this way," Santelli said, "When there are actually some details in the plan, I will pay more even attention to it. But my rant wasn't about the plan specifically, it was about a philosophical issue, Chris."
Referring to the government's intervention in household mortgage contracts, the CNBC analyst said, "The philosophical issue is this: In America, a card laid is a card played. OK. Contract law should be sacred. I don't know that any form of government should be able to come between a person who contracted with an institution and a person that signed on the dotted line."
Matthews later accused Santelli of "coming down hard on Barack."
"No, I'm not, I'm not coming down hard on Barack," Santelli replied. "I'm coming down hard on the notion that I don't see anywhere in the Constitution where if you work hard, you're looked at as being dispassionate, inhumane, because you won't let your government redistribute what you've worked hard for."
Santelli said he wants to leave his children "a legacy, not trillion-dollar deficits."
His offspring, he said should have "the ability to wake up every morning and try to be the best that they can be, and if they work hard and want to do things with the money they make, it should be there's, and it should be their decision."
"I don't understand why our leaders need to be in between that dynamic," he said.
'This is America'
Yesterday, Santelli said the administration should find out if the American people really want to "subsidize the losers' mortgages."
"Or would we like to at least buy cars and buy houses in foreclosure and give them to people that might have a chance to actually prosper down the road and reward people that could carry the water instead of drink the water?" he asked.
CNBC's Rick Santelli yesterday at the CME Group in Chicago
An unidentified trader on the floor near Santelli shouted out, "Hey Rick, that's a novel idea."
Co-anchor Kernan tried to humor Santelli, responding to the support from the traders by interjecting, "They're like putty in your hands."
"No they're not, Joe, they're not like putty in our hands. This is America."
Santelli then turned his back to the camera and dramatically asked the traders, "How many of you people want to pay for your neighbor's mortgage that has an extra bathroom and can't pay their bills? Raise (your) hand."
Boos went up from the floor as none of the traders appeared to raise their hands.
"President Obama, are you listening?" Santelli asked to the camera.
The unidentified trader to Santelli's right then leaned into the analyst and said loud enough to be picked up on microphone, "How 'bout we all stop paying our mortgages. It's a moral hazard."
Don't get scared, Joe," Santelli responded. "Cuba used to have mansions and a relatively decent economy. They moved from the individual to the collective, now they're driving '54 Chevys, maybe the last great car to come out of Detroit."
After an exchange with another guest, Santelli returned at the end of the segment, referring to the traders as a "pretty good statistical cross-section of America, the silent majority."
"Not-so-silent majority," said co-anchor Becky Quick.
Quick asked Santelli if the traders were opposed to other economic measures from the Obama administration, including the newly approved $787 billion stimulus plan.
"They're pretty much of the notion that you can't buy your way into prosperity," he replied. "And if the multiplier that all of these Washington economists are selling us is … that we never have to worry about the economy again, the government should spend a trillion dollars an hour, because we'll get 1.5 trillion back.
CNBC panelist Wilbur Ross, chairman and CEO of WL Ross & Co., interjected, "Rick, I congratulate you on your new incarnation as a revolutionary leader."
"Somebody needs one," Santelli responded. "I'll tell you what, if you read our founding fathers, people like Benjamin Franklin and Jefferson, what we're doing in this country now is making them roll over in their graves."
Wild Thing's comment.........
Welcome to Capitalism Under Siege. God bless Rick Santelli!
You know this is so horrible, so unprofessional, the office of the President responding like this. Bush was attacked for 8 years and never did anything like this, neither did Reagan. I have never before heard an administration attack private citizens by name, whine endlessly about everything under the sun. and generally behave like a group of spoiled children who blame all their problems on everyone else.
....Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67
Posted by Wild Thing at February 21, 2009 05:48 AM
Comments
Gibbs is a scumbag; maybe the worst human being ever to occupy his position. You can judge a president by his hired liars, and most of the MSM will go along with Gibbs because they're like slobbering dogs for Obama. The anger with Santelli shows us how paranoid they are of resistance.
The First Amendment was, in part, a guarantee of open discourse to protect The People from the effects of a subversive press itself...the kind of craven, cowardly, oily propaganda-peddlers we see today in the MSM who will wallow in sludge for access to power. That's why they won't defend Santelli, assuming also that they're scared shitless of the Obama administration but won't show it.
Posted by: Rhod at February 21, 2009 07:15 AM
But Santelli's right! Should I have to pay for Joe Blow's house because Joe bought a home he couldn't afford and lost his job? No. I lost my job, but we managed, we ate a lot of mac and cheese, hot dogs and hamburger gravy and potatoes, and bread and butter sandwiches but we managed. And we're managing with my hubby out of work. I don't want someone else feeling that I'm a cheapskate or loser because they have to pay for my mortgage.
I, too, want to leave a legacy to my children. I want them to be all they can be and do what makes them happy. If that's being an actress on the stage or a weather girl on tv. I want them to choose their own path. As Robert Frost put, "I took the road less traveled, and that has made all the difference."
Posted by: Lynn at February 21, 2009 07:45 AM
When I first saw this I shouted finely, some with a set speaks up about this. Thanks Rick!!!
