Hi, I’m Barack Obama, President of the United States. Ask me anything. I’ll be taking your questions for half an hour starting at about 4:30 ET. Proof it's me: We're running early and will get started soon. UPDATE: Hey everybody - this is barack. Just finished a great rally in Charlottesville, and am looking forward to your questions. At the top, I do want to say that our thoughts and prayers are with folks who are dealing with Hurricane Isaac in the Gulf, and to let them know that we are going to be coordinating with state and local officials to make sure that we give families everything they need to recover. Verification photo: http://i.imgur.com/oz0a7.jpg
LAST UPDATE: I need to get going so I'm back in DC in time for dinner. But I want to thank everybody at reddit for participating - this is an example of how technology and the internet can empower the sorts of conversations that strengthen our democracy over the long run. AND REMEMBER TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER - if you need to know how to register, go to Gottaregister.com. By the way, if you want to know what I think about this whole reddit experience - NOT BAD! http://barackobama.com/reddit
The President of the United States is taking and answering questions from the internet on Reddit as you read this. Some of us feel disenfranchised by the political system and that our voice is lost among many others. Here's your chance to ask the President any question you want.. as long as other redditors don't downvote it into oblivion of course
(So I don't think he'll be able to offer insight on the Destiny-ROOTGaming news)
gobearss How do you balance family life and hobbies with, well, being the POTUS? permalink PresidentObamaObama It's hard - truthfully the main thing other than work is just making sure that I'm spending enough time with michelle and the girls. The big advantage I have is that I live above the store - so I have no commute! So we make sure that when I'm in DC I never miss dinner with them at 6:30 pm - even if I have to go back down to the Oval for work later in the evening. I do work out every morning as well, and try to get a basketball or golf game in on the weekends just to get out of the bubble. Speaking of balance, though, I need to get going so I'm back in DC in time for dinner. But I want to thank everybody at reddit for participating - this is an example of how technology and the internet can empower the sorts of conversations that strengthen our democracy over the long run. AND REMEMBER TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER - if you need to know how to register, go to Gottaregister.com. By the way, if you want to know what I think about this whole reddit experience - NOT BAD!
hmlee I am recent law school graduate. Despite graduating from a top school, I find myself unemployed with a large student loan debt burden. While I'm sure my immediate prospects will improve in time, it's difficult to be optimistic about the future knowing that my ability to live a productive life -- to have a fulfilling career, to buy a house, to someday raise a family -- is hampered by my debt and the bleak economic outlook for young people. I know that I'm not alone in feeling this way. Many of us are demoralized. Your 2008 campaign was successful in large part due to the efforts of younger demographics. We worked for you, we campaigned for you, and we turned out in record numbers to vote for you. What can I say to encourage those in similar situations as I am to show up again in November? What hope can you offer us for your second term? permalink PresidentObamaObama I understand how tough it is out there for recent grads. You're right - your long term prospects are great, but that doesn't help in the short term. Obviously some of the steps we have taken already help young people at the start of their careers. Because of the health care bill, you can stay on your parent's plan until you're twenty six. Because of our student loan bill, we are lowering the debt burdens that young people have to carry. But the key for your future, and all our futures, is an economy that is growing and creating solid middle class jobs - and that's why the choice in this election is so important. The other party has two ideas for growth - more taxs cuts for the wealthy (paid for by raising tax burdens on the middle class and gutting investments like education) and getting rid of regulations we've put in place to control the excesses on wall street and help consumers. These ideas have been tried, they didnt work, and will make the economy worse. I want to keep promoting advanced manufacturing that will bring jobs back to America, promote all-American energy sources (including wind and solar), keep investing in education and make college more affordable, rebuild our infrastructure, invest in science, and reduce our deficit in a balanced way with prudent spending cuts and higher taxes on folks making more than $250,000/year. I don't promise that this will solve all our immediate economic challenges, but my plans will lay the foundation for long term growth for your generation, and for generations to follow. So don't be discouraged - we didn't get into this fix overnight, and we won't get out overnight, but we are making progress and with your help will make more.
SharkGirl We know how Republicans feel about protecting Internet Freedom. Is Internet Freedom an issue you'd push to add to the Democratic Party's 2012 platform? permalink PresidentObama Internet freedom is something I know you all care passionately about; I do too. We will fight hard to make sure that the internet remains the open forum for everybody - from those who are expressing an idea to those to want to start a business. And although there will be occasional disagreements on the details of various legislative proposals, I won't stray from that principle - and it will be reflected in the platform.
ormirian Are you considering increasing funds to the space program? Edit: grammar permalink PresidentObama Making sure we stay at the forefront of space exploration is a big priority for my administration. The passing of Neil Armstrong this week is a reminder of the inspiration and wonder that our space program has provided in the past; the curiosity probe on mars is a reminder of what remains to be discovered. The key is to make sure that we invest in cutting edge research that can take us to the next level - so even as we continue work with the international space station, we are focused on a potential mission to a asteroid as a prelude to a manned Mars flight.
