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Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper

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Today's Qs for O's WH – 11/5/2009

November 05, 2009 2:24 PM

TAPPER:  There's a conservative group running a TV ad, the gist of it, the last line is, "If that the government can't run a flu program, can we trust it to run America's entire health care system?" Foregoing the "entire health care system" part, are you worried -- are you...
  
GIBBS:  Foregoing the purpose of the ad?
  
TAPPER:  Well, the idea, you are -- you are pushing the public option.  So even if we -- if we don't accept...
  
GIBBS:  Well, but no, I don't think -- I appreciate...
  
(CROSSTALK)
  
GIBBS:  ... that we're going to vitiate the premise of the question, but it's hard to accept the question without -- if you're going to do away with the entire premise of it.
  
TAPPER:  OK.  Well, I'll go on and ask the question I was going to ask, which is, are you guys concerned at all that the handling of the H1N1 vaccine is becoming a political liability that could hurt you in your health care effort?
  

GIBBS:  No -- no, not at all.  And let me -- I think the commercial -- obviously, you've pointed out that the facts of the commercial are strained at best.  I think -- I think anybody that looks legitimately at that claim would understand it's -- it's stupid and silly.
  
TAPPER:  I understand that...
  
GIBBS:  Leaving -- leaving aside the premise of the commercial.
  
TAPPER:  Well, forgetting -- forgetting, for a moment, the government takeover of health care rhetoric, the idea is...
  
GIBBS:  Do you think that's true?
  
TAPPER:  Of course it's not true.  But the idea...
  
GIBBS:  I hope you're enjoying this more than I am, but I'm -- I'm getting a great thrill out of this.
  
TAPPER:  I am regretting the question, as I speak.  

(LAUGHTER)
  
GIBBS:  This is why I continue to ask to repeat it.
  
(LAUGHTER)
  
TAPPER: But my point is you guys are pushing a government-run health care plan.  And if there are people out there who are able to think that, "Oh, that makes sense.  The H1N1 vaccine program has not lived up to what the government, what the Obama administration, had suggested it should be," which you guys even acknowledge.
  
GIBBS:  Right.
  
TAPPER:  Then, "maybe they have a point, maybe there is a point there."
  
GIBBS:  Well, you know, again, I think the -- the premise of the commercial is entirely inaccurate.  I think the point that they're trying to make isn't a strong one. There's no doubt that we have -- remember in March the -- we were -- March or April, May -- when we were getting lambasted and snickered for the president telling people to wash their hands and sneeze into their elbows.
  
So we have done everything, the president has done everything humanly possible to get ready for this epidemic.  We obviously had hoped that the assurances that we had gotten from manufacturers would bear out to be true.  You're still growing vaccines in eggs.
  
There are considerably more doses available for vaccine today than there were this time last week.  We'll continue to -- the staff will continue to meet here on a daily basis and keep the president updated to ensure that, whether it's seasonable vaccine for the flu, which comes, as I said, every year, or H1N1, that we adequately address the epidemic and the threat that it poses.

  
TAPPER:  OK.  And our Capitol Hill correspondent, Jon Karl, wanted me to ask you if the administration had any reaction to the health care protests on Capitol Hill today.
  
GIBBS:  I'm sure there's a Jon Voight joke in here somewhere, given he was one of the featured speakers, but I...
  
TAPPER:  You're not even going to try to make it?
  
(CROSSTALK)
  
GIBBS:  No, no.  I -- my father always told me my mouth would get me in trouble, and I have a feeling if I acted on the line that I'd like to give you, I'm almost positive that...
  
(CROSSTALK)
  
(LAUGHTER)

GIBBS:  ... it would -- it would...
  
(CROSSTALK)

REPORTER:  What have you got against Jon Voight?
  
REPORTER:  Off the record.
 
(LAUGHTER)

-jpt

November 5, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (20)

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Just a note of warning:
this administration treats it's detractors with open hatred.

And although we will vote these clowns out, be careful.

We had a request for 30,000 absentee ballots in NJ from Camden NJ after Obama visited to "engage the black and minority vote"....

Last election only 1800 absentee ballots were requested...

This occurs 6 mos after Corzine signed an emergency bill to allow ballots to be delivered by a 3rd party to polls. In other words, Acorn can deliver the registration to potential voter, get a signature, take it to polls, pick up a ballot, take it to voter and get it signed then bring it to poll and it's LEGIT. No ID required, just the "word" of the Acorn worker.

It happened here in Jersey.
It happened on Tues.

Luckily, Christie still won.


EYES WIDE OPEN FOLKS, EYES WIDE OPEN.

Posted by: mjishernameo | Nov 6, 2009 7:14:36 AM

Does Gibbs take ANYTHING seriously? I'm not kidding. Does he understand that the questions being asked and the problems out there are real concerns for people? A shortage of vaccines might be a hoot for him and yet another opportunity for him to show off his yuck-yuck stupidity, but it happens to bother alot of people outside of his comfy DC bubble (liberals and conservatives). I for one am SOOOO tired of his smart ass, schoolyard, off the cuff answers (if you can call them that). I thought this administration was going to be upstanding, open, transparent, intelligent, capable, able to leap tall buildings with a single bound... looks like somebody forgot to tell Gibbs...and Emanuel...and Biden...and Axelrod...
Note to Obama and his little arrogant buddies-the problems outside of DC are real. If you're looking for a joke, take a look inside your own "house".