Posted by: James M at February 21, 2009 08:20 AM
Don't you just love how Matthews calls his president by his first name? Such chums, they are! Can you imagine if Brit Humes called President Bush, "George"?
The Obaminions are doing their damndest to divide us. Divide and conquer. Well, we aren't a banana republic quite yet and not the poor, oppressed illiterate peasants easily dominated. Well, not all of us anyway...
That Omamadingdongdoh even acknowledges the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Rick Santelli tells alot about his insecurities and narcissism. No class - just smoke and mirrors and a brittle exterior. heh!
Posted by: yankeemom at February 21, 2009 08:54 AM
Its no wonder Matthews calls obama by his first name, doesn't the Bamster sends chills down Matthews leg, afterall when you have that kind of relationship with the prez, the least he can do is call a spade a spade.
The 275 Billion dollars for the handout to the delinquent home(owners?) for 9 million deadbeats amounts to just over 8000 dollars. Where's the rest of the money.
275,000,000,000/9,000,000 = $30,555.60
To look at it another way
9 million people get 8000 dollars each or 72 billion dollars to keep their houses, of our money...
there is 203 billion dollars UN-accounted for who is getting that money. Where's the transparency the accountability. I don't see any.
Posted by: Mark at February 21, 2009 09:44 AM
Since we rotate shifts every other week from 8 x 4 and 4 x 12, I catch this Liar In Speak - Gibbs -often on C-Span. Not only is is choice in TIES horrible, he's speaks with a forked tongue! Scum bag is too kind for this devious lightweight slob... Dork Scott Traitor McClellan (Bush #43) was no better! Notice how the Helen Thomas madussa skank throws him softball questions!
Obama Love In 2009.
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at February 21, 2009 09:59 AM
Obama will learn what many would-be kings have learned. "A cat can look at a king." (Old English adage). And Proverbs 22:29 "Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men."
In taking on the Rush Limbaugh's and Rick Santelli's he is taking on better men than he, men skillful in their work, men of accomplishment. He can't win.
And the ordinary people will be emboldened by the courage of Limbaugh and Santelli to "look at the king" and see his flaws clearly. This administration is starting out of the gate like a horse that's sure to fall by the wayside. It will tire early and fall apart. Be ready to take the country back. More Rush's and Rick's will emerge. Add Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin. And our beloved Wild Thing. America is full of skillful men and women who will put aside their everyday pursuits when they've had enough of His Phonyness.
Posted by: horace at February 21, 2009 10:34 AM
So the President responds to an outburst of truth by Rick Santelli. The response is that America is in a financial Doomsday scenario, but will be saved by Obama's marvelous redistribution of wealth. A doublespeak reply. A sorry excuse for the blatant introduction of socialism in the (used to be)free market. The current problem with the mortgage market is the previous intervention of government, but hey, we won't address that, right!
Posted by: TomR at February 21, 2009 01:41 PM
Can anyone tell me the percentage of elderly facing government tax foreclosures vs. bank mortgage foreclosures. I can't seem to find anything? Many elderly homeowners don't have a mortgage, as it has been paid off but stand to lose their homes to the government.
bob A.
Posted by: Bob A at February 21, 2009 06:46 PM
Rhod, I agree soooo much. Gibbs is truly horribe. I have never seen another press secretary be like Gibbs is and the things he does too. He sure does reflect Obama just like you said.
"You can judge a president by his hired liars"
Thank you for the rest of your comment too.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 21, 2009 07:09 PM
Lynn, exactly, Santelli's is speaking for all of us and I am proud of him. I bet he got a lot of thank yous off camera too.
Tnanks too for the Robert Frost quote.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 21, 2009 07:16 PM
James M., giggle I agree Rick was awesome and like you said he spoke up for all of us.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 21, 2009 07:18 PM
Yankeemom, good one, thanks for pointing that out. I agree, LOL Matthews is sure showing what a nut case he is.
Your right Obama really is extremely insecure.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 21, 2009 07:21 PM
Mark, LMAO
"Its no wonder Matthews calls obama by his first name, doesn't the Bamster sends chills down Matthews leg, afterall when you have that kind of relationship with the prez, the least he can do is call a spade a spade."
The next time Obama uses the word transparency I wish someone would throw tomatoes at him, nice ripe ones.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 21, 2009 07:26 PM
Darth, yes I noticed that too. Ole Helen Thomas madussa as you said good name too madussa. I have a really bad photo of her someone photo shopped but it is sooooo horrible I have not had the nerve to use it in a post. I would have to have everyone get sick. heh heh Honest it is extra horrible. But I just had to save it when I saw it long ago. hahaha
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 21, 2009 07:35 PM
Horace thank you so much!!!!
I had forgotten that "A cat can look at a king." Yes Obama is going to learn that very soon.
Thank you for the Bible verse too. All you said is soooooo true.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 21, 2009 07:42 PM
Tom, exactly, I guess I have to let go of that I want Barney Frank,Maxine Waters and Chris Dodd to be brought up for their fighting not to have these Mortgage things looked into. TYhey sure fought it and then it was too late.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 21, 2009 07:47 PM
Bob A., I never heard that before. How would that work, I mean if a person's house is paid for I don't understand how they can lose it. Thanks for the headsup.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 21, 2009 07:49 PM
