Reason.tv: The President's Briefing Book is B.S.!—Nick Gillespie on Obama's latest fake P.R. stunt

May 21, 2009

Last week, Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie appeared on Fox Business' "Money for Breakfast" to discuss The Citizen's Briefing Book, the latest public-relations ploy emanating from the Obama White House.

Billed as "a closing act for the Transition," the briefing book is "from the American people" to "President Barack Obama" and includes some 400,000 suggestions proferred by over 100,000 respondents, who voted on various proposals. Among the suggestions? Raising taxes on the top 1 percent of income earners, "more stimulus focus on green jobs," and creating a national service corps. The most popular proposal, ending marijuana prohibition, has alas been dismissed out of hand by Barack Obama as not worthy of serious discussion. Which gives a strong sense of just how meaningful the briefing book is.

To read the collection in its entirety, go here.

Appearing with Gillespie were San Francisco-based syndicated columnist Will Durst and Citizens Union head Dick Dadey, both of whom praised the collection as a meaningful exercise in political engagement.

"The Citizen's Briefing Book is part of an orchestrated B.S. P.R. campaign by the Obama administration to appeal the common man," said Gillespie. "If there's one thing worse than being governed by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and a bunch of idiot Republicans, it's being governned by our neighbors who have brain farts and write email letters to the president."

Approximately 10 minutes long. For embed code, and iPod and audio versions, go to Reason.tv now.

Comments

|5.21.09 @ 4:44PM|#

Nick, great job, you came across as the only person with a grasp of reality, and a brain.

JP|5.21.09 @ 4:45PM|#

"If there's one thing worse than being governed by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and a bunch of idiot Republicans, it's being governned by our neighbors who have brain farts and write email letters to the president."

You don't think the administration's actually going to pay any attention to the suggestions, do you? They're probably laughing their asses off.

hmm|5.21.09 @ 4:46PM|#

Three minutes in and I want to kiss you. Quite possibly the best opening line for any TV panel to date.

Fist of Etiquette|5.21.09 @ 4:52PM|#

What the eff was Durst's purpose for being there?

|5.21.09 @ 4:54PM|#

Nick- I think you need a vacation. Obama seems to be driving your blood pressure up to unprecedented levels.

|5.21.09 @ 4:56PM|#

As I recall, his website for suggestions had a lot of people who wanted CPSIA reform, and were flummoxed that Democrats didn't want to change it.

Mister DNA|5.21.09 @ 4:56PM|#

Dick Dadey needs to punched in the throat.

hmm|5.21.09 @ 4:57PM|#

Way to dominate. You need to start wearing a viking helmet for interviews. The other two guys could only come back with empty "how great it is" comments and attempts at out of context statements. (lol fucking troglodytes)

|5.21.09 @ 5:13PM|#

If Obama called for suggestions from the public and then arrogantly dismisses the most frequently cited suggestion - legalizing pot - then, as Nick points out, the whole thing's a sham. Period.

Who are those other two idiots anyway??

Gill|5.21.09 @ 5:15PM|#

Better title: Gillespie discusses the issue of transparency with policy experts Durrrrrst and Dick "Daddy" Dadey

Warty|5.21.09 @ 5:19PM|#

I don't know how anyone could take someone named Durst seriously. Nick should have just shouted "You did it all for the nookie! You did it all for the nookie!" at him for the whole segment.

|5.21.09 @ 5:22PM|#

I was reading the Onion, then I came over to HnR and I swear there was no difference.

lulz|5.21.09 @ 5:31PM|#

I'm sorry Dick Dadey, but a cloying cover page and pretty word clouds =/= transparency.

|5.21.09 @ 5:32PM|#

Nick should have just shouted "You did it all for the nookie! You did it all for the nookie!" at him for the whole segment.

There's no need to bring Fred into this, Warty. The whole situation is annoying enough.

Old Bull Lee|5.21.09 @ 5:34PM|#

Kick ass, Nick. If not for your articulated passion I wouldn't have been able to choke back the vomit from Dadey's propaganda-spewing.

Why the fuck can't we hear more of this kind of talk on pundit TV? Other than maybe George Will I can't think of anybody else who says things like this and sounds like he knows what he's talking about.

Warty|5.21.09 @ 5:36PM|#

Epi, the last time I flew, the in-flight movie was some piece of shit football melodrama starring Ice Cube and directed by Fred Fucking Durst. It's a wonder I wasn't arrested.

Dick Daddy|5.21.09 @ 5:36PM|#

I thought Nick was very rude. President Obama just wants to know what the American people are thinking.

creech|5.21.09 @ 5:37PM|#

Who was that psycho on the news last night screaming at Ron Paul that he didn't care if supermarkets sold poisoned food?

ev|5.21.09 @ 5:39PM|#

yes. i love the idea of his name being dick daddy. whoo. that's gotta be good in the sack.

