General Discussion

Missy Vixen

(16,207 posts)

35. Is he joking?

Tue Jan 31, 2012, 02:34 PM

Jan 2012

Hey, President Obama,

My husband looked for a job eight hours a day for ten months while he was unemployed. He took a contracting position that was, luckily, offered to him while we were in the process of losing our house. If you don't know that people with engineering degrees are STILL looking for work in this economy, perhaps you need to spend less time lunching with guys like Bill Gates and whomever is running Apple these days. How about talking to some actual workers for a change?

We managed to keep the house, thanks to Senator Murray. My husband was offered another job. Did I mention he took a $24,000 a year pay cut to do so? We're still living inside and paying our bills, but we've cut things to the bone.

If you believe that American software companies are actually hiring Americans to do those "engineering" jobs, c'mon out to Seattle. I'll be more than happy to introduce you to people we know that are STILL looking for work.

Sincerely,
MV

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Obama Tells Woman: "Interesting" Unemployed Husband Can't Find Job [View all] XemaSab Jan 2012 OP

Interesting, indeed! hedgehog Jan 2012 #1

There may be huge demand in some cities, but maybe not Fawke Em Jan 2012 #2

Do you know where they are and what field he is in? snooper2 Jan 2012 #33

I'm sorry, but sometimes you have to move if you truly cannot find a job. ScreamingMeemie Jan 2012 #53

Id dump my house and move to get a job before i sat unemployed mkultra Feb 2012 #95

I have a feeling H1-B visa engineers is what most companies are looking for. Liberal Veteran Jan 2012 #3

Yes...H1-B visa engineers = Cheaper and I expect that is what the woman was complaining about. whathehell Feb 2012 #73

The south has "bless your heart;" as a Minnesotan, "that's interesting" cracks me up. Brickbat Jan 2012 #4

Thought it was "that's different" cyglet Feb 2012 #101

Regional variant! Brickbat Feb 2012 #102

Hope he fires whoever he's getting that "word" from phantom power Jan 2012 #5

"engineer", covers a lot of territory doesn't it? Electrical engineers. Mechanical engineers. NNN0LHI Jan 2012 #6

Semiconducter XemaSab Jan 2012 #14

This message was self-deleted by its author Jello Biafra Feb 2012 #84

Wow. Did the President imply that there was something wrong with her husband? Romulox Jan 2012 #7

I Didn't Read It That Way ProfessorGAC Jan 2012 #9

No. This is a hurting person. "That's interesting" isn't in any way a response of empathy Romulox Jan 2012 #17

Then We Must Agree To Disagree ProfessorGAC Jan 2012 #22

I give him a pass on not so great choice of word also Puzzledtraveller Jan 2012 #24

Consider that he was very upbeat, and offered to personally help out with the job situation bhikkhu Feb 2012 #113

I'm with you. nt MADem Jan 2012 #28

I didn't read it that way either. Engineers have a much better chance of employment AtomicKitten Jan 2012 #34

Not true. girl gone mad Jan 2012 #57

Highest is relative fujiyama Jan 2012 #66

No, he did everything he could to not imply that. Renew Deal Jan 2012 #71

He said "that's interesting" after she said he was a semiconductor engineer. 4500 jobs on Indeed.com joshcryer Feb 2012 #80

You don't know any of that to be true, though. It's just a pile on in defense of the President. nt Romulox Feb 2012 #104

did you see jon stewert last night? - she also asked him to "dance a jig." nt arely staircase Feb 2012 #122

Yeah, I saw that after I'd posted my comment. joshcryer Feb 2012 #126

+1 there are ALWAYS lots of tech jobs advertised every weekend flexnor Feb 2012 #130

Thats what i would say if i thought it sounded stupid mkultra Feb 2012 #96

Precisely. It's a "polite insult" like "bless your heart". nt Romulox Feb 2012 #105

Wow. Bluenorthwest Jan 2012 #8

Someone said earlier that this is the same lady who asked him to 'dance a jig' redqueen Jan 2012 #10

I didn't know she was the same woman who asked Obama to dance a jig. PragmaticLiberal Jan 2012 #19

