Obama: I handled the Russian hacks properly. Its the media that didnt.

[kentuck]

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/12/16/13988114/obama-russia-hacking-election

<snip>
When President Obama was asked at his year-end press conference Friday about a “perception” that he was “letting President Putin get away with interfering with the US election,” he responded with a condemnation of the media’s coverage of Democrats’ leaked emails.

Obama argued that once his administration had “clarity and certainty about what in fact had happened, we publicly announced that Russia had hacked into the DNC” during the campaign — making sure the public was informed of Russia’s culpability before the election.

But he argued that complaints from the media that he should have done more fall short of the mark — and neglected media’s own role in amplifying the damage to Clinton. “The truth is that there was nobody here who didn’t have some sense about what kind of effect it might have,” Obama said. “I’m finding it a little curious that everybody’s suddenly acting surprised that this looked like it was disadvantaging Hillary Clinton — because you guys wrote about it every day! Every single week!”

As his voice dripped with disdain, Obama said the press covered “every little juicy tidbit of political gossip. Including John Podesta’s risotto recipe. This was an obsession that dominated the news coverage. So I do think it’s worth us reflecting how it is that a presidential election of such importance, of such moment, with so many big issues at stake and such a contrast between the candidates, came to be dominated by a bunch of these leaks.”

....more

[exboyfil]

1. Pretty much summarized it

In hindsight maybe he should have politicized it more, but he was trying to protect the office of the Presidency. Lots of good that did the country as a whole since nearly half of the voters in this country are f***ing insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kentuck]

2. Nobody thought Hillary was going to lose.

The President did not think so either.

[exboyfil]

3. Which will be etched on our tombstones

as a nation.

I wasn't being critical of President Obama. I am not sure what he could have done differently. If he had tried to politicize it, it may have blown up in his face.

I am just seeing the last gasp of a functioning Executive branch. What comes next?

[libtodeath]

4. You dont want to know but we will be seeing it in a month.

[elmac]

12. Oh, this is just a side show

In a year the book 1984 will look like a Holiday vacation brochure.

[JI7]

6. the same media would have reported it as Obama helping her

And proof of the corrupt system.

It Would have hurt her even more.

[iluvtennis]

11. so true nt

[Wellstone ruled]

5. Mr.Obama was protecting the

Voting process. He is,no matter how ugly it gets,the voting ideal needs to be protected and without that,there is no Democracy. Read some of his writings,any one who had him as a Law Professor,had one of the best and most astute. And now we will have some Clown as his replacement.

[triron]

7. He is clearly a very smat man

but his remarks today seem less than adequate to me

[Wellstone ruled]

8. Understand you concern.

Hunch is,he parsed his responses knowing Trump will fail miserable. Obama is protecting the Office of the President and what it stands for. The world is on edge as we speak,and any nuanced response would create a major issue. This is the end of the line for some time for the free world. We are in for one crises after the other with the Clown Elect coming into the White House. There is known one in his incoming Administration capable of Governance.

[Mr.Bill]

10. I look at it this way,

if something was being done behind the scenes right now to prevent the catastrophe our country may be about to experience, It would not make things better if it looked like Obama was out in front of it.

I guess I still have some hope, but it is waning.

[elmac]

14. protecting the Voting process

the voting process has been destroyed for years by the fascist, gerrymandering, voter suppression, funny voting machines. His response to their actions over the years has been lukewarm and like Lincoln, should have used his immense power to shut them down at every turn. Taking the high road cost us more then an election, it cost us our future.

[Wellstone ruled]

15. Understand where you are coming from.

Poly Sci teaches this tidbit,in Politics the usually make up of our Nation is 40% Dems and Repthugs,leaving that middle of 20%,and the trick is to convince those people to join your group to form a majority. Now that is under normal conditions.

We still have to protect the right to vote other wise we become total Plutocracy or a Oligarchy. Once the vote goes away,baby it is all over.

[jalan48]

9. Now that he's pointed this out I'm sure the media will be more careful with leaks which harm Trump.

[yallerdawg]

13. I can't wait for his books!

Michelle's, too!

[triron]

16. and the electorate.

But not him. I thought one of POTUS main responsibilities was to protect America against invasion by a foreign adversary. Putin got his prize.

[Sunlei]

17. He's right, "the media was obsessed" please read the entire text, LINK He covered it very well.

“The truth is that there was nobody here who didn’t have some sense about what kind of effect it might have,” Obama said. “I’m finding it a little curious that everybody’s suddenly acting surprised that this looked like it was disadvantaging Hillary Clinton — because you guys wrote about it every day Every single week”

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/12/16/press-conference-president

He personally got in Putins face to tell him to stop. He did stop, but to late, WikiLeaks already had the stolen files. This is the last time in our lifetimes we will EVER see a president be this transparent, this honest with the American people.

[Dem2]

18. It's not like we weren't screaming at the top of our lungs

...and then changing the channel in disgust.

Thanks media - sieg heil

[DFW]

19. Hate to say it, but Obama is right

Hillary's a Democrat, Obama's a Democrat. It's not like his preferences weren't public knowledge.

But the media played this election as if it were cable entertainment, subsisting on money from commercials as opposed to a responsibility to inform. What they did NOT do is report the election campaign as if the future of the world depended on the country being as fully informed as it needed to be.

Now we all reap the reward of their refusal to do their jobs. The Fourth Estate is a poor shadow of themselves when a TV show like "The Newsroom" is populated by better journalists than the real ones. But then, again, the White House of "The West Wing" was a better place than the Cheneybush White House, and the Trumppence White House is looking to turn into everything it was never intended to be.

[HoneyBadger]

23. The media is a for profit business

Trump actually hurt them with very low ad buys. They would much have preferred a traditional ad buyer like Jeb.

[TheFrenchRazor]

20. seriously? he's the PRESIDENT! who is running this country??!! nt

[Hekate]

22. If you want a king or strongman, one is about to be installed.

Barack Obama is POTUS, which is a different job description.

[Hekate]

21. Amen, Sir