Obama Moves Jobs Speech Ahead of NFL Kickoff, Fans Worry About Pre-Game
Barack Obama's fickle mistress the American teevee viewing public sure has a lot of demands. FINE, he'll move the jobs speech one day later so she can watch the Republican presidential candidate horde tear each other's throats open. FINE, he'll move the jobs speech to an early hour on Thursday so she can watch the pro-footballer hordes tear each other's throats open. Happy? OH, WHAT NOW? America is worried it won't get to see all the pre-game singing and dancing and flashy lights that come before the gladiator mosh pile starts. Sorry, Obama, you'll just have to cancel all the jobs or whatever, America is busy.
As the NFL and NBC try to figure out the plans for the season-opening game between the Saints and Packers in light of President Obama’s plan to address a joint session of Congress on the same night, the good news is that Obama apparently plans to steer clear of the start of the football game.
Though an official announcement has not yet been made by the White House, Obama’s speech apparently will begin at 7: 30 p.m. ET on September 8, one hour before kickoff of the kickoff to the season.
And so, assuming the absence of any filibustering (a big assumption, given the precise location of the address), the speech should be over before it’s time to play the game.
But plenty of football fans will still find that outcome unacceptable. The speech is still encroaching on turf that had been reserved for the game, potentially interrupting the pregame coverage on NBC, including the musical acts and the other stuff aimed at getting folks properly lathered up for the official start of the football season — and at permitting Packers fans to properly savor the celebration of their most recent Lombardi Trophy.
George McGovern?
Boehner was pretty expliciting whining about not being consulted about the time before it was announced, so that story would mean he was *gasp* lying.