THE HILL
 

Obama: Conservative anger is 'coarsening dialogue'

By Mike Soraghan - 09/13/09 09:42 AM ET

President Obama says the angry scenes on televised town halls represents a "coarsening of our political dialogue."

In an interview to be aired tonight on 60 minutes, Obama indicated that he didn't think the opposition expressed to his agenda represented the national mood, just the best television.

"In the era of 24-hour cable news cycles, the loudest shrillest voices get the attention," Obama said, in the interview which was previewed on "Face the Nation." "What I'm trying to figure out is how can we make sure that civility is interesting."

Source:
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/58453-obama-conservative-anger-is-coarsening

Comments (69)

President Obama must have not seen the liberal attacks on conservative speakers around the country nor read the nastiness on DailyKos or Moveon.org. Of course when you sit in a pew with a preacher that spews anti-American speech and never hears it, I guess it is too much to expect Obama to be fair about public discourse. He is in his own peril to ignore the town hall protest and is making a big political mistake to think they don't represent a sizable part of voting Americans.BY Vesuvius on 09/13/2009 at 11:05
Oh really, and calling anyone who disagrees with you a liar isn't coarse at all I don't guess.BY Rick H on 09/13/2009 at 11:16
It is interesting that Democrats who made sure their voices were the shrillest during the Bush years and tried as hard as they could to be as uncivil and as offensive as they could are all of a sudden interested in civility.Of course, anyone who differs with the President's ideas will just be branded some sort of robe-wearing, gun-toting racist anyway.BY Dave on 09/13/2009 at 11:26
I was never a fan of Bush but the amount of venomous vitrolic hatred spewed at the man even on MSM gave me an allergy and permanent deafness to anything the Democrats have to say.I am certain I am not the only one laughing at this odious hypocrisy voiced by Obama.BY M and M on 09/13/2009 at 12:53
Obama and congress can continue to dismiss the will of the people but should be prepared come next election day to pack their bags and head for home. I'm sick and tired of the arrogance and disdain they show for people who have valid questions about the health care reform.BY grannysunni on 09/13/2009 at 13:02
"President Obama says the angry scenes on televised town halls represents a "coarsening of our political dialogue." I wonder what he was thinking as he flew over the Washington Mall in Marine 1 and so the crowd below so "In the era of 24-hour cable news cycles, the loudest shrillest voices get the attention," but this was live and hewas able to see and in turn hear the voices. Still he and his ilk will brush it off as a minor "discourse" and not representative of the "vast" majority of people who want reform. Tonights fawning television interview will again be a podium for him but then again it is just the best television…BY Pete on 09/13/2009 at 13:05
What a hypocrite! Conservative anger coarsening discourse? Where was this dunce when Democrats depicted President Bush with a bullseye on his head, made movies about the murder of the president, showed the president and Condi Rice as vampires with bloody mouths and hands? Silent. Coward! Hypocrite! If he'd been to a real church he would have heard the Gospel, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you," and he'd not have called Sarah Palin a liar for using an accurate metaphor to describe the effect of his healthcare ideas on the elderly.BY apodoca on 09/13/2009 at 13:06
This, from the man who interrupted his predecessors speech with jeers. Besides Robert Gibbs said Obama didn't see the March yesterday (about a million people) and he didn't know anything about townhalls (going on for 6 months), so if you don't know anything about it how can it be uncivil or uninteresting?BY Beth on 09/13/2009 at 13:09
amen to thatBY Deidre Yuknavich on 09/13/2009 at 13:09
Wow! This guy will go down as the most ineffective President that the WORLD as ever seen. His leadership skills are terrible for a democrat, republican or an independent. I hated Bush, but I wish they bring him back.BY julie j on 09/13/2009 at 13:09

Add Comment

Name (required)

E-Mail (will not be published) (required)

Your Comments

Key Blogs

What they are saying today …
Drudge Report
"Punch will stun West," reads the headline above the fold on Drudge this Tuesday. The line refers to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent, vague promise this week to somehow "punch the arrogance" of the West on February 11. Also above the fold: A slew of weather-related links, including a report from the National Weather Service that predicts more snow for the already buried Capitol.… Read More »
The Huffington Post
"Healthcare theatrics" reads the banner atop The Huffington Post, which links to an AP story on the White House's struggle to bring GOP leaders to the table for a televised healthcare summit. The AP questions whether the event may have any utility outside of immediate personal politics. Below, reporter Sam Stein reports Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) plans to vote against the White House's nominee for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Craig Becker.… Read More »
Red State
Moe Lane this morning summarizes the latest back-and-forth between the White House and congressional GOP leaders over healthcare. The White House wants Republicans to join Democrats for a televised healthcare summit in the coming days, but GOP leaders do not want Democrats' bill to be the basis for those talks. Meanwhile, Brian Darling takes on NYT columnist Paul Krugman's latest piece, in which he rails on the filibuster (and the GOP's use of it). "He is clearly way outside of his area of expertise when talking about Senate procedure, because his analysis is laughable," Darling writes.… Read More »
The Washington Independent
Spencer Ackerman leads The Washington Independent this morning with a post about William Lietzau, a top Obama White House appointee first installed during President George W. Bush's tenure. Lietzau handled the military commissions the Supreme Court later found unconstitutional, and Ackerman reports that he will soon become Deputy Assistant Secretary for Detainee Affairs.Earlier, David Weigel shared Defense Secretary Robert Gates' thoughts on the passing of Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha (D). Noted Gates: "In our dealings over the years, Jack and I did not always agree, but I always respected his candor, and knew that he cared deeply about the men and women of America’s military and intelligence community." … Read More »
AMERICAblog
John Aravosis points out that Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) has dropped most of his unprecedented blanket hold on most of the White House's nominees -- except a few defense posts, which remain tied up as Shelby seeks two lucrative military contracts for his home state. Later, Aravosis reports that the Department of Health and Human Services has opened an investigation into the California Blue Cross health insurance program, following reports that premiums there have increased 39 percent recently.… Read More »
The Corner
News that Iran may have started enriching uranium has prompted The Corner's Mike Potemra to issue the Middle Eastern state a warnining: "It’s not too late for Iran to turn back from such a disastrous course: Even evil regimes — regimes that systematically violate the rights of their own people — have the use of intellect." Also, gues blogger Ralph Reed offers his thoughts on former Gov. Sarah Palin's national political aspirations. Ultimately, he calls her a "bridge" between Tea Party activists and the GOP establishment.… Read More »
Blog Summaries Archive »

