The Coach K Smackdown
Coach K isn’t impressed with President Obama’s bracketology skills for March Madness. According to this article, it’s a safe bet (a little hoops lingo for you Vegasdwellers) that it isn’t so much about President Obama’s picks that’s got Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski upset:
Of course, the president’s choice drew a reaction from the Tar Heels’ most intense rival.
“Somebody said that we’re not in President Obama’s Final Four, and as much as I respect what he’s doing, really, the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said from the Blue Devils’ first-round site in Greensboro, N.C.
President Obama is taking his role as First Celebrity seriously. Unfortunately, I can’t say that he’s taking his role of Economic-Problem-Solver-In-Chief seriously. The image President Obama is setting isn’t that of a serious policymaker. It’s sad that he isn’t taking his responsibilities seriously when we’re just weeks after we were staring at the possibility of a total catastrophe.
President Clinton inherited a growing economy but his actions proved that he was indeed “focusing like a laser beam” on the economy. President Obama inherited a mess but he’s devoting time to evening bashes at the White House, guest appearances on Sportscenter and Jay Leno, seemingly focusing little attention to serious policymaking.
Frankly, it’s time for President Obama to start taking his day job seriously. Wall Street’s and Main Street’s reactions tell us that they aren’t confident in his abilities to solve the economic problems confronting us. His Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner, still hasn’t put a plan together that helps solve the banking system problem.
For that matter, they aren’t monitoring how the TARP funds are being spent. If they were monitoring the TARP funds, they would’ve known that AIG was spending more than $450 million on retention bonuses. Instead, the White House said that they didn’t know about these bonuses until after they’d been paid out.
After President Obama finishes his Celebrity Tour, I hope he returns to the White House with a newfound sense of seriousness. It’s troubling to watch President Obama paying more attention to Jay Leno and Sportscenter than he’s paying to America’s economic difficulties.
The AIG bonuses flap has consumed the Beltway’s chattering classes. The REAL SCANDAL is the fact that Tim Geithner isn’t paying attention to how TARP money is being spent. I posted here that White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs can’t even keep his stories straight:
THEN:
Jake Tapper, ABC: AIG, is the Administration confident that it, that it knows what happened to the tens of billions of dollars previously given to AIG?
Press Secretary Gibbs: Is it confident - I’m sorry?
Jake Tapper, ABC: That they know, that you guys know what happened to the previous billions before you hand over this next $30 billion?
Press Secretary Gibbs: Yes.
That was the before version; this is the after version:
Question: Did you guys first find out about these bonuses last week?
Press Secretary Gibbs: I think that’s true, based on what I read in the newspaper…
Question: But, Robert, to follow up on Jake’s point, did Secretary Geithner make a mistake by not reviewing these contracts; they’re a year old; before he cut a new check to AIG? Why didn’t he do that?
Press Secretary Gibbs: I would certainly ask the Treasury; I’ll ask the Treasury that.
It’s difficult taking Mr. Geithner to task for not paying attention when President Obama isn’t showing proof that he’s taking his job seriously.
Let’s be blunt about something: It’s time for this president to show the American people that he’s taking his job seriously. At this point, I haven’t seen proof that he’s either serious or competent. It’s time that changed.
Technorati Tags: Celebrity, Economy, Oversight, TARP, AIG Bonuses, Robert Gibbs, Spinmeister, President Obama, Coach K, ESPN, Bracketology, Jake Tapper, Media
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog
March 19th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Gee whiz… You guys are so weak. When Dumbya (Your Hero in Chief) ,Spent a THIRD of his time in office on VACATION WHILE WE WERE @ WAR… not a word from the Tea Party. We saw how that turned out. By the way when Clinton left office we had an EIGHTEEN billion dollar DEFICIT. When Dumbya left we had a TRILLION PLUS DEFICIT. Were were the so called tea sippers when the republican majority left America with an added another FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS to our DEBT? National debt was 3.7 trillion when Clinton left office Bush-9.8 trillion. It must be hard to see your entire political ilk flounder because of your failed ideas. Most Americans blame the Bushies for this mess and rightly so… .Most of the cds’s were done under Bush’s term.. not all but most. 45 trillion I believe. Whine all ya want and have your “Alice in Wonderland” parties. The mad hatter has retired to Dallas. Obama throws you because he can do more than one thing @ a time.. unlike the republicans… . It is nice to see at least Obama is man enough to take responsibility ,unlike the republican party.
March 19th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
“michael miller” …are you kidding me?
It pains me to see this type of thread hijacking permitted here at CC.
A pimply-faced, move-on operative lies in wait to derail the topic and deflect the conversation away from his lord and saviour.
The little fart typing in his parents basement hasn’t even discovered paragraphs.