There were no big surprises in the much-touted Town Hall meeting held yesterday by President Barack Obama at the Mountain View, Calif., headquarters of LinkedIn. People mostly asked about how he would put them back to work, while the President mostly touted the American Jobs Act proposal he's trying to get through an oppositional Republican Congress.
There was one clear winner, though -- LinkedIn, which was able to turn the event into a 1-hour ad for the social media platform and its effectiveness as a place to hold meaningful national debate. By moderating the debate himself, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner threw the spotlight on himself and his company in a debate that came off without a hitch.
Nearly 70,000 people tuned in to the Town Hall live and no doubt thousands more will watch the replays both on LinkedIn and at Whitehouse.gov. Viewers didn't learn much new about Obama's positions on the issues, unless they weren't already aware the president wants to improve education, rebuild our infrastructure and invest in science and technology. But the event does mean tons of exposure for that familiar blue-and-white logo, clearly visible on a back wall throughout the event.
Last week, the upcoming Town Hall drove huge engagement on the platform, drawing more than 3,000 questions. As I noted in last week's post about the Obama meetup, many of the questions submitted on LinkedIn were rude -- along the lines of "When will you resign?"
The live questions were less confrontational -- commenters were already remarking about the soft-ball nature of the event in LinkedIn comments moments after the debate concluded. That's likely a measure of the boldness the Internet's anonymity grants people. Sure, you'll make cracks on a chat forum, but would you say that to the President's face? Maybe not.
Related: Obama Asks for Entrepreneurs' Questions on LinkedIn
Though the audience was hand-selected by the White House, it didn't seem to be an Obama love-in by any means. The President was only applauded twice -- at the end, and once when he thanked a retired military member for his service.
Moreover, one Town Hall participant, startup co-founder Adam Berkowitz of the New York-based discount consumer-products retail website Stockn'Go, says he was disappointed by what the President didn't say. Specifically, he was surprised that most questioners asked what Obama would do to help the unemployed, rather than discuss ways to help small businesses create those needed jobs.
Berkowitz wanted to hear more about what could be done to cut small-business healthcare costs. "Rising medical costs have undone the effect of all their other programs," he says. "I haven't seen a lot of help from him, to be honest."
At this point, the administration's biggest task may be instilling confidence in American consumers and getting them spending again, Berkowitz says.
"A lot of small business owners are scared," he says. "They don't want to invest if they don't think people will buy."
What did you think of the town hall meeting? Leave a comment and let us know.
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Comments:
Turn over the senate with votes to a fiscal conservative senate and house. Give the private sector a deep breath and the knowledge that they are safe from a thug regime to continue doing business and hiring people.
Can't do the job then you need to step down for the greater good. Would you really let an entire country fall because of your pride?
Sure, you'll make cracks on a chat forum, but would you say that to the President's face? Maybe not. .. maybe that's the problem
Your caps lock key is stuck. Try spraying your keyboard with PAM. Well, the national debt has risen more since he's been in office than for all the past presidents combined. For what? What is he trying to do? Bankrupt us? Sometimes, trying isn't good enough. Anybody missing Bush yet?
I think everyone agrees: Big hat, no cattle. You have to feel sorry for this President. He had so little experience in anything - no military, a couple of years in the Senate, no job experience, no leadership experience, no foreign policy experience - just white guilt to carry him in to office. I wonder what he said to his wife after his first week as President after the CIA and other intelligence agencies gave him the real scoop, the stuff nobody else knows about? The Chicago Machine got him in, but they didn't have any qualified people to give him economic and political advice. They are in over their heads. Running the country is a bunch different than running a state they've had under their thumbs since 1915. Washington is not Chicago. No clicking your fingers and people jump to do whatever you want. Poor guy. Poor us.