Briefing Room Blog Roll

The Hill
ABC News: The Note
AMERICAblog
Barack Obama
Beat The Press
Bill Press
BuzzFlash
Capitol Briefing
Capitol Games
The Caucus (NYT)
Clive Crook
Comments From Left Field
CNN Political Ticker
The Corner (NRO)
Crooks and Liars
The Daily Beast
Daily Caller
Daily Kos
DCCC: The Stakeholder
DNC: Kicking Ass
DSCC: From The Roots
Drudge Report
Eschaton
Extreme Mortman
Ezra Klein
firedoglake
FishbowlDC
The Fix (WashPost)
The Foundry
Gkenn Greenwald
Hendrik Hertzberg
Hillary Clinton
Hot Air
Hotline on Call
Huffington Post
Human Events
Instapundit
James Fallows
John McCain
Judicial Watch: Corruption Chronicles
Kaus Files
Left Coaster
Lefty Blogs
Majority AP
Marc Ambinder
Matt Lewis
Matthew Yglesias
Megan McArdle
Michelle Malkin
Minority Report
The Moderate Voice
MSNBC First Read
MyDD
The Nation
National Review
The New Republic
NewsBusters
Newsmax
The NRCC Blog
NRSC Blog
Open Left
Page (Mark Halperin)
The Plank (TNR)
Political Animal
Political Wire
Politicker
Politico's Ben Smith
Politico's Jonathan Martin
Politico's The Crypt
Power Line
Reason
RedState
Right Wing News
RNC Blog
Ross Douthat
Rush Limbaugh
SCOTUSblog
Senate Guru
The Stump (TNR)
The Swamp (Tribune)
Swampland
Swing State Project
Talk Left
TalkingPointsMemo
TAPPED
Tech Policy Summit
techPresident
TechRepublican
The Right Angle
Think Progress
Top of the Ticket (LA Times)
Townhall
TPMCafe
TPMMuckraker
The Trail (WashPost)
Truthdig
USA Today On Politics
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Blog
VF Daily
Washington Wire (WSJ)
Weekly Standard
Wonkette
Yeas and Nays

Briefing Room Blog Topics

 Blog Summaries »   Technology »
 Day's End Round-Up »   Telecom and IT »
 Energy & Environment »   Trade and Agriculture »
 Midday Blog Roundup »  Lobbying »
 Morning Read »   Administration »
 News »   Campaigns »
  Campaigns »   Civil Rights »
   Administration »   Corporate Governance »
   Civil Rights »   Defense »
   Congressional Campaigns »   Economy & Budget »
   Corporate Governance »   Energy & Environment »
   Defense »   Foreign Policy »
   Economy & Budget »   Healthcare »
   Foreign Policy »   Homeland Security »
   Healthcare »   Immigration »
   Homeland Security »   Labor »
   Immigration »   Lobbyists »
   Labor »   Technology »
   Law and Courts »   Telecom and IT »
   Lobbyists »   Trade and Agriculture »
   Presidential Campaigns »  Other »
   Technology »   Administration »
   Telecom and IT »   Campaigns »
   Trade and Agriculture »   Civil Rights »
  Energy & Environment »   Congressional Campaigns »
  Lawmaker News »   Corporate Governance »
   Administration »   Defense »
   Campaigns »   Economy & Budget »
   Civil Rights »   Energy & Environment »
   Corporate Governance »   Foreign Policy »
   Defense »   Healthcare »
   Economy & Budget »   Homeland Security »
   Energy & Environment »   Immigration »
   Foreign Policy »   Labor »
   Healthcare »   Lobbyists »
   Homeland Security »   Presidential Campaigns »
   Immigration »   Technology »
   Labor »   Telecom and IT »
   Lobbyists »   Trade and Agriculture »
   Technology »  Oversight »
   Telecom and IT »   Administration »
   Trade and Agriculture »   Campaigns »
  Legislation »   Civil Rights »
   Administration »   Corporate Governance »
   Campaigns »   Defense »
   Civil Rights »   Economy & Budget »
   Corporate Governance »   Energy & Environment »
   Defense »   Foreign Policy »
   Economy & Budget »   Healthcare »
   Energy & Environment »   Homeland Security »
   Foreign Policy »   Immigration »
   Healthcare »   Labor »
   Homeland Security »   Lobbyists »
   Immigration »   Technology »
   Labor »   Telecom and IT »
   Lobbyists »   Trade and Agriculture »
You need Flash Player 8 (or higher) and JavaScript enabled to view this content

Get latest news from The Hill direct to your inbox, RSS reader and mobile devices.