In a fawning interview with President Obama on Thursday, CBS Early Show co-host Harry Smith spoke of the "enmity" of conservative talk radio and sympathetically wondered: "Does it bother you a little bit?" The President replied: "you end up getting a pretty thick skin in this job....I am concerned about a political climate in which the other side is demonized."[Audio available here [1]]
As NewsBusters' Brent Baker previewed earlier [2], Smith portrayed talk radio critics of Obama as extreme: "I've been spending time out and about, listening to talk radio. The kindest of terms you're sometimes referred to, out in America, is a 'socialist.' The worst of which I've heard is called a 'Nazi.' Are you aware of the level of enmity that crosses the air waves and that people have made part of their conversation about you?"
In the interview, which aired on Friday's Early Show, the President began to reply: "Well, I mean, I think that when you listen to Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck it's-" Smith pressed further: "It's beyond that." Obama continued: "It's pretty apparent and it's troublesome. But, you know, keep in mind that there have been periods in American history where this kind of - this kind of vitriol comes out."
The President particularly dismissed the "socialist" label, remarking: "The truth is, some of these comments, when you actually ask 'well, this is based on what? This notion that Obama's a socialist, for example?' Nobody can really give you a good answer." Smith feebly suggested: "They would say mandating that people have to buy insurance or something like that." Obama replied: "The sort of plan proposed by current Republican nominee Mitt Romney." Smith smirked at the response.
Obama didn't hesitate to "demonize" his critics: "it used to be that somebody who said something crazy, they might be saying it to their next door neighbor or it might be on some, you know, late night AM station at the very end of the radio dial." At the same time, he later pretended to take the high road in response to Smith asking if the criticism "bothered" him:
I am concerned about a political climate in which the other side is demonized. I'm concerned about it when Democrats do it, I'm concerned about it when Republicans do it. I do think that there is a tone and tenor that needs to change. Where we can disagree without being disagreeable or making wild accusations about the other side and I think that's what most Americans would like to see as well.
At the top of the show, Smith preceded an earlier clip of the interview by pointing out the latest CBS News poll: "A CBS News poll out this morning shows the President's approval rating at all-time low. 44%, that is down five points from just last month. His approval rating for handling health care is also at an all-time low. 55% of the people we asked disapprove." Smith cited that poll to Obama and wondered how the President resurrected ObamaCare: "Health care was declared dead a bunch of different times over the last 14 months or so. Besides the efficacy of why you thought it was important to pass it, what made you think you could get it done?"
The President responded: "Well, because it's the right thing to do." Smith added: "But there were plenty around you, even people within that building, who said 'let's do it piece meal, let's do it one piece at a time.'" That gave Obama the opportunity to appear selfless: "The one thing I don't do, Harry, is to think short term based on day to day polls. I look at what does the country need long term."
Smith returned to his original question: "I'll ask you that question, why you thought you could do it?" Obama argued: "Because I have confidence that if you - if you have good policy and you're trying to do the right thing, that over time the politics works its way out."
Here is a transcript of portions of the interview:
HARRY SMITH: I want to talk about health care. Polls still coming out saying American people are not on board in-
OBAMA: A whole week after it passed.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Obama One-on-One; President Defends Health Care Reform]
SMITH: In significant numbers. Health care was declared dead a bunch of different times over the last 14 months or so. Besides the efficacy of why you thought it was important to pass it, what made you think you could get it done?
OBAMA: Well, because it's the right thing to do. Look, when I am seeing -
SMITH: But there were plenty around you, even people within that building, who said 'let's do it piece meal, let's do it one piece at a time.'
OBAMA: The one thing I don't do, Harry, is to think short term based on day to day polls. I look at what does the country need long term. And what we know is, is that insurance rates in the individual market are going up 30-40% for people if they don't work for big companies. Small businesses are getting killed. We know that Medicare and Medicaid costs are unsustainable. And so my attitude was that if I didn't make an effort now to change how we deliver health care, this country was going to go bankrupt.
SMITH: I'll ask you that question, why you thought you could do it?
OBAMA: Why I thought I could do it?
SMITH: Yeah.
OBAMA: Because I have confidence that if you - if you have good policy and you're trying to do the right thing, that over time the politics works its way out.
...
SMITH: I've been spending time out and about, listening to talk radio.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Obama One-on-One; President's Take On Partisan Bickering]
BARACK OBAMA: Right.
SMITH: The kindest of terms you're sometimes referred to, out in America, is a 'socialist.' The worst of which I've heard is called a 'Nazi.' Are you aware of the level of enmity that crosses the air waves and that people have made part of their conversation about you?
OBAMA: Well, I mean, I think that when you listen to Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck it's-
SMITH: It's beyond that.
OBAMA: It's pretty apparent and it's troublesome. But, you know, keep in mind that there have been periods in American history where this kind of - this kind of vitriol comes out. It happens often when you've got an economy that is making people more anxious and people are feeling as if there's a lot of change that needs to take place. But that's not the vast majority of Americans.
The truth is, some of these comments, when you actually ask 'well, this is based on what? This notion that Obama's a socialist, for example?' Nobody can really give you a good answer. Much less when they, you know, make even-
SMITH: They would say mandating that people have to buy insurance or something like that.
OBAMA: The sort of plan proposed by current Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
[SMITH SMIRKS]
OBAMA: Yeah. So it doesn't make too much sense, it used to be that somebody who said something crazy, they might be saying it to their next door neighbor or it might be on some, you know, late night AM station at the very end of the radio dial.
SMITH: Very last question, does it bother you a little bit?
OBAMA: You know, the - you end up getting a pretty thick skin in this job. And obviously, when you've gone through a presidential campaign there are a lot of things that - that are said that, that thicken you're skin. I am concerned about a political climate in which the other side is demonized. I'm concerned about it when Democrats do it, I'm concerned about it when Republicans do it. I do think that there is a tone and tenor that needs to change. Where we can disagree without being disagreeable or making wild accusations about the other side and I think that's what most Americans would like to see as well.
-Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here. [3]