President Obama Brakes The Rules!

He Repeats A Negative, Calls Jessica Simpson Fat? Or does he?

By Alacer Video ©2009

During a live pre Super Bowl interview with NBC's Today Show host Matt Lauer President Barack Obama made a basic media training error. He repeated a negative (Never Repeat A Negative).

What happened- Near the end of Lauer's interview with the President the NBC host held up a copy of US Weekly magazine. The cover of the magazine features a picture of the first family but where the President's head should have been was a side bar picture and headline about Jessica Simpson and her weight gain. The headline above the picture read "Inside Jess' Weight Battle." When Lauer showed the cover to the President, the President commented about the photo.

MSNBC Transcript- Here is what the President said:
Lauer: Yeah, well -- let -- let me show you. This is the -- the current issue of -- of Us Weekly
Obama: Right.
Lauer: And here’s a great picture
Obama: Oh, it’s beautiful.
Lauer: -- of -- of you and -- and Michelle and -- and your daughters. Now, the -- the reason I bring this up I think is funny. It’s a great picture.
Obama: Yeah.
Lauer: But I wanna show you the cover. Look what they did. They -- they took you off the cover.
Obama: Yeah.
Lauer: They took you out of it.
Obama: It -- it’s -- it’s a little hurtful.
Lauer: You got replaced by Jessica Simpson.
Obama: Yeah, who’s in a weight battle apparently. (LAUGHTER) Yeah.
 Oh, well. 

Blog posts, internet articles and some print headlines took the President to task for "dissing" Jessica Simpson. The headlines read:
- Obama Calls Singer Jessica Simpson Fat
- Barack Obama Jokes About Jessica Simpson's Weight
- President Obama Weighs In On Jessica Simpson
- President Barack Obama booted by Jessica Simpson's booty?
- Did POTUS diss Jessica Simpson? how tell your  story in the most

To make matters worse the original MSNBC transcript of the interview had the President saying "... Obama: Yeah, who’s losing a weight battle apparently....". Instead of  "...Obama: Yeah, who’s in a weight battle apparently." 

We watched the video from the interview and it was clear to us that President Obama was just reading what was on the cover of the magazine and not making a personal comment about Ms. Simpson.

Either way, reading or commenting he repeated a negative and thus give it life and had the effect of him saying it as if it were his own thought or opinion. The safe thing for him to do would have been to say something about himself or his family. Something like I wish they would have kept my picture there right next to my lovely wife were I belong.

No real damage done here this time but live and learn form others mistakes and during media interviews Never Repeat a Negative.

Our Original article Never Repeat A Negative can be read by clicking on the blue link above or in the article list.