It is time for tough love. If you love Obama, you can yell to pass his tax hike bill, but he wants to fix bridges that he already said the last 787 Billion dollar stimulus was for. Where did the money go if our bridges still need repair? It went to bogus companies where they sent back a percentage of it to the DNC for Obama's re-election campaign, which is where he got all this new campaign money. If you LOVE YOUR KIDS, THROW THIS PRESIDENT OUT OF OUR WHITE HOUSE. Tough love is tough, but in this case, it must be applied unless you want your kids to grow up under a dictatorship or worse. Its time to stop allowing this man to continue his destruction of America. I hope that's clear.
Yes, I have a suggestion: first, get rid of this President and every single one of his cronies. Reverse all the damage he has purposely done to the private sector with nonsense regulations, etc. Turn over the senate with votes to a fiscal conservative senate and house. Give the private sector a deep breath and the knowledge that they are safe from a thug regime to continue doing business and hiring people. But most importantly, as the 2012 election comes around, every state MUST insist on proper identification to cast a vote, and then every single vote must be watched, scutinized and counted only once, because Obama will see to it that voter fraud is rampant to retain power. Nothing is beneath this man, and I mean NOTHING. Throw him and his marxist wife the hell out of our White House and give the Country back to the people under the founding documents and under the rule of LAW. Anyone causing public violence and disruption, throw them the hell in jail where they belong, or give them the freedom to leave the country and along with it, leave their citizenship at the door and go live in Iran where they feel things would be so much more "fair".
Buying votes, again. The government does not job creation. If this administration were truly interested in assisting business owners, then they'd shuttle the EPA, or seriously tie the hands. Just ask Boeing who spent all of that money on the East coast to start a factory and OUR GOVERNMENT shut them down. Yet, we can send aid to foreign entities who hate us, continually vote against the United States at the UN but take our money while telling us how much they hate us. The government 'rules' in which to start a business are so onerous, it is a wonder anyone who is middle-class attempts to start a business. But then again, the 'elite' game plan is to have no midde class. And BTW, if you took out a loan to pay for college, then pay it back. You knew that going in. My parents and I WORKED to pay for college and NEVER DREAMED of acquiring a student loan to pay for college. My daughter did not take out a loan either; she goes to a university that she can afford!
Thats a dumb statement! Tried what? To convince people that they should allow him to repeat the failed stimulus 1 with stim 2? He's eviscerated the small business segment which is the only reliable job creation program. His policies of class warfare means that no one will be willing to start a business because, it you don't make it, there's no help. And if you do, you have to put up with the stigma of being successful: huge taxes, red tape and government intervention into every aspect of your employee relationships. The incentive of working hard and being successful has gone, along with hope and change. This clown had acted after election the opposite to what he promised: he's only the president of a small select group of radicals - everyone else is his enemy. So much for being president of the reds and the blues. The airplane purchases of corporate America encouraged under Stim 1 have now become the whipping boy of Stim 2 He was going to have a transparent administration. No government outside the Kremlin has been more secretive. For the first time in democratic history, we have to pass a bill to see what's in it. What happened to full disclosure he promised? Should I go on, or do you get my point?
Why didn't they help him during his first two years when both houses had huge democrat majorities. Don't let your lack of intelligence be so obvious Jerry.
I agree with you for the most part except that your last sentence uses the wrong language. Closing tax loopholes and moving back to the tax level of the Clinton era in place of tax increases. And, entitelments ???? I pay into Social Security, I pay into medicare. Those are no more of an entitlement than my 401K that I also pay into. Mismanaged money albeit but not an entitlement.
Why is it the government's responsibility to "create" jobs? Government doesn't create anything. What happened to personal responsibility in this country. Business creates jobs when the demand for goods and services requires it to. Building infrastructure is redistribution of tax dollars to a lot of government / union employees who in almost all cares are over paid and complain about everything they think that they should be getting. When people stop looking to the government to make things better and start looking to themselves, we as a country may have a chance.
Yer durn tootin' right, Mike old boy!
AT LEAST HE TRIED! HOW MANY OTHER PRESIDENTS CAN SAY THE SAME?!!!!!!!
