President Barack Obama appeared on “The View” today and discussed a wide variety of issues including a chat about coverage of the administration in the media.
Of the criticism he receives on the television news nets, Obama said, “You know, I’ve got pundits on the news who may say things about me, but you think what the American people have gone through… I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about me, I spend a lot of time worrying about them.”
“You’ve really done a lot, I think,” Joy Behar, who now has her own talk show on HLN, said. “You’ve signed 200 plus laws since you’re in office, financial reform has taken place, you’ve got health care, two women on the supreme court…and yet the right wing, through Fox News and other outlets, seem to be hijacking the narrative. Where on your side is the narrative? Where is your attack dog to come out and tell the American people, listen, this is what we did?”
“Joy, that’s your job,” the president joked, to which Behar shot back, “I do it! But I’m only one woman!”
“I’m not perfect, my administration is not perfect,” the president said amid his response. “And a lot of this criticism I try to listen to and, if i think it’s fair, then we try to correct it. Now, some of it, I’ll grant you, Joy, I tend to think is not fair. Michelle doesn’t think any of it is fair.”
Shortly after, while responding to a question posed by Elizabeth Hasselbeck about the country feeling divided, the president remarked, “My hope is that I’ve tried to set a tone in the debate that says, ‘Look, we can disagree without being disagreeable,’ but the fact of the matter is that the media culture right now loves conflict. And if there is a story about cooperation between the two parties, that story doesn’t make the news. What makes the news is somebody who says something as outlandish or outrageous as possible.”
Some criticized the president’s decision to appear on the daytime talk program, which was taped yesterday.
“View” co-host Hasselbeck will be appearing on Fox News’ “Hannity” this evening.