FifthSurprise What was the most difficult decision that you had to make during this term? permalink PresidentObama The decision to surge our forces in afghanistan. Any time you send our brave men and women into battle, you know that not everyone will come home safely, and that necessarily weighs heavily on you. The decision did help us blunt the taliban's momentum, and is allowing us to transition to afghan lead - so we will have recovered that surge at the end of this month, and will end the war at the end of 2014. But knowing of the heroes that have fallen is something you never forget.
suzmerk What are you going to do to end the corrupting influence of money in politics during your second term? permalink PresidentObama Money has always been a factor in politics, but we are seeing something new in the no-holds barred flow of seven and eight figure checks, most undisclosed, into super-PACs; they fundamentally threaten to overwhelm the political process over the long run and drown out the voices of ordinary citizens. We need to start with passing the Disclose Act that is already written and been sponsored in Congress - to at least force disclosure of who is giving to who. We should also pass legislation prohibiting the bundling of campaign contributions from lobbyists. Over the longer term, I think we need to seriously consider mobilizing a constitutional amendment process to overturn Citizens United (assuming the Supreme Court doesn't revisit it). Even if the amendment process falls short, it can shine a spotlight of the super-PAC phenomenon and help apply pressure for change.
daveforamerica What is the first thing you'll do on November 7th, win or lose? permalink PresidentObama Win or lose, I'll be thanking everybody who is working so hard - especially all the volunteers in field offices all across the country, and the amazing young people in our campaign offices.
silent1mezzo What's the recipe for the White House's beer? permalink PresidentObama It will be out soon! I can tell from first hand experience, it is tasty.
karlfranks Who's your favourite Basketball player? permalink PresidentObama Jordan - I'm a Bulls guy.
This is a thread linking to a thread on reddit. Normally I would wholeheartedly disapprove. However it being the President and there only being a window that you could ask questions before he must return to his duties, I feel it is prudent to open a thread.
Internet freedom is something I know you all care passionately about; I do too. We will fight hard to make sure that the internet remains the open forum for everybody - from those who are expressing an idea to those to want to start a business. And although there will be occasional disagreements on the details of various legislative proposals, I won't stray from that principle - and it will be reflected in the platform.
Making sure we stay at the forefront of space exploration is a big priority for my administration. The passing of Neil Armstrong this week is a reminder of the inspiration and wonder that our space program has provided in the past; the curiosity probe on mars is a reminder of what remains to be discovered. The key is to make sure that we invest in cutting edge research that can take us to the next level - so even as we continue work with the international space station, we are focused on a potential mission to a asteroid as a prelude to a manned Mars flight.
Obama you sneaky, trying to win the hearts and minds of the internet. An AMA is an easy way to win the hearts of Redditors. The republicans would never do this! So its almost a win/win assuming Obama puts thoughtful answers in (Which i am sure he is capable of)
I am non partisan, as I do not adhere to the whole 2 party system, but this is a fantastic campaign move on the democrats part. When I saw it on reddit I thought it was a hoax but it seems to be real. The guy's got a good strategist behind him if nothing else
On August 30 2012 05:57 Yoshi- wrote: So they are using reddit for cheap advertisement.
I am going to vote for Obama...but this is what I thought too.
This is honestly more of a PR campaign rather than a good discussion about politics and his job. However, the non-political questions are very amusing and the beer one made me laugh for some reason.
silent1mezzo What's the recipe for the White House's beer? permalink PresidentObama It will be out soon! I can tell from first hand experience, it is tasty.
30 minutes isn't even close to enough for a proper AMA, barack's going to have to sit around and answer for at least an hour later tonight, as busy as he is, starting an AMA and not answering at least 50+ questions is asking for pitchforks.
Which makes it possibly the greatest PR campaign to get his most supportive demographic out voting, which is one of his biggest hurdles. I'm pretty fucking impressed.
On August 30 2012 05:57 Yoshi- wrote: So they are using reddit for cheap advertisement.
I am going to vote for Obama...but this is what I thought too.
This is honestly more of a PR campaign rather than a good discussion about politics and his job. However, the non-political questions are very amusing and the beer one made me laugh for some reason.
Definite PR campaign, awesome one though. However, the questions I saw on reddit were far more thought provoking than what I have seen on mainstream US/UK news sites.
On August 30 2012 05:57 Yoshi- wrote: So they are using reddit for cheap advertisement.
what ever they have done, reddit has always been on obama side. Majority of post in the /r/politics are against the opposite party and people who post good stuff about obama receive a ton of upvote. I wouldnt be surprised if 10-20 years from now there would be a documentary on how Obama has planned this out for months before he does this AMA.
Yes, it is a PR but this PR is heading toward people who are already voting for him.
Honestly, this is both a good pr move and one of the best ways to reach out to an audience who don't attend campaign events, as a rule. He is both getting a feel for a decentl'y big voter block and getting great pr. Its a win win.
Obeezy 2012 @people calling this free advertising- 1, this is not advertising, its an ama, not a commercial. 2, It is a politicians job to communicate with their constituancy, reddit is just a good medium for it.
A Mitt Romney AMA would result in the thread being upvoted but the questions being asked by anyone other than his supporters are not likely to be met with favourable answers given the demographic of reddit being primarily democratic.
This kind of thing is EXACTLY what Obama needs to do in order to win the election. He needs to connect with and fire up his base. The only way to win the election is to get your own people out to vote. The "convincing" routine has never worked and is quite detrimental since it wastes time, money, and risks undermining fervent supporters.