"...liberal democrats who want to give all our money away to special interest for the next 4 years..." I'm assuming that similar to @RufusChoate:disqus you would include the $700 billion in TARP bailout funds in this category? For the record this saved:327,000 jobs at Citigroup300,000 jobs at Bank of America284,000 jobs at GM200,000 jobs at Chrysler63,000 jobs at AIG Out of curiosity, what do you think would have happened when 1,174,000 jobs disappeared out of an economy on the edge of collapse? I haven't seen a run on a bank before, but I'd prefer not to. This came from corporate greed, loose regulation and no government oversight leading up to the collapse; not liberal democrats giving money way to special interests. The system is broken; but I'd appreciate if you wouldn't blame liberal Democrats for Republican failures.
In took a decade and a World War to pull our economy out of the last event like this. Lacking the world war (just two money sucking wars, with no production payoff), my guess is that we'll be dealing with this for a long time. There is no silver bullet, easy answer, or messiah that is going to show up and solve this for us. It's going to take time and hard work. "...and form an analytic plan for recovery. Our President has failed on these simple points...." I would counter that this is one of the most complex tasks our government has tackled in the last 50 years, and about as far from simple as you can get. You have some of the brightest minds on both sides of the spectrum trying to solve this problem. The challenge is that we're becoming so divided, no one is willing to listen or work with the other side. In my opinion the solution will be a combination of tax increases and entitlement cuts. Both sides need to be willing to give in and work together.
2. What's your point? Bush appointed Paulson and lobbied Congress to pass, as you said, budget busting legislation. The last time the United States had a balanced budget was after 8 years of a Democratic president. Once Bush took office our debt quickly spiraled out of control. Please view the graph for more info: http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/spending_chart_1900_2015USp_G0t 4. Once again, your attacking with broad, unfounded points. Republicans controlled all three branches of government from 2000-2007. If the Republicans were really incapable of stopping a minority party from doing what they wanted, then why would I, or anyone ever want these people in office? They sound like the weakest group of individuals ever. 6. Successfully executed three wars? Please. We've spent $1.2 trillion dollars and lost thousands of precious American lives. Neither country is stable without us, and we've already been there for a decade. Greatest foreign policy disaster of the last 100 years is more apt. Personal attacks, very adult. I always laugh when you or your party says "the American people will understand." You realize over half the country doesn't agree with you right? Also, given the sad candidates in this years Republican field we'll gain ground in 2012.
Hostile Congress? Remember the Presidents party controlled the Congress and Senate for the first 2 years of his Presidency but they decided to focus on “health care reform” instead of working on the economy! If he had really wanted to help the unemployed he would have put his time, energy and the influence he had over his party during his first 2 years in office into doing just that, helping the unemployed. For you or anyone else to continue to blame Bush is utterly ridiculous and an insult to anyone with a brain. Also how can you say “shouldn’t Congress help him, help America?” by the same token shouldn’t the President want to help Congress help America?
Hey Rob, why dont you get your facts stright, you say the republicans took the last 8yrs to destroy the country, B.S. the first 4 yrs were great, I am middle class and I made good money...then congress was filed with liberal democrats who want to give all our money away to special interests for the next 4 yrs and thats when the country went to shit-in a hand basket... this country will never get it right if the democrats and republicans dont work together, unfortuantly, they never will, the thinking of both parties is so far apart no party is going to get us back on track... go back to Regan area, and you will find some solid answers how to fix our economic failures...
Democrats controlled the House from 2006 and would not be happy if you said they co-operated with Bush (they didnt co-operate at all) so we have had Democratic financial control for 5 years now, it all went wrong after 2006. Check your facts on the Democrats, Barney Franks disaster with affordable housing directly led to the toxic mortgages that caused the financial worlwide meltdown and robbed every American home owner of at least 15% of the equity in their homes, those that didnt loose them. Also the Speaker of the House does not control who votes in the House, We the people elected them and they themselves decide how they will vote. Democrats may do it differently of course. As far as corrupt goes, nothing you quote comes anywhere near the Acorn bunch who are still being investigated by the FBI for their contributiuon to society. Oops, shouldn't have mentioned Acorn, Barrak Hussein Obama used to work for them.
