Clarifying "Clarify"

    In a press conference this morning, President Obama had the misfortune of having his remarks reported quickly and accurately.  According to Real Clear Politics and most news organizations on the planet, the president said:

The truth of the matter is that, as I said, we created 4.3 million jobs over the last 27 months, over 800,000 just this year alone.
The private sector is doing fine. Where we're seeing weaknesses in our economy have to do with state and local government.

Within hours, the president was forced to "clarify"these remarks, or at least that's what those same news organizations are reporting that he did, in this case, ABCNews:

“It’s absolutely clear the economy is not doing fine,” the president said while sitting alongside Philippines President Benigno Aquino in the Oval Office. “That’s the reason I had a press conference. That’s why I spent yesterday, the day before yesterday, this past week, this past month and this past year talking about how we can make the economy stronger. The economy is not doing fine. There are too many people out of work. The housing market is still weak, too many homes underwater and that’s precisely why I asked Congress to start taking some steps that can make a difference.”

Personally I believe that rather than "clarify," the word reporters were searching for was "repudiate."  In the same day, we heard the president say, "The private sector is doing fine" and "It’s absolutely clear the economy is not doing fine."  The equivalent would be saying that Bernie Madoff "clarified" his original denial of the $50 billion fraud scheme by confessing.

    In Obama's "clarification," there are a few other points he might need to "clarify."  He said, "That’s why I spent yesterday, the day before yesterday, this past week, this past month and this past year talking about how we can make the economy stronger."  A look at the White House website of the president's "Speeches and Remarks," however, reveal a different priority:

Speeches and Remarks

June 07, 2012
Remarks by the President on College Affordability
June 07, 2012
Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event
June 07, 2012
Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event
June 07, 2012
Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event
June 06, 2012
Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event
June 06, 2012
Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event
June 06, 2012
Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event
June 05, 2012
Remarks by the First Lady at Disney Press Conference
June 05, 2012
Remarks by President Obama and President Clinton at a Campaign Event
June 04, 2012
Remarks by President Obama and President Clinton at a Campaign Event
June 04, 2012
Remarks by President Obama and President Clinton at a Campaign Event
June 04, 2012
Remarks by Vice President Joe Biden at the Cypress Bay High School Graduation Ceremony
June 04, 2012
Remarks by the President on Equal Pay for Equal Work via Conference Call
June 01, 2012
Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event -- Private Residence, Chicago, IL
June 01, 2012
Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event -- Private Residence, Chicago, IL
June 01, 2012
Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event
June 01, 2012
Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event -- Bachelor Farmer Restaurant, Minneapolis, MN

Thirteen of the last seventeen "speeches and remarks" (through June 7th) were at campaign events.  Given that Obama promised to "focus like a laser beam" on the economy, it is reasonable to assume that he must think the economy is doing OK if he can afford to refocus the laser elsewhere.

    The day was not over for clarifying moments, however.  Late in the afternoon, the @BarackObama campaign Twitter account retweeted this from Ben LaBolt, the press secretary for Obama for America in Chicago:

Vice-President Joe Biden, apparently worried that someone else would get all the credit for a gaffe, decided he wanted in on the action, and he tweeted that Romney would "cut jobs for teachers and first responders." The problem, of course, as you might have guessed, was that Mitt Romney didn't say it.  Even the title of the Youtube video contradicts the claims, "Mitt Romney Criticizes President Obama For Wanting To Hire More Police, Firemen and Teachers." Romney mentions nothing about firing, only that the lesson of Wisconsin's recall-that-wasn't being government can't continue to spend money it doesn't have, even to hire more teachers, police and firemen.  Once again, the Obama campaign found itself walking back a misstatement, a practice becoming so routine as to wear a rut in the path to the podium.  Sure enough, an hour later, the campaign tweeted this:

"Fire", "not hire"... six of one, half-dozen of the other, right?  Perhaps this works in government where an increase in spending that is less than the planned increase is called a "cut," but that does not cut it in the humdrum world of the citizenry.

    So where does this leave the Obama campaign?  I think that one result that is sure to come from this difficult week of gaffes, misstatements and misrepresentations is that the Obama campaign will be much more careful, straightforward and honest for the remainder of the campaign.  Wait, let me clarify that.  No, I don't.