Adam Apicella @MrMLGAdam .@Slasher yeah awesome that he took time to do an AMA instead of running our country.Awesome #sheep. (great twitter campaign too by him lol)
On August 30 2012 06:17 Broodwurst wrote: (twitter) reactions are quite interesting;
Adam Apicella @MrMLGAdam .@Slasher yeah awesome that he took time to do an AMA instead of running our country.Awesome #sheep. (great twitter campaign too by him lol)
The appropriate facepalm would probably kill me
Adam is actually an imbecile... The job of a president is to reach out and get the peoples attention, his job is to hear and talk to the people as much as it is to run the country especially on the campaign trail.
This is approximately the 5th thing I've read from Adam that was absolutely ridiculous.
On August 30 2012 06:17 Broodwurst wrote: (twitter) reactions are quite interesting;
Adam Apicella @MrMLGAdam .@Slasher yeah awesome that he took time to do an AMA instead of running our country.Awesome #sheep. (great twitter campaign too by him lol)
The appropriate facepalm would probably kill me
Ever notice how it's always the dumbest people that call other people sheep?
On August 30 2012 06:17 Broodwurst wrote: (twitter) reactions are quite interesting;
Adam Apicella @MrMLGAdam .@Slasher yeah awesome that he took time to do an AMA instead of running our country.Awesome #sheep. (great twitter campaign too by him lol)
The appropriate facepalm would probably kill me
Wait, are people now hating on him for campainging for re election? Where is the logic in that?
On August 30 2012 06:17 Broodwurst wrote: (twitter) reactions are quite interesting;
Adam Apicella @MrMLGAdam .@Slasher yeah awesome that he took time to do an AMA instead of running our country.Awesome #sheep. (great twitter campaign too by him lol)
The appropriate facepalm would probably kill me
pretty much unfollowed that douche months ago... just not worth it for all those MLG ads being retweet and then garbage PR comments.
On August 30 2012 06:17 Broodwurst wrote: (twitter) reactions are quite interesting;
Adam Apicella @MrMLGAdam .@Slasher yeah awesome that he took time to do an AMA instead of running our country.Awesome #sheep. (great twitter campaign too by him lol)
The appropriate facepalm would probably kill me
Ever notice how it's always the dumbest people that call other people sheep?
On August 30 2012 05:57 Yoshi- wrote: So they are using reddit for cheap advertisement.
Reddit is socialist heaven anyway, no need to advertise there. Props to Obama for doing it, would like to see him answer in less presidential manner though (most of his answers don't say anything we haven't heard from him or others politicians before).
On August 30 2012 05:57 Yoshi- wrote: So they are using reddit for cheap advertisement.
Reddit is socialist heaven anyway, no need to advertise there. Props to Obama for doing it, would like to see him answer in less presidential manner though (most of his answers don't say anything we haven't heard from him or others politicians before).
gobearss How do you balance family life and hobbies with, well, being the POTUS? permalink PresidentObamaObama It's hard - truthfully the main thing other than work is just making sure that I'm spending enough time with michelle and the girls. The big advantage I have is that I live above the store - so I have no commute! So we make sure that when I'm in DC I never miss dinner with them at 6:30 pm - even if I have to go back down to the Oval for work later in the evening. I do work out every morning as well, and try to get a basketball or golf game in on the weekends just to get out of the bubble. Speaking of balance, though, I need to get going so I'm back in DC in time for dinner. But I want to thank everybody at reddit for participating - this is an example of how technology and the internet can empower the sorts of conversations that strengthen our democracy over the long run. AND REMEMBER TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER - if you need to know how to register, go to Gottaregister.com. By the way, if you want to know what I think about this whole reddit experience - NOT BAD!
On August 30 2012 06:17 Broodwurst wrote: (twitter) reactions are quite interesting;
Adam Apicella @MrMLGAdam .@Slasher yeah awesome that he took time to do an AMA instead of running our country.Awesome #sheep. (great twitter campaign too by him lol)
The appropriate facepalm would probably kill me
Ever notice how it's always the dumbest people that call other people sheep?
Only thing he's missing is #WAKEUPSHEEPLE
For the love of god don't give him any ideas. He is entitled to his opinion, but should he be doing it from a account also used for mlg pr? It seems like a bad idea.
Whoever thought of this in his campaign is a genious. Regardless of them choosing simple questions or responding in such a dull manner, reddit's political sections is democratic central. Perfect way to rally millions of your base easily.
Internet freedom is something I know you all care passionately about; I do too. We will fight hard to make sure that the internet remains the open forum for everybody - from those who are expressing an idea to those to want to start a business. And although there will be occasional disagreements on the details of various legislative proposals, I won't stray from that principle - and it will be reflected in the platform.
This actually doesn't sound like he is really for a totally free internet. Makes me worry a bit for the USA folks.
Pretty cool that he did this, I was considering not voting but I think this may have tipped the scale in his favor, I like his positions on space, internet, and the money issues in congress. That and he had the balls to post a reddit AMA, I hope this pressures all future canidates to as well.
On August 30 2012 06:17 Broodwurst wrote: (twitter) reactions are quite interesting;
Adam Apicella @MrMLGAdam .@Slasher yeah awesome that he took time to do an AMA instead of running our country.Awesome #sheep. (great twitter campaign too by him lol)
The appropriate facepalm would probably kill me
Ever notice how it's always the dumbest people that call other people sheep?