Anonymous? Hard to do that with a photograph and a brief CV attached to one's comments. Sorry, that was just factually wrong. Why in your reporting have you completely skipped over the fact that the Obama White House planned the event? The SF Chronicle reported as much.
It is interesting that when the poor and the middle class are "paying" its portayed as noble but when its the rich job creators its gothcha! time. First of all none of the "poor" pay income tax at all and most of the middle class pay way less than the rich. If you want to raise taxes, raise all taxes so that all people pay something, that of course will make them take a harder look at the people who are collecting and SPENDING the taxes. Oops that may not work out too well for the Democrats. Sorry didnt mean to spoil the party!
This is the same rerun of useless information and ineffective ideas and plans. My small business has gone from nine employees to two with no sign of regaining what has been lost. The Presidents plan will create "potential" jobs at a cost of $200,000 per job...his Administrations numbers not mine. I think we can find better and more cost effective ways of job creation than this plan. Finally, this is President Obama's economy so let's stop transferring his failures on what happened in the previous Administration. I believe Obama told us if we spent a trillion dollars on the stimulus and passed healthcare reform jobs would be created, unemployment would not go above 8% then economy would recover. He either was unable to assess the situation when he took over, misrepresented his plans, had no idea what to really do or some combination. Given what he has not done so far, why would anyone believe his current proposal will work any better than the previous very similar proposals that resulted in 14 trillion in debt and the down grading of our credit rating. I would like to see him stop campaigning and start dealing with the realities facing our economy!
2. Bush lobbied Republicans only who opposed TARP. He was told by his Secretary of the Treasury: Hank Paulson that it was a crisis of untold proportions. 4. Since Carter. The Left as the party of big intrusive government infests every level of the Bureaucratic mechanism. The board of directors of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during their most egregious and foolhardy expansion between 2000 and 2008 was a club for Clinton officials: Raines, Emmanuel, Goerlick, Ickes and host of others. All became multi-millionaires while employed there. 6. The Economic impact of September 11, 2001 is estimated to be about 3.3 Trillion to 7 Trillion in lost value, infrastructure and productivity. Bush erased that impact, grew the economy and successfully executed 3 wars: Iraq under Saddam Hussein, Iraq under Al Qaeda, Afghanistan under the Taliban. None of Bush's policies have be reversed by the Left since they assume control in spite of their vociferous claims of opposition during Bush's tenure. You're a very facile liar and fraud but the American people understand how little real substance the Left has aside from a rapacious lust for power and control and the blight of the preternaturally inept Community Organizer Obama and the Left will be removed in November 2012
Interesting to leave out the fact that a number of republican legislators came into power in 1994. Some are still there. They had the chance to fix this in 2000 and chose not to. Republicans are the problem, not the solution.
Rob, You cite Republican control as the major factor for the mess we are currently in. Stipulating that, How long should it take a true leader to recover from our current morass of ineffectivity? How long should our president be able to say "Hey, it's not my fault. All this stuff was messed up when I got here." The President, whatever party he is from, should be a leader. A true leader would never make excuses like President Obama has. A true leader would play the cards he has been dealt, respect the office, and form an analytical plan for recovery. Our President has failed on those simple points, choosing rather to take the opportunity afforded him by the power of the office to enact changes that form the country to fit his ideal. He has lacked focus and direction.
Why would anyone think there would be anything of substance or meaning for the average American business coming from a president who is a devout Socialist. Former President Bush's policies may have not been the best, but given the fact that the Senate and Congress were controlled by a radical left in the last years of the Bush Administration, and that "perfect storm" was fueled and perpetuated by a newly elected radical fraud as President, the current situation in America is 100% Obama's doing. President Obama is, without a doubt the most dangerous man ever elected to the White House. He makes Jimmy Carter look inteligent and Bill Clinton look like a patriot.
