The president is soliciting, and undoubtedly filtering, questions for today’s “Twitter townhall” event, via the hashtag #AskObama. I’ve already asked him why he’s allowing the NLRB to violate one of his own executive orders. I’m sure he’ll snap to answer that one as soon as he can. Not all the questions being tweeted to him are as polite. “Where are the jobs?” and “Dude where’s my recovery?” seem to be popular ones based on what I’m seeing on the feed. Several tweeps seem to be concerned about the president’s golf game too.
The event, which the official White House email list is advertising despite its obviously political nature, is at 2 pm Eastern today.
Update: The Twitter townhall event is live now, here.
Update: A few minutes in, the president is taking questions from tweeps and answering them. The format is convenient for him, in that he gets to answer without any follow-up questions, because the tweeps aren’t there in the room to pursue answers if they’re not satisfied with the president’s first take.
Update: Obama avoids “Constitutional issue” on the debt ceiling, by which he would usurp the Congressional role in authorizing US debt. Liberals have become fond of the 14th Amendment’s Section 4, but failed to keep on reading to Section 5.
Update: Obama once again touts “comprehensive immigration reform.” This event is becoming predictable and boring, as the president takes each question to just tout talking points. Not that that’s surprising in the least. It’s just boring.
Now he’s talking about batteries and electric cars. Ugh.
Update: Obama credited several states’ moves to limit collective bargaining for government workers to “resentment” from private sector workers jealous (my word, but it fits) of the govt workers’ benefits. The fact that those benefits are driving states into bankruptcy never came up.
Update: Speaker Boehner asks “After embarking on a record spending binge that’s left us deeper in debt, where are the jobs?” Obama bloviates. This would be a great opportunity for a follow-up, especially on the president’s claim to have created 2 million jobs, but the format doesn’t allow it.
Update: Columnist Nick Kristof asks a nice set-up for Obama to go full partisan on the debt ceiling, and Obama obliges. This event gives the illusion of accessibility but it’s actually very one-sided. We’re getting Obama’s side unchallenged.
Update: Oops, Obama says “We will have to make tough decisions about Defense spending, or even on programs that I like.” So…he doesn’t like DoD?
Update: Ten minutes apart, we get a follow-up on housing. Woot!
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