The video on this page is blocked for me... redqueen Jan 2012 #25

I've seen it--and she is the same woman. It is tblue37 Feb 2012 #76

Thanks, I heard the audio so I heard how rude she was, redqueen Feb 2012 #85

That certainly takes a lot of "balls" hughee99 Jan 2012 #11

He did not say that ... which is probably why the woman Obama talked to was on MSNBC today ... JoePhilly Jan 2012 #49

obama bad obama bad obama bad obama evil obama bad obama bad obama bad obama evil... you know the dionysus Jan 2012 #54

That's right. She said she couldn't get to her husband fast enough, that she had to let it sink in jenmito Jan 2012 #61

After watching the video (which I finally just did) hughee99 Jan 2012 #64

The President ProSense Jan 2012 #12

"Is this supposed to be a negative report? " BumRushDaShow Jan 2012 #16

+1 redqueen Jan 2012 #18

Yeap, I've come to the conclusion that Freepers just pepper the place especially on the weekend uponit7771 Jan 2012 #39

and yet, wonderfully, barbtries Feb 2012 #82

That is true for those who keep reading, redqueen Feb 2012 #88

sadly i think you're right. barbtries Feb 2012 #91

ops like this are freeper dog whistles mkultra Feb 2012 #97

i think that's a fair characterization of it. barbtries Feb 2012 #98

Yep. And it "devolved" into that mode a long time ago Number23 Feb 2012 #121

Maybe he has (unreasonably) high salary demands, maybe LeftinOH Jan 2012 #13

That's what the President seemed to be implying. nt Romulox Jan 2012 #21

Eddy on one of the Vacation movies. Sheepshank Jan 2012 #32

Yeah, or maybe she is more familiar with the job market than Obama is. JVS Feb 2012 #83

pretty quick to bash an unemployed stranger flexnor Feb 2012 #114

Gaaa! lumberjack_jeff Jan 2012 #15

Sounds like he doesn't believe what this woman is claiming because it doesn't square with SammyWinstonJack Jan 2012 #20

I'm outraged. n/t Scurrilous Jan 2012 #23

According to this article engineering jobs are in demand, but... WI_DEM Jan 2012 #26

I didn't get the impression he was going to help with the job search... redqueen Jan 2012 #29

That's the impression I got as well. laundry_queen Feb 2012 #132

A lot of people bayareamike Jan 2012 #27

overall I think the prez handled this exchange poorly, but it sounds like too the woman WI_DEM Jan 2012 #30

Certainly not the most inspiring, helpful or empathetic response. n/t MadHound Jan 2012 #31

Yea ... terrible that Obama offerred to help. JoePhilly Jan 2012 #47

Is he joking? Missy Vixen Jan 2012 #35

I could have written your post. My engineer husband was LibDemAlways Jan 2012 #38

Maybe we need to write a joint letter Missy Vixen Jan 2012 #41

There's quite a *lot* of compassion in Obama's offer to take the man's tblue37 Feb 2012 #77

The guy in question worked on semi-conductors, not software. JoePhilly Jan 2012 #48

A lot of semiconductor work (including design) was offshored *before* they started gkhouston Feb 2012 #92

Well, he just talked to someone. Life Long Dem Jan 2012 #59

Seriously? Well, companies want to hire people just out of school, at low salaries. Mass Jan 2012 #36

That's my company's model - they get rid of the older experienced people HipChick Jan 2012 #58

Facepalm Hugabear Jan 2012 #37

****OP LINKS TELL HALF THE STORY***** uponit7771 Jan 2012 #40

How so? ellisonz Jan 2012 #42

In 2009, the H1-B program was included in the President's sad sally Jan 2012 #50

Especially considering... ellisonz Jan 2012 #52

The President needs to fire his advisors. ellisonz Jan 2012 #43

He is just so out of touch with reality. Lionessa Jan 2012 #44

or did he just call her bluff ? russspeakeasy Jan 2012 #65

Was that before or after countingbluecars Jan 2012 #45

Her husband was employed for almost all last year according to his linkedin page ( she "forgot" to pkdu Jan 2012 #46

