I'm Glad He Cleared That Up

President Obama held a press conference on the economy yesterday in which he said that "the private sector is doing fine." Mitt Romney said that statement showed he is "out of touch." I don't think it showed he is out if touch, I think it shows he is campaigning for reelection. Press conferences are supposed to be about governance, of course, but we all know that reelection takes precedence over governance, so we should hardly be surprised when he babbles campaign slogans at press conferences.

Later that same day he did a photo-op with President Aquino and somehow or another, someone allowed an unscripted question to be asked.

Q: "Mr. President, Mitt Romney says you're out of touch for saying the private sector is doing fine. What's your response?"

President Obama: "Listen, it is absolutely clear that the economy is not doing fine. That's the reason I had the press conference. That's why I spent yesterday, the day before yesterday, this past week, this past month, and this past year talking about how we can make the economy stronger."

So he held a press conference because the economy is not doing fine, in which he said that the private sector economy is doing fine, and when asked why he would say that the private sector is doing fine his response is to ignore the question and say that the economy is not doing fine, and that he has been talking about how to make the economy better.

Needless to say, the questioner did not get an opportunity to follow up and say, "Okay, but why did you say that the private sector is doing fine?" If he had, the question would have been ignored again.