President Obama came to California to raise money, meet with China’s leader and, presumably, talk about healthcare reform.
With the uproar over the government listening in on citizens’ conversations, the President apparently wanted to divert some attention to the new healthcare exchanges being formed. His plan was to use California as a model for the exchanges and get the word out.
However, there are more juicy stories to cover and media that came to a news conference where the President was to talk about healthcare came equipped with questions on a range of issues, not healthcare.
Then a remarkable thing happened.
The President was on stage flanked by healthcare representatives ready to deliver his remarks, but the remarks were not on his podium. It was an awkward moment captured by CNN. The President was ready to talk, but didn’t have his talking points. He looked around and loudly said, “people?” a couple of times. While he was waiting, for what probably seemed like an eternity for him, a reporter tried to ask a question on another topic. The President deflected the question asking everybody to wait for his prepared remarks that were being rushed to the stage.
If the President was a bit quicker on his feet, he would have realized that the few moments that he and everybody waited in silence for his remarks would be fodder for YouTube, other social media, and mainstream media. CNN showed it. Therefore, what better time for him to ad lib about healthcare without his remarks. He certainly is smart enough to do that. Had he, then the two minute segment would have included the message he wanted to convey, a message that the media cares little about and probably won’t report now.
Social media loves mistakes. YouTube is full of mishaps, fails and embarrassments. The President could have and should have recognized the opportunity to get a message across because of the mishap, and not to let the moment go into oblivion.