Only thing he's missing is #WAKEUPSHEEPLE
For the love of god don't give him any ideas. He is entitled to his opinion, but should he be doing it from a account also used for mlg pr? It seems like a bad idea.
gobearss How do you balance family life and hobbies with, well, being the POTUS? permalink PresidentObamaObama It's hard - truthfully the main thing other than work is just making sure that I'm spending enough time with michelle and the girls. The big advantage I have is that I live above the store - so I have no commute! So we make sure that when I'm in DC I never miss dinner with them at 6:30 pm - even if I have to go back down to the Oval for work later in the evening. I do work out every morning as well, and try to get a basketball or golf game in on the weekends just to get out of the bubble. Speaking of balance, though, I need to get going so I'm back in DC in time for dinner. But I want to thank everybody at reddit for participating - this is an example of how technology and the internet can empower the sorts of conversations that strengthen our democracy over the long run. AND REMEMBER TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER - if you need to know how to register, go to Gottaregister.com. By the way, if you want to know what I think about this whole reddit experience - NOT BAD!
And then the internet imploded.
And he saves the best for last, he sure knew how to get to his audience. Well played Mr President, well played.
On August 30 2012 05:57 Yoshi- wrote: So they are using reddit for cheap advertisement.
Reddit is socialist heaven anyway, no need to advertise there. Props to Obama for doing it, would like to see him answer in less presidential manner though (most of his answers don't say anything we haven't heard from him or others politicians before).
It is also quite the libertarian heaven as well.
Really? I visit only the main page and they critisize on Ron Paul from time to time. The only exception is when someons says he's libertarian says republicans are worse than democrats (actually, that's also my case), then he gets upvoted. Otherwise there isn't a day when they don't shit on some republican.
On August 30 2012 05:57 Yoshi- wrote: So they are using reddit for cheap advertisement.
Reddit is socialist heaven anyway, no need to advertise there. Props to Obama for doing it, would like to see him answer in less presidential manner though (most of his answers don't say anything we haven't heard from him or others politicians before).
It is also quite the libertarian heaven as well.
Really? I visit only the main page and they critisize on Ron Paul from time to time. The only exception is when someons says he's libertarian says republicans are worse than democrats (actually, that's also my case), then he gets upvoted. Otherwise there isn't a day when they don't shit on some republican.
Mainly because the average republican candidate is either an idiot or bought.. Hard to be a republican after the great George W. bush left a legacy of amazing decisions. I guess the bought part is unfair, democrats are generally bought as well.
On August 30 2012 06:27 Nisyax wrote: He can have my vote.. oh wait...
Yeah, same here :D
I feel Obama would cruise effortlessly through any election if Europe was voting. I mean, who in hell would vote republican () i believe that in 2008, he was at ~~80% popularity in France. Quite a feat.
On August 30 2012 06:27 Nisyax wrote: He can have my vote.. oh wait...
Yeah, same here :D
I feel Obama would cruise effortlessly through any election if Europe was voting. I mean, who in hell would vote republican () i believe that in 2008, he was at ~~80% popularity in France. Quite a feat.
The answer to your question is Americans would vote republicans ^^ lol
Not to say i support the kapitalist ideas of USA, but you gotta bow down to a mans ( or employes) genious in campaigning when he has an account named "Presidentobama" and calls the fucking AMA "I am Barack Obama, President of the United States -- AMA" just like eveything else :D
i would like to say this is awesome if only he did this way back, just randomly dropping on the net for some Q & A. but right now, just another form of campaign. any answers coming from him is just a big "bleh".
On August 30 2012 06:27 Nisyax wrote: He can have my vote.. oh wait...
Yeah, same here :D
I feel Obama would cruise effortlessly through any election if Europe was voting. I mean, who in hell would vote republican () i believe that in 2008, he was at ~~80% popularity in France. Quite a feat.
USA is just in general so far to the right that a lot of countries can't really relate to them. I mean the furthest right party in Iceland is pretty damn far to the left compared to the democrats, so relating to republicans... yer...
We're a strange place because we're a large place and we all have the choice to express our views. We speak English as a first language which facilitates the rest of the world hearing our brightest and all the more often, our dumbest. Sadly, sometimes the latter are on the tele in congressional seats.
On August 30 2012 06:44 Takuna wrote: I don't get why the photo verificates, could be just a photo of the president with his laptop...
Nice PR though, won't win votes, but rally his supporters/get more volunteers.
On August 30 2012 06:48 Diks wrote: "We should also pass legislation prohibiting the bundling of campaign contributions from lobbyists."
Coming from Obama... WTF ? He got elected with a multi-million dollar campaign founded by lobbiyists and he dare to say that !?
Probably because that was the same message he expressed during his first campaign..
I just realized how funny this is. Last night The Daily Show was making fun of how the Republican political convention in Tampa was being hijacked by Hurricane Isaac news. Now Obama is really running them over lol.
LAST UPDATE: I need to get going so I'm back in DC in time for dinner. But I want to thank everybody at reddit for participating - this is an example of how technology and the internet can empower the sorts of conversations that strengthen our democracy over the long run. AND REMEMBER TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER - if you need to know how to register, go to http://gottaregister.com. By the way, if you want to know what I think about this whole reddit experience - NOT BAD!
gotta love how he ended the AMA, not bad!