Posted by: Shoe | Nov 5, 2009 8:38:51 PM

When you are uninformed and go out acting a fool in the halls of Congress and on the steps of Congress it is easy to feel not only contempt , but pity for the ignorance. I am so tired of people that are on Medicare going out and "protesting" government run health care. That is ignorant. Also, don't any of these people have jobs?

Posted by: Gail | Nov 5, 2009 7:24:58 PM

"I wonder how long they can treat the opposition (and really almost anyone who doesn't fall in line with them) with utter contempt before it starts to hurt them. This recent election may be a clue as to how that is going to work out for them in the future."

Picking up 2 seats in the House?

Posted by: Ryan C | Nov 5, 2009 5:41:47 PM

Government incompetence knows no partisan boundary. The vaccine shortages, long lines, long waits for vaccine that may run out before it's your turn, the political selection of which groups get the vaccine – all of this is a preview of government-run health care, no matter which party is in power.


Posted by: King Julien | Nov 5, 2009 5:00:21 PM

"Of course it's not true."

Why bother giving it any airing at all then? We'd be much better off if the media focused on the actual legitimate arguments against reforming the health care status quo rather than repeating the lies and fear mongering that makes up the bulk of the opposition.
_________________________________

Yes, why bother being a mouthpiece for lies?

Posted by: tierra | Nov 5, 2009 4:28:47 PM

After much deep and profound brain things inside my head I do not understand why the Obama administration gets a past. Hmm let's review the past.
In 2004, flu vaccine shortages had Democrats hopping mad. Hillary Clinton (Oct. 18, 2004, at a health clinic in New York):

"They're more interested in tax cuts for the rich than for flu shots for everyone who needs them."

And John Kerry, on the campaign trail in that election year, in an interview with NPR, thundered:

"If you can't get flu vaccines to Americans, how are you going to protect them against bioterrorism? If you can't get flu vaccines to Americans, what kind of health-care program are you running?"

Barack Hussein Obama MMM MMM MMM

Posted by: King Julien | Nov 5, 2009 4:27:12 PM

I wonder how long they can treat the opposition (and really almost anyone who doesn't fall in line with them) with utter contempt before it starts to hurt them. This recent election may be a clue as to how that is going to work out for them in the future.

Posted by: Chiara | Nov 5, 2009 3:55:50 PM

Sneezing in elbows and washing hands?

Gee, I'm still working on keeping the air pressure in my tires checked.

It's a real downer being part of the vast knuckle-dragging electorate with personal sanitation issues and crisis- creating low pressure tires.

NEWS FLASH: Actually, everyone is not as silly and stupid as Gibberish Gibbs, but evidently that's what the Obama administration wants to project since it keeps pushing simplistic solutions, no doubt to distract from its agenda to fundamentally "transform" the USA.

Clunker Gibbs now fails to meet even his gutter-level personal standard of gibberish. Time to trade him in for a model with a modicum of intelligence.

Meanwhile, keep all those elbows full of snot, scrub those filthy hands, fill up those flat tires, and by all means keep clinging to hopey-changey. But count the days 'til the next election.

Posted by: TParty4USA | Nov 5, 2009 3:19:21 PM

Nothing to see here folks, move along...

Posted by: Axe | Nov 5, 2009 3:02:43 PM

These reporters are like giggling school girls.

Posted by: luze | Nov 5, 2009 2:44:23 PM

"Of course it's not true."

Why bother giving it any airing at all then? We'd be much better off if the media focused on the actual legitimate arguments against reforming the health care status quo rather than repeating the lies and fear mongering that makes up the bulk of the opposition.

Posted by: jhw539 | Nov 5, 2009 2:40:17 PM

Good to know your opinion of it, Jake. You should consider not voicing it when trying to play objective reporter.

Posted by: jennifert7 | Nov 5, 2009 2:39:24 PM

Unless they post here.

Posted by: Axey | Nov 5, 2009 2:37:55 PM

Everyone else probably did too.

Posted by: Axey | Nov 5, 2009 2:37:47 PM

Thank goodness I missed this particular exchange.

Posted by: Axey | Nov 5, 2009 2:37:37 PM

Just wash your hands, sneeze into your elbow and shut up Tapper.

Very funny sequence Jake.

Gibbs is pure gold.

Posted by: Stop Already | Nov 5, 2009 2:35:21 PM

So he has no comment on the thousands of people protesting the government takeover of healthcare. Interesting.

Posted by: ctmom | Nov 5, 2009 2:35:17 PM

Nice. All the WH MSM having a good laugh at those expressing their opposition to this bill. How very big of all of you.

Posted by: jennifert7 | Nov 5, 2009 2:33:16 PM

Jake:
Thanks for being one of the few with enough guts to ask some pointed questions of this administration. When asked if you believe "the government take over of health care rhetoric" the proper response is "I'm a reported, my opion is not important."

Posted by: Dave | Nov 5, 2009 2:32:17 PM

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