I saw some of it live & watched the rest this morning..... makes me want to Cancel my Listing, glad I only have 24 Connections!!!! Obama for America is the Banner Sponsor... It appeared to me like the CEO Weiner is a BIG Supporter/Admirer, from his introduction! Then, one question from the audience Looked Set-up.... a dot.com or Online (Self-proclaimed)Millionare, who is now Unemployed by Choice; & WANTS the President, "to make sure his Taxes are Raised", along with Warren Buffet..... I feel like I'm not getting my moneys worth; so why dont THEY, just send/donate more of their money to DC! I cant believe I watched the whole thing.... Politics at it's worst, I've been an Independent for 25 years.! If the President wants to Pass a Jobs Act; how about something other than propping-up Union Service Jobs; with some Real Wealth-Creating Jobs, in Farming/Mining/Drilling or MFG!!!
I see what you are saying. If I recall the economy was doing fairly well during 2000-2006 but then the Dems came into office and it started going down ever since. President Bush warned against the housing market numerous times in 2004. But Barney Frank swore that everything was ok and doing better that they projected. So what does our President do? He appoints Chris Dodd and Barney Frank ( the two that lied to congress, the President, and to the American People ) to fix it. Doesn't look like he has a clue how to fix anything. It is kinda like putting Michael Vick in charge of the SPCA.
The article mentioned the oppositional "republican congress". Is the Democratic leadership so weak in the Senate that you forget that part of the equation? My answer is yes. Has the Senate taken up the President's new job plan? No, they went on recess. I think that term "recess" is very descriptive of Harry Reid's childish leadership.
It is obvious you are in the "tank" for Obama. This type of scripted message does nothing to help the situation. People need jobs not welfare or government handouts.
I was greatly disappointed in the town hall. The president was not challenged and there were many questions that were more incisive and would have been more challenging. It appears that Linkedin was either afraid to challenge the President or they were not allowed too. Great for Linkedin but a waste of an hour.
I was very disappointed in the LinkedIn Town Hall discussion. It was merely a platform for the Presidents Jobs Bill, every question seemed like a scripted softball, and thrown underhand by the pitchers. There is no way on God's Green Earth that the "unemployed by choice" comment about raising the wealthy taxes wasn't pre-planned. NO WAY. I'm a Republican who wants to see the president, any President, succeed. If he or she succeeds in growing this country back to its' former glory, I'm all for it. Partisanship sucks. I'm an American first. I will agree with one thing that is a proven fact. When we went to War starting in 2001, it was the first time in the country's history that taxes were were not sharply raised across all economic classes. That is not anecdotal, that is a fact. I'm willing to pay for a war if it means vanquishing the enemy. Put a separate line item on my tax bill that says, "War Money".
Agree; democrat socialists have no place in a free society, which the USA once was free until these enemies have been tearing-down our Constitution. The Constitution is the only law of the land, and it is prescribed how to change if needed. These domestic enemies of the US (and I include RINO Republicans) namely potus, czars, scotus liberal voters, and congress should all be arrested and tried for treason.
I know the President is doing what he can to put the people of American back to work. If we all will remember everything that he has and dealing with was left by the past 8 yr administration and he is trying to fix it with a hostile Congress that has their rich constituents in mind to save and not America. We need to come off the fact that the President has all the answers when America just went along with what has happened in the past and really does not want to move ahead in the future unless it is on the backs of the poor and middle class. As President Obama has said many times let us come together as Americans and put America back to work, and we all need to work together to do that! Should'nt Congress help him, help America? That is why we voted them in.