I wish he spent more time on it though or at least had a staffer on a secondary account answer the top fifty to hundred most upvoted comments though.
On August 30 2012 06:49 Lmui wrote: LAST UPDATE: I need to get going so I'm back in DC in time for dinner. But I want to thank everybody at reddit for participating - this is an example of how technology and the internet can empower the sorts of conversations that strengthen our democracy over the long run. AND REMEMBER TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER - if you need to know how to register, go to http://gottaregister.com. By the way, if you want to know what I think about this whole reddit experience - NOT BAD!
gotta love how he ended the AMA, not bad!
I wish he spent more time on it though or at least had a staffer on a secondary account answer the top fifty to hundred most upvoted comments though.
I like how his answers that say somewhat sane stuff like "We won't fix it overnight, but we'll lay out the path for generation to come" contrast with stuff that Romney speeches/ads say...such as "First day in office: he'll cut all the taxes"
What a fucken load of bull. The pres can't do jack shit in direct legislature.
Solid answers, I hope america votes for him... From a Canadian perspective I just don't understand why you wouldn't want public healthcare! Sure, you can end up waiting a long time to treat minor injuries, but hey, that's a good thing, means you're not dying.
In general Obama seems like a great American president, he really seems to be working for the people, and also the world.
On August 30 2012 07:09 NeMeSiS3 wrote: Only issue? He dodged all of the hard questions.
Kind of expected when he was only taking thirty minutes out of his day to answer them hah
Kind of expected of a politician especially the president of the USA. They just cant afford to give a substantial answer because then they have to live up to it.
These things are an absolute joke, as are any forum where people "submit" questions, they selectively answer only the questions they want, softball nonsense questions or questions that make them look good.
LOL at any sheep who are impressed with such an obvious cheap political stunt during election season move designed to dupe morons.
On August 30 2012 07:21 Zaqwert wrote: These things are an absolute joke, as are any forum where people "submit" questions, they selectively answer only the questions they want, softball nonsense questions or questions that make them look good.
LOL at any sheep who are impressed with such an obvious cheap political stunt during election season move designed to dupe morons.
LOL at any sheep who are impressed by such an obvious cheap way to sound above it all in a forum thread where people are excited in a move more designed to sound intelligent.
And you should tell us how you were able to slow down time. Sifting through 15k comments to pick out questions and answer them in the span of 30 minutes? You really think that's possible for one person?
To clarify, I mean specifically that (while I just scanned for 2 minutes) I saw question after question related to afghanistan/assange/isreal/poverty/security that would have been a better question to answer than beer/basketball and even the "how do you manage your life"...
I guess I just wish a single hard question was answered.
On August 30 2012 07:26 seiferoth10 wrote: And you should tell us how you were able to slow down time. Sifting through 15k comments to pick out questions and answer them in the span of 30 minutes? You really think that's possible for one person?
The questions answered were nearly all at the top due to the voting system. Plus it's a given that he was probably not alone doing this, people probably read him questions they thought were good for him to answer and he chose.
You didn't expect a president to sift through all those comments and read them one by one?
I think it'd be a bad move to put together a written response on the internet on hard policy like that and of course this was just made to gain political ground and favor with the internet savvy community. On the other hand, it's nice when they do stuff like this and while it did seem mostly like fluff, at least he's trying and thinking of us. So yeah, not bad ^^.
Maybe I'm making too big of a deal of this, but it feels like a really big deal for the Internet as a whole. It was obviously short and campaign focused, but still. Also loved this part + Show Spoiler +
[–]s0crates82 2151 points 1 hour ago
a asteroid
an asteroid, Mr. President. permalinkparent
[–]OhRobots 488 points 1 hour ago
Ahaha... I can just see you telling everyone you know tonight "I corrected the president on his grammar today." permalinkparent
loading...
[–]TyluhS 1382 points 1 hour ago
A grammar nazi's greatest dream... "an... Mr. President... An.." permalinkparent
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[–]matt-383 607 points 1 hour ago
You're about to get a knock on your door. permalinkparent
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[–]DougSTL 249 points 1 hour ago
Even the president isn't safe of Reddit. permalinkparent
ADVISOR We're hoping that one of the children might pop up with a question about the upcoming election. Little girl, do you think you can memorize this by dinnertime tomorrow?
LISA (reading) Mr. Burns: your campaign seems to have the momentum of a runaway freight train. Why are you so popular?
ADVISOR Very good.
LISA Mmm... well, as long as I'm asking something, can I ask him to assuage my fears that he's contaminating the planet in a manner that may one day render it uninhabitable?
ADVISOR No, dear. The card question'll be fine.
MARGE Well, I think the non-card question is a valid--
HOMER Marge! (to advisor) Don't worry. My daughter's very bright, and I'm sure she'll be able to memorize your question by dinnertime tomorrow.
On August 30 2012 07:32 thrawn2112 wrote: i'd rather him answer the non-policy questions
Yeah I actually think those were more interesting. The policy questions all get asked in debates and stuff in the run up to elections. The stuff about what it's actually like to be the president is something you would never normally would hear asked never mind get an answer to.
