What do staged questions say about Obama’s health care plan?
With public and congressional support dwindling for the proposed health care plan, President Obama held a town hall forum in Virginia Wednesday to gain support. It might have had the opposite effect.
According to Fox News, there has been criticism that the questions asked at the forum were staged and asked by individuals who were members of groups that supported his health care plan. The article also cited reporters who said that the forum was an attempt to control the media.
“I’m amazed at you people who call for openness and transparency,” said veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas at a White House press conference.
“And you haven’t heard the questions,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs shot back.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s the process,” CBS’ Chip Reid argued. “Even if there’s a tough question, it’s a question coming from somebody who was invited or who was screened or the question was screened.”
Here’s a video of the White House press conference from YouTube.
Fox News reported that the White House web site solicited Americans to submit questions for the town hall via social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube with hundreds of entries received.
Do you think it is problematic that questions were posed at the forum even if they were tough questions? Does this attempt to control a public forum and/or the media influence your view of Obama’s health care plan? Has Obama broken your trust?
Helen Thomas and Chip Reid were spot on.