ABC News: "Hot Mic Moment." WTF? Why is this news?

[EarlG]

Received via email...

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/07/hot-mic-moment.html

A week after a hot mic caught Rev. Jesse Jackson expressing a desire to turn Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, into a eunuch, Obama and one of his chief surrogates were caught chatting by an open microphone, clearly thinking no one could hear them.

This "hot mic moment," however, was far less incendiary.

The speech, scheduled to begin shortly after 10:45 am ET this morning was delayed after President George W. Bush called a press conference for 10:20 am ET.

After delaying the address, finally Obama and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., came to the stage where they were greeted by applause.

"They're glad to have you here," Hamilton said to Obama of the assembled crowd, in comments later picked up by ABC News' Sunlen Miller but not heard in the larger auditorium. "They're probably a little anxious, they've been sitting here an hour."

Suggested Obama, "You might want to mention that we didn't want to step on the President's program."

"Should I mention that?" Hamilton asked.

Moments later, Hamilton told the crowd, that "the reason we're a few minutes late beginning is because the president of the United States is having a press conference and we didn’t want to step on his message. So we started a few minutes late."

Seems like a pretty transparent effort to keep the Jesse Jackson thing alive by publishing this absolute non-story and calling it a "hot mic moment."

[liberal N proud]

1. They keep giving these stories legs while killing real news

[Bicoastal]

2. GASP! I'm appalled that Obama would say such a terrible...

...wait, what?

[27inCali]

16. haha

my reaction exactly

why do we even still call it the news.

they never tell us anything useful or important

just train wrecks and political dirty laundry distraction.

never the things we need to know about.

[NatBurner]

19. lol

exactly

[cliffordu]

23. YEAH!!! WTF did he mean by "They" ????

[oldtime dfl_er]

3. It's "news"

because the MSM agrees with Jackson. They LOVE this story.

[sharp_stick]

4. At least it was just a blog

I think a lot of bloggers will do anything to get a post in today. This seems really really weak from any kind of "news value". All he's saying is that he wants the crowd to know that he's late because he wanted to let the pResident finish his little presser before speaking.

[berni_mccoy]

5. OOOooooooo A HOT MIC MOMENT! So Exciting! They are just DROOLING at the chance

to catch a candidate saying something wrong in front of a hot mic.

In fact they are so excited for it to happen that it's news even if the content isn't that exciting.

Well, on the bright side, at least this story is positive for Obama. He's showing respect for the office of the President when everyone else would not.

[Egnever]

6. Obama is way to nice

I woulda stepped on bush in a heartbeat. Guess that's why I will never be president.

[Median Democrat]

22. It It Possible to Be Too Classy? DUers Want The Jugular!

However, the New Yorker story (not the picture) does describe a more ruthless Barack Obama, so perhaps there is hope.

[Pirate Smile]

7. OMG - they said reasonable and measured things that we would expect them to be talking about at the

time. OMG!!!!!!

[newmajority]

8. So let me see if I got this right

"We didn't want to compete for airtime with the pResident's press conference" is now equivalent to "I want to cut Obama's balls off".

Yeah, I know that wasn't Jesse's exact wording, but that's not the point. As they used to say on Sesame Street, one of these things is not like the other. You can't compare these two "open mic" statements, and I doubt either Obama or Hamilton is going to care whether their comments to each other were heard.

ABC/Disney continues the downward spiral into the toilet. :hurts:

[Connie_Corleone]

12. Now, if Obama said he wanted to cut Bush's nuts off...

that would've been good for a 10 point spike in the polls. LOL!!

[newmajority]

18. Unfortunately, it probably would have also earned him a visit to Gitmo

:evilfrown:

[Connie_Corleone]

9. OH MY GOD!! How will his campaign survive this latest gaffe??

I can't believe Hamilton said that the crowd was glad Obama was there! And Obama telling him to give an excuse for starting late. Dear God, I can't take much more of these scandals.

[uponit7771]

10. Our media might be just as stupid or slow as GWB, I'm starting to feel the same about them

[JackORoses]

11. Sunlen Miller is an absolute Turd.

[Zuiderelle]

13. This just in... Obama says "hello" to the person next to him without realizing the mic is on!

[crankychatter]

14. good catch.... yeah, they got nothin' - not diddley squat - NT

[JuniperLea]

15. Yup... every new "hot mic moment" will be a chance to rerun the Jackson gaffe...

We'll still be hearing about this in October. I bet microphones will be left open all over the place.

[Torgo Johnson]

17. BREAKING NEWS....

This just in from ABC... Sen. Barack Obama has just been overheard making a reservation at the OLIVE GARDEN. More information on the devastating impact this new scandal will have on the Obama campaign soon to follow....

[NatBurner]

20. he's obviously pandering to watered-down Italians

i hear they're swing voters

[book_worm]

21. If anything it makes Obama look courteous--much ado about nothing, as usual.

[Overseas]

24. Courtesy is so rare these days that it becomes a hot mic moment?

Hearing Senator Obama suggest that Rep Hamilton let the crowd know the reason they'd been waiting so long was somehow a hot topic? We should all be so lucky-- to be caught doing something polite.

It is so uncomfortable when waiting extra with no explanation. I really appreciate people who take the time to explain. I in turn share that info with others. That old courtesy thing. Or maybe it's an urban born & raised thing.

[TexasObserver]

25. Access Hollywood has taken over national news

It's all about the gossip aspects of politics, not the politics.

OMG, someone said something that might have been candid!!

[SalviaBlue]

26. This is why I do not watch "news" on ABCNBCCBS nt

[ismnotwasm]

27. I agree

Around that same time that was being over publicized, that disgusting Rove was announcing his refusal to appear. On the MSN front page was a big picture of Mr. Jackson, and a little fly by story about Rove.

What was the real story here? Not Jesse Jackson expressing an opinion.

[glitch]

28. If it weren't ABC I'd say amazingly blatant. As it is, it's just typically blatant.

They don't even bother trying to be subtle anymore.