I actually appreciated, and am thrilled at, the fact that he didn't just stick to policy. There are debates, rallies, conventions, and interviews for those--personal fun questions are usually off limits in politics.
So I'm guessing that what was undoubtedly the number one question got ignored like it always does when politicians give "unscripted" access to the unwashed masses. Weed is fine when you're king of the Choom Gang but not when you're president...
I wish he had time for more answers, but obviously he's a busy man. Still amazing that he took the time to do this though.
I don't promise that this will solve all our immediate economic challenges, but my plans will lay the foundation for long term growth for your generation, and for generations to follow. So don't be discouraged - we didn't get into this fix overnight, and we won't get out overnight, but we are making progress and with your help will make more.
I like this one. Be realistic, and if there's no quick fix, then just say so. We're adults, we can handle a little bad news.
With that said, I'm not really sure about the space program answer. We all know he's not increasing funding, so maybe it would have been better to answer something else instead of the campaign talk he provided.
On August 30 2012 07:31 Slaughter wrote: At least this went better than the Woody Harrelson one lol.
welllllllll
Woody didn't bring the whole site down with him...
You say that like it's a bad thing.. By my measurements, the President currently has the biggest epeen on the internet. Who else has crashed reddit this year simply by appearing on it?
Maybe now people will stop pretending that Reddit is their little secret club.
I also wish more people would realize this is just a silly way to advertise his campaign, and not a good way to get real answers to your political questions.
On August 30 2012 08:09 Glurkenspurk wrote: Maybe now people will stop pretending that Reddit is their little secret club.
I also wish more people would realize this is just a silly way to advertise his campaign, and not a good way to get real answers to your political questions.
I'm pretty sure everyone understands it's just a campaign. But it's also informative for the people who aren't paying any attention.
On August 30 2012 06:27 Nisyax wrote: He can have my vote.. oh wait...
Yeah, same here :D
I feel Obama would cruise effortlessly through any election if Europe was voting. I mean, who in hell would vote republican () i believe that in 2008, he was at ~~80% popularity in France. Quite a feat.
Well to the fair the majority of Europe is way more liberal than the us, no?
On August 30 2012 08:06 acgFork wrote: he only answered 10 questions T_T. So disappointing but what can u expect..
For the limited answers he gave, I thought it was pretty nice.
The important thing isn't the content of his answers, but rather the fact that his office is doing something like this in the first place. Interacting directly with voters is always a good thing, and the internet makes it incredibly easy to do so.
I can only imagine a future where people can submit questions like this all the time, and have them answered by the president or another official on a weekly or monthly basis - sort of like a fireside chat for the modern era.
i wish the president would do more things like this, hopefully he will be blown away by the response he has received as i'm sure he'll be reading more through the thread as he can. good move obama!
I have to say that this is pretty cool. I don't think that you will ever get close to communicating with your President. It's awesome that he did this, I really enjoyed reading the answers even if they are the same ol' political answers.
I liked the idea, I guess. That said, these were very safe answers, but that's nothing unexpected or different than what you get most of the time. Politicians tend to announce policy on their own terms, not in response to questions, wherever the place and whatever the format.
On August 30 2012 08:43 strength wrote: Who knows if its really him speaking, could be someone from his staff. None the less, its pretty cool that he is atleast doing this.
On August 30 2012 08:43 strength wrote: Who knows if its really him speaking, could be someone from his staff. None the less, its pretty cool that he is atleast doing this.
There's no real reason to think that it wasn't him so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Cool to see him do this but he did sorta dodge the space question and there wasn't much of anything important that we haven't all heard before. But I can't vote so I guess I really shouldn't care lol.
On August 30 2012 08:43 strength wrote: Who knows if its really him speaking, could be someone from his staff. None the less, its pretty cool that he is atleast doing this.
Screw AMA; he should start streaming and taking questions from viewers. Then after he can stream his journey from Wood to Silver while playing his Presidential playlist.
On August 30 2012 08:43 strength wrote: Who knows if its really him speaking, could be someone from his staff. None the less, its pretty cool that he is atleast doing this.
Screw AMA; he should start streaming and taking questions from viewers. Then after he can stream his journey from Wood to Silver while playing his Presidential playlist.
HA HA HA oh man, and now i want and obama vs MC showmatch lol.
But honestly, things like this hopefully might motivate young voters. Most countrys at the moment seem like they have a lack of young people actually voting. Anything that can help that is a good thing.
On August 30 2012 09:55 sc2superfan101 wrote: for a guy taking so much advantage of Super-PACs he sure does like to hate on them as if he would never use them.
On August 30 2012 09:55 sc2superfan101 wrote: for a guy taking so much advantage of Super-PACs he sure does like to hate on them as if he would never use them.
hypocritical as fudge mayne.
Wanting to be elected is a good thing, yes.
Besides he has no direct control over Super-PACs, that's kinda the point of Super-PACs.
see that's the problem though. wanting to be elected is... like not a good or a bad thing. it's just a thing. but being willing to use these things that you claim to think are a huge part of the problem (or whatever) in order to get elected is... kind of wrong. i mean, it would be like if i was hating on guns, constantly pushing for gun control, trying to ban guns, except i own a gun, and have fired my gun in self-defense before.
to see it as a good thing... ugh, i just don't get that attitude.
edit: his super-PACs are clearly working with his implied consent, support, and for all we know are working directly with him. he's definitely taking advantage of them, for all that he condemns them.,
On August 30 2012 09:55 sc2superfan101 wrote: for a guy taking so much advantage of Super-PACs he sure does like to hate on them as if he would never use them.
hypocritical as fudge mayne.