She used the word permanent job. Life Long Dem Jan 2012 #51

or fake ads to certify green cards in the perm process flexnor Feb 2012 #111

I don't know how these people can sleep at night. Life Long Dem Feb 2012 #118

they sleep just great - some time around 1998, American tech workers became 'unpersons' flexnor Feb 2012 #119

It's interesting and uniquely American, too. girl gone mad Jan 2012 #55

I hope President Obama gets millions of resumes. n/t cherokeeprogressive Jan 2012 #56

Me too, and ProSense Jan 2012 #67

The RNC cut the answer up and is using this clip to bash Obama as "out of touch." He's NOT. jenmito Jan 2012 #60

They're ProSense Jan 2012 #63

VERY good... jenmito Jan 2012 #68

Yup, Its a RW talking point mkultra Feb 2012 #99

You'd think it would make people take note. Instead it's roundly ignored. redqueen Feb 2012 #103

Yes it is... jenmito Feb 2012 #107

There's the answer! Send those c.v.'s in! Cherchez la Femme Jan 2012 #62

You must have a slow connection. Life Long Dem Jan 2012 #69

Damm you! Cherchez la Femme Jan 2012 #70

One up on that argument would be... Life Long Dem Jan 2012 #72

Do you really have an intellectual fist? I have enough trouble tblue37 Feb 2012 #78

Wow, what a misleading, sensationalist spin on what happened. CakeGrrl Feb 2012 #74

+1 redqueen Feb 2012 #87

Of course they're not interested. PragmaticLiberal Feb 2012 #93

I wonder how many people rec'd bigtree's OP about racism yesterday redqueen Feb 2012 #100

so the word "intertesting" is what sparked this? Interesting in deed. As far as repukes, I see... GusFring Feb 2012 #75

I think this woman is full of it. joshcryer Feb 2012 #79

I really hope it IS interesting to him 0rganism Feb 2012 #81

that's my hope too Enrique Feb 2012 #89

'drive down wages across the board' flexnor Feb 2012 #117

Maybe everyone with an engineering degree who doesn't have a job should send their resumes to Obama? The Backlash Cometh Feb 2012 #86

i am more bothered this woman, with a huge smile, asked our president to dance a jig. wtf. nt seabeyond Feb 2012 #90

THis clip was on the Daily Show last night, 1/31/2012. Greybnk48 Feb 2012 #94

Thanks for the tip... redqueen Feb 2012 #106

She then told him to dance for her. Fuck her. Gold Metal Flake Feb 2012 #108

Huh? Cali_Democrat Feb 2012 #115

Huh. Gold Metal Flake Feb 2012 #123

Sorry...I thought you were kidding about her asking him to dance Cali_Democrat Feb 2012 #125

Not just to dance for her, but to "get up and dance a little JIG for us real quick." tblue37 Feb 2012 #124

I grew up in Texas. Gold Metal Flake Feb 2012 #128

Even more interesting, should O be out of a job, after comments like that? T S Justly Feb 2012 #109

disturbing that so many question the woman and not the issue flexnor Feb 2012 #110

Well, Mr. President there is what you are being told by your staff and "handlers" and then there is Justice wanted Feb 2012 #112

I think a better word for Obama to use would have been "unfortunate" Cali_Democrat Feb 2012 #116

and then she asked him if he would dance "a jig"- saw it on jon stewert nt arely staircase Feb 2012 #120

Sorry, President Obama phylny Feb 2012 #127

H-1b is a baseball bat on the middle class - Even Milton Freidman called it a 'subsidy' flexnor Feb 2012 #129

Obama's plans to raise guest worker numbers, from White House Blog flexnor Feb 2012 #131

Bill Clinton 'I feel your Pain'. Obama 'the word I'm getting is, you have no pain' flexnor Feb 2012 #133

I thought the POTUS said, 'interesting' after she asked Rex Feb 2012 #134

I think blaming H1-Bs for this guy's situation is presumptuous fujiyama Feb 2012 #135