CNN Shows Faces Obama Was Making During Healthcare Summit

February 28th, 2010 7:25 PM

To emphasize Barack Obama's frustration with what Republicans were saying at Thursday's healthcare summit, CNN aired a montage of the faces the President was making as prominent members of the GOP spoke.

Candy Crowley introduced the segment on Sunday's "State of the Union":

As we mentioned earlier, President Obama's face said a lot last week. I was in the studio where you can watch what which call an ISO, that's the camera focused only on the president as Republicans made their points. We wanted to share.

As you watch, consider how much differently this would have been presented if it was about a Republican President's reactions to what Democrats were saying (video embedded below the fold with transcript): 

CANDY CROWLEY, HOST: As we mentioned earlier, President Obama's face said a lot last week. I was in the studio where you can watch what which call an ISO, that's the camera focused only on the president as Republicans made their points. We wanted to share.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ERIC CANTOR (R-VA.): Between eight million and nine million people may very well lose the coverage that they have because of this, because of the construct of this bill.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OHIO): For the first time in 30 years, allows for the taxpayer funding of abortions. What we've been saying for a long time is let's scrap the bill.

CANTOR: What is the consequence of that? We know there are consequences that small businesses will feel because of the impact on job creation.

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY, (R-IOWA): Both bills hit small business with higher tax rates. The House bill by 33 percent, the Senate bill by 20 percent.

CANTOR: We're here because we Republicans care about health care just as the Democrats in this room.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: All we're saying is this is not the face of a man who ought to play poker anytime soon. Whether you heard it or saw it, the message was pretty clear, patience and the days of debating health care are growing short. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says the president will likely make an announcement this week about the next step forward.

All we're saying is this is not the face of a man who ought to play poker anytime soon.

That's it? That's all you're saying?

Well, here are a couple of suggestions, Candy, and likely what you would have said if this was a Republican behaving this way in front of Democrats:

  • This was worse than all of Al Gore's famous sighs during a presidential debate against George W. Bush in 2000 that might have cost him the election
  • The President acted like a spoiled child not only in front of America's leaders but also on national television
  • The President demonstrated a surprising lack of leadership and diplomacy with his behavior, and not at all what we expected from the most powerful man on the planet whose greatest skill was supposed to be communicating and being able to bring people together
  • This might have been why the President failed at bringing any Republicans over to his side of this issue. 

Nope. 

All we're saying is this is not the face of a man who ought to play poker anytime soon.