Wanting to be elected is a good thing, yes.
Besides he has no direct control over Super-PACs, that's kinda the point of Super-PACs.
On August 30 2012 05:57 Yoshi- wrote: So they are using reddit for cheap advertisement.
And? That's exactly what every celebrity AMA does. But people on reddit like AMAs, and that attention gives reason for people like Obama to do it, so it's win-win, what's not to like?
On August 30 2012 09:55 sc2superfan101 wrote: for a guy taking so much advantage of Super-PACs he sure does like to hate on them as if he would never use them.
hypocritical as fudge mayne.
Wanting to be elected is a good thing, yes.
see that's the problem though. wanting to be elected is... like not a good or a bad thing. it's just a thing. but being willing to use these things that you claim to think are a huge part of the problem (or whatever) in order to get elected is... kind of wrong. i mean, it would be like if i was hating on guns, constantly pushing for gun control, trying to ban guns, except i own a gun, and have fired my gun in self-defense before.
to see it as a good thing... ugh, i just don't get that attitude.
He doesn't "use" them and if he does he is doing something very illegal. He has no control over them, as the poster above said, that's sorta the point of super PACs. I'd say it's more like a starcraft player not immediately forfeiting the tournament just because he thinks the map pool is bad.
Given how bad reddit's servers were hammered, I'm not surprised that only a handful of questions were answered but i'm somewhat disappointed. Hopefull he'll go back and answer another dozen or two.
On August 30 2012 10:25 Cubu wrote: How does ama prove it's the real obama? For all we know, it could be someone posing for obama, someone who is good with PR.
It was on the official Obama Twitter and confirmed by multiple admins and moderators.
On August 30 2012 10:39 beef42 wrote: So what's next? /b/?
Who knows. Maybe he'll spam that whole board with abortion pictures, while coercing 4chan to ax /k/ and restrict /o/ to hybrids only. It would certainly reflect the platform he's running on as president ^^.
On August 30 2012 10:25 Cubu wrote: How does ama prove it's the real obama? For all we know, it could be someone posing for obama, someone who is good with PR.
It was on the official Obama Twitter and confirmed by multiple admins and moderators.
He might mean that Obama took the pictures, and someone like the white house press secretary etc just typed up the answers himself.
For those people complaining....come on, it's free PR and he sort of gets to talk to his constituency and whatnot.
If you want someone else to pitchfork, Mitt Romney bought a trending twitter topic lol.
On August 30 2012 10:25 Cubu wrote: How does ama prove it's the real obama? For all we know, it could be someone posing for obama, someone who is good with PR.
It was on the official Obama Twitter and confirmed by multiple admins and moderators.
He might mean that Obama took the pictures, and someone like the white house press secretary etc just typed up the answers himself.
For those people complaining....come on, it's free PR and he sort of gets to talk to his constituency and whatnot.
If you want someone else to pitchfork, Mitt Romney bought a trending twitter topic lol.
On August 30 2012 12:54 DDie wrote: Was this really legit, I mean, it was really him and not some secretary or something? If it was, then it's pretty damn cool!
Knowing absolutely nothing about the American candidates, i would vote for him just for doing this, smart move i guess.
Yeah, it was legit, Obama said he was doing it on his Twitter.. Several Reddit admins confirmed it as well.
I thought it was funny on the space program question, one Redditor got to call out the president on grammar. "a asteroid" = an asteroid :p
Yeah, I'm curious too. Also, link? I didn't hear about this.
I read it here. Basically businesses are able to purchase a trending topic either locally or nationally, and Romney's campaign decided to buy a national trend. It's been available since December 2010.
On August 30 2012 10:39 beef42 wrote: So what's next? /b/?
Who knows. Maybe he'll spam that whole board with abortion pictures, while coercing 4chan to ax /k/ and restrict /o/ to hybrids only. It would certainly reflect the platform he's running on as president ^^.
Haha pretty cool lol, I like Obama more than Romney. Romney's party are a bunch of wealthy, fat assess who sitting in their national convention and talked shit about Obama the whole time.
On August 30 2012 14:20 tuho12345 wrote: Haha pretty cool lol, I like Obama more than Romney. Romney's party are a bunch of wealthy, fat assess who sitting in their national convention and talked shit about Obama the whole time.
Well that's kind of what politicians do. I am sure you will be seeing a lot of it at the democartic convention as well if the campaign ads are any indication.
Also off topic. Why does everyone complain about the Republican politicians being rich? Seriously? Are the Democartic politicians not rich?
On August 30 2012 14:20 tuho12345 wrote: Haha pretty cool lol, I like Obama more than Romney. Romney's party are a bunch of wealthy, fat assess who sitting in their national convention and talked shit about Obama the whole time.
Well that's kind of what politicians do. I am sure you will be seeing a lot of it at the democartic convention as well if the campaign ads are any indication.