*insert...well...anything here*

i love how pissed nick looks in ever public appearance. granted im a youngin', but i cant fathom not interjecting way more frequently.

i might out a few 'cockbite's or 'dick slough's too

ev|5.21.09 @ 5:42PM|#

i might THROW out a few cockbites or dick sloughs

|5.21.09 @ 5:49PM|#

why doesnt nick ever wear a suit? is he trying to look like a badass - cuz its working.

|5.21.09 @ 5:55PM|#

Epi, the last time I flew, the in-flight movie was some piece of shit football melodrama starring Ice Cube and directed by Fred Fucking Durst. It's a wonder I wasn't arrested.

That's what the Xanax is for. You know that, obviously.

BakedPenguin|5.21.09 @ 5:55PM|#

Wow, I didn't know citizens couldn't express themselves prior to the Savior's Briefing Book. Obama just invented freedom of speech!

BakedPenguin|5.21.09 @ 6:00PM|#

That's what the Xanax is for.

Xanax is great for sleeping - but it's no fun. Next time, I'm just asking the doc for Valium.

Sean W. Malone|5.21.09 @ 6:02PM|#

Way to dominate. You need to start wearing a viking helmet for interviews.

YES! FTW.

Fascitis Necrotizante|5.21.09 @ 6:03PM|#

...jesus christ.

BakedPenguin|5.21.09 @ 6:11PM|#

Oops, sorry Epi, you weren't talking to me. I'm going to go nap now.

Old Bull Lee|5.21.09 @ 6:14PM|#

I don't know, I think BakedPenguin at 5:55pm wins this thread.

|5.21.09 @ 6:15PM|#

bakedpenguin = warty, obviously

BakedPenguin|5.21.09 @ 6:17PM|#

zergrusher - no, I just wasn't paying attention.

Sean W. Malone|5.21.09 @ 6:23PM|#

c'mon, Nick + leather jacket + viking helmet + pwn. What's not to love?

|5.21.09 @ 6:28PM|#

Oops, sorry Epi, you weren't talking to me. I'm going to go nap now.

If you'd taken the Valium instead, you'd be less sleepy and more goofy.

JP|5.21.09 @ 7:18PM|#

OK, now I've finally had a chance to watch the segment. Nick clearly took those idiots to school. He was the only person there who appeared to have a brain without a chip in it.

Nice work Nick!

|5.21.09 @ 9:51PM|#

Dadey and Durst, get your asses over here. These balls ain't suckin' themselves, ya know.

24AheadDotCom|5.21.09 @ 9:57PM|#

Nick Gillespie - the Libertarian EdAnger - does it again!

P.S. I also called the Citizen's Briefing Book a "scam". Of course, that was over four months ago, but who's counting?

|5.21.09 @ 10:03PM|#

Nick, you've got to bring the visible condescension down a notch. You see this in many libertarians and it hurts our case: We all know we're a lot smarter than these empty suits, but you can't act like it.

|5.21.09 @ 10:09PM|#

WOW! Who's the very hot anchor babe! I should know shouldn't I?

|5.21.09 @ 10:20PM|#

WHO is this anchor and WHY is she screaming her questions and comments? Totally can't stand her.

|5.21.09 @ 10:22PM|#

"I thought Nick was very rude. President Obama just wants to know what the American people are thinking."

Funnily enough, the America people are "thinking" the same exact things the press and the dems have been screaming at them for the last 8 years. Wow. Woulda guessed it?

Jeff B.|5.21.09 @ 10:29PM|#

"Let's get back on track."

On track? Gillespie talked about the "Citizen's Briefing book". When did he go off-track?

|5.21.09 @ 10:49PM|#

Nick's a fucking rebel (that's with a positive connotation).

Art-P.O.G.|5.22.09 @ 12:07AM|#

Great job by N. Gillespie.

Dadey's hackery was also impressive.

pulp|5.22.09 @ 9:55AM|#

Does that Dick guy really believe what he's saying? The Prez and the Admin actually CARE about the average citizen's opinion? Is he naive or just totally cynical??

pulp|5.22.09 @ 10:11AM|#

Hmn. Having watched the whole thing, I think that Dick guy is infact just another useful idiot tool who really DOES believe what he's saying. Will Durst comes off as a slightly smarmy, intelligent and totally mild-mannered cynical journalist, but mister "non-partisan organization" (your first clue) comes off like a total kool-aid drinker. "Rhetoric over reality" indeed.

PS-- great job, Nick. You dominated that one. I am looking forward to one day getting to see you in a real on-air fist-a-cuff with Jon Stewart or one of those high profile douchebags.

|5.22.09 @ 2:03PM|#

I guess word clouds are formed by an accumulation of brain farts!

|5.22.09 @ 9:05PM|#

Interesting, it really seems each political party has their own flavor of kool-aid. Being the least "tool" shed worthy is not saying much when you come up with such winners as

(paraphrasing) "if weed is not legalized, then no one has paid any attention to the briefing book."

jeez.

Joseph|5.24.09 @ 1:51AM|#

Good job Nick. You dominated.