Town Hall Exchange Sparks Big Buzz
by Mike Krumboltz
Yahoo Buzz
President Obama held a town hall meeting dedicated to economic issues on Monday. The event played a part in Obama’s high-profile push to rally support ahead of November’s high-stakes election midterms. However, it was a frustrated supporter of the president who captured the Web's attention after remarking that she's "exhausted" of defending the man she voted for.
The exchange, which came at the beginning of the town hall, sparked a slew of Web searches and a lot of interest in the blogosphere. Mediaite proclaimed that the woman is sure to be a "new viral video star." Mediaite also explained that the clip was quickly picked up by sites like RealClearPolitics and the National Review, both often billed as right-of-center publications.
The New York Times wrote that the "extraordinarily personal tone" of the meeting "reflects the erosion of support for Mr. Obama among the constituencies that propelled him into office two years ago."
The woman, who identified herself as a veteran and middle-class CFO, did not give her name and prefaced her question with respect, saying, "I'm deeply honored to be in this forum and so grateful for CNBC for making the forum available so you can speak to American citizens just like myself." But then the tough question came out ...
<<< "Quite frankly, I'm exhausted. I'm exhausted of defending you, defending your administration, defending the mantle of change that I voted for, and deeply disappointed with where we are right now. I have been told that I voted for a man who said he was going to change things in a meaningful way for the middle class. I'm one of those people. And I'm waiting, sir. I'm waiting. I -- I don't feel it yet ... Is this my new reality?" >>>
President Obama responded by saying that his questioner, and those like her, "are the bedrock of America," thanks to their hard work, patriotism, and family values. The president went on to cite some of the ways he and his administration are helping the middle class, and also included a moment of levity.
The Washington Post writes that, while the President did well, it was the "agonizing of the emotional audience members [that] left the greater impression."
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