Also off topic. Why does everyone complain about the Republican politicians being rich? Seriously? Are the Democartic politicians not rich?
mostly has to do with the fact that the republicans mostly want to transfer spending from the people to business. the democrats also want to do it, but just not at the same pace as the republicans\
not to mention that alot of people resent the fact that romney and others are filthy rich and rigged the tax code so they pay less in taxes and want to continue to pay less and less
Why even bother doing cheep advertising on reddit ? About 90% of the Americans there will vote Obama out of fear for his opponent anyway... his PR team are just wasting there time imo.
On August 30 2012 15:00 Aterons_toss wrote: Why even bother doing cheep advertising on reddit ? About 90% of the Americans there will vote Obama out of fear for his opponent anyway... his PR team are just wasting there time imo.
90% of them would vote for him anyways, but maybe 20% of them wouldn't be willing to get off their asses to actually go vote if he didn't do it. Considering he's held #1 for most of the day, I'd venture a guess that he's quite easily added several thousand, if not tens of thousands more votes for him.
On August 30 2012 15:00 Aterons_toss wrote: Why even bother doing cheep advertising on reddit ? About 90% of the Americans there will vote Obama out of fear for his opponent anyway... his PR team are just wasting there time imo.
It's all about encouraging voter turnout amongst the demographics that support him. The fact of the matter is, if every demographic voted in equal proportions, Obama would have almost zero chance of losing the election...but the people that prefer Obama over Romney are also generally the ones least likely to vote.
On August 30 2012 20:32 czylu wrote: not to be a cynic, but i wonder how many of those questions were plants. that kinda thing happens all the time with these things.
Doubt it, with thousands of questions its entirely easy to pick one you feel best/safe to answer.
Wow, now that has blown my mind. I really didn't think that I'd be seeing this kind of thing for at least another 3 years. Not bad indeed.
And also, of course this is no more than a big publicity stunt for the coming election and obviously he would only answer cheery-picked questions (has no-one here seen a televised political press conference?) but that is not what is so interesting here; it is the the fact the Reddit has been galvanized as a political platform in such a way which is fascinating - as well as inevitable. Politics and the internet and internet communities are far from strangers, quite the opposite, however in terms of an institutional figure engaging with an internet subculture like this (inasmuch as the interaction itself has been filtered) is a big shift in how internet communities are perceived culturally and, well, lets just say that this is far from a Twitter or Facebook page.
On August 30 2012 20:32 czylu wrote: not to be a cynic, but i wonder how many of those questions were plants. that kinda thing happens all the time with these things.
I dont think that is needed considering how many questions are asked using these normally. It is very easy to find and answer the right kind of question when you have that many of them.
"so even as we continue work with the international space station, we are focused on a potential mission to a asteroid as a prelude to a manned Mars flight"
"so even as we continue work with the international space station, we are focused on a potential mission to a asteroid as a prelude to a manned Mars flight"
Nice use of the English language, MR Presidant
wow this post hurts the brain of the dump I took this morning
Hey a president takes the time to answer questions in real, "haha dumb guy you made a spelling mistake"
sometimes I wish there was more chlorine in the gen pool.
"so even as we continue work with the international space station, we are focused on a potential mission to a asteroid as a prelude to a manned Mars flight"
Nice use of the English language, MR Presidant
wow this post hurts the brain of the dump I took this morning
Hey a president takes the time to answer questions in real, "haha dumb guy you made a spelling mistake"
sometimes I wish there was more chlorine in the gen pool.
These two posts are why I really should not be visiting TL so much. A hypocritical jab at someone's English skills when the recipient wrote everything perfectly correctly, and a nonsensical, unreadable, and vitriolic response.
I think this reddit talk/whatever you want to call it is a good outreach to the Internet community. If I was ready for it, I would have asked something myself. Who cares about the supposed political bent of reddit? (I admit my ignorance in this matter, as I normally avoid reddit like the plague.)
It doesn't matter. Democrats don't vote. I remember when I was in college that a week after Obama was elected a poll was ran to see who voted and who didn't. Almost 70% of people didn't vote either because they didn't care, they forgot, or they couldn't work it into their schedule nicely.
If he has no one that votes for him, it doesn't matter how much he appeals to them.
"so even as we continue work with the international space station, we are focused on a potential mission to a asteroid as a prelude to a manned Mars flight"
On August 31 2012 01:30 kafkaesque wrote: Do you guys know the Obama.gif in which he enters a room, then steps on a skateboard to scoot to his podium? Any idea if it's real?
On August 31 2012 01:30 kafkaesque wrote: Do you guys know the Obama.gif in which he enters a room, then steps on a skateboard to scoot to his podium? Any idea if it's real?
The Not Bad was pretty funny haha. But honestly those expecting an very very well-thought-out and detailed response to everything probably had their hopes misplaced in the first place :/ there's little chance he would put him in a dangerous position on reddit, and it was more to generate some positive sentiments etc.
On August 31 2012 01:30 kafkaesque wrote: Do you guys know the Obama.gif in which he enters a room, then steps on a skateboard to scoot to his podium? Any idea if it's real?
On August 31 2012 01:30 kafkaesque wrote: Do you guys know the Obama.gif in which he enters a room, then steps on a skateboard to scoot to his podium? Any idea if it's real?