2. President Bush heavily lobbied for $700 Billion in TARP funds (HR 1424 aka "budget busting legislation") and it passed with significant Republican support in 2008. 4. Since Carter, the Republicans have held the presidency for 20 years and controlled the US House of Representatives from 1995 to 2007. No laws could have been pushed through without Republican support and an agreement from the president not to veto. 6. Republicans controlled every branch of government, including the Judicial (with the addition of Alito and Roberts) from 2000-2007. “Coincidentally” some of the worst years in our country and the lead up to the financial disaster we currently find ourselves in. I assume by “…nothing you can fabricate…” actually means- logic and facts will not convince me otherwise.
A list of germane points: 1. Democrats had majority control of the House and Senate from 2006 until January 2011. 2. Obama voted for and the Democrats drafted every budget busting legislation from 2006 until 2011 without President Bush's or Republican involvement. 3. The debt ceiling vote was delayed by Obama, Pelosi and Reid from the Lame duck session when it was due in order to embarrass the Republican house into raising taxes. It failed. 4. The policies that produce this crisis were entirely sourced from Leftist policies and excessive government deformation of the Free Market starting the Carter presidency as a patronage program for democrat voters. 5. The budget process has not been completed since 2009. The President has propose one budget so absurd that the Senate reject it 97-0 and Reid has tabled two Republican House budget: 2010- 2011 and all major economic bills without a vote 6. Read "Reckless Endangerment" and read the Wall Street Journal and the Investor Business Daily issues from the last eight years for the true documentation of the financial crisis. It is a Leftist policy failure germinated from the 1970's. Review a roster of the Democrat operative involved in Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Obama and the Left hava failed at everything they laid their hand to and nothing you can fabricate will prove otherwise.
Did you have an actually point to contest with my comment or are you merely adept at simple minded invective? Don't bother to respond you sound like a low utility government drone. p.s. I dropped my initial speculation about you and farm animals.
Hi Carol, I concur with your observations about the LinkedIn Town Hall. It would have been wonderful for the President to have answered my question (or simply to have received it). Thank you very much for citing it in your previous post about the event. I was humbled by your kind gesture. Brent
It was an excellent meeting
Thanks, Mr. Beck. Nice to know that you can get out and do things during the day. Are there any more talking points you want to drag out here? Never mind anything factual or helpful - I realize that it's just too much to ask of you - just repeat more of what your handlers on television are saying.
@RufusChoate:disqus : You realize that it was 8 years under a Republican president that got us into this mess in the first place, right? Two wars, failed educational reforms, massive stock market crashes, government bailouts and Dick Cheney's buddies at Halliburton reaping all the rewards. You don't get more corrupt than that. Additionally, the CBO has scored every democratic bill that has come out of the White House for the last three years: http://www.cbo.gov/costestimates/CEBrowse.cfmAlso, the White House does not control who votes in the House. The Republican speaker of the house does. The failures in the House were over the budget stand-off last month. The Republicans refused to work with the Democrats on the budget, causing us to nearly default on our debt and resulting in a credit downgrade. Republicans are playing political brinkmanship for their own personal gain, with no regard to those that will actually be affected by the their failures. In summary: check the facts before you make a statement, learn how congress operates and stop slandering 150 million people in our country with uneducated trite. The Republicans took 8 years to destroy our country, why don't you give the democrats more than 3 years to fix it (again).
Small business owners like myself also understand the President is a pro-union guy, that is just a fact...many small business owners are not pro-union, and that right there creates a tremendous disconnect.
Two very large points are missed by the description: "oppositional Republican Congress". First, the Republicans are right and Obama is wrong, failed and corrupt. Secondly,it is the Democrat Senate that is holding up the passage of legislation. Obama and the Left have not produced functional budget or allowed any of his proposals to be score by the CBO let alone allowed the vote on most of the Republican House's bills. Everything that he and the Left have attempted over the last 3 years was never intended to create real economic growth but merely allow the wholesale looting the treasury for their political advantage and the enrichment of their supporters: Wall Street and Government Unions. .