White House Still Won’t Use The Word ‘Recession,’ Press Corps Doesn’t Seem To Notice
White House Still Won’t Use The Word ‘Recession,’ Press Corps Doesn’t Seem To Notice
Early last month, a reporter asked Assistant White House Press Secretary Tony Fratto why the White House refuses to use the word “recession.” The reporter quipped, “Is that word radioactive?” Fratto demurred, saying, “we don’t make those determinations.” Watch it:
Fratto’s attempt to pass the buck on the question has become a familiar refrain in White House press briefings over the last year:
– “Recessions are things that are declared by other people — National Bureau of Economic Research.” [Edward Lazear, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, 3/7/08]
– “The classic definition of a recession is not something that we could determine now, or forecast. It’s something that people look back on.” [White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, 10/7/08]
– “[Y]ou’re asking me questions — I’m not an economist. … [I]f you want definitions about what is or isn’t a recession in this day and age…you’re just going to have to go to an economist, not me.” [Perino, 9/17/08]
But on Monday, the White House could no longer pretend to be oblivious to whether or not the U.S. is in a recession. Indeed, the organization that, as Fratto put it, makes “those determinations” — the National Bureau of Economic Research — announced that the U.S. currently in a recession and has been since December 2007.
Amazingly, however, the White House still can’t bring itself to publicly discuss the fact that the U.S. economy is in recession. In fact, as the Associated Press noted, in responding to NBER’s Monday recession announcement, Fratto managed to avoid ever using the word “recession.” Additionally, in the two press briefings since the announcement, the word “recession” was not used a single time — by White House officials or by the press.
Despite the fact that the White House’s rhetoric on the economy over the last twelve months has been exposed as nothing more than economic happy talk, the press corps seems content to keep on listening.
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Is ANYONE in the WH press corps paying ANY attention?
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:06 pmC’mon, why should they start recognizing reality now?
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:06 pmThey’ve been desperately avoiding it for so long, they may not even know how to percieve it.
So…after 8 long YEARS, does anyone truly expect that bunch of bootlicking wh*res to actually report the real news??
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:06 pmWhite House Still Won’t Use The Word ‘Recession,’
– - That’s because the White House is in a depression.
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:14 pmSay… I just noticed… none of the “loyal opposition” who used to crow about how peachy the economy was this past summer have shown up here to continue to catapult their propaganda lately.
What gives?
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:16 pm‘the press corps doesn’t seem to notice’
uh, when have they these past eight years. but i suspect come january 21, 2009 they’ll be yipping and yapping at everything the obama administration tries to do.
gutless friggin cowards. every last one of them.
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:18 pmI suspect that if this White House encountered a violent blizzard, with a couple of feet of accumulation, they would still balk at using the word “snow”.
Yes, people are going to “look back” at this. And they are going to remember how horrible it is regardless of what words the White House uses to describe it. The spin ain’t working.
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:21 pmIt’s official. According to a statement from the National Bureau of Economic Research, the United States has been in a recession since December 2007. But while that conclusion from the non-governmental NEBR differs from the traditional definition of two consecutive quarters of GDP contraction, by any accounting the Bush recession will be well underway by the end of this year. And by either measure, the conservative talking point of a Clinton recession “inherited by George W. Bush” remains a myth.
Of course, back in 2001 the new Bush administration and its amen corner in the right-wing media weren’t shy at all when it came to blaming the sluggish economy that spring on Bill Clinton.
For the details, see:
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:23 pm“Bush’s Economic Crisis and the Myth of the Clinton Recession.”
See no evil
Hear no evil
Speak no evil
Entrance requirements for the White House Press Room
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:28 pmBut, I think the American people will be ready for the other “R” word pretty soon, revolution…
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:29 pm‘Deficits don’t matter’ exclaimed dick-tater dick, the crowd roared with applause.
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:31 pmraynman Says:
See no truth
Hear no truth
Speak no truth
Had to fix it for your raynman.
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:32 pmPress Corps Doesn’t Seem To Notice”
Were they awake?
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:37 pmThey seemed to be pretty comfortable claiming that they “inherited” the “Clinton recession…” gee back in the early years…
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:40 pmyou know after jan 19, 2009, these assclowns will be screaming depression and pointing the finger at obama
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:40 pmThe compound hypocrisy — which the stenographer-parrot corps won’t even mention — is that those two bungling/thieving chickenhawk bozos spent the better part of their original 2000 campaign ceaselessly badmouthing the economy right into the tank.
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:53 pmWow. It’s the 80’s again. Bush White House is to Recession as Reagan White House is to AIDS.
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:56 pmYou just know these happy A-holes intended this bomb to go off AFTER the transition; they look to me like the terrorists planning an attack who blew themselves up in their van while strapping on the goods.
December 3rd, 2008 at 4:16 pmOf course the press corp does not notice. They have noticed nothing for years. In fact they have made it a practice to notice nothing. This way they never had to do their jobs.
In fact the only reporter not afraid to as questions was Helen Thomas. And she is no longer there. She offended Bush and was frozen out. Now some other news organization is lucky enough to have her. The Press Corp is only interested in keeping what is now a soft job. They carried Bush for years and now they don’t know how to do anything else.
These people cannot be dignified by calling them journalists. I have seen high school newspapers with more courage and ethics than this group.
They are now purely for show. They are what they are.
December 3rd, 2008 at 4:17 pmRecession. The evil they dare not speak its name.
-AF
December 3rd, 2008 at 4:42 pmAndrew Sullivan Is A Fraud
Two R sound words you’ll never hear from the Bush WH
Recession
(W)Rong – as in “I was…
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:15 pmThe economy is doing great.
We won the war in Iraq.
Americans prefer Republicans.
Only Fox News watchers are informed.
[Repeat until Zombification sets in]
December 3rd, 2008 at 8:03 pmNo surprise here. They’re waiting until Obama gets in– pn that day, “recession”, even “depression”, will suddenly be the Repubs’ “mots du jour”.
December 3rd, 2008 at 8:27 pmSo, the White House press corp is still drinking the kool- aide…..while we sink helplessly into oblivion.
December 4th, 2008 at 1:11 amWe aren’t in a recession, Katrina wasn’t a hurricane, we won the war in Iraq, we killed bin Laden, there is no global warming, Bush’s legacy is secure! Maybe he should resign now on this high note.
December 4th, 2008 at 8:22 amyah, and 19 hijackers with boxcutters took down the trade towers. The American people will swallow anything pablum.
December 4th, 2008 at 8:44 amThe “war on terror” is a hoax, folks.
Wait, Dana Perino isn’t an economist?
December 4th, 2008 at 9:35 am