Has everyone seen Obama's first weekly video address?

Thanks for linking to that. It made me cry. Everytime I hear him speak it fills me with so much hope. I can hardly believe it’s real. He wants to do the right thing and that’s enough for me to back him up.

I just watched it this morning. I am very happy that the Obama team is keeping us regularly updated. It is especially important when so many of us are worried about the economy and our futures.

It’ll be a long, hard task, and Obama is not Superman, but I feel very reassured that he is the one guiding us through this mess. If you haven’t already taken a look at his new website, it’s worth visiting:
http://www.change.gov/
Future videos of this sort will be available there. I plan to visit often.

I would feel a lot more hope if he had solutions besides “we can do it together” and “we must throw money – lots of money – at it!”.

I don’t know where he expects to get all this money, but hopefully someone will brief him and let him know that other countries aren’t going to be able to buy Treasure bills any more because they’re busy bailing out their own citizens. That reduces the amount of money available for investment in the U.S., and will drive up the interest rate on the national debt, which he appears to be willing to deepen to pull us through this.

Don’t get me wrong – I like that he’s talking about the problems, and I think he’s still a better choice than the other guy – but we can’t just toss money at problems any more. Some fundamental things need to change before this gets better. Nobody (in government) seems to be willing to own up to that, though. And I wish he wasn’t simply restating all the stuff he said a million times on the campaign trail. I’m done with hot air. I want real answers.

I hope Obama does not choke on the gigantic shit sandwich that Bush is making for him….want fries with that?

Hey laureth: can you handle the truth? that 1/3 of the nations wealth has vanished in the last 6 weeks, that the age of easy money (credit) is over,(and it is not coming back) that the economy is on life support and likely dead, that we here do not produce anything except hair cuts, burgers, and tatoos?

If the Big O cam out and told us what we are facing, most would not be able to handle it.

Thank you! Obama’s campaign and now his forthcoming presidency have redefined the use of media in politics. This is an exciting move forward, something others may have envisioned but he has done right.

We mustn’t imagine that this man has magical powers and start blaming him the minute we get it that there’s no genie of the lamp. We are in for tough times, and no doubt about it. But having a confident leader who thinks things through using his own brains and speaks without sitting on a ventriloquist’s knee will make all the difference. I couldn’t be more thrilled. As important as ideology was in this election, to me it was ultimately a victory of intellect.

Not very “presidential” in my opinion. What with his ability to annunciate words and appear intelligent. I mean, did he even mispronounce one word?

@astrochuck…I know and with all that logic and forward-thinking.

@laureth, he’s not really in a position to make any actual announcements. We must protect the dignity of the presidency, must we not?
He’s keeping the flame alive till January 21. That requires additional warming breaths of hot air. Might as well enjoy them as literature as the winter creeps forward to nirvana.

@Mizuki: The situation is the same, whether we can “take” it or not. The situation is the same, whether we are told about it or not. I wish I knew that Obama (and the rest of our bureaucrats) knew this, though, and were at work to find answers to what’s really wrong.

O sorry laureth I slipped that in before you had a chance to elaborate, but I think he does know it and is at work finding answers to what’s really wrong. It would just be shitty of him, and out of line, to start saying what he’s going to do different while the Bush is still sitting there going on and on about Milton Friedman, that bastard.

Excellent reminders. The start of the Obama presidency is more than two months away. The president-elect will respect the office of his predecessor right up until the moment when he himself takes the oath of office, and he will be entitled to the same when the day comes for him to step down.

Here is the youtube channel (you can subscirbe to the videos):
http://www.youtube.com/user/ChangeDotGov

Here is the first address by Obama:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd8f9Zqap6U

Less popular, but just as good, here is Valerie Jarrett, Obama-Biden Transition Project Co-Chair first update:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYJzg5IJN8o

I saw it. It was kind of like a super short version of his stump. I liked that he was sticking to what he’d said before he was president elect. I also really liked what I felt was the “meat” of the address: the stimulus package. He’s said before they if they didn’t get one done before he took office it would be his first priority, but I like that he’s saying it again.

I super love that he’s moved from radio to YouTube/his website for these weekly addresses. In fact, I love the way he uses new media in general. His new media guys deserve a raise! (Actually, they don’t because they’re trying to make it through the transition on voter donations and not lobbyist money, but if there’s any left over at the end they deserve a bonus.)

i like how a president will use technology at his side. Bush didnt even know how to say google and internet. he called them “the google” and “the internets”. I think its nice to see a world leader who lives in the new times and uses the technology that comes with them.

True that Mtl!! I’m excited.